They're Kidding, Right??

Now, if this isn't just the most capitalist thing I've ever heard...

N.Y. Mayor to War Protesters: Shop Till You Drop, Too
NEW YORK, Aug. 17 --
Why worry about antiwar views, anarcho-syndicalist politics and "Dump Bush Now!" placards when something serious is at stake -- like money?
The billionaire media mogul who happens to be New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided that if antiwar protesters are to descend on his city by the hundreds of thousands for the Republican Convention, he may as well turn them into shoppers. So with just a hint of the sardonic, Hizzoner announced Tuesday a "Peaceful Political Activists" visitor program modeled after the one offered to Republican delegates.
Affix a "Peaceful Activist" button and a protester can claim a free glass of Montepulciano wine with dinner at La Prima Donna, rent a room at the boutique Dylan Hotel ($150 a night) and get dibs on discounted theater tickets.

It goes on, but I think you get the point. Methinks, apparently, Bloomberg does not.
Let's face it, most of the people who are planning to go to NY and protest the war, or anything else for that matter, are more likely to be crashing with a friend or living it up at the Motel 6 than sleeping in hotels costing $150 per night (and that's the discounted price!). If they could, they would probably be attending the convention, not protesting it!
Ugh... my head hurts.