You don't think Michael Moore hasn't got a private email list that can reach across the globe? He didn't have to do this in public to get the word out, if that was his object. If his object was to provoke an assassination attempt, why would he telegraph it to the world?

He might be hoping for a couple of telegenic banners... but it seems more likely that he wanted to demonstrate that free speech and unscreened public attendance at public Presidential functions make this President and his supporters uneasy. To listen to the hue and cry here, he has apparently struck the nerve he was aiming at.

The man did this to needle people who have suggested that free speech and freedom of association are only OK if they're cleared by the authorities ahead of time.

And, btw, by pointing out the parade route, he has made it even more imperative for the Secret Service and the FBI to secure it. He has done the President a favor: he put more pressure on the Presidential minders.

He gave them a couple of weeks to work on it, too. Spur-of-the-moment wackos get spur-of-the-moment information.

You want the President to be safe from the dreaded People? Cancel the parade.