As many of you probably know, I spend my days cruising the Internet, talking to friends and keeping up with what’s going on in the world. And sometimes I run across something that just BEGS to be ridiculed (and I’m just the snarky gal to do it, too).
For those of you who may not be aware of it yet (you know, those of you with REAL jobs and lives) there is currently a protest happening called “Occupy Wall Street“. It’s been going on for over a week now (yes, really!) – a lovely little temper tantrum being thrown by a bunch of well-fed white kids who fancy themselves as some sort of modern-day, new age revolutionaries. They study the Communist Manifesto and hate capitalism in all of its forms because it’s … well – evil, ya know?
Why, this crowd is ALMOST as diverse as one of them Tea Parties!
Yep, they all get up at the crack of noon, dress up in the latest hipster doofus/revolutionary gear, then they head on over to the designated park where they proceed to bang drums and sing songs and bad-mouth the police who have been called to keep them all in line and out of the NYC business district where all of the grown-ups work.
Their website is a real hoot, too – yesterday was Day 9 of their “occupation” (they represent 99% of the population, dontcha know) – a grand total of 92 comments had been made on the post when I popped over there (I’m guessing they delete all of the comments from folks like me) – it’s a real People’s Movement……
They hate capitalism and all of that filthy rotten money, but they ARE accepting donations of food (non-perishables only, please), and they are offering free pizza to anyone who will come out and join them in their protest.
Oh, and they are currently only able to accept money orders, as they can’t process checks right now (Paul pointed out that they would have to cross the picket lines to cash the checks at the banks, and that might look ….. well ….. bad).
So anyway – yesterday, a friend on one of the blogs that I like to read shared the following:
Comment by ********* on September 26, 2011 5:53 pm
hahaha, so i have this old friend from highschool on facechimp and she posted how proud she was for the wall street protestors and some chick posted this comment:
“so does that mean you’ll get something going with me local??? i have the courage and drive now to go…. somewhere…. all by myself and hold a poster saying…. something… about change. but the dilemma i’m so clueless about really wha…t’s going on that i have no idea what it’s about! other than the root of it all is greed as part of the catalyst for bringing in a new world. i have the strong urge to add momentum in and outside way – not just internal any lonnger – to the revolution but how?”
Well, I’ve got an idea for this friend of a friend of a friend (“Next time, don’t inhale”), and all of those people out there who want to “show their support” for this group of folks – as well as these protesters who think that capitalism in all of its forms is just such a bad, bad thing.
You say that you hate all of these big, evil corporations? Well don’t just stand there, show them that you REALLY mean business – stop using their products and services!
Starting with Facebook (estimated net profit for 2011 – $1 Billion).
Then, you’ll have to stop using Google (2nd QUARTER profits, 2011 – $2.5 Billion).
You’re gonna have to give up your iPhone while you’re at it (Apple (2nd Quarter profits 2011) – $6 Billion).
Of course, you won’t be able to use your computer, either (2nd quarter profits (Dell) – $545 million) – but why even bother, if you’re not going to be able to surf the web anyway? C’mon, it’s for a good cause! (Remember, corporations are BAD…..)
Let’s not forget that double venti mocha caramel frapuccino (with whipped cream) that you get every morning (2nd quarter profits (Starbucks) – $279 million) – I mean after all, if you’re gonna show “the man”, you should be growing your own coffee beans and roasting them yourself!
You’re not going to be able to get take-out any more – let’s face it, those fast food companies are robbing us blind (2nd quarter profits (McDonald’s) – $1.4 Billion).
Then again, you won’t be driving (Honda – $2.4 Billion),
or buying gasoline (ExxonMobil – $10.7 Billion), so it really won’t matter.
For that true “protester” experience, you’ll want to live like they do – so you’d better plan on taking your clothes down to the river to beat them on the rocks once a week. None of this “laundromat” stuff either – you DO realize that washers and dryers are made by corporations, right? (Whirlpool – $169 Million)
While we’re at it, I think we can all agree that things like soap,
shampoo,
deodorant,
toothpaste,
detergent,
and toilet paper
are highly overrated ( (Johnson & Johnson – $3.5 Billion, Proctor & Gamble – $3.3 Billion).
After a long day of sticking it to the man, you will probably want to find a place to lay your weary head (Sealy – $3.5 Million),
but in solidarity with your brothers and sisters on the front lines, you should really strive for that truly authentic “Power to the People” experience:
So, cupcake? Yeah, you – the chick who has “the strong urge to add momentum in and outside way” – you CAN do more than just “go…. somewhere…. all by myself and hold a poster saying…. something… about change“. Show these people that you mean business!
Of course, when you cut yourself off from the rest of the world, nobody is going to know that you are showing your solidarity. You are going to be so busy walking everywhere, growing your own food, finding a place to sleep every night, etc., that you aren’t going to have time to publicize what you are doing. But that’s okay, right? After all, you’re going to be “making a difference”.
Then again, you could just send the folks at “Occupy Wall Street” a money order or a care package – they have their very own UPS Store address listed right there on their webpage.
I guess they don’t realize that UPS is a Fortune 500 company, huh? (#48 on the list – 2010 net profit – $3.5 Billion.)
.
(Cross-posted at Red State)
[UPDATE 09/30/11]: Got linked at the NYT’s CityRoom Blog ! (THAT explains the increase in traffic and comments…..). Thanks, also, to Left Wing Initiative (aka Moonbat Tracker) for the links!
[UPDATE 10/01/11]: Thanks to Professor William Jacobson over at Legal Insurrection for making this the “Post of the Day” -that is so sweet of you! Also got linked at Big Smoke today.
[UPDATE 10/03/11]: Tacky Raccoons made a great observation (thanks for linking me!)
[UPDATE 10/05/11]: My friend MJ has a GREAT post on where this protest is going to go (nowhere fast…..).
[UPDATE 10/10/11]: Toby Toons has the cartoon that perfectly sums up this post!
Koch's Tour 
I’m totally for change and shit, but I’m clueless about what the movement’s about or what’s happening. could someone fill me in, then we could occupy some space and rally for something or other.
I’m IN
LikeLike
Word.
LikeLike
If you really did give a shit, about 3 seconds of googling would tell you what it’s all about. No worries though, it’s only about human beings suffering – Financial disasters causing people (like firefighters, teachers, real estate agents, you know, real people) to lose their homes, the ability to feed their kids, have medical coverage or generally have a life — but I’m sure ya’ll are just fine, and probably don’t really give a shit anyway, so don’t worry your selves about it.
If you are interested, know that Financial Crisis has been caused by monetary greed. Period. Those who make lots want to make more, and more, and more, and it goes all the way back to the super smarty pants who cooked up some nifty deals to get folks into big debt (folks’ fault though — damn them for wanting a home) but didn’t consider what would happen when rates change and they (the majority) couldn’t afford to pay. Sure wish those super smarty pants would use that knowledge to work together to get your country out of this mess — but alas, prolly not as much money in it….
see http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/ if you would like to see some short stories about real HUMANS who are suffering.
LikeLike
I care. In these difficult economic times laughing at the stupidity, ignorance and misplaced rage of a bunch of well fed, pampered, ill-educated children does provide a bit of relief. It’s sad of course. They’re stupid. But they are too stupid to even understand that they are stupid. Dressed in their corporate produced clothes, eating food produced by corporations, driving to the protest in their corporate produced Prius paid for with mommy and daddy’s money, railing against corporate “greed” they strain through the mental fog to answer the most basic of questions. How do corporate profits cause suffering? Why do you think you have a right to what someone else has earned with their hard work? What has been the impact of socialism/communism in places like the USSR, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela and as we are now seeing, Europe? Did Wall Street force people to buy homes they could not afford because they thought they could turn a quick profit? What do you think of crony capitalism? What do you think of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Not hard questions for people moderately informed. But for this great big bag of stupid you might as well ask them to explain String Theory.
LikeLike
Bingo.
LikeLike
I’m tempted to ask what exactly you care about beyond your own backyard, but I won’t since it’s pretty clear by the heartless statements made here that it’s not much beyond the ego-centric bubble you’re living in.
Not ALL the protesters are “well fed, pampered, ill-educated children…., only a fraction are represented by the photos above. there are wealthy folks out there who are vehemently against what is going on on Wall Street as well. But if it makes you feel better to assume that it is not fellow human beings (like public servants, veterans, someone’s parents, siblings, grandparents, people who are educated and want to work) who are impacted by the greed of the financial institutions, then go on and keep your head in the sand (or up a little further if you wish).
It’s not ALL corporations causing the trouble here –there are many reputable corp’s out there that have good products that we need, and provide jobs. But they don’t pay their fair share of taxes, and not only that, but your gov’t PAYS them to stay. But, it’s the financial institutions that make me want to vomit. They were responsible for (and continue to be) the financial turmoil. Wall Street got bailed out by YOUR tax dollars, and the CEO’s still got their millions of dollars in Bonuses. Someone needs to explain how is that fair. Credit card companies are relentless at getting people into credit, and every single dollar of interest paid to these companies is another Cha-Ching! in the pockets of the greedy CEO’s who got bailed out. Making millions isn’t enough, millions and an a half is needed. And again, the don’t pay a fair amount of tax. WTF!!?
I don’t think anyone has a right to anything that someone hard working has earned. But why is the housekeeper paying more income tax than the millionaire? How is this socialism? (and here’s a tip — giving a shit about another person in need does not make you a socialist. It makes you a human.)
“Did Wall Street force people to buy homes they could not afford because they thought they could turn a quick profit?” YES! You’re finally getting it. (though they made it very appealing and affordable for the first few years, they pulled the plug on the good rates, and well, check the news to see how that’s going — though I’m just guessin’ that you’re a FOX tabloid news watcher, am I right?? PS — it’s not real news)
Being an insurance company, I don’t think much of Freddie Mac or Frannie Mae.
