Here's What We Think Of Free Speech!

[Modern School]

Oakland PD used tear gas and concussion grenades to clear the streets last night, as protesters attempted to reclaim their Occupy Oakland encampment. Several activists were arrested and held on $10,000 bail.

It should be obvious that politicians' claims to support the protestors are empty sound bites pandering to their liberal bases. If they supported the protestors, they'd provide showers, toilets and other necessary services or change city policies to provide more support to the unemployed, homeless and those facing foreclosure and high mortgages.

See here for You Tube footage of the assault: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QngE6kKk8Lg

Modern School
http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/10/heres-what-we-think-of-free-speech.html

[Meeker Morgan]

1. It wasn't about "speech". n/t

[Kath1]

2. Corporate America

is obviously scared to death of this movement and they want to stop it before it grows any further. I heard Hannity (ugh!) the other day and he sounded terrified as he lashed out at the protesters. I think what really scares the hell out of them is that there are so many young, white men and women who have woken up to the fact that corporate America is a failed system and they are getting involved.

[Sau Lan]

3. It's stuff like this...

...that makes me ashamed to be American.

You have a radical-right wing movement which often uses violence and intimidation. That movement is called the Tea Party but you never see the police even stepping in when their demonstrations get out of hand. Instead the police are there to protect them (from what, exactly I wonder).

Then you have a peaceful protest against the corporations and the whole news media goes nuts and can't wait to malign us. The police send in the troops and act with disproportionate force.

It's stuff like this that makes me shudder to think what will happen if a Republican is elected next term.

[LeftOfCenter7]

4. Another example of horrible police brutality

http://bicyclebarricade.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/open-letter-to-chancellor-linda-p-b-katehi/

An excerpt:

"Without any provocation whatsoever, other than the bodies of these students sitting where they were on the ground, with their arms linked, police pepper-sprayed students. Students remained on the ground, now writhing in pain, with their arms linked.

What happened next?

Police used batons to try to push the students apart. Those they could separate, they arrested, kneeling on their bodies and pushing their heads into the ground. Those they could not separate, they pepper-sprayed directly in the face, holding these students as they did so. When students covered their eyes with their clothing, police forced open their mouths and pepper-sprayed down their throats. Several of these students were hospitalized. Others are seriously injured. One of them, forty-five minutes after being pepper-sprayed down his throat, was still coughing up blood."