I will note that I walked to the Javits today for the NYCC press stuff.
In a sidestreet near it, there were a TON of NYPD officers being trained in riot gear use. A whole street was blocked off and they were practicing marching in formation.
I am actually pretty sure this is in preparation for the eviction.
Police won't be able to get in, due to a wall of press trying to cover the event. Hint to any occupants: wear a suit, carry a fake microphone, and always be looking at a camera. The cops will mistake you for press and won't attack.
Police won't be able to get in, due to a wall of press trying to cover the event. Hint to any occupants: wear a suit, carry a fake microphone, and always be looking at a camera. The cops will mistake you for press and won't attack.
Don't fucking do this, because it won't work. You'll just get your ass beat AND your camera broken. Because you'll be swinging something like this -
And if you were actually the press, particularly the broadcast media, you'd be being filmed on something like this -
And of course, most critically, there is one more bit of useful equipment you won't have -
That's right - You'll have absolutely nothing to prove that you're a member of the press, which won't go well for you if you're trying to imitate the press. I'm afraid this isn't a fucking superman cartoon where clark kent sticks a little bit of paper with PRESS written on it in his hat band at a jaunty angle and nobody hassles him, this is real life, where Actual journalists are not immune to getting pepper-sprayed, beat, arrested or kettled by over-enthusastic police - which you're only making worse by imitating the fucking press. Also, in New York, you have this deal where the NYPD issues you press credentials, and I'm told that pretty much anyone working for anything from podunk little local papers all the way up to the times have those credentials. Don't have NYPD issued press credentials? Yeaaaah, I'm getting the feeling that you'll probably get to meet some lovely new friends who just want to show you their cool little sticks and this neat perfume they want to spray on you, before they fit you with some shiny new bracelets.
TL:DR - DON'T FUCKING DO THAT. IT'S A REALLY, REALLY BAD IDEA.
Even if you did have a proper camera but lacked creds, it's not going to matter. NYPD is going to cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. People are going to get fucked up tomorrow.
There aren't that many of them. It's a tiny, tiny park. It won't be nearly as bad as you think it will be.
Also, it's trivial to get NYC press credentials. All they do is let you go behind police lines and into press areas at parades/events. It won't matter here: the protest park is so small that they'll just arrest anyone who doesn't leave its tiny boundaries, including press.
Even if you did have a proper camera but lacked creds, it's not going to matter. NYPD is going to cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. People are going to get fucked up tomorrow.
Yep - Without any sort of Journalistic identification, It wouldn't matter if you had fucking plastic surgery to become a doppleganger of Walter Cronkite and set up an entire fucking news studio in the middle of they protest, you're going to get your shit heavily ruined - Frankly, even in a professional capacity, I wouldn't be going anywhere near that protest without some heavy duty gear and some VERY FUCKING OBVIOUS(and genuine) press credentials. When I say this wouldn't be my first riot, I don't mean fucked off to the craft store.
Point still stands. You're probably not the first person to think of it, and I wouldn't be surprised if people were taking shit like that seriously, because people are fucking stupid.
Also, it's trivial to get NYC press credentials.
Applicants must be a member of the media who covers, in person, emergency, spot or breaking news events and/or public events of a non-emergency nature, where police, fire lines or other restrictions, limitations, or barriers established by the City of New York have been set up for security or crowd control purposes, within the City of New York; or covers, in person, events sponsored by the City of New York which are open to members of the press.
Applicants also must submit one or more articles, commentaries, books, photographs, videos, films or audios published or broadcast within the twenty–four (24) months immediately preceding the Press Card application, sufficient to show that the applicant covered in person six (6) or more events occurring on separate days .
I don't know their exact standard beyond what information they provide - not a bridge I've had to cross, frankly -, but "trivial" for someone who is, say, a member of the media in some capacity does not mean trivial for random Joe Protester to obtain in under 24 hours.
This video makes me angry in ways I don't think I could form into coherent thoughts. Really? You like this guy? He's just the same as the 53% people. OWS is about way more than whatever Ron Paul bullshit he's talking about.
OWS is about way more than whatever Ron Paul bullshit he's talking about.
Yep, but they're also the group from OWS with the clearest and most concise message(The same things they've been banging on about for years, really, so I guess practice counts) and while they're a minority, they're a vocal one. And since they're clear and concise, they're very easy to respond to. The fact that they're insanely wrong doesn't hurt either.
