NORTON META TAG

26 October 2011

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM EVERYBODY WHO WORKS IN CUSTOMER SERVICE

A bald man with a wooden leg gets invited to a Halloween Party. He
doesn't know what costume to wear to hide his head and his leg, So he
writes to a costume company to explain his problem.
A few days later he received a parcel with the following note:
Dear Sir,
Please find enclosed a pirate's outfit. The spotted handkerchief will cover your bald head and, with your wooden leg, you will be just right as a pirate.
Very truly yours,
Acme Costume Co.
 
The man thinks this is terrible because they have emphasized his wooden leg and so he writes a letter of complaint. A week goes by and he receives another parcel and a note, which says: 
Dear Sir,
Please find enclosed a monk's costume. The long robe will cover your Wooden leg and, with your bald head, you should really look the part.
Very truly yours,
Acme Costume Co.
 
Now the man is really upset since they have gone from emphasizing his wooden leg to emphasizing his bald head, so again he writes the Company another nasty letter of complaint.
The next day he gets a small Parcel and a note, which reads:
 
Dear Sir,
We have TRIED our very BEST. Please find enclosed a bottle of molasses and a bag of crushed nuts. Pour the molasses over your bald head, pat on crushed nuts, stick your Wooden Leg up your ass and go as a caramel apple.
Very truly yours,
Acme Costume Co.

MARVIN....THIS SHOULD OFFEND ALMOST EVERYONE! :-)

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How to Speak Republican 24OKT11

WHAT a riot, and sadly, so true.....I especially like the definition of Jesus!
Talking to a Republican can be frustrating. Often, it seems like they are speaking an entirely different language -- and in many cases, they are! For this reason, in the hopes of facilitating cross-party dialogue and mutual understanding, I have compiled what I believe to be the first comprehensive Republican-to-English dictionary, featuring words commonly used by Republicans, and their English translations, alphabetized for your convenience:
  • America (United States of): A country located in the N. Western Hemisphere that is #1.
  • Bible: A sacred text that provides incontestable answers when thumped.
  • Birth Certificate: An official birth record required of all US Presidents, regardless of race, since 2008.
  • Capitalism: A system of economic organization that has never been attempted.
  • Christmas: A holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, now rarely celebrated due to persecution by atheists.
  • Compromise: (uncommon) A form of political suicide.
  • Coast (East): A very bad coast of the continental United States.
  • Coast (West): Another really inexcusable coast.
  • Communism: The belief that the government should ever do anything.
  • Condescending: Accurately informed.
  • Constitution (U.S.): The hallowed founding document of the United States, the text of which must be interpreted strictly and amended immediately.
  • Corporations: Large people who are overtaxed.
  • Deficits: 1) Fiscal shortfalls incurred by Democrats that threaten to bankrupt the country. 2) Fiscal shortfalls incurred by Republicans that don't matter.
  • Democrat: A political party.
  • Election: A method of selecting representatives, the fraudulence of which may be determined by the outcome.
  • Elitist: Qualified.
  • Endangered Species: Animals that have it coming.
  • Evolution: A theory of human origins that is out there.
  • Extremist (Liberal): Espousing or adhering to political beliefs that are held by only a majority of Americans.
  • Fact: Information that has been verifiably posted to a RedState comment board.
  • Forest (National): Trees that have it coming.
  • Gut: Region of the body from which decisions should be made.
  • Homosexuality: A membership-only lifestyle organization that perpetuates itself through youth recruitment.
  • Hitler: A man to whom it would be inappropriate to compare President Obama in spite of the many uncanny similarities.
  • Jesus: Charismatic religious leader and son of God; born in Bethlehem in the year 0; beliefs include love, charity, enhanced interrogation, privatized healthcare, elimination of the estate tax, and the right to carry concealed semiautomatic weapons.
  • League (Ivy): an association of eight Eastern universities and colleges, the lack of a fancy education from which qualifies a candidate for political office.
  • Liberal: A person who should be rounded up and shot but not really.
  • Marxism: A political and economic philosophy developed by Karl Marx and promulgated by Paul Krugman.
  • Media (Mainstream): Where you won't hear things.
  • Medicare: A fraudulent, socialistic boondoggle that is sacrosanct.
  • Mexicans: Brown people who have it coming.
  • Mountaintops: Ancient rock formations that have it coming.
  • Muslims: Brown people who have it coming.
  • News: Fox News
  • Obamacare: A Federally-mandated policy to address the national oversupply of grandparents through euthanasia.
  • Organic: Eaten by lesbians.
  • Party (Tea): A grass-roots movement of patriotic Americans fighting for the principle of "No Taxation With Representation."
  • Poll: A survey used to determine, to within a margin of error, what percentage of Americans are right.
  • Poverty: The condition of having inadequate financial or material resources due to not trying hard enough.
  • Propaganda: The politically motivated dissemination of biased information, opinion, or data through its publication in the New York Times.
  • Punishment (Capital): The legally authorized killing by the State of someone who is definitely guilty.
  • Racism: A form of discrimination that typically happens in reverse.
  • Regulation: Rules issued by a government agency for no reason.
  • Ronald Reagan: A fictional character based loosely on President Ronald Reagan.
  • Scientist: A person who employs a rigorous system of observation, experiment, measurement, and verification to perpetuate his Godless left-wing agenda.
  • Social Security: A redistributionist Ponzi scheme that is sacrosanct.
  • Socialism: An economic system invented by FDR.
  • Taxes: Levies imposed by the government that raise more revenue the lower they are.
  • Torture: A method of interrogation that does not rise to the level of torture.
  • Terrorist: A person to whom a person who threatens to destroy the U.S. economy unless his demands are met should not be compared.
  • Unbiased: Giving equal weight to both sides of the looking glass.
  • Wealthy (the): People who earned every penny.
  • Up: A direction which, depending on circumstances, is down.
  • Warming (Global): An anomalous, anthropogenic increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures that isn't happening.
  • Welfare: A government program to distribute Cadillacs to unwed mothers.
  • Yes: (no translation available)

