-Caveat Lector- November 7, 2002
On Thursday, November 7, Chicago was hosting the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue at the Sheraton Hotel and protesters were expected to be there en masse, as they had in other cities such as Seattle, bringing destruction to businesses in their path. As their flyer indicated, the meeting was being held to "bring together large European and North American corporations with high level government officials to develop the public policy of corporate globalization.” The flyer gave their websites as www.azone.org/notabd, www.chicago.indymedia.org. I'm including this information to try and be fair to them rather than because I associate in any way with their agenda. There were hints in the papers that the Chicago police were preparing. I work in the large Chicago business area known as the Loop because of the square formed by elevated trains over four of the streets. For several days prior there was no parking allowed on the streets in this area, and this was the only clue I saw to any preparations. The protest march was scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., at Washington and Canal. The primarily young protesters, who I will refer to as the Backpack Brigade (BB), had agreed to a fixed two mile route from Boeing headquarters to a plaza between the Chicago Tribune (newspaper) Tower and a hotel where the meeting was taking place. (By the way the newspaper later reported that meeting members had been bussed out of the hotel under police escort before 7 p.m.) Now how could I pass up watching a protest march when it was taking place right after work on a street a block away? I had noticed that all loose newsboxes and wastebaskets had been removed from the street during the day. I definitely wasn't prepared for what I saw when I came to east-west Washington Street. Daylight was gone at 5 p.m. Buses from Cook County prison and other large vehicles were lining the curbs of the north-south streets, surrounded by padded police. Clumps of police in black full-riot gear stood on each corner and in between. On the streets, traffic was still allowed and people still were walking on the sidewalks. It was surreal. Many police on cycles and bikes cruised around. I looked up to see police in full riot gear looking down from the elevated platforms. (I read police were even in boats on the river.) Those who had come to see the protest stood at the curb, cameras in hand, waiting for the BB which were gathering about five blocks west of where I was wandering. It was obvious that the police were very tense. Helmets came on and off repeatedly. Their chests and backs were padded in black; nightsticks and other control objects dangled from their waists; padded legs fed into black shiny boots. Powder blue helmets with clear face shields covered men and women giving each of them a wide shouldered, thick chest, large leg appearance. These were not the happy, blunt Irish cops that one usually associates with Chicago. These were anonymous soldiers; a demonstration of government power and control. A nice young police photographer was taking pictures of the street and grubby alternative media kids were taking videos of the police for their publications I'm sure. Private detective and other unidentified types moved determinedly from police group to police group. By chance I stood about two feet from Steve Grzanich of NewsRadio 780 (WBBM-AM), who was talking with the station people. He had his cell phone, his head phone and a backpack that said CBS. For those who have heard him reporting on the radio, he's young, attractive and very charming, and would be a good TV anchor. He was crouching down talking into his headphone when a big 6 foot plus policeman came to check him out. I loudly told the policeman that he was CBS, and he walked away. The report which I heard in person I heard later on my car radio that night. Perhaps half an hour later, the street traffic was stopped and word came that the BB was on the move. The busses and other vehicles were moved into place to block off the north-south streets. Helmets went on. The police moved into a single side to side line facing the street on both sides, face shields down, feet planted two feet apart in a very threatening stance. They were out to show they meant business. (Additional information from the Chicago Journal, 11/14/02, a near-West Loop neighborhood paper … “At Boeing headquarters half an hour before the march, battle-ready cops outnumbered protesters five to one. Helicopters hovered overhead and police and police were situated on rooftops with cameras and other communications apparatus. In the crowd, which was small but growing at the time, plainclothes officers were anything but subtle in wielding camcorders and digital cameras. “Beat reporters talked about police plans to photograph everyone at the protest before the night was over and then, using newly acquired equipment, upload those images to headquarters for analysis and entry into a database. This collection of photos would then be checked against pictures of known troublemakers and shared, in the future, with law enforcement in other cities hosting similar events. The concern on the part of authorities was that out-of-state rogues might be attending, particularly people still wanted for acts committed elsewhere at such events. [Police confirmed this sort of video surveillance did take place.”]) I moved to the curb to see the signs. The BB mass of about 1000 bodies had come, drums boom, boom, booming, filling the street curb to curb, shouting, but not in unison. The weather was warm and they seemed to be a crowd of happy, idealists with simplistic homemade signs to match, some a throwback to the kinds of exaggerated caricatures seen in leftist publications. There were so many "Wal-Mart is a bad neighbor" signs that it almost looked like an anti-Wal-Mart protest. Being me, I had to see if there were any New Age type signs, and sure enough there was a huge cloth banner, which appeared in a large color photo the next day in the Sun-Times, saying "Pagans against Patriarchy.” The BB group passed my spot rather quickly. What chilled me more than the BB was a bold looking, black outfitted contingent