Conservative Magazine Brags of its Agent Provacateur's Role in Provoking Police Action in D.C.

[kpete]

The American Spectator admits to being involved in the precipitation of violence at the Air and Space Museum as a means of discrediting the Occupy Movement. It has been openly reporting about its "plants" among the protesters and their actions to get certain things to occur. Included in this, today, was the presence - and central role played by - of Patrick Howley, its Assistant Editor, in sparking the police reaction and violence.

Standoff in D.C.


By Patrick Howley on 10.8.11 @ 6:24PM

American Spectator reporter pepper-sprayed at Washington protest.

The fastest-running protesters charged up the steps of Washington's National Air and Space Museum Saturday afternoon to infiltrate the building and hang banners on the "shameful" exhibits promoting American imperialism. As the white-uniformed security guards hurried to physically block the entrances, only a select few -- myself included -- kept charging forward.

Under a cloud of pepper spray I forced myself into the doors and sprinted blindly across the floor of the Air and Space Museum, drawing the attention of hundreds of stunned khaki-clad tourists (some of whom began snapping off disposable-camera portraits of me). I strained to glance behind me at the dozens of protesters I was sure were backing me up, and then I got hit again, this time with a cold realization: I was the only one who had made it through the doors. As two guards pointed at me and started running, I dodged a circle of gawking old housewives and bolted upstairs.

"The museum is now closed!" screamed one of the guards as alarms sounded. "Everyone make your way to the exits immediately!" Using my jacket to cover my face -- which I could feel swelling to Elephant Man proportions -- I ducked through the confused tourists and raced out the exit. "Hey, you!" shouted a female guard reaching for my arm. "Get back here!" But I was already down the steps and out of sight.
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/10/08/standoff-in-dc/print

more plus pics:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/08/1024352/-Conservative-Magazine-Brags-of-its-Agent-Provacateurs-Role-in-Provoking-Police-Action-in-DC-?via=siderec

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[crunch60]

95. sent this information regarding inciting a riot

to the White House on their contact page.lol for all it's worth. Attn: Eric Holder, I certainly hope this action warrants Criminal Investigation.

[brewens]

2. That has to be worth some criminal charges. n/t

[L. Coyote]

20. Don't you love it when IDIOTS confess to their crimes, moreso when they hear the sentence?

American Spectator: "We represent the 1%"

[Puget Progressive]

72. The American Spectator is a

waste of trees.

[dotymed]

33. Sadly, being a representative of the 1% and one of many

agent provocateurs (that is common practice among law enforcement that has been adopted by RW'ers) , this "man" knows that he will not be charged with a crime. He will probably be celebrated as a hero of the "right" and his readership will increase accordingly by those organized criminals.

I am confident that he will become "chummy" (as long as the class division is respected) with those NYPD officers who we saw swinging their batons, with two hands, at the non-violent protestors at OWS.

[Raster]

85. Shades of "the Brooks Brothers Rebellion," when GOP plants shut down

vote recounts in Florida in 1999.

[KansDem]

50. Reminds me of James O'Keefe

Did he ever see the inside of a courtroom for pulling his shenanigans?

[midnight]

90. I agree.... Pic of that young provocateur looks like a Paul Ryan wannabe!...

[bluethruandthru]

3. What is it with these "conservatives"?

Why are they so hell bent on protecting Wall Street? Just like they protect the health insurance companies and big business? I can understand the republican leadership doing it..but the rank and file republican/tea baggers do too!

[KharmaTrain]

7. I'll Give You Millions Of Reasons...

When you need a billion dollars to run a national campaign, at least 10 million for the Senate and 3 million for a House seat, that money is a lot easier to find on Wall Street than Main Street. Both parties are guilty but the rushpublicans make it a fine art in carrying corporate water as the more they do, the richer each of 'em gets...either in campaign contributions or getting selected to some board of directors afterwards. Just follow the money...

