This is just wonderful to see. Jesse LaGreca, also known as the Daily Kos blogger MinistryOfTruth , gets in front of a Fox News reporter and lets him know what he and the other 99 percent think of their news coverage. Here’s the transcript: Fox: Jesse, so Ray, your partner here, your .. Ray: comrade. Fox: Your colleague, she’d seen the protests in Greece and Europe and elsewhere. Did you guys take your cue from that? Are you hoping to cite certainly what was a lot of the tension, if not police activity. I know over the weekend there were over 100 arrests and you guys got things fired up. Are you taking your cues from the international movement and how do you want to see this? If you could have it in a perfect way, how would it be? Jesse: Well I don’t know, its really difficult to answer questions leading to those conclusions. I’d say that we didn’t take our cue leading off of anybody really. It became a more spontaneous movement. As far as seeing this end, I wouldn’t like to see this end. I would like to see the conversation continue. This is what we should have been talking about in 2008 when the economy collapsed. We basically patched a hole on the tire and said let the car keep rolling. Unfortunately it’s fun to talk to the propaganda machine and the media especially conservative media networks such as yourself, because we find that we cant get conversations for the department of Justice’s ongoing investigation of News Corporation, for which you are an employee. But we can certainly ask questions like you know, why are the poor engaging in class warfare? After 30 years of having our living standards decrease while the wealthiest 1% have had it better than ever, I think it’s time for some maybe, I don’t know, participation in our democracy that isn’t funded by news cameras and gentlemen such as yourself. Fox: But, uh, yeah well, let me give you this challenge Jesse. Jesse: Sure. Fox: We’re here giving you an opportunity on the record […] to put any message you want out there, to give you fair coverage and I’m not going to in any way Jesse: That’s awesome! Fox:…give you advice about it. So, there is an exception in the case, because you wouldn’t be able to get your message out there without us. Jesse: No, surely, I mean, take for instance when Glenn Beck was doing his protest and he called the President, uh, a person who hates white people and white culture. That was a low moment in Americans’ history and you guys kinda had a big part in it. So, I’m glad to see you coming around and kind of paying attention to what the other 99 percent of Americans are paying attention to, as opposed to the far-right fringe, who who would just love to destroy the middle class entirely. Fox: Alright, fair enough. You have a voice, an important reason to criticize myself, my company and anyone else. But, let me ask you that, in fairness, does this administration, President Obama, have any criticism as to the the financial situation the country’s in…? Jesse: I think, myself, uh, as well as many other people, would like to see a little but more economic justice or social justice—Jesus stuff—as far as feeding the poor, healthcare for the sick. You know, I find it really entertaining that people like to hold the Bill of Rights up while they’re screaming at gay soldiers, but they just can’t wrap their heads around the idea that a for-profit healthcare system doesn’t work. So, let’s just look at it like this, if we want the President to do more, let’s talk to him on a level that actually reaches people, instead of asking for his birth certificate and wasting time with total nonsense like Solyndra. [h/t Observer.com ]
Continue reading …
Click here to view this media The ‘reporter’ was Fox’s Griff Jenkins , whose main job duties seem to be ambush interviews and getting in the middle of crowds of people who don’t like him or Fox News. Jesse LaGreca from Occupy Wall Street talks to Fox News…this clip never made it to air, via Kyle Christopher of Occupy Wall St.’s media team h/t PlutocracyFiles at DailyKos . Transcript: Fox: Jesse, so Ray, your partner here, your .. Ray: comrade. Fox: Your colleague, she’d seen the protests in Greece and Europe and elsewhere. Did you guys take your cue from that? Are you hoping to cite certainly what was a lot of the tension, if not police activity. I know over the weekend there were over 100 arrests and you guys got things fired up. Are you taking your cues from the international movement and how do you want to see this? If you could have it in a perfect way, how would it be? Jesse: Well I don’t know, its really difficult to answer questions leading to those conclusions. I’d say that we didn’t take our cue leading off of anybody really. It became a more spontaneous movement. As far as seeing this end, I would like to see this end. I would like to see the conversation continue. This is what we should have been talking about in 2008 when the economy collapsed. We basically patched a hole on the tire and said let the car keep rolling. Unfortunately it’s fun to talk to the propaganda machine and the media especially conservative media networks such as yourself, because we find that we cant get conversations for the department of Justice’s ongoing investigation of News Corporation, for which you are an employee. But we can certainly ask questions like you know, why are