December 28, 2011

In Madison, Wisconsin, "the Occupy movement isn't resonating with people."

Todd Finkelmeyer observes ruefully, in Madison's pathetic newspaper, The Capital Times ("Your Progressive Voice"). He's found one UW student who is into the protest and who "has struggled to find fellow students willing to join him in making a visible and vocal protest on behalf of the youthful 99 percent."

By "the youthful 99 percent," I presume Finkelmeyer means the portion of the 99% that happens to be adult but not yet middle aged. I suppose, depending on how you define young, the percent might be something like 30%. But young people who find themselves at the lower end of the income scale have the least to gripe about. They're just starting out. The question is: Can they move up over the course of their careers? If they are students at a fine university, they ought to think they can or they're wasting their time. Whether making it in America today is easy or hard nowadays, these students are better off studying than protesting. I congratulate the students for their good sense in resisting the protest scene.

But Finkelmeyer chides them:
But in Madison, despite its reputation as a hotbed of student activism — notoriety that dates to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the city served as an epicenter for those protesting the Vietnam War — college students are slow to jump on the Occupy bandwagon.

"From the very beginning of Occupy Madison, from the very first general assembly at Reynolds Park and in the following weeks, there was a noticeable lack of students," says [that one UW student], who in late October helped organize two Occupy UW marches as a member of the Direct Action Committee of Occupy Madison. He had hoped those would turn into weekly on-campus protests, but only 15 people showed up for the second march and no more were held due to a lack of interest.

"I don't think the outreach we did was as good as it could have been, so it didn't grow and Occupy UW has sort of been put on the back burner," says Phillips.
Maybe people don't want to be organized — by others, that is. Maybe the UW students are organized within their own lives and are pursuing an education and aiming toward a career path. Back in the not-so-good good old days of Vietnam protesting, you couldn't just concentrate on getting started on the path to economic well-being. The military draft was staring you in the face.

And, by the way, Finkelmeyer, mixed metaphor alert: "hotbed... epicenter...  bandwagon."

The article goes on and on, with lots of quotes from professors and other politicos who wonder why the students are resisting the pull of protests. The delightfully named Elizabeth Wrigley-Field — "a New York native who is pursuing her Ph.D. in sociology from UW-Madison" — "cautions" us not to "over-generalize" and say that the students are apathetic.
"I think part of the strength of the Occupy movement in most areas is that it's a novelty of sorts... But we already had that here with the occupation of the Capitol (in February and March) and then we had Walkerville...."
So maybe they're not apathetic; they're sick of all the protesting. Or they're passionate about their own individual lives and they need to study to get to a solid place for themselves in this risky economy. That tent-city out on East Washington Avenue is — by contrast — a horrifying alternative. It's irrational to think that hanging around in a parking lot with a bunch of left-wingers hoping for a revolution is going to work out better for you than concentrating on your school work and your job search.

IN THE COMMENTS: sean said:
Somewhat akin to what Prof. Althouse said, my back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that there are about 12 million Americans of college age, of whom perhaps 400,000 go to colleges of the caliber of Wisconsin or better. (The majority, of course, don't go to college at all, at least not to four-year institutions.) So Wisconsin students are in the top 3% of their age group, if not the top 1%, and obviously they aren't disposed to protest on behalf of other people.
And Patrick said:
I had the good fortune of being in Madison on Christmas eve day. As we drove down E. Wash, past the Occupy parking lot, it looked barren, save for some tents. I'd assumed that if they were still "occupying," they'd be up at the Capitol. What sort of impact could they possibly imagine having from that parking lot? "Occupy Parking Lot" just loses whatever zing those clowns ever had. Total failure. They need to "move on."
I responded: "It's the parking lot of what used to be a Don Miller car dealership, so we always call it 'Occupy Don Miller.'"

179 comments:

MadisonMan said...

I was similarly rolling my eyes at that this morning as I read it.

What if they held a protest and nobody came?

MadisonMan said...

Of course, like nearly all Americans, I'm in the top 1%.

Those 99%ers just don't understand the global economy.

wv: worket

Sorun said...

That tent-city out on East Washington Avenue is...

...Loserville. That's why students don't participate. Even a dumbass sociology major knows enough to stay away from that.

TML said...

9 OWS-related deaths so far.

gerry said...

Heh.

Wait until the Rose Bowl Parade epic unfolds.

It's California. The "best" of OWS will be prominently, and perhaps tumescently, on display...

bagoh20 said...