[bluethruandthru]

11. I understand that. I don't understand my co-workers who

repeatedly stick up for banks, health insurance companies, etc. when they, like everyone else have suffered because of the actions of these companies. Yet, they continue to defend them and bash the OWS protestors, the single payer advocates, or anyone who has an unkind word to say about these corporate "persons". I get the politicians doing it. It's the average "republican" citizen doing it that baffles me.

[Scuba]

14. Simple....

...for 30 years the PTB have been telling them that "Social Security is broke" and that "lazy people are living off your taxes".


The last part is true, as far as it goes.

[dotymed]

34. 30 years...how long has THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE

been scrapped? About 30 years.

[nxylas]

77. And I think we all know what these "lazy people" look like

Though the teabaggers won't come right out and say so. It'll all be code words and dog whistles. "Rashonda, Cadillac, malt liquor, fried chicken. But don't you dare call me a racist".

[KharmaTrain]

15. The "Golden Carrot"...

Many believe in the "trickle down" bullshit of the Raygun "revolution...suck up to the corporates enough and they'll "take care of you". Through 30 years of talking points and dominating the media, the corporates and rushpublicans have been able to create their own universe that specializes in convincing people to vote or work against their own interests. Divide and conquer...distract and intimidate. It's proof the "big lie" works...say it often enough and loud and enough and people will believe it.

More to your point...many people are lazy. They don't care about much more than what directly affects their worlds and if their little world is shaken they go running for the talking points on Faux Noise and hate radio types to tell them what to think. The messages are constantly reaffirmed...simple to grasp and so easy to project...add in a solid dose of racism, sexism, homophobia, religous rhetoric and voila...the message is delivered loud and clear. Beats having to think.

[bluethruandthru]

16. You're right. It's terrifying to see so many people

who are not only happy being led around by the nose...but they actually FIGHT to be led around by the nose!

[I Have A Dream]

62. Most people want to be told what to think.

It's much easier than working through it yourself, and it's safer since they won't stand out in the crowd so won't be a target. (Herd mentality.)

[FarLeftFist]

30. Me too, I often wonder about the psychology behind people in the 99% fighting AGAINST their own

Clearly their is deep engrained brainwashing and a lack of self-worth in their lives.

[dotymed]

43. As a person who believes in many Christian values, I have

noticed that most of these people are members of organized religion (I hate to speak in generalities). These organizations, on the most part, reinforce these values(?). In many of the bigger churches (especially), "crony capitalism" is practiced "religiously."

The largest "tither's" control the Church hierarchy and reward others who tithe (usually 10%) with jobs (especially if they are young and malleable) and these cronies, as long as they remain loyal to their benefactors, thrive despite almost all other factors that make them unsuitable for their position.

We have multiple layers in our society which reinforce people seeming to fight against their own, yet when you consider them as individual cases they are fighting in (what they perceive) as their best interests. Actually, in these cases, they are serving their best interests. That is much of the problem.

In Socialism the good of the many outweigh the wants of the few. Capitalism seems to be just the opposite and most conservatives realize this and "get ahead" by using this system.

IMO, this is one reason we are having such a hard time getting people who are really on the same side, to realize this and unite against the people whose main concern is their personal wealth.

[Ikonoklast]

61. There is no love greater than that of a slave for his master.

They just don't realize which of these two they are.

[dixiegrrrrl]

73. "Battered wife syndrome"

best explanation.

Which is why consciousness raising is always an important part of any movement.
What Occupy folks now call a "Liberty Moment" and what we used to call "clicks" esp in the Women's Movement.
Just keep educating them, kindly.Good opportunities are when co workers are complaining about their economic problems.

[hobbit709]

4. the problem with any group that challenges TPTB.

It will be infiltrated by agents of those powers.

It's like the old Soviet bloc joke.
Q: How do you play Russian Roulette?
A: You have six people in a room telling antistate jokes and you don't know who the informer is.

