No Love For Sarah Palin At State Capitol

Drunkablog has the photos--no love from the local feminists/Code Pinkers.

60,000 Floridians might have to disagree . . .

RNC Day 3--Protester Updates; Sarah Palinpalooza!

Gateway Pundit has kept a close eye on the plans of leftist/anarchist protesters for the RNC, including kidnapping delegates, and CodePink became so offensive that the mellow Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit came a bit unhinged--but in a good way!

More on the way . . .

DNC Protester Dos and Don'ts Released

**Update--Jeralyn Merritt at 5280.com has posted a pdf of the pamphlet.

We're waiting for a fuller report including the pamphlet itself, but law enforcement has announced that a pamphlet will be distributed to protesters reminding them of their rights--and their legal obligations--in conducting themselves during the DNC:

Police have issued some advice to protesters at the Democratic convention about what they can and can't do.

A pamphlet tells protesters they can be arrested if they refuse an order to disperse, even if they aren't breaking any law. Other grounds for arrest include blocking streets, sidewalks or parades and disrupting public assemblies.

Police say it doesn't matter if those actions are civil disobedience or symbolic actions.

Police also remind protesters of their rights. They can protest on public sidewalks without a permit as long as they leave enough room for others to pass and obey traffic signals. Speech that angers other people is protected, but speakers can be arrested for advocating violence or breaking the law.

Glenn Spagnuolo of Recreate '68 was quick to reject the pamphlet:

It was put together with the help of the city's Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations and modeled after reminders issued by other previous convention cities, such as Los Angeles, said Lucia Guzman, the agency's executive director. She said thousands of copies have been printed and they'll also be available after the convention leaves town.

Glenn Spagnuolo, co-founder of protest group Recreate 68, said he thinks it's the police, not protesters, who need a reminder about the First Amendment.

"We have a pamphlet called the Constitution. A lot of us have read it already," he said.

Spagnuolo also thinks the pamphlet's arrest warning is intended to discourage people from protesting at the convention, which starts Monday.

Guzman disagreed.

"We've always meant it as a supportive document. I'm sorry people are looking at it the other way," she said.

It is doubtful that any such document, whether well or ill-intended, would do much to sway protesters from their self-appointed demonstrations.

Just as the protesters began issuing their preemptive "law enforcement is to blame" for any violence meme months ago, Denver's law enforcement is trying to do a little preemption of their own by giving protesters advanced warning.

It's gonna be a fun week.

More from Spagz and Unconventional Action:

"We are making a commitment to non-violence," said Glenn Spagnuolo of Re-create '68, a group planning protests for a variety of progressive causes.

"We'd like to see minimal show of force by the police unless necessary," Spagnuolo said. "They could stage out of sight from the protest and be called in case they're needed at a protest."

Asked for a successful example of a mass protest marked by mutual respect between protesters and police, Spagnuolo pointed to a large anti-war rally outside the Republican National Convention in New York City in 2004.

"When people said, 'OK, we're being allowed to protest, we're being allowed to march,' there's no reason to get in that kind of confrontational, adversarial role, and it went off without a hitch," Spagnuolo said.

Ben Yager of the activist group Unconventional Denver hedged when asked if activists planned to be arrested and incarcerated during DNC protests. Asked to define success for his organization, he defined disruption.

"Everything's pre-decided, everything's preplanned," Yager said. "They have a script of everything they're going to say and making them deviate from that script, making them step outside the box of what they are comfortable doing and address what democracy really is."

Still, Yager says he did not see any point in antagonizing police into violent confrontations.

"I don't think anyone gets satisfaction out of getting beat up," Yager said.

Of course, some of the law enforcement buildup and planning stems from the earlier heated rhetoric from protesters like Spagnuolo.

Democratic National Convention Countdown, No. 62

Democratic National Convention Daily Digest and Open Thread
Tuesday June 24, 2008--No. 62

MSM:

•DNC will be simulcast in Spanish for the first time ever, via Comcast.

Blogs:

•20K protestors led by Tent State will assemble in City Park (with permit), but no overnight camping (illegal) will be allowed.

•Protestors near Pepsi Center will be peering out through a wire mesh fence.

•Drunkablog--Younger generation of activists with plans for the DNC nauseatingly featured in the Post, with CodePink's Zoe Williams and Tent State's Adam Jung.

•Drunkablog--Students for a Democratic Society reaffirm their "non-violent" plans to disrupt the DNC.

•Drunkablog--Recreate '68 unhappy that new parade permits won't include routes of the group's own choosing.

---

All previous Daily Digests can be found here.