Maybe being in the 99% is not their goal. I doubt that many future 2% are into this either.
~~~~~
Do you really want your metaphors all consistent? Do you want the writer to go on and on about his hot bed?

Known Unknown said...

Elizabeth Wrigley-Field?

Seriously?

madAsHell said...

Because Ketchup had such a compelling story!?!

Unknown said...

@EMD:
Elizabeth Wrigley-Field?

Seriously?


Why would she not pursue her degree at Northwestern, or at least UChicago?

wv: triercl

It would have been absolutely perfect if she had gone to New Trier HS (Yeah, I know, I know)

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...

Does the Wisconsin State Journal offer a home delivery plan that just skips every Wednesday edition? If so, where do I sign to switch. I have no birds, nor cages. I guess it is appropriate that the CT comes mid-week though, given what the poet said of Wednesday's Child.

R.L. Hunter said...

If there's a hotbed at the epicenter of the bandwagon, I'd be jumping off before it went up in smoke.

Christopher in MA said...

Elizabeth Wrigley-Field?

What's wrong - was Heywood Jablome unavailable for comment?

Chip S. said...

She needs a strategically placed tattoo that says "Welcome to the Friendly Confines."

Tim said...

"It's irrational to think that hanging around in a parking lot with a bunch of left-wingers hoping for a revolution is going to work out better for you than concentrating on your school work and your job search."

Indeed so, but people still irrationally do so, somehow expecting someone else to take care of them. Leftists couldn't exist without this human failure to grow up and take responsibility.

Scott M said...

Maybe people don't want to be organized — by others, that is. Maybe the UW students are organized within their own lives and are pursuing an education and aiming toward a career path.

What was the student presence like back in February?

I'm Full of Soup said...

The Occupy movement is in the toilet?

Robert said...

If the average student debt of about $25K that the author quotes is 'whopping', then aren't those who claim debt of $100K+ total dumbfucks for putting themselves in that position?

Do they deserve pity? Or does a $100K+ education debt incurred for a BS in European Cultural History seem so obviously stupid that those people shouldn't be pitied, but instead ostracized?

Stupidity SHOULD be painful, people.

TosaGuy said...

My impression of the article was that they interviewed folks who were protesters first and students about 47th.

If you are a serious student, chances are you aren't going to dedicate serious, if any, time to this. While not everyone's major was mentioned, none interviewed were from the hard sciences, engineers, etc.

If you are serious about putting yourself through school without getting crushed by loans, you are working when not studying.

Most of the UW Vietnam-era folks grew up, those that didn't are now fat, gray and tired and epitomize a life that few 20-somethings want to emulate.

And finally, your average person can only be pissed off for so long. Life is good, better to enjoy it than to be always pissed at the world.

Patrick said...

I had the good fortune of being in Madison on Christmas eve day. As we drove down E. Wash, past the Occupy parking lot, it looked barren, save for some tents. I'd assumed that if they were still "occupying," they'd be up at the Capitol. What sort of impact could they possibly imagine having from that parking lot? "Occupy Parking Lot" just loses whatever zing those clowns ever had. Total failure. They need to "move on."

Ann Althouse said...

"What was the student presence like back in February?"

There were a lot in the overnight crowd, some very earnest young people. I had some interesting conversations in which I would ask them why they were protesting for the interests of people who were economically better off than the majority of Wisconsin taxpayers. It was a tough question for them to recognize, let alone answer. But I'm here in Madison to ask the questions, in the classroom, on the blog, and around town.

Brian Brown said...


the Occupy movement isn't resonating with people here the same way it is in many other locations around the U.S


That's funny.

It isn't "resonating" anywhere except in these people's fevered minds.

Ann Althouse said...

""Occupy Parking Lot" just loses whatever zing those clowns ever had. Total failure. They need to "move on.""

It's the parking lot of what used to be a Don Miller car dealership, so we always call it "Occupy Don Miller."

gerry said...

"It's irrational to think that hanging around in a parking lot with a bunch of left-wingers hoping for a revolution is going to work out better for you than concentrating on your school work and your job search."

Contemporary liberal arts degrees involve hanging around in a classrooms with a bunch of left-wingers. Not too much different, and the result is pretty much worthless paper.

Gimme more of them womyns' studies!

Scott M said...

It was a tough question for them to recognize, let alone answer.

It's not tough to recognize, but it's hard to answer in a way that doesn't sound like "I'm just here trying to get laid".

DADvocate said...

I imagine a large portion of the student body envisions themselves becoming part of the 1%. Business majors, would be lawyers, doctors, Indian chiefs. For the most part, a few liberal arts students find Occupy Madison appealing.

During Vietnam, friends were dying on the battlefield for a seemingly pointless war. If you were male, you might be next. Protesting, per se, only appeals to a few. Others only do it when they feel it is absolutely necessary.

Almost everyone wants to be rich, or close to it. It makes no sense to hate what you desire to be.

Roger This said...

Jonathan Fenway-Park was unavailable for comment.

Patrick said...

"Occupy Don Miller" it is, then. Hilarious.

sean said...

Somewhat akin to what Prof. Althouse said, my back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that there are about 12 million Americans of college age, of whom perhaps 400,000 go to colleges of the caliber of Wisconsin or better. (The majority, of course, don't go to college at all, at least not to four-year institutions.) So Wisconsin students are in the top 3% of their age group, if not the top 1%, and obviously they aren't disposed to protest on behalf of other people.

Known Unknown said...

Did Titus ever Occupy Don Miller?

vet66 said...

Before I hire anybody I go for a walk with them and check out their vehicle of choice for whatever bumper stickers may be visible.

It has an effect on what their employment chances are.

cliff claven said...

i see restaurants continue to occupy locations where previous ones have failed. occupy is at a location of a failed enterprise. perfect!

Joe Schmoe said...

I don't think the outreach we did was as good as it could have been

Just a messaging glitch, uh? Poor Obama suffers from the same malady. Must be catchy.

Here's some insight: nobody's buying what passes for conventional progressive wisdom. The message is just the lipstick on the very unsightly, ungainly pig. You want more students to show up? Then lie. Offer free beer and pizza and watch the crowd roll in. Then the news cameras will roll in and voila, you'll get some pub before things turn ugly. (People will want their free beer & pizza, I reckon.)

edutcher said...

Given that the Occupation has announced that it's moving into asymmetrical warfare come Spring and that much of rural WI is probably well-armed (not counting all the people who stocked up after November '08), the math here is not to hard to do.

And there isn't much resonation in contracting scabies and other loathsome maladies, much less getting raped or killed.

AJ Lynch said...

The Occupy movement is in the toilet?

No, it is the toilet.

Joe Schmoe said...

Before I hire anybody I go for a walk with them and check out their vehicle of choice for whatever bumper stickers may be visible.

It has an effect on what their employment chances are.


Really, vet66? C'mon. You're better than that. Hiring based on political preferences is something progressives do, not conservatives and certainly not libertarians. We're smart enough to evaluate someone on all of their merits, not just political affiliation.

Look at it as a chance for you to show them the way.

purplepenquin said...

I can understand if someone doesn't agree with the occupy protests...some folks are very happy with their life right now; the concerns of the protesters simply don't relate to those who are living comfortably.


But it takes a special sort of sicko to spend day-after-day-after-day hating on others that are doing nothing more than peacefully expressing their viewpoint.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it's fair to say that Don Miller laid more of the foundations for Occupy Madison than Elizabeth Warren did.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Hiring based on political preferences is something progressives do, not conservatives and certainly not libertarians. We're smart enough to evaluate someone on all of their merits, not just political affiliation

Really, because if they have all sorts of Progressive cr@p on their car, my feeling is you’re going to get all sorts of Progressive cr@p at the office. Your merits, well if you indicate Healthcare is a Right, that you support the Living Wage, that you want to live simply so others might simply live…I’d suspect that as an employee you’d be a little sub-optimal, but hey that’s me…I mean I’d SURELY hire someone with bumper stickers warning us of Chemtrails or the ZOG, if they had a MBA from Wharton (NOT).

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
