Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the HipHop Caucus wanted to attend the Petraeus Hearings yesterday. He stood on line waiting his turn to enter the room. This is what happened to him.
Capitol Hill Police “football tackled” Hip Hop Activist who was in line to enter hearing room for General Petreus’ testimony on Capitol Hill
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus, was attacked by six capitol police today, when he was stopped from entering the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, where General Petreaus gave testimony today to a joint hearing for the House Arms Services Committee and Foreign Relations Committee on the war in Iraq.
After waiting in line throughout the morning for the hearing that was scheduled to start at 12:30pm, Rev. Yearwood was stopped from entering the room, while others behind him were allowed to enter. He told the officers blocking his ability to enter the room, that he was waiting in line with everyone else and had the right to enter as well. When they threatened him with arrest he responded with “I will not be arrested today.” According to witnesses, six capitol police, without warning, “football tackled him. He was carried off in a wheel chair by DC Fire and Emergency to George Washington Hospital.
Rev. Yearwood was examined for possible head and leg injuries then transferred to Central Processing. He has been charged with “assaulting a police officer.”
Rev. Yearwood said as he was being released from the hospital to be taken to central booking, “The officers decided I was not going to get in Gen. Petreaus’ hearing when they saw my button, which says ‘I LOVE THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ.’”
The Capitol Police work for the Speaker’s Office. I’m calling the Speaker’s office to “discuss” this and I hope you will too. Her office number is:(202) 225-0100.
Pam has more.
(Update: Liz from HipHop Caucus is at court and can’t get online, but wanted people to know that Rev. Yearwood has a broken leg, he’s in a cast and he’s being arraigned for assaulting an officer and disorderly conduct. Updates as we get them — JH)
Related posts:
- Hilda Sarkisyan Faces the Cameras, Representatives on Capitol Hill
- Valuing Democracy: Iran, Iraq and the War Supplemental
- Special Offer for FDL Readers: $100 Off Tickets to Personal Democracy Forum
- Rob H. Stands in Line for Hilda Sarkisyan
- Reported Military Frustration with Obama Afghanistan Review Misses That US is a Democracy
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Fitz,again!
hehe
Grrr. I lost my touch
Damn. I suppose the officers have nary a bruise. Uh…HUH…
WTF?
Single digit drive-by. 1968 redux — dissent is not allowed. My generation remembers.
I watched that video footage this morning. Shameful.
He clearly didn’t assault an officer. That’s utterly ridiculous. I’m not a lawyer so I can’t speak to what exactly constitutes’ disorderly conduct, but to my non-legal eye it certainly didn’t look like he was doing anything legally wrong.
He was denied entrance after waiting his turn in line and was clearly unhappy about it, but I didn’t see any behavior I would have considered inappropriate.
It certainly didn’t call for a gang tackle.
CNN.com Breaking News:
President Bush will announce this week plans to cut U.S. troops in Iraq by about 30,000 — to pre-’surge’ levels — by next summer, a senior administration official confirms to CNN.
Just got off the phone. The woman didn’t know anything about it. I asked if she would please relay my comments and concerns. Yes, she would.
She said that she understood anyone who wanted to could go to that hearing.
This isn’t our America.
SufiLizard @ 6
Oh, I’m glad there’s footage. I want to see those officers crucified if this had to happen at all, and with this footage there’s no “he said, he said” garbage…
Kathleen:
Re: special forces in Iran. MEK are terrorists we’ve supported from the start. One of the stories, an ABC news story about terrorist proxies from Baluchistan, is evidently not true, however — I link to this on last thread @44.
Box Flaps, Rachmaninoff… Free Speech!
http://freewayblogger.blogspot…..inoff.html
typical. It’s not like nancy pelosi wants to actually hear from anyone. Just call her office, you’ll see: you immediately get transferred to a voicemail, and you know how seriously they take the messages that people leave for them.
No taxation without representation. Anyone who believes they are truly represented in this Congress by this group of charlatans and criminals is insane. The republicans would like to haul us off to permanent detention, and the democrats don’t care what we think.
We’ve been had, and even the so-called “blue america” candidates like Jerry McNerny and Rick Noriega are breaking their promises.
We’ve been played for suckers. Fuck these sons of bitches.
JF @ 7
contingent on “progress” whatever that means… and if you parse his words literally, the remaining 130,000 are to be left in place regardless of progress. He is not a man, and he has no soul.
