Occupiers banned from parks even when parks are open

Is it fascism yet?

It's bad enough for cities to close down public parks every night - a rule that was designed to be selectively enforced. But now they're singling out Occupy protesters by banning them from parks the rest of the time too.

In Portland, Maine, individual participants in Occupy Maine are now being banned from Lincoln Park even when the park is open - under threat of being charged with trespassing. The police-imposed bans are in force for up to a year.

I shouldn't even have to be saying this, but how can one be guilty of trespassing on public property - especially when the park is open? Did NKU take over the Portland Police when nobody was looking?

Singapore Newt

Newt Gingrich's worshipers always did have a soft spot for the dictatorship in Singapore - that was one of the main inspirations for the fascist Contract With America - but you'd think it would just elicit laughs in 2011.

Wait, it does.

The dour asshole Newt is reviving the Far Right's praise of Singapore's totalitarian government. And believe me, totalitarian is the right word for it. It's worse than merely authoritarian. The regime in Singapore is one of the vilest on the planet. It's worse than Fidel Castro was - by far.

Gingrich said Singapore's policy of flogging small-time lawbreakers and executing people found guilty of minor drug offenses is a good role model for America. "They've been very draconian," he said. He intended that as a compliment, not a criticism.

Then move there, Newt.

This is reminiscent of the right-wing letter-writing campaigns in the '90s praising the Singaporean government. This promenade was supported by people who hated America and hated freedom. Sort of like Newt does. Real patriots would have stood up for red, white, and blue. These whiners didn't.

(Source: http://www.alternet.org/rights/153242/newt_gingrich_on_the_drug_war%3A_execute_mexican_cartel_leaders_%28and_more_terribly_draconian_ideas%29)

Newt steps up war on workers

A few days ago, somebody told me that Republican presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich sounds like exactly the sort of clod who'd advocate the latest Freeper cause du jour: forcing welfare recipients to take a drug test even without probable cause. I said it's almost certain he'd express support for this idea sometime before next November. Newt is known for ideas that bad.

But we didn't even have to wait nearly that long, since now he's on it already. Never mind that it was already ruled unconstitutional years ago.

When somebody asked Gingrich how to reform the disastrous War on Drugs, he said we should expand this failed prohibition campaign by instituting drug tests - not just for welfare recipients but also anybody else who gets government aid, including veterans' benefits and Social Security. "Unemployment compensation, food stamps, you name it," he said.

Surprised? I'm not. This is the man who ushered in the failed welfare "reform" measures of the '90s - which have led to the deaths of countless Americans. Newt Gingrich is also the asshole who hired a Nazi as House historian. And he advocated placing kids in orphanages just because of their parents' marital status. Nothing is too extreme for ol' Newt. Still, The Media has fawned over him for years. Much as they heaped praise upon his orphanage proposal, they've been grooming him to become President ever since he left Congress. Since then, the TV pundits have always had him on as a guest every time there's some major story he has nothing to do with.

If you want to go after welfare, go after the budget-busting Bush tax cuts. The Bush tax cuts are the new welfare. Unlike the old welfare, however, it's not for the poor but for the rich.

And - even if Super Congress wasn't unconstitutional - Super Congress was destined to fail at its stated mission to rein in the deficit, because it was completely unwilling to look at ending the Bush handouts for the wealthy. This form of welfare was effectively exempt from cuts - and it still is even with the committee's failure.

(This is not to be confused with Bush's phony tax "rebates" that excluded the poorest Americans. Outrageously, an amendment added to one of the "rebate" bills by the disgraced John Ensign made it so overseas military personnel also didn't get any payment.)

Newt Gingrich is not only evil. He's such a joke that he doesn't even understand how limited the appeal of his ideas is. He thinks attacking the poor appeals to workers. But the poor are workers. That's why they're called the working poor. Drug-testing of welfare recipients without reasonable suspicion appeals primarily to the dwindling Republican base that thrives on meanness and class warfare. Anybody else who may have once thought the idea looked good on paper has abandoned it now that there's been enough time to debate it thoroughly.

(Source: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/11/28/376987/newt-gingrichs-latest-assault-on-the-constitution-drug-test-americans-before-they-get-any-kind-of-federal-aid)

Lawn Chair Quarterback: "Ronald Reagan's Least Favorite Macaroni And Cheese"

Sir Ronald Reagan liked the finest things in life.

