Protests low-key at Obama's vacation spot

• Tweet

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, Mass., Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Protesting presidential policy at Martha's Vineyard, Mass., is a lot different than protesting at Crawford, Texas, demonstrators say.

When President George W. Bush traveled to his ranch in Crawford, protesters greeted him in barren territory, carrying their signs in 100-degree weather. At Martha's Vineyard, vacation spot for President Barack Obama, protest actions and temps were dialed down a bit, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

Cindy Sheehan, a frequent, high-profile anti-Iraq war protester at Crawford, arrived in Martha's Vineyard Tuesday to kick off a four-day visit that includes a number of peace activities. She's staying at the home of supporters.

"The digs are a bit better" than in Crawford, Sheehan spokeswoman Laurie Dobson said. "We're having a hard time finding things as unaccommodating as Crawford. Where do you find a ditch?"

"There's nothing in Crawford," Sheehan told the Globe. "There's a little gas station with a mini-mart; that's it."

The focal point for Sheehan's activities at Martha's Vineyard will be a custom-built racing sloop, labeled temporarily the S.S. Camp Casey, after her son who died in Iraq.

Meanwhile, a group of commercial fisherman guided their boats into Vineyard Haven harbor to draw attention to stricter federal fishing rules scheduled to take effect in coming months. Never leaving their boats, the water-borne protest gave a few loud whistle toots then left.

Obama "is 25 miles from the largest port in the nation, dollar-wise," said Richard Canastra, president of Whaling city Seafood display Auction in New Bedford, Mass. "The message we're sending through this is: If they're not going to give us fish to catch, the whole system will fail."