Jon Stewart: Iraq Withdrawal Giving Republicans 'Empty Nest Syndrome' (VIDEO) 25OKT11

Click the link in the article to watch this video, Jon Stewart slams it home!!!!
Last Friday President Obama announced the U.S. will be withdrawing from Iraq by the end of the year. So, you can imagine what Jon Stewart's biggest segment was about on his Monday night return to "The Daily Show."
Turning his "Mess O'Potamia" segment to the more appropriately named "End O'Potamia," Stewart rejoiced at the notion that we will be out of Iraq by 2012. What he didn't understand was how Republicans such as MItt Romney and Michele Bachmann could criticize the President's announcement. Not just because it's a good thing, but because it was former President George W. Bush who set the benchmark for withdrawal with the Iraqi people years ago. Why doesn't the GOP acknowledge this? Well, as Stewart points out, you probably don't remember that speech for that specific reason.
After showing some clips of Bachmann contradicting herself with her simultaneous opposition to an Iraq withdrawal and getting rid of Gaddafi, Stewart moved on to the biggest offenders in his eyes: Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Their complaints that Obama did not end the war "well" prompted Stewart to give them a new nickname: Statler and Waldorf.
So what's with all the GOPers complaining about troops actually coming home? Didn't the President just take us from three wars to one? Watch the full segment above (Or click here to watch on "The Daily Show" website) to hear Stewart wonder, "Are America's hawks having 'Empty nest' syndrome?

Wall Street Is Still Out of Control -- Obama Should Call for Glass-Steagall and a Breakup of Big Banks 26OCT11

