The city of St. Louis recently raided and closed down a lemonade stand run by two young girls.

a Health Department inspector told them Tuesday they didn't have the proper business licenses and were selling unsafe ice cubes. The girls were using powdered lemonade mix with ice cubes bought from a store.

The city's health commissioner later apologized and -- to make amends -- "gave the girls $3 Wednesday for a 25-cent cup of lemonade." And the girls learned something, too: "You don't have to sit there and take it," Mim said. Marisa added, "We learned to stand up for ourselves."

So we'll see you two at the next anti-FTAA convergence then? (Note: The photo is an artist's conception of the incident.)

Making it Plain

A certain individual yesterday said in the comments box: "Agree with Norman Mailer? WTF?? . . . I can't think of anything scarier than NOT having significant protests at the RNC, after two wars, the PATRIOT Act, the "Partial Birth" Abortion Ban, etc."

I want to make clear: I definitely support significant, vibrant, loud protests in NYC for the Republicans. But I think Mailer is correct when he points out that -- insofar as we all agree that Bush has got to go -- this may be one of those very rare instances where decorum will serve us better that vitriol.

As I see it, there are two reasons for having wildly chaotic, potentially destructive actions:

1. When the intended audience doesn't understand how serious the problem is.
   This is why Seattle was appropriate. The WTO assumed we were all just going to nod and shuffle our feet; we had to show them we meant business. (When I say "we", I mean -- of course -- more courageous individuals than I, since I have never been willing to get myself arrested for these noble beliefs I drone on about all the time. Curse these stringent microscopes under which teachers are kept!)
   
   
2. When we must raise the stakes for acts of aggression.
   This is why nonviolent direct action against institutions during times of illegal war are appropriate. (Like the Truax Four who blocked traffic leading into a National Guard facility in Madison to protest US warmaking in Iraq.) This sort of "getting into the gears" serves the important purpose of signalling to those in charge that their actions will bring serious consequences here at home (in addition to whatever retribution it brings overseas).

However, I don't see how either of these goals will be met by excessively polarized activity at the RNC. They know how angry we are -- we express it all the time. If they didn't get the point on February 15, how do we believe they'll get it now? As for raising the stakes -- I don't imagine that (between now and November, at least) there can be any higher stake for HalliBush Wars Inc. than getting booted out of office. So shouldn't that be the highest priority?

To that end, I don't see how aggressive protest will recruit new voters to the Kerry ticket. As I said yesterday, it seems like voter registration and canvassing will be more productive to this end.

Having said all that -- there are other residual benefits to protests in general, including the construction of mass movements (particularly those that get excellent progressives like Chisholm and McKinney elected); community-building and empowerment of the demos, and others. But these can be met quite satisfactorily by regular old marching/yelling/signwaving protest, which -- again -- I'm all for at the RNC.

Speaking of which -- check out some of these innovative ideas that will be put into action in New York.

Flash radiojacking: Jeremijenko and the Bureau of Inverse Technology (BIT), will use a special transmitter to break into radio frequencies reserved for corporate stations, giving bursts of information so brief that the FCC can't lock onto their transmission location. . . .

Bikes Against Bush: Joshua Kinberg will hit the streets on an "internet-enabled tactical media 'weapon' for non-violent creative resistance." Outfitted with a laptop, webcam, GPS device, and cellphone, his tech-laden bike will receive text messages sent by visitors to www.BikesAgainstBush.com. At the push of a button, he'll select messages to print on the pavement using a robotic chalk-spraying device. . .

Backpack broadcast: Media collective neuroTransmitter will be toting com_muni_ports throughout the convention. These low-power, backpack-mounted radio transmitters will provide localized, on-the-fly media broadcasts, bearing witness, live, to events you won't hear about on local Clear Channel stations.

Pretty cool stuff!

In other HalliBush Wars, Inc. news: The Oregonian has a chilling story about some US soldiers who were ordered to back away from a scene of Iraqi forces obviously torturing detainees. How convenient that we've just handed over the reins of Abu Ghraib to the new Iraqi government.

And thanks to PRWatch for linking us to "Ready for Kids," a new TV show which will "teach fourth- to eighth-grade kids the ABCs of emergency preparedness in the event of a terrorist attack." I hope they bring back Bert the Turtle! Duck and cover, kiddies.

TimeWaster™

Gridlock is oh so very addictive. You're welcome.

Today I'm listening to: Snatch!