Ah, Albany Citizen One. I like to defend her because no one has her attendance record. I loath to defend her because, well, she is wrong a lot. Take, for instance, the humble beginnings of #OccupyAlbany. On the first night, a solid 300 people filled Academy Park, across from both the Capitol and City Hall, complete with a drum circle, meandering journalists, media spotlight, and singalongs. The mood was mostly cheerful, even with the “threat” of police breaking up the event that never came to fruition.. The second day and night came and went much the same (though with one minor, drunken wrinkle)
ACO, she sees the whole thing as theater. That’s typical ACO talk. Disparage those who she doesn’t agree with, place herself on a pedestal, and ridicule the little ones with her higher knowledge, done so through with what amounts to an ageist argument. Oh, I used to be young and naive like the little kidlums across the street, but then I grew older and wiser.
First, her blog post on the morning after the successful sleepover, where she talks about Thomas More’s Utopia (I’ll ignore the hilarious mischaracterization of authoritarian Soviet Union as communist):
They want…Utopia.
There is a reason for Sir Thomas More’s Utopia remaining a fictional place. I was still leaning way to the left when I began my study of More’s social philosophies in college. Ya see, on the island of Utopia efforts are made to link townspeople with country people….the “diversification” of the 16th Century.
In the day, each town was situated no more than a day’s walk from the next and the people from town and country would be encouraged to meet, develop shared skills and learn from one another. Sound familiar?
In 16th Century Utopia, farming methods included mass-production techniques very similar to today’s. More writes that the “Utopians breed an infinite multitude of chickens in a very curious manner; for the hens do not sit and hatch them, but vast number of eggs are laid in a gentle and equal heat, in order to be hatched, and no sooner are they out of the shell, and able to stir about, but they seem to consider those that feed them as their mothers, and they follow them as other chickens do the hen that hatched them.”
Of course, she lifts a quote from the second book within Utopia, ignoring book one wherein More voices his frustrations with the monarchs of the day wasting money and resources on wars and causing abject poverty across Europe. What is it that she said…sound familiar? I don’t think anyone is proposing anything resembling utopia at #OccupyAlbany–unless community and consensus is utopian. I don’t see anyone who owns two slaves weighed down by gold chains, I don’t see facilitators ensuring equal demographic distribution by asking minority occupiers to move from one part of the encampment to another to enforce diversity. And her lead into this is such a gross oversimplification of the issues that the occupants have, I don’t even know where to begin. So I’ll just move on tonight’s item and try to regain balance.
District Attorney David Soares made an appearance at Occupy Albany yesterday, pledging that if anyone was arrested at Occupy Albany that he would not move to prosecute. For the record, no one there took that as a free pass to do whatever the hell they pleased. They still actively worked to not give reason for the police to arrest them–beyond leaving the park–by working to keep sidewalks clear, the park clean, etc. Not understanding how ACO wasn’t able to draw that distinction between civil disobedience and…well this:
I am even more concerned that the District Attorney has given the Occupiers a license to riot. This underminds Chief Krockoff and endangers his police force who believe that the threat of arrest is a deterrent to bad behavior.
Nope, these kids have been given permission to battlelthe police and they’ve guaranteed there will be no repercussions for their actions. You know, I used to heavily support this District Attorney but this is the last straw. I care about every one of my Albany Police Officers and this district attorney, according to the OccupyAlbany group, has endangered them.
ACO, quick lesson. Riot:
Protest:
The cops aren’t in danger. I know you have a flair for the dramatic, but c’mon. Seriously, that kind of hyperbole doesn’t even warrant a serious response. Permission to battle with police? Were you reading what you wrote or did you find yourself drifting in and out as you typed that hilarious assertion? Be serious.
About Sean Collins
This is a travesty. Soares needs to do his job and not pander to the protesters. Did he offer the Tea Party protesters the same deal? The law should be enforced equally to all groups. This means liberal groups as well. If the squatters refuse to leave the park after curfew they should be arrested. Plain and simple.
Since when does your political persuasion gain you extra concessions? Oh I forgot since Obama and his minions took over. This group in the park are your basic Che inspired marxist anti-capitalists and their useful idiots. So what … They are not above the law.
David David David,
Where do I even begin with you? I suppose I’ll take one thing at a time, and explain it slowly and methodically, just for you.
1) Soares IS doing his job. He’s protecting the right to nonviolent free speech.
2) The tea baggers are lucky they didn’t get arrested in large numbers when they assembled, considering many of them were carrying firearms as well as violent, racist signs. You won’t see that at Occupy Albany, and you’ll never find this out from watching Faux News.
3) Regarding the curfew, the city police AND state troopers have refused to arrest the protesters, because they’ve been peaceful and compliant with the law. Why do you hate the police so much, David? Are you an anarchist?
4) The group in the park are working class people of all ages and races, some Democrats, some Libertarians, most of them employed, many there with their kids. Again, you wouldn’t know that if you’re getting all your marching orders from soon-to-be-jailed Rupert Murdoch and Fat Man Ailes.
5) Speaking of useful idiots, how’s that corporate-funded astroturf tea party movement thingy working out for ya?
@Lars the same way that hopey changey thingy is working out for you, obviously you forgot or refuse to accept it was the American people that voted out the liberals in the last election not the corporate astroturf. To correct you also the State Troopers did not refuse, the squatters simply scurried to the city park to avoid arrest.
David – to a large extent, Corporations & the Rich BUY elections. Corporations have too much political influence. The own the Repub party lock (Wall St) stock & (Oil) barrel. They partially own the Dem party.
Why all the hatred David? What about you ACO? Why do you slander Occupy Wall St as “rioters”?
Why don’t both of you, ACO & David, actually come down to talk with these amazing young people? You will find that even if you disagree, you can have a friendly conversation.
Lars – even when the right wingers insult us, redbait us, slander us – we needn’t get into put-downs with them. Most of the folks who call themselves “tea party” are part of the 99%; let’s welcome them as friends, as sisters & brothers, & ask them to open their hearts & minds. This was the approach of Gandhi, MLK, & we can do this too.