This will be the Operation American Spring thread for the event scheduled to start May 16. I was looking at one of the official web pages for OAS and couldn’t find where folks are supposed to meet. Perhaps they figure that there would be so many people there, that finding each other wouldn’t be a problem:
One million or more of the assembled 10 million must be prepared to stay in D.C. as long as it takes to see Obama, Biden, Reid, McConnell, Boehner, Pelosi, and Attorney General Holder removed from office.
I wouldn’t be so sure about those numbers. The OAS site further says:
A duck cannot be turned into a fox; an elephant cannot be turned into a flea; the laws of nature will not permit.
Nor can a bunch of keyboard warriors be turned into the largest crowd ever to assemble in Washington, DC.
Web cams in Washington DC:
- District of Columbia Traffic Cams
- National Mall and Memorial Parks
- Smithsonian Panorama Cam
- Washington Monument Cam
OAS Web Sites:
- Official Operation American Spring web site
- Patriots for America
- Follow Colonel Harry on Twitter
- OAS YouTube channel
- Official OAS Facebook page
- OAS 2014
Reader Poll:
What is the biggest birther story of 2016?
- Former birther Donald Trump elected president (48%, 46 Votes)
- Donald Trump states categorically that Barack Obama was born in the US (19%, 18 Votes)
- Birther Sheriff Joe Arpaio defeated in re-election bid (17%, 16 Votes)
- Zullo announces final news conference and proof that Obama's birth certificate is a forgery (17%, 16 Votes)
Total Voters: 96
Loading ...Looks like it might rain.
Update:
I have deleted the links to the Washington Monument webcam pointing to the National Mall. It appears not to be changing, but displaying an archived image. If anyone knows of a good webcam to use, please leave a comment. I included a link to traffic cams in DC.
You mean it won’t be like my teen years? Meet by the fountain at the mall at 4?
I was wondering the same thing, and a couple days ago I poked around OAS websites and found a few places where they mentioned “rally points.” There are some maps. The website requires you to register before you can look at these maps, and I couldn’t be bothered. I suppose anyone could, I don’t think they’re vetting who registers.
Anyhow, I think this indicates they understand the need to have meetup locations. But I don’t think they understand that they need to have one meetup location, because they won’t have enough people to population more than one.
We might be looking at the Platonic Ideal of Birfer Rallies… one where even the organizers fail to show up.
I would guess that the real purpose of this (non)event is for some
organizergrifter to accept donations.This is really not a birther rally — I’ve looked over the insane crap on their website, and apparently birther stuff is too insane even for them, because it’s not there.
The “organizer” of Operation American Spring is 76 year old Harry Riley. Riley retired from the United States Army in 1989 as a colonel having served in the Military Intelligence Corps. It appears that his highest command post was commander of the 712th Military Intelligence Battalion. This battalion was at Augsburg, Germany, where it intercepted and analysed Soviet military communications. Otherwise, Riley was a staff officer or worked for the National Security Agency. See:
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/a-constitutional-patriot-launches-operation-american-spring
My point is that Riley has no training or experience in organizing, assembling or moving large groups of men. “Let’s go hang out at the Mall,” sounds less like a rallying cry than an invitation from a pre-teen. Unfortunately for the intelligent and competent members of MI, Riley gives credence to the observation that military intelligence is an oxymoron.
I get what you’re saying, but that’s like saying they’re not motivated by racism because they don’t use racial epithets on their website.
They’re not selling it as a Birfer conclave only because Birferism doesn’t sell, but it’s the same people with the same grievances, seeking the same outcome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY_bhVSGKEg
Given the rather vile nature of what so many birthers routinely say, my guess would be that, if they get separated, they meet in divorce court.
10 million what …. lice?
Apparently if you get lost any place in Moscow, you meet at the fountain in GUM.
Smirk4Food: You mean it won’t be like my teen years? Meet by the fountain at the mall at 4?
Many years ago I made a rendezvous – in Germany – for a certain day about 6 weeks later – “at noon at the post-office in Rena (Norway)”. It worked !
Yes, but of course they are hoping that some lone wolf will get inspired enough to find the balls to physically remove Obama from the White House while this event happens as well.