There is alot of shizzle going on in Europe, that is for sure. But the way the US is structured – that ain’t workin’ so well either. The US is in world of hurt, and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.
I’ve spent way too much time on this hateful and sorry excuse for a blog, that I’m starting to get itchy. But let me tell you I am so grateful I don’t live in the US. The country that I live in is no way perfect, but at least we care (for real). Good luck to you (generalizing here to all the heartless) and I only hope for your sake that your perfect house of cards never tumbles, or that you never need help from anyone else.
LikeLike
YOU DON’T LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES???????
Nice of you to come on here and tell us what we are doing “wrong”.
You want to change our system? Fine. Come over here, become a citizen, register to vote, and then work within the political and economic structure of THIS COUNTRY to effect change.
BTW, where, exactly, DO you live? How much money does the US Government send to your country every year to subsidize your lifestyle? Did anyone from the US Military help liberate your country after a war? Send you food when there was none after a war?
You’ve got some nerve coming on here and telling United States taxpayers “You’re doing it wrong.”
Hope you like living under Sharia Law; when the US goes, there won’t BE anyone around to come to your rescue…..
LikeLike
…In what? The American Communist Party fellow travelers section?
LikeLike
(She was being sarcastic…..) 😛
LikeLike
I’d love to go to New York, actually. I’d laugh and laugh and laugh at those idiots.
LikeLike
Bring a clothespin for your nose – they’re starting to smell pretty bad:
http://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-protests-nudity-2011-9-26
LikeLike
hahahahaha
LikeLike
Thanks for the inspiration – it was a lot of fun putting this one together!
LikeLike
who’s “countunt”
LikeLike
(I think it’s you)
Don’t know what happened there –
LikeLike
Pingback: Start “The Revolution” Without Me – A message to the “Occupy Wall Street” folks (and the guilty yuppies who kinda, sorta want to support them) | RedState
Very well done. – I am so proud of you.
Mom
LikeLike
I love it when my mom likes my posts!
Love you! ♥
LikeLike
This post is EPIC!!! Have to share!!
LikeLike
Glad you liked it!
LikeLike
Happy Johnson & Johnson Shareholder since 1996…
LikeLike
Oh, noes! You’re one of THEM????? Those greedy corporate fascists who only care about making money? Who wants to put food on the table and save for his kids’ college funds?
It’s like I don’t know you anymore….. 😛
LikeLike
Happy user of Johnson&Johnson products since 1955
LikeLike
Offers to supply protesters with molotov cocktails….errr wait a sec;
Detergent needed … “Tide” – no can do, produced by “the man”. Same for all the rest.
Accelerant needed … “Exxon/Mobil”, “Shell”, “BP” -same as above
Cotten product/wicking material … sheesh, almost all material comes from overseas, made by conglomerates that oppress the masses, this “taking it to the man stuff is hard!!”
Glass bottles … hmmmm seems like Anchor Glass is worth at least a billion. Seems a protester can’t get an even break.
Oh well, guess we will just have to stick with singing Kumbia and eating smores around a burning pile of trash.
LikeLike
Guy,
You always make me laugh!
Of course, my idea of “roughing it” is a Holiday Inn without Room Service…..
LikeLike
I heard on chat the other day that we should go to the protest and hold a sign that says “I’m just here for the hippy [girls]”
LikeLike
I had to edit ya, Aewl – my mother and children read this blog!!!!! (I’m blushing here…..)
LikeLike
My utmost apologies. Please forgive my indiscretion. I will watch my language in the future.
LikeLike
Oh, you’re fine, sweetie! Don’t worry about it (just didn’t want my momma to have the vapors…..) 😛
LikeLike
personal hygiene products…..?
never heard of ’em dude.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roFB7bGCAgc&feature=related
LikeLike
That is a classic clip – of course, out there in the (minus one tree) forest, nobody else was around to be offended by the smell….
LikeLike
Hi there! I located you from your comments at Ace of Spades.
I read this post at work yesterday. When I left work I decided to stop by my favorite watering hole for a quick beer. A friend of mine was there and was ranting and raving about BIG CORPORATIONS! And OMG they are making too much money, and sticking it to the little guy, and Wall Street is getting everything they deserve and yada yada yada! I sat quietly and listened to him until he lost some steam. Then I said “Oh? Really?” Then I pulled out my laptop, pulled up your post and had him read it. He ordered another beer, and started to read. I just sat quietly. He pushed the laptop back over to me and didn’t say anything further. He and I finished our beers in silence. I didn’t say anything, just put my laptop back in the bag. As I got up to leave and bid him goodnight, he looked me square in the eyes and said, ” I hate you.”, with a smile on his face. I asked why? He said something about me being brutal when it came to politics. I told him I don’t think it’s brutal to state FACTS. I also told him I didn’t argue anything with him. I just gave him a post to read, and that by gawd a little common sense goes along way!
He said, “You’re right.” I said goodnight again and left.
But dayum, that sure was satisfying! So I want to say thank you! It’s a pleasure!
LikeLike
Thank you for telling me that – it made my day! I’m so glad you shared that with me; it put a big grin on my face –
LikeLike
I love the fact you are defending the companies that had nothing to do with the problem these people are protesting.
In reality these people who are protesting are NOT against your list but rather they are against the financial industry which caused the 2008 economic collapse through the use of securities fraud and CDOs which were knowingly of poor quality and were products of predatory lending that pushed sub prime mortgages onto people who could not afford them even when they DID NOT HAVE TO but nontheless did because the sub prime mortgages yielded higher profit margins. All of this inevitably caused the housing market to bubble and explode rippling not just in the financial sector but through the rest of the global economy as well.
These “criminal” acts made financial conglomerate executives hundreds of millions of dollars richer, caused a global crisis leaving millions of people in economic hardship. As a consequence for their decisions the investment banks, rating industries and insurance companies were bailed out by both political parties in government to the tune of over 1 trillion dollars…honestly Facebook? Starbucks? Dell? who cares about them? At least their industry provides a product or service of value that has the ability to contribute in a positive way to society.
You have more in common with the people taking part in the protest then you do with the ones who brought them there…stop being so resistant to something new, they may be young but they have b***s (and stupidity) on their side. We should support people trying to stop that type of reckless greed and inhumane behavior.
LikeLike
I assume you’ve read their website, right? These folks are Communists and Anarchists. They don’t just want to get rid of the folks who caused the 2008 financial meltdown (read the book “Reckless Endangerment” to get an idea of the POLITICIANS who helped cause that whole mess); incidentally, they are the same folks who brought you Frank-Dodd – hope everyone likes those new debit card fees they’re going to be charged), they want to get rid of the ENTIRE financial system.
If it weren’t for Facebook and the internet, their little temper tantrum would have been over in a day, because nobody would have heard of it. What they are advocating is a Bolshevik Revolution (and we all know how well that turned out, now don’t we?)
LikeLike
Frank Dodd is a joke. It is a paper tiger/political punchingbag. Most of it isn’t even written and will not be inacted. The financial system does need an overhaul, and so does the government that regulates it. Last year the financial district combined spent 4.6 billion dollars on lobbyists in Washington. How is anything ever going to change when people’s rights aren’t being recognized in government?
There is more than one group behind this Wall Street protest. Generalizing and saying “Bulshevick Revolution” is so counter productive and radical that the idea would never take root.
My main gripe is that there are good people who were hurt from this very complex problem. People do not fully understand who to blame and are venting in all directions. It is a shame, however, that the very people who are protesting on behalf of their frustation and the frustration of others, are being pepper sprayed, beaten and arrested. All the while the people who stole the life savings and crashed the housing market still received their bonus and it still is business as usual – 0 arrests.
Is that freedom? or class warfare from the top down. It boggles my mind how the common people of this country tear each other to shreads while the culprits behind the damage are laughing all the way to the bank. What a mess!!
LikeLike
I agree with you on that, Fred – Dodd is a joke, and there is nothing I would like better than to see all of those responsible for the 2008 financial meltdown hauled off to jail for a good long time.
I just get mad at folks who rant against “evil corporations”, while using the very products that those corporations provide. All I was trying to do was point out something that these kids haven’t thought about. And this group (who even the POLICE commented were the nuts and the kooks that neither side wants to claim) is all about getting rid of all corporations, because they really and truly view them as EVIL. They’re lumping them all together.
I just wanted to point out what they will lose if all corporations are gone.
LikeLike
Why aren’t these protesters protesting the politicians who encouraged the banks to make bad loans in the first place. My husband and I qualified for one of those delightful loans. We said, “No, thanks.” I don’t think anyone who is losing their home because they decided to sign on the bottom line for something they couldn’t afford deserves to be bailed out. It’s called renting. Become one with it.
LikeLike
Meanwhile they’re draining the city of badly needed funds by getting the cops (who they hate) tons of overtime. That’s money that could have gone to schools, or to plow snow in about 3 months. When the snow falls and their street doesn’t get cleaned up asap!!! (I need my starbucks!!), guess who’s going to whine the loudest?
I’ve read various comments here and there that the protesters are ‘showing courage’ in not being tricked into violence by the police. What if anything is the point of their protest. Anyone would have to know that the leaders of this bs are praying that the police and the protesters clash so that they can seem like martyrs and not the lazy, shiftless, inarticulate, misinformed, uninformed idiots that they are. They think of themselves as thinkers, but none can say what they hope to accomplish with any of this. They think of themselves as individuals, but they all dress pretty much the same. They think of themselves as revolutionaries, but they’ve never had to fight for anything or even work for anything in their lives.