[Scuba]

9. Same as here at DU. n/t

[hobbit709]

10. you noticed? LOL

[rosesaylavee]

5. Disgusting.

This isn't journalism. This is self-aggrandizement.

[Supersedeas]

54. there's a lot of that going on these days

[CJCRANE]

6. So the only "protester" inside the museum was a conservative infiltrator?

That speaks for itself.

[elehhhhna]

70. much like acornboy the stuntjournalist

much, much like him

[mrs_p]

8. they will do anything

ANYTHING to keep the power.

[ThomWV]

12. Let us hope that at least Rachel and Keith will see this and begin reporting on it.

Not a chance on any other TV channel doing it but Keith and Rachel may expose this shit if they are lucky enough to see it.

[Scuba]

13. Yes, this needs a bright light shone on it!

[eShirl]

17. k&r

[bluedigger]

18. He should be in jail for incitement to riot by the end of the day. n/t

[WhiteTara]

19. Someone needs to turn this evidence over to the police.

Bragging about his crime. That's another repuke family tradition.

[L. Coyote]

21. Calling Jon Stewart, Calling Stephen Colbert, .. this gift is going to keep on giving for a while

[sce56]

37. Unfortunately they are going on two week break starting this week:(

[fascisthunter]

22. we now have documented evidence against the right wing for stirring up trouble

[salin]

23. odd that they would openly brag about it.

Sort of discounts their effort altogether.

[saras]

32. No, it doesn't. Only among liberals.

[nashville_brook]

24. k and r -- here's a link to some more coverage + photos -->

The following photograph taken by opednews.com shows a confrontation in the lobby of the National Air and Space Museum between two individuals and an officer shortly before video shows officers with the Museum’s security forces rush outside indiscriminately pepper-spraying numerous individuals.




It appears that one of the two in the confrontation with the security officer is Patrick Howley, Assistant Editor of The American Spectator.




http://my.firedoglake.com/cgrapski/2011/10/09/american-standard-editor-admits-to-being-agent-provacateur-at-d-c-museum/


American Spectator Editor Admits to Being Agent Provocateur at D.C. Museum
By: Charlie Grapski Sunday October 9, 2011 6:39 am


Immediately after the incident began hitting the newswires Howley published a “Breaking News” story with The American Spectator online in which he reveals that he had consciously infiltrated the group on Friday with the intent to discredit the movement. He states that “as far as anyone knew I was part of this cause — a cause that I had infiltrated the day before in order to mock and undermine in the pages of The American Spectator — and I wasn’t giving up before I had my story.”

According to Howley’s story he joined the group in its march toward the Air and Space Museum but the protesters on the march were unwilling to be confrontational. He states “they lack the nerve to confront authority. From estimates within the protest, only ten people were pepper-sprayed, and as far as I could tell I was the only one who got inside.

[Glimmer of Hope]

27. Shouldn't they be in jail?

[CJCRANE]

28. "I wasn’t giving up before I had my story". Exactly, he IS the story.

He's the one who ran into the museum.

[elehhhhna]

71. fuckwit republican journalism: make up a story. repeat.

[drdtroit]

81. Got to love the guy with the military haircut!

Contractor? Cop? obviously a non thinking authoritarian loser.
An authoritarian mind is a terribly wasted thing!

[Overseas]

25. K&R. Amazing admission.

I'm quite amazed that the writer comes right out and declares himself. I guess he is quite confident that the story will remain with the loyal readers of The American Spectator and not become a big deal on the main broadcast news, just get a bit of coverage on the few Democratic leaning shows.

[FreeBillClinton]

78. He was probably worried that the video/pics would come out

I think his admission was probably damage control.

[Douglas Carpenter]

26. this is certainly a story that needs to go viral!!!

[UpInArms]

29. knew it was a false flag operation

these peeps make me :puke:

[Tsiyu]

31. Poor Howley

It must really suck to have NO personality whatsoever.

