Boston reacted in disbelief and anger at the proposed closing of major highways for the four-day Democratic National Convention in July, and some businesses now may furlough workers during the week and close down:

Boston business owners and area motorists reacted with disbelief and fury on Friday to plans to shut down major highways for security reasons during this summer's Democratic National Convention. ... Convention planners had already said one of Boston's two main train stations and some roads would close during the event. But on Thursday, officials unveiled a more draconian set of traffic restrictions involving several miles of highways.

At the same time, they launched a new public relations campaign entitled "Let's Work Around It" which urges residents to adjust travel plans and asks businesses to let employees work from home or take vacation.

In response, Boston's radio airwaves echoed with howls of protest from angry commuters, and some firms acknowledged they would have to shut down during the four-day event, force staff to take days off or stay open with skeleton crews.

I recall the experiences we had as Angelenos during the 1984 Summer Olympics. People expressed tremendous concern about traffic, and businesses adjusted work shifts and schedules in order to keep the freeways moving. We all pulled together in small ways, and the games were tremendously successful. However, we worked towards a common goal for a positive result:

"We're road kill," lamented the Boston Herald on its front page as it described the "commuter nightmare" that awaits drivers from July 26-29, when Democrats are expected to nominate Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry as their presidential candidate [emph mine].

Unfortunately, Democrats are no longer expected to nominate Kerry in Boston, as the Kerry campaign has decided to play manipulative games with campaign-finance laws instead. How do you think Bostonians will feel about enduring all of this disruption and expense just to see their hometown candidate nuance his way out of town without the nomination?

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