Occupy Wall Street

I was a tea partier BEFORE the Becks took over and I dropped out. I was proud of the fact at the time it was bi-partisan and welcomed many. I was forewarned here that it was a far right ploy, but my experience at the time proved to me otherwise. Then I saw it flipping through channels while laying in a hospital bed, alive because of Obama care, Pat Robertson praising the Tea Party. Then I heard Beck talking about how, the Tea Party were patriots and going to take back the country from the low life Gahd-less liberals. There'd be no abortions, there'd be no Obama care, there'd be no......

It was when I heard Beck's hatred and Pat Robertson's praise that I knew the Tea Party had truly lost and sold out. That the Right saw it as weak and took over for their own agendas. It was not the Tea Party I defended and stood up for, it had been bastardized into a hateful partisan divisive mouthpiece for the far right to reign in people they were losing fast.

Now, something glorious has happened, thousands of people who speak in ways politically that I think are rising up and not selling out their principles and ideals. Not to Micheal Moore, not to the Right or the left but many are fighting for social justice and fiscal responsibility in government and business. I have been consistent (for the most part, minus my health during that mental breakdown of a marriage) in my views, since joining here back in '04. I am neither far left nor am I far right I am in fact a socially liberal fiscal conservative Independent. I do not vote for a party, I vote for the man best representing my ideals, principles and whom I believe will be the better leader.

I know this may not make sense to many but, I had to give my testimonial as someone who was once a Tea Partier and why I left that movement and joined the Occupy movement. I have a feeling there are many more with similar stories. I know of a few.

And on PATRIOTISM, it's funny that someone on the Right would talk about what "patriots are or are not allowed to talk about". For not that many years ago,if you were of a certain party and spoke out against a certain other party's president... then you were labeled, "unpatriotic and unAmerican", which was another reason I was a Tea Partier, at the meetings I went to people were able to say and talk about whatever they wanted and felt about politics, there was no party line to tow, no one booed out for their views, no one called names because they had different views. That isn't true in the Tea Party now. Now it has become what people said it was a racist backwater far right almost KKK loving, super prejudiced arm of the far right. I'm sure Beck's brainwashing took time and serious effort. I know from the period I stopped listening to him to when he started his whole mental breakdown and became spokesperson for the Tea Party, that he went from Friday calling MNF team city convenience stores to ask questions and thus predict who would win and some truly funny material to being some crazed conspiracy Alex Jones wannabe. It didn't take long for him to find his commercial niche and not be a Limbaugh/Hannity clone. But long enough to convince the right winged people in the Tea Party that he spoke for them. The rest left and have sadly either given up or are now in the Occupy Movement.

 

"It wasn't just another stupid group of Republicans parroting crap they hear on conservative talk radio, it was people of principle speaking out against what they saw was an injustice."

pan6467, one of my worries about the Occupy Wall Street Movement....the left has its share of "beyond the realm" types.

 

but there's no far reaching, far-left political machine to take over

 

Cops shut down the occupy oakland today. 150 people cleared out. bubye.

 

I'm sure the world is waiting with baited breath.

 

Why not?
--- merged: Oct 25, 2011 3:52 PM ---
I think the longer that ows realizes that they're not accomplishing anything, the angrier they get. Pretty soon they're gonna start throwing bottles at the police like they did in Oakland and that will be the end of it.

 

Oakland - 10/25/2011 - protesters were tear-gassed and disbanded with some arrests made. Tents were torn down.
Police claimed that the protesters were in violation of the law.
The protest area is now designated as a crime scene, to keep them from starting up again, I suppose.
Can anyone come up with the law they were in violation of- after 2 weeks of occupying the area?

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_19188125?source=most_viewed&fb_ref=fbrecbox

 

They were blocking the entrance to a public building. That's not legal. They got violent too.
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"One of those arrested, Aiyahnna Johnson, 30, of Oakland, had been living at the camp with her 2-year-old daughter. "We want the best for you guys, that's all," she was quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle telling two officers who were leading her away."

Great, thanks for looking out for us Aiyahnna. Maybe you'd do better to look out for your daughter instead. These people are ridiculous.

 

No, you're wrong again Eddie. That was not the violation.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_19188125?source=most_viewed&fb_ref=fbrecbox

A few bottles were thrown and some trash containers knocked over. The eviction was otherwise peaceful on the part of the protesters. Please stop making shit up, ok Eddie?

 

What did I make up? I said the protesters got violent. I consider throwing bottles at the police to be violent.

 

Made up by Eddie
1) The protesters were in violation of law against blocking the entrance to a public building.
2) The protesters were evicted for violence against the police (who surrounded them at 5 am while most were asleep in their tents.)

Every once in while, it's helpful to actually know WTF you're talking about.

 

The protesters were warned beforehand by police that they were illegally blocking the plaza. And I never said they got evicted for violence. I said they got violent.

 

So which is it? Illegally blocking the entrance to a public building or a plaza?

Did you read the article or watch any of the videos? I did and found neither of these given as a reason for the raid. I did hear something about illegal assembly after a certain time at night. My question - why did the city wait 2 weeks to enforce it?

Sorry but's that's the way I read this:

Doesn't matter, really. I don't believe the take down in Oakland is indicative of anything greater.

 

Here ya go:
http://news.yahoo.com/police-clear-protesters-near-oaklands-city-hall-123610739.html

 

I've come to the conclusion then that the city of Oakland has conjured up several reasons for the raid.

Illegal assembly
Illegal lodging
Unsafe/unsanitary conditions
Illegally blocking a plaza

Or it all depends on which media outlet is reporting the event. I await the official citation.

A suppose a court would need to decide if the enforcement of an Oakland city ordinance violates the 1st amendment right to peaceably assemble in this case. I would hope that something as flimsy as "illegally blocking a plaza" would not trump 1st amendment rights.

I hope Owens is right.

 

My understanding is that the local police say the they have the right to protest during the day (but not to camp out overnight). Let's see how it develops.

 

Don't feed the trolls, folks.