LikeLike
When that first snow falls, the ones who can will go back to their comfortable little brownstones and pat themselves on the back for a “job well done”…..
LikeLike
Pingback: » Video: Van Jones – In October We are Going To Have “An American Fall Like The Arab Spring”
Pingback: » Union Reinforcements To Join Occupy Wallstreet Neo-Coms
Pingback: Protests Over Wall Street Stir Up Voices on the Web - NYTimes.com
Excellent post! you guys should really send over some kool-aid, seems like you drink it enough so you should have plenty to spare.
LikeLike
Glad you liked it (I am assuming you liked it – the circular logic of the second part of your comment has me wondering…..).
LikeLike
My post above will explain better…with all due respect I just see it differently. The kool-aid comment was my attempt at sarcasm, which does not translate well over a computer screen…apologies.
LikeLike
That’s fine – I know just what you mean about sarcasm not translating well in pixels. Lord knows, I have had some perfectly wonderful (well, I thought so, anyway….) jokes die a painful death for lack of personal interaction!
Of course, the great thing about this wonderful country is that we are allowed to see things differently; I certainly respect that these folks have a different opinion from mine. I was simply pointing out that they really need to think their ideas all the way through to their logical conclusion – what they are advocating will mean that these companies (and many more like them) will cease to exist.
LikeLike
Hi Teresa! Great post! I tweeted it out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find your twitter account anywhere on your blog. [It would be great to have it on here! :)]
Again, great post!
LikeLike
Oh – I guess I need to add that! My twitter account name is Teresa_Koch – nothing fancy….
Wanted to let you know how much I love your stuff over at RedState – you have done (and continue to do) a great job, and I really appreciate all of your hard work. Those of us who live in right-to-work states usually don’t have a clue about how unions work, so your reports have been a real eye-opener for me!
LikeLike
Ahh yes… It only takes a single link to bring the libtards out.
Congrats on the notoriety.
LikeLike
My “fifteen minutes of fame”, huh? I’d better put out refreshments……
LikeLike
Wauw this post, dint think it through di you? Its so strange how you equate things. it is the main problem with old people, so stuck in their thinking patterns. You hate wall street? O you must hate capitalism then, o you must hate free market, o you must be a communist… O hand in all you products because you do not deserve those. Thats the saddest thing to see, old people so afraid of new things that they can only ridicule. Pretending to be intelligent by adhering to the status quo and at the mean time failing to see how the world is growing ever more corrupt all around you. Meanwhile there were plenty of ways to make fun of the people standing infront of wall street. You just dont have the intellectual weight to do that.
LikeLike
Ya know, people who live in intellectual pup tents REALLY shouldn’t taunt the bears…..
Unlike you, I actually TOOK THE TIME to read the web site of the New York City General Assembly – you know, the people who are sponsoring this little shindig (you DID know that, right?). Funny thing is, they DO hate capitalism, they DO hate the free market, and they DO advocate Communism – they even have seminars where they discuss the finer points of the Communist Manifesto (check out their “Teach-In” for September 22).
Last night, the “Assembly” minutes included a GUSHING review of Frances Fox Piven’s address to the group yesterday. You DO know who Frances Fox Piven is, right? The Cloward-Piven theory is a classic study in how to take down a government (if you can, please try and find a copy of the original 1966 treatise). That ain’t capitalism, sweetheart; those people actually SAY that they are advocating Socialism.
The purpose of this blog post was to point out to these nitwits that if they take down the entire capitalist system, they will – by default – be taking out all of these corporations that they decry so loudly; they don’t appear to have thought things through quite that far.
Right now, things are peaceful; however, there are people coming in from around the country who don’t care about peaceful demonstration (these guys are THRILLED that the “most militant union” in NYC is coming to march with them). These things can get out of hand quickly, and the original purpose of the demonstration will be forgotten by those who end up taking over (“Arab Spring” is the most recent example of this phenomenon – the students are no longer in charge, and things are turning really ugly over there).
This “old” person remembers studying a little something called “The Bolshevik Revolution” that occurred in Russia in 1917. Did you also study that in school, or are you too young to have gotten to that point in school yet? This “old” person has also lived long enough to recognize what happens when idealistic students try to tear down what has been built up. How has that “Utopia” that those students were calling for almost a century ago worked out for their descendents? Socialism and Communism have ALWAYS failed, every time they have been tried, and they will continue to fail, no matter how many times misguided souls “try to get it right THIS TIME”.
I suggest you read Thomas Sowell’s excellent book “Visions of the Anointed” – it might open your eyes just a little bit to why things work the way that they work. I would also suggest that you read the recently-published “Reckless Endangerment”, which details the machinations of many people in the financial crisis. Then I would suggest that if you really want to effect change, that perhaps you do what I have done over the past few years, and do everything in your power to see to it that these entrenched members of Congress and the halls of power are exposed for who and what they are. Many of these Congressional folks have been in their seats for YEARS, and they keep getting re-elected. And when we question them about their motives, we are called “ignorant” and “racist” and “traitors”.
Before you decide to question my intelligence, you might want to read my “who I am” section….
LikeLike
They are advocating for more regulations, not communism. But I guess this is a war of ideologies at this point. You don’t agree with the protestors because they don’t come from the same place on the political spectrum. That’s it. It doesn’t make their grievances fictitious and it certainly doesn’t make you right.
LikeLike
Read their website (the original one); check out their assembly page from September 22nd, where they are having a “Teach-In” on the Communist Manifesto; read up on Francis Fox Piven’s original (1966) treatise on how to take down the system and turn the country Socialist.
I never said that I was right; I respect their right to protest the system – I also have the right to say that I don’t agree with their underlying philosophy. That’s the beauty of the system that has been in place for over 200 years in this country. If they want to tear that down, they had better think long and hard about what they think is going to take its place.
LikeLike
I will start with the last thing you said. “Before you decide to question my intelligence, you might want to read my “Who I am” section.
I need to read you resume to make a judgement of the thought put behind this blog post? I will rather judge by what I see here then based on your claimed credentials.
Now that thats out of the way. Just because you see communist conspiracy everywhere does not mean that they are all communists. I have read Das Kapital because I was trying to expand my view of what the other options are besides free market. That did not make me forget about the principles of free market. And no I am not a communist. The second fact you name is that because a sponsor has communist ties thats why they must be communists? Now this is where I do the judging of intellect. So If that same communist organisation would sponsor The World Wide Funde. Then WWF would be a communist organisation with a communist agenda? Thats ludicrous. Ok so we moved passed the ridiculous notions that they are all communists. Because we are passed that I hope you wont mind if I skip past the whole Bolsjevik nonsense.
The funny thing is you actually confirmed my suspicion that you are an old person stuck in certain thinking patterns devoid of creative though. Now I want to point out that this is not a personal insult it happens to everybody at some point. But you state clearly when mentioning the Frances Fox Piven theory. You go to great lengths stating that I should know about this. So I am am somewhat ashamed to admit I dont. But thankfully you also explain that it is a classic study to take down government. And you say thats not capitalism. So because its Not capitalism it has to be communism? Even if that was Mao’s theory, then its incredibly narrow minded to think that a group of young people who are (I think we can agree) rightly concerned for their futures and concerned with the baron robbing of Wall Street that because they talk. Just talk not even act or voice. about something that is not capitalism then they are communist by default.
Your classic fear mongering argument that now everything is peaceful but it will turn in to a riot is not a real argument so besides mentioning it here I find it a weak attempt to try and scare people not to protest for something they feel should change. (And by change I mean regulate Wall street not bring communism to america)
You say that communism always fails and I agree. I only would like to add to that capitalism also always fails. In the way that it gives people the need to grasp for communism.
LikeLike
I need to read you resume to make a judgement of the thought put behind this blog post? I will rather judge by what I see here then based on your claimed credentials.
I guess I should take that to mean that you are too “close-minded” to find out a little bit more about me. Who is the “old” one now?
Just because you see communist conspiracy everywhere does not mean that they are all communists.
You want to count the number of times that the folks here say that they want to do away with capitalism? And the chick with the blond hair gets cut off before she can say that she would like to see the system replaced with Communism. Of course, the folks who are being interviewed couldn’t even find their way to the right location to protest the NYPD, so I’m not really worried about them taking over the country…..
So If that same communist organisation would sponsor The World Wide Funde. Then WWF would be a communist organisation with a communist agenda?
The WWF takes money from a communist organization – gee, I wonder how much money THEY make each year (both the WWF and the communist organization in question). Are they listed on a Stock Exchange somewhere, perhaps? Who gives money to these organizations, and how do they get it? Have you ever looked into WHO is donating money to these organizations? As in, which LARGE WALL STREET CORPORATIONS are donating money to these organizations? Go take a gander – I’ll wait…..
……you are an old person stuck in certain thinking patterns devoid of creative though. Now I want to point out that this is not a personal insult it happens to everybody at some point.
My, that’s very tolerant of you – I hate to think what you call women and homosexuals, not to mention transgendered people. And yes, old age DOES happen to everyone “at some point”, unless they die before they get there. How old are you, anyway? I mean, my goodness, it was only 25 years ago that I was 25 years old – I shudder to THINK how rigid your thought will be when YOU are 50; as you say, it happens to everybody…..
Your classic fear mongering argument that now everything is peaceful but it will turn in to a riot is not a real argument….
I don’t believe I said that it WOULD turn into a riot – I said that if the wrong people co-opt the protest (which happens more than you might like) that things could get out of hand. I don’t think that is the intent of the kids who are at the protest, but if they aren’t careful, the numbers could overwhelm them and they could lose control of the situation. As the mother of 3 young adults, I worry about that kind of thing happening at what started out as an innocent expression of opinion – I was certainly not trying to fearmonger; being “old”, I have seen what we ancient people call “unintended consequences”. Don’t worry, though – one day you’ll understand.
