254.3 - Protesters plan "Fart-In" during Democratic convention

Protesters plan "Fart-In" during Democratic convention

Oh now here's something that sounds like it could be a put-on or a prank but I have to say I hope it's true. It's just too cool, too clever, to be a fake.

On July 28 at the Democratic National Convention, protesters outside the building - along with some Bernie Sanders delegates inside - intend to hold what they are calling a "Fart-In." The plan is for people to eat a bunch of beans and generate the expected results a few hours later.

Obviously people can't time their toots but the hope is to generate a certain let's call it atmosphere at about the time Hillary Clinton will be accepting the nomination. The idea, as described by former Philadelphia health commissioner Dr. Walter Tsou, who plans to take part, is to have "a whimsical way" of saying "There's a lot of things that stink about the whole Democratic primary process."

Sheri Honkala

That charge was given much-added weight by the resignation of Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in the wake of WikiLeaks having released thousands of DNC emails containing proof that the self-proclaimed "neutral," "impartial" organization had actually been actively supporting Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders, just as Sanders' supporters had long suspected.

The phew-test is being organized by Cheri Honkala of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign from an idea apparently first suggested by Saul Alinsky.

It's unknown how many people inside the hall will take part and those that will are keeping quiet about it. And for those who would dismiss the Fart-In as juvenile or pointless, I'll note that it's the very oddness of the plan that has gotten it - and the concerns that are driving it - attention from the media, including such as US News + World Report, Fox, NBC, the NY Post, the Philadelphia Daily News, Time, and more. And getting attention for the concerns involved is what any protest is about. Which means this one is already a success.

Kudos to Cheri Honkala for putting together a protest truly worth a hill of beans.

Sources cited in links:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/sanders-fans-plan-dnc-fart-protest-clinton-nomination-n611596
http://www.aol.com/article/2016/07/24/democratic-party-head-resigns-amid-email-furor-on-eve-of-convent/21438028/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/wikileaks-dnc-bernie-sanders_us_579381fbe4b02d5d5ed1d157
http://economichumanrights.org/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/13/766336/-