Thanks for the webcams. This will be awesome watching NOTHING happen in real time. 😛
It seems a good rule of thumb is striking “million” from their claims to get closer to reality. 😉
But we’ll certainly see some fake photos (from earlier DC events) to “prove” they got their zillions and really scared the shoot out of Obama so that he now plans to leave office in January 2017 (instead of declaring Marshall Law and General Failure and staying until the end of his reptilian life in 400 years from now, so VICTORY).
Shucks. I’m traveling on the 16th, so I guess I’ll miss the gazillion campers on the mall. 🙁 Maybe they will stick around for a day or two so I can watch them on the webcams?
There is a good answer to that question:
return to the place where you have seen the other person last and stay there. If the other does the same, you will be reunited ….
via oas site:
I can already hear the excuses, for the underwhelming turnout.
It rained at Lymanfest last year.
I have added a weather forecast and a reader poll to the article. I have also made the article “sticky” so it always appears at the top of the page.
I read through some of their forums. What a bunch of rubes. They announce their plans on how to deal with “plants”…but do so in a publicly readable forum.
They might as well have a bull horn, and scream “Okay! This is our super secret plan! Don’t tell anyone!!!”
The poll isn’t fair. Are we counting the number of sock puppets to get to 100? Do we also include in the drones as people?
I suspect there’s going to be violence that breaks out as they turn on each other calling each other plants.
I am so looking forward to this week’s Parade of Birfer Fail. I expect hilarious developments each of the next seven days. The civil war brewing at BR is particularly amusing.
Please proceed, Birfers.
Your poll is way too optimistic. I would like to vote “less than 50”. I actually suspect it will be less than 25, but I believe in lifting the odds in my favor as much as possible.
There is some major weirdness going on there! First, “Falcon” and his cohorts are piling on a poster named “furtive.” Then, Nancy Owens is back. She’s posted on YouTube a phone conversation she had with Mike Volin, in which Volin appears to say that Mike Zullo is actually Mike Moore. Over the past year, the name of “Mike Moore” has appeared in Nancy’s posts. Apparently, he was a police investigator in Clewiston, Florida a few decades ago, and Nancy somehow believes that he’s masquerading–apparently with the help of some age reversing drug–as Mike Zullo. In a show of just how crazy she’s become, furtive appears to be on Nancy’s side on this one. This has generated considerable backbiting. Oh, how I enjoy observing birthers eating their own.
That means that they need at least 400,000 groups to hit the magic number of 10 million.
via birther report: karin currie haz a worry …
I had to vote for 100 because there was no option for crowds numbering in the dozen.
Too pessimistic. They got 100 in November. In May, when small-government conservatives don’t have to worry about their Medicare-purchased Hoverounds getting stuck in the snow or having their batteries freeze, they’ll get closer to 300-500.
I just wish Doc hadn’t instituted his privacy policy: I want the names of the people who voted for “10,000,000”, ‘cuz I have some beachfront property in Casa Grande to sell.
If it were a pure birther event, I would agree. It being a general nut event, I suppose it will get slightly more (remember even the KKKlayman November rally – which also wasn’t a birther rally – had about 100 people) from the generic Tea Party crowd.
i forsee an even bigger problem for them.
they are saying that those who attend bearing badly spelled/racist signs will be obots sent for the purposes of making the birfoons look bad (as if it were possible to make them look worse), and that they should be disregarded.
considering how many attend with that type of sign, if we disregard that as well then the attendance will be even less.
i can feel the needle on my smirk-o-meter rising already
😀
I am still of the opinion that 0, 10, 12, and 25 need to be included in the poll. I’m just not as optimistic as some here. I think the smaller than 25 groups comment from their own house is indicative and foreshadowing of events, or more to the point, not to come. I think as the magic date arrives the excuses will begin to flurry and there will be more of them than there will attendees. From what I’ve seen so far, this is a bunch of old jammers and wannabes who are all talk.
