9-9-9 Plan Will Raise My Taxes - Check Your W2's

Have you taken a few minutes to sit down with your 2010 federal tax return and W2's to see how you'd fare under Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan? I did that today and was not thrilled by what I found.

First, let me explain that I consider our family to be somewhere in the middle class range. We are a single income family with a very comfortable 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath home in a rural/suburban area with decent schools. All our cars are paid for, and though they all have 200K+ miles on them, they get us where we need to go. We don't take a vacation every year and I often shop at discount and thrift stores to save money. We have a son who is a sophomore in college who wouldn't be there without a generous academic scholarship. My husband and I have been taxpayers in Ohio and the U.S. since before we were married 23 years ago. We also pay taxes to our township (property taxes and a 1% school tax) and exorbitant taxes to the Marxist City of Cleveland, where my husband works. And we give a good percentage of our income to our church and various charities, several that help the underprivileged. I say this not to boast, but to say that I consider our family to be the typical American family that is paying our "fair share."

So I was surprised to find out that Herman Cain thinks we need to pay more.  Cain's plan calls for a simple 9% income tax - "gross income less charitable deductions." While we would actually pay less in overall federal taxes under Cain's 9% because the Social Security and Medicare withholding would be eliminated, it would only be $1344 less. 


That means only $1344 left to cover the 9% national sales tax. That would take care of the first $13,000 of our consumption, or around $300/week, but anything we spend over and above $300/week would effectively be a tax increase for our family. Considering that we spend around $100/week+ for gas and $150/week for groceries, I can say with a fair amount of confidence that our taxes will be going up under Cain's plan. 

Of course, the plan's supporters predict that the cost of goods will go down (eventually) because of the trickle-down effect of the reduced corporate tax, but even Cain's website is cautious about making that claim:

"By replacing higher marginal rates in the production process with lower marginal rates, marginal production costs actually decline, which will lead to prices being the same or lower, not higher." [emphasis added]

While I think some aspects of Cain's plan are good (reducing the corporate tax and making everyone paysomething), raising taxes on the middle class would be disastrous. It would cause families like ours to further reduce their already stretched budgets and cut back on spending, further depressing the economy. In our family, that would mean going out to eat less, taking fewer vacations, shopping at second-hand stores more and repairing things rather than replacing them. While prices may stay the same or even be lower in a post-9-9-9 economy, middle class families will have less disposable income, further straining the flailing economy.

Cross-posted at Red State

#OccupyCleveland Rape Report - Cleveland Police Not Investigating?

Yesterday I shared some details about the alleged rape of a 19-year-old woman in the tent city at Cleveland Public Square. I didn't catch this detail until I watched the news story again yesterday. WKYC "Senior Political Correspondent" Tom Beres reported:  

"[T]he group did not learn about this alleged incident until we told them early this afternoon."

This was on Wednesday. The police report was filed on Monday according to another WKYC report. 


So why had the Cleveland Police Department not yet contacted the group or been on the scene investigating by Wednesday afternoon?


Erin McCardle, one of the group's most visible organizers, said;

"We're cooperating completely with the Cleveland Police Department to find out exactly what occurred."

Note that McCardle said 'we are' rather than 'we will be,' indicating that she had been in contact with police. 


So either the group knew about the attack and had been previously contacted by police (and she was lying to reporters), or the group didn't know and some 48 hours after the report had been filed, the Cleveland Police Department had not yet been on the scene. Neither scenario is pretty.


Greg Gutfeld, on The Five Wednesday, pointed out something odd about the local news coverage of the alleged rape. He said they're asking the wrong questions.  Instead of asking where the rapist is and warning people that there is possibly a rapist roaming the streets of Cleveland, WKYC's Beres instead engages in some naval gazing on behalf of the protesters:

"...The big question: how much damage will this do to all the work that's been done and the future of the occupation...."

"...So again, the question: What will this ugly allegation do?..."

