Serious Business

http://gothamist.com/2008/09/02/demonstrations_riots_raids_and_arre.php

http://gothamist.com/2008/09/09/video_riot_police_percussion_grenad.php

And even a fox reporter who was arrested during the protests:
http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/News/Politics/Detail;jsessionid=A0DB588A69C773634930F23F477F7D8A?contentId=7384001&version=6&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.14.1&sflg=1

Basically, the run down is during a peaceful protest in St Paul, their "license" to assemble expired. Police in riot gear quickly showed up and started barking out orders, and even though their presence wasn't inspiring resistance, they decided to go ahead and shoot pepper spray, bean bags, smoke bombs, and concussion grenades at protesters, all the while telling them to disperse but actually herding them into a dead end so they could all be arrested.

Apparently this also comes amidst heavily armed police raids on private homes of protest organizers in the area.

Dude, seriously... I won't even argue about the ridiculousness of needing a permit or license to peacefully assemble at a major political gathering. The use of such force on 300 peaceful protesters is absurd enough. And what's with raids!? When did it become unlawful to privately meet with like minded people? If I'm not mistaken that's how the nation was founded and the right to do so was meant to be protected for that reason.

What pisses me off is that the people, once herded on to the bride, didn't stand up and tell those cops to fuck off. They had obeyed every order and were trying to disperse. They hadn't done anything unlawful to begin with. Instead of sitting down and putting their hands on their heads like good serfs they should have stood up and said NO.

It's been a long time since I've heard of actual protests by people in the U.S. who have something to say. Most of these people who protest do it to make them selves feel better, not because they passionately believe anything. And so when they're unjustly ordered around and attacked they just bend over and pull their cheeks apart. Fuck those pussies. If you're going to protest, be willing to actually stand up for what you believe in, that may require more than holding a sign and shouting cute slogans.

Such complacency gets me angry.

oh yeah- i saw it live on tv. there's nothin like a good ol' riot to hike the ratings on tv for the RNC. the police didnt seem to be very brutal- just doing their jobs. i just dont understand what these people were protesting about. do they hate republicans THAT much?

It was an anti-war rally. I don't think the suppression of speech is the cops job. The ability to express your opinion in public is the foundation of our government.
People have gotten too used to "free speech zones" and "assembly permits." These things are corrosive to a democracy, no one should sit down and let it happen.

This is blatantly inflammatory and a bit silly but it makes me laugh.


Riot police, prior to 1776

they just bend over and pull their cheeks apart. Fuck those pussies.

nick........someone should have told you.......that's not where a pussy is.

and, in case you haven't noticed, anti-war protests are now considered un-american and un-patriotic and all kinds of evil, horrible, dastardly things.

which means that so is this quote: "It's the duty of every patriot to protect his county from it's government."  Thomas Paine.......un-american and un-patriotic