>>>>>It would be nice to actually go more than 48 hours without seeing something like this happening in Oakland.
>>>>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bezz-6Q09ng
>>>>>I understand that the police have a difficult task of trying to keep order - but this business where they keep attacking people with batons that are lying on the ground defenseless, then arresting anyone recording it is REALLY starting to get under my skin.
>>>>
>>>>Maybe the derelicts should head back to their mom's basements or whereever else they may have crawled in from and quit trying freeload on the public.
>>>
>>>Bill, I know you are a better person than this. Please stop defending behavior that is reminiscent of 1930s Germany or present day Iran. The government should not be running amok like this. It is one of the beauties of our country that we are free to say what we think. You may not agree with their views but in this country they are entitled to say it. The views are not the point. My feeling toward extremists and racists is the same, even though they make me want to grab the nearest axe.
>>
>>They can say what they want. Trespassing (for months!!) and violating court orders in order to freeload don't cut it.
>>
>>>
>>>"I may not agree with what you say but I will defend with my life your right to say it." That is one of our founding principles.
>>>
>>>SET OPINION OFF
>
>Seems to me I recall (well, ok I don't actually 'recall', but I read about it) a time when protesters in the U.S. protested vehemently and were considered heroes. In fact if I got it right, they protested right into a revolution while rebelling against what they felt was unjust treatment and lousy laws. Of course that was back in the 1700s and you weren't around to be bothered by it.

..and there were some heroes during the 1960's civil rights movement which among other things resulted in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As I recall (well ok not 'recall' but I've read about it) there was a huge number of issues during that time with how the police were dealing with these protesters. One of the things learned from this seems to have been forgotten - how to deal with peaceful protesters..for example telling them to "crawl back into their mom's basement" and accusing all of them of trying to "freeload on the public" and beating them with batons is not only stupid it's about as counter-productive as you can get (and will for sure lead to other problems)...geeeze

bezz-6Q09ng