Just the thing for Los Angeles freeways!

The Talon Riot Control vehicle. As featured on eBay! It can stop bullets from an AK-47! It’s electrified! It has a grenade launcher!

Now with a (humorous) video from the BBC showing it destroying a building!!

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Good riddance

“New Democrats” losing power
 
“After soaring in prestige under former President Clinton, the centrist “New Democrat” movement is struggling to maintain its influence in the party as the 2004 presidential race accelerates.

In recent months, New Democrat leaders have engaged in escalating confrontations with more liberal party elements — battles that could help determine whether Democrats largely follow Clinton’s centrist course or tilt to the left in their challenge to President Bush next year.

Now the DLC <Democratic Leadership Council> finds itself under fire from a range of Democrats for a blistering attack it issued last month on two of the most liberal 2004 candidates — Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Dean has shot back, accusing the DLC of blurring the differences between Democrats and Republicans.”

Under the ‘leadership’ of the DLC and Clinton, who insisted on tilting ever rightwards in a misguided attempt to grab the center, the Democratic Party hemmoraged seats, losing power and seats everywhere. It is no accident that after ten years of DLC power that Democrats lost control of the House and Senate.

Then, as mentioned, in a monumentally arrogant and stupid move, the DLC last month attacked two major front runners in the Democratic Presidential race. Apparently they’ve decided Lieberman will be the candidate and the will of the people and an open race be damned.

The sooner the DLC loses control, the sooner the Democratic Party will regain its soul.  And then they will start winning again.

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Does Sharon  really want peace?

“Israel delivered another blow to the faltering road map to peace yesterday with the assassination of a Hamas leader, drawing threats of retaliation from the Islamic organisation and implicit criticism from the US secretary of state, Colin Powell.”

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Howard Dean

“The Dean Constituency.

Joe Klein makes an important and accurate observation about Howard Dean’s campaign, noting that he “has unlocked a fairly new and vibrant Democratic constituency that transcends his left-wing peacenik stereotype. It is young, middle class, white and wired.” “Dean has no idea how large this constituency is, but he knows it isn’t large enough to win the nomination.” (italics added)

Meanwhile, the AP previews Dean’s announcement speech today saying it’s “a call to disenchanted voters of all political stripes.”

Update: A Concord Monitor poll shows Dean slipping behind Sen. John Kerry in New Hampshire.”

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Christopher Street West parade

This parade, named for the street in NYC where the Stonewall Rebellion began, is one of the largest LGBT events in the country. Held in West Hollywood, it caps off a two day event which draws hundreds of thousands of people. Major streets are blocked off all weekend, creating a giant party atmosphere (and monumental traffic jams).

ANSWER again had an entry in the parade, which had over 400 entries this year. We were number 86 and started an hour after the first entry went by. Crowd reaction to our rather militant entry ran the gamut from enthusiastic cheers to stoney silence. As you can see from the photo, one banner mentioned our upcoming Protest Bush in L.A. Rally this Friday, and we passed out thousands of flyers along the parade route.

For Sol Fest yesterday, and this parade on Sunday, I and other ANSWER volunteers were there at 8 am, which means I got up at 6:15 am. Some of you no doubt bounce out of bed all perky at 6 am. I do not. Neither to my knowledge does anyone else in ANSWER. So we shall happily go back to being stay-up-late, wake-up-late slug-a-beds.

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