If you're going to be in New York and are planning to protest at the Republican National Convention, remember to play nice- OR NO SOUP FOR YOU....
What I want to know is what numbnuts came up with this brilliant excuse for a way to curb public protest? Do New York city officials REALLY think that promising discounts at Abercrombie & Fitch will encourage protesters to play nice??
Thinking about smashing windows or overturning cars during the Republican National Convention? Think again: that will cost you a discounted buffalo chicken salad from Applebee's or a cheaper ticket to see "Tony n' Tina's Wedding."
In a transparently mercantile bid to keep protesters from disrupting the Republican National Convention later this month, the Bloomberg administration will offer "peaceful political activists" discounts at select hotels, museums, stores and restaurants around town during convention week, which begins Aug. 29.
Law-abiding protesters will be given buttons that bear a fetching rendition of the Statue of Liberty holding a sign that reads, "peaceful political activists." Protesters can present the buttons at places like the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Sex, the Pokémon Center store and such restaurants as Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too and Applebee's to save some cash during their stay.
If only the Romanovs had thought of this.
"It's no fun to protest on an empty stomach," Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday....
Or without that cute Hermes scarf from Bergdorf's, eh? Remember, if you play nice, you might just get it at a discount.
This scheme is so unbelievably and transparently hokey that I find it hard to believe that Mayor Bloomberg bought into it with a straight face. Never mind the fact that there really is no way to vet protesters who want a button to ensure that they are living up to their end of the bargain.
....Mr. Bloomberg conceded yesterday that not everyone who wore a button would be strictly vetted for his or her peacefulness. "Unfortunately, we can't stop an anarchist from getting a button," he said, though he doubted any of them would want to wear one....
The city contends that it wants to give as warm a welcome to protesters as to delegates. "Most times, people try to keep protesters from coming," the mayor said, "and they certainly don't go out of their way to accommodate them."....
Bloomberg administration officials say the list of offerings for protesters may grow. An up-to-date list appears on nycvisit.com; visitors to the site can click on "Welcome peaceful political activists." There, the discontented but hungry can also find information about the city's history and tour guides for the "politically minded visitor."
Why not be honest about what you're after, Mr. Mayor? "Please come to New York, spend your money, but don't trash the place, OK?" I can understand the Mayor's desire to keep the peace while bucking up the city's economy, but something tells me that most of the protesters probably won't be checking out the sales at Neiman-Marcus. Just a hunch....
