G20: What's it good for? Absolutely nothing.

A summit that should last a week, lasted less than 48 hours. Somehow, this seems wrong. A global economic summit with 20 of the world's leaders and the one big piece of news is Iran has a weapons-grade nuclear production facility? Again, this seems wrong. I missed the fireworks except as a voyeuristic witness from a distance. Twitter, the texts from friends, the news - these were my windows to events that are at such a remove from my life as to be ludicrous. 

 Anarchists are idiots. No, really. Destroying property and frightening people just leaves a bad taste in the mouth of most of us. We don't want anarchy. We want a better life, a better country, a better world. Anarchy offers us nothing. Is anarchy going to fix a broken health care system or put food on the table? No. Most of us simply want to be heard by those who decide the fate of nations. 

 Many of the protesters were peaceful, law-abiding. Exercising their right to free assembly and speech. (How free that assembly and speech is when it's confined to a free speech zone, that's up for debate.) Nonetheless, we had cops outnumbering protesters 3 to 1, and still we end up with businesses smashed up, people terrified, and an atmosphere of mayhem. 

Grow up. If you bring a gun to a protest, you don't want to be heard. What you want may be anything from suicide by cop to hurting other people, but you don't really want to be heard. If you bring a gun to a protest, you're saying, "FUCK YOU." 

I suspect that much of the damage done last night was exacerbated by students at the University of Pittsburgh. Bored jocks and frat-boys who took an opportunity to act up. Way to go, people. You hurt businesses where you live or go to school. Good job!

Ultimately, the one useful piece of information I was able to pick up, is one you won't hear too much about. The G20 is essentially replacing, in phases, the G8. These are the people who decide foreign aid, trade rules and climate standards. 

We need to be heard, before it's too late. 

We can't be heard over the noise the anarchists generate. 

The G20: What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Say it again.