Occupy Wall Street

[Don Roley]

Okay... a little anti-Semitic action from the creeps on occupying Wall Street.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/10/...tti-park-rant/

If you want to scare yourself for Halloween early, take a look at the comments section.

There are some folks taking every side of the issue you can imagine. Pro- squatters, anti, etc. But there are quiet a few folks who seem to be pushing the theory that the jews really do control everything and are out to destroy everyone else.

Seriously, the way that folks are now saying these things out in the open seriously scares me.

I am getting a serious case of deja vu from 1932 Germany when I see all the comments about how jews control all the wealth, and people are demonizing those with money with such viscousness. Has there ever been a time in history where there were mass rallies, hatred and calls to move against those that did well that turned out for the best?

[Abbax8]

The radicals of the 60's are back and trying to recreate the chaos of the 60's. This time however they have people on the inside of the government in positions of power who have been doing everything they can to bring about the Fundamental Change that Obama preached about. We are not heading in a good direction.

The fact that anti-Semetism is on the rise as well along with Obama's dissing of Israel is scary stuff. Add in Iran who wants to foster world chaos and mayhem and are willing to die in doing it and you have a formula for disaster.

Then spice this with a huge number of ordinary people who seem incapable of thinking below the sound bite and are allowing themselves to be led by the radicals and we are approaching the brink of a cliff.

Dennis

[Webmaster]

What, George Sorros is the funding behind these protests? Who would have thunk it?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...79C1YN20111013

[Cliff Hargrave]

http://www.liveleak.com/e/a17_1318468898

[Webmaster]

Interesting take from Ann Coulter.

http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2011-10-12.html

[David Craik]

The very few protests or "movements" which accomplished anything - civil rights and women's suffrage come to mind - their goals were simple, clear-cut, and dealt with rights of a specific and large segment of the population. My son went to one of these "Occupy" things in Savannah (to watch, hopefully), and not being familiar with precisely what they wanted I asked him what the goals were. He rattled off a whole litany of things, many of which are never going to happen. Protesting "greed"? You may as well protest that the sun is too damned bright in the morning.

Looking at some of the protesters on the news, I think their time would be better spend finding employment.

[Ramirez]

The very few protests or "movements" which accomplished anything - civil rights and women's suffrage come to mind - their goals were simple, clear-cut, and dealt with rights of a specific and large segment of the population. My son went to one of these "Occupy" things in Savannah (to watch, hopefully), and not being familiar with precisely what they wanted I asked him what the goals were. He rattled off a whole litany of things, many of which are never going to happen. Protesting "greed"? You may as well protest that the sun is too damned bright in the morning.

Looking at some of the protesters on the news, I think their time would be better spend finding employment.

Yes, you won't get anywhere protesting greed.

I could start an Occupy Wall Street where the purpose is to reinstitute Glass-Steagall, regulate the sales of derivatives, eliminate the over rides brokers get from insurance companies for steering business the insurance company's way instead of getting their client the best deal, make sure anyone selling interest rate swaps is forced to hold required capital, legislate that bond rating services have to be entirely independent from the companies they rate.....

But then it would just be me and Dennis McGeehan at those protests and we would likely end up at the pub drinking Guiness and then have to explain that to our wives.


You would think the protesters might at least educate themselves on the issues.

[Erik]

You would think the protesters might at least educate themselves on the issues.

That's really the point. Use their friggin' brains and get a clear list of principles so they're not hijacked by Marxist fruitcakes, hippies, stoners or whores.

I'm glad that there are protests catching on around the US and they're aimed (in theory) at the bastards who brought about this Great Recession. This type of protest needs to happen.

I'm highly annoyed that they are discrediting themselves by their behavior.

[David Craik]

Given that the economy tanked in around 2009, and sub-prime mortgages and whatnot were quickly identified, I do wonder what caused them to finally get around to protesting now? Perhaps their parents' houses which were the previous target of their "occupation" are finally being foreclosed on?

I find it ironic that one of their grievances seems to be the richest among us not paying their fair share of taxes, when I would bet the majority of protesters don't pay a dime either because they don't work. I would wager good money that many of them are living on the teat of the very government they seem to despise so much. If you have a job, you hardly have time to camp out on privately-owned property for days on end, covering the streets with trash and living like a pig.

I for one am sick of these neo-hippies. If I owned Zuccotti park, all of these people would be removed by force. They are doing nothing but creating an obscene spectacle and a health hazard by their presence.

[David Craik]

You would think the protesters might at least educate themselves on the issues.

Yes indeed. Since I'm in a betting mood, I would bet dollars to doughnuts 99% don't know what the hell a "derivative" is. Or an interest rate swap. They don't realize that the "rich" are the ones that drive the economy - they are the ones that hire people and found industries. Not only through their own expenditures but the spending of the hordes of people they employ who now have income.

Oh well, in a couple years the protest will be forgotten. It's a Million Man March primarily peopled by caucasian professional losers.

[Erik]

Hold on, are the protesters lazy useless hippie sub-human people or are they hard workers whose opportunities have dried up?

As for timing, I can see people being patient for a while, hopeful about a new president and a new party, then a period where the unemployment started drying up and then running out of patience soon after that. So the timing kidna makes sense to me.

I'm going to try to go check it out in The City this weekend if I can get the time. Take a good, real look at the composition of the group. Obviously, this wouldn't tell me anything about New York.

[David Craik]

I'm sure there are probably good people in their numbers, swayed by the message and the mistaken belief that them being on the street will have any effect. I mean, who would be "for" greed and corruption? But I always follow the money, and the money points to the very entity that contributed these woes in the first place. But each protest is different, though all equally pointless.

The organizer in L.A. was recently asked "What would 'victory' look like for the 'Occupy' movement?" He said "That's a stupid question, the movement is only three weeks old". Proof positive they have no clear goals from the outset.

