Protest

Right now, in Hong Kong, students and others are protesting the election process in China.  At the heart of the row is how Hong Kong elects its next leader. In August, Beijing imposed tight rules on nominations for candidates wanting to stand for election. The protesters say this move means that the polls will fall short of the free elections they are seeking (BBC).  Today, the protests took an ugly turn, and proposed meetings to discuss the situation have been canceled.  But do you think this crowd can be dispelled?

In this morning's paper, I read about student protests in Denver, Colorado.  Apparently, new standards for history classes have been proposed by the Board of Education, promoting "patriotism" and discouraging civil disobedience.  In my opinion, the students are right to argue this restrictive language.  And Thoreau is writhing in his grave at what freedom has come to.

I exercised my own right to protest today.  When Sam and I first arrived in San Francisco, we made our way to Clement Street to have lunch at Burma Superstar.  (The tea-leaf salad is to die for.)  We were thrilled to find a parking spot right in front of the restaurant, and we fed the meter using my credit card.  When we exited the restaurant, we were stunned to find a $66 parking ticket on the windshield!  We soon realized that we'd fed the WRONG meter!  We fed the one to the right of the car, whereas we should have fed the one on the left (which appeared further away from the car).

Today, I submitted my protest to the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority.  My letter (in Sam's name, as it was his car that was ticketed) was accompanied by photographs of our car in the middle of the two meters, our receipt from Burma Superstar, showing the time that we were there, a copy of the ticket, and a print-out of my credit card statement, showing that I'd, indeed, paid for an hour of parking.  Yes, yes, I know you are applauding my attention to detail and organization!  Thank you!

Time will tell if the SFMTA accepts my sob story and retracts the ticket.  But whatever happens, I love the fact that I had an opportunity to protest, to tell my side of the story.

Because isn't that what freedom is all about?