I seriously doubt if most of them can afford bus fare from where ever they are living to the local laundromat, let alone real travel expenses to DC and the expense of staying there any length of time or eating there. There is nothing I’ve seen that makes me believe that this crowd is capable of anything more than whining and yammering, of which they seem to do a great deal. There certainly is/has been no real planning of coordination involved at any level, and I am a firm believer of as it is at the top so it is at the bottom.
I particularly like the bit about the “badly spelled/racist signs”, when that is more of a hallmark of this crowd from what I’ve seen, at least the bad spelling and grammar certainly has been.
They always want others to go first, or go instead.
Just looking at the endless repetitions of “this time is the last chance to resolve this peacefully (really the last time this time, not like the 99 other times I said it before)”. Or how those who regurgitate the “water the tree of liberty” line never volunteer to be in the front line when the watering is about to begin.
It’s like there are 1,000 of them and each is hoping the other 999 will go/charge/shoot/whatever while they can cheer from their basement.
I haven’t been this excited about an event since Jerome Corsi flew a Where’s the birth certificate? banner over a stadium with a closed dome.
How can they expect more than 100 without a count down clock ?
flashback time!
that brought back an incident from a shady part of my past when in a tense situation, the person standing next to me said `i’ve got a knife….who wants to use it?!’ 😀
thinking on the actual numbers though, the mid terms might have an influence on this one, so they might actually hit 5 figures
just a thought…..
“Let’s you and him fight!”
I voted for 10,000,000, because I’m just a disruptive smart ass.
This is too funny. If they get these hundreds of thousands, or millions of attendees they’re after but they’re all in little groups of 25, how are they going to avoid tripping over each other? Maybe if they all hum the “mission impossible” theme as they run around in their little ninja packs, trying hard to not be in the same place at the same time as the other groups, it’ll alert the football team-sized group just around the corner and they can back away into the shadows carefully…
I too got stuck, looking for the “less than 100” button.
Then I decided the choices were maximums.
0–100 it is.
This is run on “The Price is Right” rules, right?
OK, I changed the caption from 100 to 1-100.
I went looking for new stories on this thing and came up pretty much empty. Western Journalism is about the only people covering it, and of course they’re hardly real medial..
Update:
I have deleted the links to the Washington Monument webcam pointing to the National Mall. It appears not to be changing, but displaying an archived image. If anyone knows of a good webcam to use, please leave a comment. I included a link to traffic cams in DC.
What would be interesting would be to see how many people acknowledge, over time, to behind in DC for OAS.
Some nutty diehards have no shame, and will proudly proclaim their lunacy even if they are 2 people on a streetcorner.
… and these are probably the only nuts who will show up anyway.
But, should there be any more-or-less normals who just got caught up in a moment, I bet they’ll melt away and/or suddenly revert to being just tourists when it dawns on them no massive crowd is materializing!
I checked on Travelocity and confirmed that there are still plenty of hotel and motel rooms available in D.C. for this weekend.
This Before Its News post has a really long video and quite lengthy (for a blog post) article on the rifts cropping up in Operation American Spring. It’s mostly conspiracy tripe about secret CIA operatives, planned false flag attacks, etc., but it shows that the wingnuts are falling apart.
I think we all saw this coming, didn’t we?
http://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2014/05/operation-american-spring-5-days-to-go-gov-moles-lies-and-honey-traps-abound-2620728.html
There’s a whole lot of crazy there, although this part rings true and has to sting:
Sheriff Richard Mack’s Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association has also withdrawn its support from OAS. CSPOA spokesman Sam Bushman said that the leadership at OAS “had no plan” past the initial day of protest.
The latest weather forecast for Friday in D.C.:
Friday Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
It might be cloudy with a chance of meatballs.
Or meatheads.
I entered the GPS coordinates for the Mall, and the forecast changed to include “Significant volumes of hot air, with the possibility of gusts up to 200 loony allegations per minute”.
Well, I don’t think anyone predicted that there would be abounding honey traps.
I wonder if that allegation is just a clever mind control trick by Vallely to motivate people who are vacillating about going…
It occurs to me that there is no way to move 10-30 million people into DC in a day. The total capacity of the airports, trains, and highways just can’t do it. So in order for all those people to be here for Friday, you would expect there to be a huge influx starting at least a week ago. But it’s not in the news. Puzzling.
