Thanking people for paying taxes for the rich, Billionaires for Bush provided biting satire, at one point chanting, "Four more wars!"

NEW YORK — Republicans aren’t the only ones having a grand old party in New York City this week. Hundreds of thousands of people are swarming the city to protest George W. Bush’s nomination for a second term as president, using creativity to develop entertaining demonstrations.

Billionaires for Bush greeted the droves of protesters exiting the subway onto Union Square in Manhattan, the initial rallying point for the United for Peace and Justice march down Seventh Ave to the Republican National Convention. Dressed in their most expensive tuxedoes and evening gowns, Billionaires for Bush thanked the demonstrators for paying their taxes and boasted about their huge tax breaks.

One Billionaire for Bush, Marcus Nechay, held a sign saying, “Repeal the First Amendment,” a Bush/ Cheney sticker at the bottom. When asked how the Bush Administration is handling the repeal process, Nechay puffed his cigarette holder and waved it across the crowd saying, “Well, look at all these protesters cluttering our streets. They should be joining the military to protect our assets.”

Another sarcastic group on Union Square warned people that reading is dangerous and no longer necessary. Wearing shirts saying, “Reading = Death,” the man leading the group announced, “Everyone, listen. I just saw on E News that reading is no longer necessary. So throw away your books; and if you see a TV news broadcast with a ticker at the bottom, turn it off, because those have words, too.” Billionaires for Bush then laughed haughtily, clapped and said, “Bravo.”

Some protesters held a kiss-in against Bush Aug. 30 on Union. 17-year-old Cincinnati resident Zoe Magnada (her activist pseudonym) was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

“The officers never gave us any warning that we were breaking any law,” Magnada said. “We walked down the sidewalk from Union Square two-by-two to keep from blocking the sidewalk while kissing, and the police eventually arrested us. As we were carted away in the patty wagon to the warehouse, where we were held before being processed for release, I continued kissing the girl I was with and the police kept telling us to stop. When we were jailed in the warehouse, we started hitting on the guards and asked one officer if he is a stripper for a side job. The officer seemed flattered and asked if he looked like one.”

Sometimes the demonstrators seemed more interested in getting laughs than educating Republicans.

Marching bands with tubas, snare and bass drums and other instruments set the tempo for the street rallies. Demonstrators clapped to the beats and rapped such slogans as, “Disease and starvation will not be solved by corporations! That’s bullshit! Get off it! The enemy is profit.” One man held a banner with Bush dressed as Satan in a suit, smoking a fancy cigar and saying, “Evil doers, welcome to New York City.” A flag troupe named Code Pink: Women for Peace performed with the bands and twirled pink flags with anarchy symbols.

Demonstrators held parachutes stretching across entire intersections with the message, “Drop Bush” for a blimp and helicopters hovering overhead. They also hitched signs on their dogs saying, “Take a Bite out of Bush” and “Dogs for Peace.”

Demonstrators dressed in elaborate costumes to mock the Bush Administration’s top-level officials. One pair, mocking Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, dressed as a large shrub and a huge penis — the biggest dick this reporter has ever seen. Another man wore a Bush mask and large bloody claws, bouncing a blow-up globe along the demonstration route.

Garry Fischer of New York wore a bomb suit with the message, “Drop Bush, Not Bombs.” He occasionally bumped into police officers along the demonstration route. The officers didn’t blow up on him, but directed him down the street.

“Politics can be a blast,” Fischer said. “This suit is hot as hell in this sun, but America will be hell if Bush wins or steals the election again.” © Back to Top