I like the Bill of Rights, I do not have anything against it. I enjoy exercising my first amendment rights and also my second amendment rights. The third and the fourth are pretty cool. Always nice to acknowledge the fifth. Sixth, seventh and eighth are quite useful. Ninth and tenth are nice catchalls. So, how have we become a country of whiners because we have this Bill of Rights?
In a previous post, I had pointed out that the protesters involved with the Occupy Wall Street movement had compared the Mayor of NYC to various world leaders who have violently suppressed the rights of his people. By violent, I mean they have shot and killed their own people. Also some protestors have likened bankers and other members of the 1% to that of the Nazis in Germany or even Adolf Hitler. I had called for more thorough research before public figures are inappropriately compared to violent despots (or even semi-benevolent despots). It would really do a lot for the freedom of speech that all of us cherish.
Recently in the news, some students had at a university had formed a human chain by interlocking their arms and kneeling on the ground to block access to a part of the university. A video shows that a police officer used pepper spray on these students who were protesting peacefully. The majority of the viewers expressed outrage at this action by the police officer. I do not know the circumstances surrounding the incident, but as it appears on the video on the internet, it does not bode well for the police.
When interviewed on television, a well-known documentary film maker compared this incident to that of Tiananmen Square. Although I have not subjected to pepper spray (other than biting into a vicious habenero and having its juices squirt on the the back of my hand), I am pretty sure the being run over by a military tank or armored personnel carrier is probably much more painful (and probably fatal) then being hit with pepper spray. Can we stop with comparisons of the events of truly tragic outcomes of protests in other parts of the world with those of the Occupy Wall Street movement?
So far, the rapes, attempted rapes, grand larceny, the majority of the assaults and some deaths that have occurred at these protests were not a result of "military action". Most, if not all, of these incidents have been inflicted on the protesters by OTHER protestors. Sure, during a march the police have swung a baton or two, they have tear gassed, pepper sprayed, or even treated some of the protestors a bit roughly. How many were run over by tanks? Did the police open fire on any of the crowds?
To compare the rough treatment of these protestors to the even at Tiananmen Square truly insults all Chinese people and those who have really sacrificed for the cause of freedom in their countries under violent, repressive and despotic regimes. How many protestors in Tahir Square, Tiananmen Square, in Libya, or Syria, received free organic food prepared by a Michelin starred chef? How many had the protection of the police when they occupied a public square? They do not even have the Bill of Rights in those countries.
Please avoid comparing the OWS movement and the treatment of them by the police to those in other countries where the military has killed their own people. In fact, if the police had treated OWS as the military had treated protesters in Tiananmen Square, this whole movement would have ended at 7pm on September 17th.
In a previous post, I had pointed out that the protesters involved with the Occupy Wall Street movement had compared the Mayor of NYC to various world leaders who have violently suppressed the rights of his people. By violent, I mean they have shot and killed their own people. Also some protestors have likened bankers and other members of the 1% to that of the Nazis in Germany or even Adolf Hitler. I had called for more thorough research before public figures are inappropriately compared to violent despots (or even semi-benevolent despots). It would really do a lot for the freedom of speech that all of us cherish.
Recently in the news, some students had at a university had formed a human chain by interlocking their arms and kneeling on the ground to block access to a part of the university. A video shows that a police officer used pepper spray on these students who were protesting peacefully. The majority of the viewers expressed outrage at this action by the police officer. I do not know the circumstances surrounding the incident, but as it appears on the video on the internet, it does not bode well for the police.
When interviewed on television, a well-known documentary film maker compared this incident to that of Tiananmen Square. Although I have not subjected to pepper spray (other than biting into a vicious habenero and having its juices squirt on the the back of my hand), I am pretty sure the being run over by a military tank or armored personnel carrier is probably much more painful (and probably fatal) then being hit with pepper spray. Can we stop with comparisons of the events of truly tragic outcomes of protests in other parts of the world with those of the Occupy Wall Street movement?
So far, the rapes, attempted rapes, grand larceny, the majority of the assaults and some deaths that have occurred at these protests were not a result of "military action". Most, if not all, of these incidents have been inflicted on the protesters by OTHER protestors. Sure, during a march the police have swung a baton or two, they have tear gassed, pepper sprayed, or even treated some of the protestors a bit roughly. How many were run over by tanks? Did the police open fire on any of the crowds?
To compare the rough treatment of these protestors to the even at Tiananmen Square truly insults all Chinese people and those who have really sacrificed for the cause of freedom in their countries under violent, repressive and despotic regimes. How many protestors in Tahir Square, Tiananmen Square, in Libya, or Syria, received free organic food prepared by a Michelin starred chef? How many had the protection of the police when they occupied a public square? They do not even have the Bill of Rights in those countries.
Please avoid comparing the OWS movement and the treatment of them by the police to those in other countries where the military has killed their own people. In fact, if the police had treated OWS as the military had treated protesters in Tiananmen Square, this whole movement would have ended at 7pm on September 17th.
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