Cub Scout bus attacked? Seriously, Cub Scouts?
September 2nd, 2008 – 11:23 AM by James LileksEpisode 2 of the convention diary is up; it’s about all the merry events surrounding Monday’s protests. The video doesn’t address any subsequent unpleasantness that happened en route; if you want additional views, the Uptake was there. It also doesn’t cover any peripheral misbehavior, such as the cement-bag dropping matter mentioned yesterday. (More on that here, and apparently nowhere else.) It concerns the people who were on the Mall, and to repeat what the video says: the vast majority were peaceable and civil. Certainly more so than Denver – didn’t do a scientific survey, but the amount of vulgar t-shirts was infinitesimal compared to the DNC protests.
As with Denver, the impact of the protests on the actual event was nonexistent. No one cared in Denver, and no one cared in St. Paul. This has nothing to do with how you feel about the justness of the protester’s cause – it’s simply a fact. While the protesters filed past, they outnumbered the observers by 600 to one, counting the cops and the media and the delegates who wandered out for a smoke break. To state the thuddingly obvious, I’m not saying that the justness or unjustness of a cause is determined by the number of people watching the parade; I’m just saying that the practical impact on the people inside the Xcel Center was nil.
Except for the old ladies who got sprayed or doused with diluted bleach, or the bus full of Cub Scouts that was stopped and rocked by protestors. Old ladies and Cub Scouts: brave, aren’t they? Tomorrow they’ll be sloshing motor oil in front of seniors with walkers.
24 Responses to "Cub Scout bus attacked? Seriously, Cub Scouts?"
I wish I could say I was shocked by this kind of behavior.
I dare say that for the individuals involved, all their friends, acquaintances, most of their family and nearly 50% of the US population agrees with them on most issues; however, that is not enough. They do not tolerate dissent.
I suppose this kind of behavior can originate from “the right” but, frankly the “the left” is really standing out.
Take a recent lesson from California. The state supreme court legalized same sex marriage. Did you see any cement bags, bleach, urine, feces, etc. in reaction to the decision?
there’s an idiot in every crowd. if it’s a larger crowd, there will be more idiots. I’m not sure of the precise calculations over what percentage of idiots to expect, or whether there is a Cheney factor to use as a multiplier.
the general idea is to cull the idiots from the herd, and get them out of there. so far, we haven’t had a 68 Chicago at either convention, and doubt we will.
the idiots will not alter the convention business a whit. don’t let them get to you, either. to quote a nice bridge graffiti from years and years ago, they are “… a mad dog biting myself for sympathy.”
none here.
It’s not really accurate to call them protesters becuase there’s no issue that drives them one way or another. I mean, where are they the other 364 days of the year? Tutoring kids? Going to city council meetings? Cutting the grass of a family with a parent in Iraq? Nope. They just show up when they know their vandalism will be on TV.
You cannot really call them anarchists either becuase the moment they’re aprehended they scream about their rights and lecture police on proper procedures. It’s like when someone professes to follow the priciples of Karl Marx but won’t part with what they have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvcnQLZ1YTk
What they are is cowards with a hard romance for 60’s-era violence. How else can you explain the masks, the running away, and the fetal-position weeping when faced with consequence? Dropping stuff on busses from a bridge, harassing seniors, scaring cub scouts - pure cowardace.
You say there’s an idiot in every crowd, but that’s not really true. The idiots in both Denver and St. Paul seem to all be a part of the same crowd and share the same political leanings.
Were there any serious protests at the DNC? What were they protesting, the GOP (by proxy)?
OctaneBoy, how do you know the profession or employment status of every protester? I won’t deny that it’s very likely many protesters don’t have steady jobs and that’s part of why they’re active, but I do question the assumption that every demonstrator is just a whiny jobless brat. I’m sure there are some who took off time for work because they really wanted to demonstrate (hell, on Labor Day most didn’t have to).
James, call your office. I left an invitation for you with the mailroom this morning.
Friendly guy in charge, there. 8-(
A REAL protester would spray diluted bleach on a cub scout helping an old lady across the street.
Two birds with one stone and all that. . .
from what I understand, an old lady couldn’t get across the street down by the X. I have word the doctor wants me back in for whatever. it ain’t gonna be this week, my clinic and hospital are at the edge of the exclusion zone.
heck, they probably took my doctor’s flashlight cones as some sort of strange and terrible weapon.
the price of fame, sigh. by Monday, the Saintly City will be forgotten again, and we can flip throwing stars down the streets again.
