We Love America More Than Anyone

i read this entry at kos a few days ago, and the image immediately made me think of our friend katherine: old woman yells at cloud.

today, our local crank with eternal sand in her vagina takes on the dirty hippies of critical mass.

of course, katherine’s main concern is hypothetic mom’s and dad’s trying to get to the last inning of their kids’ baseball games. having to wait three minutes for a few hundred bikers to cross an intersection is, of course, an injustice of indescribable proportions. you see, to katherine, life in democratic society means never having to be inconvenienced. no matter how slightly.

They block traffic by “corking” — some riders hold cars at intersections during green lights while the mass passes through a red light. Others stand in the street and wave their bikes defiantly over their heads.

Are you rushing to catch the last few innings of your son’s baseball game?

Trying to get to the show you promised your wife for her birthday?

Critical Mass doesn’t give a rip. Tough luck for you, Mac, because you’re a gas-guzzler and I’m living green.

apparently, katherine thinks all her readers are named mac, which seems oddly alienating–insulting, even–to readers not named mac (or maybe she’s realized that this person named “mac” is her only other reader besides us drrty bloggers who like to talk shit about her), but i digress…

Why are Minneapolis police condoning this lawbreaking? Because the guys upstairs do. Two City Council members, Cam Gordon and Robert Lilligren, joined the Critical Mass mob on last week’s ride. Mayor R.T. Rybak also rode with the mob once several years ago.

In August, after some of the ride’s rougher elements provoked a confrontation with police, and 19 people were arrested, Gordon, whose aide was one of those arrested, called foul. The usual hand-wringing and internal investigation in the police department followed. Gordon organized a meeting, where police and Critical Mass representatives discussed what were called mutual expectations.

the reason katherine can talk so derisively about last month’s CM incident with the MPD is because she’s never been on the other side of the law during a peaceful demonstration. they, like most cops across this country, will look for any reason to start busting skulls. they live for it. and when something minor gets started, they see it as the green light to get out the pepper spray and start swingin. then high five each other back at the station, swapping stories about who took out who. it’s not surprising, considering for the most part, being a cop is probably a rather boring job, even in minneapolis. and unlike getting to bust some thugs on the open street–where there is the inherent danger of someone shooting back at you–they don’t have the fear of reprisal. i don’t have the latest stats on police fatality or injury (beyond broken fist from punching someone) at peaceful protests, but i’m pretty sure they’re about as safe as they come for teh fuzz.

but to people like kersten who would never dare participate in such drrty democracy, police brutality is never much of a concern.

after all, none of those people would have been arrested or needlessly beaten if they’d just, you know, stayed home and watched CBS’ awesome fall lineup like kersten surely did that night.

Critical Mass riders just wanted to celebrate bikes, they could refrain from serial law-breaking and ride at a time that doesn’t provoke rush-hour drivers. But that won’t do. Their antics are more about power — “I’ll make you wait while I ride by” — and self-dramatization than making the world a better place.

Minneapolis authorities eventually will discover what parents learn when they allow petulant children to break the rules “just to keep the peace.” You don’t get peace. You just open the door to bigger trouble.

i don’t really understand what “bigger trouble” she’s referring to. CM has been going for many, many years now, and has been a largely peaceful event.

but democracy can be a scary thing, i guess. and we’re all lucky to have people like katherine to warn us about its many dangers.

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