"...So this does put a cloud over the group's activities. Its permit for Public Square runs out Friday, Romona, it's not saying what it is planning to do. The permit for the tent city runs out a week from tomorrow."

Did Beres think to ask McCardle why the police had not yet begun to investigate the alleged crime? Why witnesses weren't being rounded up and the crime scene inspected?


Nah. He's more worried about the damage control aspect of the story. 


In the meantime, there is quite possibly a rapist on the loose in Cleveland. Local media reports indicate that the Cleveland Police are not exactly making this their top priority. The fact that members of the CPD have been actively involved in the protest doesn't make me feel completely confident that they're bringing their A Game to this investigation. 

Cross-posted at RedState

Rape Alleged at #OccupyCleveland Despite Detailed "Rape Culture" Policy

Several Cleveland news outlets have reported an alleged rape at the encampment of #OccupyCleveland. A 19-year-old woman who attends a school for children with special needs (autism, ADD, hyperactivity), has reported to police that the group's organizers assigned her to a tent with someone named "Leland," a stranger, who raped her on Sunday night. The young woman, who lives in a group home, reported the attack to one of her teachers at school on Monday. The teacher contacted police.

One guy, "familiar with but not in the protest," told WKYC-TV:

"Yeah, I don't believe any of these guys would do anything like that there. So, I think somebody probably brought her here. Sent her here to spend the night and hang out with her for one day just to say she was raped."

Yeah, probably someone from Fox News. They do that all the time. They round people up from group homes to sleep in dirty tents with strangers so they can go through the indignity of rape kits and exams at the hospital just so they can frame #OccupationCleveland for the crime. That guy is really, really sick.

The odd thing is, #OccupyCleveland planned for this. I don't mean that they planned a young woman would be forcibly raped in her tent. I mean that the people occupying Public Square in Cleveland anticipated that something like this might happen and made detailed plans for how the "community" should respond.

For example, their forums have a "Safer Spaces Policy Input Proposal" that explains the group's rules for respecting physical and emotional boundaries:

2. Respect others’ physical, mental and emotional boundaries.

• Always ask for explicit verbal consent before engaging or touching someone. Never assume consent, especially if drug/alcohol use is involved. Highly intoxicated people are always considered non-consenting. 

• Don’t assume the race, sexuality, gender, history with violence etc. of others. Instead, ask if someone is open to engaging in dialogue about identity. Don’t take it personally if someone doesn’t want to answer a question. 

*Special note on gender assumptions*
This occupy cleveland is a place where everyone should feel empowered to choose their own gender. If at all possible, find out what pronouns people prefer or use neutral pronouns such as ‘they’ or ‘z’. It is also important to separate terms for peoples’ genitals from their gender. We’re born with our genitals but we get to choose our genders. Genitals can be referred to on an “internal/external” continuum as opposed to a “male/female” one.

Um....not even going to start with that last point. Anyway, there's the more detailed "Sexual Offense Prevention and Response" policy. It includes a hyper-detailed explanation of facilitators. response teams, resource banks, survivors' rights...someone spent a LOT of time on this plan. If you've ever wondered, "What would happen to me if I were ever violated while living in a Collective of Socialists?" here's your answer:

- When/if the survivor wishes to confront/address the perpetrator, the response team will assist in this process, acting as support for the survivor. If the survivor wishes for the perpetrator to be confronted/addressed but does not wish to be involved in this process, the response team will confront/address the perpetrator with the survivor's consent.

- The survivor has a right to place certain demands on the perpetrator. If the perpetrator is not willing to meet these demands, the survivor may decide to take further measures, such as asking the perpetrator to remove his/her/hirself from certain spaces/events/communities. The response team will assist in making sure the decisions of the survivor are respected by the perpetrator and by the community.

- The survivor may decide to report her/his/hir experience to the police or other representatives of the legal system. In this event, the response team will the support the survivor in this decision and will work with the survivor in dealing with the police.

- The survivor will decide whether/how widely to spread the information of the assault. Survivor anonymity will be maintained and respected based on the wishes of the survivor.