LikeLike
I think you missed a lot of the points I was trying to make. The WWF being funded by communist was hypothetical… It was to show you that your reasoning “They are funded by communists so they are communists with a communist agenda” is completely false.
Besides that, you seem to want to keep arguing for Wall Street. To the point that you are worrying me that I am talking to someone who actually thinks wall street needs no reform. Also you equate Wall street with large corporation wich is only true for banks. MC Donalds does not give a f*ck about wall street most of the time. Also MC Donalds would be here without Wall Street. We are talking about financial institutions here. I want to make that absolutely clear.
Also. O’reilly as a source? Really? A known liar? The man who thinks the tides are the ultimate proof that god exist? Use other sources, seriously.
I dont understand why me analyzing your way of argumenting and finding it narrow minded and contribute it to a loss of creativity due to age. Why that would make automatically also intolerant of homosexuals, I have no idea why you say that. It makes no sense but I clearly seem to have offended you. I was annoyed by the nativity expressed by your post, but I should not have made it so personal. Sorry for that.
The thing with the credentials:
there is a big difference in telling something about yourself and trying to intimidate someone with your degree’s and background. To fit your argument just now you changed the context of how you said it. Now you may call me narrow minded for not letting myself be bullied by your credentials. I will take that as a compliment. You may not call me narrow minded for having no intrest in you because that is not what happend.
The Fear thing:
Let me get this right. You say now that you just worry that it might go wrong but that is not an argument against the protest. Its just some worries but you understand that those things like riots can happen but are in no way to be blamed on the protesters? You either mean this or you are contradicting yourself.
LikeLike
The ONLY reason that I asked you to look at my “Who I Am” section is because at the end of your 1st comment, you said, “You just dont have the intellectual weight to do that.” I’m not trying to intimidate anyone with my “credentials” – I don’t have that many. But to tell me that I don’t have the intellectual weight to do something sort of necessitates that you get the facts before you go making a statement like that. Frankly, you don’t know me well enough to know just how much intellectual weight I may or may not have.
If you go back and re-read what I said about “you understand that those things like riots can happen but are in no way to be blamed on the protesters“, what I meant to say (and perhaps I didn’t say it clearly enough) is that the ORIGINAL protesters may find that the people who are coming to join them aren’t going to be as controllable in a larger group – it’s the nature of crowds.
THAT’S when the riots might start – I don’t think that the original group has any intention of having a disruptive demonstration. However, one of the things that they were “excited” about was that the “most militant union members” were coming to join their protest. That’s a little scary to hear, and I am concerned that they don’t fully understand what the words “most militant” really and truly could mean. They are a pretty naive bunch of kids….
Incidentally, I DO agree with their contention that Wall Street is out of control, and I never had a problem with them protesting. I was just pointing out that it is all of that money that made all of the products that have made their lives so easy possible in the first place, and if they REALLY think that money is such a terrible thing for people to make, then they shouldn’t expect that those products will be there for them to enjoy in the future. Companies will stop making those things if there isn’t an incentive for them to do so.
It appears that English isn’t your native language, so I am going to assume that some things get lost in translation; I know that I could not possibly understand all of the nuances in other languages. Suffice it to say that you are not completely understanding some of the things that I am saying, and I am quite positive that there are many things that I am misinterpreting in your comments as well. I apologize if I have offended you or taken anything incorrectly.
Listen, I am fighting very hard to make sure that a bright light is being shone on the perpetrators of all of these Wall Street shenanigans – unfortunately, there are too many in our mainstream media who are perfectly willing to turn a blind eye to everything that has happened. When we try to open their eyes to the facts, they accuse us of “hating poor people” or being racists or just being plain dumb (many of them suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect, I’m afraid).
LikeLike
Hmmm…”an old person stuck in certain thinking patterns”. Derision determined by year of birth…? Ideas have no half-life, and do not depend on the character of the person speaking, not are they dependent on any superficial characteristics of person-hood. When, in a debate, the side in opposition says nothing germane to the argument, they have not refuted anything. Want to try again? You should have noticed the photo at the top of the page and tried “Dumb blonde!” (Here’s one for you to clench about, “IHS”)
LikeLike
Have you ever heard of proof-reading? Perhaps you should gather your own intellect before questioning that of others.
LikeLike
I don’t think English is his first language – he’s from the Netherlands. I’m not sure I would do much better writing in his language.
LikeLike
If you want some info on the movement that is trying to make it less difficult for you to save for your kids college, you can check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSvutn9aNKE
Smells like democracy.
LikeLike
You do realize that democracies ALWAYS fail, right? It’s why our country was set up as a Federal Republic.
And the reason that I couldn’t save for my kids’ college (and am now paying full price for them to attend) is because I am one of those people who has been paying the highest tax rate all of these years (and we don’t make anywhere NEAR $250,000/year). It’s very hard to save money when people who don’t pay one penny in income tax keep insisting that I keep shelling out more and more money for them.
Do yourself a favor, and read up on Frederick Hayek’s economic theories, and then work really, REALLY hard to get all of these Keynesian economists off of the TV screens so that the American economy can get back to work.
LikeLike
While you’re giving out your preferred reading lists, you don’t seem to have anything to say about the substance of the video I suggested. Did you even bother to watch it? A mind is a terrible thing to close.
LikeLike
There IS no substance to that video. OK, they take down Wall Street – then what? What are their plans? How do they plan to make things better? So far, all I see are a bunch of people who are making signs and talking in vague generalities.
Let them start up their own companies and then they can talk about the evils of capitalism.
LikeLike
THESE people, you mean?
Yeah, democracy’s in the very best of hands.
I think I’ll stick with the Republic that our Founding Fathers had the wisdom to set up, thank you very much…….
LikeLike
Fox News? Bill O’Reilly? Might as well site the funny pages. Can’t understand the fascination people have with that channel.
LikeLike
Not fond of the show – but the video is (sadly) representative of a lot of the people who are there. They may not be the ones who organized it, but these are the people who are attracted to it…..
LikeLike
Remember when the Arab spring began and laughing at these people:
LikeLike
Yep – they were pretty funny! Where are they now? And what has happened to that “student” movement? It got taken over very quickly by the Muslim Brotherhood, and now instead of “democracy”, those countries are going to get full-on Sharia law, which is VERY democratic – unless you happen to be a woman, a homosexual, or a non-Muslim.
But hey – it’s what they wanted, right?
LikeLike
love the word “libtard”…I am a registered independent.
LikeLike
He wasn’t referring to people like you (I know him personally) – you make very reasoned statements, and I appreciate your opinions. There are folks who get on some of these blogs to make comments, and they make a point to insult other people while showing their complete ignorance. (Trust me, I’ve been called worse on some sites….).
LikeLike
Your stuck-up snarky misinterpretation of this event is bullshit, and the impenetrable aura of an ego trip you’re on thanks to all the snark-wanna-be’s who fawn for this bilge prevent you from attaining any semblance of empathy for those who seek to alter their futures for the better. The issue is NOT that our very existence is propped up by the products of Fortune 500’s. The issue is that the deregulation of the banks and brokerages turned Wall St. into a casino: credit default swaps issued by the brokerages – toxic assets that were then insured against failure by AIG – when failure was assured – leading to TARP. No one has been prosecuted and the same names and addresses are lining up to pull the same trigger again. The one thing more rancid than the cardboard these protesters sleep on is the fetid insincerity of your world-class snot fest of a blog.
LikeLike
Funny – that’s not THEIR issue; they want ALL of the corporations gone. Don’t ascribe your beliefs to them – do your homework; read their website.
I AM working hard to see that the people responsible for the financial meltdown are dragged into the sunlight for all to see; however, supporting a movement like this is not the way to do it. They are working for a Communist paradise, and if you would take the time to actually READ what they are writing, you would see that as well.
Saul Alinsky never realized that his own rules could be used against his dreams for a Communist society – one of those rules is to “Use Ridicule”.
Like I said earlier, if you want to effect change in the system, work to get the bums who caused this – Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and their ilk – thrown out of office. Good luck trying to do it, though – their constituents LOVE all of the “free money” that gets thrown their way. And that “free money” is what the folks who are putting on this little show want for themselves as well.
LikeLike
You DO realize, don’t you, that this post was originally directed at the person who made the FACEBOOK COMMENT and all of the armchair wannabe protesters out there? Ya know, the people who “want to do something”?
As a matter of fact, it was that Facebook POST that inspired this column, not the protesters; all of the stuff in there about the protesters was meant as background information for people who (at the time) had no clue that this protest was even taking place.
At the time that this post was ORIGINALLY published (09/27/11), the protesters were still convinced that there was some big media conspiracy to keep their voices from being heard; nobody was covering their story, and nobody was coming out to help them protest. They couldn’t understand it…..
Well, they got what they wanted – as the saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for…..”
LikeLike
Is this satire or is this Teresa character really this frighteningly ignorant and stupid?
LikeLike
It’s called “THINK ABOUT IT” – and the people behind this movement are the ones who aren’t thinking things through to their logical conclusion.
LikeLike
ok bud – she is not stupid just passionate for what she believes is right. And by the sounds of it she is pretty bright…don’t insult someone just because they disagree with you. It’s ignorant and self serving and it only causes further seperation between people who probably share more beliefs than they would like to admitt.
T – I actually did read Sowell’s book, and the main flaw that existed within his writting to me was the lack of emphasis he placed on perspective. True evidence should be what leads to logical conclusions but the inability to take in evidence from all different viewpoints leads to false belief of invunerability which then gives way to the inability to change, which leads to belief in one’s own greatness, inevitably causing a monumental collapse. Things need to adapt in order to succeed and have to be able to admitt being wrong when needed. It is a quality far too often wrongly seen as weakness rather than strength.