I learn more new words visiting this site. 🙂
Shhh! Don’t tell the OAS people: you’ll spoil the surprise.
Actually, now that Klayman has officially invoked the Star Wars metaphor, they’ll be able to shuttle people in using these.
The weather forecast for D.C. grows dicier.
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MARYLAND PORTION OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY…TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER…AND ADJACENT COUNTIES IN CENTRAL MARYLAND AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA AS WELL AS THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
DAY ONE…TONIGHT
MINOR COASTAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE NEAR HIGH TIDE LATE TONIGHT…ESPECIALLY FOR SENSITIVE AREAS ALONG THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE MARYLAND CHESAPEAKE BAY.
DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT THURSDAY NIGHT UNTIL FRIDAY EVENING. WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE AHEAD OF A SLOW-MOVING COLD FRONT…WHICH COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. ANY RIVER FLOODING THAT OCCURS MAY CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY.
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY MORNING WITH LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS.
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WATERS THURSDAY AFTERNOON. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL BE NEEDED THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. A GALE WARNING MAY BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF THE WATERS THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.
MINOR COASTAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE NEAR TIMES OF HIGH TIDE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FOR LOCATIONS ALONG THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE MARYLAND CHESAPEAKE BAY AND THE SHORE OF THE TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER.
Oh goody! 😛
Who says prayer doesn’t work?
I predict OASers claiming it was okay for them to blow off showing up because God sent a flood to do the job for them.
Of course, after the storm passes, and some tourist snaps a picture of a rainbow sprouting from the WH lawn, with doves roosting on the roof above the Oval Office, they are gonna be terminally screwed…
Orly’s got them beat, this is how she believed Holder got from LA to Georgia to meet with Judge Land. http://i.imgur.com/9atGVJB.gif
I’m just getting tired of enduring the Birthers’ floccinaucinihilipilification.
Must be a Giants fan.
You wanna fight me friend?
That’s me friend over there.
If you look at the ludicrous crap they believe, I think a case could be made that they suffer from Floccinaucinihilipilification Deficit Disorder.
Except for Zullo, of course, to whom such an argument would be of no concern.
*Looks up floccinaucinihilipilification.
*Finds that floccinaucinihilipilification is in fact a real word.
*Stares blankly at screen
*Decides its time for bed.
Perhaps its God’s way of telling the OASers: “You folks are actually claiming that you’re doing MY work? Kindly leave me out of your craziness, kthxbai!”
Ironically, the German Wikipedia has an entry for it while the English one doesn’t: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floccinaucinihilipilification
God will just beam them
upover there, with a little help from Scotty, trust them. But don’t blink or you’ll miss it, 10 million patriots showing up, then vanishing again in a puff of smoke and Old Spice.Here’s a little help for them in planning an overthrow…
http://www.thewire.com/politics/2014/05/how-to-manage-expectations-for-your-rally-to-overthrow-the-american-government/370888/
In related news, tomorrow is “Bike to Work Day” in D.C.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/05/15/it-rains-on-d-c-s-bike-to-work-day-a-disproportionate-amount/
It will literally rain on the OAS parade tomorrow.
Tonight Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then showers between 10pm and 3am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 3am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 64. Southeast wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Friday Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2pm, then a chance of showers between 2pm and 4pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 71. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Friday Night A chance of showers between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northwest wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Let the sogginess begin!
Just “previewed” on The Rachel Maddow Show. She hopes everyone in Washington is making sure they have their parking spaces reserved tonight, before the big day. She also suggests we may want to get our go bags and gold bars ready.
I just looked at the D.C. traffic cameras – very light traffic this evening.
Well, the lame excuses have begun: sorry I can’t help you overthrow our tyrannical government and save the nation from collapse this week.
if my son’s prom weren’t tomorrow I would be there. i’ll try to get down there sometime soon. stay safe and be aware of infiltrators. when they start their nonsense, surround them and point fingers yelling and booing them.
Which reminded me of this.
[Let’s try this again, without the bizarre server screwup that wouldn’t let me fix the typo in the last one]
Well, the lame excuses have begun: sorry I can’t help you overthrow our tyrannical government and save the nation from collapse this week.
