I avoided being carted off to Guantanamo this afternoon. What were the odds of that happening, you might ask? Well, I figure the odds increase with proximity to POTUS. My place of work, Mesa Community College, was visited by President Bush today (with only about 24 hours notice to us faculty, thank you very much). When faced with road and parking lot restrictions, building closures, oodles of police and media types, and snipers on the tops of buildings, I asked myself, "Should I go home early and avoid all this mess or should I walk around campus carrying a 'Free Hubble, Support Science' sign?"

Properly equipped, I wandered campus with another sign-toting faculty member, chatting to students and a reporter or two. One of my prouder moments was encountering a former student (a staunch conservative) who was heckling the various protesters - he saw my sign, said "No more Hubble?", and screamed, "Free Hubble! Yeah!" Got one! Getting a chance to talk to some people about science policy was enjoyable and, I felt, part of my educational duties. I draw a fairly strict line between my personal views and what I choose to discuss with students, but this was something that I felt appropriate and necessary. And let's face facts, science policy tends not to be an issue that attracts prolonged media attention.

(Related link: Politics and Science in the Bush Administration - a site sponsored by the US House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform)

I distanced myself from the largest group of protesters because they were not campus-affiliated, they were rude and vulgar, and they were not completely aligned with my views on certain topics. I found a spot with a couple folks from my department and waited for the motorcade. I gotta say...it's one impressive event. First you notice the lack of noise - the major cross-streets and the freeway were closed off for his arrival and the airspace was empty (unusual because Sky Harbor is about 5 miles away and there is a Lifeflight landing pad at the hospital across the street). The two large tour buses full of the White House press corps arrived first. Several minutes later a helicopter started circling the campus. Then the sounds of sirens in the distance. I counted 36 motorcycle officers leading the two limosines. 36! All this for one man. Just astonishing.

Never saw the man himself. I was not one of the invitees to the talk - a speech about the important role of community colleges in job training. I meandered through the lingering crowd of a few hundred, watching, talking... I spent time helping a conservative shy young student hone his arguments by gently pointing out discrepencies and even getting him to back down on a point or two. Another point made! But when the protesters started to chant "shame on you" to the press and community leaders leaving the talk, I figured it was time to head back to my office.

The sight that lingers with me is that of one young female protester off by herself. She obviously was a student, with a very sad countenance, who at the last minute had ripped up one of her notebooks to make a small sign - "Support rights for my gay Mom" Good for her, I say. I'm with you.

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lunch - wonton soup, cookies, OJ