AUGUST
14, 2004 --
Dear Leslie,
As I mentioned to you briefly, after your August 10 press conference,
I listened with great interest to your willingness to have part
of your August 29 rally in Central Park's North Meadow -- LPR
having made that suggestion some weeks back.
Your people are right
(I hesitate to use that word in writing to you) to be concerned
about a rally on the West Side Highway; it does get hot out in
the open, and the media ought to question City Hall why it would
demand that your people place themselves in health risk.
As I recall from the press conference (I was spotted when the
New York 1 camera panned the room), your group is speculating
about ties between City Hall and the GOP in dealing with UFPJ.
Would it be unfair to speculate about ties between your people
and the Democrats,
indeed with even more far left groups?
LPR has been referring to the UFPJ demonstrations as anti-Bush.
You have just about conceded this with your
open admission that you oppose the Bush agenda. (On this point, you are ahead
of LPR which is not quite sure what the Bush agenda is.)
Still, I
wouldn't say that UFPJ qualifies as a Federalist 57 organization.
There is a lot of anger, I think, in your ranks, and anger
is not a harbinger of constitutional democracy, I believe.
Indeed, there is at least one auto in the
Bronx, with a bumpersticker that says: "Defend America, Defeat Bush."
Does that
mean Bush goes on trial if he loses--or the anti-Bushites go
to the barricases
if he wins?
UFPJ, for all the talk about its internal democracy, has yet to demonstrate commitment
to our country's tradition of constitutional government, with clear
limits on officials, and liberty for individuals, including people who are successful
in the marketplace.
I will admit
that were UFPJ to take notice of the heavy-handed approach
of New York City via its Parking Violations Bureau, you might
get all of us crushed
daily by that oppressive agency to
consider that you might be on our side, after all.
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