But it takes a special sort of sicko to spend day-after-day-after-day hating on others that are doing nothing more than peacefully expressing their viewpoint

By ILLEGALLY occupying either private or public property…say Penguin, when Operation Rescue occupies part of downtown Madison you gonna support them, too?

Joe said...

The generic nature of the Occupy movement allowed any supporter to attach just about any meaning to it. In the end, this made it just a bunch of people venting with little consensus or purpose, except an overwhelming sense of entitlement.

Joe Schmoe said...

Joe, the reality is that people are more complex and don't hew to idealogical extremes all of the time.

In the tech field there are tons of people with progressive political views, but they're not that deep or well-thought out. Their habits and experiences reveal a more traditional approach to work, especially when it comes to merit-based roles and compensation. There's a little bit of dissonance going on there, for sure. But I wouldn't rule out someone with good work credentials just because they had a COEXIST bumper sticker on their car.

Curious George said...

"Chip S. said...
She needs a strategically placed tattoo that says "Welcome to the Friendly Confines."

How do you get coffee out of a keyboard?

"purplepenquin said...
But it takes a special sort of sicko to spend day-after-day-after-day hating on others that are doing nothing more than peacefully expressing their viewpoint."

The fact that you don't even realize that this really applies to the protesters themselves speaks volumes.

Joe Schmoe said...

In my experience, the person with a profuse amount of liberal agitprop on their car doesn't have the education, experience, or technical competency to even bother applying for most high-tech jobs. Their habits, such as if they prefer hanging out in coffee shops discussing Marx and then wandering over to the protest-flavor-of-the-day, show through on their resume as a lack of skills and experience.

Patrick said...

Wow, I've got a comment in the updates, and I've got an Althouse tag. Makes me feel I've got to step up my comments! Cool.

TosaGuy said...

A bumper sticker or two...fine. Cover the back end of your car with a sticker for every cause of the day? Probably not a focused person who thinks out every issue and has the ability to show discretion.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
I wouldn't rule out someone with good work credentials just because they had a COEXIST bumper sticker on their car

How about a Storm Front Sticker? Or a Workers World Party or Working Family Party Sticker…

purplepenquin said...

By ILLEGALLY occupying either private or public property

Is that really your only concern? 'cause "illegal" isn't always wrong and/or terrible.


Operation Rescue occupies part of downtown Madison you gonna support them, too?

Not sure if they are part of that exact organization, but there are anti-abortion protesters in downtown Madison practically every day during the summer (they seem to not be around as much when it is cold). And yes, I support their right to do so just as much as I support other peoples' right to protests.

I'm not sure I understand your point...are you suggesting that people should be mocked/scorned for protesting anything-at-all? Please clarify...

Joe Schmoe said...

And Joe tUCJ, your example of your typical 'liberal' employee is a laughably simplistic straw man.

Hyperbole works good on blog comments, but not very well at the office. You've really got to pick and choose your spots.

SGT Ted said...

OWS advocates totalitarian Marxist ideas as their "solution" to economic problems caused by policies of socialist wealth redistribution exascerbated by progressive tax policy that views "the rich" as an endless pot of money to fund their failed ideas.

The OWS "viewpoint" is what is vile. What is also vile is that anyone still defends ideas that resulted in the deaths of millions of their own citizens for opposing them.

garage mahal said...

By ILLEGALLY occupying either private or public property

Whatever Hosni Bloomberg sez is ILLEGAL, is!

DADvocate said...

But it takes a special sort of sicko to spend day-after-day-after-day hating on others that are doing nothing more than peacefully expressing their viewpoint.

Wow. That statement could easily be applied to a lot of liberal bloggers. Or, occupiers hating on the rich, who often arent't even expressing a view point. Or, feminists who hate men in general. Or, those who hate conservative Christians. Or,...

Joe Schmoe said...

"Chip S. said...
She needs a strategically placed tattoo that says "Welcome to the Friendly Confines."

How do you get coffee out of a keyboard?


Hah!

I wonder if she keeps the ivy trimmed, or just lets it go...

Unknown said...

College students that I know, friends of my kids and what not, are a fairly savvy but cynical bunch, and in an odd way, somewhat conservative.

Their folks are mostly boomers. These kids have seen the cheating, the addictions, the divorces, the ridiculous nostalgia for the 60s. And after all, the boomers ended up as capitalist climbers, not tree huggers.

These kids want the good life, and seem to know that pissing away days on end with smelly lefties will not help them get it.

Curious George said...

"purplepenquin said...
I can understand if someone doesn't agree with the occupy protests...some folks are very happy with their life right now; the concerns of the protesters simply don't relate to those who are living comfortably.


But it takes a special sort of sicko to spend day-after-day-after-day hating on others that are doing nothing more than peacefully expressing their viewpoint."

Cliff Notes: Protesting day after day and hating and disrupting others, occupying public and private places: Good

Criticizing above: Bad.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Whatever Hosni Bloomberg sez is ILLEGAL, is

So if you and I set up shop at Zuccotti Park we can just CAMP there, Garage? It’s NOT OUR PROPERTY…it’s called “trespass.”

Is that really your only concern? 'cause "illegal" isn't always wrong and/or terrible

So no problems with the Klan or American Nazi Party just setting up shop, indefinitely, on public or private land and squatting there…even if they have no permit, and are crowding your others out of the “Public Space?” It’s called Reasonable Time, Place and Manner Restrictions…it’s not First Come First Served or you have Chaos, not just Anarchy….

Just because you or I identify with the “cause” doesn’t mean it’s OK, Penguin…the Richmond TEA Party is suing Richmond for a refund of the nearly $9,000 in permit fees they paid for their rallies, because Occupy(Richmond) has paid NO fees, and gotten NO permits….meaning that the TEA Party operates under one law and Occupy(City) another…and that is intolerable, in the long-run. Either Occupy(Richmond) pays equivalent fees and permit fees-totally far more than $9,000 or the TEA Party ought to just occupy the town square whenever it feels like it and dare the police to arrest them…can’t have it both ways.

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...


But it takes a special sort of sicko to spend day-after-day-after-day hating on others that are doing nothing more than peacefully expressing their viewpoint.


Um, there have been 9 deaths at OWS protests.

If that is "peaceful" then words have no meaning.

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...
By ILLEGALLY occupying either private or public property

Not sure if they are part of that exact organization, but there are anti-abortion protesters in downtown Madison practically every day during the summer


And the number of parks or other places they camp in remains at zero.

I think you should try harder to draw bad analogies.

garage mahal said...

The Tea Party protested/levitated in thin air, they never actually touched any public or private ground!

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...
The Tea Party protested/levitated in thin air, they never actually touched on any public or private ground!


Um, the number of encampments at Tea Party rallies remains at zero.

The number of rapes, sexual assualts, and injuries to police at Tea Party rallies also remains at zero.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Joe tUCJ, your example of your typical 'liberal' employee is a laughably simplistic straw man.


We have a good friend who is a trial lawyer. One of his stock questions to prospective jurors is to ask what kind of bumper stickers they have on their car. The answer to that question can determine whether that juror is going to be acceptable or dismissed.

During a trial that we were involved in as plaintiffs, it was fascinating and more revealing than any other questions.

If I were hiring an employee, I would do the same thing.

purplepenquin said...

Does anyone have any actual examples of the Occupy:Madison group actually disrupting others, or is the poo-throwing monkey just making stuff up again?

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
The Tea Party protested/levitated in thin air, they never actually touched any public or private ground

Those on Private Property had the consent of the owner(s) on public property the proper permits…you want to make a point?

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Does anyone have any actual examples of the Occupy:Madison group actually disrupting others, or is the poo-throwing monkey just making stuff up again

