DNC

There are several observations that I have found, while not earth shattering, of interest during the first three days of the Democratic National Convention being in Denver. The most pleasant is the sight of all the police. On one hand, it is rather off-putting to see clusters of eight or more cops on every street corner, holding three foot long clubs. It should inspire a feeling of safety, but it has more of an effect of heightening the sensation that the world is about to explode. The part that has been enjoyable is seeing the truth in the cliché of the hot cop. Granted, the ratio is not as great as the stereotype would have us believe, but with such high numbers police presence, I can attest that the taskforce does indeed have a wide selection of officers who live up to every handcuffing and billy-club fantasy. It is also true that if you put an average Joe who would never draw too much attention on his own in police garb, his hotness level elevates a minimum of ten points.
The thing I have found most humors is how the city has responded to having the convention in town. Every surface was scrubbed clean, even the alleys. Fountains that I have never noticed before and ones that I thought were just statues are now spewing water. Buildings have a fresh coat of paint. Christmas lights (white ones) are covering every tree on the 16 Street Mall. The homeless have been either shipped off, sent the zoo or the movies (I’m not making this up), and/or given brand new clothes, a hair cut, and a bath. I never realized before how much I use a person’s appearance to asses their status in life. I didn’t even realize that I asses other people’s status. However, more than once, I have been befuddled by a well dressed and pleasingly groomed man or woman digging through the trash, begging on a street corner, or seemingly peeing in one of the suddenly repaired fountains. It always take me a second after wondering why they are engaging in such behaviors before I remember that the homeless have undergone a makeover in the attempt of making them more acceptable. While I love all these changes, its wonderful to have your city looking good, flowers overflowing everywhere, the sounds of water splashing everywhere you turn, I find it the height of hypocrisy. Aren’t the republicans the ones who are supposed to be heartless about the homeless, about wasting water, and needing everything to be high class? Yet here we are trying to make the homeless less homeless simply by dressing them and cleaning them and doing our best to make them invisible, blend in, or disappear all together. Here we are, in a drought, with water overflowing from all our fountains. All to ‘deceive’ the democratic elite.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never loved being downtown more than right now. I wish the DNC was here every week. I’m just sayin’. . .