the poor engaging in class warfare? After 30 years of having our living standards decrease while the wealthiest 1% have had it better than ever, I think it’s time for some maybe, I don’t know, participation in our democracy that isn’t funded by news cameras and gentlemen such as yourself. Fox: But, ugh, yeah well, let me give you this challenge Jesse. Jesse: Sure. Fox: We’re here giving you an opportunity on the record […] to put any message you want out there, to give you fair coverage and I’m not going to in any way Jesse: That’s awesome! Fox:…give you advice about it. So, there is an exception in the case, because you wouldn’t be able to get your message out there without us. Jesse: No, surely, I mean, take for instance when Glenn Beck was doing his protest and he called the President, ugh, a person who hates white people and white culture. That was a low moment in Americans’ history and you guys kinda had a big part in it. So, I’m glad to see you coming around and kind of paying attention to what the other 99 percent of Americans are paying attention to, as opposed to the far-right fringe, who who would just love to destroy the middle class entirely. Fox: Alright, fair enough. You have a voice, an important reason to criticize myself, my company and anyone else. But, let me ask you that, in fairness, does this administration, President Obama, have any criticism as to the the financial situation the country’s in…? Jesse: I think, myself, ugh, as well as many other people, would like to see a little but more economic justice or social justice—Jesus stuff—as far as feeding the poor, healthcare for the sick. You know, I find it really entertaining that people like to hold the Bill of Rights up while they’re screaming at gay soldiers, but they just can’t wrap their heads around the idea that a for-profit healthcare system doesn’t work. So, let’s just look at it like this, if we want the President to do more, let’s talk to him on a level that actually reaches people, instead of asking for his birth certificate and wasting time with total nonsense like Solyndra. (John Amato ) Please donate if you can to our Solidarity Pizzas fundraiser . We’re working on getting other much needed supplies.
Continue reading …Did Jamie Dimon Make A Thoughtful Gift — Or Did His Bank Just Turn The NYPD Into Rent-A-Cops?
October 3, 2011 No Comment
enlarge What a lovely, thoughtful thing to do, to make such a public minded gift. Of course, the more cynical among us might suspect Jamie Dimon simply hired the NYPD as his company’s own special rent-a-cops. Via Odd Man Out: JPMorgan Chase recently donated an unprecedented $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation. The gift was the largest in the history of the foundation and will enable the New York City Police Department to strengthen security in the Big Apple. The money will pay for 1,000 new patrol car laptops, as well as security monitoring software in the NYPD’s main data center. New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly sent CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon a note expressing “profound gratitude” for the company’s donation. “These officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” Dimon said. “We’re incredibly proud to help them build this program and let them know how much we value their hard work.” From Naked Capitalism : Now readers can point out that this gift is bupkis relative to the budget of the police department, which is close to $4 billion. But looking at it on a mathematical basis likely misses the incentives at work. Dimon is one of the most powerful and connected corporate leaders in Gotham City. If he thinks the police donation was worthwhile, he might encourage other bank and big company CEOs to make large donations. And what sort of benefits might JPM get? It is unlikely that there would be anything as crass as an explicit quid pro quo. But it certainly is useful to be confident that the police are on your side, say if an executive or worse an entire desk is caught in a sex or drugs scandal. Recall that Charles Ferguson in Inside Job alleged that the use of hookers is pervasive on Wall Street (duh) and is invoiced to the banks. Or the police might be extra protective of your interests. Today, OccupyWallStreet decided to march across the Brooklyn Bridge (a proud New York tradition) to Chase Manhattan Plaza in Brooklyn. Reports in the media indicate that the police at first seemed to be encouraging the protestors not only to cross the bridge, but were walking in front of the crowd, seemingly escorting them across. The wee problem is that the police are in the street, and part of the crowd is also on the street (others are on a pedestrian walkway that is above street level). That puts them in violation of NYC rules that against interfering with traffic. Note the protesters were aware of the rules; they were careful to stay on the sidewalk on the way to the bridge. Over 700 of the marchers were arrested, and the media has a rather amusing “he said, she said” account, with OccupyWallStreet claiming entrapment and the cops batting their baby blues and trying to look innocent. Nothing as crass as an explicit quid pro quo! Just a little something to remind the cops that some people deserve more protection than others, and are likely to be very grateful for it. More here .