Althouse video of the Occupy Goobers at the Farmer’s Market…Q.V. Also, IF that is a public space and I can’t use it for MY demonstration, because it’s being illegally occupied I’m losing the use of my public space…if it’s private property and they don’t have the approval of the owner they deprive the owner of the use of his/her land…even if in the last two cases, it’s only an Opportunity Cost…..

Christopher said...

"Whatever Hosni Bloomberg sez is ILLEGAL, is!"

Awwww isn't that cute, GM is comparing people to dictators for the massive crime of not kissing the asses of leftist protesters.

This must be a serious situation then because I know he only whips out such comparisons for important issues.

I mean the last time I saw him compare someone to Hosni Mubarak was when he accused Scott Walker of being a dictator because the protesters in the state capital lost their taxpayer funded wi-fi for 15 minutes.

Sorun said...

Purple Penguin: "But it takes a special sort of sicko to spend day-after-day-after-day hating on others."

Who are you to call other people "sicko?" What a hateful fuck you are, day-after-day.

garage mahal said...

Does anyone have any actual examples of the Occupy:Madison group actually disrupting others, or is the poo-throwing monkey just making stuff up again?

They're copy of the Constitution is a living breathing document, subject to change on the fly, depending on who is being afforded protection from the government. Can you name any conservatives who are also true civil libertarians? It's why they love tyrants like Bloomberg and Scott Walker.

David said...

This is so simple.

It's winter.

Plus Badger students have lots of other ways to get laid.

Joe Schmoe said...

During a trial that we were involved in as plaintiffs, it was fascinating and more revealing than any other questions.

If I were hiring an employee, I would do the same thing.


Oh boy. I don't even know where to start with this. So eliminating someone from a jury pool (where you have no idea how they would've performed) is equivalent to hiring someone with whom you will likely work closely with for hundreds or thousands of hours?

I just want someone who can get a job done and work well with others in the process. In my experience politics is largely benign in the workplace. Granted I haven't worked at places with union strongholds. But if I limited myself politically I'd have missed out on a lot of good workers.

Where do you draw the line then? What about their religion? What about what books they read?

purplepenquin said...

there have been 9 deaths at OWS protests. If that is "peaceful" then words have no meaning.

Based on that standard (someone died while an Occupy Protest was nearby) then I reckon there are very few...if any....peaceful places anywhere in America.

Looking back at American history, these have been some of the most peaceful large-scale/long-term protests that have occurred.

Hopefully that will continue...but given the way the rabble (on both sides) are being roused I'm afraid it is just a matter of time before things explode violently.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
It's why they love tyrants like Bloomberg and Scott Walker

*LMAO* And Garage wonders why no one takes him/her seriously…really dood that is some funny Sh!te, right there…you’re heading into “J” Land next you’ll be accusing us of being byro sock puppets and warning us of the dangers of Zionist Financier-Imperialists.

Tyrant, someone with whom Garage has a public policy dispute.

Christopher said...

"It's why they love tyrants like Bloomberg and Scott Walker."

Wow, there really are so few comments as perfectly timed as this one. I mean talk about illustrating my point.

But anyway, conservatives love Bloomberg?

That's news to me and pretty much every conservative out there.

Curious George said...

"purplepenquin said...
Does anyone have any actual examples of the Occupy:Madison group actually disrupting others, or is the poo-throwing monkey just making stuff up again?"

You mean other than masturbating and defecating in public?

"Occupy Madison has temporarily been denied an extension in their protesting permit because members of the movement violated “public health and safety conditions.” The group also did not properly fill out the form.

City officials cited several specific reasons for their decision. The most notable was repeated complains from a nearby hotel, which stated that protesters were “publicly masturbating” in full view of passersby.
The city also cited health violations because the group had “no restrooms,” implying that the protesters may have been defecating in public as well."

Nope.

SGT Ted said...

The headline could just as easy read:

"Madison citizens reject Marxist Ideology of OWS movement."

It would be accurate and provide more truth and insight than their stance of puzzlement over why ordinary citizens aren't buying into OWS call for totalitarian government theft and persecution of businessmen for daring to make money.

It's like having a story on why the Nazi rally hasn't garnering much support.

purplepenquin said...

Does anyone else see a link in CurioGeo's post? When I googled the words he quoted, all I got was blog posts that (like his) doesn't seem to include any sort of source.

DADvocate said...

(someone died while an Occupy Protest was nearby)

By "nearby," do you mean in the camp killed by another protester? Is everything you write a lie, or do you inadvertently make a true statement every once in a while?

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Based on that standard (someone died while an Occupy Protest was nearby) then I reckon there are very few...if any....peaceful places anywhere in America

No, they died IN the encampments, not near them….

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Does anyone else see a link in CurioGeo's post? When I googled the words he quoted, all I got was blog posts that (like his) doesn't seem to include any sort of source

I don’t know I read about it HERE, at Klanhouse Purple…with a link….

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

Based on that standard (someone died while an Occupy Protest was nearby) then I reckon there are very few...if any....peaceful places anywhere in America


Hysterical.

So now you're suggesting there were no deaths at the actual OWS encampments?

Really?

Your level of dishonesty is shameless.

PS, isn't it funny you can not find an example of anyone dying "nearby" a Tea Party rally?

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

Looking back at American history, these have been some of the most peaceful large-scale/long-term protests that have occurred.


Actually, they haven't.

See, there have been 9 deaths, multiple sexual assualts and rapes.


But you're pretending it all didn't happen anyway so you have that going for you.

purplepenquin said...

OWS call for totalitarian government theft and persecution of businessmen for daring to make money

The protesters I've talked with aren't calling for anything like that, rather they are against unchecked/unregulated Capitalism. They think we shouldn't have a Everyone for themselves, and winner takes all! type of society.

Then again, I reckon to some folks those two viewpoints are the same...

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

(someone died while an Occupy Protest was nearby)


Gee, I wonder why this message you support isn't picking up steam?

SGT Ted said...

All those college grads and students attending OWS and they couldn't even fill out a permit application correctly? Yet somehow they managed to properly fill out student loan applications for 4 plus years of pot smoking and Grievance Studies courses.

Colleges have really turned into a tax dollar student loan money scamming con haven't they?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I just want someone who can get a job done and work well with others in the process. In my experience politics is largely benign in the workplace

Well, there you have it. Your experience is different than mine.

Politics in the workplace, especially when you have diametrically opposed views creates animus and chaos in the workplace.

The Leftist Progressives are the worst. Not only can they not keep politics out of every living thing, they insist on trying to "convert" everyone. They are critical, whiny and perpetually offended. You don't seem to get that same attitude from the far right. However, if someone had their car plastered with right to life stickers.....I wouldn't hire them either.

See.....I'm into equal opportunity discrimination.

In my experience.

Where do you draw the line then? What about their religion? What about what books they read?

I draw the line at keeping your personal opinions, religion etc out of the workplace. Just shut the hell up and work.

When you have plastered your ideology all over your vehicle for the entire world to see, the likelihood of them shutting and keeping their opinions to themselves is pretty low.

Scott M said...

The protesters I've talked with aren't calling for anything like that, rather they are against unchecked/unregulated Capitalism. They think we shouldn't have a Everyone for themselves, and winner takes all! type of society.

That's funny, because the protestors I talked to wouldn't admit that private property should be allowed, indeed, they thought it was immoral (without being able to explain where that morality came from, I might add). That seems quite a distance from the protestors you talked to, PP.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
The protesters I've talked with aren't calling for anything like that, rather they are against unchecked/unregulated Capitalism. They think we shouldn't have a Everyone for themselves, and winner takes all! type of society.

Then again, I reckon to some folks those two viewpoints are the same


