Free Speech: An American Value

I have always loved a good protest (what native Cantabridgean doesn't?), and it has been sort of jarring for me to participate in this convention as a supporter rather than as a protester.

I was surprised to find myself being unhappy about protests by groups I belong/belonged to and I had to question my sense of self. I have always felt that it is righteous to oppose "the man" but now I see these people with signs and plans and bandanas, prepared for pepper spray and nightsticks, and I wonder if they will accomplish their ultimate goals by doing what they're doing. I don't know the answer but I have a lot of deep questions to ponder.

Toshi said maybe he was just feeling nostalgic for the protests of our rebellious "youth" (haha I know we're still babies in this world in the grand scheme of things), but he felt that we were standing for something important and our protests might have succeeded in accomplishing our goals (for example letting third party candidates debate with the major party candidates). I pointed out that our protests (and even our votes) did not accomplish that goal 8 years ago, and our possibly misguided efforts may have unintentionally contributed to the travesty of justice that was the 2000 Presidential election. Toshi encouraged me to consider the larger and more nuanced picture. and he's probably right. perhaps I blame myself too much. Still, I am questioning... what is the most effective strategy to create real change?

I am wondering if I am getting old or what is happening to me...

but I fully support the right of protesters to make their opinions heard.

There are many different groups here, bringing visibility to their issues and helping our democratic process by participating in the way that is natural to them.

Lots of people traveled from far away to protest the war in Iraq, especially Iraq Veterans Against the War and also Code Pink (women for peace). They will also be protesting at the RNC in the Twin Cities.

The Iraq Vets led a march of 10,000 people and delivered a statement calling on the Democratic nominee to endorse the three main goals of IVAW: Immediate withdrawal, full veterans benefits, and reparations for the Iraqi people.

Following a packed show at the Denver Coliseum where Rage Against the Machine and the Flobots encouraged the crowd to join IVAW's march, two squads of 25 IVAW members each formed up outside the venue and began marching to the Pepsi center. The squads were led by members in dress uniforms and combat uniforms, with thousands of supporters marching behind them.... Former Texas Lt Governor Ben Barnes came out of the convention to accept a letter from the IVAW members.

Smaller groups and individuals also added their voices to the outcry against this criminal and immoral war of aggression.

I cried when I saw these women with their handmade masks and signs, silently marking the memory of people lost in the Iraq war.

Some of the protests/protesters made me uncomfortable or unhappy, like these people protesting the very idea of homosexuality.



Luckily there was an awesome counter-demonstration alongside them with hundreds of pink & yellow balloons inscribed "gay." Remember, gay also means "happy" and that's how this made me feel. It was very upsetting though to look to the left and see these happy gay balloons and then to look to the right and see angry religious people. Can't we all just get along? Whatever happened to "live and let live"?


Some of the protesters had elaborate costumes and props...









Some of the protesters were just plain silly...






Some were painfully misguided...






Here's an example of some "fair and balanced" coverage (commentary by my fabulous friend Steve):

Apparently, when you refuse to speak to the obnoxious and condescending reporter from Faux News – or when you speak out against corporate media manipulation – that means you “don’t believe in freedom of speech.” At least, that’s according to Fox News’s Griff Jenkins. The protesters outside the Democratic convention in Denver give him a piece of their agitated minds; hilarity ensues:

Something else surprised me and caused me to be quite challenged personally. There were lots of anti-abortion people here with bloody pictures of fetuses, chanting about the value of life. Many of them were young women: my age, educated and otherwise just like me (there but for the grace of God go I).

I guess I had a preconceived notion that anti-abortion crusaders were mostly crusty old men with a not-so-secret agenda of controlling women's bodies and women's lives.

I was shocked and (I must admit--saddened) to see young, smart, liberated women advocating for a reduction in women's rights to regulate and control their own bodies, their reproductive rights, and to decide for themselves when is the right time to have a child. (this video shows the entrance to the Pepsi Center where the delegates were listening to the keynote speakers Weds night--the lady you can hear on the megaphone as you approach the gate was one of the leaders of this anti-abortion protest).



I can't argue whether human life is or isn't valuable--obviously it is. But I found myself sick to my stomach when I saw the blown up color photos on banners blaming Obama for abortions or labeling him a "baby-killer." I know that there is an important moral aspect to the abortion issue--it isn't just any old medical procedure, but is also isn't as simple as "bad/immoral people killing babies." Sometimes a woman's own life is at risk, sometimes she has been the victim of rape or incest, and sometimes she simply knows she is not ready or capable of being a good mother at this time. How can we value life when we are relegating those "innocent babies" we've "saved" to a lifetime of poverty, maternal resentment, and poor parenting? I am reminded of the line from a Michael Franti song, "You can make a life longer, but you can't save it."

We have to learn to live together in the middle ground and discuss the material in the grey zones, rather than just sticking to our own narrow perspectives and the scripts that come with the "pro-choice" and "pro-life" labels. Divorced from the salience of the abortion debate, I don't think any American can truly pick either life or choice--we value both!

So I have been fundamentally challenged and changed by what I've seen here, and by my own reactions to these protests. It is OK, because this is America and we are allowed to disagree with one another and still remain a country united by a commitment to free speech.

And in this new America, we are allowed to reconsider deeply held opinions in the face of new information without being called a "flip-flopper." At least I hope so.

Please join me in the new America, where it is safe to reassess preconceptions and build common ground.