Continue reading …Did Jamie Dimon Make A Thoughtful Gift — Or Did His Bank Just Turn The NYPD Into Rent-A-Cops?
October 3, 2011 No Comment
enlarge What a lovely, thoughtful thing to do, to make such a public minded gift. Of course, the more cynical among us might suspect Jamie Dimon simply hired the NYPD as his company’s own special rent-a-cops. Via Odd Man Out: JPMorgan Chase recently donated an unprecedented $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation. The gift was the largest in the history of the foundation and will enable the New York City Police Department to strengthen security in the Big Apple. The money will pay for 1,000 new patrol car laptops, as well as security monitoring software in the NYPD’s main data center. New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly sent CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon a note expressing “profound gratitude” for the company’s donation. “These officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” Dimon said. “We’re incredibly proud to help them build this program and let them know how much we value their hard work.” From Naked Capitalism : Now readers can point out that this gift is bupkis relative to the budget of the police department, which is close to $4 billion. But looking at it on a mathematical basis likely misses the incentives at work. Dimon is one of the most powerful and connected corporate leaders in Gotham City. If he thinks the police donation was worthwhile, he might encourage other bank and big company CEOs to make large donations. And what sort of benefits might JPM get? It is unlikely that there would be anything as crass as an explicit quid pro quo. But it certainly is useful to be confident that the police are on your side, say if an executive or worse an entire desk is caught in a sex or drugs scandal. Recall that Charles Ferguson in Inside Job alleged that the use of hookers is pervasive on Wall Street (duh) and is invoiced to the banks. Or the police might be extra protective of your interests. Today, OccupyWallStreet decided to march across the Brooklyn Bridge (a proud New York tradition) to Chase Manhattan Plaza in Brooklyn. Reports in the media indicate that the police at first seemed to be encouraging the protestors not only to cross the bridge, but were walking in front of the crowd, seemingly escorting them across. The wee problem is that the police are in the street, and part of the crowd is also on the street (others are on a pedestrian walkway that is above street level). That puts them in violation of NYC rules that against interfering with traffic. Note the protesters were aware of the rules; they were careful to stay on the sidewalk on the way to the bridge. Over 700 of the marchers were arrested, and the media has a rather amusing “he said, she said” account, with OccupyWallStreet claiming entrapment and the cops batting their baby blues and trying to look innocent. Nothing as crass as an explicit quid pro quo! Just a little something to remind the cops that some people deserve more protection than others, and are likely to be very grateful for it. More here .
Continue reading …
The artist displays objects from the museum alongside his own works in his exhibition The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman The first object you see on entering Grayson Perry’s exhibition at the British Museum , which opens on Thursday, is a large pot by him decorated with images of visitors to the show and their imagined reasons for coming. “I need to have my negative prejudices confirmed,” reads one speech bubble. “I just wanted to satisfy myself that I am more clever than this charlatan,” reads another. Perry, as he gave the Guardian a pre-opening tour of the exhibition , said: “I just thought it would be better to get all that stuff over with. I know what kind of shit goes down.” It is a typically knowing and cheeky intervention from the Turner prize winner, who persuaded the British Museum to let him create an exhibition by choosing objects from its stores alongside examples of his own work, which spans pottery, tapestry and, in the spectacular finale to the show, a vast cast-iron sculpture in the form of a ship, called The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman – which is also the title of the exhibition. The show is not an art-historical primer, or a didactic exhibition about the way Perry makes work or thinks. “Some of the labels are quite bold,” said Perry, “in their lack of information.” Rather, it is a tour into Perry’s imagination and intuition – even, perhaps, his subconscious. “Don’t look too hard for meaning,” he said. “We are all a bit mad, and this is me: it’s just I’m allowed to go mad in the British Museum.” The visitor, he said, will be “wandering around in my head”. If there is a unifying thread to the exhibition, it is perhaps about the power of objects – both that which is automatically conveyed by their being placed in a museum, but also their power as religious, ritual or fetishistic artefacts. Creepily, here is a gold earring, “origin and date unknown” as the label primly states, with a chunk of withered ear attached – snatched from a living person? Snapped off a mummified corpse? Nearby, Perry has placed another severed body part, if anything more disturbing than the ear: his own ponytail, which he cut off in 1985, and placed in a little ceramic coffin he fashioned. One of his favourite exhibits, he said, is