Archive - 2004

Date

September 3rd

This is what democracy looks like

Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Fri, 09/03/2004 - 09:45

(Originally posted in Greater Democracy)

I went to Boston as a blogger credentialed by the Democratic party. I went to New York as a blogger without credentials. I visited conferences, demonstrations, the conference hall, and what stands out is the chant, “This is what democracy looks like.”

So, I thought I would take a few minutes and think about what the conventions looked like to me, a self proclaimed partisan.

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September 2nd

The Religous Right

Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 09/02/2004 - 14:42

(Originally published in Greater Democracy)

I started college as a Religion major with thoughts of becoming a priest, and fairly conservative religious viewpoints. One of the things I particularly remember from the early days of my religious education is that most Christians tend to view Jesus as an embodiment of their own ideals. Conservatives see Jesus as conservative, black radicals tend to see Jesus as black radicals, etc.

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The flip-flopping Senator

Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 09/02/2004 - 13:53

On March 1, 2001, Senator Zell Miller addressed the Democratic Party of Georgia's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, introducing Senator John Kerry. In that speech, one of his first comments was, ” I'm proud to be Georgia's junior senator and I'm honored to serve with Max Cleland, who is as loved and respected as anyone in that body. One of our very highest priorities must be to make sure this man is re-elected in 2002 so he can continue to serve this state and nation”

He went on to speak about John Kerry, saying, “My job tonight is an easy one: to present to you one of this nation's authentic heroes, one of this party's best-known and greatest leaders – and a good friend. … In his 16 years in the Senate, John Kerry has fought against government waste and worked hard to bring some accountability to Washington.

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Guantanamo on the Hudson

Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 09/02/2004 - 11:04

(Originally published at Greater Democracy)

The other day Jock asked if it was excessive to talk about Baghdad on the Hudson, “a city occupied by a power elite who treat the residents as second class citizens with fungible civil rights. The way the occupiers have redefined NYC, it now has its own very own "Green Zone" -- just like Bagdad. A bubble of fantasy and dogma dictated "reality".”

This morning, I received an email from a person who was detained yesterday. I’ve posted it here.

Theoria over at DailyKOS writes about his friend Jeff being detained when he was photographing the demonstration at the public library. You can hear my audioblog about this here and a few pictures here

SteveW also at DailyKOS writes about his experience http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/9/1/234944/4308 >here.

Many people are referring to it as “Guantanamo on the Hudson”. Others are complaining that this is a bit of an overstatement.

The NYCLU has issued this statement: “The NYCLU is concerned that individuals arrested during RNC protests are being held in unsafe conditions at the Pier 57 holding facility”

The Washington Post reports,

“Paul Brown, a senior police official, insisted that no protester had waited more than 12 hours before being released. Officers had been "restrained and professional throughout," he said.

However, the according to an AP story in The Globe and Mail, the courts don’t agree. “New York — A Manhattan judge ordered city officials Thursday to process and release 560 anti-GOP protesters within hours after hearing that the detainees had all spent at least 36 hours in custody since their arrests.”

Indy Media from New York reports, “The court just reconvened to check the City's compliance with the writ. As of 2:40, ony 27 of the 117 people who were supposed to be released by 1:30 have been released. The judge ordered that those not in court or the feeder pen must be released immedately. For the 3rd time in 24 hours the city is directly disobeying a court order. “

They also request that you contact city officials here.

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