Spoke Jeff Bliss, Bliss Index, of the Occupy Oakland brouhaha of the last 24 hours that has now transformed into tear gas strew street theater reminding of the great Chicago riots of 1968 on a mini-me scale. Mr. Bliss noted that Mayor Joan Quon is not at home, and that her police chief quit some months back, so it is unclear who is directing the opera. This raw video from ABC local suggest the Oakland Police are retro in the age of IPhone4s video instantly available worldwide. The Occupy Wall Street crowd just scored a huge leap forward in TV footage for the talking heads on the usual cables. Even network morning shows, reliably for the 60s generation now in our dotage, will enjoy the sentimental celebration of the anti-war days. Mr. Bliss explains that the Oakland encampment attracted street people, the homeless, anti-social behavior and the young from nearby Berkeley. All we are saying, is give peace a blog. This is box office. The Oakland Police win the prize for knuckleheads up front. Note that Governor Jerry Brown started his political comeback as mayor of Oakland. Will he soon comment on what looks to be a police boo-boo? Governor, your closeup is ready; and recall that Governor Ronald Reagan rose to the White House on the legend of closing down Berkeley's rowdies.
The ACLU probably has an office next door to Moonbeam's. Oakland will be presented with the list of grievances and a bill shortly.
Here in Utah, ACLU marched in and demanded the police explain themselves for pepper-spraying (!) a bunch of rowdy kids at a football game.
The kids were Polynesian, a cultural group that is here in Utah in numbers and of which Utahns are very proud. Our colleges send a lot of Polynesian men to the NFL. Apparently they were dancing their cultural war dance, the haka. If you aren't expecting, it could be a tad intimidating. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WdhlQBhNHc&feature=related. The police apparently had never seen it before. I mean it was pepper spray, for heaven's sake, a non-lethal method of crowd control!
Some are demanding a federal investigation for a race-based violation of civil rights!
The kids were Polynesian, a cultural group that is here in Utah in numbers and of which Utahns are very proud.
Are the people of Utah proud because the Polynesians have made some concrete contribution to that state, like inventing stuff or building things, or simply because their presence constitutes ocular proof of moral superiority, like AIDS Awareness ribbons or all those African babies that Madonna bought on eBay?
Personally I think it is because they have responded enthusiastically to the BoM, places like Tahiti, Tonga, and Hawaii. Mormons have contributed a lot to development in those islands too and operate the Polynesian Culture Center in Hawaii, http://www.polynesia.com/purpose-and-history.html, a place where Polynesian culture is celebrated by native islanders as well as whites. Big tourist attraction. So many ended up coming to Utah to stay, a kind of reciprocity. Cant think why they would trade paradise for a place with 4 seasons. I'm glad they're here; I like the cultural diversity. One of my friends is a native Hawaiian and has taught dance for many years in school Arts programs in Ogden and Logan. There have been Mormon missionaries in the islands almost as long as there's been a Mormon faith. In BYU they maintain a Living Legends program representing many native cultures. The participants must be of the cuture they portray in the program. http://pam.byu.edu/similarpage.asp?title=Living Legends. Even if one thinks it's a little over-produced, the dances and costumes are authentic, some quite stunning.
I'm surprised this occurred in Oakland, Not SFO or Berkeley. JB, your mention of the political vacuum in Oakland shows protestors to taking advantage of the situation. Bloomberg is a similar mayor, looking for his next gig in a Democrat administration in Albany, Lucerne, or Washington.
Oakland is ungovernable tonight, NYC financial district is a bit crazy. Snow predicted for the Northern NYC suburbs. These kids will go home to their parents when the temp drops below 32'
Not comfy sleeping on Concrete in the winter.
I heard last night that reporters did thermal imaging on the tents after dark and found the majority empty. Speculation is that they done a bunk after bed check and checked into surrounding hotels. LOL That's the way the entitlement generation does demonstrating. Their sensible parents joined the Tea Party demonstrations, stayed for the 1 day, and went home to organize. These kids are reliving their grandparents finest moments, not living their own.
"...imaging on the tents after dark and found the majority empty."
I haven't been following OWS. But I couldn't imagine that all the people there were using public toilets. It just didn't seem possible.
The question du juor seems to be, "Pardon me sir, are you an Occupier or just an ordinary bum?"
I like the cultural diversity.
Some people like cultural diversity, some people like junk food for breakfast.
But Polynesians are eligible for Affirmative Action benefits that in effect make them a protected legal group that possesses rights that I lack, as well as privileges that my tax dollars must support.
If you have no objection to my snatching away your nutritious breakfast and forcing you to consume Twinkies instead, then I have no objection to the importation of a privileged minority group at my expense.
My girlfriend's older brother is an accountant, Recently some OWSers pelted him with dogshit when he tried to go to work, and now she, who under other circumstances might have had some sympathy for their cause, hopes that the authorities make soap out of them. Wining hearts and minds doesn't seem to be something they're very good at.
For the sake of accuracy, I should add that this didn't happen in New York, but rather in a Midwestern city.
"But Polynesians are eligible for Affirmative Action benefits that in effect make them a protected legal group that possesses rights that I lack, as well as privileges that my tax dollars must support."
