phil4

Subject: Philadelphia Story Part 4

Hey,

Well, I almost got arrested today.

There were cops in riot gear in front of the police station during
a demonstration there for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.
He's the former reporter who was convicted of shooting a Philly cop.

The cops were searching bags and bodies. I got stopped by two big cops and
patted down. They asked me what I was doing there. I told them I was
reporting for an Internet magazine. They seemed to be deciding what to do
about me, so to fend off any rash action on their parts, I told them that I'd
heard a few photographers had gotten roughed up. They suddenly turned into
Jackie Gleason and Art Carney ("Hamina hamina hamina") and said they didn't
know anything about that. Either my remark made them think twice, or they
figured I was harmless. Anyway, they left me alone after that. I couldn't
decide whether to be relieved or insulted.

Granted, it doesn't rise to the level of my mother, who got kicked out of the
entire city of Boston -- the cops escorted her to the city limits and said
they wouldn't arrest her if she agreed never to come back -- but this ain't
the '60s anymore. (I told her she should write a letter to the mayor of Boston
and ask if it was okay to come back yet.)

After that, it got pretty ugly. The protestors had turned over some dumpsters
to keep the cops back, and the cops were pissed. A lot of protesters got
arrested, and the cops were not gentle about it. Then we heard they were going
to start arresting anybody who stuck around, so I split. How very fitting
that this should all be happening in Philadelphia, the city where John Adams
originally fought against citizens arrested without charge and homes entered
without warrant.

If they keep this up, this convention will rival '68. Remember, it ain't no
kind of convention 'til Dan Rather gets punched in the nose.

Helicopters swept the city all day today. It's like Apocalypse Now down here.
Poor John McCain was probably having flashbacks. (Watched his speech last
night on C-Span. Think the GOP'ers were kicking themselves for picking the
wrong guy?)

There was a smoke-out at the Liberty Bell. Smelled like my college dorm.
There were a bunch of cops there taking pictures, but that was about it.
Nobody got arrested, but the protesters eventually headed over to the police
station, where things got ugly, as I said above.

Sidebar: Driving into town today, we took several wrong turns and, I don't
know how, wound up in Bird-in-Hand. It's the craziest thing -- do you know
those Amish don't have any TVs?! I saw an Amish man fussing with his horses's
reins on the side of the road, right near a Denny's. I don't know how you can
be Amish when there's a Denny's down the block.

Okay, back on topic: Did I mention the train?

There's a big ol' yellow Dick Tracy-lookin' train parked on tracks at the back
of the lot at the First Union Center. It's got a dining car that I could see through
the windows had quite a wet bar and tablecloths and flowers on the tables.
I saw it on Sunday night when we circled the lot, but I didn't mention it because
I assumed it was always there, some kind of a tourist attraction.

Well, today I found out that it's one of the perks for the GOP Congressmen, a
place where they can get away from the noise and mayhem of the convention to
kick back, have a drink, make a few phone calls, maybe do a prostitute. They
can't find money to pay our U.N. dues or pay for a prescription drug benefit
for Medicare, but they have money for a big yellow choo-choo for their good
old boys to get drunk on. I'm sorry...is this the party of fiscal
responsibility we keep hearing about?

Overall, I would say the nicey-nice rhetoric inside the Convention does not
match the scene outside. Comin' up on our last day tomorrow. Let's see what
effect Smirk's oily presence has on the protestors.

Attica! Attica!