brutality police in WS (gated, living, military)

[rimmerama]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

No. You really aren't. LOL.

Protest was the very thing that brought about our independence from Great Britain. Maybe you haven't noticed, but It's kind of a big deal in America. It's how we get things done when the people in charge aren't doing their job.

It was a protest? You mean, a group of Americans sailed over to the U.K and marched on King George's palace?

Strange, I could have sworn we fought a war against the U.K to gain our independence...

[04kL4nD]

Pick up your ball and go home. Now

[rimmerama]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

How old are you? Out of high school yet? You think coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan is curtailed compared to Vietnam? In today's communications world? Embedded journalism didn't exist in Vietnam. Cell phones and internet ... etc. I know it was the protests that brought the awareness of the Vietnam war's futility to the general public. I was there. I lived it on both sides of the pond. My peers, my family were protestors -- even as I fought overseas ... Bless their hearts, every one.

As for OWS, Americans are now seeing Americans suffering the avarice and greed of investment bankers running unregulated right here at home -- and all the economic hardship that is resulting to Main St. ... and now we are all seeing, through these protests, how widespread the raw emotions are ... we are becoming aware, through these protests, that huge numbers of fellow citizens feel the same pains. These protests incite the media to intensify the issues and report daily on the morally indefensible financial conduct that is driving the deterioration of the middle class.

Nixon's popularity went down because he was a lying sleezeball who disrespected the American people ... Sound familiar when applied to the Wall Street moguls? All brought to you courtesy of protestors and media coverage of their outrage. Protests brought down governments in the Arab world this year. These OWS protestors aren't looking for revolution at that level ... they are looking for balance in our democracy. You don't find that interesting?

Sure it's curtailed. Turn on the evening news (or head to cnn.com) and tell me what sort of war coverage we get saturated with compared to when we were in Vietnam.

Nixon's popularity is irrelevant beyond the spike he enjoyed when he CRITICIZED the protesters. You're off on a tangent there, buddy.

As for the Arab spring, that's a whole different kind of protest compared to OWS.

The fact is, protesters in a democracy don't cause change. When was the last time a protest changed your opinion on a subject? Unless protesters change a person's opinion on a subject to the extent that they're willing to vote differently because of it, a protest is pointless.

And since protests don't convey anything beyond superficial messages, they don't tend to change a person's opinion on a subject.

Anecdotally, when was the last time you watched a protest and watching that protest changed your opinion?

I'm going to guess that you already supported whatever it is OWS stands for. You don't matter. How does it change the way other people view the issue? We'll see what sort of difference OWS has made in the next election if we see someone other than a republocrat get elected.

[rimmerama]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Pick up your ball and go home. Now

Awwww, someone is a poor loser. Spend more time on wikipedia, and less time here. You'll look less foolish in the long run.

[mayorhaggar]

Stupid Bostonians, throwing tea into Boston Harbor. Who do they think they're fooling? Whadda buncha vandals! Go home hippies!

[rimmerama]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Stupid Bostonians, throwing tea into Boston Harbor. Who do they think they're fooling? Whadda buncha vandals! Go home hippies!

Pretty much. But then we won the war.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by rimmerama

Sure it's curtailed. Turn on the evening news (or head to cnn.com) and tell me what sort of war coverage we get saturated with compared to when we were in Vietnam.

Ridiculous ... beyond comprehension you would say this. I repeat: I was in the Vietnam war. I recall the coverage quite well ... some of it was coverage of me ... I was also stateside for years of the coverage. Your ignorance is showing.

Originally Posted by rimmerama

Nixon's popularity is irrelevant beyond the spike he enjoyed when he CRITICIZED the protesters. You're off on a tangent there, buddy.

You brought Nixon up as an example of how protests boomeranged, not me. You went on to defend that Nixon's popularity failed for other reasons. I simply responded to each comment you made. Unwise examples to raise on your part.

Originally Posted by rimmerama

As for the Arab spring, that's a whole different kind of protest compared to OWS.

How? Protesting against totalitarian injustices, both. One on the part of governing directly -- the other on the part of oligarchs who control our government.

Originally Posted by rimmerama

The fact is, protesters in a democracy don't cause change. When was the last time a protest changed your opinion on a subject? Unless protesters change a person's opinion on a subject to the extent that they're willing to vote differently because of it, a protest is pointless.

Uh, when I was in Vietnam?

Originally Posted by rimmerama

And since protests don't convey anything beyond superficial messages, they don't tend to change a person's opinion on a subject.

Superficial message? If that's what you call OWS then I would define "superficial" as your shallow opinion.

Originally Posted by rimmerama

Anecdotally, when was the last time you watched a protest and watching that protest changed your opinion?

See two paragraphs above ... hint: Vietnam.

Originally Posted by rimmerama

I'm going to guess that you already supported whatever it is OWS stands for. You don't matter. How does it change the way other people view the issue? We'll see what sort of difference OWS has made in the next election if we see someone other than a republocrat get elected.

Lol. You're right about that: none of us matter to the investment bankers ... and that would be why people are angry.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by rimmerama

Pretty much. But then we won the war.

Yes ... the protestors did win the war ...

[rimmerama]

Uh, when I was in Vietnam?

So you were for the war until you saw a protest? Why is it the protest that changed your mind, and not something else like actually being over there?

Ridiculous ... beyond comprehension you would say this. I repeat: I was in the Vietnam war. I recall the coverage quite well ... some of it was coverage of me ... I was also stateside for years of the coverage. Your ignorance is showing.

So you believe the media covered the Vietnam war less than the current war in Afghanistan or when we were in Iraq? Sorry, but despite how much more pervasive and instantaneous media today is, I still don't believe that media spends more time on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than the Vietnam war. There are many reasons posited for this - the fact that we have an all volunteer force now, being one. However, in the end, last week when I watched the news, there was not a single mention of our soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan, whereas news coverage on T.V of Vietnam was a nightly.

You brought Nixon up as an example of how protests boomeranged, not me. You went on to defend that Nixon's popularity failed for other reasons. I simply responded to each comment you made. Unwise examples to raise on your part.

Your comment suggests you don't understand the point I was making. What happened to Nixon's rating because of other factors is completely irrelevant to the point I was making about protests being able to cause the change they seek. Directly after Nixon made a speech appealing to the "silent majority" when compared to the radical minority, his approval ratings shot up from 50% to 80%.

[rimmerama]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Yes ... the protestors did win the war ...

Ahhhh, so soldiers are protesters... Well, that's a fairly liberal use of the word protester.

Hold a sign up during a street rally, wage violent war against the government. Hell, that's practically the same thing, don't know why we bother to distinguish the two...