Sir Charles of DooDoo Economics and fellow SLOB spent some time down at Occupy San Diego a couple days ago and had some very interesting observations as a result.
Consider for a moment that the left is full of people who lived through the sixties and seventies as radical activists. They have first-hand knowledge of what worked and what did not, and why. The Occupy movement, like progressive political policies, is designed to fail in order to enrich an elitist political class through expendables, dependents and useful idiots. Consider the negative connotations of the language "Occupy."
Any movement, living in squalor, beset by radicals and including fringe elements, will eventually have individuals commit heinous and deplorable acts. The movement will react to those events and be an easy target for public outrage, outrage focused upon both the individuals involved and the movement as it reacts. The sixties and seventies radical left activists remember this, teach this, and use this. This tactic is often used against conservatives who aspire to a set of high standards but, being human, make mistakes that can be exploited as "hypocritical." The application of this tactic is only slightly different when creating groups to demonize as opposed to demonizing opponents. Machiavelli would be proud, but the myth of the compassionate left is clear.
Not to go all conspiracy theory on everybody but the timing of the simultaneous crackdowns on the OWS sites a couple of days ago has lent suspicion to the notion that the political class in this country that had been playing footsie if not outright endorsing the Obamavilles that had sprung up around the country, had had enough of the negative publicity coming out of the OWS encampments... or whatever bad press the legacy media decided to report out on.
Keeping OWS alive but not too alive would appear to be advantageous leverage for the class warfare meme of the ruling class of this country.
Check out the rest of Sir Charles' outstanding post, here.
Some grade school students were forced to walk a gauntlet of screaming “Occupy Wall Street” protesters just to get to school on Thursday.
It was a wild day in lower Manhattan for most everyone involved, including elementary school children who had to brave the mayhem just to get to class on the other side of Wall Street.
n the middle of thousands of protestors yelling and chanting — some kicking and screaming – CBS 2’s Emily Smith found little school kids trying to get to class. Nervous parents led them through the barriers on Wall Street. The NYPD helped funnel the children, anything to ease their fears while some protestors chanted “follow those kids!”
“These guys are terrorists, yelling at little kids,” one father said.
“For them it’s horrible. They’re afraid of all the crowds. We’re not even able to get through. They’re just, he’s … very afraid now,” a mother added.
One protester followed a father and his little daughter all the way down the block. As the school day ended just after 3 p.m. children trickled out of Leman Manhattan Prep on Broad Street. Smith heard a 4-year-old boy telling his mom he was scared. He told Smith it looked like a parade.
“There was a parade. It was scary — crowded with school,” the boy said.
.
On a lighter note, enjoy The Daily Show's absolutely priceless and spot-on takedown of the OWS movement.
"OK, does the drum circle know we're all here, now?"
What makes this particularly rich is the fact that we imagine quite a few of these Obamaville squatters are big fans of Stewart and The Daily Show. Hey, isn't Stewart just speaking truth to power?
And we hoped you appreciated the redistribution for thee but not for me attitude demonstrated by the one gentlemen with the laptop. Yeah, everybody may be hacked off at the bailouts and subsidies for corporate interests but the redistributionist/involuntary confiscation of property-as-solution remains the unbridgeable gap between OWS and the tea party.
Organizers of a demonstration planned Thursday morning in downtown Los Angeles say protesters are prepared to be arrested by police for committing acts of civil disobedience -- including shutting down an intersection.
The march, which is timed to coincide with other demonstrations across the country to protest the imbalance of wealth and power in the country, is set to begin at 7 a.m. at Bank of America Plaza on Hope Street. It will then make its way through the Financial District to the corner of Figueroa and 4th streets, where demonstrators plan to shut down traffic by erecting tents in the middle of the street.
Jacob Hay, a leader of the coalition of labor and community groups that helped organize the march, said the group has secured police permits, but that protesters are prepared to be arrested for blocking traffic.
Because nothing calls attention to income inequality and chronic unemployment like preventing people from getting to work.
And last night, closer to home here in San Diego, they decided to have "a moment of silence" and "solidarity" with the guy that shot at the White House yesterday.
