Police in riot gear have been a common sight at the recent national conventions in Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Odds & Ends: Offbeat news about the Republican convention, PETA and more

Date published: 9/4/2008

CONVENTION TENSION

Flying a little under the radar has been the news of police and FBI crackdowns on groups planning to protest at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis this week. While it is not unusual for local police to have to deal with small groups of rambunctious protestors, the pre-emptive nature and questionable legality of these crackdowns is striking in a country that lists free speech among its core values.

Late last week, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office teamed with the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments, as well as the FBI, to launch a number of raids against groups of individuals planning to protest throughout the GOP convention this week.

While the Star Tribune newspaper has reported that police found knives, rocks and buckets of urine at one gathering of protestors, the majority of those who had their houses raided were found to be doing nothing illegal, and were merely questioned and released. A few, however, have been taken into custody and charged with "conspiracy to commit riot" according to a lawyer at one of the houses, Bruce Nestor.

Glenn Greenwald has been covering the situation on his blog at salon.com, and has compiled a number of video interviews with those affected by the raids.

MEAT THE NEIGHBORS

One activist group that doesn't seem deterred by federal action is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In fact, the group seems to be embracing it in its quest for animal equality by planning to advertise on the border fence between the United States and Mexico.

The proposed ad would apparently be both a deterrent to would-be illegal immigrants and a call to action, and would state: "If the border patrol doesn't get you, the chicken and burgers will. Go vegan."

Never mind the fact that thousands of illegal immigrants are coming to America to escape food shortages in their own nations and that many come from cultures that place a high value on meat--PETA seems to feel that the arid U.S.-Mexico border is the perfect place to plant the seed for an animal-friendly lifestyle.

BUCKS FOR BABIES

Last week, The Wall Street Journal's "Political Perceptions" blog featured an intriguing article on abortion by Steven Waldman, whose resume includes serving as the national editor of U.S. News & World Report.

Date published: 9/4/2008