Blocking the Protests

NYC is still blocking the rally scheduled for this coming Saturday, the 15th. Now the city is citing "terrorist threats" as a reason why the march can't go forward. If you find this absurd, there is a petition online to encourage NYC to issue the permit. United for Peace also has some tips on how to raise a ruckus about this development.

The NY Sun, in the meantime, applauds the blockades that are being thrown up by the city. An editorial from the paper's Thursday edition proclaims:

Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly are doing the people of New York and the people of Iraq a great service by delaying and obstructing the anti-war protest planned for February 15. The longer they delay in granting the protesters a permit, the less time the organizers have to get their turnout organized, and the smaller the crowd is likely to be. And we wouldn’t want to overstate the matter, but, at some level, the smaller the crowd, the more likely that President Bush will proceed with his plans to liberate Iraq.

The last sentence summarizes the issue nicely: if you want to avert a war on Iraq, get out into the streets.