Well then they ought to go home then, AS WE DON’T HAVE THAT AT ALL. No Penguin they are only led by Marxists, calling for the R3volution, whoever could believe that the Occupy(City) folks are Leftists?

Curious George said...

"purplepenquin said...
Does anyone else see a link in CurioGeo's post? When I googled the words he quoted, all I got was blog posts that (like his) doesn't seem to include any sort of source."

seriously?

Here's a link:

http://host.madison.com/daily-cardinal/news/article_3ae02a56-042d-11e1-aafa-001cc4c03286.html

By the way, here is there idea of lawfulness, when told they needed a permit:

"DADvocate said...
Is everything you write a lie, or do you inadvertently make a true statement every once in a while?"

PP is a habitual liar. Last week it accused me of being a person arrested for hassling a recall poster. Previously of "stalking" it.

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

(someone died while an Occupy Protest was nearby)


Yawn.

The deaths come after a 53-year-old man was found dead inside a tent at the Occupy New Orleans encampment on Tuesday. The Times-Picayune newspaper reported that he appeared to have been dead for two days.

Some officials have responded with both pleas and orders for protesters to leave.

Citing a strain on crime-fighting resources, police asked Occupy Oakland protesters to leave their encampment at the City Hall plaza where the man was shot and killed late Thursday.


By the way, this silly "movement" you support is a drain on city resources leading to more crime.

But hey, you get to pretend it is all peaceful.

So that's nice.

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...
The protesters I've talked with aren't calling for anything like that, rather they are against unchecked/unregulated Capitalism. They think we shouldn't have a Everyone for themselves, and winner takes all! type of society


Except in America we don't have "unchecked capitalism" nor do we have a society where everyone is for themselves.

Gee, it is almost as if you're lying or something.

Known Unknown said...

against unchecked/unregulated Capitalism

Let me know when we have this, rather than the current state of crony Capitalism.

SGT Ted said...

Yes nothing says "peaceful" like mob rule, Marxism, calls for violent revolution and picking fights with the police.

Known Unknown said...

Penquin would do himself a service by attempting to operate a business, and see how unregulated our capitalism really is.

My firm cannot even fire completely incompetent people because of the potential legal ramifications.

Paco Wové said...

"But it takes a special sort of sicko to spend day-after-day-after-day hating on others that are doing nothing more than peacefully expressing their viewpoint."

"Jay Retread"
"Freder Frederson"
"Alpha Liberal"
"Shiloh"
"Vicki from Pasadena"
"Garage Mahal"
etc.

garage mahal said...

Hilarious updates to CG's link:

UPDATED Oct. 30: The headline of this article has been changed from "Occupy Madison loses permit" to "Occupy Madison permit not re-issued" for the sake of clarity.

UPDATED Nov. 1: An earlier update mis-attributed the allegations of public safety concerns from a city commission meeting to a Madison parks official. The allegation was, in fact, made by Mary Carbine at the meeting, who said community members had raised concerns about inappropriate behavior by individuals in and around the Occupy Madison protest, not necessarily by the protesters themselves.


So, in other words, a bunch of bullshit. Fits perfectly in with Gateway Pundit links. Question is, how low of an IQ must you have to take any Gateway Pundit post seriously? Sub 50?

Scott M said...

My firm cannot even fire completely incompetent people because of the potential legal ramifications.

My wife manages a call center. Call center denizens are among the lowest step on the corporate ladder. Thus, she gets the dregs of those that would seek full time employment. Granted, the mere fact that they seek full-time employment puts them head and shoulders above those more willing to sit on their asses and take perpetual "safety net" payments, but it still presents here with an entire host of HR problems on a weekly basis.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
My firm cannot even fire completely incompetent people because of the potential legal ramifications

Competence/Incompetence are merely Constructs of the Phalliocratic, White, Hetero-Normative, Mega-Technic, Monopoly Finance Capitalist System designed to Oppress the “Marginalized Other”, to include but not limited to, Blacks, People of Colour, Womyn, Gays, Lesbians, Bi-Sexuals, the Trans-Gendered, and the Poor. We must move past such out-dated constructs such as “competence” and advance the cause of Social and Economic Justice….I denounce you EMD as an ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
My wife manages a call center. Call center denizens are among the lowest step on the corporate ladder. Thus, she gets the dregs of those that would seek full time employment. Granted, the mere fact that they seek full-time employment puts them head and shoulders above those more willing to sit on their asses and take perpetual "safety net" payments, but it still presents here with an entire host of HR problems on a weekly basis

My Life Partner WORKS in one such place…I am amazed at the Partner’s stories about the Call Centre…and the turn-over in the Call Centre, in an economy with 8-9% unemployment….You’d think more people would try to keep their jobs…but I amazed at the Sh!te the Partner has to put up with as well, from the Irate Customers.

Pragmatist said...

Lets see: most of the Tea Party is made up of unemployable, HS dropouts who listen to talk radio and live in thier moms basement and hired goons from the Karl Rove academy of "grass roots" activists. And the Occupy "movement" is made up of unemployable college dropouts who smoke weed and live in their moms basement, self proclaimed "anarchists" who want us all to ride bikes and the flotsum and jetsum of "street people" who are hoping for a free cigarette. And now nobody cares anymore. Boo hoo. Maybe both sides should shut up and get a life.

Mary Beth said...

"A lot of people don't like bumper stickers. I don't mind bumper stickers. To me a bumper sticker is a shortcut. It's like a little sign that says 'Hey, let's never hang out.'" - Demetri Martin

There's truth in comedy.

I'm curious if anyone here has bumper stickers and, if so, what they say. Care to share?

Scott M said...

I'm curious if anyone here has bumper stickers and, if so, what they say. Care to share?

The only one I have is the one the state trooper boosters sent me which is supposed to show support, but also (wink, wink) supposed to show a trooper that pulls you over that you gave. I don't know if it works as I've not been pulled over since I put it on.

I want my boosting back.

purplepenquin said...

See, there have been 9 deaths, multiple sexual assualts and rapes.

But you're pretending it all didn't happen anyway so you have that going for you


I didn't say it didn't happen, rather I'm saying that in relation to large scale/long term protests, these current ones are some of the most peaceful in American history.

When you get lots of people together, for long periods of times, then sometimes bad things happen.

Yes, the deaths are tragic. But when compared to other similar situations, these protests have been peaceful.

However, I totally understand that for some folks Disneyland hasn't been considered a peaceful place since 1974.

*shrug*

DADvocate said...

So, this is a bunch of bullshit?

Mary Carbine, the executive director of the Madison Central Business Improvement District, said a neighboring hotel’s staff voiced concerns about having to recently escort hotel employees to and from bus stops late at night due to inappropriate behavior, allegedly including public masturbation, from people in and around the protest.

Are you saying Mary Carbine is lying? No hotel employees were escorted? There was no disruption of the hotel's business? Bird brain only asked for an example of OM disrupting others. Here's the example. Are you a denier?

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

I didn't say it didn't happen, rather I'm saying that in relation to large scale/long term protests, these current ones are some of the most peaceful in American history


You keep asserting this, but it has no basis in reality.

But when compared to other similar situations, these protests have been peaceful.


What other "similar situations" would that be?

When 500,000+ people gathered on the National Mall at a Tea Party rally how many sexual assualts and deaths were there?

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
I'm curious if anyone here has bumper stickers and, if so, what they say. Care to share

My place of employment does NOT allow partisan bumper stickers. Oh you can have them, but since our paying clients are of both parties and are liberals and conservatives, having one on your car means, you can’t work with about half the clients….and since you have to be able to work with ALL the clients, you can pretty much kiss your job goodbye. Bumper stickers mean things….and Joe Schmoe, my company intends for us to be very, very bland….

I have a bumper sticker that proclaims I am a member of a particular faith/spiritual community and that I support the local Enormous State University in my hometown, of which I am a alumnus of….

