Shouting Fire Documentary

 Of the four cases presented in the documentary, Shouting Fire, (Ward Churchill, Debbie Almontaser, Chase Harper, and protesters at the 2004 republican convention), the most important is the 2004 Republican national convention protest activity, which included marches, rallies, performances, demonstrations, exhibits, and acts of civil disobedience. The demonstrations occurred in New York City in an effort to protest the nomination of President George W. Bush for the 2004 U.S. presidential election. During this protest, over 1800 individuals were arrested. While 90% of these cases were eventually dropped, this protest speaks to the middle realm of legalism and profligacy in a democratic setting.

“A good index of health of any social institution is its allegiance to the strictures that define this middle realm,” (Kimball). In a democracy, protestors such as the Quran-burners in Florida, who fail to protest in a wise manner, drive us toward totalitarianism on one end of the legal spectrum and imprudent behavior on the other, with an ever-decreasing middle ground to exercise our rights. The Protests of 2004 fell victim to the inopportune moment and circumstance of limited freedom to secure the essential allegiance to the government necessary in a successful democratic setting. “Democracy destroys itself because it abuses its right to freedom and equality. Because it teaches its citizens to consider audacity as a right, lawlessness as a freedom, abrasive speech as equality, and anarchy as progress,” (Isocrates). The Protests of 2004 exemplify a demonstration that crossed the bounds of the middle realm by its taking advantage of the allowance of civil protest. While arrests were excessive, the disruption of the Republican Convention was grounds enough to curb the protest as legitimate State interests were at stake.