Green mob riots in Copenhagen

BBC News reports:

Police have fired tear gas as hundreds of protesters tried to break through a perimeter fence at the UN climate summit venue in Copenhagen.
The Bella Centre, where the conference is taking place, has now been shut off, says the BBC's Sarah Mukherjee.
Activists have been angered by lack of progress on a new climate deal and also by restrictions on access to the talks.
The protesters had marched to the summit across Copenhagen and police said they had detained about 100. . . .

The Guardian reports even more arrests:

Around 150 people have been arrested this morning at various points around Copenhagen, where world leaders and officials are meeting for UN climate talks.
The news came as thousands of protesters set out in Copenhagen this morning in a bid to take over the conference centre where the talks are taking place. The organisers of the mass "Reclaim Power" march, the Climate Justice Action and Climate Justice Now! (CJN) networks of campaigners, said they hope to enter the Bella Centre today, where NGOs and activist groups were struggling to gain entry this morning, to hold a "people's assembly" in protest at the direction the talks are taking.

Compare these left-wing Green protesters -- aiming to "take over the conference centre" -- to the peaceful citizens (including Smitty) who attended yesterday's Code Red Rally in DC.

UPDATE: When in doubt, blame the Pope!

Code Red healthcare protest summary

by Smitty

Today's Code Red protest was a small vacation-time investment that was well worth it. Nothing like gathering next to the Capitol with a couple thousand actual Americans and yelling "Kill the Bill" a few times over, of a lovely Fall/Winter afternoon, to re-invigorate the body.

When you consider the mindless, zombie-like advance of Progressivism, you have to realize that all of the time for being a typical American goof-off has been expended. The Tommy Boy narrative has run its course over the last century. The subtle, gradual collapse of the Constitutional separation of powers, fed by a deferential SCOTUS and an Imperial Fed means that the US has neither engaged in formally declared war, nor walked back dime #1 of the national debt since the Truman Administration. Get the falafel out of here, say I.

Thus, it is both tactically crucial to keep up the pressure on Congress, but also to drive towards a restoration of meaningful value in our three-tier, three-branch system of government.

Laura Ingraham and then Representative Bachmann, and Senator Coburn, were spot on today:

Rush Limbaugh expands on the disgruntlement with Senator Lieberman. Summary: the Medicare approach is a bait-and-switch. (h/t Rhetorican)

Now, I also think that this Medicare expansion was a ruse from the start. In negotiations, if you've ever been in any involving, say, your compensation or representing a company or something, you always, in preparing for negotiations, you put in what are called throwaways, things that you demand be included in the deal that you secretly will throw away or give away in order to get a final deal, and both sides do this. Except our side. We don't do anything but accept the premise and needle with it around the margins. And I think that this Medicare expansion was a throwaway from the get-go. I don't think they were ever serious about this, and I'll tell you why. Simple logic. There's no way in a bill that cuts Medicare $500 billion you can expand it to cover people down to 55 years of age. The two just don't go together. So what they do, they raise the Medicare expansion as an issue at the last minute when Dingy Harry is having problems, and then they kill it a few days later on the desires of Lieberman.

This gives them cover to get Lieberman on their side, and then others say it's now okay to vote for this, since they got rid of the Medicare expansion. As I say I think it was a ruse from day one, it was a strategy. You put out a false option, you have a Senator object to it, a Senator who is thought to be a moderate -- Lieberman -- with an independent party label instead of Democrat, and he says, "I can't vote for this. Why, there's no way I'm going to vote for that. I'm not going to vote for this with the public option in it, either." So you give in, you give in to Lieberman, you give in to the so-called moderates, you claim there's no Medicare expansion and no public option and you get your 60 votes, and you look like you're compromising, when you're not compromising at all because you never intended the Medicare expansion to be real in the first place. It was just designed to get Lieberman in there and it looks like it works.