- The responder and advocates begin with the needs of the survivor as the number one priority and then radiates out to the needs of the immediate community, then the needs of the larger community, and so on.

-The response team will be available to work with the perpetrator if the perpetrator wishes to accept accountability for his/her/hir actions and actively engage in this process.

I think they left off the section where the group votes to occupy the prison and demand the rapist be released because he was unjustly convicted by the military-industrial complex and Wall Street. Or something.

There have also been a couple of tortured posts to the forums about "Rape Culture." One bizarre piece is called Radical Organizing: Rape Culture as Colonization and Community Accountability. It begins, "Throughout my involvement with anarchist and anti-rape culture organizing..." Really, I had no idea there was such a thing. But now we all know that this is another aspect of the "occupation." It espouses the following view:

"Sexual violence and rape culture are indispensable to the strength and function of US colonialist and capitalist power in that they work to ensure all structural systems of oppression. Rape culture means that US society is a culture in which sexual violence is encouraged, condoned and perpetuated as a tool of gender oppression. Hetero-normativity means US society forces compliance within binary concepts of gender (either male or female) and seeks to normalize patriarchal gender oppression."

Can I just say...these people have issues, if you know what I mean.

One of the group's organizers, a law student, posted a request for Progressive lawyers at the outset of the occupation:

"But, MOST IMPORTANTLY, it's important to have an attorney there because if people are doing video surveillance (on the occupation's side) the attorney can claim it as "work product" and thus can't be subpoenaed by the other side. Therefore, if WE have footage of our protesters doing something less than legal, we won't have to turn the "evidence" over to the prosecutor."

I hope and pray that these protesters will do everything in their power to get to the bottom of this story. If indeed a sexual assault was committed in their camp, they need to assist the police in finding that person and prosecuting him to the fullest extent of the law. Hiding evidence must not be an option. Justice for the young woman involved and the safety of the citizens of Cleveland must be the top priority.



Cross-posted at Red State

#OccupyCleveland Day 7: Send rain ponchos and panties (for both of them)

A week ago I posted a blog entry about my undercover trip to #OccupyCleveland. I thought I'd drop by a week later to see how things were going. This time I had my 20-year-old son, a Hillsdale College student, in tow and our plan was to blend into the crowd and observe the action. However...

No crowd. No action. Nothing to observe.

You see, it rained in Cleveland on Day 7 and the temps dipped to a dangerously frigid 65 degrees Fahrenheit. While we saw several stray protesters making a halfhearted effort to march at the state office building for a few minutes, the dozen or so remaining #OccupyCleveland kids were hunkered down in their tent suite (the word 'city' would be hyperbole) doing something that was probably really important for the cause. Not a creature was stirring outside the tents, though a few of the "occupiers" peered out from under their tarps while I was snapping pictures.

My son said, "It just looks like a bunch of homeless people camping on the sidewalks," noting that, "They can't even pitch a tent correctly."

Thinking that perhaps it was nap time for the kiddos, we decided to grab a cup of Capitalist Coffee and check back in an hour. At 4:00 pm a light drizzle was falling and workers were beginning to pour out of Tower City and the adjacent office buildings. It was the perfect time to chant and wave signs about corporate greed!

Sigh. The kids must have slept through the the alarms on their iPhones. Being a revolutionary is so exhausting. And damp. And not nearly as much fun as they thought.

#OccupyCleveland Day 7 in pictures:

Due to a Cleveland city ordinance designed to control homeless people, the protesters are only permitted to sleep on the sidewalk. Unlike the Wall Street protesters, the Cleveland group is squatting with a permit from the city (which expires on 10/17). Today they lost their bid for permission to set up camp inside the historic Soldiers' and Sailors' monument.

Although the protesters were mostly MIA, law enforcement officers were highly visible. In fact, Cleveland police officers may have outnumbered the protesters. This is not an exaggeration. They were in cars, on foot, on horseback and accompanied by dogs. In the second picture below you can count four squad cars. This is in addition to the two officers on horseback and others driving around the area and on foot patrols.

