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Now That He's Won 39% of Not Much, Maybe Romney Will Relax and Stop Arresting People for Showing Up At His Events
The Romney family at the movies, seeing The Muppets and Mission Impossible, the day of the N.H. primaries.
The bizarre saga of mild-mannered blogger Matt Bieber, who apparently made the mistake of turning up out of curiosity at a Romney event looking vaguely like some other young guy who might or might not have been protesting something, after which he was kicked out, arrested, charged with criminal trespass, kept in a cage for several hours and warned not to return to the event or in fact anywhere near the area of the event. Does anyone else notice this sort of thing is happening a lot lately, and does it freak you right out? On his blog, Bieber says he is a Harvard student who is "currently thinking about how to raise the quality, rigor, honesty, and inclusiveness of public conversations in America." Good luck to him.
44 Comments so far
Show AllThe arresting team, or political staffers recommending arrest and brutal treatment, must have quickly looked up who Matt Bieber was, if he did not tell them himself. Everyone has a mobile internet connection these days. The police must have had intensive training on it.
It must be difficult not to stand out at a political meeting when looking young and intelligent. Probably by not cheering ecstatically enough at the right moments. Does the person up as political blogger or have opinions on google? Yes, the person apparently has a brain, so give bruising arrest and put in the cage.
Idiot Tea Party activist or fawning supporter? Donate your money right here please.
The process is called natural selection for national stupidity.
Thanks very much for your support, atfault. I am really interested in knowing what process led the campaign to identify me as some kind of threat. I've written them a letter to find out: http://www.thewheatandchaff.com/letter-to-romney/
The irony, in my mind, is that I'm not even all that partisan a person. I'd come to NH to be part of the process and see it up close, and I'd actually developed more understanding and respect for each of the candidates I'd seen. And I was expecting the same thing to happen that day at Romney's event.
Who gave Romney the cops? Rubber bullets and pepper spray for everyone! No need no wonder why, were all gonna
Hi constitutional. My understanding that these kinds of arrangements are somewhat common when it comes to big public events (parades are another example - the people that put on the parade might pay the police to provide their services). What I'm less clear on is exactly which powers the police retain (my sense is all or nearly all of them).
The difference, of course, was that in this case, the event was a public-oriented event (a campaign inviting citizens to participate in a conversation about issues of public import) in a private setting. A very weird blend, and one that - at least in my mind - ought to lead us to think about the events in a slightly different way than we would if it were a private birthday party.
Bush did the exact same thing. So did Kerry. Why should Herr Romney be any different?
Get it through your thick heads people. The Elite only use you for the stage show illusion they inflict on you to make you think you actually make a difference or have a choice.
They will beat you, lie to you, abuse you, cater to your worst impulses and then discard you like a dead hooker.
Let's get the nomenclature straight: The guys kicking Bieber out and arresting him are called storm troopers, and Romney is a fascist--you know, like Hitler. This country is on a brink, and I mean the brink of out and out totalitarianism. It's happened before. Even 'terrorist attacks' like 9/11 are predictable (remember the burning of the Reichstag)? Fascists are soooo predictable.
The picture of the Romney family is great. They all look like ghouls. Be afraid, America.
"This country is on a brink, and I mean the brink of out and out totalitarianism."
The US went screaming joyfully over the precipice into totalitarianism/Fascism when Bush II was appointed by his fathers SCOTUS buddies. The baby steps of Presidential orders authorizing the formation of NORTHCOM, the Halliburton/KBR FEMA camps, DHS VIPR teams, the normalization of travelers being subjected to intrusive and illegal searches, the crackdown on non-Corporate food production, Citizens United, the nationwide co-ordinated suppression of OWS and dissent, militarization of the Police, NDAA, all of it has been a carefully crafted plan to strip you of your human rights slowly and insidiously, like cancer that's killing you.
And the real kicker is, you ALLOWED it to happen. You voluntarily aided the very Elite who have enslaved you.
The Nazis lost WW II, but the Fascists won the war.
Again, Galen, I agree with you. Except I would say that "WE allowed it to happen. WE voluntarily aided the very Elite who have enslaved US". At least, please, in November vote for any party or candidate that is not DemPublican. Vote against war and fascism. Just to put on record that there were some of US who were opposed.
I can't vote in the US. Hell, I can't even enter the US any more.
I'm under the Harper Corporate Occupation Government in Canada.
So true.
And, my gosh, they are against birth control. How many freakin kids is that -- like 10 months apart in age??? What SICK SICK people.
Quick send that picture to the tabloids -it's proof that the whole family are aliens.
I mean just look at those eyes -look at them! Oh! The horror!
Evil aliens invading Earth, we are all gonna die!
Where does Romney stand on birth control?
Erect and and at attention, obviously.
A not unrelated question is where he stands on polygamy.
His great-grandfather had 5 wives and his great-great grandfather had 12.
A whole lotta salutin' goin on there.
Seriously? You ask that when he says corps are people. Are you people blind to the Stepford men's club running for office?
