Thursday, November 10, 2011

Salute to the Occupy Raleigh 20 and 8 - Complete and unabridged version


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The blog/flog transcript is printed below.

The Occupy movement that began on Wall Street in August 2011 and spread throughout this nation and across the globe, made a splash in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday, October 15, 2011. It culminated after dusk with the arrest of twenty determined and courageous economic freedom fighters.

Held on the south side of the Capitol Building grounds on a pleasant autumn day, the demonstration was a successful and orderly event, with a crowd at its zenith which I estimated to be at around two thousand. In contrast with a few other Occupy rallies elsewhere which were marred by vandalism, violence, and pepper spray, the Raleigh event was remarkably orderly… loud, but not boisterous… emotionally heart-felt, but not fanatical.

Lack of violent confrontations can be attributed to the following: 1) a well mannered, responsible, and respectful group of participants; 2) state and city police officers who comported themselves professionally and with restraint; and 3) the presence of legal observers, trained by the National Lawyers Guild, to document and record circumstances surrounding arrests and activities that might invoke a physical response by the ever-present police.

Unfortunately the success of meaningful movements often requires sacrifices by those who are disenfranchised and who are fighting for their rights and the rights of those similarly disadvantaged by the few in power.

On Saturday evening October 15, 2011, twenty brave individuals stood their ground in a peaceful protest on the state grounds of the Capitol Building. In doing so, they were arrested by police on orders given from those in power... those bent on breaking the backbone and resolve of the movement in order to maintain the skewed and immoral status quo wherein the rich get richer and everyone else gets poorer.

The brave Occupy Raleigh 20, who sacrificed for the 99 percent of Raleigh citizens who are being victimized by an economic system that enslaves most of them, are deserving of the gratitude and respect of us all.

The distribution of wealth in the United States of America continues its dramatic shift towards the wealthiest. Over the past decade alone, the top one percent of Americans have seen their percentage of the nation’s wealth increase from 40% to 43%. Over that same time frame, the bottom 80% of Americans have seen their dismal 9% of the nation’s distribution of wealth slip to 7%.

This disparity of wealth can be attributed to greed, with the well heeled and big corporations adopting tactics to improve their bottom line at the cost to consumers. Lobbyists, who are nothing more than professional bribers, are hired by big company CEOs to bribe politicians to pass bills that are profitable to their company’s interests. Many times these bills call for the deregulation of rules that are in place to protect the environment, protect workplace safety, to protect consumers from financial abuse, and to protect health by maintaining clean air and water.

Most Republicans and corporation-friendly Democrats introduce bills that will roll back regulations that will benefit the bottom line of the CEOs and big businesses at the expense of the consumer and public.

Republicans also feed the unethical growth spurt of wealth for the wealthiest by clinging to the Bush-era tax-breaks for the wealthy… which was initially designed to be temporary. The tax rate that the wealthiest Americans pay is now lower than that paid by the bottom 80%.

When faced with the growing deficit, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Mitch McConnell, and other Republicans draw the line when it comes to ending the tax break for the wealthiest, and instead trumpet cutting spending on domestic programs that help the poor, disenfranchised, and people in need. That the rich should pay their fair share in taxes to help address the deficit is a non-starter for the Republicans… who put profits before people and their country.

The excuse touted by the GOP for lower taxes for the wealthy is their claim that it will create jobs. Even some Democrats such as North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan and Governor Bev Perdue have embraced tax breaks for corporations as a way to stimulate job growth.

Such measures are futile, as the well-heeled and big corporations will only hoard the money gained and not use it to hire workers. Hiring workers does not help a company’s bottom line… it is an expense for the company. Corporate executives try to get by with as few employees as possible, often increasing their workload while their salaries remain stagnant.

The paucity of jobs in America is in large measure due to jobs being outsourced or manufacturing set up overseas where there is an abundance of a cheap workforce. It increases the bottom line for the companies, however it also increases the number of unemployed Americans because these jobs are lost. But that is of no concern to the avaricious company bigwigs.

Another way corporations increase their bottom line at the expense of the number of people employed is through the merger of competing companies. The top executives in these deals usually make out like bandits, while many of the workers whose jobs are now redundant, are let go. In addition to a more streamlined staff with fewer workers, the newly forged company will be on the road towards becoming a monopoly, having one less competitor. This is good for big business, but bad for the consumer. Once a business has obtained the status of being a monopoly, the stage is set for it to exploit the many dependent upon its products and services… no competitive pricing to prevent price gouging.

No doubt you are wondering how Republican candidates hope to remain in power when 80% of the population is markedly under-represented in wealth distribution statistics. They get the poor and disenfranchised to vote for them by using the foundation of magicians’ tricks and illusions… misdirection. They misdirect the public’s attention with other petty issues lacking substance and value. For example, instead of addressing the problems of a lack of jobs, economic disparity, the rise in homelessness, and the increased numbers of families falling into poverty, the Republicans concentrate their efforts on the following: passing a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage; requiring photo IDs for voting; setting up roadblocks to a woman’s right to get an abortion while reducing funding for the valuable services provided to the poor by Planned Parenthood; repealing the state’s Racial Justice Act; and forcing those on public assistance to submit to drug testing.

All bogus issues intended to capture the people’s attention while they, with the endorsement of lobbyists representing the well-heeled and mega-corporations, proceed to shift economic power and wealth from the 80% to the wealthiest.

When it comes to tackling the real issue of joblessness the Republican’s pat answer is to decrease taxes on corporations and the wealthy so that they can create jobs… but that has been shown to be ineffective as they will stockpile the revenue and continue to slash their working staff in order to increase their bottom line.

