Protests temper tantrums, not true debates

Marilyn Manson, Frankenstein’s monster and Wal-Marts built on ancient burial grounds are the… Marilyn Manson, Frankenstein’s monster and Wal-Marts built on ancient burial grounds are the only things that get yelled at by people in large groups as often as President George W. Bush.

During Bush’s inauguration in January 2001, a swarm of election-debacle protesters brought his motorcade to a halt. In early 2003, millions around the globe rallied against the invasion of Iraq. In August, a small army of political dissidents encircled the Republican National Convention, forcing Bush to arrive discreetly in an unmarked car surrounded by more noticeable vehicles — which was, sadly enough, the same way Martha Stewart arrived at prison.

Throughout his first term, Bush has shown a penchant for drawing angry masses. So it should come as no surprise that, after Bush won reelection, bandana-masked, sign-waving protestors took to the streets of Oakland, making noise and setting stuff on fire.

According to Friday’s The Pitt News, a troupe of protesters burned an American flag and blocked traffic on Forbes Avenue after Bush’s victory. Two demonstrators were arrested.

A less raucous but no less inexplicable protest took place Saturday afternoon.

The Oakland crowds weren’t alone. Beyond Voting, an anti-Bush group, reported protests in 45 U.S. cities on their Web site.

I sympathize with all of you. I voted for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., because this country direly needs new leadership. While watching election coverage, I grimaced when Bush won Florida and took the lead in Ohio, all but ensuring the continuation of a disastrous presidency.

The next day, I saw many long faces around Oakland, where Bush’s oval-headed challenger was as popular as dollar drafts at Hemingway’s. The outcome of this election caused resentment and disappointment for many.

But forming an angry mob was the wrong way to react. Wednesday’s demonstration was a temper tantrum. Without a clear message or strategy, the group acted as offensively and disruptively as possible.

Protesters claimed that the demonstration was a general display of dissent and not a gripe about the American people’s poor but legitimate choice in leadership.

“We are here to make change and make our voices heard,” one, identifying himself as Matt, said.

Even if you believe such an angry outburst would have occurred if Bush, the catalyst for so much liberal activist rage, had gotten his just dessert, the protest was still senseless and childish. Abstract statements by people making their voices heard to make their voices heard certainly aren’t going to change the world.

Plus, it’s not like the next four years will be lacking in things to get pissed-off about.

“I earned capital in the campaign — political capital — and now I intend to spend it,” Bush said, smugly, at his first post-election press conference on Thursday. Considering the recklessness and extremism of Bush’s first term, during which he didn’t have a dime of political capital, this comment gave me a chill.

So trust me, kids, the near future will bring ample opportunity to make an angry sign, take to the streets and get yourself arrested: the passing of Bush’s discriminatory, anti-gay marriage Constitutional amendment; the renewal of the civil rights-trampling USA PATRIOT Act; more money and lives lost to the Iraq debacle; a Supreme Court nominee who combines Robert Bork’s stance on reproductive rights, Roy Moore’s position on the separation of church and state and your crazy Uncle Ned’s assertion that the motion picture industry seeks to turn children into homosexuals.

Oh, and the Apocalypse.

Disheartened liberals wonder how to respond to Bush’s victory. Some have become despondent. Some have pasted homemade “Barack Obama 2008” bumper stickers on their Hondas. Some have considered relocating to Canada — if you move now, you can find a good apartment before the hordes of draft-dodgers arrive!

But perhaps the best option is staying here and staying politically active every day for the next four years. Bush may be the newly legitimate president of the United States, but we still have a right to voice our dissension and an obligation to stand by our principals. Keep grass-roots dissent a respectable part of the political landscape by protesting only specific actions and injustices and abstaining from meaningless, angry outbursts.

E-mail Nick Keppler at pnk6@pitt.edu.