I hate to say it, but it’s a better Democracy than they claim to have created in Iraq where if you stand in a line like that one you could car bombed. Oh yeah, and what kind of Democracy is supposed to flourish when you have to go through road blocks every day manned by a foreign army?
Sorry, I know it’s O/T, but when I read the headline of this topic, that’s what I thought of.
I just spoke with the speakers office and they didn’t know anything about this. I suggested that they look at the video and pointed her to FDL to find it.
Make me sick to watch this man who remained fairly calm being harassed by thugs.
SufiLizard @ 6
Thanks for the eyewitness…or at least video witness…perspective. Why do I have the sneaking hunch that “assaulting an officer and disorderly conduct” might translate to “exercising one’s civil liberties while black?”
Oh my good, freakin’ lord! I’m not a religious person but I gotta respect anyone who is. When a man of the cloth can’t profess love for any single human being on this planet, then America has ceased to be that which it was most created for: religious tolerance. What the hell is going on here?
Well.. didn’t shrub’s advance manual (leaked last month) say something about actually planting agents provocateur in crowds, to shout shrub slogans or USA! USA! or something to drown out real protestors? We’re in serious ancient Roman demagogue territory here… shrub=Sulla.
About 6 months ago, I took the Capitol tour after having not done so for quite a few years. The Capitol “Police” are no longer friendly but aggressive “white guys” in black Tac gear..They treated the visitors like shit especially the foreign visitors.
I was the The GW Hospital in the late 1960’s washing tear gas out of eyes and sewing up scalp lacerations. It will be a while longer but that is where we are headed again.
Just sent an e-mail to Pelosi saying that the DC people need to remember that THAT House belongs to us – not the members. I also told her that they all need a good lesson about who sent them there and what they are supposed to be doing. Sick of all of them.
JF @ 7
Mission accomplished. War pushed into 2008. Democrats weakened. Iraq deteriorates. Military contracts extended.
So let’s all take a moment to “reflect” about 9-11 and what happened six years ago. Maybe we should reflect on what’s happened since then to our civil liberties.
Okay, obvious questions…
Why was this guy singled out?….
What did he do to deserve this?…
Damn….
JF @ 7
Good work Dems. While you have not done what we sent you to do, Bush gets a nice PR bump by announcing troop withdrawals.
It’s as if they WANT to lose in ‘08.
He get hammered for wearing a button saying “I love the people of Iraq?”
Gee I thought we were supposed to stay over there indefinitely because we care about what happens to them so very much.
That is sheer fuckery!!! 8-(
i’m pissed that he wasn’t allowed entry… what happened to rev. yearwood after that is beyond thugish. i hope he sues the pants off the officers who broke his leg.
rev. yearwood has been a great voice for peace and justice. too bad those values aren’t being respected.
Sufilizard – from last thread. There are a zillion ways to be corrupt and make money, one could as easily go after Korea, Pakistan (who have nuclear capability) Nigeria or Venezuala (the latter 2 with oil). For Iran and Iraq, it is the geography that is critical.
SufiLizard @ 24
Disagree, as per my comment in the last thread, this means they are feeling the heat. I doubt he will get much a bump. And, it is only for show anyway, most will not buy this as a real reduction.
Jane Hamsher @ 25
I’m confused if we didn’t care for the people of Iraq why are we there nation building or whatever you want to call it….
I’m completely outraged.
I get the feeling the protests in DC on 9/15 could get bad.
Watching that man get tackled by those thugs just made me sick. They broke his leg!!!!
We’ve got to get rid of this violence against our citizens by these authoritarians. Just the other day they put “poster pasters” in f’ing leg shackles!!
ticktock @ 30
To justify, sustain and expand the usurpation of presidential power by one man
… except he isn’t a man at all – just the village cold sore.
thanks jane and siun for drawing attention to this.
important to remember the very real dangers faced by those who attempt to protest before congress for an end to the iraq occupation.