By all accounts, these protesters have been peaceful and in fact, have been in solidarity with the CPD. So the heavy police presence may have been related to the many school children who catch the bus at Public Square (or concerns about a combination of protesters and school children).

There are several large electrical boxes scattered around Cleveland's Public Square. The city has them wrapped in police tape so the protesters cannot access them. However, the one directly across the street from the encampment has an extension cord running through the trees, across the street and into one of the tents. The city must aware of this and is permitting it so the kids can charge their iPhones and Macbook Pros.

Also, across from the historic 116-year-old Soldiers' and Sailors' monument, a gorgeous row of porta-potties has sprouted. Today was sucking-out day and the smell was vile. I'm sure the greedy 1% checking into the nearby Ritz Carlton were thrilled. On a side note...they've filled four porta-potties in seven days???? Reason #8389 I'm not a vegan. Just sayin'

So in just a week, we've gone from around 200 protesters (or 100 protesters and 100 media members and gawkers) to a handful of campers hunkered down in tents at the first sign of inclement weather. Campers who have just begun to realize they didn't prepare well. From their #OccupyCleveland Facebook page:

#OccupyCleveland Tarps and tents and umbrellas - stat. Please do not just stay on the sidelines, we need everyone to help out! Weather forecast is rain, rain and more rain. We need to keep our occupiers healthy and dry! And fed! Some home cooked food would be so amazing. Oh, and feminine hygiene products, socks and undies.

First, TMI, right?

And undies? Do they really expect people will provide them with clean undies "until they see some change in America"? (Hanes stock closed at $27.50 yesterday if anyone is looking for a tip. If this occupation catches on, we could all retire early.)

Someone named Christine is worried sick about them:

Christine I feel so helpless. I am in Akron and cant make it up until the weekend...I desperately want to do something. Somebody local please see what you can do today to help and give them some comfort. So worried about you all.

No worries though. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Copley), whose district surrounds Cleveland and who's been targeted for redistricting, joined #OccupyCleveland #OccupyWallStreet on Wednesday to fortify the troops and join the group's Labor March. I'm sure that was encouraging.

And speaking of encouragement, I'm wondering what happened to all the union BFF's that were at #OccupyCleveland last week. Fair weather friends, I guess. There was an exchange on the #OccupyCleveland's Justin.tv site that about sums up the effort:

• 8:56 Mikeinberea: stopped down for about an hour after work. I guess the Musicians Union was asking for OC to march with them to the Federal Bldg. but there were concerns raised» about other groups using OC for their causes
• 9:04 Tar_and_feathers: Eh, Bad Weather, alot of them didn't come out of their tents today, lol, I don't blame them, it was a slow, steady rain all day

It's tough being the 99% when there are only, like, twelve of you and strangers you're depending on for handouts aren't bringing enough ponchos, panties, and pancetta.

UPDATE: On Wednesday, the Board of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument denied the protesters’ request to sleep inside the monument. The monument “to commemorate the valor and patriotism of the Union Soldiers and Sailors of Cuyahoga County, State of Ohio, in the War of the Rebellion, from 1861 to 1865″ (irony alert) received a $1.5 million restoration in in 2010. The squatters wanted to park their unwashed bodies and old underwear here:

cleveland.com

The monument’s board, made up of patriotic veterans, wisely turned them down.

Chris Wallace interrogates and lectures Santorum on DADT

I was originally going to use the word "debate," but when one party gets to ask all of the questions and has the advantage of throwing in "gotcha questions" it's no longer really a debate. On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace decided the most pressing issue facing the country must surely be the repeal of the military's policy on Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), which allows gay soldiers to serve openly in the military. Because everybody almost nobody is talking about it. I say this because in a 13-minute segment with presidential candidate Rick Santorum, Wallace spent over a third of the time asking interrogating Santorum about DADT.