The poor thing has to fake having a life!

And he even fucked that up!

I really feel sorry for him. He must have been a very neglected child to have become such a narcissistic Tool.

[MADem]

46. Someone should send him a copy of BLINDED BY THE RIGHT.

It's probably, in some fashion or another, his own life story.

[Tsiyu]

49. No doubt

The unethical Rightwing leaves these poor souls like Howley hungry for something real, for some attention they just don't get from their own lockstep party.

So guys like him will do ANYTHING to get people to "Watch me! Look at me!" That behavior is acceptable in a four-year-old. In a grown man?

It's really a sad, pathetic thing to witness.

[MADem]

51. Now, maybe mean old Pops will love him....or not? nt

[backscatter712]

35. Makes me wonder what James O'Keefe is up to...

[brentspeak]

36. This RW tool should be charged with inciting violence

He can continue his Spectator journal from inside a prison cell.

[SpiralHawk]

38. More - Republicon Family Occlutist Black-Ops Values

Sooo disgustipating and unAmerican.

[Raksha]

39. K & R

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. He admited to his role|

where is the arrest warrant?

[sce56]

41. On wenesday night Al Jazeera Posted a story saying calls were put out for volunteers to rush the

Police barricades just before the baton & pepper spray incident.watch it here I felt it was the provocateurs calling for the attack especially since there were plenty of white shirts there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2k0H7_vr5o

[formercia]

56. I wonder if there was a connection to FOX being there

...a little heads-up for the crew?

[saras]

42. Any locals know who would be in charge of prosecuting?

It would be worth putting pressure on them directly to do the right thing.

[kestrel91316]

44. Patrick Howley needs to be prosecuted. Of course, DAs love repigs so

nothing will be done.

Perhaps the Smithsonian can obtain a permanent restraining order against him.

[starroute]

45. Patrick Howley seems to be a strangely non-existent individual

I've just been googling around -- and almost nothing comes up on him.

He shows up as an assistant editor of The American Spectator this past June and starts contributing articles. And before that -- nothing.

Neither his American Spectator byline nor his LinkedIn entry gives any past history, other jobs, education. I don't find any references to him as a College Republican activist or congressional intern or anything of that sort. And that's unusual.

His history appears to be a total blank. So who is this guy, really?


On edit: I've also checked some people search sites, like veromi.net. Still nothing. There are a bunch of people named Patrick Howley out there, but they're all the wrong age, wrong professions, or have photos that don't match.

There may be some innocent explanation, but I'm really becoming convinced this guy is a plant.

[ThoughtCriminal]

53. RW Shills don't need credentials

I'll take a guess - One semester at community college before dropping out. Probably hasn't had any notable work experience.

[starroute]

67. Actully, it tends to be just the opposite

The right sets its own people up with a long string of credentials. The Collegiate Institute funds money-losing college newspapers to give people like James O'Keefe their start. They get summer internships with conservative members of Congress or at places like the Heritage Foundation. And they are hired right out of college by some conservative institution or other and promoted quickly so that they can then start appearing as experts on Fox News.

I've googled on a lot of these people at one time or another, and to find one with absolutely no prior history is astonishing. Community college dropouts do not get hired as assistant editors of long-established publications. This guy does have a history -- only just not under that name.

[Botany]

47. Patrick Howley

I hope the Smithsonian files charges against his ass ...... what a genius he incites violence and then breaks
about it in print under his real name ..... what an idiot.

[Bobbie Jo]

48. They have plants everywhere, of course

That's how they operate....

Lie, Cheat, Steal

[arikara]

52. An article buried in the morning paper

Wall Street protests spread

Clash breaks out at U.S. capital museum

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/canada-in-afghanistan/Wall+Street+protests+spread/5525271/story.html#ixzz1aJ9MLppV

That is the only thing they have to say about the whole thing. This is a reuters story.

