Thursday, November 17, 2011

The new face of the Occupy movement? Update.

Courtesy of The Star:

Photos of 84-year-old Dorli Rainey being helped by fellow activists after Seattle police blasted a crowd of Occupy protesters with pepper spray Tuesday have popped up on news websites and blogs around the world. 

Occupy Seattle condemned the force, posting a statement on its website shortly after the incident saying “we offer our sympathies to the many protesting patriots that were indiscriminately pepper sprayed including a 4’10” 84 year old woman, a priest and a pregnant woman who as of this writing is still in the hospital.”

Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel told the Associated Press he didn't have the details on the Rainey confrontation, but he said pepper spray is “is not age specific. No more dangerous to someone who is 10 or someone who is 80.” 

It is images like this which are going to inspire more and more people to support this movement, and to start believing that the police of this nation are nothing more than jack booted thugs doing the bidding of the 1% instead of fighting alongside their fellow 99% for a better future for them and for their children.

And it is incidents like this that which me wonder if the police are actually getting the proper training they need to understand how dangerous pepper spray can be to certain individuals, such as the elderly, the sickly, or pregnant women?

This device was created to be a non-lethal alternative to drawing a gun in response to a dangerous altercation, it was NOT designed to be indiscriminately sprayed into a crowd of peaceful protesters.

And on that topic here is a statement from the priest who was also sprayed during this incident.

Update: Keith Olbermann interviews Dorli Rainey. This is a MUST SEE! Could the police have chosen a sweeter person to abuse? Like I said, this is going to really bite them in the ass.

46 comments:

  1. I was a Law enforcement officer for over 22 years and to refer all cops as jack booted thugs is just asinine and narrow minded.

    As for pepper spray I have been sprayed more times than I can even count. I have a propensity for pneumonia at a drop of a hat also asthma.

    Why this lady was sprayed I don't know, she might not have been sprayed it might have come from the over spray if the wind was blowing.

    Giving the alternative of either putting my hands on if combative or spraying her, I would spray her.
    There is a much greater chance that she could seriously hurt herself if you had to physically restrain her.

    Any person no matter what age can hurt you. Most male officers get hurt because they underestimate the capability of a female.

    Pepper spray will burn the shit out of your eyes,your throat. It doesn't stop your breathing or make it hard to breathe. It's pepper. Pepper spray will make your produce tons of phlegm.

    So why don't you think before you make blanket statements about the police as jack booted thugs. Pepper spray on the continuum is not the step next to lethal force.

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  2. A J Billings5:48 AM

    Sick $ister $arah Paylin's response to OWS protesters?

    (Said in a shrieking harpy voice)

    "Hang'em all, I'll bring the rope, youbetcha! THey aren't Rill 'Mericans!

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  3. Anonymous5:57 AM

    The cops are just carrying out the bidding of their rich, powerful, exclusive masters, whom they REALLY exist to serve, even though they're paid with tax dollars from middle class citizens such as you and me.

    They aren't just thugs, they are mindless thugs with no humanity (as exemplified by 5:24).

    Imagine if this was going on in another country - especially the middle east. Obama and his fellow politicians would be all over it, gushing how courageous the citizens standing up to corrupt power are and how they deserve our support (military, financial).

    But when it happens in this country?

    The power of the state is stepped up against the citizens.

    CRICKETS from Obama.

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  4. Anonymous6:08 AM

    When all is said and done, these protesters (even if they 'win') still have to go out and get jobs. WHAT is stopping them NOW?

    NOTHING. They are lazy. That is clear to all of us who work like hell to keep our (sometimes multiple) jobs.

    I have 3. Some of these people have none.

    Again, LAZINESS.

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  5. Calli Pygian6:15 AM

    Tewise, if you are suggesting that inhaled irritants are not problematic beyond 'phlegm production', you are mistaken. Excessive mucous is produced as part of an inflammatory response from the bronchial mucosa. That inflammation is what narrows the airways enough to reduce tidal volume and arterial oxygen saturation. This, in turn, can create another cascade of issues, particularly in cardiac disease- which many elderly people have.