When banks, having squandered their assets through risky and immoral business practices, received a bailout from the American people, the first thing many of them did was distribute bonuses to the bank’s upper echelon. They did not use the money to make reasonable loans to the people or help with foreclosure relief. And with regulations about to kick in to limit the percent banks can collect for debit card charges, the banks are instituting monthly debit card fees. In other words, the banks are charging people to spend their own money.

What Republicans do not seem to understand or want to accept is that for the nation’s economy to do well, the majority of everyday American’s must do well. It is those in the lower 80% who purchase goods and services, which in turn fuels production, which leads to hiring. Snuffing out the buying power of the majority is a major obstacle in turning the country’s economy in a positive direction.

The positions presented above are echoed in a November 2010 article of the Triangle Free Press, titled, “I’m Rich – Tax Me More.” It supports the futility of job creation by providing tax breaks to the wealthy and large corporations.

Even Warren Buffet, one of the country’s wealthiest individuals, has encouraged legislators to enact reform that would increase the tax on the upper-tiered income earners. As he has repeatedly illustrated, the wealthiest pay considerably less taxes as a percentage of income than the poor and dwindling middle class.

Duke Power is a large corporation providing essential utility services to people and businesses in several states. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is also a corporation that makes a product… delicious ice cream. Both companies are comprised of executives, managers, and a workforce.

In June 2010, Progress Energy, a competitor of Duke Energy in North Carolina’s utility arena, announced that it planned to lower rates for its customers beginning in December, with residential customer seeing drop in average of $4 per month.

A month following the lower rates of Progress Energy kicking in, in January 2011, Duke Energy announced that it would be acquiring Progress Energy in a merger. With a straight face, the CEOs of these two companies claimed that the merger would cut their costs and their customers’ bills.

On the first account, they were correct, as the merger allowed the firings of many employees, especially in redundant positions. So overhead in the way of salaries was slashed, thereby increasing the company’s overall bottom line. Layoff notices were sent to 11,000 Progress and 17,000 Duke employees… with an estimated job loss of 2,000.

Not only that, but get this… they want to pay for these layoff by, you guessed it, raising utility rates for its customers. This is what I call a really bad joke.

In addition, Duke Energy wants the lawmakers at the General Assembly to enact laws that will facilitate their ability to hike rates. Send in the lobbyists, as the majority of Republicans and some Democrats can be easily bought.

Another ruse for raising utility rates is to raise capital in order to build more nuclear reactors. I submit that a more fair, ethical, and reasonable way for Duke Energy to raise money would be for them to make cuts in the exorbitant salaries and compensation packages that the higher-ups enjoy. In 2010, Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers earned nearly $8.8 million, while his counterpart at Progress Energy, William Johnson earned more than $5.1 million. You can bet that there are others in the high tiers of these companies who also receive excessively and embarrassingly high salaries and benefits.

Now, contrast this company with the pre-1995 model of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream that operated under CEO Ben Cohen, and which currently embraces the Occupy movement. In my opinion, Ben & Jerry’s in pre-1995 was a paragon for a corporate model. At the time, it followed a pay ratio guideline wherein the highest corporate leaders earned no more than seven times that of an entry level employee… its lowest wage earner. Unfortunately, this policy ended with the 1995 resignation of the company’s CEO, Ben Cohen. At that time, the highest paid executive at Ben & Jerry’s, President and COO Chuck Lacey, earned $150,000.

I believe that the seven-times salary ratio applied to executive and entry level wages is more than fair. When compared with Duke Energy, for example, even with the hypothetical entry wage being an annual salary of $50,000, the Duke’s CEO Rogers earned 177 times that of an entry level worker. In reality that figure is probably higher than 200 times.

There is no doubt that greed did not drive the company that was Ben & Jerry’s in ’95. It was evident that its priority was on providing a quality product for its customers. It was evident that it valued its workforce. It was evident that it desired to provide the public with a reasonably priced product.

I have never been a purchaser of ice cream, or an eater of ice cream. Not because I don’t like ice cream… because I do. I just never purchased it. However, due to Ben & Jerry’s support of the Occupy Movement, I am going to financially support Ben & Jerry’s ice cream by purchasing its products.

One soapbox speaker at the October 15th Occupy Raleigh event, Hope Turlington, talked about the short shrift given to Dorothea Dix Hospital by the legislators and politicians. Private businesses, salivating at the prospect of confiscating the prized grounds and the subsequent commercial development of them by the private sector, have sent their army of lobbyist to bribe public officials and politicians to relinquish the mental health facility that has served the mental health needs of the people for one and a half centuries. This, in order to further the aspirations of private developers and to increase their bottom lines.

The closing of the mental health facility at Dorothea Dix makes no sense when there is an acute shortage of beds for the mentally ill who require in-house care. In an August 7, 2010 News & Observer article titled “Mentally ill often turned away,” a study is cited that shows many North Carolinians languish for days in hospital emergency rooms waiting for psychiatric beds… the wait on average being roughly two and a half days.

The problem is exacerbated by a Republican led General Assembly that has made deep cuts into the state’s mental health budget which has resulted in fewer available psychiatric beds. Courting business interests, North Carolina legislators have shifted much of mental health care from state institutions to privatized centers. As a result many of the individuals who require treatment are left out in the cold if they lack insurance coverage.

