jacee

http://m.cbsnews.com/storysynopsis.rbml;jsessionid=OI-Kx2ctHcumxYtFXkRWDQ**?&catid=57320862&feed_id=0&videofeed=36&nb_splitPage=0&emvcc=-1&emvAD=320x397 VANCOUVER - Vancouver's police chief has ssued a public warning to Occupy protesters, ordering them to disperse after protesters, ordering them to disperse after an overnight scuffle that sent two officers to hospital with human bite wounds Chief Jim Chu says a fight broke out when firefighters moved in to the protest camp to extinguish a fire in a barrel around midnight. He says police stepped in when people in black masks ... I gotta say ... STRIKERS ARE ALLOWED BARRELS!! From a pure safety perspective, this action is indefensible. I wonder who gave the order and why. Stooooooooopud. A fire in a barrel is a bylaw offence at best, and Does not warrant violence by police.

Not sure what Ford's on about. The clause reported doesn't guarantee jobs. People can be fired for poor performance. Jobs can be contracted out. The clause just involves bumping rights by seniority. Those with little seniority do get laid off. The only thing he's going after is the right to fire whoever he doesn't like. Given his explosive personality, that promises quite a few successful lawsuits against the city. So ... it continues ... with massive lockouts planned in advance. What a disgusting character he is.

Dre, this is really good information. Thanks. It's clear to me that the constantly increasing share of wealth held by the top 1% will eventually leave the rest of us with nothing and is thus an entirely unsustainable system. I'm just not sure specifically what we should be doing about it ... though I think the OCCUPY protest is a start.

you haven't even read the links, so no point discussing it with you. Tents downtown? No.

True ... but also true that Hamilton's contribution to the entire movement, and the Toronto camp in particular, is huge. Excellent idea! And exactly the kind of conversation that OCCUPY wants to generat.Are you suggesting doing it here in the forum, or where? Who? Again, excellent idea.I encourage you to pursue this. ----- One thought that occurs to me, a discussion whose time has come perhaps, is the HUGE amount of public money we spend on bureaucracies that do nothing but 'means testing' of people applying for various kinds of income support. These huge and expensive bureaucracies developed out of the dual pressures of - some people (the 'left') demanding income supports and - other people (the 'right') demanding tight restrictions on defining only those who need/are. 'deserving' of support. The result is a compromise that truly serves no one well. - 'Means testing' is incredibly labour intensive and expensive for taxpayers ... interpreting complex legislation and regulations, and applying them to each and every applicant requires well educated workers, considerable time, and expensive infrastructure. - The 'right' never seems content with the system, constantly speculating that people are defrauding/taking advantage of the system. - The 'right' is currently insisting they have no responsibility to employ Canadians, only to satisfy their own profit-making or that of shareholders. Given that lack of commitment to Canada and Canadians, it becomes the responsibility of ordinary Canadians to find creative solutions ourselves, not depending on private sector employment from large employers, but perhaps refocuses on small entreprenurial operations. I believe it is time to consider getting rid of the multiple bureaucracies that consume much of our tax dollars, and streamline it into one system that provides a minimally livable benefit to all Canadians, progressively clawed back for income above various levels, and ALL administered through one (also streamlined) tax system. Thus, for example, we view all Canadians, illiterate, disabled, students, elderly, as deserving of a living, and those who can earn more achieve their own rewards, but also have a cushion that enables them to take risks in developing small businesses, retraining, etc. It's difficult to even estimate the costs of all of the means testing in Canada, but it's everywhere and it's HUGE, in some cases probably more than the benefits themselves.

Some communities refuse basic municipal services and then whine about the 'conditions'. Other communities accommodate protesters the best they can and have far fewer problems. Vancouver's problem is the election and the politicians using protesters for political gain. Once the election posturing is over, things will calm down.

http://m.facebook.com/OccupyHamilton?_rdr

Oh dear ... I'm afraid our relationship is really on the rocks now, Moonlight!You think pagan rituals in schools is the highlight of our Canadian culture? Fact is, the celebration of solstice and equinox is common to ALL religions, whether it's called Christmas or Diwali. All modern religions are overlaid on pagan celebrations of the earth that sustains human life. And not being religious myself, despite upbringing, I'm more inclined to honour the earth. Regardless of individual choices, religion does NOT define Canada, where freedom of and from religion is the law, and respect for all is the defining quality, and not imposing/indoctrinating children in one religion to the exclusion of their own. Religion belongs in church communities, not in schools. Canada is defined by ... ZAMBONI!! Street hockey, maple syrup, poutine, wilderness, kitchen parties, camping, and the very dry wit that gets us through the winter, the black flies and mosquitoes ... And BEER of course! We're known as smart, witty, compassionate, peacekeepers and peacemakers ... and unfortunately too apathetic/trusting of our governments and corporations. We are certainly not 'defined' by Christian observance in our public schools ... but by our strong, inclusive public schools themselves, and the fact that this discussion is occurring at all.

Canadians tend to view Occupy protests in positive light: poll The Nanos Research poll conducted for The Globe and Mail and La Presse found that 58 per cent of Canadians who are aware of the protests have a favourable or somewhat favourable impression of them. Wouldn't Harper, or any politician, love to have that kind of support!

The number of tents continues to grow at Occupy Vancouver in Vancouver on Monday One of the campers Lauran Gill, also said occupiers will remain at the site“Once they get that injunction, people are not going to leave,” she said. “People are willing to get arrested.” Protesters at the Occupy Victoria linked arms and surrounded the site’s main tent just before the city’s Monday noon deadline to remove their tents ... Police did not issue tickets on Monday.“We’re not going anywhere,” said protester Robert Barron. -“People are coming so we can show solidarity.”

