Protesting the Protests

The other day I read one of the headlines on my Excite homepage. It was an article about two guys in New York City who were organizing a protest to disrupt the Republican National Convention. I was curious to see #1 what exactly were they upset about with the Republicans and #2 the means by which they proposed their protest.



First of all, I am against protests unless all normal channels have been exhausted. My first reaction was, "Oh brother, some more clowns who missed the 60's and want to get their protest on." At least in the 60's, Blacks were being kept out of schools, riding in the back of the bus, and in some cases, forced to use inferior toilet and drinking facilities. Those protests had merit. I guess the Viet Nam War protests had merit too, but why on earth would somebody protest a party's convention? The ultimate RNC protest was the Democratic National Convention.



Be that as it may, there are a couple of guys in New York City ginning up the masses to "Shut It (the RNC) Down." Don't miss the irony here. They are using their first amendment rights to suppress the first amendment rights of others. My position is these gentlemen should get involved in the party which represents their views, and spend their time getting out a message instead of expending energy to suppress one.



The two men are in theri 30's and work in the financial district in NYC. They are proposing a mass underwear flash exposing anti Bush messages. This promises to be very effective. I feel like voting for Kerry just imagining such a spectacle. In case one of the protesters gets arrested, a guide on their website tells them what to say to police - "I am going to remain silent. I would like to speak with a lawyer." Shrewd, very shrewd. People on tight budgets may like reading about dumpster diving in NYC on this website. Maybe not.



I felt a blog post coming on so I checked out the Shut It Down website. I still did not know why they wanted to "Shut It Down."



It's a Gay Thing

The main reason stated on the website was protesting the Federal Marriage Amendment or the Hate Amendment as they called it. I guess because same sex couples cannot get married, the RNC should not meet. All Republicans are not against same sex marriages and all Democrats are not for gay marriage. Other reasons were mentioned, like Republicans using NYC for political gain and the Feds ripping off NYC in promised aid.



I checked out the aid thing. According to the NYC comptroller, $15 billion of the promised $20 billion has cleared or is in the pipeline. The other $5 billion will come after some bills make it through congress.



How "Shut It Down NYC" is supposed to work

The aim is to get as many New Yorkers as possible to call in sick on September 1 and go to protests instead. They are targeting Broadway plays, hotels, restaurants, and retail centers.



I would hate to be a business owner in New York City poised to make good money from conventioneers only to have my employees not show up for work to express their political views. The Republicans will come to NYC and leave. The NYC businesses and people will remain. This protest will only hurt New Yorkers if you ask me.



My Protest Proposal

I think I will call it -"Just Shut Up and Do Your Job." I am proposing on September 1 everyone go to their job and work hard. Do more than is expected of you. Show up on time. Goof off a little less. Be a little kinder to your customers and coworkers. Maybe your boss will give you a raise or a promotion. Maybe you will feel better about yourself. Maybe your coworkers will respect you a little more.



If you have a beef with a political view, get involved with a campaign, which expresses what you believe or run for office yourself. Don't waste your time trying to silence the voices of free men and women. Let them talk. Listen to them. Respond with respect and intelligence. Write letters to your political representatives. Get involved in the system instead of trying to thwart the system. It has worked pretty well for a long time and I suspect it will withstand this latest wave of possibly well meaning, but certainly misguided cry babies protest organizers.

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Links and References:



(1) Excite article about Shut It Down protest organizers



(2) Shut It Down NYC website



(3) What the NYC comptroller says about the $20 in Federal aid promised to NYC. In a nutshell, he says $5 billion is in jeopardy, but congress has bills in process which should ensure it is paid.



(4) Watson's Closet This is one of the links on the Shut It Down website. They sell T-Shirts that say clever things like "Bush is Nasty." One of their slogans is "Hell hath no fury like the gay community scorned. Again."

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Until the next time

John Strain

Weekend Replay: My Existential Angst

This was first posted July 30, 2003 Text version.

Until the next time

John Strain

Casual Friday

AskMen.com

"

It's amazing how people can take something as simple as casual Fridays and turn it into a complicated issue. Is there anything that Corporate America won't turn into a controversial disaster? I give up trying to figure it out...

"

We have casual Friday where I work. I wear jeans and a polo shirt or sometimes a button down long sleeved shirt and no tie. It is nice and I enjoy it. If I am meeting with a family or have some sort of appointment I wear the standard pants, shirt, and tie.



