Voted up.

FTFA: . . . DHS is answerable up a chain of command: first, to New York Representative Peter King, head of the House homeland security subcommittee, who naturally is influenced by his fellow congressmen and women's wishes and interests. And the DHS answers directly, above King, to the president (who was conveniently in Australia at the time).

I'd be interested to know where the buck stops, in this case. If King acted independently, then it should be an easy matter of the President calling him on the carpet for it. If the Prez got the ball rolling on this before leaving for Australia, then it's pretty clear whose side he's really on (I've maintained he's on Wall Street's side for some time now).

Sensei Can You See: Hey Occam's Razor -- got a sec?

1. OWS protesters suffered at the hands of police because they broke the law, created a public health hazard, disrupted businesses, public commerce and transportation, have cost cities $13 million and counting, threatened police, attacked a police horse and refused to comply with lawful orders.

2. OWS protesters suffered at the hands of police because the riches people in the world are really scared of them.

Which is more likely?

#2 under the nominal pretext of #1. There was no need for DHS to get involved--no need for a simultaneous coordinated attack.

Perhaps they should take a lesson from the Tea Party and come armed next time? Police are far more concerned with their own safety than enforcing any law. The mere chance that they could be facing an equally armed and determined person would keep them from doing this sort of thing.

/sorry guys, no one respects what is right or wrong, only that you have the means to enforce the fact that you will no longer be a victim.

GAT_00: Oh good, I see the official OWS is evil squad got in here in record time. This is how you know this article is really bad: 5 straight hate posts.

Actually the article is very good.

It's green! Yay!

Nabb1: GAT_00: Oh good, I see the official OWS is evil squad got in here in record time. This is how you know this article is really bad: 5 straight hate posts.

Maybe this Bordeaux is going straight to my head (okay, there's no "maybe" about it), but what on earth are you talking about?

GAT is slipping, sees scorn where there is only genuine disgust at how this has been handled.

I guess that is the price you pay for living in an echo chamber.

The people involved in OWS need to get a life and stop protesting for the sake of protesting and feeling important

The violent police assaults across the US are no coincidence.
Occupy has touched the third rail: personal congressional profits streams.

bold, big, centered. For truth.

"You coward. You just shot an unarmed man"
"He should have armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend"

The biggest threat to America's freedom: China? Nope. Muslims? Nope.

Cops.

To Europeans, the enormity of this breach may not be obvious at first. Our system of government prohibits the creation of a federalised police force, and forbids federal or militarised involvement in municipal peacekeeping.

Umm?


/Didn't bother reading beyond that

Nothing ever bad happens to those on the wrong side of history.

Sensei Can You See: make me some tea: The No 1 agenda item: get the money out of politics.

No 4 Agenda Item: Peace in the Middle East, turn the moon into free cheese for everyone, make everyone in the whole world beautiful and sexy, eradicate all diseases and bring the universe into harmonic balance.

You forgot: Universal debt forgiveness and a free cheese pie excreting unicorn that pisses rainbows.

I can get behind the three items listed, its the rest of the loony lefty bullshiat that keeps me from being able to support them.

Shaggy_C: To Europeans, the enormity of this breach may not be obvious at first. Our system of government prohibits the creation of a federalised police force, and forbids federal or militarised involvement in municipal peacekeeping.

Umm?


/Didn't bother reading beyond that

Yes, reading is hard.

anindependent: The biggest threat to America's freedom: China? Nope. Muslims? Nope.

Cops.

This is true of every citizen in every nation-state though.
The ideas that the police are there to protect and serve anyone but the 1% is laughable.
The riot police confronting the strikers/union walkouts in China today have the same agenda as the riot police in front of every Occupy protest in America. Continuing profits for the upper class at the expense of everyone else's freedom and well being.

Pigz gonna pig

Evil Kirk vs Bad Ash: Yes, reading is hard.

If you can't be bothered to get basic facts about our government right, why should I bother reading your treatise on the faults of government?

Sensei Can You See: Hey Occam's Razor -- got a sec?

1. OWS protesters suffered at the hands of police because they broke the law, created a public health hazard, disrupted businesses, public commerce and transportation, have cost cities $13 million and counting, threatened police, attacked a police horse and refused to comply with lawful orders.

They attacked a police horse? All of them?

I have to imagine the last few hundred thousand or so of them to attack would have merely been beating a dead horse at that point.

/heh, get it? Because... nevermind.

It's time for OWS to decide what they "really" want, then.
If the article is true and unbiased and they've really threatened the wealthy into responding with coordinated force, then there are two options.

1. The wealthy will win and things will go back to the status quo.
2. Bloody revolution. (and likely the wealthy will still win, but this is the only option where they don't win by default)

There isn't a third option. Just electing different politicians won't do it. They certainly won't change of their own volition. I hear a lot about how this is a "peaceful" protest. Well, is it? Or is this just the warm up? How far are you prepared to go?

I don't expect the UN or some super power to enact a No-Fly zone over the US and conduct air strikes to weaken the government so the OWS "rebels" can win their freedom.

anindependent: The biggest threat to America's freedom: China? Nope. Muslims? Nope.

Cops.

Do the cops threat the freedom to get super-rich and control the brainless masses?
No, cops are the instrument of the already rich to control the masses.

Sensei Can You See: I don't have any trouble with the other three either, but "get money out of politics" is the most unrealistic demand ever made.

AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

Conspiracy theory. The occupy wall streeters are just normal liberals, and the reaction against them is a normal reaction between state power and protesting liberals.

It is definitely not a reaction to the Delaware thing, that is only one agenda item on a list of hundreds, poll the OWS people next month it might be something different, but at base it is a protest against a society which is becoming steadily more inequal in wealth.

This inequality is a situation that eventually leads to the either the overthrow of society or massive civil unrest from the French revolution to Argentina of 10 years ago.

What would be more surprising is if the police, homeland security, the FBI cheer on the protestors, even if there was no delaware agenda item.

sinschild: Perhaps they should take a lesson from the Tea Party and come armed next time? Police are far more concerned with their own safety than enforcing any law. The mere chance that they could be facing an equally armed and determined person would keep them from doing this sort of thing.

No kidding. OWS need to arm them selfs with pistols and rifles, not rocks and bricks.

Shaggy_C: To Europeans, the enormity of this breach may not be obvious at first. Our system of government prohibits the creation of a federalised police force, and forbids federal or militarised involvement in municipal peacekeeping.

That ceased being true in practice if not in fact after hurricane Katrina. Everyone was so upset that Bush didn't roll into New Orleans with the military to restore order, that problem has been corrected. Congratulations America - you got what you asked for.

cameroncrazy1984: Sensei Can You See: but "get money out of politics" is the most unrealistic demand ever made

Not really. Lots of other countries do just fine with publicly financed elections. Better, actually.

Was about to say, Socrates, it's a criminal offense in a number of developed nations to bribe government officials with money, which is essentially, SOP in this shiathole. /the more you know.

Whoa, it got troll-tastic and sock-puppety up in here FAST. Obviously, this article hit a nerve, and that means one thing:

Carry on, OWS.

Kick their ass - or more precisely - keep setting it up so they kick their own ass. Whatever works. :)

Nabb1: GAT_00: Oh good, I see the official OWS is evil squad got in here in record time. This is how you know this article is really bad: 5 straight hate posts.

Maybe this Bordeaux is going straight to my head (okay, there's no "maybe" about it), but what on earth are you talking about?

You're a fark indy and generally a dishonest douche bag. You know it, I know it, and the American people know it.