July 4 West Peoria parade: theater to move public opinion

PEORIA -- In the never ending, furious scrum to move public opinion, the traditional parade, especially the July 4 parade, serves an amusing role.

Who can resist a free spectacle? Not the thousands that lined the lovely, leafy streets of West Peoria on this July 4 to take in the annual parade.

I marched today, holding a League of Women Voters banner in front of a spiffy white convertible owned by a League member.  Not much spectacle in that.  Next year we will make a few signs, including one that says the League still supports single payer health care.

"We're the voice of reason," I told a few spectators, because we were sandwiched between the irrationals.

Before us were the right-to-lifers, who apparently have no care about the world's groaning over population or about making women bear unwanted children under force of law -- "vote pro-life" one of their signs said.

Behind us were the teapartiers or 9/12 movement,  who are just plain irrational (or racists) in their mixed up ideology. (No taxes, except for war, global warming is a fascist myth.)

Also in the parade, political candidates, belly dancers in skimpy costumes, regardless of their figures (!). Even a sci-fi float with treckies -- yes, they're still out there, with costumes from Star Trek. Or maybe it was Darth Vader. Either way they were really hot (as in weather hot) in those black outfits.

All were competing for public attention using costumes, signs, goodies given away to the spectators.

Will all the people whose kids carried home an Aaron Schock yellow balloon really vote for him, despite his anti-family votes in Congress against health care, unemployment benefits extension and other measures that hurt ordinary people?

Schock does get the award for most creative way to get attention -- every kid carrying a balloon is also carrying a sign with his name on it.

Still -- some might become aware that these balloons are considered a menace to wildlife, which might die from ingesting a spent balloon thinking it can be eaten.  Thanks, Aaron for killing the waterfowl.  Those nasty Canada geese deserve to die for the messes they make, right?

The Peoria peace movement was in the parade, a small, quiet counter to the overwhelming militarism always on display at events like this, to appease those who confuse patriotism with militarism.

There were more than 80 entries, with the horses of the volunteer sheriff's posse bringing up the rear.  Gorgeous, expensive equines. Now that's real beauty, with no political agenda. Worth waiting for.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Comments

[Christopher Carrico]

I'm sorry I missed the Trekkies. They tend to be good groups of folks.

Chris Carrico
Metamora

[Mahkno]

They were Star Wars fans. 501st Legionaries. Not trekkies. Jeesh... lol.

We received some of those Schock balloons. They were defective. We tried to tie them to the wagon but they wouldn't stay. The kids didn't miss them. All a bunch of hot air anyways.