[bluestate10]

55. Does not surprise me at all. I have spent a year on DU.

Where people that call themselves progressives and far Left assail other DU members that share 75-90% of their values, while amening posts by people that constantly assail democrats and anyone else that has a chance of keeping republicans out of office. I often see the rightwing refer to progressives and the far Left as sheeple, while that is not always true, too often members of those groups think with a passionate brain instead of a passionate, logical brain.

[U4ikLefty]

64. A whole year? Don't you think it's time to show your profile?

[yardwork]

57. k&r

[Hutzpa]

58. kick

:kick:

[ck4829]

59. Now why would this guy want to do this? Hmmm. K&R.

[myrna minx]

60. K&R n/t

[sakabatou]

63. Were they trying to incite violence?

If so, that's illegal and they should be arrested.

[KoKo]

65. KICK...

[kpete]

66. NEW-ORIGINAL : See original story captured in screengrab last night

: See original story captured in screengrab last night before Howley and Spectator found out they were caught on camera and exposed.

[CJCRANE]

76. Good catch! nt

[cabot]

80. He's also an idiot. Check out 10th paragraph

It should be alter ego, not altar ego. Idiot.

[Botany]

82. As of noon today this article was still up

Now it is gone ..... I hope the Smithsonian files charges against Mr. Howley and the American Spectator

[cui bono]

97. I see your screenshot and raise you one later screenshot...

;)

I guess they realized how stupid both he and the site were...

[JDPriestly]

68. Occupy Wall Street is about everybody respecting each other

and playing by the same rules. Typically, the right-wingers want to enforce the rules against everyone else but don't want to play by the rules themselves. What else can we expect? All the more reason we should stay respectful, play by the rules and remain non-violent at all cost.

[thelordofhell]

69. So he's admitting to inciting a riot

That is against the law

[lucky leftie]

74. Wow, Walter Mitty would be jealous.

Quite a tale of derring-do but as others have noted,the writer incriminates himself. The shadowy Chickenhawk Underground strikes again.

[blm]

75. Keep this captured before they scrub it.

.

[EC]

79. And he sounds shocked that none of the 99% followed

him in "storming" the Museum...he doesn't seem to understand that they are a peaceful demonstration and don't "storm" buildings like the TPs.

[Divine Discontent]

83. this should be talked about for a 24 loop on the news about how the other side is corrupt

and, frankly, how is his admission of inciting riotous behavior and pushing forward not a crime?


http://www.zazzle.com/republicans_2012_keeping_millions_out_of_work_bumper_sticker-128659602907896843?rf=238107662556833486

[lucky leftie]

84. The link doesn't work anymore.

Down the memory hole.

[Fire Walk With Me]

93. Here ya go.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/08/1024352/-Conservative-Magazine-Brags-of-its-Agent-Provacateurs-Role-in-Provoking-Police-Action-in-DC-?via=siderec

[Marnie]

86. Hey go for it dude.

The only thing that has gotten the MSM to run stories on OW is the violence the pigs have used against demonstrators.

So to the extend that you and your hypocritical and probably criminal buddies have gained both national recognition and national sympathy for the movement.

Thanks.

[chrisa]

87. Sooo... He's proud that he tried to incite a riot, failed (nobody actually went along with him),

and then stumbled away like a bumbling dumbass.

Oh yeah, mission complete. He gets 2 internets for a job well done.

[AverageJoe90]

88. Somebody needs to inform federal authorities if they don't know already...........

Does anybody know how to contact the Feds anonymously?

[napoleon_in_rags]

89. The Essence of War is Deception.

The left isn't moved by this kind of thing, they've seen it before, the deceptions to manipulate people's minds. So who is that is moved? And why are the people who are having their minds manipulated acting so happy about it? The quote in the subject line is from the Art of War by Sun Tzu, its was written then and its as true now as it was then: If somebody is lying to you, trying to control your perceptions, than they are acting like your enemy. In other words, the people trying to get you to think that the left is is criminal by doing crimes and making it look like the left did them, are criminals. They are trying to frame somebody else for their crimes, in YOUR eyes. They know they aren't safe with the people who don't believe it, so they are trying to get close to YOU, because with YOU they can commit crimes without fear of ramification. YOU will blame the liberals, and they will walk.