HumboldtBlue @ 22
We want to fight them over there so we can maintain our perfect quality of life here, right? Wrong! Those who give up liberty for safety deserve neither. I had to get a passport to fly to Canada, fur chrissake, and it wasn’t the Canadian Government who was making the policy change. Anyone who thinks the Bush administration has done anything but make hay with the tragedy of 9/11 is a fool. If Bin Laden was responsible and his intent was to alter the quality of life in America, then the results must be considered an unqualified success. I, for one, don’t think Bin Laden was the only one who had that intention, resulting from those tragic events 6 years ago. It is the cynic in me who attributes those same intentions to the Bush administration.
the minute i get to the lake today this video greets me grrrrrrrrrrr! how come the black reverend gets”tackled”? where’s the outcry from the CBC????? rev was simply exercising his right to attend a hearing as far as i could see from the vid…. oh yeah he was resisting arrest huh… standard police cover to hide their wrong-doing disgusting but not surprising to me – its SOP doncha know…
“This is Not What Democracy Looks Like”
This is however, just how the Repug Facist Fortress Amerika looks.
I would gather with this video that the Reverend has indisputable evidence of assault and battery by the Capital Police, as well as false arrest.
Since this took place on Federal property, those crimes committed against the Reverend are Federal offenses.
Nancy and Harry, we are WATCHING you!
Calling that number and they have said that we should be calling the Sgt of Arms. Waiting to be put through and to get the right number.
I called the speaker’s Office and the woman was quite annoyed. It might be good to change the post to reflect that the U.S. Capitol Police work for the Senate.
I am looking for some more information.
1-866-561-8727
Let’s not blame the Democrats too much. I mean, it’s not their fault that Republicans (and Lieberman) block debate on everything. They just don’t have the numbers to do what needs to be done. I don’t want the Republicans to continue this lie that Democrats are useless because the Republicans won’t let issues come to the floor, or Bush vetoes stuff.
This is Bush’s war and it’s the Republicans fault that they allowed him to screw it all up.
EvilDrPuma @ 16
I plumb forgot I was at the lab with a broadband connection. Okay, I watched this. I agree, I see no assault. Lennox does kind of double back as the officers start trying to herd him off, but the officers already have their hands on him, so it looks to me like he might be trying to disentangle himself. And then they tackle and dogpile on him and, I take it, this must be when Lennox suffered the broken leg.
I see no assault. I see disorderly conduct only if arguing with the officers at the door suddenly counts as disorderly…and maybe these idiots think it does. I still can’t help noticing that white officers seem to be the ones who bring it to violence.
Richmond @ 29
It has nothnig to do with “feeling the heat.” The military cannot keep that many troops in Iraq much longer. This has to do with the limits of the military, but Bush will be able to say “I’m withdrawin’ troops.” Any poll “bounce” he gets because of it will be worthless for him, because it will be in the height of election season. The Rep candidate, if he hangs onto the war, will be able to say he backed Bush, that this is clearly a sign of progress, and use that to justify further supporting the war.
Ah, good. My first thought was ‘Did anyone get video of this?’
The people in DC are not ‘our’ government, in certain ways that are important.
They don’t hear us.
They don’t see us.
They don’t want us near them.
But they do want our votes and our money.
I don’t think they deserve our votes or our money.
(note: I’m not advocating not paying taxes. I am saying don’t donate to their campaigns, even the ones who maight be mostly good guys. Remember every one of them voted for JoeL’s motion on Iran.)
I’m thinking of them in terms of ‘those g*d-d*mned m*therf*cking c*cks*ckers in DC’.
just spoke to pelosi’s office, they say she is NOT responsible for the cap hill police, i asked that she look into it anyway. was told that it’s the sgt. at arms who is responsible.
I called the speakers office to let her know she is a spineless DINO, and I don’t care if she is annoyed, I have had enough of Pelosi she has Clinton triangulation disease.
Richmond @ 29
I hope you’re right, but I suspect the right-wing echo chamber will get to work touting this as a big plus for Bush.
I am continually amazed at how the modern media spins events.
Of course Pelosi ‘knew nothing about this.’
Why should she? We all saw how quickly the msd’s reacted to the earlier police ‘incident’ with the sign posters. Hey! It’s only regular people, you know, the ones the msd’s blithely ignore. Are we having fun yet? Ah, just like the old days, police riots, official lack of awareness. What will it take to awaken our sleeping beauties? I wonder. I guess they just need more phone calls from the well-behaved. Decorum, please. Let us not distract the msd’s from their clever, sure-fire tactics for success in the next election.
Siun,
I just called the number, spoke to a young man who insisted that the Capitol police was not under the Speaker’s jurisdiction.
He insisted that the person/office to speak to was that of the Master of Arms.
I left a voicemail anyway, fat lot of good it’ll do.