Oh ya ...A few engineer them, others ride the wave. Recession is a buying opportunity, recovery is a massive transfer of our wealth to the wealthiest.

Where else do 100,000 people walk? I read another report (somewhere else) of police forcing people off the sidewalks, then arresting them. The shared purpose here is to allow peaceful protest in great numbers, and avoid any further violence. And that's a police responsibility to all of us. There is no justification for violence by the state. Police discretion - what is safer - is paramount. Stuck in traffic ? Get out and walk. Get a grip. It's ONE day. Look on the bright side: It isn't a multicar pileup where people died, Which is probably statistically more likely on any given day.

They're making demands OF government. Not overthrowing it. " corporate filth" is not government ... is it? No ... they are not terrorists. Just curious ... are you that scared of them ... or just another provocateur?

Already noted here:

John Bolenbaugh, a Keystone employee-turned- pipeline activist came all the way from Michigan to speak out against the pipeline. Having served as a spill cleanup worker for an Enbridge Energy Partners' spill on the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, Bolenbaugh told The Huffington Post that the risks entailed in building another pipeline are just not worth it. âIâm a union worker, I work for Pipefitters 355 in Battle Creek, Mich., and I will not accept a job for a tar sands pipeline. I will not do it because Iâve seen the devastation and the sick people from what a tar sands spill does when there is a leak and thereâs gonna be a leak. Itâs gonna happen sooner or later.â http://www.vxec.com/2011/11/thousands-gather-in-lafayette-park-in-culmination-of-tar-sands-protests/

Anton interrupts family, friends vigil to get media time to threaten protesters Mayor sends threatening message to mourning protesters via police through media Vancouver Police Const. Jana McGuinness said ending the camp in the city will be a challenge but she appealed for calm. "We're hoping for co-operation should that time come," she said. "We want it to go smoothly. We don't want to see anybody be hurt." Eric Hamilton-Smith, one of the spokespeople for the Vancouver protesters, said he hopes the courts decide against issuing an injunction that would require the demonstrators to pack up their camp. "It's not enough to overrule our Charter rights of political expression and peaceful assembly, it is not enough just to have one person who died," People die everyday in the(Vancouver's) Downtown Eastside and nobody cares." ... Hamilton-Smith said protesters want to erect new, geodesic tents with fire-resistant tarps to comply with fire safety regulations. But maybe the politicians could just leave them alone for a bit? I doubt they can get an injunction today ... And I think it's customary not to threaten to evict people until the dead are respectfully laid to rest ... perhaps? Or is that different ... during elections?!

Rotflmao

The entire city is just starting to be convinced that these crowds are going to change things and forever. Still, the people you thought would be first to tell the country all about this are news people. But they have stayed seated in the office. ... Instead, they’re telling another kind of story. The New York Post had a front-page headline on Thursday for the city: “Enough! Post Editorial. Mr. Mayor, it is time to reclaim Zuccotti Park — and New York City’s dignity.” The paper’s ownership comes out of Australia and LondonEngland. The owner is Rupert Murdoch, who is friendly with New York politicians who fall down when they get a glimpse of his money. On Friday, the New York Post runs a front page that screams: “Occupy Wall Street animals go wild. ...! Umm ... do they really think New Yorkers are that stupid?

Irrelevant. One person, one vote.

Yes that's right. And they didn't blend in very well, being the only ones doing so! And wearing police issue boots didn't help either. They may as well have been wearing dunce caps. The Black Bloc'rs at Toronto G20 were highly disciplined, and outmanoevred police completely, And the police thoroughly humiliated themselves. And as I said, OCCUPY agreed to use no Black Block tactics, because protesters can't tell them from police provocateurs. Ergo, police provocateurs have no cover, would likely incite a riot, and would be an extremely stupid move, imo. As an observer, that's my sense. I also noticed that the Vancouver and Victoria Mayors are still talking and moving very carefully. And the Mayors will cause more problems and solve NONE if they try to physically remove the protesters. It isn't gonna happen. The right-wing hardline "let's you and him fight" chickenshit brigade will just have to chew their own arms off or something because there's going to be no violence here except that caused by the state against the people. And people other than right-wing provocateurs have something to say about that.

“ We aren’t dinosaurs. We are smarter and more vicious than that, and we are going to survive. Oh we know they're "vicious" ... predators. That's what this is all about. That's why this is necessary. We figured out the "vicious" part a while back. Do 'they' think they're scaring us? I think this is just one, possibly typical, I-am-a-hotshot a$$hole. I wonder if real 'Wall Street' is going to appreciate being painted this way. They're still trying to pretend they're doing it for our own good! OOPS!!! Cat's really out of the bag now!

We pay their salaries. They work for us. We are all the 99%. Except those who see themselves as the controllers.

Revolutionary change can occur without personal violence, I believe.And I think we're seeing it. All minds needed.

No. They'd be blending in if they were planning to do any bank busting.Black Block strategies have never included personal violence. I don't believe they will put the protesters at risk by bank busting either. Maybe some of you missed this ... not sure if it came from Toronto or NY ... but I know OCCUPY agreed and communicated that Black Bloc tactics could not be used as the protesters wouldn't be able to tell BB from police provocateurs. Full stop. The protesters need the moral support, security and protection. I'm glad so many people showed up and marched with them. And a large escort of bicycle police is always nice. Well done!