Pictures follow, but the last one is the favorite:

This administration has given us so much to puke about. One cannot blame protestors for straying off topic:

The best was afterwards, though. On the steps in front of the Russel building, where many a Senator lurks, stood Death with the Obama/Pelosi/Reid try-dumb-virate. Nancy has a clutch of little embryos in her hand. Death was going on about how easy the was to subvert US leadership. The effect was shocking and revolting, but in a Halloween sort of way. It was provocative without straying too far into theological territory. A woman went up to Death, as he delivered his carnival dialog, and told him she found it offensive. He responded rather graciously that shocking imagery had a long tradition, going back to the Suffragette movement. The bad thing about this is the precedent. As with the Federal government itself, each little brick takes the political dialog further along. Even though I thought these four showed a modicum of restraint, less is more.

May the Almighty bless these United States. May the current passion find tangible expression, leading to the reforms we know we need, yet dread.

Update: Linked at American Power
also,
Tabitha Hale at Right Wing News attended.

Update II: Insta-lanch!

Update III: a few more pics at Left Coast Rebel.

SEIU boss in a Mercedes-Benz

Christmas Ghost has the story and photos of the Benz-driving union goon who was organizing "grassroots" support for ObamaCare at a recent protest event.

Nothing says blue-collar authenticity like a Benz.

Alabama (Sweet) Tea Party April 15

Michelle Malkin has a Tax Day Tea Party update with news of the protests planned nationwide April 15, when I will be in Alabama for the big Birmingham/Shelby County event:

Veterans’ Park

4700 Valleydale Road, Hoover, AL

Wednesday, April 15
5-7:30 PM

You can download a PDF flier here. Among those featured will be Birmingham talk-radio stars Matt Murphy of WAPI (1070 AM), Steve and Leah of WERC (960 AM) and Lee Davis of WXJC (850 AM/92.5 FM) who will be broadcasting live from the event. Also featured will be Tim James, a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2010.

I'm looking forward to getting down to my old stomping grounds again. Although I grew up in Atlanta, my family's from Alabama and I graduated from Jacksonville (Ala.) State University, so I've got lots of friends and family I hope to see during my trip.

Other Alabama Tea Party events are scheduled in Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Trussville, Tuscaloosa and Auburn. By the way, here's a T-shirt I designed for the occasion, incorporating the state flag. Click on the image to buy one:

My wife's suspicious I'm going down to Alabama to look up some of my old girlfriends, but I told her not to worry about that -- it's the new girlfriends she's got to be worried about. (LOL. Just a joke, honey. Put down that butcher knife.) Now, cue the theme song:

PREVIOUSLY:

• 3/29: Speedo Tea Parties? (A15 Minus 16)
• 3;26: Ruh-roh: Bond market going wobbly?
• 3/25: Naked Tea Party??
• 3/6: Alabama Tea Party plans
• 3/6: Karl Rove: 'It Won't Work'
• 3/4: 'Going John Galt'
• 2/28: Tea Parties, Defeatism and Wolverines

P.S.: Be sure to check out MELTDOWN, Professor Thomas Wood's new bestseller about the financial crash and why Obamanomics won't work.

Alabama Tea Party plans

As some of you may have noticed in the sidebar, plans are being sketched in for the Alabama Tea Party, part of the big April 15 nationwide event. This is my trip to Alabama I first mentioned a few days ago, and for which I'm now trying to raise money. (Thanks to everyone who's hit the tip jar so far.)

In telephone discussions with one of the organizers, I get the idea that a whole series of events is planned April 15-19. Huntsville, Birmingham and Montgomery have been mentioned. Also, there is an event in Atlanta that I'll be attending during that week. So get in touch and mark your calenders. And if you don't want to hit the tip jar (although you should), you can at least buy a T-shirt with this design:

The slogan on the design (incorporating the Alabama state flag) is something I've been saying about Ordinary Americans, that what America needs most now is the common sense of common people. Click on the logo to purchase the shirts. Proceeds from sales go to help your favorite greedy capitalist blogger. WOLVERINES!

Tea time for taxes

Instapundit has a massive roundup of photos and news from the Tea Party rallies nationwide, and Michelle Malkin has another. Dave Weigel was at the protest in front of the White House and his report has this photo of "Megaphone Michelle" giving 'em . . . encouragement!