DNC Protestors Facing A Crackup As Recreate '68 Struggles To Retain Power; DNC Sponsors Bring Money To Politics

"The conflict was over R-68’s unfortunate name – a reference to the bloody 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago – and the rhetoric of the group’s leadership, interpreted by many as needlessly aggressive and reckless. Despite this blatant rift, Spagnuolo and the Cohens stuck with their assertion that their group would be playing host to “tens of thousands of protesters” this August"--Westword

Things aren't going well for Glenn Spagnuolo and his allies at Recreate '68--seems a rift in the movement has developed as power struggles plague the groups preparing for the Democratic National Convention:

So Tent State University is on the outs with their protest brethren at Re-create '68. What gives? Last Friday, when the ACLU held a press conference to declare it had filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Denver and the Secret Service, it seemed that all was well in the land of DNC protest. On hand at the confab were representatives of Re-create '68 – Glenn Spagnuolo and Mark and Barbara Cohen – as well as those of Tent State University, Code Pink and Escuela Tlatelolco and the American Indian Movement of Colorado. But more significant were the additional groups listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit: United for Peace and Justice, the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, and the American Friends Service Committee.

This list was important because all three of the pacifist outfits had told Westword last October that they were NOT interested in working with R-68, which had pronounced itself the umbrella organizer for DNC protests as early as January 2007. Leaders of the Colorado Progressive Coalition, the Colorado Green Party and the national ANSWER Coalition expressed similar sentiments about R-68. The conflict was over R-68’s unfortunate name – a reference to the bloody 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago – and the rhetoric of the group’s leadership, interpreted by many as needlessly aggressive and reckless. Despite this blatant rift, Spagnuolo and the Cohens stuck with their assertion that their group would be playing host to “tens of thousands of protesters” this August.

So the fact that orgs like United for Peace and Justice – a national network of 1,400 groups – had signed on to the ACLU lawsuit suggested that R-68 and the peaceniks had resolved their differences. But appearances can be deceiving. In advance of the lawsuit filing, apparently critics of R-68, as well as some of their former supporters,had been quietly lobbying Spagnuolo and the Cohens for weeks to back off their leadership roles -- but the trio declined to transfer organizing authority.

Now it seems that the shit has hit the fan for R-68. Sources within the DNC protest movement say that assorted organizers are meeting today at an undisclosed location to discuss building a network outside of R-68. But things could get tricky when it comes time to divvy up the park event permits that Spagnuolo and company hold after winning them in a city-sponsored lottery. Will R-68 go quietly into the good night? Stay tuned.

So despite all the protestations of non-violence and the assertion of working together to achieve their radical left goals, they continue to face inequalities of power within their own movement.

Apparently the moonbats have their eyes on the prize--and it isn't fighting against imperialism, capitalism, or any other -ism. The prize is the coveted media spotlight, and the preeminence available to the group who asserts authority first. Spagnuolo and company have attempted to seize control for themselves, and it now appears that that tactic is beginning to backfire.

How exquisitely ironic. Radical socialists and anarchists facing internal turmoil because of power struggles.

Meanwhile, Drunkablog takes a look at modern convention financing and corporate sponsorships for the DNC:

Everything is for sale, and this summer's Democratic National Convention in Denver is no exception.

More than four dozen national corporations have signed up as sponsors of the convention - everyone from Allstate to Xerox. And almost all of them have the same thing in common: They either have business with the federal government or they lobby on pending issues.

And that prompts a myriad of questions.

Are the big companies simply being good corporate citizens? Or are they looking for access - maybe not to the presidential nominee, but to members of Congress and party officials who can help make sure their issues get heard?

The answer is simple, said former Denver City Councilwoman Susan Barnes-Gelt: "It's always about access."

"Here's the reality," Barnes- Gelt said, "and this comes from the experience of an old fundraiser: The first people you go to for money are people who have an interest in making sure you're in a decision-making position. And that's true whether you're the DNC, the president of the United States or the local city council person."

Seems that even Democrats aren't immune to having money in politics.

Shocker.

And conflict is arising between the city and the DNCC, over fundraising priorities:

The committee staging the Democratic National Convention is concerned that Denver's fundraising efforts have been hampered because local officials also are raising money for several cultural events that are expected to be part of the week-long event.

The host committee was about $5 million short of its March fundraising goal of $28 million, and is supposed to have about $40 million raised by June. Meanwhile, the city is planning and trying to raise additional money for several cultural events.

"Every host city can and should develop a plan to showcase its culture, diversity and attributes on the international stage that a political convention offers," the DNC Committee said in a prepared statement Friday. "Numerous host cities from conventions past have had tremendous success in this regard, and we think that's a good thing.

"But to ensure a successful convention for all parties, fulfilling the contractual obligations that brought this convention to Denver in the first place must remain the top priority.

"Given all the host committee and the city have to support during convention week, we would hope they would be very selective in limiting both the number and costs of any auxiliary events requiring their support."

The DNCC's concerns have raised some internal conflict.