Dodd, giving an impromptu press conference stating; no further funding without a date specified… 2-2 1/2 brigades can pull out a month…!!! 8-)
Capitol police grabbed Rep. McKinney aggressively too. Black woman in the Capitol without her button. Black man in the Capitol with a button they didn’t like…break his leg.
This is a huge deal.
here’s what everyone has to realize;
whenever any of our representatives have visited the “embasy”, which is basically it’s own country it is the size of the friggin vatican, but whenever any of our reps have seen it they come back saying we have to have a presence in Iraq
this is the problem boys and girls, our reps are being seduced by the embassy…they either don’t want to waste the investment or they see something to the presence
but there it is
Greg Luce @ 47
Well, then, Pelosi’s office needs to start giving callers the right number to call…or risk accusations of compicity.
There’s also more on this from David Swanson, who was present at the House hearing yesterday (the Armed Services Committee let only 20 members of the public into the ornate Cannon Caucus Room, even though more than a hundred staffers and reporters were in the audience – and were allowed to use their computers, which the members of the public were not):
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/26632
Also, FYI, Rev. Yearwood, Cindy Sheehan, and Ray McGovern, who were all arrested yesterday at the site of the hearing (Ray McGovern while in the hearing room, because he suggested during a pause that Petraeus and Crocker be sworn in, thinking that Skelton had forgotten to do so), are the three people who met privately with John Conyers about impeachment a month or two ago, and were then arrested and removed from his office (along with others) after their very disappointing hour-long meeting with him.
So some Republicans are upset with Gen. P’s elixir for Iraq. Listen GOP and Democrats. It was a no brainer not to go into Iraq in the first place. Think you all can manage to not make a worse mistake by going into Iran? I doubt it.
Your alchemy is not working in any part of the world, let alone in the Middle East.
AP – Senate Republicans sharply challenged President Bush’s top military general and ambassador in Iraq on Tuesday in a sign that some within the GOP retain serious misgivings about the protracted war.
Pelosi and Reid giving a Presser right now…!!!
johnSwifty @ 34
That was complete and utter snark, carried over from today’s “let’s reflect on 9-11″ garbage. The men who have stolen my liberties are in Washington, not holed up in a cave in Pakistan. The only thing 9-11 changed was that bed-wetting Americans decided that our dumbass president had the right tools for the job.
The correct number for the Sgt of Arms for the house is 202-225-2456
HumboldtBlue @ 22
I shared this in an earlier thread, it is excellent, and puts the war in Iraq in a much larger context. It’s a “teaser” (not sure of the correct word) bit from Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine and a speech from Klein that had been shown on Democracy Now. It is worth the time.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/152.html
Cranking it up. Welcome back Bibi.
At least 50 Israeli soldiers have been wounded by two rockets fired into Israel by Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip.
I predict that the ACLU will take this one on. Its too bad the Reverend got hurt, but the publicity generated by this act of police brutality will help to open peoples’ eyes. The Republicans are working toward a police state and the Democrats are enabling them.
CTuttle @ 54
pelosi calls for “redeployment” of “combat” troops.
please see previous thread on what this means. sigh.
HumboldtBlue @ 22
I remember the shock of watching the towers come down — someone had wheeled out a television set at work.
Before the end of the work day my horror was compounded as the realization of who our president was and what the coming years were going to look like began to sink in.
I’m not claiming any kind of clairvoyant powers or anything, just a pretty good idea of what this Administration is really about. Sadly, things have played out pretty much as I would have predicted that afternoon.
All right, I know I’m going to get my ass handed to me, and I’ll admit that I’m at work and can’t watch this video with the sound up, but just before the police pummel, the Reverend makes some sort of odd lunge, one that the cops will say was suspicious, and therefore they had no choice but to take him out.
I *DO NOT THINK* he was lunging towards any of the officers.
I *DO NOT THINK* he was trying to come across as a threat.
I *CERTAINLY* believe he was jacked up on adrenaline, angry and scared, and was *PROBABLY* thinking about either running into the chamber to shout something about ending the war, or just had a quick mental flash of himself successfully running away before getting pounded by a bunch of guys with guns.
But it won’t matter.
The guards will claim that lunge was aggressive and suspicious & the Reverend needed to be taken out. And if a leg gets broken, hey, small price to pay for the safety of our Congresspeople and the good General, right?