    I was a certified critical care nurse for many years. I also have asthma, and know how respiratory irritants ( perfumes, cleaning spays, smoke, etc.)create significant problems for those of us with reactive airways. It is possible that someone could develop status asthmaticus as a result of one or repeated exposures. When inflammation is already present, the threshhold for an event such as this is lower.

    I am not one who refers to all "cops as jack booted thugs", and I appreciate your point about self-protection as a law enforcement officer, but to assume that pepper spray is not potentially devastating to someone's respiratory health because it is not a problem for you is disingenuous, at best.

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  6. Anonymous6:26 AM

    I have been waiting for you to comment on this. Our Mayor released this statement:
    Last night, the police used pepper spray in two separate incidents, and many are now questioning whether the police use of force was appropriate to the circumstances. I have seen video and written descriptions of the incidents.

    To those engaged in peaceful protest, I am sorry that you were pepper sprayed. I spoke to Dorli Rainey (who I know personally) to ask how she was doing, and to ask for her description of events.

    I also called in Seattle Police Chief John Diaz and the command staff to review the actions of last night. They agreed that this was not their preferred outcome. Here are the steps we are taking in response, to achieve a better outcome next time:

    - Reviewing with our officers the deployment of pepper spray last night.

    - Developing a procedure to ensure appropriate commanders are on the ground at these kinds of events.

    - Making sure that we have appropriate levels of police resources at protest events.
    You can find the story here: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/11/16/mayor-apologizes-for-pepper-spraying-of-peaceful-protesters .

    I blogged about this yesterday and spent the whole day being pissed because I truly believe things are being torn down so the cities can get down to the business of taking as much money as they can from struggling consumers. This is the time of year where companies go from red to black with a few good "sales".
    Target is opening Thanksgiving night. Really? Try holding your Black Friday Hard-on a bit longer.

    After searching, I realized there are a lot of other people who feel the same and have decided to Occupy Christmas.

    Dorli is a long time activist, and though I am sure she knows the dangers inherent with protesting (she's been arrested before)it is no excuse for police to blast an 84 year old woman who was protesting peacefully according to her constitutional rights.

    Occupy Christmas @ Facebook has some good ideas on how to shop and celebrate the holiday whilst hurting the big corporations where it hurts.

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  7. Anonymous6:29 AM

    Saw Keith Olberman's fascinating and respectful interview of this terrific lady. We should all be this sharp in our 80's! She's a true inspiration.

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  8. Anonymous6:29 AM

    For the record, a pregnant woman was hit as well as clergy members.
    As of the local news I saw last night, the 2 month pregnant woman was still in the hospital.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous6:33 AM

    http://current.com/shows/countdown/videos/occupy-seattle-octogenarian-activist-dorli-rainey-on-being-pepper-sprayed-by-seattle-police-importance-of-activism
    Keith is on this.

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  10. My point was not that the police WERE jack booted thugs, my point was they are being PERCEIVED as jack booted thugs. Which they are.

    Pepper spraying the elderly and priests, is going to present a public relations nightmare for the police. And ultimately it will only help the OWS movement.

    That was my point.

    BTW I have been pepper sprayed as well, and it does NOT simply burn like too much pepper on your eggs, it can virtually blind you and even incapacitate you. Somebody who is in ill health or elderly could, and have, suffered very severe reactions to being exposed to the spray.

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  11. Anonymous6:40 AM

    Seems like the palinbots are switching over to anti-OWS bots now that Sara is mostly absent. Pepper spray is an accelerant toward real bullets because it is most effective when sprayed at close range. Unless you bombard an area like tear gas it comes from a small can and is sprayed directly in the face so this woman was targeted directly by the cops.

