Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 04:59:37 -0500 Subject: What's going on at protests? (more RANTing) Newsgroups: alt.religion.kibology,alt.religion.louis-nick Status: R Louis Nick writes: Okay, you nit-pickers. The WTO was to start today, Tuesday, but the protesting started last Sunday, so it's day 3. To simplify all of this, I've made a map, by stealing from a major online map provider, and trimming and adding stuff with a Photoshop-like product. And someday, I'll be able to post that map, but for the moment it is frozen in Photoshop mode. Until then, tell Mapquest you want to look at Seattle, and then zoom in a bit on the corner of, say, 6th Ave and Pine Street. When the map goes up, I'll put it at: http://www.seanet.com/~sunburn/wtogeez.html . Probably. That map, I've labeled as described below. And I should mention that it is taking considerable strength of character on my part AS IF YOU PEOPLE HAD CHARACTER to not RANT about the ill-considered CRIMINAL goings on among the RIOTS protests against the WTO. Beginning this morning, everyone got to work early. These people drove. See, they realized that, just like the last two times were were supposed to be besieged with snow/protests/diplomats/members of the Executive Branch/Californians, everyone stayed home, and it wasn't really all that bad, and shouldn't get bad until the Sonics game at 7ish. And they were right, for a while. Everyone got in, the traffic was mostly light, and it wasn't even raining much. Hmm. The protests began, mainly the labor contingent, 10K or so people marching from ... uh, crap. One of the tourist places; might be Pioneer Square, which isn't pictured but is at 1st Ave and Yesler (lower blue boundary), but perhaps more likely from Pike Place Market, 1st and Pike Pl., also not labeled. So that's no big deal. They all end up somewhere between the 1 and the 2c, a 3-block stretch of Pine St. They bring along with them, for whatever reason or none, their fringe following. And at about 8:00 in the morning, there's reports of a window breaking at McDonalds, number 1, on 3rd and Pine. Now, this may be the sort of thing that makes some people say "crap, they're rioting," but you must understand that this particular McDonalds is open 24 hours. It serves more people than any other McDonalds in the city. It has, and makes great use of, 24 hour police protection. In short, it's a lousy place to be, most of the time, and breaking a window is somewhere on par with dropping a Big Mac. So the local news, at least, was quick to realize that nothing much is going on. At about 9:30, though, we've begun to hear reports of everything getting out of hand. Tear gas on 3rd and Stewart, as well as up by Sixth and Pike. Local Public Radio (KUOW) Environmental Reporter Orlando DeGuzman was in the middle of a rather dramatic account of the tear gassing when he basically says "it's coming right towards me--*KOFF*" and his signal is cut out. How nice. At that same location, I'm told, a gigantic inflatable whale was placed in the middle of 6th Ave (1-way northbound, 3 lanes plus street parking) on that same block. It blocked people from leaving the city. Dumpsters set out to block traffic were set alight. White guys in dark clothing and half-witted pseudo-Marxist agendas (as some representative characters on the news revealed) started breaking things, WAKKA WAKKA. The Labor leaders steered their parade out of town. And then in the afternoon, we kept hearing about the same crap. Stores vandalized, most likely the biggest targets of all: the Gap Inc. stores, 2a, 2b, and 2c, which are Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy respectively. Niketown, the northwest corner of 6th and Pike, had its storefront and sign destroyed by Nike-wearing Marxist wannabes. Nordstrom, 3, was vandalized, windows broken, and more than likely their Santa in the display on the corner of 6th and Pine got messed up. Starbux, the one I mentioned on yesterday, number 4, had all its windows knocked out by idiots. They then came in, broke everything within reach inside, and threw merchandise into the street. Likewise the Starbux on 6th at Seneca. More McDonalds smashing at 7, Westlake and 6th. Meanwhile, the media is trying it's uncommon damnedest to make sure people understand that there's plenty of substantial, legitimately- motivated, and nonviolent protest going on besides those areas, most notably a march, which started noonish and ended a long while after, 4 maybe, along the red course I've drawn; south from Seattle Center along 5th, past the Westin Hotel (5a) (where many delegates are staying and, incidentally, where I walked on Sunday), to Pine St., East to 9th Ave, North to Olive, and then West to 5th, and back to where they started. It's possible they got down to Pike and not Pine, but I was still at work, at number 0. Now, basically the whole area from 3rd Ave and Pine to 9th and Pike was gassed at some point. Folks in front of the Convention center, 5b, got less than their share, since the police were trying not to gas the delegates, many of whom still could not make it from 5a to 5b without being variously accosted, accused, and nauseated. Undoubtedly some bozos on 5th and Stewart, across from the Westin, got their share of the chemical warfare. Cops put up with a lot of crap, made a minimum of arrests and, as of 5PM, declared that 7PM, the National Guard would be deployed, and that downtown would be closed to people not affiliated with the WTO. This was not as easy as it looked. There were indeed looting episodes, most of them caught on camera if not by police, and we'll be seeing those videos again, no doubt. The downtown, by the way, is limited by Denny Way, the northern blue line, and Yesler Way, the southern. The Waterfront and I-5 where the other limits. Then I walked home, and the Lower Queen Anne area of Seattle smelled like pot. Also, my throat has been irritated by the miscellany of chemicals from downtown, though one of my coworkers, fighting off a cold I gave him a couple of weeks ago, was so respiratorially agitated, he couldn't keep his lungs from coughing out into his paperwork through the afternoon and had to leave early. Obviously, the bunch of people who are suffering respiratory ailments, such as nerddom-causing asthma, are this evening wishing they were dead. HELL NO, WTO! WHO CARES IF TRADE AIN'T FREE IF YOU CAN'T FREAKIN BREATHE? And with that, I was home watching TeeVee, which was running Continuing Live Coverage most of the day, no doubt. The climax of the evening was viewed through a DOT camera (uphill is east, downhill west towards downtown, visible intersection means southbound, highway only, means northbound. Also it occasionally sits on the north exit of the bus tunnels, 9th and Pike) http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/PugetSoundTraffic/cameras/imagehtml/cctv117a.htm at Pine and I-5, where the one could most coherently watch the police line up and shove the protesters east, to Capitol Hill, getting their tear gas cannisters thrown back on them by punks who think they're oppressed revolutionaries, but mostly trying to prevent the protesters from throwing gas cannisters on the