[125] in peace2
what happened on Saturday at the Gore rally
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (F. AuYeung)
Tue Mar 7 23:58:57 2000
Message-Id: <200003080458.XAA01193@w20-575-91.mit.edu>
To: peace-list@MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 23:58:45 -0500
From: "F. AuYeung" <auyeung@MIT.EDU>
So now that Super Tuesday is over, here are two accounts of what happened
on Saturday, when Gore showed up in Boston. Ah, politics...
------- Forwarded Message
From: Gretchen Boger <gboger@bedfordstmartins.com>
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 09:45:58 -0500
Subject: [cip-list] Gore letter again
218 Walden Street, Apt. 3
Cambridge, MA 02140-3545
March 4, 2000
Albert Gore, Jr.
c/o Gore 2000, Inc.
2410 Charlotte Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Dear Mr. Gore:
As a resident of Massachusetts trying to decide whom to vote for in this
Tuesday's Democratic primary, I was glad to learn you would be appearing at
Faneuil Hall in Boston yesterday. While the media in covering the
Presidential campaign exhaustively reports polling numbers-telling us as
citizens what we think of you, the candidates-they usually fail to offer
full coverage of your platforms, information that would allow us to make
educated choices. Thus I was looking forward to seeing you in person and
hearing your views on issues.
I also brought a sign of my own to the rally, asking you to pay attention to
the devastating effect of U.S.-led sanctions on the citizens of Iraq, an
atrocity of human suffering I find deeply immoral and about which I have
heard almost nothing in the campaign. About fifteen other people at the
rally had similar signs, objecting to sanctions on Iraq and drilling by
Occidental Petroleum in the lands of the U'wa people.
Among the beliefs you professed in your speech at Faneuil Hall was a belief
in the First Amendment, as you asked us all to give a cry of support for the
freedoms it protects. Unfortunately, your call was in bitter contrast to
the censorship we were experiencing in the crowd. All of the people near me
who were carrying signs expressing concern about specific issues had been
systematically surrounded by paid members of your campaign staff-as they
identified themselves to a woman who asked-and prevented from displaying
their signs. We all were there peacefully, wishing simply to hold up our
signs as we listened to your speech, as were the people with signs saying
"Gore 2000," "Latinos 4 Gore," or, informatively on the platform behind you,
"Gore is a Babe." But whenever those of us with issues-related signs tried
to raise them, a group of your staff deliberately raised a sheath of blue
"Gore 2000" signs to block ours from view. When we brought ours down, they
brought theirs down; when we raised ours, they raised theirs so ours
couldn't be read. I don't know whether they were attempting to create a
unified picture of support for media cameras or whether they were protecting
you from seeing that voters in the crowd had issues of concern.
When we asked our censors why they were obstructing free speech in the name
of your campaign, they were silent. Trained to shut down dissenters, they
made no pretense at listening to your speech nor participating in the rally
but faced us, determined to thwart any efforts we made to raise a sign. When
a friend and I tried to speak politely to them about the human rights issue
that concerned us, explaining why we were carrying these signs, they ignored
us. By their actions, they made clear that the Gore campaign is uninterested
in learning about issues of concern to U.S. citizens and is programmed to
suppress any sign of dissent from the pre-established agenda.
Others in the crowd nearby actively disagreed with our point of view and
were not happy to see us there either. When your staffers left for a few
minutes, however, these crowd members told us that they agreed that the Gore
staff's tactics in suppressing diverse opinions was wrong. Although one of
these people had previously told us we could go starve to death with the
Iraqis-a more honest expression of opinion than we could get from your
staff-we were now able to engage them in a meaningful debate about sanctions
for several minutes. At one point, a man turned around to comment that he
had thought he was coming to hear you speak but discovered that the real
discussion of issues was happening in the crowd.
The main reason these crowd members gave for supporting sanctions on Iraq
was their opposition to the tyrannical and controlling government of Saddam
Hussein, a concern we all shared. Ironically, your staff practices the very
methods of suppression and media control that Hussein's government uses, a
frightening realization for those of us at Faneuil Hall yesterday. I came to
the rally to hear what you had to say and respectfully express my opinion.
But your staffers spoke all I needed to hear. I do not want to live in a
country whose President suppresses freedom of speech. Even as you were
speaking of the founding fathers of American history, you were losing votes
yesterday morning; as you extolled their cause, your staff suppressed the
very freedoms for which they fought. Should you wish to be elected
President, you must run your campaign on principles of freedom of expression
and attention to the concerns of American citizens.
