About 400 local activists gathered for more than two hours on the west steps of the Capitol building in Sacramento to oppose the presidential inauguration of George W. Bush. Groups endorsing today's protest of Bush's (s)election included Trust the People, Black Radical Congress, National Lawyers Guild, CA State Conf. of the NAACP, Alliance for Democracy, Center for Voting and Democracy, Rainforest Action Network, Independent Progressive Politics Network, Corporate Watch, Sacramentans for International Labor Rights, CA Students Against Sweatshops, Global Exchange, Sacramento Valley Progressive Agenda, Communications Workers of America Local 9119 and Justice for Janitors - SEIU Local 250. The tule fog had cleared and the sun had come out by the time I arrived around 1:30 p.m. As I walked toward the protest, people were chanting "Unite to Fight!" Unfortunately, the crowd was mostly white. Big problem, big problem, big problem for worker unity under the Republicans or Democrats. One speaker called for an end to the US-backed UN economic sanctions against Iraq. Another speaker supported proportional representation. Many people had signs opposing Bush the Son's mandate, deriding the influence of big money in politics, etc. More than a few folks had giant puppets. Two friends of mine played the guitar and sang out against the incoming Bush administration. The California Highway Patrol was out in force. Yet they weren�t on Jan. 16 around 9:30 p.m. That�s when a man died driving his truck into the south entrance of the Capitol building. As I departed, workers were repairing this damage. A metaphor, perhaps, for the current political moment? Seth _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com _______________________________________________ Crashlist website: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base
