[thechat] protests?

[Drew Shiel]

At 11:47 21/03/2003 -0600, Debbe Watson wrote:

   Um, no, sorry, this is blatant propaganda, even if you don't know it is.

>1.  They are providing large crowd opportunities for terriorists.

   So are parties, carnivals, and Republican conventions. Also cities.

>2.  They are risking injury to themselves and others around them.

   So are drivers, construction workers, and athletes.

>3.  They are distracting military and local law enforcement from very
>important duties and issues concerning national security, regardless of
>what country they are in.

   Well, yes. That's because what the government are doing is wrong, and 
people are telling them that. The nebulous threat of "national security" 
being hung over people's heads is a paranoia-inducing red herring.

>4.  They are wasting tax payer dollars on events which are not being
>recognized by the powers that be.

   Unfortunately, this is true. But where are the tax payer dollars? 
Everyone's there voluntarily, and the only involvement of the government is 
from the police. I don't think the protestors actually invited them.

>5.  They are risking repercussions on many levels and their futures by
>having an arrest record.... even just for protesting.

   And that's NAOTHER problem. Why should people be arrested for 
protesting? It's legal, and even constitutional in many countries.

>Give it up!  Use your voting power to protest, not your life.  You get
>more than one vote.  You only have one life.

   A life isn't that much worth living if the US and UK governments 
continue the way they are - and voting in the US does nothing, as seen in 
the last presidential "election".

   Drew.


Drew Shiel                               webmaster at swiftpay.com
                                                     +353-1-2365701
------------------------------------------------------------------
Swiftpay -- The best way to pay online -- http://www.swiftpay.com