    As for jobs? My twenty year old son finally found a job after two years of searching, it's no as easy as it sounds particularly when you add in the many firms won't hire the unemployed. Get one job and you have a better shot at a second. Getting the first job is the issue and to claim all of the OWS people are lazy is simpleminded. Many of them are retired for example. Many others are new grads for whom there are several hundred resumes for every job, especially the ones for which they were educated.

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  12. Thank you for following the Occupy Movement. I appreciate your updates, but I have to ask.. Is there a book coming out about Babygate? What happened to Fred? I'm starting to lose hope that this will ever come to light.

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  13. So, Jeff Kapell thinks it's appropriate to pepper spray 10 year olds as well as those over 80.

    Because a 10 year old or an 80 year old woman present a threat to a big, young strapping police officer in prime physical condition?

    Fascism. Toldyousotoldyousotoldyouso.

    It's starting.

    Our Constitution has been so undermined by the 1% that we only think we have rights. They have force and as we can see, will suppress any and all resistance.

    Just wait until that Net Neutrality bill comes forward. They'll take away our only means of communication and finding the truth. We'll be left in isolation with nothing but the lies the corporate media feed us.

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  14. Anonymous7:17 AM

    You DO realize the world is significantly less violent in at any moment in history.

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  15. Dorli Rainey is my new hero.

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  16. California Dreamin'7:23 AM

    to anon 6:08

    Here ya go, hon...

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/12/1025555/-Open-Letter-to-that-53-Guy?via=search

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous7:29 AM

    Wow! Someone who can inspire respect from Keith Olbermann to the point where he is not the one talking is indeed a phenomenon. Inspiring!

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  18. Anonymous7:45 AM

    When all is said and done, these protesters (even if they 'win') still have to go out and get jobs. WHAT is stopping them NOW?

    NOTHING. They are lazy. That is clear to all of us who work like hell to keep our (sometimes multiple) jobs.

    I have 3. Some of these people have none.

    Again, LAZINESS.

    6:08 AM
    ----------
    You're a fucking retard. That is all.

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  19. Anonymous7:46 AM

    Cops are cowardly thugs who get off on abusing helpless people. They are psychopaths like Sarah.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous7:47 AM

    tewise has no problem terrorizing 10 year olds or 80 year olds. he's just following orders.

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  21. What a glorious brave woman. The parallels to propagandized Germany have chilled my soul for the past few years and until OWS I feared the fascist right would have their way again. I'm not even certain that the inroads they have made in damaging our economic welfare can ever be reversed. Control over our food supply, our wages, shared natural resources, energy, media, our military, our political system. The damage is so deeply entrenched it will take decades to regroup even with a full-out grass roots rebellion. It's heartbreaking to witness how many Americans have fallen hook, line and sinker for the ultimate con.

    How proud the likes of those like Limbaugh, Beck, Cantor, Palin etc adopting the Judas role must feel, selling out their fellow man and future generations for a few coins and trinkets to feather their furry nests.

    Bless Dorli Rainey, everyone in the Occupy, Gryphen and all those who support and encourage these brave souls.

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  22. Cops in America have always had their share of "jack-booted thugs." Just ask Rodney King. I've known some good cops in my time and my husband and I are even friends with a famed LAPD detective, but the police department was so out of control in Los Angeles, they were investigated by Amnesty International and the United Nations! What I've seen of the cops in Oakland and Seattle should definitely be investigated by world human rights groups. This is America?

    And to the 'Bagger' who called these courageous protesters -- who, by the way, are protesting to help YOU - "lazy," I say crack a book or two about the proud history of Americans exercising their Constitutional rights. Dorli Rainey has been far from "lazy" in her many years as a committed activist. She's my hero. And, when you get to Heaven, will God ask you why you were so "lazy" when it came to standing up to injustice and oppression?

    Thanks for posting this, Gryphen. And thanks for covering OWS! Peace, All.