WELL written piece advocating bringing back Glass-Steagall and breaking up the big banks before they really destroy our economy and nation.
Next week President Obama travels to Wall Street where he'll demand -- in light of the Street's continuing antics since the bailout, as well as its role in watering-down the Volcker rule -- that the Glass-Steagall Act be resurrected and big banks be broken up.
I'm kidding. But it would be a smart move -- politically and economically.
Politically smart because Mitt Romney is almost sure to be the Republican nominee, and Romney is the poster child for the pump-and-dump mentality that's infected the financial industry and continues to jeopardize the American economy.
Romney was CEO of Bain & Company -- a private-equity fund that bought up companies, fired employees to save money and boost performance, and then resold the firms at a nice markups.
Romney also epitomizes the pump-and-dump culture of America's super rich. To take one example, he recently purchased a $3 million mansion in La Jolla, California (in addition to his other homes) that he's razing in order build a brand new one.
What better way for Obama to distinguish himself from Romney than to condemn Wall Street's antics since the bailout, and call for real reform?
Economically it would be smart for Obama to go after the Street right now because the Street's lobbying muscle has reduced the Dodd-Frank financial reform law to a pale reflection of its former self. Dodd-Frank is rife with so many loopholes and exemptions that the largest Wall Street banks -- larger by far then they were before the bailout -- are back to many of their old tricks.
It's impossible to know, for example, the exposure of the Street to European banks in danger of going under. To stay afloat, Europe's banks will be forced to sell mountains of assets - among them, derivatives originating on the Street -- and may have to renege on or delay some repayments on loans from Wall Street banks.
The Street says it's not worried because these assets are insured. But remember AIG? The fact Morgan Stanley and other big U.S. banks are taking a beating in the market suggests investors don't believe the Street. This itself proves financial reform hasn't gone far enough.
If you want more evidence, consider the fancy footwork by Bank of America in recent days. Hit by a credit downgrade last month, BofA just moved its riskiest derivatives from its Merrill Lynch unit to a retail subsidiary flush with insured deposits. That unit has a higher credit rating because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (that is, you and me and other taxpayers) are backing the deposits. Result: BofA improves its bottom line at the expense of American taxpayers.
Wasn't this supposed to be illegal? Keeping risky assets away from insured deposits had been a key principle of U.S. regulation for decades before the repeal of Glass-Steagall.
The so-called "Volcker rule" was supposed to remedy that. But under pressure of Wall Street's lobbyists, the rule -- as officially proposed last week -- has morphed into almost 300 pages of regulatory mumbo-jumbo, riddled with exemptions and loopholes.
It would have been far simpler simply to ban proprietary trading from the jump. Why should banks ever be permitted to use peoples' bank deposits - insured by the federal government - to place risky bets on the banks' own behalf? Bring back Glass-Steagall.
True, Glass-Steagall wouldn't have prevented the fall of Lehman Brothers or the squeeze on other investment banks in 2007 and 2008. That's why it's also necessary to break up the big banks.
In the wake of the bailout, the biggest banks are bigger than ever. Twenty years ago the ten largest banks on the Street held 10 percent of America's total bank assets. Now they hold over 70 percent. And the biggest four have a larger market share than ever -- so large, in fact, they've almost surely been colluding. How else to explain their apparent coordination on charging debit card fees?
The banks aren't even fulfilling their fiduciary duties to investors. Last summer, after Groupon selected Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse to underwrite its initial public offering, the trio valued it at a generous $30 billion. Subsequent accounting and disclosure problems showed this estimate to be absurdly high. Did the banks care? Not a wit. The higher the valuation, the fatter their fees.
Just last week Citigroup settled charges (without admitting or denying guilt) that it defrauded investors by selling them a package of mortgage-backed securities rife with mortgages it knew were likely to default, but didn't disclose the hazard. It then bet against the package for its own benefit -- earning fees of $34 million and net profits of at least $126 million. So what's Citi paying to settle this outrage? A mere $285 million. Its CEO at time (Charles Prince) doesn't pay a dime.
I doubt the president will be condemning the Street's antics, or calling for a resurrection of Glass-Steagall and a breakup of the biggest banks. Democrats are still too dependent on the Street's campaign money.
That's too bad. You don't have to be an occupier of Wall Street to conclude the Street is still out of control. And that's dangerous for all of us.

Help Free Tortured Bahraini Teacher Jaleela Al-Salman from Human Rights First 25OKT11

THE American government claims to support the non-violent protesters calling for freedom, democracy and human rights in the Arab world. The American government participated in NATO actions supporting the Libyan revolution, supported the peaceful protesters in Tunisia and Egypt and has been very supportive of the pro democracy protesters in Syria. BUT the American government has turned it's back on the peaceful pro democracy protesters in Bahrain and turned a blind eye on the brutal reaction of the Bahraini government while they killed hundreds of their own citizens and have arrested, tortured and imprisoned thousands of Bahrainis. Why? The American Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain and the U.S. military-industrial complex makes a lot of money selling weapons to the Bahraini government. The American government should be considering whether the Navy will be allowed to stay in Bahrain once the pro democracy movement actually wins control of the nation. Please sign the petition by Human Rights First calling for the release of Jaleela Al-Salman, a Bahraini teacher active in the movement for freedom, democracy and human rights. She has been arrested again and is facing more torture by the government as long as she is in their custody. Watch her video and click the link to sign....