"They should call me and talk to me about it," Mayor John Hickenlooper said. "I'm happy to sit down and explain to them that obviously we understand the importance of putting on a good convention.

Obviously! Can't have those Democratic delegates and the media thinking this is some sort of cow town . . .

Happy Mother's Day; **Update--Code Pink And Mother's Acting Up Invade Boulder On . . . Stilts, Moonbat "Slam Poetry"

'Nuff said.  Thanks for everything, love you Mom!

---

**Update--But if that statement isn't radical enough for you, or your Mom is a moonbat, you can spend Mother's Day with the nasty witches radical crones of CodePink and Mothers Acting Up in Boulder, Colorado (via Drunkablog):

The environment is ailing, there's a war raging in Iraq, and there are children living in poverty around the globe. What's a concerned mother to do? Why, strap on a pair of stilts, of course.

At least that's the thinking for Mothers Acting Up (MAU), a Boulder-based global network of "mothers and others, on stilts or off, who exercise protective care over someone smaller." The group, which lists "Be Exuberant" as one of its guiding principles, seeks to mobilize that most primal of instincts--a mother's love--and turn it into a political force to be reckoned with. The stilts are just a unique way to bring attention to MAU's message of positive activism.

Stilts are "really the perfect metaphor for what we do," says Joellen Raderstorf, executive director and one of MAU's four founders. "Because getting up on stilts you're very visible, and this is what this is about, getting comfortable with being visible in our communities and speaking up on behalf of the world's children."

She adds, "Also, when you're on stilts, you need to keep moving forward, you really can't stop. And you have far-reaching vision, which I think is something that we really need in our leadership in the world these days, to have that far-reaching vision to see how our actions today impact our children, their children, and future generations.". . .

MAU's biggest event is the annual Mother's Day Parade, which takes place this Sunday, May 11. The festivities kick off with stroller and wagon decorating at 11:30 a.m. at the Boulder Public Library. The parade begins at 1 p.m. and winds its way from the library to the Pearl Street Mall, where there will be cake and activities for the children. The Raging Grannies and Ancestral Voices will provide music, all in keeping with the celebratory nature of the event.

Nothing like a little Maoist MAUist activism on an otherwise enjoyable day.

And if that is still too "positive" for you, how about some "slam poetry" courtesy of another Boulder moonbat:

Jeff Lucey came back from Iraq

and hung himself in his parents' basement with a garden hose.

The night before he died he spent 45 minutes on his father's lap

rocking like a baby,

rocking like "daddy, save me,"

and don't think for a minute he too isn't collateral damage

in the mansions of Washington.

. . .

They are watching them burn and hoarding the water.

No senators' sons are being sent out to slaughter.

No president's daughters are licking ashes from their lips

or dreaming up ropes to wrap around their necks

in case they ever make it home alive.

U.S. District Court Judge Orders Denver, Secret Service To Respond In 10 Days To ACLU Lawsuit Over DNC Security Plans

The latest update on the ACLU's lawsuit against the City of Denver and the Secret Service to disclose Democratic National Convention security plans indicates a rather earnest attempt to speed up the process:

The ACLU filed its lawsuit Friday morning on behalf of 12 groups who are planning to hold parades and demonstrations during the convention. That afternoon, District Judge Marcia S. Krieger gave the city and federal officials 10 business days to respond. Judge Krieger has not yet set a court date, which would be the next step in the process.

"It's not clear how the judge is going to proceed," said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the ACLU of Colorado. "But the fact that the judge wanted a response right away indicates that the judge agrees that the case needs to be moved on a fast-track and that the concerns being articulated in our papers should get attention."
. . .
After the ACLU announced its lawsuit on Friday, Denver City Attorney David Fine released a statement indicating that no group has been denied a parade permit and that there will be a "vigorous exercise of free speech" during the convention in "many ways and in many places."

However, Silverstein noted that the ACLU's lawsuit is designed to force the city and Secret Service to disclose the specifics of the parade routes - including exactly where and where demonstrators and others will be allowed to gather.

"The people who are not delegates, the people who want to participate in demonstrations and protests to communicate their views shouldn't be treated like they're some kind of irritating meddling interlopers," Silverstein said. "Their participation is equally a part of our democratic life and the government actors--the city and the Secret Service--have to treat their right to peaceful expression with the same respect that the delegate's rights receive."

The city and federal officials have until May 16 to respond.

Not only will the expedited release of information benefit said protestors/moonbats, it will alleviate some of the growing unease about the specifics of the as yet undisclosed security blanket cited by Denver residents and commuters.

Mark Cohen Of Recreate '68 And Mark Silverstein Of The ACLU Talk DNC Protests On Amy Goodman's Democracy Now!

