Let's get real! Our side provoked the police. If we do not want to live in anarchy, we
need our police forces. They serve us. Our battle is not with the police. I feel sorry that
they have to be the mayo in the sandwich between our demands and the WTO, IMF, World Bank, and
whatever else we protest. Our voice was heard, make no mistake. Instead of hating the
cops who were trying to do their job, let's use that energy instead to recruit our neighbors
to our cause. What would you have had the police do? Refuse to obey orders and lay
their jobs on the line? Did you lay yours on the line? And what would you have the Chief
of Police or the mayor do? Allow us to storm the meetings and disrupt them? We don't
need to do that and if we had been permitted to do so, we would have been the violent
ones, becoming our own enemy by forcibly preventing what is after all a legal procedure.
We did what needed to be done and provoking the police probably made us more
enemies than friends. If you want to win, keep the peace, stay within the legal guidelines
as much as possible, and persuade the uninitiated that our cause is just. We don't need to
convince the police. They've got a tough job to do (every day). Also, note that they
intercepted some folks with really dangerous toys. I am grateful for their vigilance. I
would not have wanted to see the personal injury or property damage that might have
occurred if the police had not intercepted those anarchists or whatever they were. That
does not advance our cause. If you think the police of this country are unprofessional and
cruel as a group, you've got a screw loose in my opinion. If you think there are a few bad
cops that look for a chance to behave brutally, I will agree, but the way to get rid of them is not
by suing or putting down the men in blue. It's a separate issue and should be done by
supporting and encouraging better pay and better psychological screening of recruits. I
personally would not want to be a cop and have to witness the pain and make the hard calls or put my ass on the line every
day like cops do, but if we are willing to pay enough, there will be more applicants to
choose from and we can raise the standards of expectation. Again, personally, though I
thrive on contributing to civilization, I would have a hard time being a cop and maintaining my positive
attitude if the very people I were trying to serve and protect were thinking (or saying)
"Pig" every time they see me. Let's grow up! I know some of the demonstrators agree
with me--the ones that gave flowers to the police, for example. This is not a police state,
but polarizing the police is one step in that direction. Those men and women are our
brothers and sisters; they have families and they know what fear is--maybe more than
most of us--and for all we know a good many agree with us, or would if their
consciousness were raised. Pissing them off and dissing them is not the way to do that.

By the way, I wasn't there and I do admire those that spent their time and money to be there. We did a reasonably successful protest in front of our local courthouse in solidarity with those who made the trip. Hang in there, folks. We're going to win this one!