Though I certainly respect the people's right to demonstrate and the First Amendment, the majority of protests are a load of nonsense. They are organized by people that feel they are entitled; not because they worked hard or did what they should do but simply because they exist.

After 20 years serving this country and without the papers that proclaim me "educated", I worked in a factory with coworkers who smoked pot before work and framed buildings in over 120 degree temperatures with people that were very likely illegal. The buildings I put up will stand for 100 years or more, I even put my signature on each beam I built. I put a twenty-dollar bill in a skinned, 16 gauge truss I made (note to the neurosurgeon in Windmill Harbour, it's in your house) - if it is ever found twenty dollars will be worth nothing by this time because my work is as strong as stone. Within a month I made more than anybody else there, even people that had been there for decades. I swept up screws at construction sites of multi-million dollar homes owned by doctors and rich investors. Yet I am not pissed off because they are rich and I'm not. I am happy because I still work and have never been unemployed because I find employment. Nobody owes me anything, I pay my way through the work performed by my own two hands, and make a very decent living. I hear of people who have been unemployed for over a year, yet I get job offers out of the blue all the time, unbidden and unapplied-for, though I am quite uneducated.

I don't have the luxury of "protesting", because my family needs to eat and have a roof over their heads. I ain't got the time to make a nuisance of myself raising cain because some rich dude is a crook. Unless you're one of these "rich people" who they seem to loath so much, I don't see how one would have the time to lay around a park smoking pot and doing the hunka-chunka under the guise of a social cause. That's why most protests are primarily university students or utter losers: they ain't got a job. They have the luxury of outrage at Quixotic issues. They can improve the economic collapse by getting a freaking job.

[Abbax8]

Yes, you won't get anywhere protesting greed.

I could start an Occupy Wall Street where the purpose is to reinstitute Glass-Steagall, regulate the sales of derivatives, eliminate the over rides brokers get from insurance companies for steering business the insurance company's way instead of getting their client the best deal, make sure anyone selling interest rate swaps is forced to hold required capital, legislate that bond rating services have to be entirely independent from the companies they rate.....

But then it would just be me and Dennis McGeehan at those protests and we would likely end up at the pub drinking Guiness and then have to explain that to our wives.


You would think the protesters might at least educate themselves on the issues.

When and Where Mark !

Dennis

[Erik]

Good on you, David. And, like I said before (more than once, I think), your brain is way further developed than many (most) of the enginmineers and sciemetists with whom I work. No question about that. I'd be so glad to have you as a neighbor or colleague.

On another note, I feel that these protesters, even if enough of them are moron/hippies, have a point that our system is growing out of kilter. I look at poor banking regulation and trade being some of the root causes (not all of them). I'm still really pissed that MY bailout tax money went to open factories overseas. To me, all this is worth getting upset about.

But there are a lot of root causes and a lot of symptoms of this sick country. Even if the impression the protesters are giving is that of being dirty, disgusting pot smoking self-entitled hippies (can you tell by now I don't like hippies?), I hope that the protests will put some fear in the hearts of our modern-day robber barons.

[David Craik]

Thank you, though appreciated your comments are undeserved brother. I'm dumber that a box of hammers. I would be honored to work or live beside you, though. Perhaps I could sweep the floor in your office? I do agree that country is going off-kilter Erik. It frightens me, to be honest, and very little does that.

[Erik]

Dude, a little tech study, some IT certifications, won't take too long. Add your USMC pension and you'll be living better than I, easily.

And a sharp, reliable, brain-turned-on guy like you would be greatly appreciated. Seriously. And if you want to do sweeping, you do both our cubes on even days, I'll do the odd ones?

Back the the main topic, does it really matter if the samples we're looking at in this Occupy Wall Street protest movement thing even are disreputable? Or is it enough that it exists in the first place, and we're being unfair in how we're judging the movement? (Not that we're judging it, just how we're doing it).

[David Craik]

Could be, I did some C++ and VBasic programming back in the day. Even wrote some pretty unique viruses for testing purposes, which of course I never released. I demand odd days, by the way, or all your words will be converted to the Lord's Prayer in Cyrillic letters and fall to a heap at the bottom of your screen.

Anyway, this thing will be as mindless an exercise as most other protests. They will get tired of playing hippy and get jobs at McDonalds. Discontent is always indicative of a general dissatisfaction or rage. We see it on both left and right, and both are as polarized as can be. There seems to be no such thing as a moderate anymore, and for a country - without exception - extremism only leads to disaster.

[Erik]

There are more odd days in the year so more sweeping. I was just trying to make it easier for you.

[Jonathan Randall]

Thank you, though appreciated your comments are undeserved brother. I'm dumber that a box of hammers. I would be honored to work or live beside you, though. Perhaps I could sweep the floor in your office? I do agree that country is going off-kilter Erik. It frightens me, to be honest, and very little does that.

Than that must be the sharpest box of hammers ever.

Seriously, you are extremely well educated and informed. Only the modern era has considered paper (diplomas) to be the measure of a man's education. As many elsewhere have written, the only true education is self-education, anyway. Anyone of sense, imo, who has ever taken a university course in sociology, taught by a Ph.D., knows that one can be extraordinarily ignorant on all the things that matter, yet, have serious academic credentials.

Ditto on extremism, btw. George Washington foretold what the rise of political parties and factions would do to us. Not good. Both Presidents Washington and Eisenhower were prescient in a way that opportunistic politicians such as President Obama will never be.

[Don Roley]

http://news.yahoo.com/protesters-ral...040550468.html

It seems strange to me that right now we are looking at a whole lot of uncertainty and fear because of what the governments of places like Greece have done, that the only protests against them are folks saying they don't want any change. Contrast that with the squatters.