Saturday, February 22, 2003 :::
Remember how the Chronicle was estimating nearly 200,000 protesters in the streets of San Francisco last Sunday? Well, they now claim that the actual number is closer to 65,000. This new number is based on high-resolution aerial photographs commisioned by the Chronicle (could it be from the same airplane trailing the "Saddam Commits Genocide" banner?). However, a policeman and an anti-war spokesman both refute the Chronicle's new claim.
So what does this mean? Does it matter if the actual number of people involved in the anti-war protest is a quarter of what it was thought to be? Are Americans, even in San Francisco, less opposed to the war than citizens in London and Rome? In those cities, well over 1,000,000 people opposed Bush's war. Is the voice of dissent little more than a whisper in this country? I sure hope not.
Meanwhile, the war starts in three weeks. Just in time for Sweeps Week!
::: posted by Andrewski at 4:44 PM
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 :::
Female Air Force cadet is raped by a classmate. Her commanders respond by charging her with having sex in the dormitories. Awful, ugly situation.
::: posted by Andrewski at 8:12 PM
Two items of note in Wednesday's Daily Cal. First up is Daily Cal reporter Nate Tabak's brush with crime-fighting, in a slightly too self-congratulating article about a bungled police stakeout. I have a feeling Nate will someday don a cape and cowl and make crime-fighting a full time job.
The other story goes back to 1936, when four pranksters presented what they claimed was a 16th century brass plate to their Berkeley Historian Herbert Bolton. Forty years later, the plate's authenticity was disproved by a "dating test" (carbon dating, I'd assume). The recent news is that the identities of the pranksters have been discovered. Now that's a good one- a practical joke that lasts 70 years.
::: posted by Andrewski at 1:46 PM
Sunday, February 16, 2003 :::
I attended the San Francisco rally today. Turnout was excellent- I was really surprised how many people took to the streets to speak out against war on Iraq. Unfortunately, I saw much of the same issue-muddling and counter-productive tactics that I've seen at other rallies- mainly, the fact that the "Stop The War" message got lost in the mix of "Free Palestine", "Free Mumia", "Free the Five", and other assorted bits of irrelevant distractions. No wonder the anti-war sentiment hasn't caught on as strongly as it should- people who are undecided on their stance on the war don't hear a single, unified message from the liberal protesters in this country. Instead, they see a hodge-podge of political hot-button topics.
I think it's highly offensive when a speaker screams to "end the Israeli occupation" at a rally like today's. I'm confounded when a speaker screams that we should scrap the military to pay for dental dams and hormone treatments for transsexuals. These aren't the issues that deserve our attention, and while so many groups try to piggy-back on the media coverage at the rally, all it does is undo the positive message that we really need to get out.
That message? That our country is heading to war whether we like it or not, that it could be an unnecessary and costly war, that many American soldiers and innocent civilians may die, and that our President finds war preferable to peace.
Update: The Chronicle reports between 150,000 to 200,000 peaceful protesters in SF, plus 1,000 anarchic people who tried to cause trouble. Here's my favorite photograph from the Chronicle.
::: posted by Andrewski at 8:45 PM