Because your staff shielded you from the damaging impact of my sign, I also
am asking you now to come out against economic sanctions on Iraq. While
having proved completely ineffective against the Iraqi government, sanctions
have destroyed Iraq's civilian infrastructure and killed over half a million
children. Two successive directors of U.N. humanitarian assistance programs
in Iraq, Denis Halliday and Han von Sponcek, have resigned in protest of the
conditions caused by sanctions, demanding that the U.S. and U.K. end their
support for this policy. Seventy members of Congress have signed the Conyers
letters, also requesting that the U.S. end support for sanctions. I ask you
as Vice President and as a Presidential candidate to call for the immediate
lifting of economic sanctions.
Sincerely,
Gretchen E. Boger
cc: Gore Campaign, Massachusetts Headquarters
The Boston Globe
------- End of Forwarded Message
------- Forwarded Message
From: mobilize@jps.net
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 18:31:38 -0500
Update - March 4th Ruckus at the Al Gore rally!
There we were, three Campaign for the Iraqi People activists, and 5, maybe 6
Rain Forest Action Network Activists, standing in the Saturday morning
chill, surrounded by true blue Al Gore fans. We filed in, got as close as
we could, and waited. We listened to Overdraft, the rock band that played
"When I fight Authority, Authority Always Wins" by John Cougar Mellenkamp.
"We'll see" I chuckled to myself. I'm sure other were shocked, probably
wondering " How could the band play a song about fighting authority at a pep
rally for the Vice President?"
We waited. We listened to Sen. Kerry. We listened to the promoters of the
Democratic party. We listened to Sherrif De Paola, who's wife stood next to
me in November of 1996 or 1998, rooting for her husband while I prompted
voters to support campaign finance reform. Mr. DePaola called the
Democratic party THE party of inclusion (compared to the Republican
alternative) but then proceeded to paraphrase JFK saying we should be "men
of courage, men of incorruptability, men of .. two more worthwhile things I
wish (but will never rationally expect) the Democrats took seriously. I
lean over to the young red-haired woman next to me, and say "If you're gonna
paraphrase someone, why not be incluse there too...?" "I might as well not
even be here" she replied with obvious ire.
We listened to the President of the Mass. AFL-CIO give a good talk about
raising the minimum wage, and we got to hear a bright BC business student
impress the crowd with her energy and sense of humor. Finally, Al steps up,
and takes the mike. Our key word in environment. once he says that, we pull
out our signs that read "NO MORE BLOOD AND GORE FOR OIL "
Al starts. Jobs, the so-called strong economy.
The right to choose.
Health care, and a patients bill of rights. (Where's single-payerhealth
care buddy?)
Some other things. And some George W. Bush bashing (which is too easy.)
But nothing about the environment. He even thanks people for turning out for
him on Super Tuesday.
I start to think he's gonna say goodbye, and we'll be lost in the noise and
bustle of the he crowd. I start thinking I'm gonna have to signal everyone
myself.
Did I mention the snipers? On both sides, above the buildings,four, maybe
five men in all black. No weapons visible, but you know. Scary time to be
holding a wallet (remember Diallo) much less a paper sign.
So we are all getting antsy, when Al Gore says "And what about the
environment..."
We all pull out our signs, we hold them up. Everyone looks. The TV cameras
zoom in. Al sees them, but keeps on going, trying not to get distracted.
He's probably thinking - "Whats going on - this is supposed to be a
carefully orchestrated event. No signs except the ones that say 'Gore
2000', or maybe the ones that the hand picked college democrats have like
'Gore is a Babe' But no signs about policies, issues. Thats not democratic
party politics. "
SUddenly, we few brave activists are barraged with calls "down in front" and
seconds later, arms fly in and rip down our signs, tear them right out of
our hands. We aren't touching anyone. We're just making a public
statement in a public space. But we've been stripped of our signs. Our
chant, which we were struggling with, was "No more blood and Gore for Oil,
End the sanctions on Iraq, No more blood and Gore for Oil, Give the U'a
their land back" but as we lose our signs, we get indignant, we shorten it
to "No blood for Oil! No Blood for Oil!"
Al is trying to go on, but the poeple around us are now chanting "Al Gore,
AL Gore" to try to drown us out. And people can't hear Al, even with a
microphone, because we and others are chanting. So there he was - and there
he goes - 40 seconds, maybe a minute after we start our chant, he hurriedly
says goodbye, and scurries into Fanieul Hall.
We continue chanting, turning toward the TV cameras, as Gore boosters
surround us, holding up their signs. After a few minutes, we leave.
Later, Channel 25 tells one of us that they didn't run the footage because
they didn't know who we were (is that fair, does it matter) and I feel bad
that I didn't have person lined up to send out press releases. Next time.
And yes, Al, there will be a next time.
Wells Wilkinson
Executive Director, Boston Mobilization for Survival
mobilize@jps.net 617-354-0008
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------- End of Forwarded Message
