The Magnificent Moronic Mile

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c Flying Debris

Last Tuesday evening Chicago’s local leftists held their annual anti-war protest by marching down Michigan Ave., the “Magnificent Mile”. I knew that I would be downtown Tuesday evening so I figured what the heck; I grabbed my camera and printed up a sign that read “You Are the Enemies of Freedom and Liberty”. I went down to Michigan Ave. and stood across from the Allerton Hotel (the old Tip-Top-Tap is no longer on the top of the Allerton) facing the crowd and I had a grand old time playing “witty comebacks to stupid remarks”, but I digress. As I posted Tuesday night the crowd was small compared to last year’s extravaganza, the local papers estimated the crowd size at 4000 people, a little more than half of last year’s rather small turnout. To put that in perspective there are 9.4 million people in the Chicago Metropolitan area.

I was considering titling this post “Stupid White People March Against the War” because the only African-Americans I noticed at that march were members of the Chicago Police Dept. The lack of African-Americans was striking for among other reasons that they make up 36% of the city population and are well represented in many of the suburbs. For the time being I will leave that tidbit for others to analyze although the fact that African-Americans have been so successful in the military likely plays a part. There was of course a wide variety of communist groups represented, International ANSWER being prominent among them and of course there were some groups marching in support of various pan-Arab and anti-Israeli causes. A group of college kids who had a pro-Syria chant was really a sight to behold. As with all of these marches the strange supporters of Che Guevera were in attendance, however the Pol Pot supporters wisely attended incognito. My sign brought out a variety of emotions in those who happened to notice it but shock was part of most reactions. Those people were shocked that someone could conceivably say that they did not stand for freedom or liberty. One woman came up and questioned me, she was in such a rage that she did not seem to even notice that she sometimes deals with me at work; I sometimes trade for the company that she works for and have known her for years. Not only did she not seem to realize that she knew me but she may have also been oblivious to the fact that the small group she was marching with held signs for the Workers World Party, a communist group not exactly known for their support of liberty. In part so that I can get my trades properly cleared I did not clue her in to the fact that we know each other.

This march, like the other organized anti-war marches here in Chicago featured women passing out propaganda along the edges of the march; some of the leafleters were attractive, some not so much. It is worth noting that some seemed to be literally reliving those heady days of the Viet Nam war, dressed up like their Raggedy Ann dolls and pleading with passerby to “come see our veterans speak at Daley Plaza!” The March organizers had a few veterans marching at the lead of the parade dressed in white camouflage so that we couldn’t miss the seven or eight of them and apparently it was up to those vets to “change people’s minds”. It is as if I haven’t been bombarded with those people’s delusions for the last four years. No, make that my entire adult life.

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I noticed no Code Pink ladies this year and blogger will not let me re-upload my favorite photo from last year, this Code Pink lady and her Dick Cheney hunting sign. I was having more fun responding to barbs than anything else Tuesday night and my photos suffered for it.

-Thanks to the wonderful Dr. Sanity and her Carnival of Insanities for inclusion again this week.

Chicago Anti-War March Smallest Yet

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The sign says " Nurses and Doctors say No Oil War". As always the Bush with horns sign was a crowd pleaser.

Although it was much smaller than the previous Chicago Anti-War marches it was much bigger than the Chicago Help People Overcome Tyranny march. Of course the later has yet to step off. The parade used the southbound lanes of Michigan Ave. and was considerably smaller than the same parade last year. I really missed “the Chomsky Guy” who traveled the route and passed out Marxist propaganda on a 1971 Schwinn Varsity during the event last year. There weren’t really any floats unless you count the lame trailer that two guys stood on at the lead of the parade but there were many other amusements. For instance there were many Che Guevara signs, there were many ANSWER signs, and there were many Impeach Bush signs; however there seemed to be much less anti-Israel sloganeering at this parade, which may explain the low turnout. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of the anti-Israel stuff (and even a pro-Syria chant!) at a few points during the parade but there was less of it and I really do think that the smaller parade size is the reason rather than the “progressive” movement banishing those sentiments. At the start of the parade and along its route the guys on the trailer were extolling passerby to join the parade so the turnout had to be a disappointment as it was a nice evening, and certainly no worse than last year.