Only with the outrage and condemnation of a nation, and both sides of the political see-saw will the Reverend ever be vindicated and justice be served.
Good luck with that.
My impression during my last DC visit was that the Capitol police and the museum guards (IIRC were largely AA) have been displaced by young aggressive white males. The type that have the lizard brain EEG.
CTut (howdy!)
Please keep us informed if presser has significance (use you own judgement)!
nonplussed @ 38
I also talked with a very annoyed woman. The woman I am talking with now is very nice.
GeorgeSimian @ 39
Sorry this is also the Democrats war. They voted for it from the outset.
Yeah, he beat those six cops so bad with his leg that he broke it.
Can you say lawsuit?
so we fight for democracy there yet we lose a bit of ours daily….no longer are we to be allowed to question the gov’t without the fear of being arrested and in some cases broken limbs…. selma and birmingham ala come to mind…..
selise @ 61
She just said that whatever number that needs to be left to fight AQ can stay. This is their big compromise. Pelosi and Reid have to go. They are morons.
The woman I just got off the phone with said we should be calling the Public affairs division of the Capitol Police @ 202-224-1677
Steve-AR @ 19
I wonder if this isn’t the result of the long rethug reign over the house and somewhat briefer control of the Senate. I don’t suppose the Dems considered changing the hired help when they got back in charge, and so we are left with left-over thugs.
I’ve noticed the same thing at the Canadian border when I come to gas up.
While I’m on the same topic, a further anecdote. I flew down to Austin last week, where I got to chat with Jamie Galbraith and Brad Delong about this that and the other thing. At the US immigration I showed my Canadian passport, and the officer asked me why I wasn’t travelling on a US document, since the passport shows your place of birth. I said, because I didn’t need it. He said, yes you do. I said, how so? He says, if you declare coming in as Canadian, but you are really US, you can stay, and we won’t be able to find you.
Like I’m going to spend a hundred bucks to make it easier for the computers.
LS @ 69
God damn.
CNN: Israeli gov’t ‘very happy with success’ of IAF strike on Syria
The CNN television network reported Tuesday that Israel is happy with the results of an alleged Israel Air Force strike last week in Syrian territory.
Quoting sources in the United States and the region, CNN said, “The Israeli government is very happy with the success of the operation.”
European diplomats quoted Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem as saying Monday that the IAF warplanes that violated Syria’s airspace fired missiles at targets on the ground, but did not cause any damage.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/902928.html
That’s a screwed up video. Why’d they pick on a man of the cloth? They clearly singled him out. Was he the only person of color there? And who was that lady being led away too? Did she stand up for him? It’s clear he didn’t resist anything. He clearly wasn’t a threat to anyone. Why didn’t they take off the handcuffs when he said his leg was broken? Did they think he’d run away with a broken leg?
I guess that this happens at airports every day, but in the Capital Building? These cops need to be brought before a judge. And if they were under orders, then that has to be explained.
Steve-AR @ 63
If this is how the Capitol police and museum guards are permitted to conduct themselves, they can forget about me visiting. I expect them to respect the people who pay their salaries.
GeorgeSimian @ 39
Would you care to assign ownership to possible Iran ‘adventure’? (Does ‘complicit’ count?)
i am seething right now!! if i call now i’ll be very very ugly – need to calm myself down a bit
The man never got the answer he wanted — about why he was not allowed in the chamber. How did these guys break his leg so quickly?
I am mistaken, however in my defense, the USCP e-mail is hosted on the Senate Server. The Capitol Police do not work for the Senate.
Kathleen @ 65
Heh, ‘How has your stewardship affected the direction of the war?’ Pretty lame-o response from both… Just like their inactions…!!!
hackworth @ 59
my bold.
hope so. (see Political Jiu-Jitsu)
HumboldtBlue @ 55
No worries, I totally understood your snark. I totally blow past snark on the way to seriously pissed! My blood pressure is up and my left arm is aching. If I live, can I sue the Capital Hill police too? Legal Eagles?
“A Republic, if we can keep it”
Let’s take it back. Rev. Yearwood was falsely charged with felony assault on police officers who had attacked him without cause.
This is standard operating procedure for American law enforcement at non-violent public assemblies.
The Capitol Policed did on video.
Hurt them badly for this, and make it harder for the people who wear guns to work to smash us in the face because we dare to honor the Constitution.
