Occupy, Violence and the State

The fractious news media cackle over the Occupy movement’s motives and the hygiene of its participants continues to raise the ire of astute internet citizens everywhere. Commenter coffee100 summed up the controversy over the recent Occupy violence in Oakland with wit and brevity:

Every time there is any possibility of a genuine substantive conversation in this country, someone shouts “Obama” or “Tea Bagger” or “Democrats are to blame” or “Republicans are the problem” and all thought ceases while everyone re-aligns their position to side with their team.

Stop it. Just stop. The slogans and the mascots are the problem. It is distracting us from what we should be paying attention to. This isn’t about your side. It’s about Americans.

A man was attacked and injured exercising his Constitutionally protected right to petition the Government for a redress of greivances. That is the problem and nothing else. It has nothing to do with Obama and the Republicans or red states or blue states or any of that manufactured shit.

Every last elected official in the Federal Government should be voted out of office at the earliest opportunity. That there isn’t lectern-pounding outrage in Congress at the events of the last week is proof enough none of them are fit to serve.

Well said, sir.