Instead of directing state money towards renovating and repairing the Dorothea Dix hospital, the General Assembly has allocated money to transfer patients from the Raleigh institute to other facilities, such as the Central Regional Hospital at Butner, just north of Durham. Critics of this move state that isolating these patients in a rural setting deprives them of the cultural stimulus that can be found in museums, concert halls, and other venues in downtown Raleigh. In addition, the support that the in-house patients receive from friends and relative in Raleigh is lost when they are transferred to Butner and elsewhere.

Health care for the poor and disabled has been cut by cold hearted politicians pandering to the well-heeled and corporations… with reductions in the amount of payment that goes to doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. And most despicable of all, those at the General Assembly have sought to address budget woes by closing one of three schools devoted to the deaf and blind.

Since the fateful arrests of October 15, 2011, Occupy Raleigh protesters have maintained a presence on the south side of the Capitol Building grounds. Although moved from the Capitol grounds that night, protesters were assured that their rights to assemble on the public city sidewalk surrounding it would be guaranteed. So the faithful, diehard, and determined protesters occupied the seldom traversed sidewalk 24/7. Day in and day out. In the warmth of the sun and during the harsh inclement weather.

To better enable themselves to have endure a more comfortable existence, the Occupiers set up tables upon which to store supplies, documents, food supplies and blankets… all well out of the way of the few sidewalk pedestrians. Barricades used to prevent Occupiers from trespassing on the Capitol grounds were utilized to support the numerous signs, placards, and banners which espoused the main grievance of economic inequality and corporate greed. The sidewalk occupation was nicely maintained, clean, and posed no threat.

Occupiers had peacefully maintained a vigil on the sidewalk for more than a week and a half without any trouble, and it became evident to those in power that the movement was not going to just go away. Neither time, rain and cold winds, the oppressive dark nights, nor an intimidating show of force by authorities were able to budge the Occupiers from the pavement. So, with the city sidewalks being in use, the state of North Carolina, under Democratic Governor Bev Perdue, stepped in.

Moses Carey Jr., the Secretary of the mysterious North Carolina Department of Administration issued an order to the Occupiers… using the pretense of complying with an ambiguous statute to maintain and care for public property. The true intent was to disrupt and put and end to the occupation.

Given but just a few hours to meet the conditions set forth in the order, the Occupiers complied, and all tables, boxes, supplies, and other items were disassembled and removed from the sidewalk. However, the demonstrators remained and continued their peaceful protest.

One occupier was Margaret Schucker, who was disabled with a bad back, a condition exacerbated by standing for long periods. So she sat peacefully in her own folding chair, clearly not obstructing sidewalk traffic. The ubiquitous police force, however, demanded that she not sit down. She was threatened with arrest if she continued to remain seated. However, like Rosa Parks who refused to relinquish her seat in the bus, Margaret Schucker refused, as well. And, like the Civil Rights heroine, Ms. Schucker, amid the outrage of other protesters was handcuffed like a criminal and placed in the paddy wagon.

Seven other brave and sympathetic protesters, who sat or linked arms in solidarity with Ms. Schucker, were also cuffed and herded like cattle into the paddy wagon by police.

Now the biased media, which gets its orders from the well-heeled avaricious upper echelon executives, as usual skewed the story in favor of the top 1%... which is not surprising since these head honchos with their embarrassingly excessive salaries, are amongst the 1%.

ABC-11 News even went so far as to “blame the victims,” by bringing up the cost to taxpayers for providing overtime for the police. Larry Stogner, ABC-11 anchor stated that their investigative I-Team found out that it cost $22,000 “in taxpayer money” for policing the October 15, 2011 event, and that the police bill for overtime ran $1,500 per day.

First of all, had budget saving measures by Republican politicians not decimated the ranks of the police force, there would be no need to pay overtime. Secondly, it was not the Occupiers who assigned and scheduled the police officers to maintain a round-the-clock show of force at the sidewalk. The demonstrators have always been peaceful and cooperative with the authorities.

Instead of enforcing the law, protecting the public, fighting crime and taking criminals off the streets, Raleigh’s men in blue apparent overriding duty was to arrest a law-abiding disabled woman who was merely sitting in her own folding lawn chair.

Like the twenty before them, the latest eight Occupy Raleigh occupants gave their fullest demonstration measure… and were arrested for this just cause. They too, deserve our utmost respect and gratitude. Now, a tribute to these heroes… the Occupy Raleigh Eight.

77 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Sid, your posts are putting everyone to sleep. No comments in three days? Maybe your boy Kenny will provide us with some laughs.

kenhyderal said...

What's to say. From my point of view, as an outsider, Nifong Supporter has fairly,accurately,thoughtfully and completely characterized this situation. He who laughs last laughs best. There, that should trigger a Pavlovian response from you defenders of the American Oligarchy

Anonymous said...

You da man Kenny, you da man.

Anonymous said...

What does this have to do with the Duke Rape Hoax?

Anonymous said...

Good question.........oh i get it........bathrobe boy is leading the occupy movement. Now there's an idea.........his sign would read " law licenses sold here....discount prices"

Anonymous said...

Ooooooooooooo......a big word from dubai.....oligarchy........epistomological praxis, no less. He opens his mouth, and thus removes all doubt.......

Nifong Supporter said...

Anonymous said...
Hey Sid, your posts are putting everyone to sleep. No comments in three days? Maybe your boy Kenny will provide us with some laughs.


I think kenhyderal made yet another insightful response. The posts about the Occupy Raleigh Movement, and the Occupy Movement in general, I believe are not at all controversial, but rather something that all of us, except the top 1-5% find agreement.

