Protest Day!

Some time in the afternoon today I started to hear loud booms and what sounded like explosions or gunfire. Then the helicopters started flying by. I honestly had no idea what the hell was going on, and as I had no reason to leave the house, I remained nude and listened with interest as I made spaghetti (a risky, but worthwhile endeavor). I figured it was just another "event" here in Brussels, of which there are many thrown sporadically through out any and every month. It could be a free concert, a Francophone day, a Flemand day, or "just another reason to take off work day".

As the booms started getting louder I started to think the Flemands had finally gotten angry enough to start some shit, so I started texting around and asking what was happening. Fireworks are usually a night time thing. For a second, I even wondered if there'd been another bank robbery down the road.

Nope, it was just approximately 100,000 people protesting the government slashing salaries, employment, and pensions/retirement. Politics over here can get hazy and confusing but essentially what the unions are saying is that the banks fucked up and the common man shouldn't have to pay for it. Hey, that's not so foreign after all! Sounds familiar. Except I don't remember anybody marching the streets of America these past few years. Unfortunately, our protest phallus is forever flaccid.

I was a little bitter when I found out this went on today and I didn't get to at least witness it, because this is the type of stuff I wish us Americans would do -- show up and be counted for when it comes to our government being lazy, inept, or corrupt. But all we can ever seem to do is put our hopes in a politician's hands and then quickly wash our own of the situation. He's successful, he got the American dream to work for him. Maybe he'll get it to work for us!

The classy European style of protest complete with Eyes Wide Shut orgy masks. After the march it's off to enjoy some beer, frites, and some other dude's wife!

I can't even find a real job over here, so I'm not sure I should have a say in anything protest-wise. I don't feel like it's my place to join in on things like that when I can barely understand the politics of Belgium itself, let alone the entire EU. Ideally, any time would be the right time to protest rich fuckers getting richer and the poor getting poorer, but I'm not really an idealist. I don't know what I am. Lately I've just been gassy.

I do know one thing: if there's any reason to head out and protest it's to piss of the Belgian police force. What a bunch of complete dickheads. I never seem to hear anything good about them -- ever. Whether it's the guy whose car was stolen at gunpoint and who was essentially told to "screw off", or the new classmate I have who traded one regular stalker for two police stalkers after she went to file a complaint (she still gets SMS's from those guys) none of the stories are good ones. I asked for directions once and had to give justification for where I wanted to go, but the icing on the cake was when I saw a cop literally get bribed in front of me after a drug transaction. What role models, these guys. They really have taken the whole "uniform = asshole" thing to a whole new level. Like they're playing catch up with the Americans or something.

At least the Brussels protest wasn't as bad as those in Spain (or as good, I'll let you be the judge of flaming police cars and flailing batons).

But I'll end this with a legitimate question. Do plainclothes police beat any harder than regular cops? I mean, your average pig has the uniform to help with the small man complex, but what about the guys pretending to be normal human beings?

Bonne Nuit

Seems to be a high or insane person walking around Porte De Namur tonight screaming random shit at the top of their lungs. Could be either/or , I don't know. Probably too much coke. I think they're shouting "Viens!" or "Come here!" The police won't come because they never do -- not that I'd bother calling them. They're useless, after all. Unless you need them at 5am on a Sunday yelling through their loudspeakers and sounding their sirens.

Sometimes I wonder about the homeless. You see some in the center, but not here. Actually, just one... there's a guy named Maurice that I've given beer or fries or money to on various occasions -- he sleeps in a small garage down the road. He's quiet so nobody bothers him. I saw him pissing in traffic at noon, once, but that isn't loud, so people don't care. He seems nice enough and I wonder what his story is and what he does when he hears animals screaming in the night. Does he pull his blanket up over his eyes and hope it all goes away or does his insanity just mix with theirs?

When I first got here and realized his situation, I'd offer him change or food. One day I even bothered to ask him his name. How naïve of me. After a while there isn't a point: He stays in the same place, nobody does anything, neither do you, neither does he. I've seen others give him food or whatever, but the last time I can remember the public interacting with him was through me. I entered his "cave" to offer him the extra food I got at a kebab shop and on my way out some dudes insinuated I was in there getting a blow job. Normally I'd shrug off shitty humor like that but I didn't let it go because I couldn't understand why a person would be so callous. I stupidly tried to instigate something but my horrible French just confused them and they walked off. For the best.

Viens! VIENS!

I guess it's a good night to wander and scream if that's your thing. The streets are empty. Today was some sort of Francophonian holiday, so I didn't have to go to school. I don't think anyone did. I'm sure somewhere there are Flemands cursing in dutch about how lazy they all are. Or is it we... am I one of them now? I guess so.

Speaking of the neighborhood, we've got a pretty nice church just around the corner called St. Boniface. Since I've lived here the damn thing has been under repair or cleaning non stop. Only just this week have they taken off the fencing and construction facade covering it all up. I may not appreciate religion but I can appreciate art and I'm kinda proud to live here. Even with weirdos like me and Maurice hanging around.

Viens!