Many of you have heard of a recipe called Ronald Reagan's favorite macaroni and cheese. Ol' Rappin' Ronnie always devoured a plate full of it on his birthday. But the former leader of the free (?) world was no ordinary guy. He actually bore a title of nobility after Britain knighted him. So there's no way he'd settle for the culinary delight I invented.

I call it Ronald Reagan's least favorite macaroni and cheese. You'll love it, because it's tasty and it saves money. But Sir Ronnie would likely have nothing to do with it...

Right-wing class warfare in Paducah

Imagine if you can the uproar that would result if this story was about the poor trying to keep the rich out of their town - instead of the other way around.

In Paducah, Kentucky, right-wing activists are circulating a petition to keep a homeless shelter out of their city. One woman said of the proposed shelter, "You don't feel safe with all kinds of creatures around."

"Creatures"??? Did Andre Bauer make that statement using a pseudonym???

Strange. We never get a choice when some developer wants to build an upscale subdivision or luxury high-rise in our community - even though we have reasons to oppose these projects that have nothing to do with class warfare. These developments often damage the environment or the economy, yet they get rubber-stamped. But look at all the red tape and right-wing petitions that materialize if somebody wants to build a homeless shelter. In fact, the law has to be changed just to build it: Laws in Paducah don't currently allow homeless shelters - but I bet you they allow wealthy subdivisions.

It's kind of like what's going on now in some suburban townships just outside Cincinnati. Rich residents are trying to keep Section 8 housing away, and Hamilton County even refused to obey an official order that gave the green light to the new homes. But I don't remember poor neighborhoods within the city being able to do anything about upscale developments that often displaced them.

The news in Paducah though isn't all bad. After reading about the homeless being called "creatures", some folks there plan to circulate a petition that would allow the shelter instead of forbid it.

(Source: http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Proposed-homeless-shelter-causes-uproar-in-neighborhood-134357213.html)

Woman miscarries after police riot

During last week's police riot against Occupy Seattle - the same raid that yielded damning photos of the police pepper-spraying an 84-year-old woman - a 19-year-old pregnant woman was also pepper-sprayed and kicked in the stomach by cops.

The young woman was hospitalized, and now she has miscarried as a result of the police action.

Now right-wing talk stations in Seattle are accusing her of making it up because she hasn't released her PRIVATE medical records regarding the incident.

Gunman fires at Occupy camp

In the latest act of right-wing violence against Occupy protests, Occupy Houston was confronted by a crazed gunman last night.

The young man fired 15 rounds from a rifle into the air and some fountains before aiming the gun at a protester. He was then taken down by police.

Just as frightening, some of the Occupiers reported seeing 2 other suspicious men wearing the same type of suit as the gunman, as if he wasn't acting alone.

If The Media covers this in any significant fashion, how much do you want to bet that they'll blame the Occupiers for it?

(Source: http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/11-21-11-well-dressed-gunmen-shatters-occupy-houston-tranquility-fires-up-to-15-rounds-points-weapon-at-girl)

Occupy opponent assaults reporter

Imagine if you can what the reaction would be if a supporter of the Occupy movement attacked a journalist or any other observer. But when an Occupy opponent attacks somebody, you're hard-pressed to find anything about it.

On Saturday night, the Occupy Pensacola gathering in front of Pensacola City Hall was confronted by a young man. The man drunkenly threatened Occupiers. Then he charged at a photojournalist who was covering the event. During the attack, the reporter's glasses were broken. The attack on the reporter was completely unprovoked.

The assailant was quite rightly arrested and charged with battery.

What a beezweezer.

Did Occupiers just kill Internet blacklist bill?

Is this yet another victory for the Occupy movement?

Congress has been working on a bipartisan bill known in the Senate as the PROTECT IP Act and in the House as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act). Regardless of what the intent of the bill is, the result could be devastating (though I suspect Republican sponsors knew that but just won't admit it).

The stated goal of the bill is to crack down on online piracy. But if enacted, it would do much more. Not only would it gut the DMCA's provision that requires copyright holders to go through the process of submitting notices of infringement to allegedly offending websites, but it would also allow the Attorney General to prohibit search engines from linking to certain sites. It would even force credit card companies to stop doing business with blackballed sites - regardless of whether the sites were proven to be violating anybody's copyright.

