Sweet!
Posted on 05/29/2002 5:13:31 PM PDT by kattracks
Dallas (CNSNews.com) - Anti-corporate protesters at ExxonMobil Corporation's annual shareholder meeting in Dallas Wednesday packed up and left after finding themselves outnumbered by free market demonstrators.
The anti-corporate protesters began arguing among themselves about how best to deal with the large number of free market demonstrators carrying banners such as "Yankee Rent a Mob Go Home," "Capitalism Rocks" and Greenpeace Hates America." They quickly decided to pack up and leave.
"I think we rattled them. They're packing up their bags and they're leaving," stated Niger Innis of the Congress on Racial Equality, one of the free market groups conducting a counter-demonstration. "Victory is sweet," he added.
After determining that their message was not being heard over the free market promoters, Scott Crow of the group United People Resisting Oppression & Racism (UPROR) decided to call it a day. With a chant of "Gone for now, but never forever," a woman in a "Proud to be a Bohemian" t-shirt retreated and other anti corporate protesters began to leave.
"The [anti-corporate] protesters are anti-American and anti-democracy, they are not just anti-ExxonMobil," stated Peggy Venable, the Texas State Director for the free market group Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE.) "They had anarchist training seminars this past weekend," she added.
Venable said the ExxonMobil protesters are "shipped in from elsewhere," while her group is from Texas. "We're people that work for a living," she said.
Other counter-demonstrators shared the same view. "We don't want environmentalists dictating the way we live," said Jose Muniz. "They want to reestablish socialism, which is what died in Russia. They want to shove it down our throats."
Carol Jones of the Texas branch of CSE carried a sign that read "Hitler Held Mock Trials Too," referring to Tuesday night's mock trial of ExxonMobil in which anti-corporate demonstrators ruled the corporate giant "guilty" for "crimes against humanity" and ordered the company's charter revoked.
The free marketers also held up signs saying the following: "Greens Suck," "Mother Nature Guilty of Climate Change," "Get Back in Your SUV & Drive Home," "Choose Capitalism Over Eco-Socialism," "Stop Global Whining," "Oil Employs, Anarchy Destroys," "No Poor Man Passes Out Jobs," "How Much Does Castro Pay You?" and "Greens are Red at Heart."
One ExxonMobil opponent, who would only give his first name, created a stir when he blamed the U.S. for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"I understand why [terrorists] did it. America has oppressed the rest of the world for 200 years or even before that when they took the land from the Native Americans and killed them, poisoned them and ran them off their land," Luigi shouted over jeers from the counter-demonstration.
Luigi also explained that "global capitalism is destroying the environment and it's destroying the earth. It's destroying the quality of life for everybody other than the upper crusts who are reaping the benefits."
Socialism is the Answer
Luigi believes America must alter its economic system and convert to socialism.
"America is so deeply ingrained in the capitalist ideal. The greed that comes from the attraction of money is what I have a problem with," he said.
Another anti-ExxonMobil protester agreed, telling CNSNews.com, "Corporate profits can't continue to kill people." Tim Harris said "global capitalism" helps "to keep people brainwashed and working for [the wealthy] as long as they possibly can."
Scott Crow, a protest leader, said they were there to "ensure an end to human rights violations across the world" and to hold "corporations accountable."
ExxonMobil chairman Lee Raymond told CNSNews.com that he was unfazed by the protesters. "We operate in over 200 countries around the world and for some reason that is bad," Raymond explained. He said ExxonMobil is a good corporate citizen throughout the world, hiring citizens from the countries in which it operates to satisfy 95 percent of its labor needs.
"If that is what they mean by globalization, then frankly everybody should support it," Raymond said.
See Earlier Story:
Oil Giant 'Guilty' of Crimes against Humanity, Protesters Say (May 29, 2002)
E-mail a news tip to Marc Morano.
Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.
Sweet!
Is everything a chant with these people? If I call the UPROR offices, will I be greeted by some hippie chick chanting "Hey-hey, ho-ho, UPROR corporate says hello!"?
Did she look like either of these?
Freepers, here was the score yesterday at their "Mock Trial - Exxon Mobil Crimes Against Humanity":
Us = 48
Them = 6 to 8
Today's story was similar, but on a larger scale. Today's score at the ExxonMobil sharehold meeting:
Us = 125
Them = 43
I've got a picture of the Ford Van with the U-Haul behind. I also have a picture of one of them carrying a PLASTIC (helloooo, made from petroleum resin) water bottle on her back.
Then there's the guy who had a little girl with him that wanted to hug the tiger. We welcomed her over to hug the tiger and offered her a cookie. Her guardian yanked the cookie out of her hand and said that they don't allow her to eat anything with "oil" in it. LOL! Someone told him that yes, we mean people killed lots of peanuts for that cookie.
Thread coming tonight after I get pictures loaded.
I hope this catches on and every time there are a bunch of these whining communists I hope a bunch of REAL Americans show up to put them in their place. I've often wondered what would happen if we just showed up and outnumbered them. Now I know.
Good work guys, I'm really proud to know you.
A somewhat similar cookie story I observed...
A young woman who was wearing a bandana over her face to admitedly hide her identity, had a very small child who wanted to see the Grinch. She was about 2 years old. The woman brought her over to our side where the costume was laying on the bench. The woman put on the Grinch mask (over the bandana), which delighted the little girl. Then the woman put on one of the gloves and showed it to the little girl. One of the FReepers brought over a box of cookies and offered them to the little girl, who promptly took one. Her mother (I presume) promptly took it away and handed it to the FReeper, who had to throw it away. I was out of earshot, so I didn't catch the conversation except to realize the FReeper was pointing out the stupidity of having to throw away the cookiie.
I wish I had caught a pix of this event - one of the most dramatic of the day.
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