Sigh. So no one filed a report about cement bags being dropped on buses, no one has actual proof of it or even a simple photo of a dent in the buses made by it, yet you’re continuing to report on it as if it were a hardened fact? Go back to journalism 101.
Right on, brother Jim. Keep reporting the truth! To be honest, everything being equal, if it came down to an old-fashioned bare-knuckled street brawl my money’s on the old ladies and cub scouts over the blackshirt anarchist pansies.
Good news, swschrad — I just made a visit to United Hospital, and it’s never been easier to get in and out of there. I parked on the street. Usually I have to go in the ramp.
It’s like a ghost town around United today. Don’t know how things are at St. Joe’s or Regions though.
Yawn. Liberal wussies screaming for attention because the village is ignoring them. Next story.
“As with Denver, the impact of the protests on the actual event was nonexistent. No one cared in Denver, and no one cared in St. Paul.”
So there was no effect? CT delegates weren’t scared witless? Cub Scouts didn’t cry? Which is it James? Did it affect anyone or not?
Hey, yrdad, read the whole article!
“To state the thuddingly obvious, I’m not saying that the justness or unjustness of a cause is determined by the number of people watching the parade; I’m just saying that the practical impact on the people inside the Xcel Center was nil.
Except for the old ladies who got sprayed or doused with diluted bleach, or the bus full of Cub Scouts that was stopped and rocked by protestors. Old ladies and Cub Scouts: brave, aren’t they? Tomorrow they’ll be sloshing motor oil in front of seniors with walkers.”
Perhaps the cement bags on the bus story is destined for the same slag heap as the babies who were raped at the Superdome during Katrina. All somebody needs to do is interview a driver and produce a picture of a smashed windshield. I think the current crop of anarchists needs a refresher course in how to be dangerous. Like school yard bullies they work best when they outnumber their victims.
Jim,
What the hell are you doing?
How about some coverage?
What a *terrible* link to the Cub Scout story. Or not, the original blogger doesn’t even know if it happened, according to his update.
First of all, he HAD to throw Obama’s name into his post twice? Even though he didn’t know who the protesters were? Anarchists are not pro-Obama. Nor is the far fringe left; they’re small but they’re noise and they usually don’t have jobs. And you always have your Larouchies and other weirdos at these sort of events.
Also, conservatives are respectful and liberals are not? How old is this person? 11, maybe 13? Please tell me nobody actually believes that. There are crazies in every tribe. Both sides are full of malice and disrespect. Anyone who is certain that his “team” is solely and exclusively respectful must have just landed on this planet last week.
I’m disappointed. These kinds of links imply endorsement, and I thought Mr. Lileks was smarter and less petty than that.
Namely, I agree that the use of Obama’s name was not necessary but, you have to admit that “anarchist” or not, these people are left leaning and did not rock buses in Denver. Maybe Denver had better security, I don’t know.
The point is that I can think of no right leaning agitators or riots in the US in recent history. Even morons like Fred Phelps don’t start riots (although I think I would like an excuse to pepper spray the “preacher”).
By the way, this link shows video of protesters harassing a bus:
http://www.startribune.com/video/27740099.html?elr=KArks5PhDcU9PhDcUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
Obama is a stealth Marxist. Period. Who else has talked about re-distributing the income of an industry he doesn’t like?
The news media is in Obama’s pocket, probably for reasons having to do with their own Marxist sympathies.
If anyone compares these US Weekly magazine covers and still wants to tell me there is no left-wing bias in the news media, I say they are in major denial.
http://silverspider.com/magbo/left-wing_bias.jpg
As someone froma higher pay grade than mine once said, “Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
I need Lileks unique perspective on the convention. Politics is the last thing we need to discuss during a political convention. Where are the bird pr0n protesters? Is Captain Morgan there?
Shake off that throbbing hangover and post James.
Hey Lileks! Will the Strib pay ME to hang around the convention and not post stories (or, in your case, post non stories)? As I said before, what a waste.
Every once in a great while, I’ll browse through the on-line site for the Strib, and it always confirms I made the right decision in cancelling my subscription.
Your political reporting sucks so badly, even when you do choose to write a story, it’s so far left leaning that it sounds as if it’s coming from complete fools.
James,
They should require you to back up when you receive your check.
Wow, you’d think that liberal anarchists attacking defenseless Cub Scouts would have made the news.
Somewhere. Anywhere.
But no. Damn liberal media goons don’t care if children are attacked. Because we’re hatefull that way.
Richard> Lileks is conservative, so this confirms that some people who think the Strib is left-leaning are just being paranoid.