Clearly, Wallace is passionate about this issue and wasn't happy with Santorum's answers.

Before you watch the video, read the following question/comments and heavy duty opinionating by Wallace, from the transcript:

WALLACE: Senator, you say sexual activity has no place in the military. Heterosexuals have been open heterosexual for centuries in the military without any problems. And you talk about gays not being given, that they shouldn't be given special privilege. All of the "don't ask, don't tell" and the repeal of it does is say that they are given the same rights as everybody else has had forever.

WALLACE: No, wait a minute. Are you saying, you think that homosexual gay soldiers are going to sit there and go after the male counterparts in the barracks?

Wallace then reads a quote to Santorum and ask if that "sounds right" to him.

Santorum, smelling a rat, says, "Roughly, yes."

Wallace, thinking he's the most brilliant journalist since Dan Rather, hones in on his prey. (Santorum, like everyone in the viewing audience, knows exactly what's coming.):

WALLACE: Senator, Colonel Householder's[who is in the Army Adjutant General's Office in 1941, arguing against racial integration in the military] and I read -- Senator, I read Colonel Householder's comments yesterday. Everything that you said, living in close proximity, sharing bunks and showers, being in close proximity, what -- he used exactly the same arguments you use to argue against racial integration in the military in the 1940s.

WALLACE: I mean, it is a fact that your biology -- obviously, it's one thing if somebody is coming on to somebody in a room, but the sheer fact that somebody is a homosexual, are you saying -- I mean, these are all volunteers. They are all defending to protect our country, sir.

************************

Great job, Chris. Did you miss any talking points from the HuffPo? Everyone who watches Fox News knows Rick Santorum is the social conservative. And that he's against DADT. THIS IS NOT NEWS. Setting it up with the gay soldier question from the [ancient news] Fox News debate doesn't make it any more relevant. We expect this from MSNBC and the ever passionate Anderson Cooper. We expect better from the Fair and Balanced channel.

It's one thing (an appropriate thing) for a news anchor (or whatever Chris Wallace calls himself) to conduct an interview with a candidate and ask questions related to the candidate's positions, votes, and statements he has made. It's another thing entirely to turn the "interview" into an interrogation and condescending lecture designed to put the candidate in his place and explain to him (and the viewers) how backward - and practically racist - his views are.

That's just lazy, lousy journalism and I'm getting awfully tired of certain Fox personalities treating social conservatives this way. When they treat Rick Santorum this way, they're by proxy, looking down their noses at every SoCon in the viewing audience.

Meh. I can still turn the TV off and listen to Levin. Ratings are the only things these people understand.

(Fox wouldn't let me copy the embed code so I had to grab it from another site)

Crosspost:  Red State

Inside #Occupy Cleveland

On Thursday, a friend and I made the trip to downtown Cleveland to check out the #OccupyCleveland protest. The Facebook page predicted there would be 800-ish people attending, but the actual number on opening day was closer to 200. We dressed to blend in with the crowd so we could fully embrace the experience, spending the better part of the day with the protesters.

The first thing we noticed was that this event was barely planned. #OccupyCleveland had a few individuals who appeared to be coordinating the day's events, but it was clear there was no schedule and there was no real preparation for the adult pajama party that was supposed to happen that night.

As we eavesdropped on conversations and asked around, we discovered that the coordinators were unsure about whether they would be permitted to camp at the park - they were negotiating most of the day with City of Cleveland officials and City Council members. In the end, the best deal they could get was permission to sleep on the sidewalks as long as they weren't blocking any walkways or businesses.

To their credit, they were very intent upon obeying the laws and respecting law enforcement. They emphasized that law enforcement officials were part of the 99%. Well, for now, anyway. There were warnings from the leaders about what might happen if anyone so much as stepped outside a crosswalk.

