BrainStream: DNC Musings

[bkdelong]

I apologize to friends and family who have been coming to BrainStream to read about what's going on in my life and only getting DNC news but, hell, that's what's on my mind.

It's a gorgeous day out today. Barely a cloud in the sky, a soft, cool breeze & just enough sun to offset the breeze. It's perfect. However I've barely been able to turn myself away from CNN Headline news and my laptop watching whats going on DNC-wise.

I have done everything I can to communicate to journalists and "official" bloggers alike the insecurity of the DNC - and how it's not hard to for someone to sneak by the massive manpower they have guarding the Fleet Center in Boston. I've been denied addition to conventionbloggers.com and not added to BostonOnline.com, probably because I'm in Salem.

A few of the Bloggers appear to get it. TalkLeft is on top of the discord coming from protesters regarding the "Pen" and as I read various sites like the Bl(a)ck Tea Society & Boston IMC, it's becomming more and more apparent that if security doesn't back off from protesters, then we may have another 1968. The protesters aren't stupid - they are now boycotting the "Free Speech Zone" and no doubt will gather in the nearby "soft zone" - something tells me all it will take is a few charismatic types to send a sea of angry protesters to overwhelm the Fleet.

Look at this case regarding Seeds of Peace -

"Shortly there after three fire tucks, EMS, haz-mat, Bomb Squad, and officers from the Secret Service, Homeland security, state police, and the FBI came to investigate the supposedly dangerous kitchen. After four hours of attempted interrogation, dog sniffing and investigation the police left with 4 empty propane tanks and one full one. They also searched the activist’s medical supplies but later determined them harmless."

according to this Boston Globe article, they were parked down by Hyde Park.

"But amid the heightened security, police answered an emergency call in
Hyde Park yesterday and searched a privately owned school bus with Idaho
plates that contained two small gasoline containers and a few 130-gallon
propane tanks, Boston police said."

What I want to know is why that amount of Law Enforcement was doing down in Hyde Park harassing a peaceful activist group. What if something happened at Fleet? Jeeze - and they kept coming too.

On the other hand, Jim Atkinson has sent Cryptome several radio frequencies for the convention and has alerted them that Yahoo, (supposedly under orders from a Federal Law Enforcement Agency), has suspended Jim's TSCM-L list and deleted the 6 years worth of archives. Outrageous.

I guess what miffs me the most is the seeming lack of concern of the protesters. The DNC folk, Kerry/Edwards, City of Boston etc....are silent. No one is saying, "We know you want to protest and its your right....and we encourage you to, but we have to take security into account." No one is acknowledging the right of these groups to protest. Many of these people will probably be voting for Kerry and at this rate, if I wasn't terrified of another Bush presidency, I'd start considering a 3rd party. If the DNC would wake up and give the protesters a little more acknowledgement and allow them to express their views, they'd win mucho points all around. Instead, they are staying silent and the gestapo nature of the Bush administration DHS along with some pissy Boston police are all twitchy just waiting for an excuse to beak out the CS.

God, I hope I'm proven wrong.

[BrainStream]
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Comments

HOLY F*C^!!!

[ixchelmala.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, Jim Atkinson has sent Cryptome several radio frequencies for the convention and has alerted them that Yahoo, (supposedly under orders from a Federal Law Enforcement Agency), has suspended Jim's TSCM-L list and deleted the 6 years worth of archives. Outrageous.

This is just wrong! will they get them back? Geeez!

btw, I've been enjoying the updates. They have kept me in the know and I will have a better perspective if anything does go down next week.

I still can't believe that they are telling the working people of Boston to just not go to work next week.

Re: HOLY F*C^!!!

[bkdelong.livejournal.com]

Yeah...it's crazy. I'm guessing they just took them offline. If they deleted them then that would be stupid.

I wouldn't say they're telling people not to go to work - they're just making it incredibly difficult for people to.

Boston Online

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, hey, sorry, didn't realize you were local! Will add you post-haste!

-- Adam, Boston Online

[ooops-my-bad.livejournal.com]

Seeds of Peace??? They suspected Seeds of Peace??? You know, I didn't think that anything done by any agency involving security could shock me anymore, but they finally did it. Unfreakingbelievable. The scariest thing is that this probably means that they have no background briefings concerning any of the groups showing up available, so EVERYONE is going to be treated as a potential "terrorist" by the LEAs. "Here to be a quiet protester - in the pen" ... "here to distribute medical aid - in the pen" ... "not here from a major news agency - in the pen."

I sure hope they've enlarged those areas or ... ok, not gonna say ... another ... word ... just calm down.