Excerpt: "Increasingly around the country, noted civil liberties attorney Bill Quigley told Nieman Watchdog this summer, 'What we have had is a militarization of the police response to nonviolent demonstrations. You attend one of those rallies and you could get the impression that it's unpatriotic to protest, that you're doing something wrong, that you're some sort of security threat.'"
New York Police arrest a demonstrator on Day 7 of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, 09/23/11. (photo: Giles Clarke)
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"The salvation of the people depends upon themselves, upon their capacity for suffering and sacrifice." Gandhi
Perhaps the most telling thing in all of this is that, to my knowledge, the police have never arrived at a protest and ended up facing the sort of violence they arrive prepared to combat. I supposed if they were called out to deal with a platoon of Marines attacking a neighborhood, all that sort of gear might be appropriate. That of course has never happened. Nor, to my knowledge, has any police force ever faced guns or other weapons at any of the more publicized protest rallies, including those where hundreds were arrested.
My greatest fear is that this will lead to a terrible backlash triggered by some small group of extremists. Never mind whether from the left or the right--we have them both, as does every country. But I dread the all too possible day when a large group of Americans go out to express their 1st Amendment rights, only to find themselves, after one or two idiots fire shots or even set off firecrackers, in the middle of a shooting war.
I sure hope it doesn't come to that. I had given up all hope for the United States but if these protests lead to anything good, I'll rejoin the country. I do fear, though, that the oligarchy will not release its stranglehold unless FORCED to.
Faux freedoms.
Faux Bill of Rights.
Whose faux is it?
First Amendment – Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly; right to petition
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
All the government responds with is intimidation and violence.
Faux grownups.
America, you ain't see nothing yet!
We do not want a country that use police to suppress dissent. We do not want a country run by a Police State.
Some police forces are starting to baulk at jailing people for the same causes they themselves should be supporting; Wisconsin is a good case in point.
Dart Vader is alive and manning the barricades!
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