highway, which could easily lead to Real Death. I should also point out that the I-5 and Pine cam is still the most interesting of all the free webcams, and most of the ones you have to pay for. The protesters have more or less collected on Capitol Hill, due East of downtown, which is friendly ground for leftists, a high-rent bohemian neighborhood for public art, public sex, and very little in the way of public parking. They've lit up a bonfire over there, and even now, 11PM, Seattle cops are trying to clear Broadway, which is really the only non- interstate way to get from the north end to the south. Begin part two of my RANT. The following is a WTO FAQ: Q: When did we elect the WTO? A: 92, and 96, in the form of W.J. Clinton. This is all your fault! This would've happened if Bush or Dole were elected in those years, BUT YOUR QUESTION IS MEANINGLESS! NOBODY QUESTIONS THE LACK OF DEMOCRACY INVOLVED IN THE DUBBAYOUTEEOH! Q: Why are we breaking windows at the WB store? A: BECAUSE WE'RE FUCKWITS WHO THINK THAT AS LONG AS THINGS COST MONEY AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY, WE HAVE AN IMPLICIT RIGHT TO BE EQUAL WITH RICH PEOPLE, AND THEREFORE WE HAVE A RIGHT TO FREE STUFF, AND WHEN WE GET CHARGED FOR IT, THEY'RE STEALING FROM US! ALSO, WE THOUGHT FIGHT CLUB WAS ABOUT ANARCHY AND NOT PSYCHOSIS. Q: Why are all these people dressed as sea turtles? A: BECAUSE SOMEWHERE, SEA TURTLES ARE DYING, AND WTO ISN'T DOING A *THING* ABOUT IT! WAHHHHH!! Q: How can I tell a local protester from one from out of town? A: THE LOCALS ARE IDIOTS WHO CAN'T EVEN SUCCESSFULLY PARROT SOUND BITES, AND THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS ACTUALLY HAVE A REASON TO BE HERE OTHER THAN GETTING OUT OF WORK/SCHOOL/OBLIGATIONS OF REAL LIFE. Q: What's with the Unions? A: UNIONS WANT MORE FOR LESS, AND THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT WTO, LIKE GATT, INSISTS THAT OTHER COUNTRIES MAY NOT SUMMARILY REFUSE THE BLOATED OVER- BUILT AMERICA INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, LIKE COWS AND AIRPLANES, BOTH WITH EXTRA GROWTH HORMONES. SURE, SURE, THEY'VE GOT LEGITIMATE INTERESTS AS FAR AS COMPETING WITH FOREIGN MARKETS, BUT GEEZ, THIS IS AMERICA, IF WE CAN'T COMPETE, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO FRIKKEN GO UNDER. THAT, OR WE TIGHTEN OUR BELTS AND WORKER'S BENEFITS. Q: What's with the Freaks? A: THEY LIVE HERE. WE PUT UP WITH THEM BECAUSE UNLIKE FREAKS IN OTHER CITIES, THEY DON'T USUALLY ASSAULT PEOPLE WHO OWN ESS-YOO-VEEZ. ALSO, THEY GO TO SCHOOL ON CAPITOL HILL. Q: What's with the cops? A: THEY'RE SHOWING THE TYPICAL SEATTLE RESTRAINT, WHERE THEY'D RATHER SCREW UP TRAFFIC FOR 12 HOURS THAN HARM A NUT WITH A SWORD, OR THEY'D RATHER SHOVE EVERYONE OFF THE STREET RATHER THAN ROUND EVERYONE UP AND TAKE THEM TO THE CONVERTED NAVAL STATION JAIL, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY'RE BEING PAINTED, HAVING THEIR TIRES SLASH, AND THEIR HORSES FED LSD, EXCEPT I MADE THE LAST ONE UP. Q: What's up with the weather? A: LOOKS LIKE RAIN. A LOT LIKE IT. OW I GOT WATER IN MY EYE! Q: When does Clinton get here? A: AROUND 1AM TONIGHT, AND TOMORROW MORNING YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR CHANCE TO TELL HIM AND THE OTHER WTO PEOPLE HOW YOU FEEL. REMEMBER, CLINTON AND THE DELEGATES DO NOT SPEAK ANY LANGUAGE YOU'VE EVER HEARD OF, SO YOU MUST SET THINGS ON FIRE AND BREAK WINDOWS IN ORDER TO SPEAK TO THEM IN THAT SPECIAL SEMAPHORE. ALSO, HE GETS TO WAKE UP AT 10:30 TOMORROW, AND PEOPLE WHO USED TO WORK WITH DARLA WILL GET TO SEE HIM NEKKID! Q: So... should I skip my visit to