On top of everything else, you know that probably not >>1 second<< of airtime will be devoted to this by ABCCBSNBCPBSCNNFOX. All of our institutions have failed us. The press, the government at all levels, business, finance, you name it. How much more of this crap can we endure before something gives way? I guess if Germany in the '30s and '40s is any guide, a hell of a lot.
"the campaign hired the police for the day, sort of like a private security detail"
I wasn't aware the police were for sale for private parties. Is this standard practice in New Hampershire?
"I wasn't aware the police were for sale for private parties."
Yup.
Just ask the people brutalized by the NYPD's Commander Anthony 'Tony Baloney' Bologna.
Most US cities have a 'paid detail', whose members salaries are paid for to protect and enforce the employers goals, often in complete violation of most laws and the US Constitution.
Why is this allowed? If it's contrary to law, why isn't it prosecuted. Taxpayer dollars subsidize the police departments, if they are also taking on private contracts isn't that a "conflict of interest"?
You forgot the golden rule; Those who have the gold MAKE THE RULES.
Most of these Corporations and Politicians also contribute heavily to the various 'Police Benevolent Funds', and front 'tough on crime legislation' that enables the Police to keep their bloated budgets at a time of DECREASING crime stats.
Not sure of the details of these arrangements. I certainly want to learn more!
The Corporation or Politician in question 'donates' a wad of cash to the department 'Police Benevolent Fund' (or it's equivalent), and gets as many officers as they think they will need to act as 'security', who get paid overtime (plus 'danger pay' if any protest is expected), wear uniforms if not detailed as plainclothes, and carry department issue badges and weapons, but act on the orders of their putative 'employer', detaining, assaulting and arresting anyone who dares to approach or even contradict their 'employer'.
This is common practice in many US cities.
Mitt Romney, the time has come to acknowledge the bedrock right of free speech and free press.
This happened when Nader campaigned and nobody cared. He was kept away from the debates while his supporters were caged at all the events.- Including college campuses. Can't say this has never happened before. By the way, the photo depicts, in the eyes, a group of soulless creatures.
Many of us did care. Many of us made our concerns known.
A related story that might be worth investigating is why Buddy Roemer hasn't been able to participate in the Republican debates.
There's no defending these arrests, so please don't misinterpret my comment. What I want to point out is that this behavior has been normal from corporations for quite a while before politicians started doing it. The point being that they learned the behavior from their former colleagues and natural allies. It's a symptom of the gradual takeover of politics by business, and not just through proxies as in the old days, but government directly by business figures.
Obviously Mitt Romney enjoys doing more things to people besides firing them.
You got that right.
In the last election, they wouldn't even let Nader in to one of the debates to WATCH even though he had a ticket.
The double standard does not phase the Democrats in the least.
In fact, it's just par for the course.
Having worked for a Mormon bishop and knowing what they think of the rest of us, as in doomed to hell, we could be marching right smack into another Hitler-kill-all-the-non-believers situation...Fanatic is fanatic.
Were the arresting officers actually active duty policemen? Or were they a private security detail?
Great question, gardenernorcal. Officer Lamarche of the Hudson (NH) PD was in uniform. He said that he was working for the campaign, but that the campaign had hired the police that day.
Remember the scene in Alien III Ellen Ripley bursting into the prison cafeteria, shouting, "It's here!!" The prisoners didn't quite understand, at first, what they were up against. Once it became clear, though, they united against their common enemy - albeit at the expense of Ripley, who sounded the warning. The problem is, we in the US have yet to reach the critical mass of Ripleys we need to make the warning clear. The lethal, perfect killing machines of Fascism, unfortunately, look just like the rest of us.
Caption for 2nd picture: Free Speech Zone
Back in my protesting days I had lawyers on retainers, no I'm not rich, I did work for them and bartered. They used to tell me short of murder, They could beat the rap, but I couldn't beat the ride. Cops arrest people all the time that have done nothing. Here in Texas they usually add resisting arrest or assault on a peace officer to boot. Law enforcement in US America is completely corrupt.
It sure is. "Resisting arrest" seems to go with EVERY arrest of peaceful resisters these days. Black men have always gotten "resisting arrest" and "assault on an officer" when they've been pulled over for nothing. Now we all are black. And so many corrupt judges.
OBAMA 2012!
OBAMA -- MORE OF THE SAME!
or
OBAMA -- MADE 'CITIZENS UNITED' LAW!
Just got some good news! BuzzFeed ran a story in which the arresting officer admitted that I “hadn’t done anything.” http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/arresting-officer-at-romney-event-says-student-ha
Just got some great news: the arresting officer admits I "hadn't done anything."
http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/arresting-officer-at-romney-event-says-student-ha
Whatever happened to ABO? How about it?
What's ABO?
Alright!
Thanks, ctrl-z!
In case anyone's interested in contacting the Romney campaign, here are their spokespeople:
Andrea Saul: ASaul@mittromney.com
Ryan Williams: RWilliams@mittromney.com