I am working on an epic criminal injustice flog now, but will try to get in a shorter flog about Ms. Mangum, Erick Daniels' pardon denial, or another topic before Thanksgiving week.

Walt said...

With great rights, go great responsibilities. Previously on Sid's comment pages and elsewhere, I have defended the right of the OWS protesters to assemble and protest. I have even pointed out when they have made cogent points. However, Sunday's burglary of the old Chrysler building in Chapel Hill is not an allowable protest. The OWS protesters have the right to petition the government for redress, not the right to break into a building, not the right to refuse to leave it and not the right to keep the police from removing them. There is no excuse or possible explanation for their conduct.

Walt-in-Durham

Anonymous said...

Agree with you, Walt. Same issues of criminality, drug use, drunken and disorderly, destruction of private and public property, etc....in Oakland, Dallas, Boston, Atlanta and Miami. Sid, where's all your righteous indignation over such "debauchery"? If you get your drawers in a twist over the lacrosse guys urinating in public, how come you don't have the same reaction to the folks who used the park bushes as toilets in Raleigh? Lawful protest and CIVIL disobedience are integral to our culture. What happened in Chapel Hill this weekend is neither.
Oh, by the way, Sid, how is all this ranting about Occupy related to your stated purpose of seeking justice for Nifong, huh?

Anonymous said...

Occupy protesters in Philadelphia this past weekend.....a quick update.....destruction of private property, open sales of drugs, defecating in a trash can in public, rape of a woman, two cars overturned. Nice.

kenhyderal said...

@Anonymous 5:59 AM. Occupy Raleigh is a good example of eupraxis.

Anonymous said...

No, would say it is a good example of collectivus timus wastus. Did you mean eupraxis or euro trash? I worked 22 hours EXTRA this past weekend trying to figure out how to pay the GodXXXX government, meet payroll, keep customers happy and find a small raise for my employees. Tell me how marching around in a circle, waving a sign and yelling at people would have been a better use of my time.

Anonymous said...

kenhyderal said...
@Anonymous 5:59 AM. Occupy Raleigh is a good example of eupraxis."


Congratulations, Kenny -- You've won the Paddy Crosbie award for the day.

"If bullshit was music, that fellow would be a brass band"
-Paddie Crosbie

kenhyderal said...

You realize Paddy took part in the protests outside of Mount Joy Gaol at the hanging of the Irish martyr Kevin Barry by the British

kenhyderal said...

@ Anonymous 11:42 Vox Populi

Anonymous said...

You da man Kenny, you da man.

Anonymous said...

You miss the point, as usual, Mr. Dubai. Nobody is arguing against the right of people to protest. We are ALOT more comfortable with and permissive of public protest, open criticism of government/politicians, and mockery of elected officials than they are, say, in Dubai.
Your use (misuse) of what you believe to be impressive/intellectual language is comical fodder for this silly blob.

Anonymous said...

Since Kenny the Critic has something to say about our "oligarchy" here in the USA, perhaps Kenny ought to be held accountable for an explanation of civil and equal rights in the Dubai (UAE). For example, what is the punishment for being homosexual in Dubai? i believe the code there says "queer" behavior is punishable by extensive prison terms and, for some, death. How about the rights of women, Kenny? And the rights of those who are not Muslim to practice their faiths? And the treatment of persons with disabilities? Care to share with us just how grand it is to live in Dubai if you happen to be living in poverty? Oh, I forgot, nobody is poor in Dubai.......silly me

Anonymous said...

Kenny said "You realize Paddy took part in the protests outside of Mount Joy Gaol at the hanging of the Irish martyr Kevin Barry by the British"

You realize that he was all of 7 years old at the time? He was there because his mother and older brother were there -- not for any political reason.

Congratulations. You've just won the Larry David award.

"You know what? There's a jetstream of bullshit coming out of your mouth..."

-Larry David

Nifong Supporter said...


Anonymous said...
No, would say it is a good example of collectivus timus wastus. Did you mean eupraxis or euro trash? I worked 22 hours EXTRA this past weekend trying to figure out how to pay the GodXXXX government, meet payroll, keep customers happy and find a small raise for my employees. Tell me how marching around in a circle, waving a sign and yelling at people would have been a better use of my time.


Peaceful demonstrations can be successful in effecting change. Demonstrations forced Bank of America and other big banks to drop their plans to charge a monthly debit fee (an attempt to get around a government regulation set to kick in). However, the big banks will continue to try and cheat its customers in order to increase its profits.

Now, Anonymous, if the wealthiest 20%, of which you do not belong because you are struggling, were to pay their fair share of taxes, and if loopholes were closed for the big gluttonous corporations, then you would not be required to pay as much to the government. The burden is now placed on the small business, such as yours. That is wrong. The wealthy and big corporations need to pay their fair share.

If the avaricious corporations did not give ridiculous compensation packages to its upper tiered executives, then the products and services you need to operate your business would cost you less. Then, you could put in reasonable hours, pay the government a reasonable amount, give your employees a reasonable raise, keep your customers happy by giving better and more affordable services and/or products, and maybe even increase your own personal bottom line.

This can be achieved only with change... and change will not come with wishing or hoping. Change requires action... and the Occupy Movement is positively providing it.

Nifong Supporter said...


Walt said...
With great rights, go great responsibilities. Previously on Sid's comment pages and elsewhere, I have defended the right of the OWS protesters to assemble and protest. I have even pointed out when they have made cogent points. However, Sunday's burglary of the old Chrysler building in Chapel Hill is not an allowable protest. The OWS protesters have the right to petition the government for redress, not the right to break into a building, not the right to refuse to leave it and not the right to keep the police from removing them. There is no excuse or possible explanation for their conduct.

