‘Hokey Pokey’ new anthem for protesters?
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
March 9th, 2007 01:35 AM (PST)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/columnists/nose/story/6407097p-5712860c.html

      What do freak-dancing teens in Gig Harbor have in common with anti-war 
      activists who’ve been protesting this week outside the Port of Tacoma? 

      Both are suckers for the great American novelty song to help lighten the 
      mood at controversial events.

      That’d be “The Hokey Pokey.”

      The peacenik pack has gathered every night to face off against Tacoma cops 
      in riot gear and to hoot and holler at passing Army Stryker trucks, 
      loading on a ship headed to Iraq.

      On at least two nights, they did “The Hokey Pokey” under the direction of 
      a dove dude with a megaphone, gradually putting in more body parts as they 
      got more bold. Or more bored.

      We doubt you would’ve seen such behavior in Selma, Ala., 42 years ago this 
      week. But it does make some sense for the short-attention-span, 
      entertain-me generation.

      It’s not like you can do a proper conga line to “We Shall Overcome.”

      If only the war protesters knew the origins of “The Hokey Pokey,” they 
      might be less inclined to embrace it.

      The late Larry LaPrise and his buddies got the song and dance copyrighted 
      in 1950 after they popularized it among the aprés ski crowd in Sun Valley, 
      Idaho.

      Hardly the anthem of the proletariat.

      Tacoma police were not taking part in this week’s tomfoolery.
      They weren’t putting their nightsticks in. They weren’t putting their 
      pepper spray out.

      And if they were shaking anything about, it was probably that UPS 
      student’s video camera as they tried to make the baffling gadget quit 
      filming.

      Hope they’re at least trained to find the “off” button on their Tasers.

      
                        © Copyright 2007 Tacoma News, Inc. A subsidiary of The 
                        McClatchy Company