I also have to disagree with the Federal Republic comment as well. True we are not a Direct Democracy, but we are a Representative Democracy where in we (citizens) vote in representatives to take care of the day to day functions of government, leaving the masses free to carry on with their lives. The one thing that does not get mentioned, however, is that in either form of Democracy (Direct or Representative) it is not written that society has to be based on Capitalism. It is, however, based on the right of the people as citizens. Capitalism needs to adapt and change (as does government) or it will fall victim to belief in it’s own greatness and eventually collapse.
This is fun…3 kids are sleeping and I feel like an adult again!!
LikeLike
No one has been prosecuted
and yet we know the names of the guilty, and still Bwarney Fwanks is in Congress, Jaime Gorelick and Franklin Raines are still sitting on their piles of cash…, Chris Dodd and other “Friends of Angelo” still have their sweet real estate financed dirt cheap, and Fannie and Freddie are STILL guaranteeing loans for people who have no hope of ever making good on them. But please, continue with your outrage at us laughing at the dummies who allow themselves to be used in protesting Wall Street.
*facepalm*
LikeLike
The free pizza is tempting, but if there isn’t a blimp I’m staying home.
LikeLike
They’re planning on doing something with Helium balloons, according to their minutes from last night:
Next thing planned is a helium balloon bonanza, slightly covert. If you’re interested, email them at arts_culture@nycga.net.
Ooops – I think I let the cat out of the bag!
You’ll be happy to know that they ARE planning to have some of those big papier mache heads again – those are always really popular, and let the 1% know that they mean business…..
LikeLike
You might have heard of financier named Warren Buffett in Omaha who has $30 billion worth of assets falling out of his ears. His successful mutual funds are certainly the result of trickery, skull-duggery and theft. Why isn’t anybody protesting in his front yard?
LikeLike
No free pizza?
LikeLike
Not in Nebraska. Free baby cow on the hoof.
LikeLike
Bar-be-que, baby!!!!!! I am so there…… 😛
LikeLike
So Democrats, et al, are responsible for turning Wall St. into a casino? I don’t think so…Gramme Leach Bliley Act of 1999, effectively deregulated the banking industry and allowed for the shenanigans which followed. And yes, those are 3 Republicans, PG is from your GSoT. Yeah, sure…(I can’t wait for you to remind me how Clinton was pres back then. Clinton was the most Republican Democrat ever – but that’s another point lost on most.) But it was Bush who passed TARP. Industry regulation did not come about because a bunch of assholes sat down and said, “gee, how can we screw everything up?” It came about because industry pissed on everything in its path to make a dollar – they could care less about the environment (the EPA), fair wages (Unions), worker safety (OSHA), etc., name an agency and there behind it you will find a litany of transgressions initiated by industry, and the reasons leading up to such regulation.
So, now it’s banks and brokerages, and what has their legacy been? Look at your 401K, look at your property values, look at small business’s efforts to acquire capital, look at Europe, and the Eurozone…There are a few who got very rich and a multitude who are left in tatters, AND asked to pay more! More! You want ‘Funny’? There’s you’re [*****] cynical “Funny…” You get to pay for the crimes of a few…still laughing?
You will be hard-pressed to effect any change that will right this ship by tossing anyone from office. Lobbyists & the ‘free money’ you refer to have become the electorate, and Republicans take just as much of it as anyone. It is the system that is poisoned, not the machinations of any one political party.
The protests in New York serve a grand purpose: they are focusing attention on the cancer that has affected capitalism, and the fortitude of participants illustrates that the cynical, ‘let’s just roll-over ‘cuz there ain’t a thing we can do to fight back against money/power/injustice/etc.’ attitude that pervades this country, doesn’t have to be the reality. Whether you like it or not these kids are here, very possibly here to stay – and the last thing they give a shit about is where in your HS class you graduated…
LikeLike
Sweetheart, the “kids” will stay until it gets too cold, and then they will leave – happens every year; this year is no different. The homeless are only there for the free food, and the kids who started this are starting to have very REAL issues with those folks making other people feel really uncomfortable (read their minutes).
Again, I would caution you to look at this group’s website, and what they stand for – you will see the word “collectivism” over and over again – they study the Communist manifesto, and think it’s a great and inspiring work.
And again, I would suggest reading “Reckless Endangerment” – it is a well-researched book, and lays out all of the machinations that worked together to bring about that crisis. The current administration isn’t helping. There ARE people who are trying to get things to change, but within the letter of the Founding Fathers’ original reason for setting up the government the way that they did, not by overturning it.
Go to a Tea Party meeting sometime – you might be surprised at how much you have in common with them…..
LikeLike
Ok, LyubImaya!
You may be confusing them with the birds you hear chirping all the time; now they often travel to Texas for the winter. This is year one for an encounter of this nature – so, I guess wrong is this year’s black. If you were homeless you’d eat the free food too – and you may even say Thank You. I went to the sites of OWS & NYCGA. It is not worthy of the warning bells you keep hearing in your head…
The Communist Manifesto? Gee, imagine a bunch of college age kids reading that and thinking it prescient? Nah, unlikely, that would never happen? Though it IS a great work – when you imagine that it required someone to sit down, figure all that shit out and then compose it into a coherent treatise that to this day has people like you peeing in their pinko pantsuits. Just cause you disagree with it does not mean that it’s the “It’s a Cookbook” episode from the Twilight Zone.
PS – the 50’s called and they want their over-the-top paranoia back…
Go to a Tea Party Mtg? I’m not very happy with the Tea Party…But as a proud Tea Party member, you just enjoy your day tomorrow taking cheap shots at a bunch of non-violent young idealists who have braved the elements and put their safety on the line in order to make a difference, or a dent in the realpolitik…comrade;)
…wait a minute – they sound like those colonists back in Boston…hmmm.
LikeLike
Sweetheart, I’m not SCARED of these kids taking over the world; what concerns me is that people are supporting them without understanding what the kids themselves THINK they represent.
Yeah, sure; Communism looks great – ON PAPER. The brutal reality of it is far, far different, and these kids would be the first victims of it – they’re just too idealistic to realize it. Because to them, the world would be a perfect place if only everyone would get along. I’d like to live in that world, too – but I’ve been around long enough to realize that human nature is what it is, and it ain’t ever gonna happen.
And – news flash! – none of the kids who SHOWED UP to protest are homeless; many of them are getting dropped off in flashy, expensive cars to join the party. In fact, many of the homeless people are causing problems with these kids that they had NO IDEA they were going to be facing when they started this (including unwanted physical contact), but whenever you hand out things for free, people come out of the woodwork to cash in on the goodies.
(Incidentally, you MIGHT want to brush up on your history just a bit – history has romanticized the actions of those original “Tea Partiers”. Law-abiding people were pretty appalled at how they had gone about “making their point”, because it involved destruction of property. The SPIRIT of what the Tea Party represented is what is driving the modern-day Tea Party movement – things aren’t going to get out of hand at any of their events, because the crowds police themselves.)
LikeLike
Newsflash! As apparently is the norm around here, you know very little about who these young folks truly are, yet you to continue to make derogatory statements that are cherry picked from your tree of self-righteousness. Because you read a comment (that cannot be verified or substantiated) stating that they are ‘trust fund babies being dropped off in SUV’s’, does not mean you can logically make a statement that ‘many of them are being dropped off in flashy, expensive cars.’ That’s not journalism – it’s gossip. And even if it was true, it does not diminish the reasoning behind their participation.
Well, they were not picked up in SUV’s last night – they were corralled and arrested and placed in crappy old, smelly buses and trucked down to 1 Police Plaza. I would bet my free stuff vs. yours that you were thrilled to hear that 700 of them were arrested.
You’re not a patriot – you’re just a snob – end of story…
And incidentally, you just MIGHT want to go soak your head in motor oil…
LikeLike
Newsflash – this is a BLOG, not a newspaper; I never claimed to be a journalist. If you take the time to read the ORIGINAL post, you will find that this post wasn’t ever ABOUT the kids who are protesting; it was a response to a FACEBOOK comment that one of my friends forwarded to me. This post is directed at that person (and people like her) who want to “do something” – I was simply suggesting ways that they can “show their solidarity” with causes like that.
Since you are taking the time to tell me all about the kids who are at this protest, can I assume that you are actually one of the protesters who is currently in the park? Are you basing your comment on “comments (that cannot be verified or substantiated)”? (My comment about the “trust fund babies in SUVs” happens to be based on one made by someone who works in an office directly above the park)
I have taken the time to read about who these kids are – I doubt that you have done the same, given your comments. They talk about “collectivism” without taking the time to think through what that means, and what the end result would be, even though there are plenty of examples throughout history and into the modern age of what the RESULTS of that kind of system look like.
As for those kids getting arrested – did they break the law? If they did, then they should have been arrested. Laws exist so that people can move about freely, without having to worry about their safety. The kids were told to stay out of the street – that was for THEIR safety as much as the safety of the people who were driving on the street. They made a CHOICE to ignore those orders. If they aren’t willing to follow the law, they are going to be arrested, simple as that.
Am I a snob? Perhaps so, in the eyes of someone who more than likely is living off of the largesse and good graces of other people; when a person is self-sufficient, pays all of their bills on time, lives within their means, and provides for their family without thinking it is somehow “fair” to take money from other people to do so, I guess people who aren’t living their life that way might see it as snobbery. I’m willing to bet that 20-30 years from now – when you are sitting where I am – you’ll see things a little bit differently.