Which reminded me of this.
today millions storm dc
bayonets aglitter
i’ll see you on the battlefield
once i find a sitter
burma shave
I see you have a bayonet
But I don’t see your horse
Here, let me write your epithet:
“Wingnut without remorse”
I see the log that’s in your eye
You think it’s just a splinter
All birther hopes today must die:
Your spring is cold as winter
See, that’s the birthers’ real “patriotism” – “the country is dying but I’d rather go to my son’s prom”. I mean, I’m glad these people are too dumb/chickenshoot/lazy to start something violent, but come on!
List of Wingnut Excuses for Being Late to Overthrow of Big Gubbamint
(A modest beginning)
1. Scheduling conflict with child’s Prom.
2. Had to take trash out (at home in Hoboken, not in DC)
3. Forgot to turn oven off.
3. Could not find keys.
4. American Idol was on.
5. Forgot to charge cell phone.
…
76. Stuck in Beltway traffic (blocked but deranged militia truck drivers—curses!)
…
817. Left my spine in my other pants.
…
9,254. My dog ate it.
(Feel free to add to this vital documentary project.)
OMG! According to this live feed (recorded 35 minutes ago!) there must be at least a half-dozen patriots ready to storm the barricades! Not surprisingly, I hear some Hillbilly being spoken. God speed, and keep yer powder dry! Git ‘er dun!
http://www.ustream.tv/search?q=Operation%20American%20Spring
You forgot “Had to cash my government disability check.”
‘Big nutball day’ in D.C.: Maddow mocks Bundyesque ‘Operation American Spring’
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow poked some fun on Thursday at the upcoming “Operation American Spring,” linking Friday’s event to a series of similar protests that talked big but ultimately failed to deliver on their promises of revolution against President Barack Obama’s administration.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/16/big-nutball-day-in-d-c-maddow-mocks-bundyesque-operation-american-spring/
The reactions at BR, run the gamut from “Come on! Give it 24 hours, before declaring it a failure.” to “Yeah, this was doomed to fail from the start.”
16. Ice Dancing competition on ESPN4.
32: Waffle House offering one free strip of bacon this weekend.
41: Hoverround blew a tie rod.
68: Heard a couple kids might walk across my lawn Saturday; got to get to Cabela’s to buy some hollow point rounds.
89. Can’t get out of my computer chair.
99. Don’t remember how to get on the Interstate.
Wingnut urges crowd to sing “Star Spangled Banner” but starts singing “American the Beautiful.” http://www.ustream.tv/search?q=Operation%20American%20Spring
HA! I know that one is a lie as our garbage was picked up 3 days a week and recycling twice a week !!!!
(Hey the “waste management” companies gotta get paid….know what I mean…)
A new live feed from OAS was supposed to start 10 minutes ago, but nothing’s happening. If only Birdboy had gotten off his ass and gone to D.C.–he would be manning the barricades, I’m sure!
Don’t forget Volin will be broadcasting a show live at 2pm. Wonder if he brought his moderator with him.
No, wait a minute . . . I see a mullet, a wooden cross, and . . . yes, a “Benghazi” banner. Success!
Wiley Drake was speaking to the dozens in attendance, claiming that it is not a demonstration or a protest.
I watched the feed for a while. Wow. TENS of people showed up. And could they have found a more redneck sounding spokesman? If Obama was even half the “tyrant” that guy claims him to be, then these people would have been sawed in half by machine gun, fire the moment they stepped off the short bus. The fact that they are free to make such a huge joke of themselves at our nation’s capitol is all the proof in the world that Obama is NOT a tyrant.
But they know that Obama is a sekrit tyrant……
And I bet they think that Obama is the reason that more true PATriuts! did not show up….
Many Bothans died to bring us this information …
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bothan
List of Wingnut Excuses for Being Late to Overthrow of Big Gubbamint
(A modest beginning)
0. Had to cash my government disability check.
1. Scheduling conflict with child’s Prom.
2. Had to take trash out (at home in Hoboken, not in DC)
3. Forgot to turn oven off.
3. Could not find keys.
4. American Idol was on.
5. Forgot to charge cell phone.
6. Busy on the homefront, keeping Gubbamint Hands off Med-e-Kerr.
…
16. Ice Dancing competition on ESPN4.
…
32: Waffle House offering one free strip of bacon this weekend.