Another result of the bill would be that open source software projects could be shut down. Social networking sites could even be closed. The bill is so broad that YouTube and Flickr would likely be closed too. And it would prevent Americans from ordering cheaper medications from Canada.

But after being exposed by Occupy websites and events, this Internet blacklisting bill became the subject of negative correspondence to Congress. Now the bill is likely dead. Nancy Pelosi spoke out against it, and even Darrell Issa says it now has "no chance of passage."

If Occupiers killed this bill - which they likely did - this isn't the first Occupy win. Last month, when the movement was only a month old, Occupiers got big banks to drop their plans to institute a fee for using a debit card. The banks' greedy proposal was wrapped in classism, as it wouldn't have applied to regular credit cards.

At the polling booth this month, the Occupy movement clearly fueled a trend back towards representative populism. Plus, Occupiers succeeded at delaying and possibly preventing approval of TransCanada's economically and ecologically disastrous Keystone XL pipeline in the Midwest. (TransCanada tried using eminent domain to build it, even though it's a corporation, not a government body. Also, the pipeline would have benefited the zillionaire Koch brothers, who have helped bankroll the Tea Party and other right-wing causes.)

With Occupiers turning everything they touch into a thrilling victory, what delightful surprises are next?

Busted! Memo reveals campaign to destroy Occupy

To the surprise of nobody who reads this blog, the Occupy protests have been met with a drumbeat of hostile media coverage. Without exception, however, each photo or video that purports to show some serious criminal activity or bigotry by Occupiers has turned out to either be a hoax or has failed to show what the item's purveyors claim. (Occupy critics even changed the location of one damning photo. They couldn't make up their minds whether they took the photo in Los Angeles or Dallas.)

I don't cover all these lies here, because that just lets the Far Right set the parameters of the debate. Our aim is to expose wealth disparity and corporate power - not to answer every right-wing smear against others who expose it.

Now - again to nobody's surprise - it turns out that the right-wing smear pipeline that has gushed against Occupiers is bankrolled by exclusive lobbying firms. A memo has been leaked proving this. (I usually don't link to NBC pages, due to NBC's infamously poor edit of a Michelle Obama speech in 2008, but this is an exception.)

The memo was from Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford, a lobbying firm for the financial services industry. This firm has funded an $850,000 media campaign to try to discredit the Occupy movement and any political figure who dares to support it. This campaign also involves "research" against Occupiers.

Well, now we know who's behind all the anti-Occupy stories. Not like it's doing Wall Street any good, because every time I go to Occupy Cincinnati, there's always new faces there. (And I'm not counting the cops who arrested one of the Occupiers last week for the "crime" of photographing an undercover police car.) The only thing that's too big to fail may be the Occupy movement.

Gandhi has been quoted as saying, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." So things seem to be going right on cue. It's exactly what happened when we took on the Pathway Family Center cult.

(Source: http://upwithchrishayes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/19/8896362-exclusive-lobbying-firms-memo-spells-out-plan-to-undermine-occupy-wall-street-video)

Lawn Chair Quarterback: "Happy Plop Day!"

This 'LCQ' episode has absolutely nothing to do with politics or the Occupy movement that numerous authoritarian mayors and The Media despise with such vitriol. Rather, Tim celebrates the 23rd anniversary of the pivotal Plop Lecture...

Congress less popular than communism

Communism!

What sort of down-home, hard-working American doesn't fear the Red menace as the greatest threat to all of humanity? Well, apparently not as many as who view Congress just as unfavorably.

A Rasmussen poll says only 11% of Americans would support the United States becoming a communist country. But a CBS/New York Times poll gives Congress an approval rating of only...9%.

Gee, Geoff Davis, how does it feel to be less popular than the Communist Party? Should it be surprising? In essence, Congress has privatized communism by awarding unfettered power to Big Business. What's the difference between a one-party state and a corporate monopoly?

Want to argue? Here's the polling data...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/15/1036696/-Open-thread:-The-congressional-popularity-problem-in-one-chart?detail=hide&via=blog_1

More right-wing bias from The Media

Is there any end at all to what The Media will try to make us believe?