Absolutely love the "Wait, what? /Who-let-Einstein-have-the-mic?-oh-I-guess-I-did expression on the girl's face.
We're fond of saying the 20th century was nothing more than a study in the human misery that was brought about by government policies under the big tent of collectivism and the big dog in that tent was communism.
Occupiers may say that the Commies are but a fringe element of the broader #OWS movement and that is most likely the case, however, demands like forgiving student loan debt and forgiving home loan debt require an involuntary confiscation of someone else's property and wealth and that puts them right back under that collectivist big tent with the Commies.
P.S. Are we back from Vegas yet? Shoot, we don't know - it's Thursday night. The beauty of the interwebs and scheduled posts.
At the very beginning of the video, a distraught occupier complains about having been assaulted twice (“once with contaminated vomit“), and of other assaults in the camp occurring; including sexual assault. And the community’s failure to properly address the incidents. Directly after, another member points out the videographer (a non occupier), leading another member to attempt to censor the man behind the camera. All of which, mind you, is taking place in a public park.
A bit later on, the first man who broached the subject of assault, gives the camera man permission to film him, and he then proceeds to expound on the groups covering up assault and their policy to not get the police involved.
In a video posted on YouTube yesterday, a woman identified as an Occupy Wall St. protester in New York claimed that a deaf man was “raped” and that the incident might not have been reported to police. She also noted the rampant drug use making things unsafe.
“We’re trying to figure out what to do about [the drugs],” the girl begins in the video, and later hints that she’s part of the community affairs committee. “It’s putting all these people in danger–that, there’s sexual assault going on, we’re trying to deal with that … mostly drunk guys, going, groping girls, there was a guy that got raped, too, here–a deaf younger man.”
After the girl notes that there’s actually a place in the park for people to sleep under the watchful eye of others, the man interviewing her circles back around to the alleged rape:
Man: Did the guy, I mean, do these, did that get reported to the police, or did that stay inside the camp?
Girl: Well, OK, I’m not sure for that particular incident. Yeah, no I–that might have stayed inside the camp.
Later, she also recalls seeing a girl crying while saying that some guys tried to take advantage of her while sleeping.
Still, the alleged protester casts blame on the police, saying that they haven’t been responsive to some reports of abuse, including a woman getting punched in the face. However, she said that the organizers to encourage people to go to the police with claims of abuse.
So, let's get this straight: The Occupiers don't want the police until, of course, they want the police. Got it.
Here are a few highlights of the liberal press's love for police:
•Cries of ''police state'' and ''shame, shame, shame'' when the police won't do what the two protesters want;
•Harassing one officer about his daughter who is allegedly taught by the daughter of a protester, asking, ''Do you care about your daughter'' and screaming, ''you look like you are about to cry.'' When the officer arrested a protester who asked to be arrested, the duo threaten to show that video to the officer's daughter.
•The woman threatens the officers by shouting, ''You will be exposed,'' another implied threat going back to the docs-ing attack.
Another nearby protester's comment about one police officer: ''Fuck him!''
(ed. note: "We are Legion"... It is noted that is the response given to Christ before Christ cast the demons out of the man from Gadarenes. There is a certain symmetry here.)
Occupy Wall Street protesters are flocking to nearby health clinics for STD and HIV testing after getting their freak on in ’60s-style hookups with crusty strangers, sources told The Post yesterday.
“Last week was free love,” said a medical professional at a clinic located a short walk from Zuccotti Park, referring to the number of people who organizers have referred for sexually transmitted disease testing.
A volunteer at the park admitted concern among protesters about STDs.
“We give directions to clinics if people ask for information regarding STDs,” said the volunteer, who identified himself only as “Captain” and added that pregnancy tests are also a hot item.
“Like anything else, it happens. People ask, and we do the best we can for them.”
Volunteers at the medical tent hand out cash, usually $15 or $20, so the randy radicals can visit clinics that cater to a low-income clientele, the source said.
To the scoreboard: Screaming at and making thinly-veiled threats to the police... refusing to report crimes to the police including drug use and sexual assault to the same police while simultaneously blaming the police for allowing it to happen... forcing one's STD upon others....
By dammed, it is kind of like a tea party.
