A Kinder, Gentler Protest

The Temple Association of University Professionals recently protested winter graduation, chanting, “We want graduations, not stalled negotiations.” Hmm. It’s better than “One term Nutter” or “Burn, Nutter, Burn, but not by much.

But what I really enjoyed at the protest is the signage directed at Temple’s president, Ann Weaver Hart. “Hart: Anti-Union?” Usually you’d see an exclamation point, or maybe a :( there. But the TAUP isn’t really so sure of itself.

It’s refreshing to see such signs at protests here in 2009. I hope we all learned something from these professors.

Protesting Philly Residents Have Incredible Signage

Huge ups to whoever made this sign It’s Our City called “mean-spirited” (no way!) at Monday’s budget cuts town meeting with the mayor. Just when I thought the stupid “HOPE” meme was finished, it turns out there are a lot more ways to go with this. “CHANGE Your plan for budget cuts” would also have worked.

But as the WHYY blog points out, “Top it off, this is an area that has fought ground wars before i.e. Sugarhouse Casino. That war is still going on.” I can’t believe we’ll soon have our 1,000th casualty of the Great Casino War.

[via]

Kenzo Teens To Protest Fox 29

With the economy in freefall, a presidential election no longer about hope and a trivia question on Chio in the Morning that’s offensive to cops, the tone of the news is a little negative these days.

Me, I feel bad for the kids. They come up to me and ask me about the joyous days of news like when I was in high school. It was all presidential blowjobs, school shootings and minute figure skaters (Infoplease: “At 4′ 8″ and 75 pounds, it seems the downsizing trend has extended from the board room to the ice rink”).

And now the high school kids are going to do something about it:

Tired of the negative what about the positive!!! Kensington Students will Hold Protest about Negative Press

Purpose – Students will demand more positive press coverage about their school and work they do in the community.

On October 1, 2008 at 3:00 Kensington High School students will protest at the Fox News studios. “What about the Positive? That’s the question that Kensington students are asking, we are frustrated with only negative press.” Says Dasha Scott a junior at Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts and member of Youth United for Change. Referring to the recent media coverage of students fighting at Kensington High School, Fox news reporters spent two days in front of Kensington High School Multiplex covering a fight outside of the school.

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A.C. Protest Turns Absolutely Awesome

An event yesterday was supposed to unite Atlantic City’s black community, but — whoops! — the Labor Day protest ended with four arrests.

Steve Young, an aide to Atlantic City Councilman Steve Moore (thanks for having non-confusing names, guys), said there would be 200 people at the protest. Instead, 10 showed up. But, wait, it gets better. The Press of Atlantic City writes that the protesters jumped up to a stage adjacent to one where a city-sponsored concert was being held. Then “King Jamir Shabazz, 37, a New Black Panther, began shouting racial epithets into the microphone, targeting white and black people in the crowd.”

“If you’re not willing to stand up, black men and black women, then get the hell in the river and drown with the jelly fish,” Shabazz shouted.

Yes, get the hell in that river right on the east coast of Atlantic City! With the jellyfish!

Things got a little funnier even after that; if any of the people who recorded it want to release video, please do so immediately.

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Anonymous Wins Again

Hey, look, Scientology can’t get permits for all-day protests in order to prevent anonymous protest anymore! Our friendly Anonymous operative explains:

I got off the phone with the Managing Directors Office today. Apparently CoS is NO LONGER ALLOWED to file ANY KIND OF DAY LONG PROTEST PERMIT unless they are ACTUALLY HAVING A PROTEST. Any permit that is filed for a day long permit will be subsequently denied by the Managing Directors Office. This came after a meeting with MDO, CoS, and the Attorneys for both groups. Anonymous was not present. Anonymous just supplied the wonderful dox :).

Ha-ha :). Anyway, good show to all involved, and for making this Friday afternoon extra special.

Philadelphia - Land of The Legal Footbullet! [Enturbulation.org]

Scientology Protest: Sunday!

It’s been a while since the last gleeful worldwide protest of Scientology — thank you, Internet — and turns out it’s time for another one. The Alert Philadelphia email reads, inexplicably: “On Saturday, April 12, 2008, from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, at the Church of Scientology of Pennsylvania located at 1312-16 Chestnut Street there will be a protest against drugs.”

Ahh, so let’s just re-write and explain my mistake on the original post. Philadelphia’s protest is actually Sunday. Scientology planned a protest against drugs in front of their headquarters on Saturday so the Anonymous people couldn’t do their Operation Reconnection protest on Saturday, when all the worldwide protests are.

So, in conclusion: Scientology is worried about people protesting its nefarious deeds, so they blocked out the entire day for a “protest against drugs.” To counter this, you all need to show up Sunday (around noon, I assume) at City Hall and protest Scientology on a Super Special Fight The Man’s Counter-protesting Efforts Protest. There’s more info here.