a Boli figure, or power figure, from Mali: an almost formless, squat blob formed from clay, mud and, according to Perry, blood. “It is the sheer potency of the object: there’s something incredibly primal about it,” he said. “I knew as soon as I saw it that it had to be in the exhibition.” There are also shrines (“I love a good shrine”) and pilgrim souvenirs – from modern badges to medieval lead-alloy brooches, one depicting a woman riding a broomstick to which a large penis has been attached. The exhibition is an act of love to the museum – “most of my travelling has been done through this place,” said Perry – but it also subtly questions its authority; it seems to ask why the artist’s deeply intuitive way of organising objects is any less valid than the museum’s scholarly, supposedly objective systems of classification. How hubristic is it of Perry to place his own work alongside these hallowed artefacts? “Of course it’s hubristic,” he said. “I’m absolutely aware of the bitter irony of it being called The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman when it’s in fact a celebrity artist’s vanity project.” Grayson Perry Museums Charlotte Higgins guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
More than 700 people were arrested in an Occupy Wall Street march across Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday. Here, those who were arrested tell their story To the hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters hemmed in on Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, it felt like a trap. Hundreds of people had streamed onto the bridge without impediment, only to find their path blocked, and their retreat prohibited. The NYPD, however, claims it gave “numerous warnings” to protesters not to take the road lanes and only arrested those who failed to heed the exhortations to stay off the road. So who’s right? On Sunday, we asked people who had been arrested on Brooklyn Bridge to get in touch . So far, we have received about 25 first-hand accounts from people who were arrested. They tell a similar story: of confusion at the division between the pedestrian walkway and the traffic lanes on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, of apparent police acquiescence to the march proceeding into the traffic lanes, of shock when it became clear the police intended to arrest everyone on the bridge, and then of hours of confusion in police precincts across the city as overworked police officers struggled to process a huge volume of arrests. I’m going to post extracts from these accounts today, starting with testimony from the point at which the marchers reached the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. But first some context: protesters say this video shows police led them onto the traffic lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge. It shows a number of police officers apparently headed by one, wearing a long, orange-lined coat, leading protesters into the Brooklyn-bound traffic lane. On Sunday, the NYPD published video to YouTube which they say shows protesters were warned they would be arrested. The New York Police Department says it warned protesters not to go onto the bridge. Paul Browne, the NYPD chief spokesman, said: “Multiple warnings by police were given to protesters to stay on the pedestrian walkway and that if they took the roadway they would be arrested.” What’s clear from the first-hand accounts is that a small number of protesters, at the intersection of the road lanes and the pedestrian walkway, decided to “take the bridge”. As seen in the video, police warned they would be arrested, but then appeared to let the group though, and even led them onto the bridge. One protester, who asked not to be named, said: “A small group decided spontaneously to ‘take the bridge’ and invited other people to join. The police pretended to give warnings but didn’t act physically in order to stop the protesters.” Some have suggested these breakaway leaders may have been “agents provocateurs” . What is clear is that the march had now divided, and the hundreds of protesters bringing up the rear had no indication that walking onto the bridge would lead them to be arrested. Kate Shiebler, school teacher, Boston The original plan was to head over the Brooklyn Bridge via the pedestrian walkway. Some people decided to take the road instead, including us. We knew there was a risk, since we were near the front of the march. We were probably a few rows back from the front, and we heard a march organizer say that we should stick to the pedestrian walkway, but we never heard or saw any NYPD say this. Hundreds behind us didn’t hear anyone make any announcement, and assumed they were following the permitted march route. NYPD waving people forward and leading the march over the bridge furthered this assumption. MLE Davis, teacher, Harlem, New York When I got to the walkway/roadway split, I heard one of the organizers say that the walkway would be “safer”, so I headed up and looked over. When I saw a group of police officers seeming to lead protesters down the roadway, I figured that we had their consent, blessings, and protection, and climbed down to join those walking on the road. I never heard anyone say one word about it being against the wishes of the NYPD – honestly, I thought they were escorting us across. Jarrett Dougherty, Philadelphia Once we got to the bridge the march was entering the bridge from what