Secrets of the City

I attended, along with 15,000 of my closest friends.

The wait outside was not so bad — the line moved quickly. Quickly, that is, until I was directly in front of the Target Center, where the pace moved to snail mode.

Once inside, more of the same, as a huge line snaked around the hallways. Thankfully, someone had the good sense to open the venders (except beer) and restrooms. The sections were opened one by one, causing no small amount of chaos and frustation from people who had already been standing waiting for hours.

When I was finally seated (top of section 230, aisle seat), any lingering ill will I may have harbored for the event planners was gone, and I could just sit back and enjoy the show.

Re: anti-Obama protesters, they were outnumbered by supporters by roughly 1,000 to 1 at the event. Of course, they had other places to go on Saturday.

I also saw the best sign of the event, captured the the House of Procrastination blog, for a downtown parking ranp:

“Yes we can, park your car, for $10″

Gotta a chuckle outa that one. Also liked the Hooters waitress watching the circus below from the restaurant balcony. Sorry, I didin’t bring a camera.

Wonkette has been chronicling the best of the Teabagger signs from Glenn Beck’s 9/12 Comedy Festival Gathering Summit of Racists from around the country. So far my favorite sign was “Obama: More Czars than the USSR”.

See here:
http://wonkette.com/411055/thousands-of-grandmas-still-dont-care-for-coloreds

Also hilarious was the Weekend Edition report on the signs of the protesters where the NPR reporter actually reads the Mr. T sign in the voice of Mr. T.

Listen to it if you can, but read the transcript here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112791873

Good grief, anyone with a brain from any media outlet on either side of the fence probably stipulated they be allowed to be drunk of their asses if they had to cover it.

I have to say, that I do appreciate the creativity today’s racists are putting into hating the president. A lot of racists back in the day (and some creatively challenged ones today) would have just shouted slurs but these guys make witty, uneducated (yet pretty) posters using glitter and (what they think are) puns. So, who said arts education in schools wasn’t that great. It’s clearly way better than civic/social/historical educations kids are getting.

Apparently my cousin, who was sitting in the stands at Hopeypalooza, was sitting next to a white guy who kept yelling the n-word at Hopemaster Flex and was removed by police. I could not hear because I was rather close to the President, in his 200 foot post-racial bubble, where you can’t hear racism. Which totally explains why our president hasn’t gone all Wayne Brady on someone and choked a bitch.

Bob, you lied to us: Obama did not show up at the Autumn Brew Review.

Jeffk: That’s too bad, because he could use an education on beer after his choice at the “Beer Summit.”

PS: Huh?

Bix: Your cousin sat next to more interesting people than I. I sat by a little kid who kept poking me with the flag. He fell asleep before the Big O took the stage.

BTW, there were no reported arrests at Big O’s Traveling Circus, which is rather amazingly nice.

I was harassed outside the Target Center by the cops, check it out: http://minusmanhattan.tumblr.com/post/186311282/this-stp-police-officer-just-called-me-a

Major local media fail this weekend.

Only KSTP 5.1 briefly covered the President’s arrival at the airport, and only 5.2 broadcast the speech (only his speech, no one else). AND, in an even major fail, KSTP did not bother to provide captions for the speech.

WCCO stuck with a rain delay broadcast of an old Jimmy Conner 4th round US Open match. I guess that’s a little better than staying with acne med or weight loss infomercials, like other stations.

I’ve learned when a cop tells you to do something, you do it; no questions asked. I’ve managed to avoid serious injury that way.

i got out of a traffic ticket this weekend that same way. a little respect goes a long way.

mnblrmkr: If you had gone to the event, you’d have been all set– it’s captioned! I love Obama!

PS, I’m on here at school and I should get some ad blocker action up in here because some American Apparel borderline-porn is smack in the middle of the screen. Ick

Looks PG to me.

The rally at the Target Center got “better coverage” in the New York Times than Beckstock in DC did, angering at least one guest op/ed writer in today’s WSJ.

Sorry, no link, but it’s easy to find.

Here’s that link to WSJ.

Closer to home, the Star Tribune offers the story of Josh Hendrickson, the self-described “…gun-carrying assualter of people who’s outside the Obama rally.”

The question I have for Mr. Hendrickson is if he was trying to “make a point” about his right to pack heat at the President’s venue, why conceal the fact — and his weapons?

That guy is the definition of Rent-a-cop.

I laughed so hard reading that article.

He defined several times as being “honest,” and seemed to offer up details on his three brushes with the law (the last one cost him his job and 60 days in jail) without much prompting. Too bad he is not as honest with himself and what seems to be some pretty serious anger management issues.

I don’t think this is a very good type of noteriety for a guy who needs to find a job.

I doubt if even conservative-owned businesses such as TCF Bank or Baja Sol will be interested in offering Mr. Hendrickson as job in private security after this article.

Maybe Xe will hire him.

Maybe Kanye West will hire him as a PR consultant. Not only does he pride himeself on his honesty, ethics and loyalty, the man from Rogers is a thug with a strap!

That WSJ piece is a hoot.

WHichi s more impressive: an event that’s been announced and planned since March or April (and hyped on FOX), which organizers were expecting 100,00s of thousands of people on a late summer weekend, that draws 70,000 or an event announced 3 or 4 days earlier drawing 15,000 (and we won’t even mention all the competing major sports events that same day.)

Gave the gun-toter his own thread.

Josh Hendrickson isn’t exactly the sharpest bulb in the drawer, but quoting him — or the Star Tribune — as Closer “self-described ‘…gun-carrying assualter of people who’s outside the Obama rally’” isn’t accurate. Neither he nor the Star Tribune used that language to describe him.

Yes he did. From the article: “Now I’m going to be the guy with the assault record — the gun-carrying assaulter of people who’s outside the Obama rally,” Hendrickson said, shaking his head.

http://www.startribune.com/local/59288822.html?page=3&c=y

Did you read all three pages?

I didn’t RTFA but that seems like he’s saying that meaning that people are going to mistakenly call him that.

Still, I stand by my early point that he’s not stable since Obama could give a damn about his gun.

We love you OBAMA!!!