From the transcript (video of the full segment):

MARK COHEN: Thank you, Amy. We plan to have a massive presence during the Democratic National Convention in August. We will be having a number of major demonstrations, including on the Sunday, the day before the convention begins, what will probably be the biggest antiwar march and rally that Denver has seen at least since Vietnam. We’re also working with some of the major immigrant rights groups to, on the Tuesday, have what we think will be a very large immigrant rights march and rally.

But we’re not only involved in protest activities. We’re also staging what we’re calling the Festival of Democracy, which will be a five-day event in downtown Denver, during which we will have trainings, workshops, teach-ins, and provide people the opportunity to come together and learn about alternatives to the two-party system, solutions that communities can provide to their own problems. We’re also, during that, going to have a 24/7 free health clinic, legal services, two feedings a day in cooperation with Food Not Bombs and other services for the community.

AMY GOODMAN: And who is “we”?

MARK COHEN: We are Recreate ’68, which is a group of local Denver activists. We began planning for the Democratic National Convention actually before we found out that Denver had been given the convention. It looked like a fairly certain thing. So we’ve been planning for about a year and a half now. We’ve been talking with the city to try to ensure that people’s First Amendment rights would be protected during the convention. We’ve been working with national organizations, among them United for Peace and Justice, CODEPINK and others, as well as numerous Colorado organizations, to prepare for this event, to try to use the attention and the excitement and the energy generated by this major event to kind of kick organizing in Denver up to another level.

Not much "new" information, but the rumor of a 1-mile radius security perimeter around Pepsi Center is still circulating--and is the cause of much consternation for the protestors at Recreate '68 and the ACLU, who are demanding the city reveal security plans as early as possible (unlikely).

Professor: Groups Protesting 2008 Denver DNC "Peaceful, Creative"

A political science professor (University of Florida) has met the activists planning to disrupt Denver's DNC and says their agenda is, like, totally "non-violent":

Despite threatening words from one of the groups planning to protest during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, most of the anti-war protesters eyeing Denver this summer are peaceful and creative, an expert says. [Riiight--ed.]

Glenn Spagnuolo of Re-create 68 said Thursday that city officials were "creating a very dangerous situation" after the convention host committee was selected by lottery for a Civic Center park permit for the eve of the convention. He said his group would not "give up" the park for its demonstrations, which he hopes draw 50,000.

R-68 has been meeting with groups such as United for Peace and Justice, which organized 500,000 protesters for the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, and CodePink, a women's movement against the war that is another top-tier organizer.

"None of the mainstream organizations have any agenda like property damage," said Michael Heaney, a political science professor who has studied the anti-war movement since 2002 and who was in Washington, D.C., last week observing the many protests marking the fifth anniversary of the war.

No agenda for violence or property damage? Then why "Recreate '68"?

"What they are planning on doing is peaceful protests," Heaney said. "Basically their objective is to get media attention for their issues. They want to demonstrate to the Democratic Party that they have support for their positions."

Wow. You need a PhD to come to that conclusion? Thanks Captain Obvious.

R-68 organizers were furious Thursday when a party planner for the Denver committee hosting the convention won — in a random lottery — the right to a permit for Civic Center on Aug. 24, the Sunday before the convention starts. The convention runs Aug. 25-28.

The organizers want to start an anti-war march at the park and continue to the Pepsi Center, which is to serve as the convention hall.

Heaney met Spagnuolo and R-68 organizers Mark and Barbara Cohen in Atlanta this summer during a convention of progressives, and found them serious and well-organized. He said he thinks that, depending on the nominee and whether the convention will be brokered, Denver could expect between 10,000 and 50,000 anti-war activists.

Plus the assorted moonbats who have other agendas. Denver's DNC won't just be a target for the anti-war crowd.

Anti-war organizers say that if Sen. Barack Obama is the nominee, they expect much lower protester turnout at the Democratic convention. Heaney, who has surveyed the movement, says four of five anti-war activists support Obama.

CodePink's co-founder, Medea Benjamin, greatly doubts the 50,000 figure and says an Obama nomination could reduce interest to but a couple of thousand. Then again, Benjamin said: "We don't feel that either of the candidates will get us out of Iraq without strong pressure."

"(House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi will be the queen bee at the convention, and she has really disappointed us," Benjamin said.

Benjamin met with Spagnuolo in Denver several weeks ago and toured Civic Center and other sites. She said Denver's host committee shouldn't get the park and agreed with R-68's plan to occupy the grounds, but stressed CodePink would do so without violence.

Determining numbers this far out is pure speculation. The Democrats' own intraparty squabbles and the evolving campaign itself will only play one part in determining protestor levels. Given the activists' proclivity to inflate their own numbers, and the MSM's eagerness to play along, just a few thousand protestors could easily become "tens of thousands" in media reports.

And besides, it only takes a handful of crazy moonbats to stir up trouble.