[Peace-discuss] Parade observations

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Ed Mandel, who works at WEFT and with our Saturday morning program
"News from Neptune," posted the following account of the July 4 parade
to a WEFT list. --CGE]


In past years, I was invariably on the WEFT float. This year I decided
to stand in a shady area near the large cemetery & watch the parade go
by. The experience was quite illuminating.

I am guessing most WEFTies look at our float as something that is thrown
together haphazardly in a week. From my perspective, the WEFT float was
a "WEFT Sessions on wheels". In other words, it was a very accurate
depiction of what WEFT is really all about.

The first third of the parade consisted of firetrucks blaring,
military men marching & Shriners driving tiny cars -- {Whenever I see
Shriners, I really see Laurel & Hardy in "Sons of the Desert"}.
There were a couple of gay rights floats for marriage equality & the
AWARE float addressing the cost of free enterprise. As far as the radio
station floats, it was no contest. With the exception of Gary O'Brien
marching behind the WDWS float, the other stations offered vans with
their station ID emblazoned on the side. WEFT offered something real &
it could easily be heard 2 city blocks away. The most amusing float
belonged to the Champaign library book mobile -- they had their librarian
marchers pushing book carts in formation, parodying the police officers
on their motorcycles.

This morning I wrote a letter to the editor of the News-Gazette about
their float. I don't know whether it will be printed so I will give a
synopsis here. The News-Gazette float consisted entirely of a truck
pulling a large float with the News-Gazette logo -- no human beings on
the float. In the letter, I interpreted the float as boldly addressing
the issue of declining newspaper subscribers. Every other large float in
the parade had human beings waving somewhere on their floats so
this omission by the News-Gazette must have been intentional...