In a nutshell, I have come around on my initial opinion that the Occupy Wall Street movement is analogous to the Tea Party group. At first blush, I thought that the ernest young people in Zuccotti Park were simply expressing themselves and their discontent, much as libertarian and right of center citizens have been doing for the last 2 and a half years.
Well, I suppose they are technically doing that - but in every other respect they could not be more different than the TP's.
The first difference is message - the Tea Party has one. Even if you disagree with it, their premise is simple. Lower taxes, smaller government.
What is the OWS message?
Banks are greedy and corrupt and made off like bandits as the economy collapsed.
"Okay, and?"
"That's it man. Corporations are evil."
"So what's the solution then?"
"More regulations and more government."
Okay...
As a wing-nut you all know that I find this preposterous, but setting fundamental disagreements aside, this "message" is not only unfocused, it's incoherent both in it's presentation and apparent absence of a solution.
In other words - Where's the beef?
There is no substance here, only the same dreck the radical left has been pushing for my lifetime entire, and for decades prior.
That said, they still have a right to protest, right?
Absolutely.
Were they to organize and communicate effectively per the Tea Party, march on specific targets, disrupt actually culpable organizations - they would have some sympathy from me. Alas, as it is, they have decided to take their message to public spaces by squatting.
Zuccotti Park in New York City is now in squalor. Trash everywhere, human feces too. Used condoms and drug paraphernalia litter the ground. The stench of weed is overpowering. And the drums are really annoying.
Great. These are the values of OWS.
An incoherent message, and a delightful medley of shitting, fucking and drug use.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Not to mention a blizzard of sexual assaults, not only in Zuccotti but every other major city with an OWS movement.
Peace, love. Get your rape on. But don't talk to the cops. We'll handle this.
And the parks, which everyone used to enjoy, are now off limits to people who actually live in the neighborhoods. Local businesses are suffering, laying off workers and even shutting down.
Remind me again - why is this necessary?
Let's say for argument sake, that OWS actually has a message that makes sense - let's say that blaming the banks (rather than the government and and their lackeys such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) is entirely logical.
It's a big leap, I know - but stay with me.
Let's say they are not idiotic. Isn't there a better way to not only get their message across, but to affect real change in the system?
Yes, I suppose they could march in the tens of thousands on Washington (as the Tea Party did) in a calm and organized manner, clearly articulating what it is they want (again, as you know who did) and being respectful of their environment, other citizens and law enforcement.
But where's the fun in that? You can't smoke it, crap on it or screw it - so what's the point?
Fuck it.
At least, that's the impression these fine folks are giving me.
Okay, so they don't have a coherent or half intelligent message. Okay, so they are disruptive and destructive. They still have a right to protest, right? Yes on the first, no on the second.
There is no such thing as an unrestricted right to free speech. Charles Cooke from the National Review says it best.
"There is no right of “occupation” included in the Bill of Rights, nor does a desire to protest accord a right to take over private property, or disregard the laws of the land. They couldn’t march into Barnes & Noble and take it over for a month with impunity."
And therein lies my biggest rub with this whole smelly fiasco.
Because these protestors, with their stupidity and their destructive tendencies, fall in line politically with liberal elites (who also happen to be in charge of most urban cities) - they have been given a free pass to take a shit in the faces of law abiding citizens.
Can you imagine if the Tea Party had deigned to set up a campground at Zuccotti and refused to leave?
Are you kidding me? This violent mob, as our president has referred to the Tea Party, would have been summarily squashed under the thumb of the police state.
The mayor of Oakland, a life long tool of union progressives, lost her mind for a brief moment and tried to do just that to the smelly squatters in her city. It lasted for less than 12 hours. She was back to praising them and even called on city unions (excepting the police of course) to endorse their ham-handed general strike which succeeded only in damaging local businesses and shutting down the 4th biggest port in the world. Bizarro world indeed.
The rule of law has been dismissed out of hand in favor of populist opportunism and mob rule.
The problem for the liberals is that they forget their history all too quickly.
In 1968 the anti-war hippies were at the height of their power, and they were going to take their candidate to the White House and get out of Vietnam immediately.
Except that their guy lost in a landslide to Richard Nixon. Nixon in fact carried the vast majority of the youth vote.
Uh-oh.
Obama and his lackeys have made yet another fatal error, by throwing in with these Flea Baggers (man it feels good to say that after being called a Tea Bagger for so long) they have distanced themselves, perhaps irrevocably from most Americans.
The sad part is, I and many agree with the one kernal of common sense that the OWS is spouting - the banks should have never been bailed out. But Bush started it, and Obama finished it decisively. The fact that all the private banks and corporations that were helped by the government paid back their loans with interest is lost on OWS, but I can even agree with them that we shouldn't have dumped the money in the first place.
I would also like to point out to them that Obama has received twice the donations to his campaign from Wall Street that Bush did.
But don't let facts get in the way.
Take a crap, stick it in, smoke some dope and throw a brick.