The website of KNTV-TV in San Francisco - an NBC-owned station - sounds like it's trying to compete with Free Republic. A headline on the site blares, "Berkeley to Consider Condemning OBL Raid." No, the city of Berkeley is not considering condemning the raid.

The article says Berkeley is talking about "whether to condemn the killing of Osama Bin Laden." No, Berkeley is not talking about whether to condemn killing him.

The resolution would condemn intelligence officials who gave bin Laden the code name "Geronimo." The measure doesn't condemn the actual raid. It only condemns the code name. The resolution was prompted by the fact that the code name insults the memory of Apache leader Geronimo.

In other words, KNTV completely distorted the facts.

Look, even I'm not condemning the raid itself. I know the other side seems to live in a funhouse mirror world in which they think I would, but this make-believe land of theirs is a lie they've created. On the other hand, some right-wingers actually did condemn the raid right after it occurred. So the right-wing intelligentsia loses the argument. Again.

More Occupy Cincinnati news

Occupy Cincinnati's Facebook page has surpassed 10,000 fans, as the cause continues to grow - like the Occupy movement elsewhere. It's particularly remarkable that the movement is growing nationwide considering how openly hostile The Media is.

Today at 5:45 PM, Rev. Jesse Jackson is scheduled to appear at an Occupy Cincinnati press conference at Piatt Park. It's November, and it's going to be cold and rainy, so please dress warm if you go.

The Media's "Zuccotti lung" hypocrisy

Is "Zuccotti lung" anything like "Brossart lung"?

The Media is generating much rumpus about the Occupy protests allegedly spreading "Zuccotti lung", which appears to be a relatively mild flu-like ailment resulting from people gathering in close quarters. For instance, a contributor to Yahoo! (a company that turns in journalists to the Chinese government) has written a right-wing commentary blasting Occupiers for this condition. But they don't raise a peep about the unclean practices that pervade our schools that cause more severe illnesses that recur for years.

When I was in high school, I came down with what I believe to be dengue fever - which I suspect was from the conditions at school. My school seemed to have made itself into a diorama of a Third World dictatorship with all the tyranny and disease that goes with it. It seemed like I was sick half the time I went to this school, and nobody did shit about it.

This goes on at lots of schools, and I just don't understand why people put up with it. That remains a mystery.

If Occupy camps spread as much disease as most American schools today do, they'd be shut down by the health department instantly. The fact that they haven't proves they're mighty clean in comparison. I suspect "Zuccotti lung" is just The Media's name for finding a booger in your nose. If it's anything more than that, it's partly - though not entirely - the cities' fault for not always providing proper sanitation at their parks. For example, I remember a few months ago noticing that the restrooms at Fountain Square were locked even though it was the middle of the day. Are people supposed to shit in the hallway of the Fifth Third building?

That said, we can all practice common sense when we attend an Occupy event, and I don't know anybody in the movement who would encourage anything to spread germs. With the examples that were set for us in school, it's a wonder we're as sanitary as we are.

What goes on in our schools borders on germ warfare. Nay, I think we can accurately say it IS germ warfare. I don't see how the level of disease filling our schools can be accomplished by accident. In fact, in the mid-'90s, a major corporation that sold cold "remedies" paid the Cincinnati school system to put several of its schools on a year-round calendar. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say they intentionally created a biohazard just to sell more product.

The Media has no business lecturing the Occupy movement about spreading illness while schools' germ warfare is swept under the rug.

Ooh! Threats!

Temper, temper, teagaggers.

As the Occupy movement continues to grow, the Evil Empire that tries to suppress it is making themselves sound dumber than ever, and all you can hear is us laughing at them. And of course they've resorted to THREATS - the weapon of the schoolyard brat who throws tantrums when things don't go as planned. Even more predictably, Facebook is the venue they're using.

Like when I defended Occupy Portland (Oregon). After I defended Occupy Portland from Nazis who are circulating a petition to have it shut down, some right-wing loudmouth threatened me with his "freedom tool kit" that "goes bang and travels at 1200 fps."

Lately, some loon has been spamming Occupy Cincinnati's Facebook page with right-wing rants that attack the movement and pontificate about how it's legal for people to print their own money. I responded, "So what's the point of your idiotic babble?"

