To: MSI who wrote (345046 ) 1/19/2003 10:04:41 PM From: ManyMoose Read Replies (2) | Respond to The reason I object to protest marches and even "public involvement" meetings of the kind sponsored by my employer, is that they yield too much recognition to the people who like to do that sort of thing. For these people it's a form of recreation, or a hobby that feeds their egos. Most people are too darn busy to spend their time so. They can't spare the time away from their livelihood. The kind of people who join protest marches and make trouble for legitimate activities of others are often the kind who have no other occupation or priorities of their own. If policy makers pay too much attention to them it's like bowing to the wishes of the loudest shouter at a PTA meeting instead of doing what's right for the schools. I don't think policy should be based on who has the loudest voice or is willing to cause the most trouble. That's what these protest marches do. They try to influence policy beyond what their numbers warrant, and since they already have a voice at the ballot box, their protests are basically illegitimate, in my view. I doubt you and I will agree on policy, but "seizing power" is hardly what these protests can be called by any stretch of the imagination ... Hey, what do you think of the Venezuelan protests???