appeared to be an entrance open to the march. We followed. There were blue shirt police around but not nearly in the same amounts as there were earlier in the march. Absolutely none of the officers leading up to the entrance informed us that we were actually entering the roadway! About 100 feet onto the roadway another protester up ahead turned around and fired back a message that everyone needed to turn around and get on the walking path to the left. If it was not for this individual we would have completely unknowingly, and without the least hinderance, walked onto the roadway of the Brooklyn Bridge. David Scorca, New York The march moved along smoothly until we reached the mouth of the Brooklyn Bridge. Everything just suddenly jammed up and the march expanded out into a massive crowd. Everyone was chanting “Whose streets? Our streets” as a police officer with a megaphone read something inaudibly off of a piece of paper. Then he and the 8 other officers behind him turned and started walking up onto the bridge. The crowd followed as the police led the way and while some of them even walked beside us. And so the pressure from the jam was released onto the street portion of the bridge. As we continued, people began climbing the fence and jumping from what I then realized was the pedestrian path onto the street with the rest of the march. Carly Smith, PhD student, New York When we got to the Brooklyn Bridge, a line of police appeared and divided the crowd. Some went to the upper level pedestrian path, and others on the other side of the police line were funneled onto the lower roadway, in the left hand lane. We were part of the latter group. There was no clear way of going back once we were on the roadway, and at no time did any police make an announcement that we should not continue – the police walked next to us, and things remained peaceful. I assumed they were going to let us continue, as we would have moved along and crossed the bridge within the next 15 to 20 minutes. My wife Rebecca and I and one male friend found ourselves at the back of the march. Suddenly, towards the middle of the bridge, a huge number of police appeared behind us with cars and vans. Again, no announcements were made. Apparently the same thing happened on the other side, at the front of the crowd. We were quickly penned in with orange netting on all sides. No one was ever given a chance to turn around or to get out of the situation. I’ll update this post later, with details of the confusion at police precincts around New York City. Occupy Wall Street United States Matt Wells guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
More than 700 people were arrested in an Occupy Wall Street march across Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday. Here, those who were arrested tell their story To the hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters hemmed in on Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, it felt like a trap. Hundreds of people had streamed onto the bridge without impediment, only to find their path blocked, and their retreat prohibited. The NYPD, however, claims it gave “numerous warnings” to protesters not to take the road lanes and only arrested those who failed to heed the exhortations to stay off the road. So who’s right? On Sunday, we asked people who had been arrested on Brooklyn Bridge to get in touch . So far, we have received about 25 first-hand accounts from people who were arrested. They tell a similar story: of confusion at the division between the pedestrian walkway and the traffic lanes on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, of apparent police acquiescence to the march proceeding into the traffic lanes, of shock when it became clear the police intended to arrest everyone on the bridge, and then of hours of confusion in police precincts across the city as overworked police officers struggled to process a huge volume of arrests. I’m going to post extracts from these accounts today, starting with testimony from the point at which the marchers reached the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. But first some context: protesters say this video shows police led them onto the traffic lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge. It shows a number of police officers apparently headed by one, wearing a long, orange-lined coat, leading protesters into the Brooklyn-bound traffic lane. On Sunday, the NYPD published video to YouTube which they say shows protesters were warned they would be arrested. The New York Police Department says it warned protesters not to go onto the bridge. Paul Browne, the NYPD chief spokesman, said: “Multiple warnings by police were given to protesters to stay on the pedestrian walkway and that if they took the roadway they would be arrested.” What’s clear from the first-hand accounts is that a small number of protesters, at the intersection of the road lanes and the pedestrian walkway, decided to “take the bridge”. As seen in the video, police warned they would be arrested, but then appeared to let the group though, and even led them onto the bridge. One protester, who asked not to be named, said: “A small group decided spontaneously to ‘take the bridge’ and invited other people to join. The police pretended to give warnings but didn’t act physically in order to stop the protesters.” Some have suggested these breakaway leaders may have been “agents provocateurs” . What is clear is