Riffing on bumper stickers meaning things, I sometimes, query my fellow customers at the convenience store pumps about THEIR stickers…”So, you think that ONLY artists ought to have a say about arts funding, even if I’m footing the bill? How would you feel about letting only the police have a say about police funding?” Or, “So, ‘support the troops and the war’ and the Obama/Biden sticker, how’s that working out?” Bumper stickers are a little pompous shout-out, after all, most of the time, they make a statement to which you cannot respond, as they go whizzing by at 90-100 KPH. My favourite one said, “Many animals and plants were displaced to make room for your fat @rse.” Sadly I never got talk to that person at the 7-11 mart…..

Lukedog said...

"I'm curious if anyone here has bumper stickers and, if so, what they say. Care to share?"

I have a PJ20 bumper sticker, from Pearl Jam's concert this past summer.

I think it says, I may look like a 40 year old mother but I was at PEARL JAM (so what if I drove there in a mini-van)

Sofa King said...

I'm curious if anyone here has bumper stickers and, if so, what they say. Care to share?


I have one for the UWM community orchestra, which says "Just Keep Playing!" That's it. Though when I was in law school, I had a bumper sticker that said "AMERICA HATES LAWYERS" that I purchased at a gun show.

purplepenquin said...

The deaths come after a 53-year-old man was found dead inside a tent at the Occupy New Orleans encampment on Tuesday.

One guy committed suicide. Another fella died from a drug overdose and/or carbon monoxide.

Ya'll are really saying those prove that the Occupy Protests are violent?

*rolls eyes*

Sofa King said...

I didn't say it didn't happen, rather I'm saying that in relation to large scale/long term protests, these current ones are some of the most peaceful in American history.


Well. That's a pretty low standard. But, I guess everyone should get a trophy, since they aren't rioting in the streets and smashing up storefronts.

Sofa King said...

Note also, that by implication, Penguin is smearing the civil rights movement of the sixties.

Scott M said...

Though when I was in law school, I had a bumper sticker that said "AMERICA HATES LAWYERS" that I purchased at a gun show.

Did you ever run across one of the "I Own Black Acre" bumper stickers? I remember a move by a group to get the t-shirt banned back around 2004 or so because they thought it was racist.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Ya'll are really saying those prove that the Occupy Protests are violent

No the rapes and sexual assaults and the clashes with Police do that, Penguin…just pointing out that people didn’t die NEAR, but IN Occupy(City) Encampments…but as you say, “Can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.”

Sofa King said...

Did you ever run across one of the "I Own Black Acre" bumper stickers?

No, though honestly I wouldn't know since I didn't park in the student lot.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Note also, that by implication, Penguin is smearing the civil rights movement of the sixties

They were only protesting for the right to vote, Sofa, Occupy(City) is protesting for something important, like College Loan Debt Forgiveness….

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)


Well ScottM, someone gave me the “Zombie Autopsies”….I doubt I can get thru it, but I’ll see, have you read it?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I'm curious if anyone here has bumper stickers and, if so, what they say. Care to share?


No bumper stickers. Like Joe, my business required that I remain politically anonymous to my clients.

I do still have a Hot August Nites parking sticker on my car from last August. It allowed us to get valet parking in the casino garage during our stay.

garage mahal said...

Are you saying Mary Carbine is lying? No hotel employees were escorted? There was no disruption of the hotel's business? Bird brain only asked for an example of OM disrupting others. Here's the example. Are you a denier?

My opinion is that it is likely bullshit, yes:

The story originated in the local college paper, the Cardinal. The original story cited Parks Department employee Laura Bauman saying a nearby hotel was escorting employees to a bus stop to protect them from masturbating protesters. We talked with Ms. Bauman. She told us that she did not tell the paper that and no hotel has reported any inappropriate behavior. The alleged hotel action came from an named citizen who spoke at a Parks Commission hearing saying she had she had heard from unnamed sources that an un-named hotel had taken the claimed action. The Parks Department never received a complaint or report of indecent exposure from any one.

We talked to the police and a police spokesman told us that no reports of indecent exposure by the protesters had been filed with the police and that no hotel had contacted them for help or concern. link

purplepenquin said...

Gee, it is almost as if you're lying or something.

*sigh*

I didn't say I beleive as such, rather I said it is the viewpoint of most of the protesters I've talked with.

Seriously, some of ya'll toss around the "You liar!!" card really quick and quite often. Do you really behave this way when actually talking with people, or is it something unique to your online persona?

Scott M said...

Well ScottM, someone gave me the “Zombie Autopsies”….I doubt I can get thru it, but I’ll see, have you read it?

LOL, no, but I'll check it out. I just finished "The Reapers Are The Angels". Not a western in the 1800's sense, but definitely shades of "The Searchers" and "True Grit". All zombie. I'm still working on Chapter 2, myself.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Do you really behave this way when actually talking with people, or is it something unique to your online persona?

Yes. No.

If you distort the truth and try to change the story by altering the facts that is lying.

The fact is that people DIED IN the OWS encampments and violence was committed IN the OWS tent cities. By saying that the incidents were 'nearby' and attempting to whitwash the ugly truth.....that is lying and I would call you on it to your face.

Lying or you are just stupid.

purplepenquin said...

By saying that the incidents were 'nearby' and attempting to whitwash the ugly truth.....that is lying and I would call you on it to your face

"Nearby" was a poor choice of words...I was trying to say how the deaths aren't connected to the actual protests, except for being in the vicinity of them.

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...


Ya'll are really saying those prove that the Occupy Protests are violent?




Um, the shooting, beatings, sexual assaults and rapes sure do.

DADvocate said...

garage - how come DK didn't contact Mary Carbine? She's easy enough to find on Internet. Was Ks afraid of the answer they'd get?

Police reports don't mean shit. Many claim most rapes go unreported.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
I was trying to say how the deaths aren't connected to the actual protests, except for being in the vicinity of them

So people doing/selling/buying drugs is connected to the actual protests…I guess by that argument the beatings and other punishments, weren’t actually a part of Southern Slavery, either, they were just coterminous with, but not a part OF the whole experience….again, how many drug overdoses and accidental deaths at TEA Party rallies?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

"Nearby" was a poor choice of words...I was trying to say how the deaths aren't connected to the actual protests, except for being in the vicinity of them."

If you had said this: That the violence and deaths IN the OWS tent encampments were caused by elements unrelated to the actual protesters or their message...... violence from unstable, criminal elements attracted to the scene who would be likely committing violence no matter where they were.....I would be able to accept that.

Society is difficult to control and to police. The OWS societies are facing the same issues that plague society as a whole. If you want to blame society as a whole for the bad actions of a few, can you blame us for doing the same for the OWS societies?

Precision is very important if you are trying to persuade us to your point of view. Obfuscation only cast doubt upon your sincerity.

:-)

purplepenquin said...

how many drug overdoses and accidental deaths at TEA Party rallies?

The Tea Party rallies keep being brought up as comparison, but I can't recall any of those that lasted longer than only a few hours.

(Or is this where I'm supposed to say "You liar!! No Tea Party Rallies lasted as long as these protests"...I'm still kinda confused as to what the rules are around here)

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

Ya'll are really saying those prove that the Occupy Protests are violent?

*rolls eyes*



Um, this proves the violence:


Mayor Vincent Gray and D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier on Monday said the Occupy DC protesters have grown violent, and the police department will adjust its tactics to ensure the public's safety.




So does this

This comes just as Tonye Iketubosin, 26, was arrested late Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting two women, both inside tents in New York City's Zuccotti Park

Did that happen nearby?

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

"Nearby" was a poor choice of words...I was trying to say how the deaths aren't connected to the actual protests, except for being in the vicinity of them


Which is a a lie.

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

The Tea Party rallies keep being brought up as comparison, but I can't recall any of those that lasted longer than only a few hours.


With bigger crowds.

What is comical is you can't addres that.

Or anything.

*rolls eyes*