    OCCUPY!!!

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  23. Anonymous7:58 AM

    Anonymous said...
    When all is said and done, these protesters (even if they 'win') still have to go out and get jobs. WHAT is stopping them NOW?

    NOTHING. They are lazy. That is clear to all of us who work like hell to keep our (sometimes multiple) jobs.

    I have 3. Some of these people have none.

    Again, LAZINESS.

    6:08 AM
    **********************
    If you are not a republican, you sound like one.
    Your comment reads as narrow minded and judgemental.
    Why are you working three jobs???? Why should anyone have to work three jobs????
    I am thankful to the OWS protesters for standing up for, obviously, you.

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  24. sillywhabbit: thanks for doing a good job of covering much of the protest. I noticed that last night The Seattle Times' webpage had nothing. This morning Dorli and mayor McGinn's apology are on the front page. The media did get local attention. I want to give the Seattle police department credit for trying to improve. Recently they voluntarily went through a federal inspection to get ideas/suggestions for improvements. So when the chief says they will look at what happened, I think they will. I admit this sure didn't look good. The Priest got sprayed because he deliberately got between the protesters and the police to give the protesters time to get away.

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  25. Dorli Rainey and the Methodist minister (technically not a "priest") whose statement you linked to are inspiring. Once again, it is a struggle for human rights against those who regard "we, the many" as sheeple, to be milked, sheered, and slaughtered (metaphorically speaking, except for the times the "slaughter" is literal).

    If only someone would write a song about "the times, they are a-changin'" or "we shall overcome" or

    Ye come here, gather ’round the stage
    The time has come for us to voice our rage
    Against the ones who’ve trapped us in a cage
    To steal from us the value of our wage

    From underneath the vestiture of law
    The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw
    At liberty, the bureaucrats guffaw
    And until they are purged, we won’t withdraw

    We’ll occupy the streets
    We’ll occupy the courts
    We’ll occupy the offices of you
    Till you do
    The bidding of the many, not the few


    (Makana, 2011)

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  26. Anonymous8:16 AM

    http://www.opednews.com/populum/page_poll.php?show=votes&pid=583

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous8:28 AM

    @mlaiuppa
    Our Constitution has been so undermined by the 1% that we only think we have rights. They have force and as we can see, will suppress any and all resistance.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    hehehehe
    Did you see the MIC CHECK! pulled on Karl Rove?
    His reaction exemplifies the statement you make.

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  28. Anonymous9:26 AM

    tewise said... 5:24 AM
    *************
    Tewise,
    First off why are the police coming dressed in Swat & riot gear?
    Pepper spray can be highly allergic! Last night a man died in LA,Ca after being spray with pepper spray and then Tasered.
    The pepper spray causes a allergic reaction with anaphalactic shock where the trachea swells,to the point the person can't breath and needs immediate medical attention!
    A few questions?
    1) why are the police acting this way to peaceful protesters? Why not the Tea Party?
    (answer they have guns!)
    2) what will the police depts do when their jobs are outsourced to Wackenhut or Xie? The 99% are fighting for unions and the police rights too.
    3)When did our 1st amendment rights to assemble peaceably disappear?
    And sorry but the police ARE acting like "Jack booted thugs"! Brown Shirts!

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  29. Anonymous9:44 AM

    Anonymous said...

    You DO realize the world is significantly less violent in at any moment in history.

    7:17 AM

    What gibberish is this?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous9:45 AM

    Looks like it's Tewise in the hot seat today. Last week it was Morgan....who will be next...STAY TUNED...

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous9:52 AM

    Anonymous said...
    You DO realize the world is significantly less violent in at any moment in history.

    7:17 AM
    -------
    Look everyone Sarah's back! You sound like a fucking idiot. Thanks for the laughs!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous9:57 AM

    Tewise,

    You should listen to the embedded video before shooting off your stupid mouth. This woman was not threatening anyone, nor was the movement as a whole. There is also video of the event, and even the police have admitted that they need to handle things better.