It is our sincere hope that the victims of these crimes successfully sue the living beejeezus out of the cities in which they are occurring as these same cities have abrogated their resposibilities to these lawless and degenerate Occupy villages.
To show they mean business, the kitchen staff refused to serve any food for two hours yesterday in order to meet with organizers to air their grievances, sources said.
...
The Assembly announced the three-day menu crackdown announced earlier in the day -- insisting everybody would be fed something during that period.
Some protesters threatened that the high-end meals could be cut off completely if the vagrants and criminals don’t disperse.
Unhappiness with their unwelcome guests was apparent throughout the day.
“We need to limit the amount of food we’re putting out” to curb the influx of derelicts, said Rafael Moreno, a kitchen volunteer.
A security volunteer added that the cooks felt “overworked and underappreciated.”
Many of those being fed “are professional homeless people. They know what they’re doing,” said the guard at the food-storage area.
So, let's get this straight: a bunch of ne'er-do-wells existing essentially as homeless people and who are demanding things free health care and forgiveness on their student loan debt are chapped that some real homeless types and recently released from prison ne'er-do-wells are participating in some redistribution themselves. Good to know.
And still abounding:
Protesters got their first taste of the revolt within the revolt yesterday when the kitchen staff served only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips after their staff meeting.
Organizers took other steps to police the squatters, who they said were lured in from other parks with the promise of free meals.
A team of 10 security volunteers moved in to the trouble-prone southwest section of Zuccotti Park in a show of force to confront them.
“We’re not going to let some members of this community destroy the whole movement,” a volunteer said.
Some arguments broke out as the security team searched tents -- but no violence erupted.
Overall security at the park had deteriorated to the point where many frightened female protesters had abandoned the increasingly out-of-control occupation, security- team members said.
(italics, ours)
Yeah, they may be behaving like jack-booted pigs but at least they're #OWS jack-booted pigs. And #OWS jack-booted pigs with scant appreciation for the 4th amendment.
By rejecting the norms and institutions of civlized society they only find themselves recreating those institutions but without the underpinning of the rule of law. Without the rule of law, the Occupy "villages" become a study in the tyranny of the majority where pendulum swings in the "mood" of the General Assembly creates havoc in the encampments resulting in, as just one example, roving bands of "security" teams rousting its inhabitants and throwing them out of the village without any due process.
Governance by whim and capriciousness will collapse on itself.
Because nothing will more quickly garner you a resolution of support from the city council like barging into a city council meeting, interrupting it while chanting and demanding that the council vote on a resolution of support of your movement.
Council President Tony Young called for an end to the meeting when two dozen Occupy San Diego members began chanting.
The protesters asked council members for a resolution of support. One demonstrator says the city is not supporting they're occupation. "They are standing in the way, having police take us down with illegal pepper spray action, violently removing the protestors and their tents in an illegal action."
The council says they can't pass a resolution unless its on the agenda. There was nothing pertaining to the Occupy San Diego Movement on Tuesday's docket.
Then again, the way some cities have caved and/or pandered to the #OWS set, maybe behaving like unruly, uncivil and petulant children is the way to get that coveted good housekeeping seal of approval from the city fathers.
Also, former TARP watchdog and current candidate for Massachusetts U.S. senate seat (running against Scott Brown), Elizabeth Warren claims she laid the groundwork for the #OWS movement.
In a new interview, Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren claims much of the credit for the Occupy Wall Street protests sweeping the nation.
“I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do,” the Harvard Law School professor and former Obama administration consumer advocate told Samuel P. Jacobs of The Daily Beast. “I support what they do.”
And in other totally related news:
Dallas Police continue to investigate whether a teenage runaway was sexually assaulted by an adult male at the Occupy Dallas encampment behind City Hall.
A source within the Dallas Police Department who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation said the girl ran away from home in Garland last month and that she is now refusing to cooperate with investigators. She initially told officers that she had sex with a man in his early twenties and had engaged in sexual activity with several other people.
Some members of the group told CBS 11 the girl identified herself as a 19-year-old and never knew she was 14.
