pointus wrote:

"The courts are our last refuge against this sort of tyranny. Given how many of Cheney's judicial appointments were rubberstamped by our corrupt congress, we may be shit out of luck on that score as well. What's left?"

christ, man, THINK!

Down here, they shoot people through the door, while executing no knock warrants for misdemeanor theft. At most it goes to 'trial' the cops are all exonerated and everyone goes home. Their friends run around fund raising for the inevitable civil lawsuit. Down here, if the cops come to your home, and you video them, THAT's a felony.

If you want a local independent view of the RNC security operation, one you won't find anywhere else (not at DN!, that's for sure), look at this article published by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, which is a large but independent paper, much hated by Dean Singleton and other media empire-builders:

Are you more or less convinced that Amy Goodman is the anthrax attacker?

These raids are abominable and hideous, but c'mon! The RNC Welcoming Committee is stupid enough to advertise on its website:

Tier One: Establish 15-20 blockades, utilizing a diversity of tactics, creating an inner and outer ring around St. Paul’s Excel Center, where the RNC is to take place.

Tier Two: Immobilize the delegates’ transportation infrastructure, including the busses that are to convey them.

Tier Three: Block the five western bridges connecting the Twin Cities.

If you do these things, or if you announce that you are going to do these things, the police are going to take action. That's all there is to it.

These fake revolutionaries need to get a clue.

The goal in this instance is just to block off the convention, but there is no way that is going to happen without violent action. The goals of this supposedly nonviolent group inevitably require violent action for them to succeed.

Would you want every bridge going in and out of your city to be blocked off?

It doesn't justify the cops' behavior. Fuck those cops. But when you advertise shit like that on your website, and then groups form who admit to being part of the RNC Welcoming Committee, the consequences are just fucking self-evident in a post-9/11 country.

Idiots.

It doesn't justify the cops' behavior. Fuck those cops. But when you advertise shit like that on your website, and then groups form who admit to being part of the RNC Welcoming Committee, the consequences are just fucking self-evident in a post-9/11 country.

Idiots.

Your assumption that everyone targeted and arrested with this group is baseless and wrong. They are targeting all sorts of advocacy groups, police-watchdog groups and assorted protesters. Only the raid last night was aimed at the "RNC Welcoming Committee."

And, as you acknowledge, what the police are doing is completely excessive and wrong even if every single one of the people targeted where planning some form of non-violent civil disobedience. You can just wait until someone blocks traffic and then easily arrest them. Mass preventive detentions, rifle-toting SWAT teams, and home invasions are repulsive.

not on Google

I just looked on google news and nothing on these raids. you silence us all.

-- Conservativeslayer

There are a number of stories on the raids on google news. You have to punch in a few words into the search box. I punched in, 'Raids in Minnesota'. Also, 'Police raid protesters in Minnesota'. Something along those lines will bring up a number of articles.

Easy Glenn...

She never covered the story. I personally called her office and sent her emails on it about a dozen times. Why aren't you covering this? Why not?

That's not really the point, though - the issue is, why didn't she spend a whole lot more time covering the Republican Convention in the leadup?

There is an explanation that has nothing to do with conspiracy, which is that Amy Goodman believes that the Democratic Party is itself a massive conspiracy aimed at defrauding the public with bogus populism, and that the only hope for real change is to boost people like Ralph Nader, who will save us with their policy statements... or something like that?

None of that explains the obvious failure to cover the Republican Party, however. And any rational person knows that someone who casts their vote for Nader instead of Obama is, under our system, a vote for McCain.

Hey, how do I change my sign in, anyway? If I want to use my name (Ike Solem) instead of Cargo Cult, how do I do that?

(Cargo Cult Economics - "if you build it they will come")

Well, the only way to get to the "truth" of that, Glenn, would be to send her to Gitmo for a few years of torture. I bet we can get a long and horrifying confession out of her!

What does one do when it's the police invading your home? One can't dial 911.

Sorry Glenn - your coverage is outstanding, and I'm no journalist (I do analysis, something different - need a rundown on a startup solar company you are thinking of investing in?)

I meant to say that the only honest traditional print journalism being done is from the Star-Tribune - the web journalism you are doing is top notch.

The coverage presented by the AP and the Pioneer Press comes out of the large aggregate media empires, who are resolutely pro-Bush policy, which means pro-McCain. That opinion is not shared with many of their low-level employees, but they don't decide what stories get covered.

I was teargassed and beaten twice in two separate protests in Washington, DC in the late 60's ...... including the "May Day" protest where there was supposedly over 1 million people present .......

Nixon would always leave DC during such protests, he was so paranoid he thought the protesters were coming to get him.

Always a bunch of long-haired "hippie" FBI undercover agents around creating controversial events (and guess what, a camera just always happened to be there) to try and discredit the marchers ...

In one march, a man with an SDS armband was directing an "illegal" march off Penn ave toward DuPont circle ...... I decided to go ....

It was a setup ..... as we approached DuPont Circle, a Trailways bus emerged from a hidden position in an alley, isolating and "cutting-off" approximately 200 of the "leaders" from the crowd behind them ...... then police on scooters drove this small contingent like cattle toward Dupont Circle where DC's finest were waiting in riot gear with clubs to beat them on their heads and teargas them ....

No doubt the SDS "hippie" was undercover FBI .....

Not a damn thing's changed .....

Just be a good little consumer and all will be fine ........ watch your movies, buy your ipods, watch your television, buy all your crap ....

But challenge the status quo and you'll find out the US is no different than Russia or China .........

As the Japanese say, "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down."

I was hoping the draft would be re-instituted perhaps serving as a stimulus for young people to get politically involved ....

This crap is nothing new ....

You just don't get it .....