…
41: Hoverround blew a tie rod.
…
68: Heard a couple kids might walk across my lawn Saturday; got to get to Cabela’s to buy some hollow point rounds.
…
76. Stuck in Beltway traffic (blocked but deranged militia truck drivers—curses!)
…
89. Can’t get out of my computer chair.
…
99. Don’t remember how to get on the Interstate.
…
169. After 3yrs, still busy flogging PDF Madness memes on Amazon Forum (This is Herm’s excuse anyway…the last deadender there.)
…
817. Left my spine in my other pants.
…
9,254. My dog ate it.
(Feel free to continue adding to this vital documentary project.)
I’m sad because every “live” feed I can find is down, or showing a loop of OAS promo, or one that was showing a 2.5 minute video that isn’t live. You’d think out of 10 million people they could find one who could fix the feeds.
Not getting enough of right-wing nut-jobbery? Then watch this video posted by Drake. Starting at 1:16. You’ll see the bloated face and disturbed mind of OAS in the form of “Greg” from Florida, a patriot who lists “The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” as his legal counsel.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/47633818
I found another “live” OAS feed that has Mark Connors inside, looks like maybe a camper, doing a call-in talk show. They are talking about OAS. I guess he’s doing it live.
Operation American Spring falls flat: ‘This is very disappointing,’ Texan says
“We were getting over two inches of rain in hour in parts of Virginia this morning,” Mr. Milton said. “Now it’s a nice sunny day. But this is a very poor turnout. It ain’t no millions. And it ain’t looking like there’s going to be millions. Hundreds is more like it.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/16/operation-american-spring-falls-flat-very-disappoi/
my fave tweet: Where is everybody? I’m confused. Didn’t get directions, thought I could find 10 million people! HELP!!!
priceless!
I work at a museum on the Mall, and there are currently a couple of hundred dummies in front of the Air and Space museum. Presumably after they get finished protesting the government, they all head inside to use the government-provide restrooms in the free-to-the-public government-provided museum.
Operation American Spring, the Right’s Crazy Copy of Occupy, Explained
http://gawker.com/operation-american-spring-the-rights-crazy-copy-of-occ-1577483689
No way: free toilets are a government handout that no True Patriot™ would accept, and all that sciencey stuff is librul propaganda that Real Conservatives™ avoid at all costs.
Next lame excuse: Falcon is saying that the patriots have to wait until they get off work to start the new American revolution.
Bagdhad Bob would be so proud.
Some of his comments suggest he’s typing one-handed.
Well, at least 10 milling people showed up.
A cat was blocking my way.
JPotter:
List of Wingnut Excuses for Being Late to Overthrow of Big Gubbamint
(Feel free to continue adding to this vital documentary project.)
Looking at the pics…ran out of Depends.
Couldn’t figure out how to get out of my mother’s basement
Took a wrong turn at Albuquerque
Badda Boom
Tea Party Protesters March on White House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eftSi27eK_Y
Were we voting for rain drops or people?
;-}
around 13 minutes on the youtube video:
“….. money is free speech – they (the supremes) opened the gates and let our government be bought out by whoever has the money – it doesn’t matter if their interests are in the best of the amercan people – it matters who’s paying their checks …. their campaign contributions – and until we have a constitutional amendment that says money is not speech and corporations are not people, it doesn’t matter if we’re successful today and we put scooby-doo in obama’s place, the problem is still going to continue – [applause]
Ignoring the fact that Obama’s appointees had no part of approving that decision.