Not co-operating with the pigs in a rape investigation? That's the ol' #OWS spirit, girlfriend! And if they do find the sicko, we hope he's brought to... uh, we hope the abuser is provided with counseling resources.
New York Magazine asks relevant questions of 50 Wall Street Occupiers... claims "results were mixed". If by "mixed" they mean that young people with the time and means to be spending their days and nights camping out in a wanna-be hippie shanty town actually possessing the knowledge to know why they are there, then, yes, by all means the results were as mixed as a tossed salad. See for yourself below and more at the link.
What does the government spend more on? Health care and pensions, education, or the military?
The Military - 94%
Health care and pensions - 4%
Education - 2%
What is the "SEC"?
Don't know - 68%
The Securities and Exchange Commission - 28%
The Southeastern Conference - 4%
Hey, at least some people have their priorities straight.
Our blog bud Harrison over at Capitol Commentary was opining on the #Occupy Wall Street movement and its followers, here which prompted the following comment from "Jack":
I think they want the opposite of chaos and anarchy. They want a world in which “bad stuff” doesn’t happen to people. The idea of chaos and anarchy is frightening to them, which makes it all the more ironic because their actions lead to chaos and anarchy.
Sure, they want a world without consequences, but I think it’s a bit more nuanced than the way you’re looking at it. Instead of removing the consequences, they want to remove anything that would cause the consequences to happen.
I’m a pretty reasonable guy, but I whole heartedly believe that if they could, every one of those fools would prefer a world in which people were not able to make bad decisions. What they don’t understand about freedom and liberty, things that they say are important to them, is that you have to take the good with the bad. Liberty doesn’t exist if you’re rendered incapable of making bad decisions.
Jack makes a great point: a lot of the #OWS pose as anarchists or revolutionaries to establish street cred, we suppose, but at heart, they are collectivists who are clamoring for government redistribution schemes. Far from being revolutionaries or even reformers, they are clamoring for more of the statist status quo... more regulations that will only be gamed by the Wall Street "fat cats" that will only worsen the situation.
And as far as accomplishing some of the "demands" of #OWS such as forgiving student debt, banning foreclosures and making having a job a "right", how is that accomplished but through a totalitarian regime that involuntarily confiscates the wealth/private property of others?
We could be wrong but that seems to be the way things are trending out on the street with #OWS. And either they don't quite realize what it will take to accomplish their demands or they are down with the concept of a thuggish federal government that will "spread the wealth around".
At first blush, we thought the 53% was a reference to the popular vote percentage garnered by the President and that the site was devoted to folks who voted for him but who now feel they had been duped, when in reality it represents the percentage of people in America who pay income tax.
And here's Steven Crowder breaking things down at Occupy Dallas:
... and the perfect urban community of EPCOT didn't quite turn out the way Disney had envisioned it.
Rick Foglesong, professor of politics at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., and author of “Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando,” said the Disney example demonstrates the limits of city building in the American system – that it takes centralized control to run mass transit, deliver public services and maintain order.
“What distinguishes American cities is they are the first cities to be built under modern conditions of capitalism and democracy, both of which fragment power,” he said. “While I believe in a liberal society, it’s not clear a liberal society can build well-functioning cities.”
When he takes students to Celebration, the new town the Disney Co. built in the 1990s on the outskirts of Disney World, he says, they are “always turned off” by the limited color palette, perfectly aligned landscaping and lack of diversity.
To HOA or to not HOA?
B-Daddy wonders why, given the younger demographic tilt of the #OWS set, they aren't demanding reform of the financially-insolvent Social Security.
It's unfair to broad-brush a movement that lacks coherency and a consistent message but a prevalent theme does indeed seem to be less about honest-to-goodness reforming of the system and more of getting a pound of flesh in a class warfare sense as demonstrated in the photo of the previous post.
1. Starship - "We Built This City" (On Rock and Roll)
2. Europe - "The Final Countdown"
3. Chris de Burgh - "The Lady in Red
4. Wham! - "Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)"
5. Men Without Hats - "The Safety Dance"
6. Falco - "Rock Me Amadeus"
7. Bobby McFerrin - "Don't Worry Be Happy"
8. Toni Basil - "Mickey"
9. Taco - "Puttin' On the Ritz"
10. Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"
No real quibbles except for "Safety Dance" which we rather enjoyed in a completely unashamed and non-ironic manner.
if Occupy Wall Street was a genuine grassroots movement genuinely outraged by the idea that banksters own the government, then they would be marching on the Obama White House.