When you have no argument left and you have to resort to name-calling, you have already lost your argument.
LikeLike
“In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.”
-Buddha
Cheney’s LN – (nice by the way) T didn’t cause this, she is speaking her mind. No matter how hard you pound your ideaology at her it will just push the two of you farther apart. Your opinion here as a result of what you wrote takes on the appearence of a selfish pursuit in that you are only venting your anger in the wrong place and it will not get you a desired outcome of change, only more frustration.
In other words, you may be right just calm down.
LikeLike
Really? The Eurozone is an example of how bankers cause collapse? Really?!
Europe is failing because the EU and the Eurozone charters are documents littered with enough regulations to fill a phone book. That whole mess is administered by an army of useless, unelected bureaucrats who are likely as not to be serving their own self-interest at the expensive of the rule of law.
The bankers didn’t cause their fiscal and monetary problems. Europe is flaming out because their economic model is absurd and unsustainable. The real shame is that they’re taking the banks and the businessmen and the citizens all down with them.
Actually, the real shame is that dip-sticks like you think that’s a good model to follow. More EPA, more OSHA, and more unions aren’t the answer. The EU is proving that pretty vividly.
LikeLike
True Europe has more socialized programs but our 2008 fall was based on the deregulation of derivatives and the “lessez faire” approach to the 1+ trillon dollar derivative industry. BOTH parties in government deserve blame…but even more so the actions of the private sector which created this problem. Where is their accountability?
Make no mistake our government may have left the front door open but the financial sector robbed the house.
LikeLike
You may have that backwards. The real crooks are in the government and the financial sector do what they do because the crooks are complicit/allow it for their own purposes.
“……..All the great laws of society are the laws of nature. Those of trade and commerce, whether with respect to the intercourse of individuals or of nations, are laws of mutual and reciprocal interest. They are followed and obeyed because it is the interest of the parties so to do, and not on account of any formal laws their governments may impose or interpose.
But how often is the natural propensity to society disturbed or destroyed by the operations of government! When the latter, instead of being engrafted on the principles of the former, assumes to exist for itself, and acts by partialities of favor and oppression, it becomes the cause of the mischiefs it ought to prevent…..” – Thomas Paine
LikeLike
Given that I haven’t heard of any significant prosecutions leveled at financial institutions, I would guess nobody has found evidence they’ve done anything crooked under the law.
Also, given that we allow the government to set the environment under which businesses operate, I think it follows that the government bears rather more responsibility than Wall Street fat cats. Especially knowing as we do that there was a virtual mandate to participate in the derivatives market.
Banks are traditionally very cautious about their investment strategies. I’m not sure there would have been a derivatives market without some yahoo politicians and bureaucrats meddling with things they should have left alone.
And the private sector did face accountability when their businesses were on the cusp of failure. The idiots in D. C. removed that accountability and changed none of the structures which are the root of the problem. Capitalism works just fine when it’s allowed.
LikeLike
Thats the point…what they did was use the securitization chain and Credit Default Swaps to not only increase profit but hope that it would fail in order to get larger payouts. It was 100% legal because of the lack of regulation present but there actions were the very definition of fraud.
1. Banks used to be careful about who they loaned out money to, but because of securitization banks had %90+ percent of their loans bought by large investment banks thereby releaving them of the burden of excessive defaults on loans.
2. Investment banks combined the different loans (subprime mortgages, car loans, student loans, etc.) they purchased from banks into what is known as CDOs. Which were sold as AAA rated securities by rating agencies such as Standard and Poors (oddly enough the same people which downgraded America’s credit rating). Even htough these crediting agencies were paid a massive amount of money to specifically say the junk CDOs were of the highest quality – thereby making them open for state government retirement investments because they were considered to be of the highest quality securities. This was just a bold face lie or as the rating agency would later claim: “Their opinion” – which if you ask me doesn’t add up to crap.
3. Investment banks realizing a number of their CDOs were crap bought Credit default swaps (CDS) on their own CDO from large Insurace companies like AIG. Once massive amounts of loans were defaulting Insurance companies no had to pay the Investment banks for the loss on the defaulted CDOs.
4. Since ther was NO regulation on CDS – which is a form of derivative, companies like AIG did not have to keep money set aside to pay off on a defaulted CDO, and instead used the premium from the CDS sold to pay off large bonuses. So when it came time for money to be paid to the investment banks for their losses on a massive scale, the money wasn’t there and the securitization system imploded.
5. Also theinvestment bankers from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutche Bank and others used CDS to bet against the financial system causing a conflict of interest in that they wanted to see the system fail because it would pay out in huge amounts…THE VERY DEFINITION OF FRAUD.
The financial district has not been in any significant trouble since the 1950s (pre-securitization) and have had enjoyed continual growth. Government is guilty here in that they either have helped push this along with the complete “lessez faire” approach to the financial industry or actually taking part in the fraud with revolving door politics. The truth is Investment Banks have done so much to hurt this country and government is either too slow, too involved or too stupid to respond.
This is NOT a political argument…it is a criminal one.
LikeLike
Part of the reason Europe is failing is that credit restrictions were eased in several nations & offered to many who did not deserve it, sorta like the housing bubble scenario in the US. Because several countries were either teetering to begin with, or somewhat irresponsible when it came to spending/accounting, they are now unable to pay their debts and the Eurozone is in danger, as not all members have been good stewards of their fiduciary responsibilities. Now everyone’s pissed cuz it is left to the few moderately solvent countries to pick up the tab, though in doing so they only prolong an inevitable decline. So, yes, bankers, to an extent, are responsible because they made credit available to many who did not properly qualify for it. If they were doing their job they would have said, sorry but you cannot afford the Mazerati & house on Sardinia.
This problem is not because their is a regulatory act the size of a phone book – but I guess in order to support your fantasy world without regulations – that insane statement of yours fits the bill. Additionally, because the Eurozone may tank has little or nothing to do with the actions or reasoning behind the EPA, OSHA, etc. But yet again, in your wacky world of ‘the market will prevail’ it makes for quite salty pretzel logic.
And…”That whole mess is administered by an army of useless, unelected bureaucrats who are likely as not to be serving their own self-interest at the expensive of the rule of law.” is a sentence that makes little sense. Please read your rambling drivel before pressing send – just pushing the buttons is only part of the equation.
And I take umbrage at being called a dipstick…
LikeLike
The ‘cancer’ is the politicians feeding at the public trough and shaking down corporations. Campaign donations/protection money, whatever you want to call it, are public record. Go look them up and you will see who and which party has benefited the most.
Get rid of the lobbyists, special favors, insider info which would put us in jail, but not politicians, and set term limits. By removing the cancer, the free market/capitalism will work well.
LikeLike
It came about because industry pissed on everything in its path to make a dollar – they could care less about the environment (the EPA), fair wages (Unions), worker safety (OSHA), etc., name an agency and there behind it you will find a litany of transgressions initiated by industry, and the reasons leading up to such regulation.
—————————————————
This sentence is a perfect example of how completely ignorant you are of corporate America. I wish you could sit with me through a series of meetings (I work in a leadership position in Fortune 500 company) that I’ll be attending at the end of the month. We’ll be discussing our Zero Harm policy which is intended to reduce our environmental impact, whether or not to forego raises for the leadership team so that the money can be used to increase raises for our field employees, and of course, as we always do, the safety of our workforce.
Or instead you can cheer on people who sit in the street, holding signs.
As I’m sure you are well aware, chanting slogans is easier than actually participating through hard work and action.
YES WE CAN!
LikeLike
My comment was intended to reflect the reasoning behind the history of regulation, and it is not ignorant. You might work for Perfect People, Inc., though your dopey company is not, nor has it ever been the only corporation in the history of America. If we look at history we can find many examples where certain – not all, American corporations have been less than Zero Harmful in one way or another.
PS. Thank you for doing your job – yet I am all out of medals. I’m sending them to the protesters in NYC…There are many types of hard work & action – or does your co. own the patent on that?
Another point is that you’ve missed mine. In fact your response is almost a non-sequitor.
I’m willing to bet that the conversation about forgoing raises is gonna’ be a short one…
LikeLike
You know I’m right, and it hurts. You simply don’t know what you’re talking about. Thanks for trying, though.
It’s possible that you are the one you’ve been waiting for, but you’re just really disappointed.
LikeLike
Terewsa, you’re having far too much fun for a lady. If this doesn’t stop soon, people will begin to talk.
LikeLike
I lwove my sticky key.
LikeLike
Mr. Stinky, why is your key sticky?
LikeLike
Are you sure you want to know the answer to that question?…..
LikeLike
I’m repeating this again, because it is key, you smelly hippies. But smelly hippies/liberals/commies/democrats (but I repeat myself) don’t care because they are in on the take.
….All the great laws of society are the laws of nature. Those of trade and commerce, whether with respect to the intercourse of individuals or of nations, are laws of mutual and reciprocal interest. They are followed and obeyed because it is the interest of the parties so to do, and not on account of any formal laws their governments may impose or interpose.
But how often is the natural propensity to society disturbed or destroyed by the operations of government! When the latter, instead of being engrafted on the principles of the former, assumes to exist for itself, and acts by partialities of favor and oppression, it becomes the cause of the mischiefs it ought to prevent………….
LikeLike
You are intentionally mischaracterizing the protests and their intent for controversial hits to your blog and personal gain. The protests, as of now are unfocused but are fueled by an underlining feeling of discontent and the rampant economic injustice this country, and the rest of the world, has endured this past four years.
Shame on you.
LikeLike
I’M not the one who linked this site – THEY are. I just put this out there for my friends and family to read. As to personal gain, I haven’t the slightest idea what you are talking about; there aren’t any ads on this site – I write for my own personal pleasure.