Walt-in-Durham


Walt, unfortunately there are many who hide under the mantle of the Occupy Movement in order to conduct criminal activities... which neither I nor the majority of Occupy movement participant approve. Regarding the occupancy of the Chapel Hill building, it is my understanding that the building had been vacant and abandoned for a decade, and that it was not locked. I also am not convinced that they were members of the Occupy Chapel Hill group, although the media may want the public to believe that. To my understanding the building was not defiled or vandalized... and if anything, it was cleaned up by the occupiers.

What I find disturbing is the response by authorities. Why send in a squad of SWAT team riot police to confront fewer than a dozen unarmed individuals? This certainly wasn't anything like the seize of Harpers Ferry. Why not just send an officer to the building and politely ask the trespassers to leave... and then lock the building afterwards? Nice, quiet, clean, and less likelihood of death or injury.

kenhyderal said...

I only wish I knew which of the multitude of Anonymous's I was responding to ie. is the Anonymous who threw in the words "epistomological praxis" the same Anonymous who accuses me of using, or misusing, what I believe to be impressive intellectual language? I say, to all you Anonymous posters, "stand and be counted". By the way, I'm not Arab I'm a Canadian; a Country much more just then is the U.S.A. eg. same sex marriage, universal health care, slavery made illegal in 1807 and never replaced by segregation.

Anonymous said...

Kenny says "same sex marriage, universal health care, slavery made illegal in 1807 [sic - in Canada, slavery was abolished on August 1, 1834.] and never replaced by segregation.

Hey Canadian Kenny -- since you obviously know so much about history, when was the last segregated school in Canada closed? Can you say 1983?

Does the name "Viola Desmond" mean anything to you?

We are anonymous.
We are legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
Expect us.

Anonymous said...

yeah, right, universal health care....my left foot. that's why so many canadians RUN to the United States to get QUALITY healthcare delivered in a TIMELY fashion. Slavery abolished? What about the caste system you folks perpetuate with the indigenous peoples? So, Mr. Dubai, name us ONE country in the entire world that has even remotely the ratio of those coming into the nation versus those leaving......as has the USA. FAR more people want to come to our country than to leave. Oh, and by the way, you failed to enlighten us on all the fair treatment and equal rights in Dubai....since you think we have an "oligarchy".
One more comment....."same sex marriage".....yep, it's available in Canada. I will give Canada that one, for sure. Too bad your country forgot about equal rights for the nonbiological spouse in divorce custody cases.

Walt said...

"What I find disturbing is the response by authorities. Why send in a squad of SWAT team riot police to confront fewer than a dozen unarmed individuals? This certainly wasn't anything like the seize of Harpers Ferry. Why not just send an officer to the building and politely ask the trespassers to leave... and then lock the building afterwards? Nice, quiet, clean, and less likelihood of death or injury."

That is exactly what the Chapel Hill Police did. They asked the OWS people to leave. They refused. The CHPD negotiated for hours before sending in armed officers. By having armed officers taking appropriate protective measures, the CHPD minimized the risk of harm to themselves and the criminals who refused to leave.

Regardless of the building's status or use, there is no way that OWS can justify breaking in. That building is not theirs. It belongs to someone else. Whatever good OWS has done to bring attention to the growing gulf between rich and poor in this country it is all lost by engaging in lawlessness.

As I wrote previously, the right to assemble and petition for redress carries with it the great responsibility to act within the law. OWS failed and has completely obscured its message.

Walt-in-Durham

kenhyderal said...

@Anonymous 10:28 AM The Viola Desmond case was despicable, deplorable but totally un-institutionalized. It was a racist private business owner that would only sell cheaper seats to blacks and the only charges that could be brought centred on tax evasion. I don't want to be sanctimonious but I don't think you want to get in a debate over which nation Canada or U.S.A. is the most just. Afterall we ended slavery here in 1783 It continued there for another 80 years. Then after your bloody Civil War when it was abolished many Southern States switched directly from slavery to segregation. Disgracefully this practice continued right up until 1964. In most of the Southern States Blacks could not vote, attend schools with Whites, stay in Hotel, get served in restaurants, were forced to use segregated public washrooms, sit in segregated areas of buses, trains and theatres. Even, in places, not allowed to use public drinking fountains. In many States inter-racial marriage was illegal and even, in places, inter-racial sex was considered a crime. These kinds of evils went on for 100 years. Even in the 21st century one of your "so-called" Universities The Bob Jones University forbid inter-racial dating for it's students until 2004. We've had universal single payer health care since the 1960's. We spend less per capita on health care, we have 100% coverage. Our people are healthier, our life spans longer, our infant mortality lower. Native people do not want their Reservations abolished. First Nations have rights given to them by treaties. We never waged wars in Canada with the aborigional population. There might be some waiting lists for medical services in Canada because the wealthy cant jump the cue but don't worry every time someone dies in Canada while awaiting treatment the American Health Industry Lobby makes it headline news while totally ignoring the thousands who die there prematurely because they have no health care coverage. Canada admitts far more immigrants per capita then the USA and in fact is number one in the world in that respect.

Anonymous said...

Canadian Kenny -- Remove the log from your eye.

Here's a resource for you and anyone else with an interest in the history of racism in Canada, rather than Kenny's made up blather (slavery wasn't officially abolished in Canada until 1834)...

http://www.hopesite.ca/remember/
history/racism_canada_1.html

kenhyderal said...

