New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's analysis on the motivations of Occupy Wall Street participants:
The public is getting scared. They don't know what to do and they're going to strike out, they don't know where.
I just heard that brilliant sound bite on the local Madison, Wisconsin news. In their one national story, Channel 27 showed video of some of today's Occupy Wall Street arrests in New York and of Bloomberg explaining it all away. I have to wonder sometimes if the anchors actually watch the video while they read their narrative. As the video showed police grabbing and pulling peaceful protesters who had occupied one of the streets, the anchor stated "seven police were hurt in clashes with protesters."
Really? How about showing some video of that? Because it doesn't exist, perhaps? Because maybe the police hurt themselves by pulling muscles while whacking peaceful demonstrators? How many protesters were hurt today in clashes with the NYPD? That statistic read aloud might be a better fit for your video clip.
It's a shame that this was broadcast on Channel 27. They have the best local reporter covering Madison political news in my opinion, but apparently they just get lazy on the national stories.
So, my question for you, Daily Kos readers, is very simple. Are you scared? I'm not.
We just started the recall effort against Scott Walker here in Wisconsin. We're only on day three. So far the reaction from the right-wing fringe has included throwing a rock through the window of a coffee shop whose owner dared to post pro-recall signs in his window; 4 a.m. telephone death threats against at least two of the organizers of United Wisconsin which is leading the recall effort; cyber attacks against that organization's web site; collection of signatures by moles who have stated they plan to withhold them from the recall committee (a crime); and countless derogatory and profane comments and threats hurled at petition circulators. One unhinged man ripped up a petition and drove off from a "drive-thru" recall station. Organizers got his license plate number. What he did is a felony punishable by fines of up to $10,000 and significant jail time.
Are those of us involved in the recall drive scared? Hell no, we're not scared. Were we scared when Scott Walker locked down the Capitol? No. Were we scared when he threatened to bust unions? No. Were we scared when he admitted that he considered hiring violent troublemakers to mix it up in our peaceful protests? No.
Mayor Bloomberg, let me explain it to you. We're not scared. We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore.
The person who throws the rock is scared. The person who makes the death threat is scared. The man who rips up petitions is scared.
Thank goodness for the Ed Show. He is now showing video of tens of thousands of people in lower Manhattan as they marched toward the Brooklyn Bridge. They didn't look scared at all. They knew exactly what they were doing and exactly where they were going.
When I watch these videos, it becomes clear that it's Michael Bloomberg who is scared. The 1% he represents are scared. They have reason to be. Their lives are going to change. They will have to start paying their fair share. They will have to start respecting people who work, or at least stop insulting them in word and deed.
Mostly, they are scared to look in the mirror and in their hearts. They know what they've done. They know what it is they've stolen from the rest of us. They fear themselves. What a pitiful way to live.