Protestations
The Stop the War Coalition organized protests for yesterday and today against Dick Cheney, who’s visiting Sydney, and, of course, the usual cast of characters were out to join the fun, including, among those arrested, a couple of transvestites (apparently – ahem – busted for mocking the cops.

There seem always to be some trouble-makers at these events, although with only a dozen arrests in total, yesterday and today, it seems any attempt by Cheney supporters to denigrate the protestors as “the usual rabble” is just the usual sour grapes-level nonsense we’ve been getting from the Bush crowd ever since that gang got into office.

What’s more troubling is the attempts to shut down the protests at the last minute. The police filed for an injunction (which appears to have failed) because, after the Queen Mary 2’s arrival generated tremendous traffic snarls due to thousands of gaping onlookers driving in from all over Sydney (what? it’s big, but, c’mon: it’s a boat, people), the State government was embarrassed. Not the city, mind you, where Clover Moore seems more than happy to have civil civic participation of all kinds (perhaps especially when it brings on blushes over on Macquarie Street), but never mind. So the cops can’t handle a march down George Street? Or a rally in front of a hotel? Or trannies shaking their groove thangs at them? Weak.