So its time for conservatives to stop thinking that the target of the deceptions, the target of these manipulations, is somebody else. The target is the conservative himself, he is the victim. This has nothing to do with conservative values, its about power and control. TRUTH is that which a friend gives you, and the person who seeks it through clear, rational thinking is the person who's situated to be a good friend indeed.

[pam4water]

91. K&R I'm sure it's not he first time they done this, so they feel complacent about it now.

[EFerrari]

98. When you think about it, it's like a drop of water trying to infiltrate an ocean.

LOL, it's going to have zero impact.

[vanlassie]

92. He's also a crappy writer.

>>>"(I)dodged a circle of gawking old housewives..."

Juvenile.

[and-justice-for-all]

94. Admitting to inciting violence is a crime and

an act of terrorism. THey should be shut down and put in prison for their actions.

[1776Forever]

96. Sounds like the Chad fiasco of 2000 - Remember that one? What a bunch of losers, liers, and thugs!

[Rex]

99. REPUKES!

Scum of the earth.

[MFrohike]

100. They're not so bright

http://spectator.org/blog/2011/10/08/standoff-in-dc

I went to his bio page and there was the link.

[CottonBear]

102. You're right. It's still posted online as of 7:32 AM EST. n/t

[brewens]

101. Scrubbed. Spectator took it down evidently. Too late punks! n/t

[Blue_Tires]

103. The funny thing is when the "out of control protest" story first broke

and some DUers brought up the possibility that it could have been caused by infiltrators, they were for the most part ridiculed and shouted down...

[bullwinkle428]

104. K&R, and I'm waiting for the apologies from a few select DUers

who totally scoffed at the idea that this museum protest could have instigated by RW operatives, in some of the threads posted Saturday evening in the immediate wake of the incident.

[occupy_wall_street]

105. Aggravated Trespass begins the list of criminal acts.

Consideration of the actions admitted by Mr. Howley in his piece of October 8th leads to a stronger view of the criminality involved.

Simple civil disobedience is one thing. A planned mini-insurrection and planned trespass go to different parts of the criminal code.

These actions took place on Federal property.

A start on follow up is here:

The American Spectator's AGENT PROVOCATEUR initiated police confrontation @ Air & Space Museum, D.C.

The archive link to The American Spectator draws a message: "Error: 404 You have tried to access a URL that no longer exists or was entered incorrectly."

What seems to be important criminally is that this Mr. Howley and his friends initiated the confrontation after planning to disrupt the Occupy Movement event. Their actions resulted in pepper spray being dispersed into a larger group of individuals. Then, subsequently, this Mr. Howley reports that he was the sole individual to commit Aggravated Trespass and thus invoke a full lock-down of this Federal facility.

[mod mom]

107. I wish someone would get the DC police on record on this guy. Will they press charges for inciting

a riot? He admits he believes he was the only one who made it in.

[Bake]

106. Bad prose and probably exaggerated.

But I hope he faces charges.

Bake

[Douglas Carpenter]

108. There have been 58,974 views of this post on DU! This is quite exceptional for a single post on DU!

I wonder what on earth Patrick Howley was thinking when he bragged openly about attempting to play the role of an agent provocateur on a high profile right-wing website?

Either he is truly stupid or he intentionally intended to taunt. I seems hard for me to believe he did not realize that his confession would go viral. Unless he truly is an idiot. I just cannot imagine what he was he was thinking when he published this article.

[Dont call me Shirley]

109. He must be a Breitbart protege. Or he could be referred to as a Dumbart.