Our Occupy film series continues. Last night we saw the documentary COINTELPRO 101, which was pretty alarming stuff, even if you already know about a good deal about Cointelpro, as I do. The extremely well-coordinated mowing-down of Occupy encampments, is especially chilling in light of the film.
As if the Patriot Act wasn't bad enough, fascists are now trying to outlaw picketing. The Bill of Rights is being flushed down the toilet. (The Bank of America doesn't like it, so it's history.)
Once upon a time in America, we can tell our grandchildren, there used to be this great thing called Free Speech.
~*~
As I stated in January, my talented consigliere, Gregg, was ticketed for carrying a sign that was "too big"--according to some arcane local ordinance. This will be at least a $135 fine, possibly more. He has asked for a jury trial.
Soon after this event, this blog comment is addressed to me:
Political signs are every bit as much a fashion accessory as a pair of cute shoes. Both get appreciated by people with similar taste (and either mocked or ignored by everyone else). There the similarity ends, however, because my cute shoes actually serve a functional purpose.--and of course, as someone who has been physically threatened for carrying signs, I was completely dumbfounded by this comment. (I still am.) When was the last time she was fined for wearing cute shoes?
Once again, we are back to the disconnect I have described so many times... the (pseudo-radical) big-city kids not understanding (or caring) what it's like here at Tea Party Ground Zero.
And I don't know why they don't. Surely they realize that there IS a Ground Zero, somewhere? Well, this is IT. I live here. My incontrovertible proof is that this is Jim DeMint's old congressional district. This is where he got his start, before moving onto the Senate. Doesn't that tell you something? This is the home of Bob Jones University, which still requires chaperones and calf-length skirts, and disallows TV and movies for their students. Downstate is the annoying Congressman Joe Wilson, famous for yelling "You lie!" during the 2009 State of the Union address. Rick Santorum's campaign-manager described Greenville County as the most conservative county in the USA. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
When some spoiled, lucky Yankee announces, oh, signs just are a fashion accessory, I would like to challenge them to come here and hold one for just one hour on Main Street. I'd love to see them break into tears.
But I think it's interesting that sign-carrying is going to be outlawed, just as the trendy kids have decided it means nothing. What a coincidence!
They talk the kids into being embarrassed by sign-carrying, so when it is finally outlawed, they will dutifully shrug. The mass media has done its job admirably, and the mass-media junkies nod in zombie-like unison.
"Sign-carrying is uncool!"--they bleat on cue. And now, there will be a law proclaiming so.
Ideas have consequences.