His reply to my post:

"That people have a right to trade , use IOU's , print money , produce goods and they don't owe you a thing . Not a tarrif [sic] on their trade or a cut of their money or a meal . You have a life too you could spend producing if you like food too . And that you are going to get your ass whooped ."

Royal. At least he didn't deny that he was spewing "idiotic babble."

Now the dumb losers of conservaworld are threatening to steal Occupiers' belongings from raided camps.

Nazis try starting fight with Occupiers

I went to the Occupy Cincinnati march today that dealt with the ravages of student debt. We had about 100 marchers, and it was a smashing success, as it wrapped around downtown - from Piatt Park to Fountain Square to Paul Brown Stadium to City Hall.

When we were on 2nd Street between Race and Elm overlooking the stadium though, we saw yet another assault against the Occupy movement.

As we were marching west on the south sidewalk of the street, a gang of young men was walking east. At first, I thought they were just drunken sports fans with no political interests, as all they did initially was flick our signs with their fingers and such. But then, when I thought they were gone, I heard them yelling behind us. I looked back and noticed one of them was removing his shirt as if he was about to fight. The enraged maniac charged towards us with his fists clenched.

I figured I had to try to defend myself and the other Occupiers against this criminal, so I starting heading towards him. He and his accomplices continued yelling at us and doubling up their fists. I was at the point where I was ready to defend myself, but about 5 other Occupiers got in the middle and broke us up. The assailants are damn lucky that happened, because if it hadn't, they'd be spitting teeth right now.

I'm all for nonviolence. But these guys were clearly threatening. I couldn't just stand idly by and allow myself and the other Occupiers to be knocked into next week. You don't know how close we came to a full-on brawl that would have resulted in serious injuries. Like I said, a commitment to nonviolence is a good thing, but there's a fine line between nonviolence and letting yourself be made into a ceiling ornament for the Cincinnati Transit Center. Then again, I'm not claiming to speak for Occupy Cincinnati. Feel free to ask some of the other marchers for their perspective. Unlike the Tea Party, I don't expect people to just take my word unquestioningly.

I called 911. Police did not arrive.

Incidentally, it appears as if an assault was committed, even if nobody actually took a swing. I've heard of people being charged with assault for much less than what the thugs today did.

Now I'm told that what really set off the assailants was when one of the marchers yelled, "Justice!" Right-wing idiots get mad at weird things.

In any event, today's incident was started entirely by those who wanted to fight us. They started it with their own actions. Period.

Meanwhile, the Occupy Cincinnati protest has now been going on 24/7 for over a month. We're not going away.

So tell us how you really feel, Repubs!

Are the Republicans really trying to lose?

Clark Durant is a GOP candidate for Senate in Michigan. His list of backers reads like a Who's Who of Michigan far-rightists, as he wins support from Betsy DeVos, Spencer Abraham, and the usual suspects.

While speaking to a College Conservatives group, Duran Durant attacked the Occupy movement and said America's wealth gap should be even worse than it is. "I think it should be wider," he declared point-blank.

That showed 'em! It showed 'em what the Republicans really think. They're not even pretending to care about the poor or the middle class.

As Occupiers continue to gain support despite official suppression and hostile media coverage, the Republicans are sneering in America's face. I'm reminded of the wealthy TV executive in 'UHF'. Letting the mask slip like this isn't how you win elections. So I hope the Republicans keep doing it - unless of course the GOP has become such a cult that people are willing to follow them no matter how much harm they face from the party's own stated policies.

Clark Durant is also a charter school executive - which kind of pokes holes in the Far Right's claims that "liberals" run the schools.

(Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/11/senate_candidate_clark_durant.html)

Lawn Chair Quarterback: "This Is A Show About Colors..."

Only Tim can find humor in the colors of traffic signs...

Drug war never ends in conservaworld

You didn't expect the election to be a total sweep, did you? Places like Warsaw, Indiana, have yet to emerge from 2002.

Warsaw is in the most Republican county in Indiana. For decades, the town has largely tolerated a fundamentalist "school" that abuses kids. Local public officials defend it. I even visited this town in 2009 just to participate in a protest against this "school."

Warsaw elected a Republican mayor again yesterday, and he's already building his entire administration on trying to force drugstores to stop selling cold and allergy medicine without a prescription. Mayor-elect Joe Thallemer spouts the usual drug warrior babble.