It's something we've been asking of the OWS set with respect to the Cronyist-in-Chief ever since the protests got started. We think there is more than a whiff of hypocrisy to all of this.
Obviously, we blew right past the post-racial America and are now in the post-post-racial America. Thomas Sowell gives a short review of J. Christian Adams' book Injustice: Exposing the Racial Agenda of the Obama Justice Department and gives a dressing down of that miserable hack that runs the Justice Department.
Can you feel her pain?
Back in the day, young people were out in the streets because of Vietnam (amongst other things) and if your draft number came up, you were going to Vietnam... no questions asked. Fast forward some 40 years later and we find it hard to work up a whole lot of sympathy because you managed a way to spend 7 years in college, wind up tens of thousands of dollars in debt and without a job because no one forced that psychology or womens' studies degree on you. Just sayin'.
"Everyone has to choose their own way to get their point across."
"I'm not going to pass judgement on anyone else's tactics"
Confirmed: Liberal-left protest tactics antics are an exercise in absurdity and inanity substantive of nothing topped off with a healthy dose of moral relativism.
This is what Reason.TV's cameras picked up at an LA teachers' union rally on May 13 urging for an extension of temporary tax increases that Governor Brown is seeking to put on the ballot in a special election in June. Referendum rules in the state dictate that 2/3rds of both houses are needed to put measures on the ballot and in both cases, 2 Republicans will need to be flipped in order to make this happen.
Some observations:
1. Is it part of the permitting process that labor/union rallies must provide crappy folk music? And that at least 1 in 10 participants be burned-out, pony-tailed, ex-hippie types.
2. Union boss A.J. Duffy is a punk. We covered some of his antics in the past.
3. (2:29) Tax families based upon how many children they have in the school system. A user's fee, really. Color us intrigued.
4. (3:02) As we have said many times before and despite pleas of ignorance from the Che'-adorned woman, one does not have to scratch too far beneath the surface at these types of rallies to get at the core principles of income redistribution and classic Marxist class warfare.
Commie, union and Truther (it is noted that the three are not mutually exclusive of one another) protesters in Portland on Saturday at an anti-war protest marking the 8th anniversary of the start of war with Iraq.
Major bummer it must've been when they found out the bombs started dropping later in the day over in Libya. Like, dude.
And if you're like us, you're probably amazed at the war-making power wielded by Sarah Palin. We never knew.
Video of the "militant" peace protest can be found over at Gateway Pundit.
B-Daddy here. On Saturday, I questioned the wisdom of including "bargaining rights" in the package of reforms in Scott Walker's proposed legislation. Specifically, he has proposed that the right to bargain over benefits and working conditions would be removed from the current legal framework for government unions. Further, he is proposing an end to payroll deductions for union dues as well as instituting right to work, which ends mandatory union participation. Also he is proposing an annual vote of collective bargaining units to maintain certification as a union. The full list of proposals here. I was concerned that the proposed removal of bargaining rights would be seen as anti-democratic by the general public and harm the greater cause of getting union power reduced. This is a tactical not a fundamental concern. I don't think that there is an inherent right of collective bargaining for government workers in the same way that I believe freedom of speech is an inherent right.
The intervening days have brought new information to apply to the problem. First, Rasmussen reports that likely voters favor the governor over the unions by a 48%- to 38% margin in a national poll. (Wish it were a Wisconsin poll.) I was hoping the margin would have been higher, but given the loud and angry protests, this is a great sign that the public isn't ignorant of the underlying issues.
Second, Scott Walker was on the TV over the weekend and made the case that in Wisconsin, the state employees have some of the strongest worker protections of any state. What this means in practice, from my experience in the federal work force, is that it is almost impossible to fire workers except for the most blatant misconduct. Given such protections, where workers cannot lose their jobs, is it fair that they can then hold their employer hostage by striking? It creates a huge imbalance that allows the unions to blackmail the government into accepting binding arbitration where they tend to get their demands met. Explaining these facts could go a long way towards getting voters to approve of such a legal outcome.