    Gryphen, thanks for posting both the interview and the link to the pastor's letter describing the event from his point of view. His voice is an important example of true Christianity vs. the Christianism of Palin, et al.

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  33. onething9:59 AM

    I am completely in favor of the occupy movement, and this lady was great, but I read the statement by the priest, and he seems to say, at least from where he was physically located, that the altercation started because a girl dressed in anarchist black poked a black flag at a policeman.

    I don't know if this girl was part of black bloc, but we do have to be very aware of their tactics of destroying protests with inciting violence.

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  34. Anonymous10:03 AM

    @ tewise...with all due respect, i think law enforcement officers are a different sort nowadays. 5 years ago i had to pull over to the side of the road for my daughter to go to the bathroom. an officer pulled over to check and see if everything was okay. a month ago, my car broke down, raining, no cell phone, with my little one. i was passed by 2 cops(1 sheriff, 1 stater). neither stopped to see if i needed assistance. a good samaritan did stop and help me push my vehicle to safety AFTER i was passed by law enforcement. to protect and to serve? i don't think so. i was afraid to file a complaint as cops generally don't like that sort of thing. i'm sure that there are many more readers here who have many more similar stories.

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  35. Anonymous10:11 AM

    tewise - you don't know what happened. And, it wasn't just one undeserving person who was sprayed. The Mayor issued an apology @ 9:40 last night - "Mayor Mike McGinn said he's sorry police pepper-sprayed peaceful Occupy Seattle demonstrators." and that lousy ass PC Diaz won't return phone calls......typical.

    AJ Billings - Ingnorant Sarah made that statement about Sandusky on the GVS show, I believe.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous10:19 AM

    5:24

    Maybe we can find you a video of this tiny sweet grandmother being pepper sprayed for your enjoyment.
    You miss the point.your "continuum" is being abused.It is wrong to for a 'peace officer" to use any type of violence at all against a citizen unless the officer is in danger.That means they may have to get their feelings hurt,or endure long hours on the job facing unruly crowds ,without over reacting and hurting the citizens.Its their job.They chose it.The citizens pay their salaries.They work for the citizens.
    Tell me how afraid you would be of this tiny little lady.Tell me how much she could hurt you ,maybe she could scold you to death.Tell me why domestic violence is 4 times more likely to happen in the family of a policeman.Thats a 400 percent increase over the general population.Maybe violent people seek out jobs that let them be violent. Assuming all 90 pound when soaking wet little old sweet ladies are actually violent criminals just waiting to do you harm is pretty narrow minded.If you are so afraid little old ladies,maybe you should not have been a peace officer.You know what?I am an old lady too.You should be ashamed.If you cannot see that the officers involved over reacted to the situation,your judgement is suspect.Is this what you would have done?

    mommom

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  37. FEDUP!!!10:23 AM

    Elizabeth @ 7:59 said: "I noticed that last night The Seattle Times' webpage had nothing. This morning Dorli and mayor McGinn's apology are on the front page. The media did get local attention. I want to give the Seattle police department credit for trying to improve. Recently they voluntarily went through a federal inspection to get ideas/suggestions for improvements. So when the chief says they will look at what happened, I think they will."

    Yes, yesterday, there was NO mention at all on seattletimes.com about this incident. Today, they have the apology from the mayor.
    What *I* am peeved about is that this is NOT THE FIRST TIME for the Seattle PD to react the way they did. There are numerous incidents during the last few years when they went overboard with their responses - both to groups as well as to individuals (like that Native wood carver that got killed because he was holding his carvers knife in his hands...), and each time, the SPD 'promise to investigate' and 'to re-educate' and 'change their ways'.
    You believe the boy who calls wolf the first time. When he does it again, you believe him less. If he keeps on doing the same, you simply do NOT believe him anymore. I am at that point with the SPD - they always come out with a 'mea culpa', and 'sorry', but they always go right back to their same old ways!

