The Protest Begins - It's Not Pretty - Post Observations Here

Well it is a Democratic convention and the very best way to show the world how evil (supposedly) Obama and those who will vote for him are (Mostly liberals and athiests etc) .... ..this would be the perfect place and time for them to try and pull off something like that ...

I can hear the Republicans saying on the news ....so you see what will happen if yall vote in Obama ...

to add to the potential angst, "public enemy" is playing a free show downtown.
it should be interesting.

Originally posted by zooplancton
to add to the potential angst, "public enemy" is playing a free show downtown.
it should be interesting.

Public Enemy? You mean that goofy dude with the stupid alarm clock around his neck? I thought they were dead.

Guess I was wrong and it was just their career that died!

This of course is along the same lines of if you can't beat them, join them. It never ceases to amaze how people think that violence or obscene gestures and verbal assaults somehow make the whole world see it your way. Seems the people who are supposedly normal aren't, at least from what that 68 group has managed to project so fa.

HA! you guys would be the ones calling the rascals who perpetrated the Boston Tea Party by the same names!!

Oh dear! After all, they wore "masks" (Native Costume) and were um, violent...gee,what would Samuel Adams say?

Or any of the founders? Yikes comes to mind. Do yourselves a favor and quit watching FOX!

Do these people want another Richard Nixon to get elected or something? I'm confused

probably a lot of people just hoping to get their own 15 minutes of fame. The way things are today they will probably get their own reality show.


Either way things like this shouldn't be held against either party.

I'm still anxious to see if they become violent whether they will be charged under domestic terrorism laws.

Originally posted by mrwupy
The recreate 68 crowd are a bunch of idiots. In 68 they tried to levitate the Pentagon to shake out the evil spirits. In Denver they're going to try and levitate the mint to shake out the money. In 68 they had roving bands of arsonists. In Denver they have roving bands of clowns.

It's sickening.

Anyone who shows up at a protest in a clown suit should have their attitude adjusted with rubber bullets. Lots of them.

REALLY? I am so stunned by that last statement that i don't know how to reply. Re-examine yourself and find out why it angers you so much that someone would dress in a clown suit. It is likely a metaphor as to the big Joke that the 2 party system has come to. As to the pushing, there is a phrase "never pet a burning dog" and the idea of a FOX news reporter trying to get in close for an interview seems like doing exactly that. These people are angry, and IMO, they sould be. I wouldn't give a FOX reporter the satisfaction of talking on camera about my cause just so he could put his pre-determined and most likely totally-off subject bantering jargon confusing manipulative spin on it. If there is to be a orgainized effort to join people who realize that neither the left nor the right is correct, then u need to be willing to take in a very diverse group of people,i.e. Cindy Shehan and others whos opinion may be radical and different than your own, but at least you share something in common and that is you have been disenfranchised, the powers that be are not doing a very good job, and maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to elect a Rheus Lab MOnkey as president and let him throw darts at a board every time a major decision is required, i would trust randomness in place of outright ill intent anyday, it HAS gotten that bad and MANY people feel it, they just don't know what to call it yet. The country is not working. Hateful comments like spraying people with rubber bullets is unacceptable and non conductive.

It would be wise to clarify one very important area before this thread continues. The protesters at the DNC are voicing an opposition to both major U.S. political parties. They are not aligning themselves with the current Democrats any more than the Republicans. According to their website,

"Some of the problems we face now are eerily reminiscent of 1968: most obviously, a costly, unpopular and illegal war. Others are unique to our time: a faltering economy, a shrinking middle class, a health care crisis, global warming. But one thing is as true now as it was then: neither of the two major parties is seriously addressing the needs and desires of the majority of the American people, because both are captive to the corporate interests that finance their campaigns. The Democrats have played their role in this global crisis. Yes, a Republican is in the Whitehouse, but the Congress is controlled by Democrats unwilling to use their power to make a true positive change on these issues. And nothing will change until, as they did in the 60s, the people take their destiny into their own hands, and force their “leaders” to change. The organizers of Recreate 68 say, “The time is now.” It is time to recreate the spirit of mass political participation of the 60s."

