ANOTHER REASON TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO:

11:00 PST — Waves of anti-war protesters made good on their promise to disrupt downtown San Francisco this morning, as they occupied intersections throughout the Financial District, South of Market and Civic Center, preventing buses and cars from navigating the streets.

Demonstrations began with sunrise and heated up rapidly after 7 a.m., as groups of protesters fanned out to locations they had selected over the previous several weeks.

By late morning, demonstrators were still moving from intersection to intersection, and large portions of Market Street, Van Ness Avenue and other thoroughfares were blocked off.

“We don’t want to alienate people. I hope people realize that political murder merits action that inconveniences them,” said Quinn Miller, 32, who took the day off from his job for a banking company and said he expected to be arrested for the first time in his life.

Of course, maybe these guys are more of Karl Rove’s agents provocateurs:

Outside the Transamerica Pyramid, more than 100 demonstrators shouted anti-war slogans, shutting down the intersection of Clay and Montgomery and angering motorists.

“You suck. Why don’t you all go to North Korea and do this,” yelled Larry Chu, who had driven into the city from San Rafael and had been stuck for several minutes in his car.

Go see Evan Coyne Maloney’s video and ask yourself: are these people for real? Or actors hired to discredit the opposition? And is it even possible to tell the difference, these days?

UPDATE: Ed Driscoll has more thoughts.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Christopher Baker emails from San Francisco:

I think your recent post overstates the protests.

I did have a few roblems getting to work today. A few people (not a lot) blocked some city streets to protest the war. Just a few minutes ago, the whole group of protesters (maybe one hundred and fifty) walked down the middle of Second Street trying to put up barricades by rolling garbage bins and dragging newspaper boxes into the street. They spilled a lot of “Bay Guardians” – a far left free daily — in the process. The police followed behind, cleaning up after them, but not really arresting anyone. Really, what would be the point?

I watched the proceedings from my office window with a co-worker. He’s a strong Democrat and he opposes the war. Looking down at the pathetic-looking group and their shenanigans, he shook his head and said “It makes me want to support Bush.”

Someone needs to tell the protesters that trying to shut down San Francisco, the city that loves France, is not going to have any effect on America’s foreign policy. All they’re doing is pissing off their choir.

More support for the Rove theory. Let’s call them “Karl Rove’s useful idiots!”

Then there’s this reaction: “Yawn.”