Over at Mudflats is a great story about a one-man protest at the Juneau Docks.
The huge Anti-Palin rally in Anchorage last weekend got a tremendous amount of media coverage, and support from around the nation. People needed to know that not all Alaskans support Palin as the VP nominee, or share her values. Some may even like Palin as a governor, but find her completely inappropriate on the national (nevermind international) stage. Huge rallies are great, but sometimes a powerful statement can be made by just one person. Here’s a wonderful story sent to me from Doug, a Mudflatter in Juneau, Alaska.
Thanks for standing up and speaking out when it was not easy or comfortable to do so.
I agree – thank you, Doug!
For starters, I can see the Governor’s Mansion from my front deck. By the McCain/Palin campaign’s standards this would make me an expert on Governor Palin and her family. The problem is that the Palins don’t live in the mansion, unlike the Russians who actually live in Russia.
Last weekend my wife spoke with her Dad who lives in New York. He was concerned that his neighbors had just returned from an Alaskan cruise and had confidently reported that “everyone in Alaska loves Governor Palin.”
So last night I took a piece of cardboard from the garage, found some of my son’s tempera-paints and made a sign. It read “PALIN LIES”, in big green letters. It wasn’t clever, it wasn’t profound. It was just the way I felt.
I vowed to my family that I would go downtown the next morning and mount a one-man protest.
And so Doug did. As the state capitol is pretty well empty this time of year and the neighborhood around the un-occupied Governor’s Mansion was awash in Obama yard signs, Doug set out for the docks.
I parked my car by the McDonald’s and went to a nearby barber shop to get a haircut. I didn’t want to be mistaken for a bum during my protest. I returned to the car pulled my sign out, careful to turn the “message” side toward my leg so no one could read it. I walked down to the dock and sat down on one of a series of wide arching steps that led up to a large platform, then the ship.
I positioned myself on one side of the walkway so as not to impede traffic. I put the sign in front of me and balanced my hands on top. I was ready to take my stand. I promised to keep any conversation on point. I was here to let visitors know that not all Alaskans supported Governor Palin.
Our Daring, well-trimmed and polite protestor was pleasantly surprised to find people from all over the country and the world giving him smiles and thumbs-ups. Passing cars and taxis honked their support. People came over to talk to him, mostly supportive, and for the few with sharp comments and questions he calmly replied that he was a small business person himself and that “some lies are more hurtful than others”.
Then: Enter Popcorn Man.
I was having an oddly good time until the vendor from the Kettle Korn stand across the street started yelling at me. At first I thought he was drunk. He was obviously opposed to my being there. “Get out of here before I come over and kick your f****ing ass!” he screamed. “I mean it! I’ll come over there and kick your ass!” I didn’t really relish the thought of having my ass kicked, but was more afraid this guy would spoil my quiet protest. Of course he also screamed that I should leave “because school kids pass by here.” So school kids would be traumatized by my “Palin Lies” sign and not the sight of some popcorn vendor beating the crap out of a mild-mannered protestor. Go figure. He kept it up for about five minutes. The 20-something tour guides working the booths behind me started to yell back at him. I was afraid it might all end in a little battle royal (popcorn flying, ravens circling) right in front of all the tourists. Finally he stopped, although I noticed afterwards that he was filming me with a video camera. Later, I was told that he is a member of a local Evangelical church.
Ah, “Christians for Ass Kicking”! This is the Peace and Brotherhood taught by the Witch-Hunting Wasilla Assembly of God, I’m sure if he is not already a member that Pastor “Alaska for Armageddonists” Kalin would welcome him.
Good on you, Doug, you are what makes America great.
-chris
(now go read the whole thing at Mudflats.)