Hope Sen Reid’s office gets so upset the selfish bastard actually does something to uphold the Constitution.
And I hope all the officers on the videotape see posters of their fascist faces all over Capitol Hill on “wanted” posters for crimes against civil rights.
Hurt them (non-violently), shame them, pursue them.
May they be without peace or honor so long as they continue to attack the Republic and the People of the United States.
Cowards.
We’re going to try and blow Iran to smithereens soon.
juslin @ 77
I just called and got voice mail. I am seething too, and I let them have it bigtime. I hope they call me back, so I can let them have in person. They can’t tackle me and break my leg over the phone!
One of the things that was most disturbing was how almost everyone, including folks who looked to be civilians, just kept moving, business as usual – even those that were right there and could hear what was going on the entire time…..It had a bizarre William Gibsonesque/Wild Palms ‘keep on eating your dinner while the person at the next table gets clobbered by goons and dragged away for no apparent reason’-kind of aura about it.
Is the man OK?
.
.
The reason they are annoyed in Pelosis office is because they are getting hammered because she has stalled Conyers from getting a vote on contempt charges for Bolton and Meiers, and she should be hammered she is spineless andineffectual
My Senator asking why aren’t we holding the Iraqi Govt accountable…!!!
Iran is on the table, impeachment is not. Now that’s what I call real leadership.
RossK @ 86
They broke his leg!!!
Richmond @ 66
It’s true they authorized it, but come on, that’s Republican spin. This is Bush’s war – not even the Republicans’. The Republicans blocked and continue to block any oversight of it, or of Bush, and now they are keeping it going, but this is Bush’s war.
Shorter DC welcome to its citizens: “Good luck, and break a leg.”
Well, one thing is for sure, the way police treat black men in this country sure as hell hasn’t changed in the past six years.
Franco @ 87
I’ve already sent her an email about this and called all my friends. Here’s her contact email.
Franco @ 87
yup. here’s marcy’s take: I’d Love to See Conyers and Pelosi in a Spat
Steve-AR @ 63
My impression during my last DC visit was that the Capitol police and the museum guards (IIRC were largely AA) have been displaced by young aggressive white males. The type that have the lizard brain EEG.
The black suited thugs were also found in New Orleans during Katrina. Naomi Klein puts it altogether in the video I’ve been nagging about. See comment 57 for a link.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 89
A valid point. How did that happen?
If the police, Capitol or otherwise, are resorting to violence to quell dissent, or even the expression of IDEAS, in this context, where presumably he had already gone through a metal detector to enter the Capitor, I am convinced there will be violence at the 9/15 protests. When Bush came to Canada last month, the Quebec Provincial Police were caught placing masked police officers as agents provacateurs in the crowd of peaceful protesters – they picked up rocks in full view of the media, and then when the protest leaders told them to put the rocks down, but refused, they were called out as undercovers and then were “arrested” by the other police. It’s all on You Tube, thank goodness. I think that tainting peaceful protesters as rioters for the willing accomplices in the media who love a good riot to cover is in the playbook now, just as it was in Chicago in 1968.
Neil Young said it best, “For What It’s Worth”
“Paranoia strikes deep / Into your life it will creep / It starts when you’re always afraid / You step out of line, the man come and take you away”
Let’s hope it doesn’t get to the point of another Neil Young song:
“Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We’re finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio.”
selise @ 95
loved that one, selise!
Since it is the Senate, we need Reid’s number. Anybody have it?
OLBERMANN: What is the healing estimate? Do you have any idea? Obviously you were there for the great political rupture of probably the last century and a half in this country, and I know a lot of us who were just bystanders of the thought it‘s going to be decades before we fully heal from this. Obviously, there are still scars. But the immediate fissures were cleaned up surprisingly quickly. Could we redeem ourselves quickly enough in this?
DEAN: The Congress has to step up first and then the courts can. One of the problems is the fact that if we get another Republican president in there, and he pushed the judiciary even further to the right, to the fundamentalist right, then it‘s beyond the pale. I think my grandchildren will have to be worried about another constitutional convention some day
(John Dean on the consequence of another gooper president)
GeorgeSimian @ 91
No it is not spin. It was Rahm who took out the no bomb Iran wording. It was Hoyer who took the new Dems to Isr*el this summer so they could get special “insight” on the M.E. situation. It was Kerry, and Clinton, and so many others who voted to send the troops in originally.
