First Day Demonstrations

So I'm at the media filing center in the blissful AC. I decided to cover Lifetime TV's everywomancounts event early this afternoon, more on that tomorrow for BlogHer, then head back to catch Laura Bush and Cindy McCain's speeches tonight. I tried to walk over but broke down and took a cab as I wasn't really sure I could get there from here. As I neared my destination by the Capitol, we passed a few demonstrators, I'd say about 30 wearing black masks. Then there was this bunch.They were wearing green, they could be anyone. The cross street had an Irish name but somehow I figured it wasn't that. So I got closer, took a pix and asked them who they were. They gave me some literature, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra. They came from NY on a veggie oil bus and made a stop in Chicago apparently, reliving '68. On the way back the bigger demonstration was just breaking up--the police were taking a break from the heat. I ran into patriotic counter-demonstrators coming back and they turned out to be local bloggers. So here's True North's report. I asked a policeman the crowd estimate and he said about 5,ooo. The Falun Gong unfurled their banner.
I saw some CNN-tagged media there. Took a right at Mickey's Diner where people were fundraising for Disabled Veterans.
As I neared the convention center in the square some punk was bragging into a camera that the crowd was 10,000. An angry Obama supporter practically grabbed the mike away from a young dad being interviewed to shout her opinion. Then there was the guy with a blowhorn plastered with stickers, make out, not war.Quite the persuasive pitch. An earnest young Republican was engaging some demonstrators in discussion. Off to listen to Laura Bush and Cindy McCain make an appeal for Gustav.