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Free Jaleela - Tortured Bahraini Teacher Detained Again
The Bahraini government isn't just targeting  medics; it's going after teachers too.
Two weeks ago, Jaleela Al-Salman, a Bahraini teacher and vice president of the Bahrain Teachers Association, told me that the Bahraini security forces had tortured her when she was in detention earlier this year. Just after we spoke, masked men in civilian clothes broke into her home and abducted her again. There is a very real danger she will be tortured again.
Stand with Bahraini activists! Ask the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States, Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, to help free Jaleela immediately and to push for the Bahrain security forces to respect peaceful protests.
The Bahraini security forces first took Jaleela into custody in March for supporting the democracy movement. She was detained for over five months—longer than of any other woman arrested in connection to the pro-democracy protests. After a sham trial, a military court sentenced her to three years in prison relying on a confession Jaleela signed after being tortured. She was released pending an appeal scheduled for December. While she was free, Jaleela spoke out about her abuse by the government, and this could be the reason for her re-arrest.
Bahrain's pro-democracy protests have been the largest, proportionately, of any country in the Middle East. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have risen up to demand their human rights. The Bahrain monarchy has responded with a violent crackdown.
At Human Rights First, we work to make sure that the United States lives up to its ideals on human rights. Bahrain, the home of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, is an important ally of the United States that must not be allowed to violate the rights of its people.
We cannot stand by while activists continue to be detained and violently silenced for supporting democracy. Sign the petition now!
Human Rights First will deliver this petition to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States, Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, and urge her to support release for Jaleela and other Bahraini activists fighting for democracy and human rights. Sign now!
Sincerely,
Brian Dooley
Human Rights First

Human Rights First,
333 Seventh Avenue, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10001-5004
www.humanrightsfirst.org
Join us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter

Speak out to protect the Arctic Refuge forever 25OKT11

BIG oil and gas companies, shell, bp, exxon, chevron and others, have their eyes on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and they are waging a propaganda war to force the government to open it up to more oil and gas drilling. These companies and motivated by greed, not a desire to lessen our national dependence on imported oil. The propaganda campaign also includes lies, deception and misinformation on these companies ability to prevent any any oil spills and about their ability to completely clean up any spill if one should occur. They claim their operations will be conducted in harmony with the environment ANWR's coastal plain. Click the link to send a message to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking them to adopt Alternative E, the full wilderness option, to protect and preserve the integrity of ANWR's coastal plain.
NRDC

Act now to protect the heart of the Arctic
Protect the George Washington National Forest
Call on the Fish and Wildlife Service to designate the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge as wilderness and keep it safe from oil rigs -- forever!
Take action

We have a rare opportunity right now to protect the heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge forever.

The Obama Administration is writing a conservation plan for the Arctic Refuge that could recommend wilderness protection for its Coastal Plain -- an area which has been targeted by Big Oil for decades.

Please call on the Fish and Wildlife Service to designate the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge as wilderness, which would be off-limits to oil development.

Since the Arctic Refuge was set aside by Congress more than 50 years ago, a majority of Americans has shown support for protecting this vast wilderness and its abundant wildlife.

As the biological heart of the Arctic Refuge, its Coastal Plain provides irreplaceable habitat for bears, wolves, Arctic foxes and millions of migratory birds.

This pristine wildland is also our nation’s largest denning site for pregnant polar bears ... the only birthing ground for the 180,000-member porcupine caribou herd ... and the last home of 350 shaggy muskoxen, a species that survived the previous ice age.

Simply put, there is no other place like it on the planet.

Yet the oil giants and their Congressional allies have pushed repeatedly to open up the sensitive Coastal Plain for drilling.

NRDC has fought for decades to stave off every attempt by Big Oil to drill in America’s greatest wildlife sanctuary, but a wilderness designation for the Coastal Plain would ensure that it is protected from oil rigs forever.

This recommendation would be an important first step in that direction. Congress would still need to act on the Administration’s recommendation -- and that is unlikely to happen anytime soon -- but in the meantime, the Interior Department would manage the Coastal Plain as if it were protected wilderness.

And, following this recommendation, the President could declare the Coastal Plain a National Monument, thereby saving it from any further attacks by Big Oil.

Help us generate a massive outpouring of support for protecting the Coastal Plain by sending a message to the Fish and Wildlife Service today. Let them know you support their plan to recommend its designation as wilderness.

Thanks for taking action to keep the Arctic wild and free.

Sincerely,
Frances
Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council


Domestic Spying Victim: Virginia Cody

EVER since I found out the fbi had a file on me because of my political activities starting when I was in the 9th grade I have been wary of government security agencies. Think this is overblown? Check out this video about the government's spying on and monitoring of Virginia Cody in Factoryville, PA for her anti-gas grilling activities. I love my country, I am proud to be and thank God I am an American...and it is sad that I can't trust my government. This from the ACLU of the latest fbi tactics to monitor Americans based not on criminal activity but just on one's race, ethnicity, national origin and/or religion. God bless America AND the ACLU!!!


