Protesters:Then & Now

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

The young man on the bike held up a sign that read “Mission Not Accomplished.” His T-shirt spelled out an expletive for President Bush and he was shouting, “Billions for war, nothing for schools.” He also shouted at those of us waiting on line to enter Gotham Hall, saying, “Why don’t you rich people go back where you came from?” Then a crowd of the scruffiest, dirtiest white kids I’ve seen since I watched “The Grapes of Wrath” on TV passed by tied together with a filthy banner and shouting obscenities.


An NYPD cop shooed the bike rider away while a lone woman with a sign but with obvious class apologized to us for the man’s insults before she walked off in a different direction. Gotham Hall is about four blocks away from the Madison Square Garden convention site and security was extremely tight. More than 1,000 guests, including senators, congressmen, and VIPs, stood patiently in line to be vetted and scanned by the security force.


There may indeed have been the rich and powerful in attendance, but many were simply conservative activists of all ethnicities and economic brackets. We were nevertheless all targeted with the wide tarbrush by the anti-Bush protesters who had come to vent their spleens.


The ignorance of some of those protesters is simply astounding. This is 2004 and yet I couldn’t help comparing these protesters to those of the Vietnam era. Perhaps that was because many of the same people are still protesting. Now gray-haired and with their ponytails pulled back from much more spacious foreheads, the Yippies from the 1960s are still protesting the establishment along with the young and even more ignorant.


Ah, youth! In those heady days of the Age of Aquarius, this Aquarian was spending Saturday nights nursing a cappuccino for hours in smoky coffee houses like the Cafe Feenjon on MacDougal Street in the Village. I sold my first painting in the annual Washington Square Art Exhibit, and while I may have looked the part of a Bohemian, I was anything but. I even went to Mass every Sunday.


In New York in the 1960s, most student parties involved passing around a joint at one point or another during the evening. I always declined because I found it far more intriguing to watch the decline of coherent thought among the partygoers who indulged themselves. Their political fervor was fueled by the quality of the weed and I had little respect for kids who had no sense of appreciation for the creature comforts provided by their wealthy parents.


In those turbulent days, students in all parts of the world were revolting against society. Most were marching for real civil liberties and against injustices, poverty, and, of course, the war. While I never was involved in any of these activities, I found it inspirational to live in a country where one could protest. Yet I also knew that many of those protesters were just so full of it.


Sure, there were some true idealists, but most of these rich, white protesters were merely playing at being oppressed. They were likely rebelling against their parents, tripping on acid, smoking dope, and having fun with nary a thought of the consequences.


Some grew up to regret their activities and what it cost in the lives of soldiers who served in Vietnam. David Horowitz, now a conservative observer, was a Berkeley leftist agitator who authored “Radical Son, a Generational Journey.” He came to the conclusion that the Vietnam War was justified given the atrocities that the communists committed against the South Vietnamese. He is reviled by the Left.


Another former activist, Harry Stein, discovered one morning that he had grown up and joined the establishment. In his book “How I Accidentally Joined the Right Wing Conspiracy and Found Inner Peace,” Mr. Stein admits that his anti-war activities had more to do with chasing women than with any political conviction.


But at least these kids had better reasons for their misguided protests. The war was miles away in a country we had never heard of. There was also the question of the draft and the possibility of being sent off to die with a muddled explanation. One can excuse their naivete, but these reasons do not exist in 2004.


This war was born at home with the deaths of thousands of our friends and neighbors right here in Manhattan. The brave men and women who volunteer to serve in the military are fighting an implacable enemy who does not understand reason or diplomacy. This enemy will hijack and blow up passenger airplanes.


The war in Iraq is keeping the enemy at bay and making it possible for idiots to march in safety at home.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use