The first abolitionist legislation in Canada was THE ACT AGAINST SLAVERY passed on July 9 1793. Under this act no slaves could be imported into Canada. It allowed for slave owners to keep their existing slaves until their death. All children born to existing slaves were to be freed at age 25 This law made Upper Canada the first British colony to abolish slavery.The Act remained in force until 1833 when the British Parliament's Slavery Abolition Act abolished slavery in all parts of the British Empire. Again I reiterate there was no transition to apathheid or segregation

kenhyderal said...

P.S. I apologize for incorrectly giving the date for the Act Against Slavery as 1783 instead of 1793. The date Anonymous quotes refers to The Britishh Act of 1833 that forbade slavery in all British Colonies. This had been done in Canada for 40 years. This does not change my assertion that Canada has a more just society then American then and now.

Anonymous said...

Kenny is running his mouth with so much bullXXXX, I am surprised he doesn't choke. None, I repeat, none of the information he put forward about Canadian healthcare is accurate. I work in the healthcare industry (30+years) and am intimately familiar with the healthcare debacle up there. Last year three times as many residents-in-training LEFT Canada to practice in the USA as did residents who were trained in our country and who went to Canada to practice. The average wait time for an elective surgery is seven months in Canada. The average time for a non-emergency primary care appointment is five weeks. Our infant mortality rate is among the lowest in the world and would be even lower if we did not lie and fabricate excuses for "deaths" as some northern countries have been known to do. There is zero evidence that Canadians live longer than we do. Zero Further, the garbage about inbound versus outbound immigration (legal AND illegal) is also false. Sorry, Kenny, nobody (except maybe Sid, who believes Sister is the Virgin Mary) is buying your nonsense.


I have worked in Canada before and loved it there because I loved the people I met. And the land is beautiful! But, the blatant falsehoods you try to put over on this blob need to be called out for what they are......

Anonymous said...

Further to the comments on Canadian healthcare...
The primary reason the USA has the infant mortality rate it has , now, is because we have a significantly larger number of low birth weight infants who survive. If the infant mortality rates were adjusted to compare survival between infants of similar birth weight, our successful survival rates would be almost 18% higher than Canada's rates.
The US has more deaths due to trauma than Canada and these trauma deaths are centered in the 20s and 30s age co-hort. The primary contributor to the higher trauma death incidence is MVAs.
Age adjusted survival rates for heart disease, most forms of cancer and COPD also favor the USA.
Americans get more preventive care than Canadians, too. Higher compliance rates for mammograms, and prostate screening. We do not do as well with childhood immunizations as the Canadians.

kenhyderal said...

Anonymous @ 5:53 said: "Last year three times as many residents-in-training LEFT Canada to practice in the USA as did residents who were trained in our country and who went to Canada to practice" ....The reason money. Anonymous said: "Our infant mortality rate is among the lowest in the world and would be even lower if we did not lie and fabricate excuses for "deaths" as some northern countries have been known to do" ...., The facts (2010 figures World Health Organization) Canada infant mortality 5.2/1000 U.S. 6.6/1000. Canada's rank #24 US Rank #34 Anonymous said: "There is zero evidence that Canadians live longer than we do" Fact (Source CIA Fact-book) Canada Life expectancy 78.3 yrs. Ranked #11 US 75.6 yrs. ranked #36 Anonymous said: " Further, the garbage about inbound versus outbound immigration (legal AND illegal) is also false" Facts (source CIA Fact-book) Canada immigration 5.62/1000 US immigration 2.92/1000. Anonymous said : "The average wait time for an elective surgery is seven months in Canada. The average time for a non-emergency primary care appointment is five weeks" This is not my experience or that of any members of my Family or any of my friends.

kenhyderal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Kenny said " This is not my experience or that of any members of my Family or any of my friends."

Kenny -- this is considered anecdotal evidence. Fail.

Lance the Intern said...

Wow. Arguments about Canadian v. American history and healthcare.

On the J4N blog.

Dr. Harr needs to seriously consider censoring the comments section.

Please hurry and post that Epic criminal justice flog.

Anonymous said...

I agree with lance. We all know canada is just a surburb of north dakota anyway. Soooooooo. sid. We are waiting.......whats the latest from AsThe Stomach Turns or My Life In Prison by sister ?

Anonymous said...

Apparently poor ken does not know what age adjusted and cohort mean. Nor does he understand that survival rates for low birth weight live births have a major impact on stats. Oh by the way, the WHO admits that its stats are dramatically flawed because of how it fails to consistently count undocumented persons, country to country. GIGO

Give it up Dubai and go back to scribbling about poor mistreated Nifong.

kenhyderal said...

I know I'm beating a dead horse here and am decidedly off topic but one or several of the Anonymous posters provoked me by disparaging me personally and also my country. Anyway, here's one more response courtesy of the US CDC "In 2009, the US CDC issued a report that stated that the American rates of infant mortality were affected by the United States' high rates of premature babies compared to European countries. It also outlined the differences in reporting requirements between the United States and Europe, noting that France, the Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland do not report all live births of babies under 500 g and/or 22 weeks of gestation.The report concluded, however, that the differences in reporting are unlikely to be the primary explanation for the United States’ relatively low international ranking. My anecdotal evidence re waiting times was in response to the anecdotal evidence you cited which I challenge you to provide research to back up.

Anonymous said...

Sigh......... Disparaged your country???? Goodness. Seems to me you do this regularly regarding the USA. Can't stand the heat; get out of the kitchen. i agree with the poster. Canada is a nice place to go duck hunting but i sure wouldn't want to get sick there. Enjoy dubai; the usa has been training their doctors for years.

