Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Witnessing History

Even though elections for the Pennsylvania primary are just around the corner, that isn't what I'm referring to. We all know how that's going to end anyway; Obama will lose anywhere from 7-10 points, Clinton will stubbornly cling to the hope that she can pick up the nomination and further hinder the possibility of the one decent candidate getting into the white house. All we're witnessing here is the media in a self-gratifying suckfest, making a huge spectacle out of absolutely nothing to simply pump up ratings.


It hasn't even happened yet, but it's old news.


No, I'm talking about in the most literal sense of witnessing something historical. This weekend the Olympic torch will be coming through my city, and it sure as hell isn't going to be peaceful. Japan has allowed its citizens to participate in protests, as long as they don't turn violent. Originally the torch was supposed to start at Zenkoji Temple, located about 25 minutes by foot from my house, but the folks running that joint pulled due to everything going on in Tibet. So rather than the torch start off somewhere sacred and holy, it is now starting its arduous journey in a parking lot.


So I'll be there with my trusty Nikon D40 snapping away. And if things get too out of hand, my D40 does have some heft to it; a quick thunk to the head to an out-of-hand protester should subdue him for at least a couple minutes.

I'll just make sure to remove my memory card beforehand so my snaps don't get damaged.