Immigration Protest-blogging

Day 2 of the Great Salt Lake City Immigration Protests was yesterday, and since they were held just a block or so away from where Captain Holly parked his car, I stopped by for a few minutes on my way home. As with the Great MoonBat Convention of '05, I brought along my camera to provide a view of the protest that you wouldn't otherwise get from the MainStreamMedia, and thus join the "Army of Bloggers" covering the events.

The crowd was smaller than I expected, but that might have been due to the fact that many people were still at work, or perhaps the threat of rain kept some away. Or perhaps the breathless reports of massive crowds at Sunday's march were just typical media exaggerations. Like last year, I'm sure the left-wing Salt Lake Media were eager to portray this crowd as much bigger than it really was. Based on my observations there were no more than about 2,000 people in attendance.

It looks like everyone got the memo to be polite, neatly-dressed, and patriotic. I didn't see more than a handful of Gangsta-types; most everyone looked like they were selected straight out of central casting, with many families and small children present.

You could also count the number of Mexican flags on one hand. Everyone else was carrying an American flag, and except for a single minor exception they were displayed about as respectfully as one would expect at a NASCAR rally.

For those who are wondering who Alex Segura is, he's the leader of the local Minutemen chapter. The La Raza mafia hate nothing more than a patriotic Hispanic American.

Nor were there any angry Reconquista signs or banners; this one got about as close to Aztlan as the organizers dared (forget the fact that the Plains Indians would have been just as distressed by thousands of Mexicans taking their lands). Almost all were in English or bilingual. Clearly, the organizers learned from the debacle of a couple of weeks ago, when hundreds of angry, snotty teenagers waving Mexican flags spontaneously descended on Salt Lake City. Had these rallies been of the same tone that would have spelled the end of the movement politically, and the organizers knew it.


Which is good for them, because the Media were all over this, like, well, liberal media types on any left-wing protest (I was going to use a more "earthy" metaphor, but then I realized that would leave me open to the accusation of Hating Brown People). They were everywhere, including the sky; several helicopters hovered overhead. It was clear from their enthusiasm whose side they were on.

There were a few "counter-protesters". I put that in quotes because based on the crude, stereotypical signs they carried and the way they were dressed I'd be willing to bet that they were actually left-wing agent provocateurs. They looked like walking charicatures, what a University liberal thinks a typical conservative would look and act like.

And to support my contention, the guy who was carrying this sign looked rather familiar. I didn't think much of it until I was leaving, and I saw...

...that's right, the MoonBatMobile! The very same SUV plastered with anti-Bush, anti-corporate signs that I saw last year, parked right next to the square. That confirmed my suspicion that these guys were plants, as some of the crude cardboard signs around the vehicle were somewhat anti-illegal. Then again, the guy could just be a professional protester, someone who attends every protest in hopes he'll get lucky, score some good acid and get laid like he did at Haight-Ashbury back in '67.

Overall, while this was a successful protest for the organizers in terms of the fact they didn't alienate anyone, it probably will not bring any long-term success. Almost every poll on the subject shows that most Americans, including most Hispanics, want tough action on immigration. Like it or not, a crackdown is coming. The protests today, at best, will only soften the blow.