RNC.

I am not myself participating in protests of the Republican National Convention, chiefly for two utilitarian considerations:

• While I believe in and share the message many protesters want to send through protests, I don't believe that there's any audience (at the RNC or elsewhere) who will be convinced by protests to vote against Bush. (This is mostly on account of the purpose (or lack of) of party conventions these days in US political discourse.)
  
  
• While I believe that much (admittedly not all) of the anger that drives many (admittedly not all) of the protesters is entirely justified and legitimate - as democratic dissent, not anarchistic chaos - I don't believe that there's any way that honest, democracy-building protest will be portrayed as anything other than inappropriate, radical, mob behavior. Thus, I don't want to contribute to something that could alienate the relatively few voters who are left to win over for a plurality. And given the level of policing that's occurring, I can't afford right now to be arrested.

I am, however, participating in two events that will hopefully send the message that ordinary, working US Americans and concerned people of faith want CHANGE:

TUESDAY, 8/31: Mobilization 2004's Interfaith Ring of Hope, including a service at The Riverside Church; and

WEDNESDAY, 9/1: The New York City Central Labor Council's rally to protest The War at Home on the American Worker.

If you're in NYC and want/need to attend permitted events, these are two to consider.