At some point before noon, a handful of youngsters — late teens, early twenties — stand in Pioneer Square, in a line (or maybe two), with gray duct tape over their mouths with the word “Life” on it. A couple of members stand by the way-side, without the duct tape — wearing a badge that suggests that they’d answer any questions you have.

“What precisely are you protesting?”
“It’s not a protest. It’s a prayer meeting to create a Culture of Life and bring attention to the issue of Abortion.”
“Ok. Thank you very much.”

I used the word “precisely” because I imagined they might have a specific piece of legislation somewhere (or even a Supreme Court nominee somewhere) that they wanted to advocate for. I suppose if there were, you can argure against it being a “protest”. As it is, they have duct tape over their mouths with the word “Life” on it — a statement, I guess symbolizing how the aborted fetuses are being deprived of their right (and ability?) to speak.

Why can’t the guy call it a protest?

One man is holding a sign saying “Marriage Equals One Man + One Woman.”

The other guy is holding a sign with what I guess is a boulder – like bomb smashing its imprint into a skyline of buildings, with the words “Pray Before Destruction Comes.”

I assume they see a connection between the two.

At first I think he’s Hispanic, but a slightly closer examination and I have to say he’s just a fairly well tanned white guy. Early to mid 20s. Walking through the MAX Train with to stand next to a door…

… wearing a hat that says “Savage Nation.”

Any doubt I have that it is tied to radio personality, the most extreme of the right-wing radio hosts (Mr. “I hope you get AIDS and die. Go choke on a sausage!”) is destroyed by a large American flag image on the back of the cap.

It’s a new hat. He takes it off and looks at it with great admiration before putting it back on, thus destroying any chance that he likes the hat for any other reason than its tie-into Mike Savage. I’m watching through a reflection in the mirror, because, in the end, it is rude to stare at strangers directly…

… even Michael Savage fans deserve some respect.

“Want a pamphlet on the Bush Administration from a left-wing Jewish perspective?”
“No, sorry.”
“Oh. You’re right-wing I see. My mistake.”
It appears that he calls everyone who rejects his pamphlet “right-wing”, or some more perjerotive phrase of the same.

“No. It’d upset my right-wing Jewish girlfriend too much.”
“Fascist.”
Next potential customer.
“Um, no. That’s okay.”
“Stay away from that guy. He’s a fascist, right-wing sociopath.”

“Hey, Steve! That guy just called you a fascist right-wing sociopath.”
“(laughs)”
“Yeah. Take my pamphlet. If you’re brave enough to read it.”
“Jeez. I can’t get through an article on the latest Blazers game, let alone some guy’s piece of propaganda.”

I was looking at the pictures of Bush and Cheney in the Federal Building across from the most permanent and peaceful of the Inagural Protest. Some police officers were twirling sticks, biding time and waiting for their call should it come.

Are those two photographs always there? They must be.

I looked around for someone to ask. I was standing in front of a table set up for LaRouchites. The LaRouchite was telling a passer-by that LaRouche was the main force that pushed John Conyers, Barbara Boxer, etc. to challenge the Ohio Electoral Vote.

After being thoroughly depressed by the sight of this Reid-ish jumble of incense burning armored dancers (don’t ask), I leaned up against a post where some robo-cops were standing guard, freeing a street. Someone clicked a picture, which a scan through Indymedia has not shown me.

“Every Mexican in America is an American of of a job. FUCK BUSH!!”

What that graffiti was supposed to say was “out of a job”, but whoever scrawled it into that store restroom was evidentally in a hurry — and I imagine racists defacing property are paranoid about being caught anyway.

The other day as I hurry across the street to cross the MAX train, I hear some assholes in a car shouting at a black man waiting for the train “Fucking Nigger!”, and to me “Yeah! You better run!” I turned back, smiled, and waved for no particular reason, before they turned to the next random person on the street. I don’t know what their deal was, though I suspect less racism per se (there is nobody whiter than I) so much as nihilism.

Which brings me to this event on Portland’s socio-political horizon. Chunk that one into the garbage category, and move on.

I am walking in the direction of a house, and I see displayed in the right-hand half on a window the Stars and Bars — the old Confederate Flag. I groan.

Then I notice on the left-hand side of the window the old Hammer and Stickle — the flag for the old Soviet Union. It all starts to make sense. It’s an ironic mix, or a defunct mix, or something.

Self-described Communists wouldn’t wave that flag — probably choosing instead plain red or a Che Guevra banner or who knows what. Patriots of the old Confederacy would still wave their flag, however, and demand their multi-cultural right to do so with the Yankee and Black’s fully forged respect on the matter.

General Lee and Comrade Lenin — I salute you both.

Paul deParrie is standing in front of the mall waving a giant poster of an aborted fetus. I know this because I overhear someone a block or two away saying “And there’s this guy standing in front of the mall with a big photograph of an aborted fetus.”

I see the poster. Two cop cars are sitting across the street. There is some disgruntlement from people walking into the mall. The fat guy with the beret is yelling “It’s True! It’s True! It’s the Truth!”

The poster is headlighted “Merry Herod‘s Day”

I consider walking up and saying to the man, “It’s amazing how emotional people get by an obscure biblical reference that mocks Christmas.”

But I don’t, because I really don’t want to.

There I see the end of their weekly march against wars and war. Actually, I tend to scan around to try to spot whether there’s any ““protest warrior” in the crowd… the answer this night was “Perhaps that guy in a suit on a bike riding across the street with a camera. Perhaps.”

But I wonder about one man’s sign. I think I’ve seen him with this before, and he’s probably a regular.

On a sign with various inflamatory messages against the Israeli government and military policy, and American support thereof…

… a comparison to Hitler here and there…

… number of dead Palestinians…

… reference to Iraq War as more of the same…

There is a sticker. It reads “It’s the Deficit, Stupid.”

I walk up to him, point to the sticker, and say “Isn’t the deficit kind of secondary to your concerns?”

He nods, gives a smirk, and says “Got to start somewhere.”

I still think that message is kind of off target.

Overheard:

“Scrappy’s been in and out of prison so many times. He goes to prison, rats out other users… He’s even ratted out his dealers. It’s not ‘3 Strikes and you’re out. It’s more like 20 Strikes and you’re out.”

“Sounds to me like Scrappy’d be facing retribution for something like that, and is better off in prison.”

“No. I think he’d be fine. Scrappy is a scrapper.”

…………..

I found myself in North Portland, where I walked around the blocks of my old apartment. I walked up to old posters posted onto signposts of a missing cat. I penned a question mark and an exclamation mark at two different points of the poster… So it goes like:

Missing Cat
Orange Tabby
White Too ?
Longtime Missing !
Contact Information: ….

I could have scribbled out a badly drawn picture of a cat, but I figured even on what looks a little old — though the fact that there were many of these posters — it’d be too confusing. Besides, I’ve occasionally marked these posters with these punctuation marks — for no real discernible reason.

Have You Seen the News?
A Movement Has Began!
Power to the People!
Pioneer Square Saturday November (Last)
This Is A People’s Movement Against Bush.

I don’t know how this movement is any different from the movement pre-election day, or what news I’m suppose to have seen, but I suppose it has to be related to:

The two party system and the electoral college are a fraud to democracy. (etc etc blah blah blah). Keep your eyes open for real democracy.

Better yet, someone posted a long-ish piece, sprinkled with Beatles references, about how we must all turn away from politics and turn to MUSIC.

Wait and see. Keep your eyes open. A Movement has sprung up!