There was no food supply planned except for a small stash they were giving away after the first hour. They were Tweeting throughout the day that they were accepting food handouts donations. We were grateful for our free Anarchist Apples and Che Cheetos and lounged around on a blanked for an impromptu picnic with the rest of the slackers. The only restroom facilities available were in the Federal building across the street. We were told they "had to let us in" as long as we had an ID. However, after hours, they will be left without running water or toilets. Lake Erie's a half mile away, so maybe that's the plan?

This was the entire food stash. Most had already been given away by 3 PM

We sat in on the Tech Team meeting and discovered that although they had plans for a cell phone charging station, they realized they had no source of electricity and city ordinances prohibited them from having electric generators in the park. Plus they didn't have extension cords. Oopsies.

It was a mostly white, age-diverse crowd. The reality is that there were two completely different protests occurring simultaneously. Check out the bipolar selection of photos below:

Note Communist fine print

I don't remember the last time I've been somewhere with so many smokers

Nice tribute to Capitalist Steve Jobs

Abolish Capitalism

As you can see, the unions were well-represented at this protest. Rather than young, disaffected college students, the featured speakers were from the traditional arms of the Democratic Party. There was a woman from the SEIU, who called herself a Community Organizer. There was someone from the AFL-CIO and a representative from Rep. Dennis Kucinich's office. There was an activists urging protesters to vote against Issue 2 (Gov. Kasich's union reform bill, which the unions are trying to repeal) and against Issue 3 (the Healthcare Freedom Amendment). Someone also urged us to sign the petitions being circulated to put a measure on the ballot to repeal the recent election reform laws passed by the GOP-controlled legislature. We were approached several times by various people circulating these petitions.

And of course, what protest (of any kind) would be complete without this guy?:

When someone introduced a representative from Moveon.org, I'm not sure what I expected, but I did not expect a white-haired man in his 70's. He wandered up to the microphone and said - I really don't know what, these speeches were SO boring - something and then came back and stood near me. He leaned over to a woman about his age who was perhaps his wife and said, "Was that OK?" She nodded in approval. Then he said, "I'm thinking maybe I should get some business cards that say "Moveon.org." I think that would be a good idea."

Wait, what? This is the great and terrible Moveon.org? This old man who had nothing even mildly interesting to say and failed to get more than a yawn out of the loosely gathered crowd? Well, kids, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain or you might see that this is a bunch of smoke and mirrors, just like the rest of these "protests."

Eventually, one of the leaders told the crowd that it was time for the march that was planned. They said that anyone who had an opinion about where we should march should come to the microphone to share their thoughts and we would have a democratic vote. Sheesh! I briefly considered proposing a march to Kapitalist Krispy Kreme, but restrain myself to keep from blowing my cover. Since only one person actually had an opinion, the majority decided to march to Public Square and City Hall.

About half a block into the march and the "This is what democracy looks like" chants, I had had enough. We had marched passed several construction workers in orange vests - people who were actually working. I looked up at the buildings around me and thought about the people working hard to earn paychecks for their families, including my own husband, who was working in one of those buildings to provide for our family. I felt sick to my stomach. I felt like I was betraying my country and everything I believed in. It was one thing to stand on the outskirts of that group, listening to the speeches, but I could not march with them and become one of them. We fell out of the march and headed back to our cars.

On that walk back to the parking lot, my friend and I reflected on the huge contrast between this group of protesters and those at the Tea Parties. Even though Tea Party members are angry and frustrated with the government and taxes and a host of other issues at times, the rallies are overwhelmingly uplifting and positive events. They are hopeful and focus on positive solutions. Even the music is designed to inspire and encourage. #OccupyCleveland, in contrast, was the opposite. In was depressing, negative, unfocused, and offered no solutions. Add mindlessly boring to the list as well. There's nothing worse than a completely unplanned, day-long open mic program.

I do, however, kind of like my fake tattoo. I think I might keep it for a few more days.

Crossposted at Red State

$60/hour overtime NYC cops babysitting disorderly Wall St. loons

"Taxpayers might be shelling out as much as $50,000 extra every weekend to pay cops overtime for the protest...


