This is what democracy looks like

Yesterday's protest to the NYU Republicans' "Find the Illegal Immigrant" event went off well. There was quite a lot of media there, and it was good to get back behind the police barricades.

And their excuse was bogus even for Republicans - "Sometimes, you have to be politically incorrect," said the club President. "Sometimes, you have to be provocative." Get real. You're not trying to start a discussion. This is an academic community. If you wanted a discussion there'd be a forum with representatives from both sides. What's next on the agenda? Stage a fake lynching of a Black man to encourage a dialogue about race relations?

He was singing, "I crossed the border, but I didn't break a single law," to the tune of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff."






Paul and I started arguing about immigrants' rights the other night (as we do; once we finally tired of arguing over pronunciation - and that lasted a good 2 1/2 yrs - we were bound to turn to politics). Here's another case where it's not a simple pro/con stance. It's not that I'm for illegal immigration; it's more a matter of what you do with people once they're here, and frankly spending any amount of resources on hunting people down for deportation makes no sense. Going after the cleaning companies employing hundreds of illegals, no doubt for dismal pay and in poor working conditions, that seems a little more fruitful.


The crowd of protesters was really an eclectic mix - it warmed my cold, cynical, bitchy heart and made me believe that people really can make a difference.


Then I watched the evening news. Lead stories included:

• outrage over the escalators not working at the new Staten Island Ferry Terminal (people have to walk up two flights of stairs?! dear god, they might be getting exercise!);
• the judge's ruling in the fight over Anna Nicole Smith's "decaying body" - okay the news talked about it like it was sprawled in a field somewhere swarmed by flies, and while I think ANS's mother is an evil twunt, to use Beth's term, I'm pretty sure the judge crying while delivering the ruling constitutes solid grounds for an appeal;
• Busta Rhymes being arrested for running a red light (a.k.a. Driving While Black);
• and speculations that a local doctor wasn't dosed with acid by 3 Hispanic males but, in fact, burnt himself in the shower and was too embarrassed to admit it.

Back to being cynical.