I have heard about studies indicating casual dress at work lowers production and increases incidents of horsing around and even sexual harassment. At AskMen.com, I found an article which describes some of the casual Friday issues. The author's conclusion is of semi exasperation. It is amazing how people can somehow take something simple and make it complicated.



Lawyers have something to do with the problem if you ask me. Let's say someone wears something inappropriate to work on a Friday. The supervisor says something to the employee or makes them go home and change. The next thing the boss knows is he is being sued for it. So to prevent the lawsuit, companies write policies about what can and cannot be worn. Then companies have to educate employees on what can and cannot be worn. According to the article, one company hired Esquire Magazine and Ralph Lauren to conduct seminars about acceptable apparel.

Corporate Trends Magazine

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The American business world has found out the hard way how important image is." They also claim there has been "a 63% increase in customer complaints, a 50% decrease in employee's commitment to the job and a 35% increase in complaints regarding provocative actions and tardiness.

"

There used to be the law of common sense, now common sense is easily tossed aside. Ridiculous claims are given ear by the courts. If I were a judge and an obese person stood before me asking for a settlement from Mc Donald’s, I would have him escorted from my presence. If a guy with lung cancer stood before me asking me to spank the tobacco companies, I would have the bailiff remove him once he returned from taking the obese person out of the courtroom. I do not think the courts recognize common sense and personal responsibility like they used to - or is this a false perception I am having?



So what happens when a simple thing like casual Friday gets complicated and people start bitching? The company puts an end to it and everyone suffers because of one or two people. Do you remember group punishment in school? Unless the class gives up the culprit, everyone will be writing lines. I like casual Friday, because I don't have to iron my pants. I think there is a temptation to goof off more when you are wearing jeans at work, but that is where the personal responsibility comes in. Just like going outside for class in the spring, you have to behave or you won't be going out again.



Weigh in on casual Friday.



Until the next time

John Strain

Olfactory Transportation

The other day, Barbara and I went to a Target store. Immediately, as we entered the building, it hit us; the smell of popcorn. Oh man, did that smell good, and did it ever bring back some memories.



When I was a kid in the mid to late 60's, a new kind of store came to our town. It was unique compared to other stores. This establishment was like a prehistoric Wal-Mart. It was called GEM which stood for Government Employees Mart. My dad worked for the post office, so we qualified. Not just anyone could shop there, you had to have a GEM card. I remember walking in with my family. Sitting behind a counter on the left was the card checker. If your card passed scrutiny, she buzzed the door open and you were allowed to pass into the Elysian Fields of shopping - at least in that day.



The selection of goods was better than any other store and the prices were certainly cheaper. Perhaps my most favorite thing was getting popcorn on our way out. The smell of popcorn hit you there just like it did me the other day at Target. I remember a bag of popcorn cost 10 cents. I can still see the bag. It was white with red and blue lettering and sported a big clown face. The clown had a big red nose. Amazingly, I found the very bag on the internet.



Such memories unlocked by a simple smell. The sense of smell is very powerful. Have you ever been transported by the olfactory time machine? It is usually completely unexpected. The smells remind us of times gone by. Some of the times may be savored and relived, but others may be memories we would rather forget.



I have smelled perfume which reminded me of a particular girl. Putting a baseball glove to my face conjures remembrances of childhood. Yesterday, as I was walking Hobo a particular plant smell reminded me of a trip my family took to Virginia when I was seven. Suddenly, I was playing baseball with my older cousin Tommy also my childhood hero. It was not expected, but the power of scent transported me in time and distance and I smiled as the memories were stirred.



We are blessed to have different ways to experience our world. Just think of the sights you have seen and the sounds you have heard. Take a moment to recall some of the things you have felt or smelled and what of the tastes.



Here's to our senses, what blessings they are, what wonders they have shown us, and what surprises they sometimes reveal.



Until the next time

John Strain

Happy Endings

When I went to work Tuesday morning, one of the nurses informed me the night staff found my compass. It was discovered in between two couch cushions where the main suspect typically sat. I reasoned it fell out of his pocket. We had checked his room on Monday and found some other items he stole, but no compass. At any rate, the compass found its way back to me.

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A few weeks ago I mistakenly fried my USB hub, digital camera, and scanner. Canon gave me a new scanner free. The camera is being repaired and will cost me $168 to be fixed. Belkin sent me a brand new hub. All in all, I would say it all turned out pretty well.



I will add the Belkin logo to the button stack on my sidebar. The company replaced the hub even after I confessed to hooking the wrong power supply to it. Companies are smart when they show a little generosity. I can be very loyal.



Have a happy Wednesday folks,

Until the next time

John Strain