How protest is being outlawed

[midnight]

The narrative of public dissent is being rewritten with astonishing speed. As police continue to crack heads with impunity, peaceful protesters are handed down harsh deterrent charges. Ten defendants in the Fortnum and Mason trial were recently given six-month suspended sentences for aggravated trespass, essentially for standing around in a grocery shop with some leaflets. I was there at the time, and the worst I saw was some slogans against corporate tax avoidance being carefully wrapped on printed ticker-tape around large stacks of Earl Grey tea. For those swept up in last year's riots, meanwhile, there hasn't been a crumb of mercy. As I write, teenagers are still in prison for creating Facebook events.

Whatever we think about how these young people behaved, we should have the decency to call them what they are: political prisoners. That this government has run out of ideas for enforcing austerity beyond frightening people into compliance may be of little comfort to those whose young lives and job prospects will be blighted by deterrent jail sentences.

As with music and angular haircuts, so with public order policing -- the Americans are at least a year behind us in keeping up with the latest trends. This week, during another brutal crackdown on Occupy Wall Street, skulls were stomped on, heads were cracked into windows and journalists were dragged or shoved away from the scene as anti-capitalist protesters attempted to peacefully reoccupy Zucotti Park, site of the original encampment that drew international attention last September.

From behind hastily-erected police barricades, I watched as a curly-haired girl in green appeared to begin having a seizure during her arrest, flopping about on the pavement with her hands cuffed and passing out more than once before police eventually allowed an ambulance behind the lines. As she was stretchered away, protesters standing near me speculated that the NYPD would have to put the girl -- later identified as 23-year-old Cecily McMillan -- on a felony charge to "get out of this one".http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/laurie-penny/2012/03/police-protest-meadows-public

[leveymg]

1. The authorities and the institutions they protect and serve risk a total loss of legitimacy

If that happens, and the sense that the police and elite institutions no longer are playing by rules of a civil society, the dam will burst and the elites will be swept away as the middle-class gives up old habits of maintaining obedience to law and order.

Legitimacy is all that keeps the One Percent in power. It's not fear, and increasing force against dissent can't save them - it only speeds the process of loss of elite power. If they were really competent, they would understand and act accordingly to rein in the cops and feds.

[tblue37]

5. FDR acknowledged that he "saved" capitalism

with his New Deal programs, and Obama was right when he told the bankers that he was the only thing standing between them and the pitchforks.

Unfortunately, money doesn't equal brains, and most of the super-rich are too stupid to understand where their best interests really lie.

They are determined to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, because they are so sure that they will find even more wealth inside its carcass.

[elzenmahn]

6. They have already lost legitimacy...

...the trick now is to remove the blinders from the sheeple.

I would submit that the reason for the brutality and book-throwing at Occupy and those protesting elements of the Capitalist system is this: there now exists a substantial portion of the American population that finally "gets it". The people behind the curtain probably figure that for every protester, and every arrestee, there must be a multiple of people who sympathize with them and their cause.

Personally, I think the lie has now finally been revealed, here and worldwide, that "democracy" in this country is, and has been, an illusion. We're a police state now.

But the 1% should feel threatened. The jig is up, and it's only a matter of time when dwindling natural resources, climate change, and the resultant economic collapse in progress sinks their own lifeboats.

[kenny blankenship]

7. Who needs legitimacy when you have a Pain-Ray and water cannons that shoot chemical mace?

Drones and full spectrum surveillance of public streets and cyberspace will handle all friction that may arise from the obsolete "legitimacy" issue. An army of steroid freak cops and StaatsPolizei infiltrators would do for any ordinary despotism - but this time they have so much more going for them. And that's even before tanks roll in the streets...

I completely understand their limitless confidence in themselves.

[cbrer]

2. One never hears of these abuses concerning Tea Party protests

The frequency and intensity of these brutalities could be enough to tip the scales to revolution.

[Flying Squirrel]

3. "could be?"

"those who make peaceful protest impossible make violent protest inevitable." It`s too late to stop this thing, it started after 9-11 and it is snowballing out of control. I don`t see any possibility of avoiding it

[blkmusclmachine]

4. Laws for thee, but not for me.

[sad sally]

8. "Homeland" redefined:

GovSec 2012 Preps Attendees to Prevent and Respond to Domestic and International Terrorist Attacks

FBI Keynote on Counterterrorism, Conference Sessions and Expo Deliver the Knowledge and Tools to Protect the Homeland, and Thwart Homegrown Terrorists and Lone Wolves

FAIRFAX, Va.-- GovSec – the Government Security Conference & Expo featuring the U.S. Law Enforcement Conference & Expo – will arm homeland security professionals and law enforcement professionals alike with the training and tools they need to detect, prevent and respond to terrorist attacks – from large-scale international threats to the dangers posed by homegrown extremists and lone wolves. Taking place in Washington, D.C., April 2-4, GovSec will feature keynotes and more than a dozen sessions in a track dedicated to issues surrounding domestic and international terrorism, as well as an expo with live demos on explosive detection and bomb squad response.

“The face of terrorism is constantly changing. As a result, it is critical that those on the front lines of homeland security understand where new threats may arise and how their strategies must be adjusted to remain ever vigilant”

“The face of terrorism is constantly changing. As a result, it is critical that those on the front lines of homeland security understand where new threats may arise and how their strategies must be adjusted to remain ever vigilant,” said Don Berey, event director at GovSec. “This year at GovSec we have designed a program that will update attendees on the latest domestic and international terrorism trends. In addition, we’ll provide a special focus on how to address the unpredictable lone wolf and deal with surprise attacks from IEDs and suicide bombers, such as Amine El Khalifi, who was recently arrested for planning to bomb the U.S. Capitol.”
snip
Throughout the day on April 3 and April 4, GovSec will host a free expo, where attendees can see live demos of K-9 explosive detection, and bomb squad response and robotics. In the exhibit hall, there will be free agency briefings, including one on “Supporting First Responders in the Field” presented by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Bombing Prevention TRIPwire Program.

http://www.homeland1.com/homeland-security-products/weapons-of-mass-destruction--counter-measures-wmd/press-releases/1247908-govsec-201

"if you're going thru hell, keep going."