Well, it looks like the GOP has found its new cause celebre. Kentucky's David Williams ran on this too. Look where it got him. Please, Republicans. Run on this issue. I dare you. This is the one major War on Drugs initiative that's gotten probably less public support than any other.

(Source: http://www.necn.com/11/09/11/New-Ind-mayor-wants-stores-to-pull-cold-/landing_politics.html)

2010 vs. 2011

If everything holds up - which is shaky - yesterday's elections could be the worst for the Republicans since the '70s. Truth is, after the "values voter" jailbreak of 2004, they've had only one great year, and that was last year.

Why was 2010 so grand for the Evil Empire? Sure, it was the year of the Tea Party, but I warned you beforehand to keep an eye on those clowns. They're a joke, but a very dangerous joke. The forces of good lost in 2010 largely because we let the Tea Party and their friends in The Media define the debate.

I don't think that mistake was widely repeated this year. People have gotten their wind back.

Observers say 1994 was the first talk radio election. They call 2004 the first right-wing blog election. They say 2010 was the first Tea Party election. I think 2011 was the first Occupy election. If things continue at this rate, it will be the first of many.

Another Republican recalled

It's one thing for an incumbent to lose a regular election, but for 2 Republicans in 2 different states to lose a recall vote on the same day is a rare occurrence indeed.

Not only was Russell Pearce recalled, but Michigan State Rep. Paul Scott also lost a recall vote today.

Bye, Paul.

Occupy Cincinnati opponents lose!

This is good for some laughs!

Today, voters in Cincinnati were to elect 9 City Council members. Leslie Ghiz, Wayne Lippert, Chris Bortz, and Amy Murray - who were all incumbents - were the only 4 candidates out of the 22 on the ballot who were known to have actively tried to suppress Occupy Cincinnati.

All 4 lost.

And to think Cincinnati used to be the most conservative big city in America.

Iowa, Arizona, and Virginia are comin' through too!

More electoral amusement fills the land today - as if we didn't have enough fun already!

A Republican takeover of the Iowa Senate was staved off in a stunning special election win for the Democrats. And in Arizona, Republican State Sen. Russell Pearce - a raw racist who wrote that state's unconstitutional immigration law - lost a recall election to a Republican presumed to be less crazy. (Only time will tell!)

Also, in another upset, a GOP takeover of the Virginia Senate was warded off - surprising everybody.

Tea Party loses everything in Evansville

In Evansville, Indiana, the Tea Party endorsed Republicans for every office - except mayor, where they endorsed the Democrat.

In today's election, the Democrats won every office - except mayor, which was won by the Republican.

You sure know how to lose, teagaggers.

This is especially damning for the Tea Party, because the lone Democrat they endorsed built his entire campaign on making cold medicine available by prescription only. No wonder he lost. It also pretty much lays hulk to the Tea Party's claims of being for smaller government, doesn't it?

Idiotic referendum loses in Mississippi

Even Mississippi's starting to get on board with America now?

Today, Mississippi voters faced a patently absurd referendum that would have defined a fertilized egg as a person. The effect would have been to outlaw even many forms of birth control. The referendumb was clearly unconstitutional (which I'm sure I don't even need to tell you).

Observers expected the measure to pass. But guess what? It's losing 60% to 40%.

Maine's on fire too!

It isn't just the Midwest that's scorching the polls for us today! New Englanders are having some fun too!

Maine voters faced a referendum today to repeal a right-wing law designed to suppress voter turnout. This has turned out to be yet another landslide for the forces of good: The referendum is winning by a stunning 59% to 41%.

Ohio union-busting measure fails in landslide!

Looks like Kentucky's not the only scorcher in today's electoral news.

Ohio voters were confronted with Issue 2, which would have given the green light to the hated S.B. 5 - a Republican union-busting bill. Issue 2 is losing by - are you ready for it? - 63% to 37%.

Just call this one already, AP.

Democratic shitstorm in Kentucky

I had a gut feeling the Republicans were in for a looooong night tonight, but I sure didn't expect this!

Voters in Kentucky just handed the GOP its worst scorching in recent memory, as the Democrats just won 5 of 6 statewide offices by landslide margins. The only Republican win was Agriculture Commissioner, thanks to the Democrats' inexplicable choice to nominate an unusually weak candidate.