The original email I received a while back after the jump.

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Greenpeace To Protest Puppies

Whoo! This week the Cottonelle Puppy Bus hits town. Wait, what?

Okay, so the Puppy Bus is apparently a bus with fur on it to make it look like a puppy. The “Be Kind To Your Behind Tour” is run by Cottonelle to tell people to… hell, I dunno. Probably “buy Cottonelle toilet paper.” (As you may know, I previously expressed love for Cottonelle Ultra Double Rolls; I must admit I have since switched (gasp!) to Charmin Ultra Strong.)

But what makes this stupid puppy bus notable is, of course, that it might be protested. From Alert Philadelphia:

From Thursday, April 10, 2008 to Saturday, April 12, 2008, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, the Kimberly-Clark Company will be handing out samples of it’s Cottonell products at various locations throughout the city as part of a multimillion dollar ad campaign. On Thursday they will stop at 12th & Arch Streets, on Friday, April 11th at 9th Street & Passyunk Avenue [Of COURSE the Puppy Bus is headed to Geno's!--dmac] and Saturday, April 12th at 6th & Market Streets.

This campaign has been promoted in various cities around the country and the environmentalist group Greenpeace has protested these sites claiming that Kimberly-Clark “drives the destruction of ancient forests.” Information has been received that there is a possibility that Greenpeace may protest the Philadelphia locations.

Man, that would be a great marketing slogan. Forget the puppy bus. Cottonelle: The toilet paper with the power of ancient forests.” I’d totally switch back to Cottonelle if they did that.

Men Protest Naked Women

Last Ash Wednesday, Milford Township in Bucks County held a meeting about a proposed strip club in the township. The go-go bar actually just went and opened on Dec. 14 of last year, claiming Milford’s zoning is unconstitutional and neener neener you can’t do anything about it.

Anyway, over 100 people packed the meeting and the owner of Coyotes strip club was escorted in by a security detail. There were also a group of anti-porn male activists in attendance; the group is called King’s Men, brought signs decrying porn (for some reason) and are probably the coolest people on the face of the planet, since they’re men in an anti-porn activism group.

The strip club is BYOB and its bartenders “have formal training in detecting intoxicated patrons,” The Intelligencer reports. Also, apparently the Republican state rep for the area is all against naked ladies, too:

Republican state Rep. Paul Clymer, whose 145th District includes Milford, said the club could cause a ripple effect of crime in the area. “They’re going to fill customers up with pornography, sex and alcohol. How are they going to keep them from going out and becoming destructive in the community?” asked Clymer.

The article doesn’t say whether Clymer offered any studies or reports of the effect of a strip club on an area, but of course the people protesting don’t really care if there are studies saying strip clubs inflate property values 300 percent. And neither do I!

Oh, and a ton of people were heckling the strip club owner while wearing their ashes from services earlier that day. Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.

Hearing on Coyotes strip club attracts throng [The Intelligencer via Philly EDGE]
Photo via David Garrett, The Intelligencer

Human Allies Of Ducks, Deer Come Out In, Uh, Force

It’s been a while since I’ve though about foy grass, the goose/duck liver delicacy that I have absolutely no desire to ever eat but also have no desire to ever prevent someone from eating it. But now! After being able to ignore a duck protest-related coffee throwing, I cannot keep my eyes away any longer. Hugs for Puppies and Professionals Against Foie Gras are hosting a “No Foie Gras Gala” at the Ethical Society on Rittenhouse this Saturday.

But wait, there’s more! Not only will there be a foy grass-free party near Rittenhouse, but there will be protesters outside promoting pro-foie gras ideals at the same time. London Grill co-owner Terry McNally is spearheading the “correct information” movement and a French documentary team will be in Philly to film the highly hilarious shenanigans.

Also exciting: Yesterday, a total of six protesters showed up at a population-controlling deer hunt at Tyler State Park in Bucks County. The sign the paper reported: “What’s next, Rudolph?” Rudolph? Haven’t these people ever seen a movie. Clearly, the deer that’s next is Bambi’s mother. Geeze.

War Supporters Adopt Lofty Rhetoric

The great thing about this country is the freedom to say whatever you want. We Americans have the right to protest anything; with more voices added to the debate, the political discourse shall be elevated.

Such is the case in West Chester, where peace groups have been protesting the Iraq War like every weekend. Rich Davis, a Navy vet, decided he wanted to protest for the war, and he told the newspaper, “The reason I’m here is that [they're] here every week, which I think is protest abuse.”

Protest abuse! And recently, the pro-war group came up with this oh-so-clever chant:

“Hey hey, ho ho, stinking hippies have got to go!” they proclaimed.

And the Iraq War went on forever and ever and ever.

Protester Faceoff Gradually Escalates [The Bulletin]