UPDATE: Rick Moran is not running for Mr. Popularity in the right-wing blogosphere, deriding and mocking the protests:

When you get some money, organization, professionalism, and a little more realism, come back and see me.

Rick points out that, with more than 8,000 conservatives at CPAC, only about 300 turned out for the White House event. But this says nothing about the merits of the Tea Party movement, as such, nor does it mean that CPAC attendees were not interested in the movement. To the second point: People come to CPAC for the speeches and other events; they pay money for that experience; they're not going to skip a Newt Gingrich speech or book signing to attend something else.

Rick doesn't seem to believe that opposition to Obamanomics could ever become a decisive groundswell. And he is entitled to that opinion. But to say that such opposition is not now a groundswell does not mean it will never become one.

As for Rick's snark about the lack of "money, organization, professionalism" behind the Tea Party protests -- huh? Why wait until professional organizers get interested? I remember when the DC Chapter of Free Republican organized the "Get Out of Cheney's House" protests at the Naval Observatory in 2000. They didn't get 300 people. They had no money nor any "professionalism." But we know that those protests had an impact.

In general, conservatives don't do the "protest" thing. (We've got jobs.) So if the protesters at the White House numbered only 300, that's significant of a much larger discontent.

The anti-Obama backlash?

Michelle Malkin documents the grassroots anti-"stimulus" sentiment, which I don't think is the same as an anti-Obama sentiment. It's just bad economics.

Three words: It won't work.

Riot in Oakland

(BUMPED - UPDATES BELOW)
When in doubt, burn some cars:

Protesters angry over a deadly New Year’s Day shooting of a young black man by a transit police officer erupted into violence in downtown Oakland on Wednesday night while investigators struggled to determine what prompted the officer to fire his gun into the unarmed man’s back.
After an afternoon of peaceful demonstrations and a memorial service, protests turned chaotic after dark as a small clutch of protesters set trash cans and cars afire and busted windows on police cruisers and storefronts. Police in riot gear responded with tear gas and billy clubs and at least 14 arrests were made, according to local television reports.

Exactly what political message is sent by smashing storefront windows? What does that have to do with the transit police? And, while we're at it, is it the policy of the transit police to gun down innocent civilians? Or do the rioters suppose that this shooting would be swept under the rug unless they smashed windows and burned cars?

BTW, why do they call them "protesters"? I've seen lots of protesters -- they march around carrying signs and shouting slogans. People who smash windows are vandals, not protesters. There is a difference.

UPDATE: If you think smashing storefront windows is an ineffective response to police brutality, you are a "terrible person" -- like me! But what is the point of victimizing shop owners who surely disapproved of the shooting of Oscar Grant?

The mob smashed the windows at Creative African Braids on 14th Street, and a woman walked out of the shop holding a baby in her arms.
"This is our business," shouted Leemu Topka, the black owner of the salon she started four years ago. "This is our shop. This is what you call a protest?"

Leemu Topka, "terrible person." (H/T: Reason.)

UPDATE II: This business of making excuses for vandalism -- and denouncing me and Leemu Topka for our objections -- would inspire me to a full-on rant, if I weren't busy doing something else. Excuse me if I'm having a hard time imagining that, were it not for the mindless violence of the vandals, the shooting of Oscar Grant would be excused by Mayor Ron Dellums. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Apologists for "the riot ideology" ought to read The Future Once Happened Here by that terrible person, Fred Siegel.

UPDATE III: San Jose Mercury News:

As family and friends of Oscar Grant III pleaded for peace Thursday afternoon, broken glass was being cleaned up from the previous night's disturbances in downtown Oakland, burned cars were towed away, and some business owners — fearing a repeat of the violence — made plans for nightfall, closing early and sending employees home.
"I am begging the citizens to not use violent tactics anymore," said Grant's mother, an emotional Wanda Johnson, who appeared with about 30 of Grant's relatives and friends at a news conference called by attorney John Burris at his East Oakland office building. . . .
Police estimate at least $150,000 in damage resulted from the scattered violence that broke out late Wednesday night after an originally peaceful protest about Grant's killing moved from the Fruitvale BART station to the downtown area. Splinter groups — many not related to the original protest — fanned out, breaking store windows, setting fire to at least five cars including an Oakland police patrol car and smashing windshields of parked cars.