Stop for a minute and think about who was in charge of Congress for the past 4 years – all of the spending came to a grinding halt in 2011 – when one party overwhelmingly was voted OUT of power in the House (where all of the budgetary bills originate).
I surely would like to know what you consider “Economic Injustice”, though – if everyone is supposed to pay “their fair share”, I am ALL FOR THAT – you pick a percentage that you think is “fair” for EVERYONE to be taxed at, and let’s get this done, OK? But EVERYBODY has to pay the same PERCENTAGE of their salary – no exceptions.
I do assume that “justice” means “equality”, right? You do understand that “all men are created equal” means equality of OPPORTUNITY, not equality of OUTCOME, right? Everyone gets a free education in this country until the age of 18 – if they CHOOSE not to take full advantage of that OPPORTUNITY, it’s not my fault that their OUTCOME isn’t the same as those who did…..
LikeLike
Key word in your entire post: “feeling”. You feel. You don’t think. You emote. You rage in your adolescent juices without the slightest idea that 99.9999% of the world really doesn’t care what uneducated children think. Educate yourself first and bring some kind of coherent argument. Just because you have the right to free speech doesn’t mean the adults need to take you seriously.
LikeLike
Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
The trade of governing has always been monopolized by the most ignorant and the most rascally individuals of mankind.
—same guy
LikeLike
You really shouldn’t generalize or insult people you don’t know out of frustration.
LikeLike
Pingback: » #OccupyWallStreet Tweet of the Day - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
Beasn, I spilled a coke on the keyboard about a week ago. Now it hates me.
LikeLike
fred, if you are talking to me, I insult what I see happening. The protests on Wall Street, the protests in Wisconsin, who contributes to whom, who receives whatever benefits – general welfare or corporate and which party they vote/contribute to keep it coming.
I see nothing positive about communists or the democrat party, which have become one and the same. That ideology needs to be defeated or held in check (since it’s been around from the dawn of time…man wanting to lord over other men, greed, envy, sloth, gluttony)
LikeLike
what you said in an earlier post:
I’m repeating this again, because it is key, you smelly hippies. But smelly hippies/liberals/commies/democrats (but I repeat myself) don’t care because they are in on the take.
**reason for my previous comment**
Plus since you are so against the ideals proposed by those people, probably not a smart idea to continually site Thomas Paine. He developed the concept of a minimum wage (highly democratic concept) and he was highly ridiculed for his harsh criticism of chrisitanity or really any organized religion for that matter (big Republican No No). But I am sure you know that already. He also spent a good deal of time living in France during their Revolution as well…maybe he came up with the concept of Freedom Fries? Paine also thought that if you didn’t own land you should not be allowed to vote, even the American revolutionaries at the time (who were radical said he was radical).
Vary your sources, just because it fits your view point and it sounds good and some real old British guy wrote it, doesn’t make him or you right.
I am an independent and have no agenda.
LikeLike
Paine’s ‘observations’ about government are spot on. He was an early supporter of the French Revolution but not where and how it took them. The Founding Fathers were inspired by his writings but didn’t necessarily agree with all of them.
It is true that early in our history, only propery owners were allowed to vote. I would go so far as to say that if you receive government hand-outs or do not pay taxes, you should not be allowed to vote.
Again – the free market – “Those of trade and commerce, whether with respect to the intercourse of individuals or of nations, are laws of mutual and reciprocal interest.”
It’s common sense.
And again, the problems we are seeing/experiencing today, were created by government that assumes to exist for itself, and acts by partialities of favor and oppression, it becomes the cause of the mischiefs it ought to prevent……
LikeLike
I guess the point was there are better writers with more of a direct line into the heart of American revolution/government – Madison is a good one (federalist Paper #10 gives good justification for why a powerful federal government is needed), government is 1/2 the problem not the whole thing. Free markets won’t work, neither will straight socialism/communism – it will take a correct blend.
Anything too over the top in either direction just won’t work.
LikeLike
Interesting comment.
I’d just add that in every revolution, there are the intellectuals and the rabble rousers or ‘bomb-throwers’, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. And, when a revolt takes down a large, overarching government, it is normally made up of a number of diverse (not in the feel-good sense) factions, united in a common cause. The American Revolution is almost unique in that rather than purging the minor factions, the nation which emerged made room for all. In almost every other popular uprising, a purging or schism follows the usurpation of the existing government.
LikeLike
I would argue that your point does depend on how the people identified themselves or “labeled” themselves within these minor factions. Meaning that the formation of a federal government that posses authority (which was created with the ratification of the Constitution) allowed people to keep their beliefs and factions, but they were unified under a centralized authority. This meant they were Americans first and any other identifying label would follow. Not all of the varying ideas were included when the constitution was written and comprimises/exclusions were made in order for it to be ratified.
LikeLike
Prof. Jacobson over at Legal Insurrection had a good chuckle at the group’s “demands”:
http://legalinsurrection.com/2011/10/declaration-of-the-occupation-of-perpetual-grievance/
I especially liked these comments:
LukeHandCool |October 1, 2011 at 1:46 pm
The Middle East has its “Arab Spring” and we have our “Airhead Spring.” Nothing like a good uprising.
and:
Chicklet | October 1, 2011 at 3:23 pm
I work on Wall Street, you have just got to see it in person! Trust fund babies being dropped off in SUV’s to hang out in a private park and eat free food, what a life!
The protest signs are great- “Jobs are a right” makes my day, as does “tax the rich”. Every day the NYPD lets the occupying army out of their little fenced-in pens for a run around the block to wave the signs and chant. Their bread line looks like it is run by NYC’s best and brightest union and community organizers, no workplace discrimination here (no white folks or old people need apply). After a brisk walk it’s back to the pens, er, park, for some donated pizza and whole-foods purchased goodies. What a life.
LikeLike
In the ’80s, when the anti-nuclear fever was at its highest, you could tell all you needed to know about the “No-nukes” protests by noticing that every single one of them was against WESTERN nuclear weapons: there were no protests against Soviet MRBM’s in Eastern Europe, no protestors hanging signs on the Soviet or Chinese embassies or attempting to force the checkpoints at the Berlin Wall; not a single protester demanded that the most heavily armed nation in the world disarm at all- it had to be America and NATO disarming unilaterally.
And now we see this nonsense.
Once again: look at who the protestors blame; look at whose deeds they accept without comment… and guess which cause these fools are trying to advance.
After all these years, can we stop pretending that they’re ‘on our side’?
LikeLike
Oh wow! Teresa, you have stumbled into the big time with your post. It’s amazing that a simple post can stir up so much controversy on the left. Guess you hit them way too close to home for their comfort.
Thankfully, those that critize you haven’t been using vile words like they usually do. Your mom would be constantly fainting with the vapors if they acted as usual.
Congratulations! You are about to be one of the Big Dogs in the blogging universe.
LikeLike
Oh, I doubt that I’m going to be a big dog – it’s just one post…..
But thanks, anyway!
LikeLike
I guess it is a matter of opinion then, but when you get your name and website published in the NY Times, that makes you a Big Dog in my book.
LikeLike
Honestly, I think it had more to do with the fact that my last name is the same as those EVIL brothers who are supposedly financing the entire Republican Party – I have a feeling the author of the blog did a quick search (the pingback goes to RedState, where I crossposted this) of the last name and big-name Conservative blogs and up this little post came.
But I’ll take the compliment, and happily! You’re sweet to say all that nice stuff –
LikeLike
So, when the thousands of evil corporations go out of business, where are all those unemployed people supposed to get jobs? Who is going to pay taxes so all the nutty govt programs get funded, never mind pay for all the welfare programs (SS, medicare, medicaid, etc.?) Are they working on their economic plan between pizza deliveries?
I’m all for evil corporations making a profit… as long as I get a share through dividends or profit sharing (my hubs works at a nuke plant and I like the evil corp contributing to our 401K … quarterly dividends aren’t half bad either.)
LikeLike
SHHHHH – it’s time for the nightly poetry reading….. 😛
(no, I’m not kidding – it’s right there on their daily agenda)
LikeLike
What’s wrong with poetry? Oh that’s right it doesn’t use a football helmet and it’s slightly gay so it must be crap! God Bless Texas! – (Sarcasm implied)
LikeLike
Teresa’s having too much fun!
LikeLike
I don’t know how the big blogs do it…..
LikeLike
They just ignore it.
LikeLike
Econ – this stuff makes my head hurt but its an article from 2005 predicting problems with financial system structure:
Click to access rajan2005.pdf
LikeLike
Pingback: Oh god please stop « Big Smoke
Teresa, I’m in the U.K. and here we are watching the occupation of Wall Street with interest as we expect that something similar will happen here sooner or later. RE:The NYCGA website and your earlier comment- ‘and they DO advocate Communism’. Well, I have looked all over their website but I can find no reference to them advocating communism. I’m sure you haven’t invented it. Can you direct me to the place on their site to find this?
LikeLike
Unfortunately, their webmaster doesn’t seem to be able to show “older” posts – I’ve been trying to find their posts from prior to “Day 5”, but they don’t seem to be accessible. (I’m assuming they are somewhere….)
Before the whole protest started, they had a couple of posts up where they talked about tearing down the current system and replacing it with a form of “collective government” – I didn’t do a “File Save” on it, because I sort of assumed they were like other blog sites and would have an archives section. It’s also possible that the page that I saw got taken down – who knows?
They (the NYCGA) regularly host “Teach Ins” where they analyze “The Communist Manifesto”, and in the video clip that I referred to earlier (yes, the one from Bill O’Reilly’s show – I know people don’t give him much weight, but the VIDEO is of candid interviews with some of the kids at the protest; the participants around them are trying very hard to NOT have them tell everyone what they are advocating), they make no bones about what they “think” they want – “Communism”.
