Anti-war protesters criticize President Obama during visit

[struggle4progress]

6:27 PM | May 27, 2009

About 40 anti-war protesters were holding a peaceful but noisy demonstration near the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where President Obama is holding a fundraiser ...

The demonstrators were beating on drums and chanting, “Obama and Cheney are just the same. They do torture in your name.” A few of the protesters were wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods over their heads, mimicking the photos of Guantanamo detainees.

Though small, the demonstration was eliciting honks and thumbs-up signs from motorists passing through the intersection of Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards. The protest, which began about 3:30 p.m., was organized by World Can’t Wait, a group coordinating demonstrations in 15 other cities this week.

“In terms of national security and state policy, Obama and Bush are one in the same," said Dennis Loo, a professor of sociology at Cal Poly Pomona ...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/05/antiwar-protesters-criticize-president-obama-during-visit.html


*sigh* If ya can't tell th'difference between Obama and Cheney or between Obama and Bush, then yain't payin attention

[Selatius]

1. There are differences between Obama and Cheney. It might be the differences aren't big enough.

:shrug:

[struggle4progress]

5. The differences between Obama and Cheney are as substantial as any you'll see in mainstream

American politics. There are, of course, limits to what can be accomplished merely through the electoral system, though we progressives have never in recent memory been organized enough to approach those limits. Beyond the mere electoral system, there are also legislative, regulatory, and judicial avenues for reform; of course, these also have their limits -- and, again, we progressives have never in recent memory been organized enough to approach those limits. To take full advantage of the electoral, legislative, regulatory, and judicial possibilities -- or other possibilities -- substantial organization is required. It's cheap and easy to whine about Obama. But for change, hard serious organizing work is required

[Selatius]

7. I heard this same old song for decades.

People as far back as Students for a Democratic Society were pushing for the kind of reforms progressives are still desperately trying to get, but the changes that did come about from that time only occurred because of constant and focused pressure from the Civil Rights Movement as well as the Anti-War Movement. Those movements didn't stop until their respective goals were achieved, regardless of who was in office. Obama is different than Cheney, but so long as some of the things done under Cheney continue to be done under Obama, such as the occupation in Iraq, there will always be protests. That's the nature of democracy.

[struggle4progress]

9. I must be getting old. I have no objection to direct action, and don't believe that

productive organizing necessarily aims at standard politics, but I do prefer a coherent analysis of objectives and a defensible target

[Mari333]

2. hurrah for the antiwar protesters

wish I could have been there. hope Obama listened.

[MarjorieG]

3. Met some wonderful WCW people, extreme in views, but there is room and need for that. Wish we were

less in a mess over there.

It's a diicult culture and expenditure to turn drastically away from.

[Mari333]

6. ending the occupations isnt an extreme view to me

its right on.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. Good for them!

At least maybe he will grant us one campaign promise.

[Vidar]

8. Good for the protesters!