48
votes
'A red line crossed': Nationwide protests declared for Thursday at 5PM after Jeff Sessions fired
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- Authors
- Common Dreams, Common Dreams staff
- Published
- Nov 7 2018
- Word count
- 624 words
I stopped by my local one that had over 5000 RSVPs. There were about 75 people there but was in a city plaza area where no one would know anything was happening on unless they were looking for it. In downtown, but might as well have been a corn field. Kinda sad. There was pizza though.
400 RSVPs here in a city of about 200k and over 300 showed up. I was surprised we got those numbers.
I was thinking about this too, because I thought it was probably too soon. It's just speculation of course, but I think their idea might have been to try to use it as a warning more than a response. That is, maybe they were thinking that it could prevent things from going any further if they showed a significant number of people upset about the potential.
I think they may have just ended up muddling it though, and confusing people. It probably also means that if something more drastic does happen, they'll have a harder time getting people to go out again.
I think their reasoning was that there may not be outright obvious obstruction but rather a more subtle killing of the investigation through starving it of funds, for example, as Matt Whitaker has previously suggested.
Yeah, it's complicated, especially considering the legality and constitutionality of appointing the new AG aren't obvious. Personally, I'd wait until there's active obstruction rather than just a change of supervisor to trigger protests.
Considering how many Americans are living hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck and/or are severely in debt (CC, student, payday, etc), that is unlikely to happen, unfortunately. In a lot of cases it's not about being unwilling but rather unable.
Yeah, the words "indentured servitude" certainly springs to mind.
Stuck in an airport in Indianapolis, unfortunately, but with you all in spirit, and sending money to support legal challenges and recounts in Florida.
Karate chop fake video is all they could come up with as a news distraction. Yet the news is eating it up. Bummer. I hope tomorrow's news is filled with stories of America standing up to a bully with class.
I'm really upset the turnout for this was so low. I skipped work, made a sign, got my ass to Times Square, and it seemed like only roughly 2-4 thousand participated. Not only that, but when we arrived at Union Square, after maybe 20 minutes of speakers talking over the PA, just about everyone dispersed. This is the same city which held down Zuccotti Park for a month and started a nationwide movement without even having any particular trigger - and for this, all we accomplished was a march to signal the occasion.
If Mueller is not allowed to complete his investigation with adequate resources and autonomy, this country is done for. If there is not justice, we will set the precedent that it is perfectly cool to employ the might of foreign powers to win elections here. I don't know what to do anymore. If we thought the last two years were bad, just wait.
I also felt this was kind of lame. "A red line has been crossed! The Republic is in peril! We will walk for an hour or two in a line."
I don't know what should happen but protests of this form don't seem to do anything. Maybe I'm just being cynical or expecting too much or not recognizing enough, but it feels more like a pressure valve than anything productive.
One problem may be that it's a bit early. Sessions was fired, not Mueller. That means it's too early for "red line" talk in my view. It really makes me afraid that Trump will fire Mueller and the result will be a few hours of marching.
Even if participation was stronger and lasted a solid 48 hours, I feel like it wouldn't really impact much of anybody except for the protesters themselves.
There's got to be something more disruptive (but still peaceful) that would make a stronger statement, but I can't think of what it would be.
Thanks to everyone who went.