Third, Rush Limbaugh today talked about the importance of being on offense, not defense. He brought the following to my attention. According to TPM:
State Senate rules require only a simple majority to pass a non-fiscal law. That means that only 17 Republican votes from the party's 19-vote majority would be needed to end the collective bargaining.
Republicans could strip the collective bargaining provision out of the budget legislation, pass it separately without Democrats present and get on with life. Further, this would remove the reason that the Democrat state senators are on the run, and get the budget passed as they might feel compelled to get back to their jobs. Republicans should take a page from Democrats and pass legislation when they have a majority. As much work as we did to kill Obamacare and rally the country against it, the bill is still on the books. The time to get our legislation passed is when we have the votes.
Ace of Spades has evidence of SEIU's tactics of intimidation (H/T: Temple of Mut). Trying to stop the Pledge of Allegiance? Really? The SEIU has every right to protest, that right is fundamental, unlike collective bargaining. But ever notice how when SEIU is involved, there is a potential for violence, and many times there is actual violence. Every Tea Party rally I have attended has had a police presence, and they act like they have nothing to do, because they don't have anything to do. Tea Party types don't even leave litter at their rallies. Meanwhile, lefty types who define themselves in opposition to the Tea Party movement are calling on their supporters to harass Tea Party coordinators who have nothing to do with so called "infiltration tactics."
I am rethinking my position. Like many conservative positions, there is often a "feel good" slogan used by the left in opposition that turns out to be incoherent when examined. Apparently, the country has decided that the direction of government requires the general public to pay more attention. Thank God and take my poll about the situation.
Some pretty incredible footage of the protests from Egypt last week.
Though the video shows only 10 minutes of the confrontation between the protesters and the riot police, we have it on good word that no soccer matches broke out during the unrest.
And if the protests/demonstrations are good for Egypt then they ought to cure what ails us as well, right?
So, he wants to run Obama out of office? That would be rather intemperate now wouldn't it? In keeping with the new tone of civility, we'll wait for the opportunity to do it in another 21 months.
A day after a Russ Carnahan event led to the arrests of five participants and a reporter, University City High School — where U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill was set to hold a similar event on Tuesday– announced that the forum has been canceled.
The school district sent a news release this afternoon stating that the “reasons for the cancellation by the school district are due to concerns for the safety and security of its staff, community members attending the event, and for the students who would be on campus during that time.”
Good idea, that. Perhaps a little too late, though.
After the event, things got really out of control. The SEIU members were looking for trouble. They roamed the parking lot like a pack of thugs. Conservative Kenneth Gladney, who is black, was passing out “Don’t Tread on Me” flags and tea party buttons to the taxpayers at the school. Unfortunately for Kenneth, the SEIU members were not happy that a black man was passing out tea party buttons. Kenneth’s lawyer described what happened next:
The SEIU member used a racial slur against Kenneth, then punched him in the face. Kenneth fell to the ground. Another SEIU member yelled racial epithets at Kenneth as he kicked him in the head and back. Kenneth was also brutally attacked by one other male SEIU member and an unidentified woman. The three men were clearly SEIU members, as they were wearing T-shirts with the SEIU logo.
The three SEIU members were arrested at the scene. Kenneth was hurt badly and taken to the emergency room, where he was treated for his numerous injuries. We all hope that he recovers quickly from this vicious attack.
embed does not appear to be working. Click here for uplifting video.
The silver lining in all this is that now we can quit jerking each other off and put away any pretense of living in the post-partisan world which we were promised during the campaign. As far as “re-making America”, consider it done. Mission Accomplished. 7 months in, Obama has effectively shaped this country into what you saw in the video above. No more Bush, no more McCain. 7 months in – the President owns it.
(UPDATE #1): Greetings, racists:
Tea Party protest outside SEIU offices in St. Louis. Kenneth Gladney (pictured), the man who was beaten by SEIU goons two days ago attended the event. Gateway Pundit has the details and pictures, here.