I consider myself a critic of the Democratic party, aligning myself with the Libertarian party and traditional conservative principles. As such, it is an embarrassment to see "conservatives" throw the blame around with little concern for truth. With minimal effort, information can be found to show that those who will potentially incite violence at the DNC are NOT--I repeat, NOT--Democrats. The Democrats can be accused of many things, but it damages a meaningful argument when false accusations are placed in the mix. I am beginning to see posts in this thread that suggest this is a case of "liberal against liberal" as if the Democrats and the protesters are one and the same. This is a mistake, and one we should all be quick to correct. Let's try to keep our arguments honest and tenable. We would also be wise to understand that these groups will in all likelihood be protesting the RNC as well. This is not a problem afflicting only the DNC.


On a different note, I thought you all might be interested in a few excerpts from Denver newspapers. They suggest that we are in for a potentially disastrous occasion:


www.rockymountainnews.com...

" 'When things blow up because the police have to enforce a permit that the Democrats got, don’t blame us for that,' said Glenn Spagnuolo, an organizer for the Re-create 68 Alliance. 'Blame the Democrats for trying to silence dissent in the city of Denver.' The lottery for permits to protest, pray or hold other events in city parks during the DNC Aug. 24 through 28 resumed Thursday after the city bungled the drawing Tuesday by accidentally leaving out some of the applicants' names. The do-over went smoothly. But when Jenny Anderson, event planner for the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, won the permit for Civic Center for a kick-off Aug. 24, Spagnuolo accused the committee of creating a 'very serious, dangerous situation . . . for everybody.' "


www.denverpost.com...

"He [Spagnuolo, lead organizer for "Recreate '68"] says 50,000 war protesters are coming for a march from Civic Center to the Pepsi Center on Aug. 24. He said Thursday that he would not respect the host committee's permit and would occupy the park, even if it forced police to intervene. Referring to the $50 million in federal security money slated for the convention, Spagnuolo said Denver police would need '$25 million to protect the Pepsi Center and $25 million to protect Civic Center.' "



[edit on 25/8/08 by paperplanes]

[edit on 25/8/08 by paperplanes]

"Recreate '68" claims to espouse non-violence, but as you can see in the quotes in my previous post, they are anything but non-violent.

According to truthalliance.net, a website supporting very similar goals, even previous partners are suspicious that this group will be violating the "peaceful protest" tenet in a big way. "The rhetoric heard from the Recreate 68, the attraction of the young people to the charisma of Glen Spagnuolo, the focus on doing battle with the police and the confronting attitude--while losing sight of the issues, the revolutionary fervor, the attitude that groups like Code Pink, etc. just aren't radical enough, the peer pressure to be more radical, the disinclination to disavow violence with the pretext that they want to be 'inclusive,' --all this is deja vu. It happened in 2000 with DAN. It is happening again stroke for stroke, word for word." truthalliance.net...

The quote references "Recreate '68" stated promise (via their website)

"6. Not to turn people over to the police, or share information with the police about other groups.

7. Not to publicly criticize the tactics used by other parts of our movement or cooperate with media efforts to be divisive or portray good protester/bad protester.

and

9. To be conscious that if violence or property destruction does occur, we will do what we can to help prevent it from being blown out of proportion and dominating the media coverage."

all of which culminates to suggest a commitment to "non-violence" in words only.


Does anyone know what political ideology, if any, the protesters are espousing? Someone stated that they are likely anarchists or communists, but their website (www.recreate68.com) states the goals of "healthcare for everyone" and "real democracy", which effectively eliminates both of those possibilities. According to their website, they are also against free trade, which they hope to replace with fair trade. So here we have an anti-capitalist, anti-globalist (an assumption taken from their partner organizations and their stated goals/beliefs) group that protested the G-8 gathering and is now protesting the DNC and (most likely) the RNC. This is not immensely important to the greater discussion, but I am quite curious.