I can't speak for other states, but Kentucky is on fire tonight! Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear is winning reelection by a smashing 25% margin: Beshear has 57%; Republican David Williams trails with 32%; independent Gatewood Galbraith has 11%.

And to think it was only a few years ago that The Media anointed the Republicans as rulers-for-life. The fact that we can call the election by 8 PM ought to be a surefire indicator that the tide has turned.

Meanwhile, Italy's right-wing dictator Silvio Berlusconi has announced his resignation.

More Cincinnati arrests

After right-wing Cincinnati City Council members Leslie Ghiz, Wayne Lippert, Amy Murray, and Chris Bortz openly endorsed suppressing the Occupy Cincinnati protest, there were 3 consecutive nights of arrests.

But now Occupy Clifton has sprung up to serve the city's northern neighborhoods. They've set up camp in Burnet Woods.

And guess what happened last night? That's right, peeps. Cops reportedly arrested 2 participants in Occupy Clifton for daring to be in the public park. These arrests have yet to receive any media coverage that I know of.

This pattern is repeated all over America, as public officials actively suppress the Occupy movement. The elites are running scared, and I don't think there's any point in denying it. If they didn't genuinely feel that their sheltered world was at risk, they wouldn't be throwing us in jail and engaging in the dirty tricks they've done.

This movement isn't going away.

Another unpunished assault against Occupiers

Well, now we're up to #4, not counting police riots.

Yesterday outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., protesters from Occupy D.C. were run down by a silver Lexus or Mercedes. Three were injured.

One person was arrested. Unfortunately, it was not the driver of the luxury car, but a protester who yelled at the driver after the assault. The motorist was not arrested, even though they hit the protesters on purpose.

This is one reason why Occupy is needed, folks.

Lawn Chair Quarterback: "Daylight Wasting Time Is Over"

Daylight Wasting Time is over! (Grover!) It's over until spring!
　
Daylight Saving Time is useless in these parts, considering we're already in the Eastern Time Zone despite being well to the west of Eastern Time's natural boundary. Look it up sometime: Cincinnati is 38 minutes off of Eastern Time's natural midpoint but only 22 minutes off of Central Time. So - for a majority of the year, when Daylight Wasting Time is in force - we're 98 minutes off from where we should be.
　
As you know, Daylight Wasting Time was extended in the mid-2000s by the Bush regime because the electric industry lobbied for it. It wastes more energy than it saves. If it saves us so much energy, why don't we have it in the months when we would seem to need it the most? Why do we have it in June but not December?
　
Daylight Saving Time might be a good thing for us (economically and otherwise) if we were moved into the Central Time Zone. But that hasn't happened, so we're (literally) singing the praises of returning to standard time for the winter...
　

The Peppermint Incident

As massive as Occupy Cincinnati has become, I can't believe there isn't more coverage of what I consider to be one of the protest's pivotal moments so far.
　
I call it the Peppermint Incident, and I was part of it yesterday! A group of about 6 of us broke away from Piatt Park with the intent of protesting in front of right-wing City Council member Wayne Lippert's campaign office in Mount Auburn. Lippert is among several councilors who have actively tried to suppress Occupy Cincinnati.
　
We packed into a car and zipped on up there - only to discover that the address of Lippert's campaign office was actually his medical office at Christ Hospital. (Turns out he's a gynecologist.)
　
So we stroll into the waiting room carrying our signs. The receptionist immediately notices us, but she acts like she doesn't know whether the office doubles as a campaign office. Obviously, it must, since that's the address we had for it. Seems odd that Wayne Lippert would use a hospital as his campaign headquarters, but it appeared that's what he was doing.
　
You know how banks and doctor's offices sometimes have a bowl of complimentary peppermints? Well, a member of our group tried taking a mint. This angered the receptionist. She lectured us that we shouldn't be taking the free mints if all we were doing was protesting against Lippert. Then the receptionist told us to leave.
　
We skedaddled out the door of the office. Once we were out in the hallway, several security guards confronted us and told us to vamoose from the hosp altogether.
　
Why was this such a significant moment? The mere fact that we descended upon Lippert's office shows Occupy Cincinnati's resilience. That's the sort of display that gets public officials' attention. It illustrates yet again that we're not going away.
　
The Peppermint Incident will be forever remembered by all who were lucky enough to participate!