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
The Tea Party rallies keep being brought up as comparison, but I can't recall any of those that lasted longer than only a few hours

Yes, because:
1) The TEA Party was Fascsim come to America and a deadly threat to us all; and
2) The Occupy(City) Movement was the Moral Equivalent to the TEA Party, remember?
And so the Fascist/Moral Equivalents managed to achieve an end without trespass, drug use, rape and assault….tells you which group was the better, don’t you think?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Or is this where I'm supposed to say "You liar!! No Tea Party Rallies lasted as long as these protests"...I'm still kinda confused as to what the rules are around here

Awww. Don't worry, you'll eventually get it.

:-)

/pats purple pengiun on his widdle head.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)


“Do you want fries with that calls” Good luck my fellow Droogs.

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

Ya'll are really saying those prove that the Occupy Protests are violent?

*rolls eyes*


Keep rolling:

A dispute in Zuccotti Park on Wednesday night set off a chain of confrontations involving emergency responders and Occupy Wall Street protesters, the authorities said. A medical worker was injured and a man camped out at the park was charged with assaulting him and taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, they said.

The events began around 11:30 p.m., when the Occupy Wall Street demonstration’s internal security team was called to deal with a fight that had erupted between a man and his girlfriend in the park, said Chris Reider, 49, one of the team members.



It happened all nearby!

Totally non violent!

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

I didn't say I beleive as such, rather I said it is the viewpoint of most of the protesters I've talked with


Which is total BS.

Either the "protestors" you talked with are totally ignorant of the world or you're lying.

Guess which one I choose?

garage mahal said...

Bloomberg orders police to send homeless vagrants to go to Zucotti Park, and then blames OWS for them. Perfect role model for the right.

purplepenquin said...

Precision is very important if you are trying to persuade us to your point of view. Obfuscation only cast doubt upon your sincerity

Doesn't obfuscation require a intention to make things confusing? I ain't a good writer, and it is sometimes difficult for me to express myself.

Brian Brown said...

Such a low level of violence!

In the wake of an alleged rape and a sexual assault in Zuccotti Park that resulted in the arrest of an Occupy Wall Street protester earlier this week, the movement has erected a women-only safe-space sleeping tent. According to the Post the 16-square-foot metal-framed tent will be watched by female members of the de-escalation team, and can sleep 18 people. "This is all about safety in numbers," 24-year-old protester Becky Wartell says.

One 23-year-old woman tells the paper that she'll be sleeping in the safe space "partially because of the recent attacks that have been happening." She adds, "I think that this will help bring more women to the movement as well. I think a lot of women have been hesitant and especially for those that are new and don't know a lot of people it's hard to find a safe place to stay."


Because as we all know, non-violent places are chalk full of safe sleeping places.

But when you get to pretend it isn't happening then rush to the Internet to make a fool of yourself on the matter, it is all ok.

DADvocate said...

Perfect role model for the right.

To an idiot I suppose. The right despises him because of his position on the 2nd amendment.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Or is this where I'm supposed to say "You liar!! No Tea Party Rallies lasted as long as these protests"...I'm still kinda confused as to what the rules are around here

Since no one made any such statement regarding the longevity or duration of the Tea Party rallies, the opportunity to call other people liars doesn't exist.

Maybe some debating lessons?

However, one of the issues is the disparity between the two protest movements.

Putting aside the duration of the movements and the size of the turn outs in the two movements (where the Tea Party has substantially more numbers of people showing up)....

What is it about the OWS group that draws in the elements that commit violence, vandalism and disrespecting of other people's property and rights, while the Tea Party does not attract those elements?

Is it the message? Is it the people who comprise the groups? Both?

Discuss.

Unknown said...

Occupy has provided a valuable demonstration of today's choice for the young: rely on your own wits and intelligence to reap success in life, or live in filth and browbeat government for more handouts.

The people have spoken; this is what democracy looks like.

MadisonMan said...

regarding safety:

Anecdotal evidence does not prove (or disprove) the safety of an event or a series of encampments. Were the people there more or less safe than they would have been had they not been there? Given the numbers of people, were they more or less likely to have been attacked where they were compared to a similar grouping of people where they were not?

purplepenquin said...

Since no one made any such statement regarding the longevity or duration of the Tea Party rallies, the opportunity to call other people liars doesn't exist.

Well, the are using them as examples of "similar protests" as these Occupy Protests.

Maybe some debating lessons?

Oh. I get it now. You (and others?) are here to debate. Points are to be scored, because a contest is to be won. Personally, I'm here to learn more about other people's point of view, while also sharing my perceptions on the various issues.

I'm sorry! Didn't mean to interfere with anyone's game.

Putting aside the duration of the movements and the size of the turn outs in the two movements

But that is the whole issue...when large numbers of people get together in close quarters for long periods of time, then bad stuff will happen.

Rapes, assaults, and violent attacks happen all-the-time in our military, but I wouldn't say that is a reflection on our armed services...rather just something about people in general.

garage mahal said...

What is it about the OWS group that draws in the elements that commit violence, vandalism and disrespecting of other people's property and rights, while the Tea Party does not attract those elements?

What about the spitting on Dem lawmakers, the broken windows, the nooses faxed, the death threats, the white powder envelopes mailed, etc during the health care rage?

Link

Down the memory hole.

Scott M said...

Well, the are using them as examples of "similar protests" as these Occupy Protests.

Compare apples to apples then extrapolate from there. One of the biggest complaints about the occupiers is the garbage and filth. This astounding level of G&F accumulated relatively quickly owing in large part to the complete incompetence of the planners, but that's a side note.

Take a Tea Party rally and compare it to one on the left of like locale and duration. Which rally was cleaner afterward?

And we're only talking about a day or a weekend here. Extrapolating out what I saw as the results of that comparison lead you inevitably to what we saw with the occupiers. There seems to be a very strong "someone else will handle it" mentality at work. I would suggest this has deeper implications of the worldviews at work.

purplepenquin said...

What about the spitting on Dem lawmakers, the broken windows, the nooses faxed, the death threats, the white powder envelopes mailed, etc during the health care rage?

Exactly. Those are examples of protest violence. I'd also add that pouring a beer on a lawmaker's head is protest violence, as well as making death threats against a politican's children.


However, a fight between a boyfriend and a girlfriend who were at a protest isn't related to the protest. It is violence, but not protest violence.

Joe Schmoe said...

DBQ, if political opinions are getting in the way at the workplace, there's an easy fix. The boss just needs to tell them to cut it out or warnings/firings could ensue. If it's hindering work, then there are grounds for it.

Extreme groupthink is anathema to me; that's why I lean towards freedom of choice when it comes to non-work related things like politics and religion. I don't hold those against people. I thought that was a conservative tenet; definitely a libertarian one. Diversity for Democrat progressives really is only skin-deep. We value intellectual diversity much more.

Joe Schmoe said...

So if the OWS really is comparable to the Tea Party, then we should see a shitload of OWS-sponsored candidates win in 2012?

...

Those crickets sure are LOUD.

DADvocate said...

What about the spitting on Dem lawmakers,...

Do you mean the Dem congressmen who lied about being spit on?

Link

garage mahal said...

Who says OWS = Tea Party?

Just think, the real Tea Party blocked a port, seized a private ship, threw private goods overboard, in costume, while beating drums!

Pretty much the opposite of today's Tea Party.

roesch/voltaire said...

Once again I am glad to see that Todd Finkelmeyer's reporting, which is usually more in-depth and researched than anyone else reporting in Madison, has generated so much discussion. My impression from conversations with students about the cost of their education is that most are not aware of how little the state now contributes to "state education" and how this has affected tuition costs. Further they feel fairly confident that they will find reasonable jobs upon graduation and as a result they do not feel as disenfranchised as some around the country. To a large degree,their concerns are more narrow and immediate than the larger and vaguer issues of the OWS movement

