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The first protest hit yesterday, some members of ACT UP got naked next to MSG. (Why do I think that they probably didn't look good naked?) In any case, they were trying to make a statement before the "Main Event" which starts tomorrow.

Can somebody try to CALMLY and without resorting to rhetoric (I know, good luck with that . . . ) attempt to explain to me why so many people are coming to protest? I would love to have talked to somebody who REALLY organized, like someone from the Solidarity Labor movement under the Soviets, not the "drive to the protest in my dad's Lexus" crowd that I've seen at the WTO, or was it Woodstock II?

And I don't mean, why are they angry at the Bush Administration. No question, the level of rage, hatred, anger, and stridency has reached a pitch we haven't seen since the late '60's. No, I mean, why are they coming HERE?

It's not like they're going to convince anyone here. According to the Washington Post, about 435,000 residents of Manhattan voted for Gore, while only 75,000 voted for GWB.

If you were running a campaign, you'd probably want to concentrate your resources in the marginal areas, where they could have more impact. So why are people getting on buses and spending time and after-tax dollars to come and "protest" here in NYC? Do they do it for the experience? Do they gain a sense of empowerment? Do they want to get on TV?

Or do they just like to protest, for the sake of protest?

If it were me, I wouldn't jump on a school bus in Washington State and drive all the way to NYC just to get tear-gassed by the NYPD. I would, instead, use those resources to organize at HOME, try to swing voters in the sphere of influence I could relate to and understood best.

THAT seems to me to be the best way to effect meaningful political change. Not much in the way of narcissistic value, I'll admit.

You have to wonder, how many people have come here with the specific intention of creating a public disturbance, disrupting commerce, damaging infrastructure, destroying property, or doing bodily harm. How many out of the million?

I wonder if they'd like that in THEIR neighborhood?