It is being reported (see the SF Chronicle story linked earlier) that the vandalism was instigated by people affiliated with the Revolutionary Communist Party. Which would not be remotely surprising, if you know anything about Bob Avakian and the RCP, considered vile scum even by their fellow Commies.

There are at least two amateur videos that captured the shooting of Grant. The videos are low-quality, but it appears that, immediately after Grant had been subdued and handcuffed, the offending officer stood up, unholstered his pistol and shot the kid. Utterly senseless, and some commenters at Reason have suggested perhaps the officer intended to pull his Taser and instead pulled his pistol. Which would be stupid beyond imagination, but what else can be expected in an attempt to explain the inexplicable? At any rate, here's the video:

UPDATE IV: Tom Blumer at Newsbusters makes a find: CBS5 reporter Jose Vazquez describes the "professional protesters" who incited the violence:

They wouldn't identify themselves, but those instigators wore bandanas on their faces and seemed more intent on provoking confrontations and throwing stuff at police than truly having their voices heard.

Yeah, this sounds a lot like RCP.

'Destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure'

Israel launches its ground war in Gaza:

"The objective is to destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure in the area of operations," said Israel Defense Forces Major Avital Leibovitch, a military spokeswoman, confirming that incursions were under way. "We are going to take some of the launch areas used by Hamas." . . .
Large numbers of forces are taking part in this stage of the operation including infantry, tanks, engineering forces, artillery and intelligence with the support of the Israel Air Force, Israel navy, the Shin Bet security service and other security agencies. Meanwhile, the cabinet has authorized an emergency call up of tens of thousands of IDF reservists.

Meanwhile (via Ace), in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., hundreds of pro-Hamas protesters show their humanitarian civility:

UPDATE: Little Miss Attila is not amused.

UPDATE II: Meanwhile, via Zombie, a little bit of Gaza comes to San Francisco:

Worth a thousand words

Beyond the comic orthography of hate, we have reached a seminal moment in the development of the blogosphere, I would suggest, when Marty Peretz of the New Republic links Pam Geller of Atlas Shrugs. Apparently, however, this photo of a protest on New York's Fifth Avenue derives from another blog, The Silent Majority, which has a whole album of photos, plus videos including this one:

(Cross-posted at AmSpecBlog.)

UPDATE: Ace of Spades:

But it's worth the speculation just to note that in addition to dancing, homosexuality, rock music and the clitoris, the would-be global caliphate has also declared war on juice.
Not that it affects me. Atkins and all. But I don't want to live in a world where I can't drink a nice cool glass of Cran-Grape.

Madcap hijinks ensue.

The gay 'enemies list'

The lavender menace continues:

A National Protest Against Prop 8 organized by JoinTheImpact.com is scheduled for this Saturday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opponents say donated more than $20 million to the Yes on 8 campaign, has already become a focus of protests, with demonstrators gathered around Mormon temples not only in California but across the country. . . .
African-Americans, 70% of whom voted yes on Proposition 8, according to a CNN exit poll, have become a target. According to eyewitness reports published on the Internet, racial epithets have been used against African-Americans at protests in California, directed even at blacks who are fighting to repeal Proposition 8. . . .
On AntiGayBlacklist.com, individuals who gave money toward Proposition 8 are publicized, with readers urged not to patronize their businesses or services. The list of donors was culled from data on ElectionTrack.com, which follows all contributions of over $1,000 and all contributions of over $100 given before October 17. Dentists, accountants, veterinarians and the like who gave a few thousand dollars to the cause are listed alongside major donors like the Container Supply Co., Inc. of Garden Grove, Calif., which gave $250,000. "Anyone who steps into a political fight aimed at taking away fundamental rights from fellow citizens opens themselves up to criticism," said [gay radical terrorist leader Evan] Wolfson.

