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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 10/29/11

A Marine Was Almost Killed By The Oakland Police And Our President Is Ignoring The Brevity Of Our Survival As

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"Who could deny -- or fail to be stirred by -- the president's assertion that the United States opposes tyranny? Or that the United States believes in free speech and self-determination and the right of people everywhere to protest peacefully, whether in Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Egypt or any other country? As long as they don't turn to violence, the president said, the United States will support them in their calls for freedom of religion, women's rights, economic justice and democracy. MUCH MORE

Those were bold words spoken by President Obama as he made the case for what is written above. Now that the United States is facing the beginning of an "American Spring," how sad is it that this same man, stumping for human rights, the ability to assemble peacefully and to exercise Free Speech in the face of oppression has so far failed to support the American people in their quest for political reform and a return to the Rule of Law and our Representative Democracy -- one that no longer represents the people, but instead advances the interests of the wealthy in their ongoing Class-war against the 99% who are now facing arrest, brutality, and soon, maybe even their lives as they stand-up for the American people. If there was a ban on setting up tents in Tashir Square, would Obama have then supported the violent removal of Egypt's protestors from said location? Of course not, and we the American people deserve the same support for our protests against what the 99% perceive and can prove are gross crimes and atrocities committed against the people by Wall Street shysters, Corporate America, and even our own government and Police Departments.

It's no secret that I am morally opposed to the Iraq War, The Afghanistan War, and whatever it is we are doing in Pakistan that also could eventually lead to another, far-reaching war. In the same breath I do support the soldiers that are fighting those wars whether they are there for ideological reasons or are simply working the best jobs they can find in an economy that only favors the 1% -- and with college tuition climbing substantially, the G. I. Bill helps those soldiers that are fighting and dying for what most of them perceive as a just cause. I don't judge the soldiers -- I judge those that sent them into a war based on lies and downright falsehoods who were only interested in enriching the Military Industrial Complex so they could receive political contributions and bribes from those who are actually profiting from the death of American Soldiers.

By now the entire world is aware that in the land of the "Free and the Brave," citizens in various cities have found that their right to assemble peacefully and protest Wall Street Criminals and a host of other issues do not have the same rights that our President insisted should be afforded to those who participated in the ongoing "Arab Spring," and his voice was echoed by several other world leaders whom also believed that human rights trump any tyrants refusal to allow their own citizens to protest a regime that failed to properly represent the majority of the people, extremely similar in many ways to the OWS Protesters whom are protesting in cities across the United States. In our nation, it depends which city you live in whether or not the citizens can assemble peacefully and protest what the 99% believe are gross injustices being perpetrated against the majority of the American people. I wish those same world leaders in France, Germany, England and several other countries would now come forward and condemn the hypocrisy that is being seen in several cities across the United States. Don't we deserve the same rights that you condemned for breaking up peaceful protests during the Arab Spring?

"Occupations' under siege from Oakland to Orlando

By Andrew Jones
Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Several "Occupy" protests across the country encountered major police crackdowns late Tuesday evening. From Oakland to Albuquerque, Tucson, Baltimore, Atlanta, Tampa and Orlando, the occupations are under siege.

Receiving the most national coverage has been the police action in "Occupy Oakland," where another slue of arrests were made for a second consecutive day. More than 100 protesters were handcuffed as cops once again used tear gas and weaponry, causing protesters to shout, "Who are you protecting?"

Also popping up on the national scene was police action at "Occupy Atlanta," where around 50 protesters were arrested after authorities warned the crowd at Woodruff Park to leave. Protesters sang "We Shall Overcome" as police walked or dragged them out of the park. Among the protestors arrested was State Sen. Vincent Fort (D), who called the police action "overkill."

At "Occupy Albuquerque" in New Mexico, state police arrested 50 protestors after after University of New Mexico administrators refused to renew the protesters' permit to occupy Yale Park. Not far away from Albuquerque at "Occupy Tucson" another 23 protesters were arrested at two different sites.

Despite not having any arrests, "Occupy Orlando" also had to contend with aggressive police behavior. Authorities removed protesters' items from the park behind the Orlando Chamber of Commerce after giving them just 20 minutes to gather their stuff and leave. MUCH MORE

Cities are refusing to extend "Protester Permits," and while I am not an attorney, I fail to see where in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights that it states the people of America must have "Permits" to peacefully assemble and protest against what they perceive to be gross injustices levied against the 99% by the 1% who are running this country. The 99% have a Constitutional Right to protest, especially when the 1% have been busy destroying our entire economy in order to bolster their "bottom line."  Even worse was the incident in Oakland where Scott Olsen, who was a United States Marine and fought for his country was almost killed by the fascists that comprise the Oakland Police Department, and as ironic as it may be, are also part of the 99% whom the OWS Protesters are standing up for"  Scott Olson wasn't just a United States Marine, he was a highly decorated Marine:

Olsen was awarded seven medals while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, which he left as a lance corporal in November 2009 after serving for four years.

He went on two tours in Iraq, one in 2006-2007 and another in 2008, where he worked as a data network specialist. He was awarded seven medals, including the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, according to the Marine Corps.

The above quote is from the Business Insider and references an article titled:
Injured Marine Scott Olson Is A Network Engineer Who Can't Stand American Inequality MARINES TO OAKLAND POLICE: "You Did This To My Brother'

Both articles are well worth the read, and what they expose is a national shame perpetrated by those who stand for authoritarian and fascist governance rather than a government that represents its millions of citizens equally.  GOP extremists are attempting to label the Protesters as violent and drug taking Hippies, all lies and propaganda which was designed to turn American against American, and unfortunately, it's working. Now that the GOP has revealed by their actions that they represent the 1% rather than the 99% it would appear that we have a situation where those who embrace democracy are fighting against the GOP whom actively accept bribes and work to enrich themselves rather than representing their constituents, which for those who can't make the connection, are in reality fascists who could give a rat's ass whether or not our economy crashes and burns, just so they can create a situation where it appears that President Obama is derelict in his duties so they can install one of their fascist brethren in the White House and deliver the final blow to our Constitution, Bill of Rights and Democracy. (There's no guarantee that once the campaigning is over that Obama himself might do the same thing; I believe we are watching Candidate Obama making gestures to pick up every vote he can, but once he wins the election, I'd guess that as much campaign money that he has taken from Wall Street and the financial sector(s), President Obama will again emerge and capitulate to the GOP as he has during most of his Presidency.)

In my opinion, the 1% has declared war on the 99% -- and it seems they believe that they can continue to rape and pillage the 99% to enrich themselves and the rest of us be damned, especially knowing that the GOP has their back and will not allow any "Tax (Sic) Hikes" or closing loopholes for the wealthy and corporations; these are privileged people and they will do anything, including sedition, to ensure that their position in society remains the same -- that of Master and Serf.

The rich got substantially richer in the last three decades, while the rest of America was left behind -- and that trend may only continue unless something changes, according to Congress' official budget analyst. Some Democrats say it's the rules in Washington that need to change.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday released a report showing that between 1979 and 2007, the top 1 percent of Americans with the highest incomes have seen their incomes grow by an average of 275 percent. At the same time, the 60 percent of Americans in the middle of the income scale saw their incomes increase by just 40 percent. The poorest fifth of Americans saw their income rise by 18 percent.  LINK

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My Bio is as varied as my life. In 2012, my twin sons murdered a Journalist in Pensacola, Fl., for 100K worth of "Magic The Gathering" playing cards and buried the body in my backyard. I was once a regular writer here, but PTSD from my son's (more...)
 

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