Walt, i heard a rumor this week around the water cooler that the 1099 regs you mentioned not long ago are going to get noosed even tighter.

Anonymous said...

"health Status, Health Care and Inequality In Access". O'Neill 2010. Suggest you read it ken. Also JAMA nov 2010. " health cost versus outcome: the myth of single payer systems". Suggest also you go back and read the poster's comments re inbound versus outbound immigration in canada and usa.

Ccongrats to Coach K!!!!!! He defended Pressler when so many Brodhead stooges rolled over

Anonymous said...

You da man Kenny, you da man.

kenhyderal said...

Anonymous wrote: Suggest also you go back and read the poster's comments re inbound versus outbound immigration in canada and usa.
The explanation "Filthy lucre". One more note, Canada spends less per capita on Health Care then the USA, has better outcomes and has universal single payer coverage. The explanation "profit" I love American but I don't buy into the myth of American Exceptionalism

Anonymous said...

You da man Kenny, you da man.

Lance the Intern said...

Durham Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson says in the 69-page order filed late Monday that Cline "flagrantly violated" the rights of Michael C. Dorman II when she violated court orders, suppressed evidence, misrepresented facts to a judge, and failed to correct misrepresentations by a police detective and a medical examiner she called to testify in hearings.

What would you expect from Mike Nifong's 2nd in command?

What's sad is that I think, had she gone about the case appropriately, she would have convicted Dorman. Now the charges must be dismissed "with prejudice", so they can't be refiled.

Walt said...

Thank goodness Lance! For a while, I was concerned that we might have to sit around the campfire, sing Oh Canada, eat some schmores together and generally reaffirm Kenny's self image.

Walt-in-Durham

kenhyderal said...

Kumbaya

Anonymous said...

Interesting, Lance......sad it will have so little impact on the Durham crowd and they will, no doubt, re-elect this walking miscarriage of justice.
My favorite Cline-ism is her comment that she "knows" when a defendant is lying and she "always" believes women who say they have been raped because,"a woman would never lie about that". Wouldn't you just love to put Sister, Sid, HissyFitIAmCanadianBoy,Cline and Nifong in a room together? Wow, I would buy a ticket to see that show.

Anonymous said...

One point that has not been made in the debate about USA versus Canadian single payer system is this one: Per the WHO in its State of World Health Report 2010, "there is little reliable and valid research to show any causal link between the type of payer system and ultimate healthcare outcomes". Ergo, the debate about whether the USA system or the single payer system in Canada has anything to do with outcomes is, per the WHO, "highly subjective". We can argue all day about selected research results. Bottom line is that nobody has made a definitive case to show that one system or the other makes and keeps people healthier, longer.

kenhyderal said...

For those with coverage,yes. But common sense would tell you that if you have coverage you will be better off healthwise then if you do not. The number of people in the USA who lacked health insurance last year climbed to nearly 50 million, the Census Bureau reported Sept 13 2011.

Anonymous said...

Hey ken. I realize your hockey pucks have won more stanley cups than us filthy lucre americans, but goodness, the last cup was in 1993.....???? What's happened? Did the north men all cross the border for the lucre or what? Your big old boys used to kick our capitalist backsides regularly. Must be the tyranny of the oligarchy or global warming.

Anonymous said...

You da man Kenny, you da man.



O Canada! our home and native land!
True patriot-love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
And stand on guard, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.


O Canada, glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Anonymous said...

It's nice to see they are finally getting tough on these occupy bums.As George Wallace said-if you shoot a few of them down the other ones will get the message.

kenhyderal said...

@ Anonymous 5:44 PM 11/17/11 So, based on last year
974 players played in the NHL
509 Canada (52.2%)
216 America (22.2%)
57 Czech Republic (5.9%)
53 Sweden (5.4%)
35 Finland (3.6%)
32 Russia (3.3%)
18 Slovakia (1.8%)
9 Germany (0.9%)
5 Latvia (0.5%)
5 Switzerland (0.5)
4 Denmark (0.4%)
4 Ukraine (0.4%)
3 Austria (0.3%)
3 Belarus (0.3%)
2 Kazakhstan (0.2%)
1 Bahamas (0.1%)
1 Brunei (0.1%)
1 Brazil (0.1%)
1 France (0.1%)
1 Italy (0.1%)
1 Lithuania (0.1%)
1 Northern Ireland (0.1%)
1 Norway (0.1%)
1 Poland (0.1%)
1 Slovenia (0.1%)
1 South Africa (0.1%)
1 South Korea (0.1%)

Most US Players cames from two states Minnesota and Michigan. Although we invented basketball we do import a lot of American players. Lacrosse,Hockey, Basketball and 5-pin all Bowling came from Canada.

Anonymous said...

The indoor sport of basketball was invented at Springfield College (which was then the Y.M.C.A. training school in Springfield, Mass.) by James Naismith, under the direction of American phys-ed specialist Luther Halsey Gulick.

Thus, while James Naismith was Canadian, the sport was invented in the USA, under the direction of an American.

James Naismith is also the only coach in the history of Kansas University basketball with a losing record.

How do you lose a game you invented? Must be a Canadian thing.

Lance the Intern said...

Kenhyderal & Anonymous -- For the love of God, PLEASE take your USA v. Canada feud elsewhere.

If you can't keep the discussion on-topic, at least limit it to posts pertaining to events in and around the triangle.

I think you've even stopped Sid from posting. Now we may never see his epic criminal justice "flog".

Anonymous said...

