NYC

Did they show pictures of the protesters in NYC? The barricades? The riot gear? The horse brigades? Did they talk about how the people were kept separated? Did they talk about the scuffles? I don't know if they did or not. Did they count the numbers? All around the world?

I just don't watch the news any more. I won't. I can't. But I wonder how much was shown and how long it was on before the cameras flipped back to the Daytona 500 and the news regained its focus on duct tape, plastic wrap and Michael Jackson.

As some of you may know, I get my news online. Indeed, this is a frequent reason some insist that I should get a life, that I should stop being such a sourpuss. Whatever.

I offer below a few URLs I've found about the protests in New York.

Caveat: I can't vouch for the objectivity of these sites, but then I can't vouch for the objectivity of FoxNews, either. I must say, however, that it doesn't help when the posts feature gratuitous insertions of peaceful and seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights before and after each reference to the protesters. And lest anyone think differently, some of the organizations behind the wider anti-war effort (eg, ANSWER) seem to be despicable in their own right.

Nevertheless what happened in New York and all over the world on last Saturday is important. Mind what I said: the protests themselves are important. Their significance is IMHO largely independent of whether you root for the coming war or against it or whether you have chosen not to choose. That so many people felt strongly enough to brave the cold and the barricades is important. It says something refreshing about the power of people in a culture dominated by corporate media, pundits spouting sophomoric balderdash, and press spokesmen spinning manufactured distortions this way and that.

I found some of these pictures and stories informative. Your mileage may vary.

Pictures:

• http://f15.nycimc.org/gallery/album08
• http://thewider.org/pictures/NYC_protest_Feb_2003/

Map:

• http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=47601&group=webcast

Some first-hand stories:

• http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=47734&group=webcast
• http://www.polizeros.com/2003/02/18.html#a1468
• http://distributethis.org/berylium/document-feb15protest.html
• http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=47552&group=webcast
• http://blogs.salon.com/0001282/2003/02/16.html#a135

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