Nordstroms? A: NO. GO AS PLANNED. WASH YOUR CAR FIRST, AND WEAR FURS OR LEATHER IF POSSIBLE. BRING CASH, AND FIREARMS. REMEMBER THAT THE PEOPLE YOU SEE ON THE STREETS ARE ACTUALLY BENEATH YOUR FEET AS YOU RUTHLESSLY EXPLOIT THEM. Q: And what are the conservatives, such as yourself, doing these days? A: AH, YES, VARIOUS THINGS. I LEARNED HOW TO USE PHOTOSHOP. I STARTED O'BRIEN'S _POST CAPTAIN_. I WEPT FOR THE IDIOCY AMONG MY FELLOW SEATTLITES. I FAILED UTTERLY TO WEAR A SMUG EXPRESSION OVER ALL THE CRIME GOING DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE CRIME FUKKEN SUCKS, EVEN IF IT ARGUES IN FAVOR OF EVERYTHING I ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT LIB'RALS. I MOSTLY SPENT THE DAY CURSING THE STUPID IDIOT MORONS WHO THINK THAT REVENGE IS A PROTECTED FORM OF SPEECH, AND THAT THE WTO IS JUST GOING TO PACK UP AND GO BACK TO GENEVA BECAUSE ALL THE STARBUX ARE CLOSED. THINK ABOUT THIS NEXT TIME YOU SPIT ON ABORTION PROTESTERS, YOU LEFTIST TURDS; YOU'RE ALL THE SAME, YOU JUST HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT RIGHT AND RIGHTS. Q: Wow, is that how you really feel? A: EH, I'VE FINISHED TYPING THAT, SO I'VE CHANGED MY MIND ALREADY. Q: So, in the end who pays the price for all this? A: EVERYBODY WHO PAYS TAXES. EVERYBODY WHO BUYS IMPORTED GOODS. EVERYBODY WHO BUYS DOMESTIC GOODS INSTEAD OF IMPORTED GOODS. EVERYBODY WHO BUYS THINGS, ESPECIALLY IN WASHINGTON, BECAUSE YOU GET NAILED WITH 9.1% SALES TAX AS WELL AS THE SPECIAL CHARGE FOR ITEMS, THE OTHER 100%, WHICH IS A TAX FOR NOT BEING RICH. EVERYBODY WHO HAS EVER BEEN PROUD TO LIVE IN SEATTLE. EVERYBODY WHO IS PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN, WHERE AT LEAST I KNOW TRADE'S FREE. EVERYBODY WHO THINKS THAT THEY CAN PUSH THE SPD AND THE NATIONAL GUARD A LITTLE FARTHER. EVERYBODY WHO THINKS THE WTO IS A REALLY GOOD IDEA. EVERYBODY WHO EMPLOYS CHILDREN IN FACTORIES. EVERYBODY WHO THINKS IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO PAY PEOPLE IN THE 3RD WORLD $10 AN HOUR, EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD COMPLETELY DESTABILIZE THEIR ECONOMIES IN THE WORST IMPERIALISTIC MANNER. EVERYBODY WHO THINKS CHOMSKY IS A SMART GUY. EVERYBODY WHO BELIEVES IN UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS, OR DOESN'T. Q: So, then, everybody? A: YES, AND NOONE. Q: Why do you post this stuff, even though you know that the kibologists are the people with who you least want to get wrapped up in a conversation about politics? A: MY TOWN HAS JUST BEEN FUKKED UP--NOT IN ANY REAL FUNCTIONAL WAY, JUST VISUALLY RUINED-- BY A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO ARE EITHER THINKING OF THEMSELVES OR NOT THINKING AT ALL, AND IT PISSES ME OFF. FRANKLY, YOU'RE THE PEOPLE I COME TO WHEN THAT HAPPENS. NOT TO TAKE IT OUT ON YOU, OR THE LEFTISTS AMONG YOU, BUT BECAUSE I'M ALLOWED, AND I REALLY NEED THIS ON OCCASION. SORRY. BUT I DISAGREE WITH YOU ALL, AND I'M RIGHT, AND I'VE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH FROM EVERY ANGLE, WHICH MAKES ME COMPLETELY OBJECTIVE, WHICH MAKES ME UNBIASED AND ALSO I SEE THE MERITS OF EVERY POSITION, EVEN THE MISGUIDED AND STUPID AND WRONG ONES. Q: Will you STOP YELLING?? A: Sorry. BEABLE does this better than me. Except for the coy irony of the above question. Q: Will there by UN or other USENET involvement with the World Tra%^#@%@!%............ NO CARRIER OK OK -- "Can't you people only steal the brainwaves that AREN'T in the sarcastic half of my brain?" -James "Kibo" Parry YOUR WEBSITE HERE! --> === Louis Nick III alt.religion.louis-nick sunburn@seanet.com ===