Lunatic fringe, I know you're out there.

Ahhh, there's nothing like a little NATO summit to stir up the wackos. In case you have been in a coma for the last few months, yes Chicago is hosting the NATO summit this weekend. And lest you think the GM is going to get all political on you, think again. I couldn't even tell you what the World Leaders will be talking about. The local press is all agog over the influx of protesters, occupiers, anarchists, activists, Black Bloc-ers, and every other nutjob out there, who's sole intent is to disrupt the lives of everyone in their path. We even have the NATO 3, sure to go down in infamy with the likes of the Black Panthers and the Weather Underground. What binds all of these people together? Love of their country? Hatred for the government? Probably a little of both. But the one underlying factor? To quote another famous movie line, well to me anyway, "...he's out of his gourd."

They come from every corner of the country, with one goal in mind. Anarchy. Disruption. Well that's two. But in reality, what happened along the way? How did their warped minds decide one day that they would forgo a sane line of work, such as being a CPA or a bus driver, and instead become leaders of the revolution? It still

makes me laugh when I read about someone like Kathy Kelly. She has done it all. She was on the "Audacity to Hope", part of the flotilla of activists raging lunatics trying to get through the Israeli blockade. She defied U.S. sanctions to sneak into Iraq, surviving the Baghdad bombings. She was arrested for trespassing on a military training base, and again for planting corn on the site of a nuclear missile solo. Mmmm, give me some of that for dinner. ("Daddy, why is the corn glowing?") And lately, she walked from Madison to Chicago, to build support to stop the war in Afghanistan. I seriously doubt the President of Pakistan is saying right now, "Gentlemen. We cannot continue this path of destruction in Afghanistan. We must listen to Kathy Kelly and replace ours guns with bouquets of flowers. Or poppies." More likely he is saying, "Pass the hummus please."

And it's worse when people like Kathy are championed by the likes of columnist Mark Brown, who applauds her courage. Clap all you want Mark, but to me she is nothing but the lunatic fringe. A life wasted in pursuit of windmills and activism. Like the loonies just arrested in Chicago now called the NATO 3, she should be put in a padded cell and given milk toast. You are not in my mind contributing to society. On the contrary, you are draining from it. Every time some protester is arrested here, police have to waste their time hauling his ass to jail, a judge has to pass a meaningless sentence, and so on. Every time an American is arrested abroad somewhere, the government has to get involved in trying to secure their freedom before some Sadaam-like despot cuts their head off. Every time we host world leaders to actually sit down and try and get something accomplished, money and resources are wasted to keep the bomb-throwers at bay. And where does it get them?

Was Kathy Kelly instrumental in freeing Iraq from a crazed egomaniac? No. Are the Palestinians any better off from the actions of the peace flotilla? My bet is they don't even know of it's existence. Are the world leaders here for the NATO summit taking into consideration the demands of the protesters? Doubt it. Did the NATO 3 really think a few Molotov cocktails were going to shut the city down? You bet. And there-in lies the rub. These people actually think they are doing some good. But the reality is that they are wasting their time, and their life. So go ahead and hike into Iran and see where it gets you. Extend your middle finger to a bunch of cops in Chicago. Does that make you feel better? Hitch your star to the plight of a bunch of oppressed foreigners half a world away, who don't even like you or what you stand for. If it makes you breathe easier at the end of the day, do it. But to me, you are just a wacko with no job.