Posted on 12/21/2011 1:10:56 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The Occupy Boston protesters, (the Massachusetts branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement) were finally evicted by police from the Greenway land they have commandeered for months now, where they were attempting to bring awareness to their cause(s).
As we know, the protesters were not required to obtain all of the permitting usually required of protest groups. They were also not required to cover cost of sanitation, trash removal or police details which again, most other protesting groups are routinely required to do.
They were also allowed to move tents onto the property and essentially take over the space 24/7 and live on the property — something unheard of and that simply would not have been tolerated by the city of Boson of other protesting groups. All the while, Boston Mayor Menino not only ignored regular protest rules, permitting and restrictions that he requires of other protesting groups, but offered kind words in support of the occupier’s cause(s) and further, let the cost of the protest (estimated in the millions), be left for the taxpayers to pay for.
It is also worthy of note that despite the best efforts of most media outlets to cover it up, socialist, anti-Semitic, anti-capitalist, anti-American and even communist themes were quite apparent throughout the Occupy Boston camp site as well as the other Occupy sites across the country. This made it even more curious as to why the groups were supported and endorsed by many Democrats like Menino as well as some public unions. Menino himself even said of the occupiers that they had a good cause when trying to rationalize why they were being given a free pass by the city to occupy when questioned about it.
All that aside, let’s face it, many of us have something very much in common with the occupiers: We are just as upset as the Occupy Boston folks are with the way our government bailed out Wall St., AIG, Fannie and Freddie, etc., but that seems to be where the similarities end for most of us. Unlike the Boston occupiers, many of us are going about affecting change the right way — the American way — with protests full of civility and respect for the law and our communities.
Proetesters, like myself, demonstrated in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 12, 2009 and we have protested at statehouses, city halls and countless other locations all over the country since. However, we left those places we visited even cleaner than they were when we arrived on top of obtaining all necessary permitting as well as paying for all sanitation and police detail costs. Tea Party, liberty and small government groups left nothing for the taxpayers to pay for when bringing their message forward. Today, we continue our respectful, civilized protests of big government but at the same time we have moved forward. Some of us have taken the next step by joining a committee or running for an office.
But why the free pass for the Occupy protesters while the letter of the law is followed for other protest groups? Simple: One-party rule here in Massachusetts dominated by Democrats. With no opposition from Republicans here in Massachusetts, Democrats like Menino seemingly do not have to abide by any rules and continue to play favoritism and force their double-standards on others with virtually no push-back from the Mass. GOP. This must change.
One solution: I believe that perhaps with a stronger Mass. GOP, we could have seen to it that the Occupy Boston protesters were permitted to get their socialist, anti-Semitic, anti-capitalist, anti-American message out using their Constitutional free speech rights. Then if the protesters refused to leave, they could have been promptly evicted after their one-day permit expired, then denied future permits for not cleaning up after themselves thus saving the taxpayers millions of dollars that they are now unfortunately on the hook for thanks to the Occupy Boston protestors and the Boston mayor.
Mayors and city governments are reacting very much the same way college administrators did in the protests of the 60’s. There are a different set of rules for those they agree with.
That is a real good analogy.
It should be abundantly clear that the Occupy Movement is Obama’s baby. It’s the old “ in your face “ tactics.
That’s why the Democrat leaders in these cities let the law slide.
Would have loved it if some “ real men “ .... fill in the blank...
Double standard, fer shure.
I would like to point out that if the 1% had ALL of their wealth confiscated by the government, it would be enough to run it for about a month. Then what would we do? Change the number to the 50% (still not enough to run the government)
The quandary with many of these deep-Blue cities, like New York, Boston, Oakland, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc. and the Occupy movement is interesting.
These mayors are fundamentally Leftists (Kwan, Villaragosa, Meninno, Bloomberg, etc.) but have such deep financial obligations to their campaign contributions from the extortion rackets known as Labor Unions, they are in a quandary.
Do they allow the Soros-funded dipstick hippies to camp out, screw, OD, rape and murder with no permits, or do they show some law and order when it comes to unionized city workers, cops and Longshoremen/Teamsters?
These big city taxpayer dollar chompers Mayors live on the fat of business, and some, like Bloomberg, a businessman, knows it.
We FReepers lament at the one-sided nature of the media and Government, but it’s old hat, and unless we change it, it will burden us to a Depression.
Much the same here in SC...The dirty Occupy hippies refused to follow the rules any other protest group would have to follow on statehouse grounds. Results are dirty hippies and their tents on State Property while they take Gov. Haley to court so they don’t have to follow the rules....
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