    Hopefully, THIS time, the world will have taken notice, and their department will be FULLY INVESTIGATED, and the bad apples will be weeded out (yeah, right - like *I* believe that...).

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  38. Anonymous10:33 AM

    What, exactly, makes a bunch of police officers, corralling public citizens in peaceful protest, then dousing them with pepper spray cannons, not equate them to thugs?

    And "Fuck You very much" to the 53 percenters calling the OWS folks "jobless" and "lazy". They're not. They're fighting for Your rights to income equity as well as theirs. My son is a full time college student, who works two part time jobs, along with doing freelance photography word. He bathes regularly, can communicate effectively with everyone, and still finds time to join the OWS people in protesting in our town.

    Pepper Spray IS dangerous, and sometimes fatal. If directly inhaled, it temporarily parylizes the cillia in the lungs, which allow the oxygen exchange to happen by increasing the surface area while allowing phlem to be coughed up. It's like smothering for fifteen minutes to a half hour. Clearing the eyes and throat with water is the lest effective means of neutralizing it, it actually spreads the oils, causing further irritation and torture.
    Why does one person need to work seventy to ninety hours a week to barely earn a living wage? Why is it neccessary for college students to start their productive lives deep in the hole, saddles with debt that keeps the dream of owning a home out of their reach?

    These two people, the deacon and the octogenarian, have galvanized the commitment, and given a black eye to the thug cops who assulted them. Not painting all cops with the same broad brush until and when people stop painting OWS protesters the same way.

    The movement is galvanized and will work harder for all of us.

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  39. Anonymous10:37 AM

    5:24 - Do you not know that some people are allergic to pepper? My husband's body swells up dramatically and he cannot walk or use his hands if he ingests anything with pepper. Our daughter's skin blisters with any cream that has capsicum in it. It takes a long time for her skin to return to normal.

    To say that pepper spray won't harm people is just asinine, narrow-minded and ignorant. Please do more research.

    It's also widely said by police interests that using a tazer is harmless as well. It isn't. People have died.

    There was no reason to use force to disperse those people. They were not harming anyone or any property.

    They have a constitutional right to assembly and to protest government policies.

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  40. Anonymous10:41 AM

    We would do well to remember the Koch family had Nazi ties back in the day.

    That they now back the causes they do should tell us a lot about what is happening. Just saying it is not an accident.

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  41. Anonymous11:56 AM

    10:23 AM
    All valid points. I still seethe over the woodcarver.
    My HOPE, is that Mayor McGinn is sincere, since he personally knows Darli.

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  42. Anonymous4:01 PM

    I'm just wondering who will be picking up the hospital bill for the pregnant woman and anyone else hospitalized due to the pepper spray event and the jackboot thuggery of Seattle's finest ??

    The city of Seattle should be on the hook for all medical bills.

    JerryH
    Alaska

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  43. Anonymous4:28 PM

    6:08....if you bothered listening to the objectives of OWS you would realize that if they accomplish what they would like, you wouldn't have to work 3 jobs anymore. They are not your enemies..you are exactly why they are protesting.

    Sorry that you are not able to see the reason in that.

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  44. Thank you again. I think you are right on all the important stories....many that I somehow miss lately.

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  45. Anonymous7:14 PM

    What an absolutely fascinating and extraordinary woman !! quite a role model.

    Dog Bless Dorli !

    (thanks, Gryph)

    SunnyVee

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  46. We really need to wake up as a human race. The zeitgeist movement has a great concept. It is for the betterment of humanity as a whole. Please watch moving forward from the movement. It is what needs to happen. There are to many children dying every day of starvation. Somehow, we do not discus this issue. It is the most important issue that could be discused. If you were the child, on the ground with no one around but buzzards, you would feel the same way.

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