Brownshirt tactics and economic terrorism in the name of "tolerance"? Evan Wolfson is nothing but a latter-day Ernst Rohm. If this is what they're like when they lose, what will they be like if they win?

'End the Fed' protest scheduled

Critics of the Federal Reserve Bank are going to be holding demonstrations nationwide Nov. 22. If you want to get rid of some of that worthless fiat money, I'll take it. Because I'm patriotic like that.

'FREE THE TAPE!'

Amazing protest today at Los Angeles Times, urging them to release the video showing Barack Obama toasting Jew-hating PLO operative Rashid Khalidi:

(Via Michelle Malkin.) Lots of photos of the protest at Mere Rhetoric.

Peace freaks vs. Palin motorcade

KCCO captured video of Obots attempting to block Sara Palin's motorcade in Grand Junction, Colo. CNN reports:

Eight to 10 protesters broke away from a larger group of demonstrators and darted into the street in front of Palin's car just after the first police motorcycles in her motorcade had passed, said Acting Chief Troy Smith of the Grand Junction Police Department.
Wearing bandanas and with faces covered, they blocked the path and held up a large banner. Officers in the motorcade stopped their motorcycles, and grabbed protesters, dragging several out of the path of the oncoming motorcade.
At least two demonstrators were tackled and forced to the ground before being pulled away. One officer fell backwards into the path of an approaching vehicle but he was able to get out of the way in time. . . .
Smith said officers saved the protesters from injury because "the motorcade likely would not have stopped" for them. He said "we don't know what their intentions were" in trying to block Palin's motorcade. . . .
The protesters were members of a group called "Red Pill," Smith said. A Web site that carried an announcement of the group's planned protest urged supporters to show Palin "that we as a community say no to war, no to corporate cronyism, and no to four more years of Bush-style leadership." Itencouraged people to bring "drums, noise makers, and your strength."

There is an ossified belief in the minds of certain people: When the U.S. is in a war, all enlightened people must protest. But "civil disobedience" -- i.e., criminal behavior to make a political spectacle -- is not First Amendment-protected free speech. Liberals are having paroxyms of indignation about morons at Republican rallies saying stupid things, but those GOP morons aren't throwing themselves in front of motorcades, are they?

UPDATE: Video via Hot Air:

Grow the hell up!

What's with this puerile protest crap?

Karl Rove, the former Deputy Chief of Staff and senior advisor to President George W. Bush, discussed presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama and gave his take on the legacy of the current president [in Claremont, Calif.].
But hundreds of protesters greeted Rove before, during and after his speech.
When Rove tried to leave the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, at least two people and possibly a third claimed they were pepper sprayed while campus officials said they were not.
A bomb threat was also determined to be unfounded, campus officials added.
Rove's speech took place from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday inside the Claremont McKenna College Athenaeum at 385 8th St.

This was approximately the same situation Rove faced at George Washington University in March. Bill Clinton's chief strategist, James Carville, can go give a speech anywhere in America without requiring additional security. Republicans hate Carville, but they've got better things to do than to engage in childish protest stunts.

The Left has it in their heads that the '60s never ended, and that their Complete Moral Authority justifies any idiotic protest they care to organize. I saw this idiocy at the DNC in Denver and was just amazed. The logic -- if it can be called "logic" -- seems to be: "There's a Republican in the White House and a war on . . . Kent State! Kent State!"

It's childish and self-defeating. It doesn't change minds. Your third-rate imitations of hippie rituals from 40 years ago don't impress anyone, and don't win you new allies. It attracts to your cause dimwits and the deranged -- who else would want to participate in such embarrassing theatrics?

Ditto for trying to shout down David Freddoso and anyone else who dares to disagree with your pet narratives. Ditto for "Kill Michelle Malkin." Rational people don't want to associate themselves with paranoid anarchist lunatics. If your goal is to elect more Republicans, just keep it up, freaks.