Joe Schmoe said...

Garage confirms there will be no OWS-sponsored candidates in the next election. Thank you for confirmation Garage.

Known Unknown said...

Bloomberg orders police to send homeless vagrants to go to Zucotti Park, and then blames OWS for them. Perfect role model for the right.

This is disingenuous. There's a reason he's called Nanny Bloomberg.

Wally Kalbacken said...

Don Miller, has the car that's right for you!

But not in that location.

Michael said...

"What about the spitting on Dem lawmakers, the broken windows, the nooses faxed, the death threats, the white powder envelopes mailed, etc during the health care rage?"

Didn't happen. Just like the Madison hotel incidents. The above did not happen.

Known Unknown said...

The Tea Party rallies keep being brought up as comparison, but I can't recall any of those that lasted longer than only a few hours.

Which was by design.

Which, if the Occupy people were smart, they would have mimicked as to avoid the garbage, rape, harassment, defecation, and other problems they've encountered.

Michael said...

EMD: I don't think the OWS "encountered" problems, I believe they caused or created them.

Scott M said...

I don't think the OWS "encountered" problems, I believe they caused or created them.

Exactly. Saying the OWS "encountered" problems in their encampments is like saying the Confederacy "encountered" problems at Andersonville.

Known Unknown said...

EMD: I don't think the OWS "encountered" problems, I believe they caused or created them.

Split hairs, much?

garage mahal said...

Washington Lobbyists Crafted $850,000 Secret Plan For Bank Lobbyists To Undermine Occupy Wall Street

These poor banksters have to spend 850k to discredit rapists and defecaters. That's only one we know of. Interesting!

Known Unknown said...

Washington Lobbyists Crafted $850,000 Secret Plan For Bank Lobbyists To Undermine Occupy Wall Street

These poor banksters have to spend 850k to discredit rapists and defecaters. That's only one we know of. Interesting!


You conveniently assume that some of us here are on the side of the 'banksters.'

Also, its defecators.

Michael said...

EMD: Distinguishing between the active and passive voice is not "splitting hairs." The latter voice, which you used, suggests that something happened to people standing around protesting. The verbs I suggest are active and suggest that the people standing around protesting had something to do with the events you describe. Because we do not split enough hairs a good bit of the population uses expressions like "me and her went to the mall." And people who murder their children explain that they "made a mistake."

Michael said...

But the secret $850,000 was only one fund to undermine the entire vast OWS movement that has mushroomed all over America. The NY OWS has, or had, $500,000 by itself. And it most certainly was not sharing with the OWS settlements across America. Surely they each have bank accounts which combined will be much more than the paltry $850,000.

Known Unknown said...

Fine. I chose the wrong fucking word.

Joe Schmoe said...

In the article Garage linked to, one of the concerns was that the OWS might actually join forces with the Tea Party and destabilize things just when executive bonuses were being announced. Just imagine OWS as the zombie first wave cannon fodder for a group that really knows how to get things done. That would be a frightening scenario for Obama's buddies at Goldman Sachs.

Known Unknown said...

Also, its defecators.

Or it's defecators.

garage mahal said...

"I'm so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I'm frightened to death," said Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist and one of the nation's foremost experts on crafting the perfect political message. "They're having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism."

Now why do you suppose the titans of Wall St would be afraid of some losers shitting in a park?

Scott M said...

Just imagine OWS as the zombie first wave cannon fodder for a group that really knows how to get things done.

They already smell a lot like zombies so why not? Zombies don't believe in personal property either, so they also have that in common.

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...

Washington Lobbyists Crafted $850,000 Secret Plan For Bank Lobbyists To Undermine Occupy Wall Street


Hilarious.

Thinkprogress, bastion of objectivity and uncovering of "secret plans" no less!

PS, what a pity they couldn't give that $850,000 in campaign contributions to the President you're going to vote for, huh garage?

Joe Schmoe said...

frankz, the court jesters aren't providing enough entertainment for you? add some wit and wisdom yourself. quit bitching.

Brian Brown said...

purplepenquin said...

However, a fight between a boyfriend and a girlfriend who were at a protest isn't related to the protest. It is violence, but not protest violence.


Hilarious.

Just like getting charged with felony assault on the EMT worker (which was the point of the article linked you little liar) isn't protest violence, right?

Boy, isn't that convenient for you?

Michael said...

"Now why do you suppose the titans of Wall St would be afraid of some losers shitting in a park?"

They aren't. Frank Luntz has nothing to do with Wall Street. He was expressing fear for the future of our country if it were to be guided in any way by the riff raff that called itself OWS and which had not a single clue about the banking system or the fact that the major banks against which they pouted were not based on Wall Street but further uptown, closer to where the 1% make their homes.

garage mahal said...

Bwahahaha. Good one Michael.

Frank Luntz caring about the future of this country. That is fucking funny.

Michael said...

GM: I see you know a lot about Luntz's business, his books and his ideas. Again, you beclown. Again. Thanks.

Patrick said...

Garage,

Put aside for the moment that Think Progress is not exactly a paragon of quality journalism. But really, do you think the bankers needed any such plan? I think not, for two reasons: First, the OWS crowd did quite enough to undermine itself. They had fawning press coverage, and still managed to mess it up. Second, the bankers stand to gain from OWS' demands. OWS wants more government involvement. More government = more chances for bankers and other nasty types to take a bigger bite. Ironically, the group standing to gain most from OWS were the very people OWS wanted to stop. Had OWS ever bothered to consider smaller government, then the bankers may have needed a secret plan.

Hey, maybe they're responsible for the bad press coverage of the Tea Party!

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...



Frank Luntz caring about the future of this country. That is fucking funny.


garage mahal caring about the future of this country. That is a laugh riot.

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...

"I'm so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I'm frightened to death," said Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist and one of the nation's foremost experts on crafting the perfect political message. "They're having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism."


Yes, and OWS is so "frightening" because it is a bunch of rapists, criminals, and incoherent imbeciles.

Good luck getting those idiots to vote.

garage mahal said...

Yes, and OWS is so "frightening" because it is a bunch of rapists, criminals, and incoherent imbeciles

I know! Makes you wonder why Republican higherups are worried and why banksters are spending serious cash to try and discredit them. The left just let the babbling racist nutcase Tea Party discredit themselves all on their own.

Known Unknown said...

Put aside for the moment that Think Progress is not exactly a paragon of quality journalism.

Frankly, neither is Gateway Pundit, but I digress.

Known Unknown said...

The left just let the babbling racist nutcase Tea Party discredit themselves all on their own.

Right up until those pesky midterm elections!

Michael said...

GM: Do you think $850,000 is "serious cash?" Really?

You don't get it. You do not know the fly shit from the pepper.

Brian Brown said...

Makes you wonder why Republican higherups are worried

Um, Frank Luntz is not a Republican higher up nor is he plural.

and why banksters are spending serious cash to try and discredit them.

You've presented no evidence bankers spent any money trying to discredit anyone.
Especially given OWS did that themselves.

PS,
Obama’s first National Economic Council director, Lawrence Summers (of hedge-fund giant D. E. Shaw and venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz), who has had some nice paydays courtesy of Lehman Bros., JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup.
Citigroup’s Michael Froman, deputy assistant to the president and deputy national-security adviser for international economic affairs,

Hartford Financial’s Neal Wolin, deputy Treasury secretary

JPMorgan’s William Daley, Obama’s chief of staff

Rahm Emanuel of Wasserstein Perella.

Fannie Mae’s Tom Donilon, national-security adviser.

You'll still vote for Obama.

gerry said...

I just came across these:

OWS has had 5,681 arrests.

Here's a list of 400 incidents at OWS sites that, incidentally, did not occur at any Tea Party rallies.

Finally, the list of deaths (and probably 2 murders) that occurred at OWS sites.