Let's face it, it's a lot easier to respond to "WE WANT TO END THE FED! RETURN TO THE GOLD STANDARD!" than the VAST majority of OWS, which seems to have taken an old Sex Pistols lyric to heart - I don't know what I want, but I know how to get it.
Really? You like this guy? He's just the same as the 53% people.
No, he's not. Because the 53% are saying "Go home and be thankful for what you have, you whiny little fucks, because I'm sick of paying your welfare checques so you can continue protesting, by the way, sign up for the Tea Party", and this guy is saying "You've done great. It's time to stop and take the NEXT step now. This part is done."
Something that annoys me, there is an Occupy Brisbane event on Sunday, and it's just pure band-wagon, because almost none of the problems they're protesting in new york are a problem here - economically, we're fine if not good, things are plentiful, the dollar is great, compulsory voting prevents a LOT of the problems that America seems to have since politicians can't just play to the small amount of people who will vote(because the vast majority of people vote) and are therefore forced to play to the majority, not to mention our government works entirely differently to the US government. It's fucking protesting for the sake of protesting here, people grabbing a fucking sign and having a shout because it's trendy, not because it's going to change a bloody thing. You could say it's for solidarity, but that's stupidity, Americans can't even locate this city on a fucking map for the most part, let alone give a shit about who protests here.
We're not sending a clear political message of "Things must change", we're sending a clear political message of "lol we dunno what the fuck we're doing."
Also, if you can't put these things into coherent words, then step back and re-assess. If you can't put it into words, while I appreciate that you're feeling angry, it's not useful. Stop, Have a cuppa, chill the fuck out, and think about exactly why you're feeling angry. For example, I am angry that the protesters, for the most part, are super angry at the 1% of America, but forget that to a majority of the rest of the world, THEY are the 1%, and as soon as they get theirs, everyone else can go get fucked.
I'm getting pretty excited for the Occupy Charleston event that's going on. It's being VERY well organized and the city government is actively helping us organize it. Our tea party governor is even holding an open house that morning, so the coincidence will be reported on.. although they're already cautioning OWS protesters against going and speaking out at the town hall, for fear of even furthering the gap between those who mock and those who support.
Yep. Legally, as an Australian citizen, you are required to vote, even if you are overseas - I was required to vote in England, via the embassy, though luckily I could do it by mail, if I had to go all the way to London just to submit some paperwork, I'd have just risked the fine - it'd be cheaper than the trip. In practice, you can get away with not voting, but there is a chance you'll be fined for it, especially if you're on the electoral roll but then don't vote. We also have runoff voting - Basically, instead of voting just for one person, and if they don't win your vote counted for fuck-all, you put down preferences, from highest to lowest. You don't have to put down preferences for everyone, of course, but if your highest preference doesn't win, then your vote goes to your second preference, and if they don't win, and so on down the line.
EDIT - Oh, and we also have delayed fee schooling. Cheese or vino could probably explain it better than me, but essentially, you go, you do your degree, and you only have to pay that back once you're earning more than $37,000 a year(or was it $35,000? I can't recall exactly the figure, but it's around there), at which point it's deducted from your pay, much in the same manner as income tax or the medicare levy is automatically deducted. Oh yeah, Medicare - Basically universal healthcare, we have that too. Good times, Good times.
This is both frustrating and amusing. Check out the last video at the bottom. Near the end of the video, it mentions how the company that owns the park on Wall Street is trying to evict people because they want to 'clean the area'. What did protesters do? Besides digging in and saying that they will need to be dragged out...they started cleaning the park.
What? Bloomberg didn't back down the park owners changed their minds.
“Late last night, we received notice from the owners of Zuccotti Park — Brookfield Properties — that they are postponing their scheduled cleaning of the park, and for the time being withdrawing their request from earlier in the week for police assistance during their cleaning operation,†Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said in a statement Friday morning. “Brookfield believes they can work out an arrangement with the protesters that will ensure the park remains clean, safe, available for public use and that the situation is respectful of residents and businesses downtown, and we will continue to monitor the situation.â€Â
Bloomberg didn't back down the park owners changed their minds.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Bloomberg's wife is on the park's board of directors. So honestly, I don't really know NYC politics well enough to be sure who made the decision here.
Violence! A minor amount, it sounds like. The protesters decided to march towards the NYSE and were met with ill-prepared police who injured a couple of protesters trying to break it up.
Occupy is becoming the Cold War of riots. You just know it's going to break out at any minute, but so far, the skirmishes have been too small to get one going.