Mapping the FBI: Uncovering Abusive Surveillance and Racial Profiling

EVER since I found out the fbi had a file on me because of my political activities starting when I was in the 9th grade I have been wary of government security agencies. I love my country, I am proud to be and thank God I am an American...and it is sad that I can't trust my government. This from the ACLU of the latest fbi tactics to monitor Americans based not on criminal activity but just on one's race, ethnicity, national origin and/or religion. God bless America AND the ACLU!!!

mappingfbi_4.jpg
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is collecting racial and ethnic information and “mapping” American communities around the country based on crude stereotypes about which groups commit different types of crimes. Nationwide, the FBI is gathering reports on innocent Americans' so-called “suspicious activity” and sharing it with unknown numbers of federal, state and local government agencies.
In response, the ACLU's “Mapping the FBI” initiative seeks to expose misconduct, abuse of authority, and unconstitutional profiling and other violations of Americans' rights and liberties across the country.
SEARCH THE DOCUMENTS
As our nation's predominant law enforcement agency, the FBI should be tracking true threats, not wasting resources and inappropriately mapping American communities on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion. Law enforcement programs based on evidence and facts are more effective than a system based on racial stereotypes or mass suspicion.
Yet, in the decade since 9/11, long-standing safeguards on the FBI's investigative and intelligence collection activities have been erased, allowing it to engage in racial and profiling and to initiate intrusive investigations with little or no suspicion of wrongdoing.
Taken together, the changes in the FBI's authority have vastly expanding its ability to engage in unlawful and abusive surveillance of innocent Americans. Learn more: Expanded FBI Authority »
The ACLU is working in the courts, in Congress and in communities to expose the ways in which the FBI's expanded authority threatens civil rights and civil liberties. Our work includes:
  • Eye on the FBI: Consolidating information obtained through ACLU records requests, lawsuits and reports, the ACLU's “Eye on the FBI” alerts provide regular and detailed analysis of FBI activities that pose a threat to civil liberties. These activities include the use of factually incorrect and bigoted biased counterterrorism materials and FBI racial profiling. Learn more »
  • Racial and Ethnic Mapping: 34 ACLU affiliates have filed public records requests to uncover how the FBI is using racial and ethnic demographic information and data about “ethnic-oriented” business and facilities to “map” and investigate local communities. ACLU affiliates in Michigan, New Jersey and Northern California are in federal court to enforce their records requests and secure information for the public. Learn more »
  • eGuardian: The ACLU has sued the FBI and the Justice Department to learn more about an FBI monitoring and information-sharing program known as “eGuardian,” through which the bureau collects so-called “Suspicious Activities Reports” (SARs) from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies nationwide. Learn more »
  • Spy Files: This ACLU effort paints a comprehensive picture of the vast and expanding infrastructure of surveillance in the U.S. today by local, state and federal law enforcement—including the FBI. Documents obtained by the ACLU show that through this de facto domestic intelligence system, our government is monitoring and recording Americans' First Amendment-protected beliefs and activities. Learn more »
FBI Interviews: The ACLU is working to educate individuals and community organizations across the country about their rights when encountering law enforcement. Over the past two years, the FBI has significantly increased its use of “voluntary” interviews – especially within specific racial, ethnic, and religious communities – often encouraging interviewees to serve as informants in their communities. Know Your Rights »
ACLU Letter to Attorney General Holder  »
Learn more: Expanded FBI Authority »
Act now! Tell the FBI: “Don't Map Me or My Community!” »

