Peace Guardians

So, in a stoke of unintended consequences, each of my parents received a copy of Pax Centurion, the Boston Police Patrolmens Association and Boston Emergency Medical Technicians' union paper. Apparently, by giving money to the Lincoln Policemens' Ball we got a subscription, or at least a couple free copies.

On the cover was an editorial by Jim Carnell, one of Boston's Finest and editor of the paper (whose title means 'Peace Guardian'), about the 20th March anti-war rally and unpermitted march, titled:

City Councilor Chuck Turner leads illegal parade; causes near-riot[sic]
Mischievous Midget leads Misguided Mopes on Malignant March

So, already in the title, he's managed to not only call the Left misguided mopes, but to use an epithet to describe a longtime civil rights leader-turned-elected official.

Reading the article (I didn't realize at first that it was talking about the 20th March rally), it sounded like a bunch of prepubescent "anarchists" and crazy old hippies had staged a snake march and then blocked an intersection.

Reading the indymedia account of the same demonstration, it sounded like an amazing, united group of all different anti-war groups joined a snake march in solidarity with the Anarchists who'd planned the unpermitted action, showing that, at least for an afternoon, the Left can be a strong force against oppression, senseless war, and all things bad in society, at the end of which there was police brutality and five people were arrested.

Obviously, both accounts are a little biased. Even if I did exaggerate the indymedia article a little. But, seeing as I'm not nearly as good at exaggerating as the Boston Police (there's no stoppin' 'em!), I'll give ya that article/editorial's highlights in quote form (all sic):

"Many BPD officers were ordered[...] to perform overtime duty at this 'Anti-War Rally' on the Boston Common, organized by a variety of left-wing groups naming themselves by a variety of acronyms: i.e.: the FMM (Free Mumia Movement) whose goal is to gain freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted murderer of Philadelphia Patrolman Danial Faulkner), the MAALACS (Morons Assembled Against Logic And Common Sense) and the IHMRLDAMS (I Hate My Rich Liberal Daddy And Mommy Society)."

Am I wrong in assuming he made those last two up?

"They carried a variety of hand-painted signs opposing or supporting various causes which they collectively knew nothing about, such as the supposed terror of the World Bank, seal-killing in Canada, whale-killing in Norway, nuclear proliferation in North Korea, etc. etc., all of which could (natch) be blamed on (you guessed it...) the US of A."

Wow! I've never seen a Norway whale-killing sign at a protest! Not that I don't believe there was one (although, if this guy was on duty, did he really have time to take notes?).

"And then there was the usual cadre of aging idiots like alleged 'Professor' Howard Zinn from Boston University, an icon of stupidity and an absolute waste of oxygen from the Vietnam era. (Howie- your friends in Ho Chi Minh City are just dying for you to move there so you can spout some drivel to the communist murderers you so admire- call Jane Fonda and please leave soon...the BPPA will pay the one-way airfare...)."

And to think I actually wanted to read that Zinn guy's book...

... "Councilor Turner, without a permit and in direct violation of the law and not giving a damn about anyone else's right to enjoy the public streets of the City of Boston, began to march against the traffic, down one-way streets into oncoming traffic at 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon, causing alarm, invonvenience and annoyance (at a minimum!) for everyone who had committed no crime other than to drive into the City of Boston to enjoy a day with their family."

Dude, *nobody* considers driving around Boston a relaxing family activity.

Apparently it's the "command staff" who didn't want to interfere, while all of the riot cops were ready to "uphold the honor of the BPD" by beating up some pacifists. I guess the part of the article that relates to the union at all is this beef with the command staff. Of course, the first 3+ columns of a 4+ column article are about the permitted part of the rally... maybe he doesn't like the forced overtime. Which is legit, but has little to do with the rally.

The article will probably eventually turn up here if you're interested.


When I am one of the "spoiled-rotten offspring of [...] detestable aging hippies and guilt-ridden yuppie nitwits, who have never worked for anything but have had liberal Mom-and-Pop pay for private school/college and now desire to present themselves as some sort of revolutionaries-seeking-victimhood status" of which he writes, I try to give the cops the benefit of the doubt: they're just doing their job, and are trying to make the whole situation safer for all of us. Hell, many of them agree with whatever the issue is anyway. They just look scary because of the masks, batons, guns, pockets full of tear gas...

You get the idea. My point is, here's why protestors get beat up by cops. Dude, disagree all you want with Left-wing politics, but don't take it to work. And don't put it in your union newspaper, however problematic the BPPA may or may not be. And don't think that being a cop is a good way to channel all that anger you have. Take a Tae-bo class or something. Gosh.