Honestly, I think that THESE kids are harmless; it’s the hardcore folks that are starting to hang around who could co-opt this protest for themselves. These kids are already starting to lose control of the message because the crowds are getting too large for them to self-police (go to their site and read the “Assembly Minutes” from each evening’s meetings – they’re having problems with things like “Unwanted Touching” – I’m assuming this is from some of the hangers-on).
LikeLike
here was the list of demands I had found for the protesters:
https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
LikeLike
Here’s a link to the webpage of the people who initially organized this – it’s not about Wall Street; these kids are being used…..
Please note the initial date for these comments; this was planned 3 months ago. Go and look at some of the comment links (I especially like the one from the 61-year-old blueberry farmer in Vermont who wants to contact other governments to overthrow our government – you’ll have to expand the original comment to read this person’s philosophy)
.
Solidarity. Comrades.
These kids may just be “playing” at being Communists; the people behind this – the people who are using these kids – are dead serious about this stuff.
LikeLike
Pingback: Russell Simmons: I will bring hundreds of thousands to ‘Occupy Wall Street’ | Block N Roll Music Group – It's A Movement
Pingback: Yeah let’s protest against big corporations and post status updates using our ipads | Garnette's View
Thanks to this post, I have found your blog, and am happy to have done so! As a fellow WordPresser, I find it amazing and heartening that there are so many everyday people who have something to say, and say it so well.
If you have a minute, visit us on our blog (there are a few of us who share admin duties). We have a great group of regulars and, occasionally, attract some of these outsiders that you have attracted this week!
http://theconservativetreehouse.wordpress.com/
LikeLike
Teresa, I’ve followed your links. I can still find nothing-nothing at all where anyone is advocating communism. There is a list of demands for discussion-nothing there about communism- the one main demand so far is to take back our government from the corporations who run it (That doesn’t even suggest communism). There are a few posts from nutters like the 61 year old blueberry farmer but hardly representative of the NYCGA group. Just because a few idiots post scary ‘bring down the whole system’ type comments it doesn’t mean that the NYCGA agree. I’m not taking sides here, I’m merely looking at the facts (or perhaps looking FOR the facts). Your statements: – ‘and they DO advocate Communism’ and ‘These folks are Communists and Anarchists’ are looking like fiction and not based in fact.
LikeLike
Some of the kids have been interviewed and actively say that they want to replace the system with “Communism”; do I think that they understand what they are saying? No. But the people who started this whole thing (Adbusters) are quite serious about “wrecking the world”.
Here is a link to AdBusters, the organization BEHIND this whole “Occupation”.
They started planning this way back in July; they’re all about “Solidarity” and calling each other “Comrade”, and they want a “Revolution”.
Please take the time to note that to these people, Wall Street is just a SYMBOL; a strategic target; an initial engagement.
To these people, the Occupy Wall Street thing is merely “a tool” – their words, not mine. They don’t care about these kids – they are all just disposable cogs in a machine to them.
Here’s a little more information about Adbusters itself.
Adbusters is a self-described group of anarchists and neo-Luddites; its founder, Kalle Lasn, has written a book, Culture Jam, on his philosophy, even though he uses many of the products that he feels the rest of us should live without.
He thinks that “the Left” is too “establishment”.
He despises television, yet is perfectly happy to use the medium to get his message across.
His advice? “Don’t be so unthinkingly civil all the time. Rage drives revolutions.”
Do I think these KIDS feel this way? No.
But the people behind this thing – this “tool”, as they call it – are dead serious.
LikeLike
Here’s an interview that was done with ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS OF THE PROTEST – it aired last night on MSNBC. (You guys who make fun of stuff on FOX News DO think that MSNBC is a reliable news source, right? Just want to be sure.)
Call me silly, but it sure does sound like HE thinks that this group is made up of anarchists and revolutionaries. It sure does sound like they want to tear the whole system down. But what the heck do I know?
LikeLike
What if we don’t think MSNBC, CNN or Fox News are reliable sources? Truly they are all so messed up.
by the way never got back to you about the kiddos (4, 2, 1 are their ages)…you can almost hear the circus music when you drive by our house.
LikeLike
I hear you about the cable news channels; I’ve found that I just take in information from all sides and then do my own research and come to my own conclusions.
As to the kiddos – LOL! I’ve been there (mine are now 25, 20, 19, and 10) – I know what you mean by “the circus music”!
Courage, dear pilgrim! – it does get better. Of course, there is a reason that all of us oldsters have grey hair and lots of wrinkles 😛
(I’m now looking forward to the days when I can do what my mom did when I was in the trenches – she just laughed and laughed…..)
But now that they are older, it really is neat to talk to them like adults – we have lots of fun teasing each other on Facebook. I’m still trying to convince my mom to get on FB so that she can have fun with them as well!
LikeLike
It’s sad when you get better and more accurate news from a Comedy Channel.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-5-2011/parks-and-demonstration?xrs=share_copy
LikeLike
I’ve always liked The Daily Show’s take on the stories in the news! Unfortunately for the kids who started out in the park, the Unions and other factions are coming in and co-opting their peaceful demonstration; just like in the Arab Spring uprisings. There aren’t any students left, only Muslim Brotherhood people running the show in those countries…..
LikeLike
Pingback: Wall Street Anti-Capitalism Protester FAIL « Tacky Raccoons
Teresa. I’ve followed your link. Nothing about “advocating Communism” there then. No body calling his buddy “Comrade”. It looks as though you have a vivid imagination. You’ve found ONE guy, ONE guy who says “In MY opinion this group is made up of anarchists and revolutionaries”. In HIS opinion. (Definition of Anarchist: – ‘Anarchists oppose the idea that power and domination are necessary for society, and instead advocate more co-operative, anti-hierarchical forms of social, political and economic organization’). Sounds like a number of the communities that I’ve lived in. And to call these people”Revolutionaries”-well yes, they are, perhaps starting a revolution (Definition of “Revolution”- a sudden, complete or marked change in something).-That doesn’t necessarily mean a change from Capitalism to Communism. You call them “kids”. Most look over 18 years old and many have grey hair! This group of brave people want nothing more than to be free (free from greed, power, corruption and domination) -Isn’t that what America is about?-Land of the free and brave? Give them some credit eh?.
LikeLike
Read the comment above the last one that you just made; there are plenty of links to the posts that were originally put out by the organizers of this protest. Please also note that the young man in question claims to be one of the ORGANIZERS of the event.
The people who organized this event are using these kids as TOOLS; they are what are referred to as “useful idiots”.
I don’t think that anything will come of this protest – these guys can’t find their way out of a paper sack. But if you want to believe in your heart of hearts that the majority of the people who are there showed up for anything more than an excuse to have a party, by all means, go right ahead.
If they really cared about what they SAY they care about, they are a little late to the party – there have been a couple of “little” gatherings all across the country for the past 3 years to protest this type of thing, but nobody in the mainstream press is willing to admit that they are going on.
LikeLike
Pingback: A friend has a great post on the Occupy Wall Street nonsense « Jay in Ames
Teresa. Glad to see you deleted the comment from ‘Stinky’s Dad’ where he threatened to track me down and commit violence on me. (But, alas, not before it reached my email inbox). Where would we be if everybody behaved like that? – We’d have anarchy. Anyway, I don’t know why I deserved it. Have I been disrespectful? I apologize if so. It wasn’t my intention.
LikeLike
I am SOOOOO terribly sorry about that, Peter; SD is a friend of mine (he’s a pussycat in real life, but he doesn’t like people messing with his friends).
Unfortunately, I had to delete a comment from someone who commented right after you, and SD mistakenly thought (without reading the comments) that you were the person who had gotten me upset.
Quite the opposite – I have found you to be very reasoned and articulate in your comments. I have had no problems whatsoever with most of the people who are commenting here (I’m not used to the attention, so I’m kinda overwhelmed!).
Again, my sincerest apologies – (I’ve spoken with my friend, and he apologized for jumping the gun on his comment). I hope that you will continue to drop by my blog from time to time; it’s not meant to be political – even though I talk about political stuff from time to time – it’s just my own little slice of life, such as it is.
LikeLike
Apology accepted Teresa, and thanks for clearing that up.
LikeLike
Not a problem, sweetie – happy to do it!
LikeLike
Even the New Republic (not exactly a bastion of Conservative thought) acknowledges that this whole thing was, indeed, organized by AdBusters:
http://www.tnr.com/print/article/politics/95621/occupy-wall-street-protests-radiohead
Yep, it’s ALL about Wall Street all right…..
LikeLike
Thanks for the link T. You rock.
LikeLike
Sure thing, darlin’ – you get to feeling better now; get lots of rest and tell Mrs. MJ to take good care of you while you recuperate (she’s gonna kill me for that…..)!
LikeLike
Pingback: People Who Live in Intellectual Pup Tents REALLY Shouldn’t Taunt the Bears…. | Koch's Tour
Interesting debate in the post and the comments, but the people you’re stirring up aren’t trolls, they’re just liberals.
I can show you what real trolling is, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable linking that sort of stuff to my own mother. 😉
LikeLike
LOL!!!!
Thanks for sparing me that –
LikeLike
Pingback: The Brains behind “Airhead Autumn” | Koch's Tour
Pingback: The Brains behind “Airhead Autumn” | RedState
Pingback: Occupy Wall Street – When the 99% becomes the 1% | Koch's Tour
Pingback: Occupy Wall Street – When the 99% become the 1% | RedState
Pingback: Occupy Wall Street – When the 99% becomes the 1% | RedState
Pingback: Happy New Year, Peeps! « Tacky Raccoons