Yes. I know. I've ranted about that elsewhere. My enjoying their presence here doesn't mean I condone Republicans and Democrats slobbering efforts to ingratiate themselves to Islanders. You will remember, the Dims didn't start down that path. Nixon did. Just another reason to revile his memory and dance on his grave, as far as I'm concerned.
"hopes that the authorities make soap out of them. "
I like the way your girlfriend thinks.
Let's not get carried away. We all love the Constitution here when it suits us. It guarantees the right to peaceful assembly. There are laws against throwing dogshit and other forms of violent conduct, so enforce those laws. Those who peacefully assemble and break no laws, they don't need to be made soap out of.
"Well I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone, going home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleeding me
Leading me...
Going home."
My point is not has nothing to do with what the OWSers might deserve, but rather pertains to the way in which they alienated a potential ally. Smart they ain't.
Should read "my point has nothing." Going to bed now.
Occupy Oakland. Or Madison. Or Wall Street. Or YOUR life, liberty and property.
This irony screams out daily. One voice, one prognosticator -- routinely dismissed with smirky condescension by smartalecks in the Manhattan-Beltway bubble -- was amazingly prescient and spot on about the toxic, destructive anarchism that we now see daily. In Oakland and elsewhere the rapacious conduct, property destruction and anarchism results from a confluence of ACORN 2.0, anti-Semites, Van Jones acolytes, Soros puppets, angry students with mounds of student loans and degrees in transgenderd post-colonialism, and other miscreant wealth re-distributors from the Hopey Changey votership.
Incidentally, this same belittled Paul Revere has amassed a fine forecasting record, trumpeting early the onset of, e.g., the housing and financial crises of 2008, the price of gold, food and commodities turmoil, myriad perfidies of government (Bernanke, BHO "czars," etc.), Arab Spring nonsense, and other things that now vex us daily. This Cassandra graced a book jacket by a JBS co-host about "wingnuts." Therein he was likened, along with Sarah Palin, to the genuinely villainous, dangerous Keith Olbermann.
Recently this soothsayer was tabbed a "clown" in a thread start here. If that be so, then for me send in the clowns. And thank you, Beck, for your clownage.
How timely my mention above of the higher education bubble. This subject - tuition inflation, stupid decisions and the growth of student load debt - has received much attention in the last year by serious, competent analysts. Being immersed so much in this topic, the JBS segment last night with the Nation writer last night was stupefying. So the debt burden and tuition inflation has been caused mainly by insufficient education funding from government? Economic illiteracy plus policy lunacy lead to breathtaking gibberish.
In stark contrast: http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2011/11/03/occupier-finds-out-that-expensive-degree-in-puppetry-is-really-paying-off/ And by all means, check the full underlying article by another Nation writer/genius. Economics and policy driven by the precepts of Noam Chomsky and others like him make a case for their entitlement to the fruits of YOUR labors. Yep. Occupy Your Stuff.
That educational excellence depends on per pupil expenditures is a myth fostered by the teachers' unions. It's been proven untrue numberous times, but that doesn't matter to the Dems/Progs/Libs for several obvious reasons.
On $$ and loans to students:
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/miarticle.htm?id=4870
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/miarticle.htm?id=7195
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/miarticle.htm?id=5978
and
http://jaypgreene.com/2011/11/04/the-book-on-rhees-dc-tenure-pretty-good-lets-move-on/
S%*t, these kids should go back to school and picket their ex-teachers, whose benefits, tenure and rising salaries have gone a long way to contributing to their massive debts.
"I am just a student, sir, And only want to learn
But it's hard to read through the rising smoke of the books that you like to burn...
And we''ll respect our elders just as long as they allow
That when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now
I've read of other countries where the students take a stand
Maybe even help to overthrow the leaders of the land
Now I wouldn't go so far to say we're also learnin' how
But when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now
So keep right on a-talkin' and tell us what to do
If nobody listens my apologies to you
And I know that you were younger once 'cause you sure are older now
And when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now"
Phil Ochs
Glenn H. Reynolds' dittos to Corlyss & Mike:
http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/11/sunday-reflection-occupy-wall-street-gets-ink-tea-party-gets-voters
Mine too.
Pleased to report that Occupy Salt Lake a) has taken up permanent residence in the park habituated by the homeless (perhaps clustering for comfort); and b) they are down to a handful since it snowed Fri nite-Sat nite. Ideals no match for human nature.
Oooops. Earlier report premature. OSL moved from public park to private property (sort of street theater for what they're really about: appropriating private property). Owner asked the police to evict them, and our oh-so-polite coppers negotiated with the demonstrators to let them stay two nights if they wouldn't damage the property or be a public nuisance. They are supposed to move to another public park tomorrow night. By the looks of it, they are about 20 of 'em.
I hear the NY OWS is moving down to DC. One of the things I really don't miss about DC is the bloody mess the perpetually aggrieved make of commutes in DC. Traffic all over the region was fouled up one morning when I was due in court by some bastard who'd parked himself on the DC side of the 14th St. bridge threatening suicide. There were thousands of us who would have cheerfully accommodated him given half a chance. People were wandering all over the beltway trying to find a way into work that day.