that the march had now divided, and the hundreds of protesters bringing up the rear had no indication that walking onto the bridge would lead them to be arrested. Kate Shiebler, school teacher, Boston The original plan was to head over the Brooklyn Bridge via the pedestrian walkway. Some people decided to take the road instead, including us. We knew there was a risk, since we were near the front of the march. We were probably a few rows back from the front, and we heard a march organizer say that we should stick to the pedestrian walkway, but we never heard or saw any NYPD say this. Hundreds behind us didn’t hear anyone make any announcement, and assumed they were following the permitted march route. NYPD waving people forward and leading the march over the bridge furthered this assumption. MLE Davis, teacher, Harlem, New York When I got to the walkway/roadway split, I heard one of the organizers say that the walkway would be “safer”, so I headed up and looked over. When I saw a group of police officers seeming to lead protesters down the roadway, I figured that we had their consent, blessings, and protection, and climbed down to join those walking on the road. I never heard anyone say one word about it being against the wishes of the NYPD – honestly, I thought they were escorting us across. Jarrett Dougherty, Philadelphia Once we got to the bridge the march was entering the bridge from what appeared to be an entrance open to the march. We followed. There were blue shirt police around but not nearly in the same amounts as there were earlier in the march. Absolutely none of the officers leading up to the entrance informed us that we were actually entering the roadway! About 100 feet onto the roadway another protester up ahead turned around and fired back a message that everyone needed to turn around and get on the walking path to the left. If it was not for this individual we would have completely unknowingly, and without the least hinderance, walked onto the roadway of the Brooklyn Bridge. David Scorca, New York The march moved along smoothly until we reached the mouth of the Brooklyn Bridge. Everything just suddenly jammed up and the march expanded out into a massive crowd. Everyone was chanting “Whose streets? Our streets” as a police officer with a megaphone read something inaudibly off of a piece of paper. Then he and the 8 other officers behind him turned and started walking up onto the bridge. The crowd followed as the police led the way and while some of them even walked beside us. And so the pressure from the jam was released onto the street portion of the bridge. As we continued, people began climbing the fence and jumping from what I then realized was the pedestrian path onto the street with the rest of the march. Carly Smith, PhD student, New York When we got to the Brooklyn Bridge, a line of police appeared and divided the crowd. Some went to the upper level pedestrian path, and others on the other side of the police line were funneled onto the lower roadway, in the left hand lane. We were part of the latter group. There was no clear way of going back once we were on the roadway, and at no time did any police make an announcement that we should not continue – the police walked next to us, and things remained peaceful. I assumed they were going to let us continue, as we would have moved along and crossed the bridge within the next 15 to 20 minutes. My wife Rebecca and I and one male friend found ourselves at the back of the march. Suddenly, towards the middle of the bridge, a huge number of police appeared behind us with cars and vans. Again, no announcements were made. Apparently the same thing happened on the other side, at the front of the crowd. We were quickly penned in with orange netting on all sides. No one was ever given a chance to turn around or to get out of the situation. I’ll update this post later, with details of the confusion at police precincts around New York City. Occupy Wall Street United States Matt Wells guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Click here to view this media Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says that Republican candidates should have rebuked members of the audience that booed a gay service member during Fox News’ September presidential debate but it is sometimes “hard to react” while on stage. “The fact is that we should honor every man and woman who is serving in the military and in no way should treat them with anything but the highest regard,” McCain, who opposed the repeal of the military’s gay ban, told CBS’ Bob Schieffer Sunday. “Do you think that the Republican candidate should have spoken up at that debate about that?” Schieffer asked. “Yeah, I do,” McCain replied. “But a lot of times when you are in a debate, you’re thinking about what you’re going to say and what the question is going to be. It’s hard to react sometimes, but I’m sure that — I would bet that every Republican on that stage did not agree with that kind of behavior.” The Arizona senator added that President Barack Obama had a point during his speech to the Human Rights Campaign Saturday. “You want to be commander in chief?” Obama had declared. “You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States even when it’s not political convenient.” Audiences at recent Republican presidential debates have also called for letting an uninsured man die and have cheered Texas’ record of 234 executions under Gov. Rick Perry (R).