I'm thinking that once someone actually dies on either side of the protest, that will be the climax. Not sure if it would explode or fizzle at that point.
Violence! A minor amount, it sounds like. The protesters decided to march towards the NYSE and were met with ill-prepared police who injured a couple of protesters trying to break it up.
There's a poorly placed photo of a dude getting run over by a police scooter, right above a paragraph about a protester knocking over a scooter. Sort of made me think someone was flagrantly lying for a minute.
There's a poorly placed photo of a dude getting run over by a police scooter, right above a paragraph about a protester knocking over a scooter. Sort of made me think someone was flagrantly lying for a minute.
What struck me was the copious amount of people standing around him taking pictures of it, but not actually helping.
Comments
In a sidestreet near it, there were a TON of NYPD officers being trained in riot gear use. A whole street was blocked off and they were practicing marching in formation.
I am actually pretty sure this is in preparation for the eviction.
And if you were actually the press, particularly the broadcast media, you'd be being filmed on something like this -
And of course, most critically, there is one more bit of useful equipment you won't have -
That's right - You'll have absolutely nothing to prove that you're a member of the press, which won't go well for you if you're trying to imitate the press. I'm afraid this isn't a fucking superman cartoon where clark kent sticks a little bit of paper with PRESS written on it in his hat band at a jaunty angle and nobody hassles him, this is real life, where Actual journalists are not immune to getting pepper-sprayed, beat, arrested or kettled by over-enthusastic police - which you're only making worse by imitating the fucking press. Also, in New York, you have this deal where the NYPD issues you press credentials, and I'm told that pretty much anyone working for anything from podunk little local papers all the way up to the times have those credentials. Don't have NYPD issued press credentials? Yeaaaah, I'm getting the feeling that you'll probably get to meet some lovely new friends who just want to show you their cool little sticks and this neat perfume they want to spray on you, before they fit you with some shiny new bracelets.
TL:DR - DON'T FUCKING DO THAT. IT'S A REALLY, REALLY BAD IDEA.
Also, it's trivial to get NYC press credentials. All they do is let you go behind police lines and into press areas at parades/events. It won't matter here: the protest park is so small that they'll just arrest anyone who doesn't leave its tiny boundaries, including press.
Let's face it, it's a lot easier to respond to "WE WANT TO END THE FED! RETURN TO THE GOLD STANDARD!" than the VAST majority of OWS, which seems to have taken an old Sex Pistols lyric to heart - I don't know what I want, but I know how to get it. No, he's not. Because the 53% are saying "Go home and be thankful for what you have, you whiny little fucks, because I'm sick of paying your welfare checques so you can continue protesting, by the way, sign up for the Tea Party", and this guy is saying "You've done great. It's time to stop and take the NEXT step now. This part is done."
Something that annoys me, there is an Occupy Brisbane event on Sunday, and it's just pure band-wagon, because almost none of the problems they're protesting in new york are a problem here - economically, we're fine if not good, things are plentiful, the dollar is great, compulsory voting prevents a LOT of the problems that America seems to have since politicians can't just play to the small amount of people who will vote(because the vast majority of people vote) and are therefore forced to play to the majority, not to mention our government works entirely differently to the US government. It's fucking protesting for the sake of protesting here, people grabbing a fucking sign and having a shout because it's trendy, not because it's going to change a bloody thing. You could say it's for solidarity, but that's stupidity, Americans can't even locate this city on a fucking map for the most part, let alone give a shit about who protests here.
We're not sending a clear political message of "Things must change", we're sending a clear political message of "lol we dunno what the fuck we're doing."
Also, if you can't put these things into coherent words, then step back and re-assess. If you can't put it into words, while I appreciate that you're feeling angry, it's not useful. Stop, Have a cuppa, chill the fuck out, and think about exactly why you're feeling angry. For example, I am angry that the protesters, for the most part, are super angry at the 1% of America, but forget that to a majority of the rest of the world, THEY are the 1%, and as soon as they get theirs, everyone else can go get fucked.
EDIT - Oh, and we also have delayed fee schooling. Cheese or vino could probably explain it better than me, but essentially, you go, you do your degree, and you only have to pay that back once you're earning more than $37,000 a year(or was it $35,000? I can't recall exactly the figure, but it's around there), at which point it's deducted from your pay, much in the same manner as income tax or the medicare levy is automatically deducted. Oh yeah, Medicare - Basically universal healthcare, we have that too. Good times, Good times.
(Cripus Attucks, for those who don't know the poorly known faces of the American Revolution.)