of 40 policemen in riot gear, marching in unison about 20 feet behind the BB. They were probably there to make sure none of the BB broke away from the back of their group, but for those of us who are used to seeing the rag-tag end of all other parades, it was a shock. A few people who I talked with along the curb were genuinely puzzled by it all and had no idea what was going on. I decided to follow the BB to see what I could and stayed on the sidewalk, but pretty soon the free sidewalk space ran out and it was covered with lines of riot police as we approached the government buildings. It was either find a way to get into a north-south street, all of which were blocked off to pedestrians, or join the BB as they walked along. One of the yellers in the BB parade had a jacket that said SEIU (Service Employees International Union), and I pay union dues to that group, so I guessed it would be safe enough to walk along. I got involved in talking with a suburban type middle-aged guy who said he was there because he didn't like how the elections came out. I noticed I was being brushed by and herded more toward the inside of the street by police who were walking past me. As we passed the government buildings, the lines of police facing the marchers became thicker, two and three deep, backed by vehicles, barricades and more lines of police behind that. As I looked around, two very heightened feelings came over me: one of the shock of perhaps finding myself on a movie set for an Orwellian movie and two, of knowing what a civilian might have felt at a Nazi night time rally, overwhelmed by the impassive face of a massive regimented force all around. My guess is that even the police involved could not have known what the total picture looked like although they were part of it. The All-American good natured policeman, who I talked with the next day as he and others were guarding Daly Plaza from a few sign carriers just laughed and said all they had been doing was establishing a "presence.” Riot police density came down after the government buildings were passed. Maybe about four blocks away from the end of the march of the Backpack Brigade, on Michigan Ave., I went back to the sidewalk and watched the BB from a distance. After they went past, a nice ordinarily dressed policeman told some women they could now go back to shopping. Except for the guy who always hands out anti-semitic material at these things, the only handout was the BB's official single sheet flyer. Here is part of a paragraph from the flyer: "The TABD meeting will be co-chaired by the Chicago-based Boeing Corporation and the UK-based BAE systems, two of the biggest weapons manufacturers and profiteers of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the recent war in Afghanistan and the 11 year bombing of Iraq..." New Age had reared its head again. The only thing missing was Jews as capitalists, though I'm sure that will come soon. Several thoughts: First, if the over 1,200 riot-geared policemen, trained at the cost of over $2,000,000 (no authoritative information is available about numbers and costs) had been used in a Republican run city, we would have been hearing how Bush and the Republicans were out to destroy freedom. Because it came about in Democrat run Chicago, there was no real coverage. Democrats are supposed to be liberal and incapable of this kind of show of force, though anyone in Chicago knows that dissent from the party line is at one's own risk. Two, I hope the police and government do not develop a taste for this kind of dissent control. Use of this kind of power can become addictive. I hope all of the money invested in training, equipment, etc. goes to waste as seeing this kind of "presence" in an American city is frightening. Third, the protesters are very foolish idealists. Nothing they are doing will affect the planned change of culture. Their kind of protest activity, however, breaks down old forms of governing, allowing new forms of government to surface and become standard operating procedure, perhaps a form of "friendly" fascism that will be even worse than what they see now. Fourth, I also question why, if the government and the watchdog groups have such a handle on subversive groups, they didn't know in advance that the hard-core activity was probably in Italy this week and nothing was really planned for Chicago. That piece doesn't fit in the puzzle at all, unless this was simply an opportunity for the new level of governmental force to surface. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- November 7, 2002 Coming from a Chicago Democrat family, I knew nothing about government and politics until later on in life. In Chicago for many many years, one voted Democrat and that was the beginning and end of all political knowledge. Before my first vote, I remember being shown how to operate a voting machine by the local alderman who was proud to show me how it was done. You pulled the Democratic lever and that was that. I put him into shock by asking how to vote for a Republican. So it is no surprise that it was later in my life that I first came across the name David Rockefeller. It was when Carter was running against Reagan. I looked up both in Who's Who in Politics and some other Who's Who books. I think both had three lines each, being governor and maybe something else. I looked up David Rockefeller because I was just learning about the Trilateral Commission, to which Carter belonged. There had to be a seven inch, small print column of memberships, honors, credits, accomplishments under his name. Over the years I noticed that the Rockefeller name was always coming up in articles, etc., and when I noticed how often the name appeared in the politics and funding of the New Age movement, I became even more interested. When I learned David Rockefeller was to be at International House on the University of Chicago campus, only sixty-one blocks away from the big protest march, promoting his book, Memoirs, and that it was open to the public and free of charge, I knew I had to go. The University of Chicago is known as a Rockefeller school. With his decades long, globalist business agenda, how could protesters ignore this grandson of John D. Rockefeller? (Adding