Continue reading …
Click here to view this media Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says that Republican candidates should have rebuked members of the audience that booed a gay service member during Fox News’ September presidential debate but it is sometimes “hard to react” while on stage. “The fact is that we should honor every man and woman who is serving in the military and in no way should treat them with anything but the highest regard,” McCain, who opposed the repeal of the military’s gay ban, told CBS’ Bob Schieffer Sunday. “Do you think that the Republican candidate should have spoken up at that debate about that?” Schieffer asked. “Yeah, I do,” McCain replied. “But a lot of times when you are in a debate, you’re thinking about what you’re going to say and what the question is going to be. It’s hard to react sometimes, but I’m sure that — I would bet that every Republican on that stage did not agree with that kind of behavior.” The Arizona senator added that President Barack Obama had a point during his speech to the Human Rights Campaign Saturday. “You want to be commander in chief?” Obama had declared. “You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States even when it’s not political convenient.” Audiences at recent Republican presidential debates have also called for letting an uninsured man die and have cheered Texas’ record of 234 executions under Gov. Rick Perry (R).
Continue reading …NBC Cheers Wall Street Protests As Liberal Version of Tea Party But Denounced Actual Tea Party
October 3, 2011 No Comment
On Monday's NBC “Today,” correspondent Michelle Franzen reported on the left-wing “Occupy Wall Street” protests in New York and proclaimed: “Protesters fed up with the economy and social inequality turned out en masse over the weekend….Voicing their discontent and marching for change.” Touting the protest as “a movement that has taken off in the past few weeks with protests spreading to other cities around the country,” Franzen declared: “Labor experts say uprisings overseas have empowered protesters to speak out.” A sound bite was included of Columbia University's Dorian Warren arguing: “Those movements, those revolutions led by young people [in the Middle East]…I think that's another, let's say, inspiration for why they are sitting-in now.” On Saturday's “Nightly News,” Franzen offered a similar report, including another sound bite from Warren, who asserted the Wall Street protests were “a liberal version of the Tea Party.” He added: “I think this could potentially carry over into the 2012 elections and get people to the polls.” On Sunday's Meet the Press, host David Gregory asked liberal Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne about the movement: “…your column out tomorrow talks about the equivalent Tea Party movement on the left. What did we see over the weekend in lower Manhattan and in Brooklyn, this 'Occupy Wall Street' movement….does the President, in a way, need more of this, more activism on the left to say, 'We need a response to what we're seeing on the conservative side'?” Dionne agreed and lamented: “I think the President has been hurt by the lack of an organized left….A left would be out there saying, 'Wait a minute, Barack Obama is a moderate or a moderate sort of liberal. We want to push farther than this.' Right now, the whole discussion is skewed because the media has been obsessed by the Tea Party.” That media “obsession” with the Tea Party actually began as an attempt to completely dismiss it. Noting nationwide Tea Party tax day protests on the April 15, 2009 “Today,” chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd remarked: “There's been some grassroots conservatives who have organized so-called Tea Parties around the country, hoping the historical reference will help galvanize Americans against the President's economic ideas. But, I tell you, the idea hasn't really caught on.” As the Tea Party gained momentum, the media changed tactics, demonizing it as racially motivated. In an interview with Jimmy Carter on the September 14, 2009 “Nightly News,” anchor Brian Williams highlighted the former president's smear of the movement: “A certain number of signs and images at last weekend's big Tea Party march in Washington and at other recent events have featured racial and other violent themes, and President Carter today said he is extremely worried by it.” In contrast, NBC's reporting on the Wall Street protesters was free of criticism. In fact, on the September 27 “Today,” news anchor Natalie Morales announced: “Protesters camping out on Wall Street got an unexpected visit last night from filmmaker Michael Moore. The 'Occupy Wall Street' protest against corporate greed is in its second week. Protesters called Moore's visit a 'morale boost' after police arrested 87 demonstrators this weekend.” Despite such arrests, and another 700 that occurred on Saturday as protesters attempted to stop traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge, NBC reporters voiced no concern of potential violence or extremism from the left-wing group. However, on the March 24, 2010 “Nightly News,” Williams warned viewers about the Tea Party: “It's getting ugly as anger over health care reform erupts into some over-the-top rhetoric, including threats now against members of Congress….It can now be said that the debate over health care reform has gone too far. It's now veered into threats of violence.” Unlike NBC, ABC and CBS have given little coverage to the “Occupy Wall Street” protests –
Continue reading …