Police are throwing flashbang grenades at protesters

[AKATheMack]

Oakland police have been moronic in this occupy business. But have you noticed that the occupy movement is now focusing on Oakland? That's because protests are nowadays set up entirely to show protesters being pushed around by law enforcement. Which is why every protest seems to show a 40 second video of someone getting their arse handed to them by someone in video with the caption "POLICE BEAT UP DISABLED PREGNANT WIDOWED PENSIONER VETERAN FOR NO REASON!!!!!!!111bdliaeb oyqerp;3rvbq
ervb".

While Occupy has a few real salient points to make unfortunately the vast bulk of these protest actions is to provide youtube fodder for the sky-is-falling-they'll-take-our-guns brigade.

Yea, its the protesters fault that the cops can't behave like they're supposed to. If the cops are acting in a way thats inappropriate isnt it a good thing to catch them on video doing so?

[jazluvr]

lol. Oh well. It won't happen soon but better believe, eventually people will start really picking up guns and start shooting.

it's our DUTY as citizens to abolish any American government that does not put its people first. -DOI

Write to congress;
talking points...

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no
pay when they're out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the
Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into
the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the
American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all
Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and
participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this
contract with Congressmen/women.

Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in
Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will
only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive
the message. Don't you think it's time?

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

you can find many ways and links to contact your congressman here...
http://progressiveportal.org/

I was going to make a thread about this...

[DaViDLoRanE]

So it's about the guns all of a sudden? I thought I was about a corrupt government? Why wait until they take your guns? You said it yourself, time to pick up your AK. Don't be a for once in your life stand up for what you believe and don't be a passive muppet.

[Drunken Cat]

I think one of the most positive things which has happened recently is that there has been space to move beyond the traditional Republic/Democrat Conservative/Liberal dichotomy which the elites in the US have used so effectively for decades to divide the members of the working classes. In this sense, the occupy movements, and actually more presciently the global protest movements, have been a huge success.

Of course there is still great division among the working class peoples, but some of that has been overcome. There is always going to be the counter-movements (or counter moves more accurately), such as the proto-fascistic Tea Party movements. That isn't an affront against the people who identify with the Tea Party, but such people are being mislead and are pawns in an elitist agenda. You only have to look to the roles of billionaire financiers like Charles and David Koch, propaganda outfits like Fox News, far-right think tanks, etc. in fomenting the Tea Party to see what I mean.

[Drunken Cat]

So it's about the guns all of a sudden? I thought I was about a corrupt government? Why wait until they take your guns? You said it yourself, time to pick up your AK. Don't be a for once in your life stand up for what you believe and don't be a passive muppet.

The protests have been non-violent, which is tactically the best way (to say nothing of humanity). There comes a point where violence becomes a means of recourse, though I hope it doesn't come to that. This is just the nature of how such things are and how such things go. There are numerous cases of such occurring throughout history.

[Drunken Cat]

lol Thanks to Obama you have no rights, deal with it. Expect a knock at your door and a black bag rendition to a secret prison in Bulgaria anytime. Wait what am i talking about? They don't need secret prisons anymore thanks to NDAA, at least you won't get jetlag.

It's been a bipartisan effort.

Who began this policy of "extraordinary renditions"? That's right, the Bush administration, which also initiated many of the other brick and mortar elements of the contemporary American slide into political fascism. And the progression has continued under Obama.

[Drunken Cat]

Here's an article i read on another site

Oakland Police Face Federal Takeover Due To Excessive Force

http://newsone.com/nation/associated...cessive-force/

Interesting.

But we didn't see the Feds moving into to take over the New Orleans police department when they were murdering people and running drug distribution and prostitution rings in the 1990s. There's a clear difference in this case. The response itself was orchestrated at the federal level, as was evidenced by Jean Quan's ill-begotten statements to such effect. The Feds are probably looking to take control so that they can have a more direct effect over managing the situation. I.e., not really a healthy development.

[squealpiggy]

Yea, its the protesters fault that the cops can't behave like they're supposed to. If the cops are acting in a way thats inappropriate isnt it a good thing to catch them on video doing so?

Actually I'm referring to the cases in which the police do behave like they're supposed to, a fact that a certain type of protester relies upon. Of course the effort is made to begin with to cause a reaction. This is why they go up to guys doing their job and yell things like "NAZIS" and "FASCISTS" and "SHAME" at them over and over again. When that fails, as it usually does, they escalate the behaviour to pushing and shoving. At this point arrests tend to start, with the instigators as the target. Then the protesters "fight back" (even though they actually started it by pushing and shoving) by throwing things. Then the police start to enforce order physically and the cameras start rolling.

This tactic isn't actually effective for anything other than patting each other on the back. Ordinary people watching those videos don't think "Oh man, those police were brutal!". They think "That angry mob should be dealt with severely". But I really don't know how many of these hippy dipshits really care about saving the world. I think it's more about getting the stinky tie-dye girl who smells like wet dog to nibble on their cock-scabies.

[Spartacus Sully]

Interesting.

But we didn't see the Feds moving into to take over the New Orleans police department when they were murdering people and running drug distribution and prostitution rings in the 1990s. There's a clear difference in this case. The response itself was orchestrated at the federal level, as was evidenced by Jean Quan's ill-begotten statements to such effect. The Feds are probably looking to take control so that they can have a more direct effect over managing the situation. I.e., not really a healthy development.

nah, the feds dont want a revolt agaisnt the police, and they dont want to police to be seen in such a negative light.

perhaps their goal is a more direct effect but that direct effect would be to reduce violence and crime and to allow the protestors to protest in a lawful way.

[Drunken Cat]

nah, the feds dont want a revolt agaisnt the police, and they dont want to police to be seen in such a negative light.

perhaps their goal is a more direct effect but that direct effect would be to reduce violence and crime and to allow the protestors to protest in a lawful way.

Yeah, you just pretty succinctly stated the ostensible scenario. I gave my take. Call me a cynic if you want.