Car runs down Occupy participants; police let driver go

Not counting police riots like that in Oakland, this story is at least the third documented instance of politically motivated violence against the Occupy protests.
　
Last night, the driver of a Mercedes-Benz struck 2 participants in an Occupy Oakland march. According to a witness, the motorist intentionally ran down the protesters. Both victims had to be hospitalized.
　
And get this: Police let the driver go.
　
I get it now: People who camp overnight in public parks go to jail, but maniacs who deliberately run over protesters don't. All this accomplishes is to illustrate another reason why the Occupy movement simply had to happen. No wonder we get so much more public support than the Tea Party does.

Sinclair lies about Occupiers

As a participant in Occupy rallies, I can assure you firsthand that we have ZERO tolerance for serious crime. I speak for every Occupier I know when I say that if we suspect criminal activity during our events, WE CALL THE POLICE. End of story.
　
Since most of these events nationwide are in public parks, crimes can and do occur - just as they always have occurred in public spaces. There's absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Occupy protesters have committed these crimes. The few crimes that I know of at these events were perpetrated by people outside the movement who happened to be at the park. We don't tolerate it.
　
But Sinclair Broadcast Group lies about us. Sinclair's WBFF-TV in Baltimore put out a hit piece accusing us of assault, illicit drug use, robbery, and even rape. The piece also claimed that Occupiers have refused to get help for rape victims.
　
That's a lie. If we suspect rape, we WILL call the police. Immediately. I haven't heard ANY reports of rape at our local rally, but if I did, I would call the cops - and so would anybody else who suspects it.
　
WBFF's one-sided piece claims to have found drug paraphernalia at an Occupy Baltimore event. Despite what WBFF implies, no evidence suggests it belongs to the protesters.
　
In short, Sinclair's Baltimore station lied. They lied about the movement, they lied about anybody who participates in it, they lied about me, and they lied about you. This is personal. Now, Baltimore police say the rape reported on WBFF never occurred. Yet WBFF refuses to even run a correction.
　
Sinclair is the same right-wing syndicate that required all its stations to air a scurrilous "documentary" attacking John Kerry just before the 2004 "election."
　
Locally, Sinclair owns WSTR-TV (Channel 64) in Cincinnati. I think Occupy Cincinnati should stage a rally outside Channel 64's headquarters until the FCC revokes Sinclair's licenses. The WLBT case established that the FCC can revoke the licenses of broadcasters that intentionally distort news - and I assume that covers lying outright.
　
Just as Sinclair helped manipulate the 2004 "election" by broadcasting a dishonest hit piece against Kerry, it tries to stage-manage the public reaction to the Occupy protests by smearing all who participate.

Kentucky elections next week!

Here's a heads-up for my fellow Kentuckians...
　
Elections for governor and other statewide offices lurk next Tuesday, November 8! We're out of the endorsement business these days, largely because the Democrats have become such a colossal disappointment, but a few words are in order.
　
Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear is facing challenges from Republican State Sen. David Williams and independent Gatewood Galbraith. Williams of course is an automatic disaster, and he was even a key backer of the hated pseudoephedrine prescription bill. Galbraith used to be great, as he built a reputation as a forward-thinking populist with strong labor and civil liberties support. Now he's just miserable after abandoning his signature causes. I strongly supported Galbraith in years past, but I can no longer do so. He recently abandoned labor by endorsing making it illegal for public employees to go on strike. And now (despite gaining fame by opposing the failed War on Drugs) he's even begun supporting Williams's pseudoephedrine bill (after having initially opposed it). (No, I'm not making this up. He backed it in a KET debate just last night.)
　
I have no choice but to vote for Beshear next Tuesday. Beshear is hardly a household name outside Kentucky, thanks to his lack of controversy, but at least he has just enough of a populist streak that I could vote for him - however reluctantly.
　
In other statewide elections next week, it's slim pickins. I'm obviously not voting Republican in any of them, though both Attorney General candidates are so uninspiring and out of step with the office's aims that I'm withholding my vote altogether in that contest. It's a damn shame, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
　
Coverage of electoral politics is what's made this blog as grand as it is, and I hope to have some laughs at the GOP's expense next Tuesday night.