======== Subject: picket report, Clearwater December 4, 1999 From: "M. C. DiPietra" Date: Sat, 04 Dec 1999 17:51:41 -0500 Message-ID: <38499b40.0@news2.lightlink.com> There was beautiful weather downtown Clearwater today. Just Chamber-of-Commerce perfect. While the conference went on, there were gaggles of picketers moving like waves lapping at a beach downtown despite the torn-up sidewalks and draped scaffolding in front of the Fort H. Flag buses and vans drove people around all day so they wouldn't have to encounter entheta en route from building to building. Although the windows are tinted, you could still see the faces of those inside as drivers tried to quickly maneuver by us. One van almost ran a red light trying to get by. It was a pleasure to finally meet Tilman after all these years, had a very nice lunch thanks to Mike Reuss (honorary kid), saw Warrior and arnie and ethercat, Bev and co., mad cow and ynot, Bob and Jesse, Gregg Hagglund (who insisted he wasn't really there but had postulated himself in from Canada); others I couldn't name from RL recognition. It was a peaceful afternoon for us, but Mike Rinder didn't even return Tilman's cheery "hello", and Scientology's moving camera--mounted on the scaffolding in front of the Fort H [not even a shred of tact here]--was busily trying to intimidate everyone at once, as we walked up and down Fort Harrison Avenue and Cleveland Street. Meanwhile, about a third of the cars coming by honked, accompanied by smiles, thumbs-ups, and happy waves. We heard "thank you!" and "all right!" and "you got it!" coming from the cars of residents of Clearwater all day long. At one point, arnie was yelling through a cardboard megaphone "No OTs here!" at the Fort H, and every time he'd pick up[ his megaphone, loud bells would be heard coming from the building until he set it down again. It was comical, watching arnie trying to fake them out, and the bells starting and stopping as if on cue. Their actions indicate that they fear their parishoners hearing what he has to say. Along Cleveland Street, loud music was turned on when picketers tried to talk with passersby. Mike Reuss really worried a Sandcastle security guard and cellphoned kid stationed there, as he videotaped the construction going on there, beyond the torn-up sidewalks that effectively blocked the view of anyone inside (the Sandcastle is the OT Hotel on the waterfront of the Intracoastal Waterway between Clearwater and Clearwater Beach). There was a lot of discussion, peering after Mike as he walked down the street, and shrugging. The cellphone kid made a call. What is it about what we have to say that makes them so afraid? It's sad, really. And saddest of all was the little boy in the Santa cap manning the free crafts table on Cleveland street; other children in santa caps at other tables, looking sleepy and bored because no one was really stopping at them. They were put there because it would make the picketers look like they were picketing kids and Christmas. Winter Wonderland was set up the block before the Sandcastle, but it didn't look open. I am glad it was a peaceful day, and despite every attempt to silence us by intimidation and threat and even the tearing up of sidewalks so we wouldn't have anywhere to walk, we still were there and we still had our message heard. Like arnie said, "This will affect them for months." ---http://maggiecouncil.iuma.com M.C.DiPietra , SP4 "Hell, if you understood everything I say, you'd be me!" -Miles Davis