[edit on 25/8/08 by paperplanes]

I like the idea of a few dozen instigators on the alphabet soup payroll, stirring up the crowd and then staging "arrests" and then while locked inside the DNC razorwire cattlepen, claiming that it is "not inhumane" and was "better than they expected."

reply to post by ragnarak
DITTO!!!!

I heard one of the protestors that Fox was a mouth piece for the current Administration, and that I agree with! When I first started watching Fox, I liked the entertainment. Then how quickly you learn what they are "about!" I am embarassed for the people who anchor on fox. It is truely shamful.

In BC, Canada, a group of protesters were gathering to protest the 2010 winter Olympics, (or something relating to the matters of the Olympics) Well, what happened was that out of the massively peaceful protesters, there were two men who were actively goading people to become violent protestors.

Suddenly, someone called out: 'Those guys are cops!' As might be expected, the crowd began to surround the two men. The two men then ran off to the police lines with their tails tucked between their legs! The police simply 'arrested' the men as they went over the police barricade and carted them off.

Proves that police departments will attempt to bait people! If some protestors are violent, don't be surprised if they are working for 'the man'

As a party that stands with their feet firmly planted in mid-air and relativity is the only absolute (self-refuting statement!) - this DNCC will be a circus. I'm sure the main-stream media will downplay the antics, too. It will be up to all the great people here on ATS to keep the free exchange of information flowing!

Thanks, OP for starting this thread - starred...

Originally posted by star in a jar
In BC, Canada, a group of protesters were gathering to protest the 2010 winter Olympics, (or something relating to the matters of the Olympics) Well, what happened was that out of the massively peaceful protesters, there were two men who were actively goading people to become violent protestors.

Suddenly, someone called out: 'Those guys are cops!' As might be expected, the crowd began to surround the two men. The two men then ran off to the police lines with their tails tucked between their legs! The police simply 'arrested' the men as they went over the police barricade and carted them off.

Proves that police departments will attempt to bait people! If some protestors are violent, don't be surprised if they are working for 'the man'

Lol, I saw that!
I think some of the black mask people at G-8 even had their own hotel rooms paid for by some 'shady' people. ( I can't find any news links, though)
One thing I noticed was that the fox reporter went into the protest line without much respect. Pushing through and 'getting in their faces'.

Freedom of the press and all that!
Cindy Sheehan told him, she would protect him, if he needed it!

[edit on 25-8-2008 by Clearskies]

I cant wait and see those clowns bringing their circus to St. Paul.

Theyve got a 3 block diameter barricade around the Xcel Center. Anyone who doesnt have proper I.D. aint going to have jack sh*t to protest about cuz they will be in a patty wagon. Mob mentality is the worst thing that could come about of a generally structured civilization. So dont bring that stupid clown show to MLPS/St.Paul!


P.S. Ill keep ATS posted on the GOP Convention as I am a proud resident of the State of Minnesota. Not really excited for it but ill make sure ATS doesnt get the wrong spin from those extreme communist liberals. They are like cockroaches, they are where the s**t sits IMO .


[edit on 25-8-2008 by Alferd Packer]

So in light of this new info ...sounds to me like this is a ploy to make all the non dem non repub (Ron Paul types) look like trouble stirrers and violent dissenters ...sort of like they try to do with the 911 truthers ......send in a few lunatic fringe types amongst the group and there you have it ..they are all considered lunatics then ....

This type of ploy worked very well with the Iraq war situation ...
I was against it (so were many others) and of course all it takes is a few people yelling at us saying we are Anti Americans and there you have it ...those who were against it were labeled as those who support terrorists ..which is the most disturbing thing I have ever been accused of .............



[edit on 25-8-2008 by Simplynoone]