Everything The Media Told You About Occupy Wall Street Is Wrong 19OKT11

ADDRESSING the lies about the Occupy Wall Street protest in NYC being broadcast by fox "news", the right wing media and the gop / tea-bagger politicians.....
After 10 days out of town, I finally made it to Occupy Wall Street on Tuesday and had a chance to see for myself what's going on. My conclusion: almost everything the media told me about the protest is wrong.
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Based on my observations, here's what I consider the Top Ten Myths About Occupy Wall Street.
Myth #1. The Movement Is Violent.
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One of the most striking images I witnessed at the demonstration was a young black man holding a sign that read "End NYPD Violence!" in front of a group of police officers.
The officers quickly challenged his accusation. But the young man didn't leave. Next, the police turned away and ignored him. But he still didn't leave. Then the officers chuckled and let out an unexpected laugh when they realized the man wasn't going away. The scene was confrontational, but definitely not violent.
In fact, one of the first things I noticed was a sign posted on a wall that embraced "Kingian Nonviolence," the peaceful principles that guided Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Principles of Kingian Nonviolence
Myth #2. It's Just A Bunch Of Pampered Kids.
Although I supported the concept of the Occupy Wall Street movement when I first heard of it, I admit I didn't think the group had much to offer me. From what I could see in the media, they were well-educated, well-intentioned young white people, but they didn't really represent me.
I was wrong.
What I found was a wide-ranging group of people from various backgrounds, young and old, male and female, black, white, Latin, Asian and mixed. It was the essence of New York, the reason why I moved to this city 10 years ago.
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Myth #3. There Are No Black People Involved.
I was taken aback by how many black and Latino participants I noticed at the demonstration. I hadn't seen them on the television coverage of the movement, but they were clearly there.
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Myth #4. They're Anti-American.
In my experience, I saw a lot of American flags being waved proudly at the demonstration. The protesters may not all think the same things, but many of them were clearly hoping America would live up to its promise as a land of opportunity where the rules are fair and all are welcome.
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Myth #5. They're Just Modern-Day Hippies.
To watch some of the media coverage of the movement, you would think the protest was filled with long-haired hippies left over from the 1960s. In fact, from my experience, I saw a few people who might fit this description, but I also saw just about every type of person you could imagine at the demonstration.
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There were high school-aged kids with their parents, college students in their school sweatshirts, men in business suits, mothers with baby carriages, people with jobs, people who were unemployed, white-haired retirees, African drummers, rhythmic dancers, and one person who appeared to be wearing pajamas.
Myth #6. They Don't Know What They Want.
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I found many different people gathered in Zuccotti Park with many different interests and agendas, but they seem to be unified by one common purpose. They're tired of a system that seems only to cater to the rich and powerful while ignoring the concerns of the vast majority of Americans.
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Myth #7. The Labor Unions Are Behind This.
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I saw only one labor union table at the demonstration, but most of the people seemed to have no connection to organized labor. Even if they had, there's nothing wrong with that. Labor unions are an important part of our country, and while not perfect, they've helped throughout history to improve working conditions for millions of Americans.
Myth #8. They're Pro-Obama. They're Anti-Obama.
"I don't have facts to back this up," Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said in an interview recently, "but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration." That seems unlikely.
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Not long after I arrived I found a Hispanic man in a camouflage jacket complaining about Obama to a small crowd of onlookers. "Obama is not the savior," he cried out. Moments after he finished, a young black man in a sweat jacket stood up to defend Obama to the crowd, acknowledging that the president wasn't perfect but he was doing the best job he could to clean up the mess he had inherited.
Both sides had their points to make and both were respectfully acknowledged.
Myth #9. They're In The Wrong Place.
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I love to hear conservatives complaining that the protesters should be in Washington instead of Wall Street, as if the conservatives were really concerned about the most effective way for the demonstrators to make their case.
This location-based argument suggests a limiting "either/or" mentality that you can't be in both places, and also assumes that there's no reason to be on Wall Street at all.
As Herman Cain said recently, "Don't blame Wall Street. Don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself.
But there's a good reason why Wall Street serves as an ideal venue for the demonstration. Unlike politicians in Washington, who have to answer to voters every few years, corporate executives on Wall Street don't have to answer to the public, even though their actions have a huge impact on all of us. It seems to me, the protesters picked a reasonable venue to launch their movement. In fact, judging by the row of satellite trucks parked outside the protest, I'd say Wall Street was exactly the right place to draw attention to their cause.
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Myth #10. They're Taking Over Wall Street.
I've lived in New York City for 10 years, but I'd never been to Zuccotti Park until the Occupy Wall Street protests took place. I assumed the protesters were camped out at a park somewhere at the end of Wall Street, throwing around garbage and creating a mess.
Once again, I was wrong.
First, the group was clean, neat and orderly when I saw them. The park was actually cleaner than any park I've ever seen in New York City. Some demonstrators even walked around with brooms to clean up any mess that might have been left, and signs were posted advising the occupiers to observe a "good neighbor policy."
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Finally, as it turns out, Zuccotti Park isn't even on Wall Street. It's a couple blocks away. As you can see from the image below, the only mess on Wall Street came from the police horses standing guard in front of the New York Stock Exchange.
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