[Seattle-editorial] Proposal: Black helicopters

[typist at speakeasy.net]

Here's an edit of Mark's article on the protests.  I'm waiting to hear back on some first hand accounts of the Victor Steinbrueck park protests, which might be nice to add into this (a few sentences), but don't hold up the piece for that.  I left the Dean article that Mark also attached for a later edit.    

Title: Black helicopters and millionaire mansions 
Subtitle: Report on Bush Protests
by Mark Taylor-Canfield


The Emerald City came to a brief standstill on August 22
when George W. Bush came to town. Surrounded by secret
service and military-style police, Bush arrived in Air
Force One at Boeing Field where he greeted a dozen VIP
supporters. He was immediately whisked away to the
multi-million dollar McCaw mansion on Lake Washington
where he proceeded to raise 1.7 million dollars in
less than two hours. Then he left Seattle,
leaving behind him a significant political backlash in
his wake.

The local media was denied access to Bush while
reporters from CNN and Fox were given the royal
treatment. This caused some frustration among Seattle
media journalists. Reporters from local radio stations
were forced to give live reports of Bush's arrival
from positions that were far removed 
from the action. "I can barely see the president, I think he's greeting
some VIPs but I can't tell who those people are," said 
a reporter from KIRO radio.

[suggested: link to rest of article here]

Traffic was stopped on Interstate 5 and on the 520 
floating bridge across Lake Washington to allow
the president's motorcade to pass. After sitting
through traffic delays caused by the Navy's
Blue Angels a few weeks ago during Seattle's annual
Seafair events, many commuters were frustrated by the
traffic tie-ups caused by the president's motorcade
and the intense security surrounding the Commander In
Chief. Seattle's traffic congestion is some of the
worst in the nation and even Bush was forced to sit in
a traffic jam on I-5 before he finally reached the
McCaw mansion at Hunts Point.

Meanwhile, citizens reported seeing unidentified black
helicopters, and the local television media did stories
about military jets that chased private planes in the
area. The jets even fired flares at small planes that
strayed into a "no fly zone," forcing them to land.

Protesters at Hunts Point were met with police in riot
gear, helmet and clubs from local law enforcement agencies, including
the only four police officers on the Hunts Point
force, as well as police from Kirkland, Bellevue and
Seattle. Demonstrators complained of law
enforcement officers with no clear identification.
Some of them looked more like soldiers--especially
the ones in black uniforms carrying automatic
weapons. One unidentified demonstrator at Hunts Point commented to
reporters, "Welcome to the police state of America."
Another man tried to block the motorcade route on Highway
520 by standing in the
freeway. He was immediately arrested. 

According to KIRO radio, the secret service made
several requests to the Kirkland police department,
asking that the officers push protesters to a position
150 feet away from the motorcade route.  Evidently,
even local police agencies felt it necessary to rebel
against heavy-handed federal authorities who had taken over
the city for the day.  Police officers moved the crowd
about 25 feet back from the street which still allowed
them to be visible from the president's vehicle. The
Bush handlers were trying very hard not to allow for
camera shots of the protesters demonstrating near the
official motorcade route. Presumably, they did not
want people to see the president's vehicle and the
protesters in the same frame on their TV sets during
the evening news. 

Their efforts failed, however, as anti-Bush
demonstrators were a visible backdrop. 

Attendees at the presidential fundraiser paid $2,000 each to meet the
president. One beamed to local
media that George W. had kissed her on the cheek. Her
husband literally gave Bush the shirt off his back;
the president liked his colorful shirt so much he
gave it to Bush. 

"Billionaires For Bush" were present at the protest to
spoof the administration. Actors dressed as Bush and
Cheney assured everyone that America is safe now
that the US has secured the Iraqi oil fields. Dick Cheney
carried a scythe and was dressed in a black robe like
the Grim Reaper. A rich matron in a lace dress and pearls threw money at the
crowd and urged them to support Bush so that she can
continue to protect her wealthy lifestyle. 

At the same time, in Bellevue a local right-wing
radio station (KVI) had secured a permit for Bush 
supporters at NE 8th and Bellevue Way,
thereby pushing planned Bush protests down the road to a
less visible location. However, anti-Bush demonstrators infiltrated
the pro-Bush rallies at NE 8th and Bellevue making it difficult to tell which
side of the fence people where on. "Bush 2004" competed with 
anti-Bush signs all around the busy intersection. Eventually the anti-Bush demonstrators outnumbered the pro-Bush supporters.

Another anti-Bush protest was held the
following day even though Bush had already left town. 
An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 demonstrators held a rally
at Myrtle Edwards Park.  Keynote speakers included
mainstream politicians like Seattle City Council
President Peter Steinbrueck, US Congressman Adam
Smith, Washington State Democratic Chairman Paul
Berendt, former Clinton speechwriter and policy
advisor Eric Luci. Demonstrators marched along the
Seattle waterfront, receiving a mostly positive
response from tourists and locals alike. 

The previous day Bush's comments at a campaign stop in Eastern Washington angered environmentalists. Appearing in a small rural community that
had voted 75% for Bush during the election, he came out
solidly against demolishing any of the numerous dams which have
contributed to the destruction of the salmon
population. 

Despite a well-financed luncheon, George W. Bush left a bad taste in the mouths of many Washington residents. It's probably no
wonder that Democratic presidential candidate Howard
Dean was able to draw 15,000 people from around the region 
to his rally in Seattle two days after Bush's visit. It seems that
they prefer a guy who serves peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches at his fundraisers over the usual Bush
fair of expensive lunches at millionaire
mansions.