Technically, the game of lacrosse was created by North American Indians prior to the creation of the country now known as "Canada". Claiming that the game "came from Canada" is incorrect.

Nifong Supporter said...


Lance the Intern said...
Wow. Arguments about Canadian v. American history and healthcare.

On the J4N blog.

Dr. Harr needs to seriously consider censoring the comments section.

Please hurry and post that Epic criminal justice flog.


Unfortunately, the "Epic" criminal justice flog is a month or possible two from being posted. I hope to upload a flog about the NCAA and its investigations by this weekend.

It should be very enlightening and interesting, even though it has nothing to do with Duke Lacrosse.

Lance the Intern said...

Durham DA Tracey Cline has filed a complaint seeking to remove Orlando Hudson from overseeing ANY criminal cases in Durham, citing "moral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption".

She has also filed a complaint with the Judicial Standards Commission.

You can read the complaint here

You'd think that the DA would have someone proofread it before it was submitted...

Lance the Intern said...

My favorite line of the Cline complaint against Judge Hudson?

"This is power without responsibility or conscious"

Apparently, Cline is claiming that Judge Hudson sleeps through his hearings.

This document is so full of grammatical and syntactical errors, it looks like it was written by someone in high school.

Lance the Intern said...

Sid -- I'm more interested in hearing your take on the Cline v. Hudson situation.

kenhyderal said...

Lance the Intern said...
Kenhyderal & Anonymous -- For the love of God, PLEASE take your USA v. Canada feud elsewhere
The selective justice, based on class and color, that happens there and which Dr. Harr fights against does not happen in Canada

DHall said...

Poor grammar aside, there's no rules or statutes cited in the filing - it's impossible to tell what rule or law is thought to entitle the "State of North Carolina" to relief.

I'm not a lawyer, but isn't that required?

Lance the Intern said...

Anonymous(es):
Do Not Feed the Troll.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

kenhyderal:

The selective justice system to which you refer happens largely in Sidney's imagination.

Are you one of those Canadians who claim Canada invaded the US in the War of 1812 and burned Washington?

Anonymous said...

Where did Cline get her education? Same place as Sister? Her writing is an embarrassment to Durham. If she can't put a proper sentence together, how can she possibly comprehend and properly pursue justice? Is she "conscious"?

Anonymous said...

I just read Cline's entire complaint. Oh, Lord, what a disaster. Not only are there numerous grammar, spelling, sentence structure and syntax errrs......she also seems to have a fairly fascinating fulminating fetish with aliteration. Is this really the DA for Durham? Or, am I reading an eighth grade drama-filled whine of a paper.
The most astounding thing about this complaint is that Cline is so thoroughly pissed off because the Judge has the gall to rule against her and to call her out for her flagrant and numerous misbehaviors. She gives no substantive basis for all the nastiness (his moral terpitude....), referencing only "information and belief" as her source.
Durham is once against the laughing stock of the state....."Conscious, Cline??"

kenhyderal said...

Lance the Intern said...
Anonymous(es):
Do not feed the Troll. Check it out, Lance, I only respond to the baiting and ad hominen attacks directed at me by the plethora of cowardly anonymous(es). That, hardly qualifies me as a troll here. Perhaps I'm the one who needs to ignore their baiting but, by nature, I'm not the kind of person to be attacked without defending myself with vigor.

Anonymous said...

Hey Sidney:

What about this latest glob of goo Ms. Cline has dumped upon herself?

Anonymous said...

I would have to say that the last sentence of this post was accurate:


Anonymous said...
Hey Sid, your posts are putting everyone to sleep. No comments in three days? Maybe your boy Kenny will provide us with some laughs.

November 12, 2011 5:37 PM


Kenny = big words but small brain

Anonymous said...

"Hey Sidney:

What about this latest glob of goo Ms. Cline has dumped upon herself?"


And we are all waiting to hear Kenny's insightful comments, as well.

Anonymous said...

One does wonder what exactly IS the supposed topic here even with the title........given that sid and his infamous sources wander around in never never land at liberty. Might as well debate the price of iceberg lettuce at WholePaycheck. That's more entertaining than sid's endless geehaw nonsense

Anonymous said...

"One does wonder what exactly IS the supposed topic here even with the title........"

Hey Sid, isn't it time for a little Justice for Nifong? Why don't you share with us what the Fong is up to these days?

Anonymous said...

Is is possible that Mikey has been consulting with D.A. Cline on her recent court filing?

Nifong Supporter said...


Hey, Everyone.
Just heard from the Clerk of Court... sorta.

I will post a flog... which I completed in half a day.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Anonymous said...

So, now we have Cline claiming that Hudson, staff attorneys and the N&O are in cahoots, in a conspiracy, to destroy her. Wow, Sidney, you better hop on the conspiracy train with Cline! She now claims Judge Hudson is out to get her, personally. And the N&O is party to the "lynching". At some point, one would think the NC Bar would have to intervene. The basis for all this venom being spewed at Hudson? He had the moral terpitude to rule against her! Him, and his "reprobate mind". The nerve!
Livingston College and NCCU, you must be so proud of your graduate who not only can't spell....but who also has apparently lost "conscious".

Walt said...

It is interesting that Tracy understands her duty to report gross misconduct, yet never reported Nifong for his gross misconduct.

Walt-in-Durham

Anonymous said...

Hey Sid -- Actually just got around to reading this post. you know that Ben and Jerry's is owned by Unilever, right? The same Unilever that paid it's CEO around $4,494,547.00 (US) in 2010?

You're a moron.