"...On weekdays, the NYPD can pull cops off other beats to guard Zuccotti Park. But on the weekends, and for large marches, overtime cops must be called in, said [NYPD Captains Endowment Association president Roy] Richter.


"Of an estimated 100 cops patrolling Zuccotti Park on weekends, it is reasonable to assume that at least half of them are getting paid overtime, Richter said. Overtime pay is $60 per hour, compared to the normal police pay of $40 per hour. "Even on weekdays, many of the about 30 cops who patrol the park have been pulled in from other precincts, such as Flushing, Midtown or University Heights in the Bronx."  (Metro New York) 

Lousy deal for the taxpayers and for those who are stuck dealing with traffic jams and the filth they are sure to leave behind when it finally gets too cold for these pampered perpetual teenagers.


This must be awkward for the union members who are beginning to support this movement. On the one hand, they support the unionized first responders who are pulling in hefty overtime pay while risking their lives wading into these crowds with one hand tied behind their backs. These are their union brothers and sisters, right?


On the other hand, protesters are going out of their way to make the NYPD the enemy, claiming police brutality and even alleging that the police lured the protesters onto the Brooklyn Bridge so they could arrest them.  The cognitive dissonance required to simultaneously hate the police and be in solidarity with them must be excruciatingly painful.


These "peaceful" protesters are setting up a potentially dangerous situation. They are diverting police protection from neighborhoods that have a genuine need for it. For what?  So these crybabies don't destroy and overrun the neighborhood like a bunch of sewer rats. This is endangering the law-abiding, tax-paying citizens of New York City.


And of course, the threat of terrorism is constant and real, unlike the manufactured threat these squatters whine about.  Recall that Anders Breivic, the Norwegian terrorist, first diverted police to a government building he had bombed in Oslo. From there, he was able to travel to Utoya Island, where he had 90 minutes to gun down teenagers before police finally arrived.


In an emergency in New York City, valuable delays could cost lives if police are busy hauling limp bodies off the Brooklyn Bridge. Spend some time watching the live feed of the protests. While many or even most of them are peaceful and are just there for a fun camping trip or because they heard there was a free Radiohead concert (they were disappointed), there is clearly an element that is there to provoke the police, hoping they can catch a confrontation on camera.


If you're a praying person, pray for those brave men and women who have to walk into that squalor, knowing their every move is being recorded and scrutinized.  You could't pay me $60/hour to do that.

 crosspost

Bizarre mind-control techniques at Wall St. protests

Comments about the live stream of the Wall Street protests on the Occupy Cleveland Facebook page:

Decbaal Occupy Chattanooga Viatos Why does the crowd repeated everything a speaker says?

Ally Burge because megaphones are not permitted, the crowd repeats what the speaker says when they pause so that everyone gets the message..its called something, i just cant remember right now

#OccupyCleveland They are using The Peoples Voice.

Decbaal Occupy Chattanooga Viatos Ahh I see its just sometimes hard to understand anyome when they do that

Barbara Waters - It worked fine on Wall St. I think it might depend on the size of the crowd as well.

************************************************

Here's the live stream:

Watch live streaming video from globalrevolution at livestream.com

If there's no "People's Voice" happening right now or the stream is off line, you can see an example of the bizarre practice here:

I have an African Gray parrot that can say around 70 different words and phrases. King Kong really has no idea what he's saying, although he will occasionally say the right word in the right context because he has learned some cues. For example, when the dog starts getting hyper he will say, "Drop it!" or "To-beeee!!"


These people at the Wall Street protests aren't much different than King Kong. They are merely parroting talking points and catch phrases they've heard and repeated over and over and over again. This explains why the majority of them cannot cannot coherently explain why they are there or what exactly they are protesting, beyond parroting those catch phrases.


By the way, does anyone else find it ironic that these people are using Facebook, which had a first half revenue of $1.6 billion in 2011? Why aren't they protesting at the Facebook HQ (a monument to greed if I ever saw one)?