Editor, Daily Nexus,In response to Cory Anthony’s editorial, (Daily Nexus, “Protesting Protesters,” Feb. 25, 2003), I first want to say that I agree that protesting is not “an end in and of itself.” Making noise and marching down the street should be a last resort to get divergent voices heard. It is depressing that situations have to get so dire that people have to disrupt the mindless flow of people. However, when a so-called president and his spin machine so consistently deny that American dissent exists, mass movements are necessary. Bush finally had to acknowledge the dissent, even if it was to say he doesn’t determine policy based on “focus groups.” That’s true, fascists usually don’t listen to people that don’t have corporate pork-barrel ties.Cory Anthony protesting the right to protest is just a cynical excuse for apathy. I don’t know why anyone who values liberty would be against people exercising their right to assemble. The brief solutions Anthony proposes are effective to a certain extent, but Anthony denies that these methods have been and are being tried in conjunction with protest. One solution proposed in lieu of protesting is “to get rich and buy the government.” Well yeah, that seems to have worked for Bush, and if you are not outraged to the point of public protest, then you are not paying attention. Until we see some real courage on the part of government officials to represent the well-being of people before big business, there will be protesters who are determined to get amateur pundits like Cory Anthony to perk up their ears and take notice.

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