a little complexity is that the protesters promote the social New Age agenda as much as the Rockefellers do.) At International House there was no protest outside. As I walked in, I wondered: What they would choose as a setting fit for such a very rich and powerful man? The presentation was held in a small auditorium. The stage was set with two pink upholstered arm chairs, two small end tables, and two floor lamps. In the audience there were about 250 people: business school students, middle-aged men and women, suitably dressed, and a few Hyde Park people who attend lectures around the campus. Overall, it was a dignified, intelligent audience. No photos or taping was allowed. The chosen format was a conversation between Don Michael Randel, the President of the University of Chicago, and David Rockefeller. They came on stage. Mr. Rockefeller is now 87 years old. He wore a deep gray suit with wide short, fat lapels. One foot must be shorter than the other, because one shoe had at least a one-inch platform. His tie was a subdued purplish red. The handkerchief showed out of the pocket in a single white pyramid. He spoke with Larchmont Lockjaw, the style of speaking where the lips barely move. The above is about as interesting as it got. The conversation was charming, subdued and but definitely not informative. We learned that his father founded five International Houses, that he liked living at International House in Chicago and came to the University of Chicago because he admired Professor Knight. We learned that he believes economics must not only be concerned with the profit motive but also with social issues. Humor, such as it was, was based on very exaggerated, polite comments, where one never criticizes or shows any sign of disapproval. When referring to David Rockefeller's interest and funding of things in New York City, the dialogue went something to the effect that we in the Midwest are very happy that New York is doing well and can only wish them well, but we do have to be concerned with another city here in the Midwest. The same sort of statements were made about Rockefeller's interest in Harvard. In the question and answer session, Rockefeller was asked how he deals with "scoundrels.” Again, there was no criticism but only the understanding that if things are to progress between countries, one must work with and understand who is running things whether one likes what the scoundrel is or is not doing. When asked how he felt when the World Trade Center towers, called Nelson and David for the Rockefeller involvement, came down, he said he was surprised that people could be so filled with hate that they would do such a thing. We heard much personal information about his mother and father, and what happened when there was tension between him and his children. We learned of the religious background of the Rockefellers and were told that the family has left participation in formal religion behind, but yet are now spiritual and moral. Best advice given to him: With opportunity goes responsibility. Best advice to MBA graduates: Get in and make changes. Most proud of: His children and his work in improving the internal relations in the bank. There was no sign of his power in his comments. He presented as a warm, mellow, grandfatherly North Shore type. Every bit of spontaneity was repressed. Every comment seemed calculated. We were given absolutely no reason or way to know who he really was. His presence was intangible as the smell of fresh apple pie and as hard to dislike. Then it was over. It was time for book signings and the reception buffet to which everyone was invited. A beautiful spread of cake, pie, chocolate covered strawberries, fresh fruit, breadsticks, crackers and cheeses, all very tastefully displayed. The beverages were sodas and bottled water. Everything was graciously served. I bought a book and awaited my turn to make personal contact. Even this was done courteously. Everyone who bought a book was given a number. Mine was 81. If you wanted the book signed, you only had to be in line when your number was close to coming up. My book was taken from me and put down in front of him, turned to the proper page for signing. The way he looked at me I laughingly knew then I would not make it into his electronic Rolodex of the 100,000 people he has met, an item he mentioned in his talk. He gently pushed my book past him on the table. On the spot I framed a question. I knew I had to to look at him and ask a question which would make human to human contact with the real David Rockefeller, the pragmatic, bottom-line business planning globalist, whose record said that there was nothing beyond money as the bottom line. "As a businessman, how much do you think this signed copy of your book would be worth on eBay?” With an absolutely straight face, he responded, "I wouldn't venture a guess.” Maybe there are things even a Rockefeller doesn't know. Impressions: When around the powerful, you can get invited to a great dessert buffet, but you have to repress appropriately to stay at the table. Those with money can delude themselves about the value of their social concerns as much as noisy protesters. The difference is that the former can implement their concerns, and that's more dangerous. The more powerful a group or individual is, the closer to the chest they hold any information, important or not. Some of us tell anyone who will listen about our concerns. The least powerful appear on Jerry Springer and tell all. There is a danger in that the more we try to absorb from the popular culture, the more foolish we can become because all of the stupid stuff is right out in the open and we have to search very hard for nuggets of knowledge. As opposed to the Rockefellers, the protesters have no sense of tradition. If they did, there would have been at least a couple of sign carriers in front of International House to pay their respects and tell the old guy that he was still a worthy opponent. The question remains….who is the name to replace David Rockefeller who, according to a search on the net is out selling his mellowed-out Memoirs. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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