Hey, do you remember when they told us if we voted for McCain, it would mean a continuation of the Bush legacy of politicizing the Justice Department? Well, they were right.
‘Cause look who’s walking, now.
You remember these charming young lads at a polling location in Philly last November, don’t you?
Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding a nightstick and intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place last Election Day, according to documents and interviews.
The incident - which gained national attention when it was captured on videotape and distributed on YouTube - had prompted the government to sue the men, saying they violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act by scaring would-be voters with the weapon, racial slurs and military-style uniforms.
Career lawyers pursued the case for months, including obtaining an affidavit from a prominent 1960s civil rights activist who witnessed the confrontation and described it as "the most blatant form of voter intimidation" that he had seen, even during the voting rights crisis in Mississippi a half-century ago.
And then it was dropped. Just. like. that. Read the whole thing, here.
And in other news this week...
A noisy, five-hour sit-in at the county clerk's office, launched when a gay couple was denied a marriage license, ended quietly without arrests yesterday evening.
At closing time, sheriff's deputies escorted about 40 people out of the County Administration Center after telling them they could be jailed for trespassing.
So, you’ve got a horde of people that essentially commandeer a county office for 5 hours, disrupting the normal operations of the office and generally making a nuisance of themselves…. and no arrests are made?
We asked one of the San Diego Tea Party organizers how it was dealing with the city as far as getting a permit to stage a protest. This person told us that one of the reasons the protests have been held at Spanish Landing is because that is Port of San Diego land and not city property. The permits get processed in a matter of hours and, to date, no fees have been charged. Obtaining permits through the city, though, are very much the pain in the ass you would imagine them to be.
And yet somehow, we don’t see an impromptu 40-strong Tea Party protest being held in a government building being handled in such a laissez-faire manner.
(UPDATE #1): Want to know just how egregious the Justice Department’s dropping of the voter intimidation case detailed above was.
A commission so divided that couldn’t organize a rock fight was virtually unanimous in a vote seeking explanation for why the Justice Department forfeited a case it had basically won.
A partisan divide has made the commission contentious in recent years. Yet the Department of Justice's decision to forfeit its voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party and three individual defendants drew a 6-0 vote with one abstention by the commission. What unified the commission was outrage at the Justice Department for letting the Black Panthers off the hook.
The Civil Rights Commission has sent two letters -- on June 16 and June 22 -- to Loretta King, acting assistant attorney general for the civil rights division, asking for an explanation, but it has not received a response. Rep. Frank R. Wolf, Virginia Republican, sent a June 8 letter demanding an explanation, but the congressman told us he has yet to receive an answer from the department one month later.
The Civil Rights Commission's first letter expressed its "great confusion" over the department's decision. After all, "defendants were caught on video blocking access to the polls, and physically threatening and verbally harassing voters during the November 4, 2008 general election." The video showed "one of them actually brandished a nightstick in plain view of voters and poll observers ...defendants 'made statements containing racial threats and racial insults.' "
The only response from Justice thus far has been their original one and its based on the fact that the defendants failed to appear and respond.
Well, that’s sure good news next time you receive a court summons or find yourself in a wee bit o’ legal dutch. Freaking blow it off, man! It’s Obama’s America – attendance is optional!
We admit to being totally confused on just what it is the protestors at the G-20 summit are protesting. We may be oversimplifying but we understand that one of the goals of this confab is some sort of global New Deal. These protestors appear to us to be like migratory birds. Its just sort of instinctual that they show up at these events. B-Daddy has some thoughts on the matter here.
Wow. That was getting a little serious there for a while. It was brought to our attention that we either referenced or tagged the world’s oldest profession in the last 3 consecutive posts. It is also noted that the collective body of Congress was either directly or indirectly referenced in the last 3 posts. Do the math. Our apologies, however, to ladies of the night, everywhere.
Anyhoo…. What would be April Fool’s Day without a tea party update. Nah, just kidding. We do, however, bring you a protest of a completely different kind and which was attended also by conservatism’s very own merry prankster, YAF’s Jason Mattera. In this episode, Jason hangs with but seems very perplexed by profit-seeking socialists at an anti-war rally last week in D.C.
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