If you want the Supremes to stop ruling in favor of corporations, stop voting for Republicans who appoint conservatives to the court. We’ve been telling you that for decades. This is the result.
opps
i don’t support “corporations are people” nor “money is free speech” and before that is changed, they should follow the law – exclusively ≠ primarily
if you want to donate and express your opinions, then DISCLOSE who you are
i agree with mccain:
“What the Supreme Court did is a combination of arrogance, naivete and stupidity the likes of which I have never seen,” said McCain
“I promise you, there will be huge scandals,” McCain said, “because there’s too much money washing around, too much of it we don’t know who’s behind it and too much corruption associated with that kind of money. There will be major scandals.”
angus king (i think): “you can’t go to a town meeting with a bag over your head – if you’re going to state your opinions and state your views, you gotta come up and state who you are – it’s a fundamental part of our democracy”
I didn’t mean to suggest that you believed that, Donna. What I was saying is that progressives have seen this coming for decades. Supreme Court appointments, if no other reason even existed, disqualify any modern Republican from consideration for the presidency; they cannot be trusted to make responsible appointments.
Bonsall Obot:
oh, i agree – before the 2008 election, i remember arguing with an ordinarily progressive person about the supreme court and abortion in particular – he said that law will never be changed so we can forget about the court – i laughed then and everyday since
republican appointed fmr justice stevens: (April 30, 2014)
(TRANSCRIPT) Justice Stevens’ Testimony to Senate Rules Committee re Proposed Campaign Finance Constitutional Amendment
“Fourth, while money is used to finance speech, money is not speech. Speech is only one of the activities that are financed by campaign contributions and expenditures. Those financial activities should not receive the same constitutional protection as speech itself. After all, campaign funds were used to finance the Watergate burglaries – actions that clearly were not protected by the First Amendment.”
http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2014/04/fan-13-1-first-amendment-news-justice-stevens-testimony-to-senate-rules-committee-re-proposed-campaign-finance-constitutional-amendment.html
From the transcript of President Obama’s first State of the Union speech, January 2010:
“[W]e have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust -– deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years.. .
* * *
But we can’t stop there. It’s time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or with Congress. It’s time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office.
With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests –- including foreign corporations –- to spend without limit in our elections. (Applause.) I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. (Applause.) They should be decided by the American people. And I’d urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems.”
(end of quote from transcript)
As we may recall, we watched Justice Alito on camera–sitting among all the Justices there (Scalia and Thomas were absent)–shaking his head and mouthing the words “not true”. In my opinion, that showed lack of judicial temperament.
Any judge or Justice is apt to scold someone in his/her courtroom for improperly doing something like that when the judge or Justice is speaking. Justice Alito should have demonstrated the same expected courtesy–with all due deference to separation of powers–when sitting there in the Article I branch’s arena, while the Article II branch Executive was speaking pursuant to his constitutional obligation under Article II, Section 3: “He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; . . .”
And, as we know, Justice Alito also was factually mistaken when he said “not true”.
As anyone who has been involved with Rainbow Gatherings knows, it is not up to the group to decide whether they are an organization. The feds make that call, by precedents and CFR rules which in my opinion are a poor application of Time Place and Manner restrictions, and will declare the group to be an unincorporated organization. They will go so far as to appoint the leadership of this organization, and then hold those leaders responsible for the actions of the group. They have a simple regulatory basis for writing citations (which generally threaten a $5,000 fine and provides for civil asset forfeiture without so much as a hearing). I have personally witnessed the application of this standard many times and have, over the years, participated in numerous protests against the policy and the regulations.
Sowing up in “groups of 25” is not an effective means of circumventing federal enforcement of regulations which make certain kinds of public gatherings subject to permit requirements. I have seen the “strategy” fail even when the “groups” truly were not affiliated with each other in any way. The process that federal agents will apply in order to create the legal fiction of an “organization” complete with hierarchy of leadership, even among assemblies of almost total strangers, was a bold shock to me. In fact, it is the only true abridgment of my own Constitutional Rights that I have ever personally suffered at the hands of the US Federal Government.
Not that this will be an issue for the OAS attendee(s). I didn’t see any evidence that they outnumbered my musical group the last time we played in Lafayette Park.
It also strikes me as hilarious that they chose this weekend to make their big parade. Next week is Memorial Day, a weekend during which DC will enjoy enormous crowds, the sort of days when you might drive from BWI all the way to Woodbridge before finding a place to park — something that I actually experienced once during a Fourth of July weekend.