UPDATE: Linked by the Claremont Conservative, which has a report on the protests. The student who wrote the report is named Charles Johnson. Dude, what an awesome name for a blogger!

Ill manners

This is just rude:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain cut short his first public appearance without running-mate Sarah Palin after chanting supporters of Democratic rival Barack Obama interrupted his speech.
After lunching with a roundtable of women at Philadelphia's Down Home Diner, McCain shook hands with supporters and strode up to a podium to deliver a statement. But as he spoke, chants of "Obama, Obama, Obama” filled the room.

When have Republicans ever done this?

Video: Media swarms anti-war vets

Not a riot, but there was a serious risk of being blinded by all the camera flashes.

Posing for their media moment.

Video: Anti-war march in Denver

They mustered about 4,000 marchers -- 8% of the promised 50,000.

Radical obscenity.

Notice the astonishing whiteness of the marchers with the "no more racism" sign. The only person of color in the photo is a press photographer (left).

Dang: I missed the riot

VodkaPundit, Charlie Martin and I had been enjoying refreshments Monday afternoon on the patio outside the Capitol Bar at the Sheraton on 16th Street. I'd already filed for PJM, and Vodka and Charlie had covered some excitement at the Denver Mint. We'd had a long day, and I was eager to get somewhere to plug in the laptop and watch the primetime convention proceedings on TV. So we headed back to PJM HQ in a high-rise condo a few blocks away.

Bad decision. We were leaving the scene of what, in a little more than an hour, would be the scene of a semi-riot -- the closest thing to Chicago that "Recreate '68" has so far produced. Zombie filed an on-the-scene report.

But as we left the Sheraton, all was still calm. We noticed large groups of police in riot gear on street corners as we walked down 16th Street, but thought this was just a precaution. Apparently, the DPD had intelligence that trouble was brewing. There was some sort of protest at City Center, and it seems that some of those protesters had the idea to march on 16th Street. Police were not going to let that happen.

When we got to PJM HQ, I was surprised to find Michelle Malkin herself blogging there. Founding Bloggers videographer Andrew Marcus and his crew were editing footage from the day's excitement, when Truthers had swarmed Malkin.

After about an hour, my cell phone rang. It was Evie Brown, who had been visiting friends in Denver (not for the DNC) and was at the Capitol Bar when we were there. Gregarious as always, I'd given Ms. Brown my business card, and now she was calling with an urgent message: "They're rioting! The Sheraton is on lockdown!"

I was tired, and didn't feel like walking back for what might prove to be a false alarm. But Jim Hoft and Charlie Martin decided to take a video camera and go check it out.

No false alarm: Police had cordoned off a street and surrounded protesters who were trying to reach 16th Street. And the center of the action was right at the Sheraton. If we hadn't left the Capitol Bar, we'd have been right in the middle of it. Grrrrr.

Ah, well. Bad luck or bad choices. Either way, there's action all over town, and you can't be everywhere. I'm blogging this basically to give you an idea of how difficult it is for one person to cover the entire convention scene, and why collaborative reporting via the blogosphere provides the best panoptic approach to the experience. Just hanging out at the Capitol Bar, however, I made contact with a source who later tipped us to the action, and that Jim and Charlie were able to capitalize on that tip to provide coverage. Teamwork.

As Vodka says, exhaustion is setting in, and it would be nice to have more sleep. But the excitement overcomes the exhaustion, so I have to force myself to shut it down.

Tuesday: The Women's Caucus. Imagine me in a roomful of liberal women, some of them possibly heterosexual. Frightening. Oh ... yeah, met an ex-Edwards delegate. Heh.

Truthers threaten Malkin

VodkaPundit and Charlie Martin of PJM just returned from the Denver Mint where they were covering a protest. Michelle Malkin was there, and was "verbally assaulted" and "physically threatened" by a group of 9-11 Truthers led by Alex Jones. Charlie intervened to protect Malkin during the confrontation.

PJM cameraman Andrew Marcus was on the scene and captured "explosive" video. Will update when video is online.

UPDATE: More at AmSpecBlog and Founding Bloggers, video at The People's Press Collective.