800 828 0498 is the capitol switchboard. They’ll take you to whatever office you request.LS @ 100
LS @ 100
call the Capitol Switchboard numbers Christy always posts
edit: see 103 *s*
johnSwifty @ 34
OBL’s wildest dreams have been fufilled in the name of the Shrub. He must be laughing his ass off at us from a cave somewhere.
LS @ 100
Reid’s direct number: 202-224-3542
Just your usual Palestinian – Z*onite encounter.
Ishmael @ 98
Actually, Stephen Stills wrote, “For What It’s Worth”.
How many in my party, the Democratic Party, voted against going into Iraq?
HumboldtBlue @ 93
Or the past hundred and sixty, and counting. The insidious and often unconsidered aspect of rolling back America’s civil liberties in favor of supposed safety is that many of the constituents have very little to roll back; and, what little they do have has been hard won in only the last forty years.
The irony that a man on Capital Hill, today, is making the argument to continue an insane policy so that security that was so hard to win not be lost; while this occurs, under the noses of the supposed watchmen, another man has his security ripped from him, his body broken, and untruthful charges brought against him; all in the name of American security. Good lord, it is to cry.
WOW…tweety is tearing Petreus a new onw , because he can not say if fighting in Iraq is making America safer…..
tweety must be taking his meds!
David W. Bartoo @ 76
I guess that would be Cheney. Where’s he been? Not that I miss seeing him.
Look, you can keep blaming Democrats for not stopping this war, or you can get behind Democrats for trying to stop the war.
The Republicans need to get all the blame they deserve. They are trying to get it to look like the Democrats are the reason we lost this war. They are trying to say, if only the Democrats would stop all this anti-war talk, then Bush would win in Iraq. They blame Democrats, they blame Iraqis, they blame the media – everyone but the Republicans who had six years of complete and popular power. They blew it, but they want Democrats to take the blame.
I’ll also add that even Democrats that are scared to vote against this war because they are scared of looking like cowards are only responding to the Republican war machine that irresponsibly portrays them as cowards. Who’s fault is that?
Kathleen @ 70
Thank you for the number Kathleen. I left a message on Sgt. Kimberly Schneider’s voice mail. Let’s fill it up.
How many think that President HRC will work hard toward an evenhanded solving of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Blub @ 13
Plus the mercenaries of approximately the same number that makes over a quarter of a million military or various ilk in Iraq. Next summer the squirrelly back-peddling will rise out of the bubbling cesspool of lies and business as usual in Congress and the White House and the military contract companies will continue.
Joe Klein’s conscience @ 105
OBL is part of the Bushco team. Worked brilliantly. He is probably living in a palace in Saudi Arabia. Or he is dead. And that ain’t him in the most current videos. If it is his karisma factor has dropped dramatically.
rwcole @ 101
Another Constitutional Convention someday? Is Dean saying that he thinks plenty in this country will take Thomas Jefferson’s advice(or was it James Madison)?
Franco @ 110
Tweety actually paid attention to Warner’s question? Wow!! Just Wow!!
Sue the crap out of the House Gestapo and Nancy Pelosi, their Thug in Chief.
Kagro X rocks…
“Quick briefing for you, then: What it would mean is, if you don’t act, the Congress isn’t a coequal branch anymore. In fact, you won’t have that one thing you said was ‘most important’ about regaining the majority.
Do you like being a coequal branch? Then vote to be one. If you hate having power and getting things done, sit on your hands for a little longer.
Ready to vote? Good. I thought so. Briefing over.”
Patience General? Kiss my ass.
Franco @ 110
is that his show?
I hope c&l posts that, I would love to see it
I just called Obama’s office. The aide was really shocked. He had not heard about it or seen it. I told him to come over to this site to watch the video. He gasped, and said, “Oh No”, when I told him the leg was broken. He thanked me profusely and told me he would make absolutely sure the Senator gets all of the information.
Joe Klein’s conscience @ 108
FWIW
perris@121
yes it is his show…
Hi Gang:
Just got a call from the Caucus – Rev Yearwood is out of court but will have to go back for two trials – one on disorderly conduct, one on the assault of a police officer which was downgraded to a misdemeanor charge (had been a felony)
Please keep those calls going …
Thanks!!!
“Continued progress”?
AP – President Bush will tell the nation this week he plans to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq by about 30,000 by next summer, but will condition those and further cuts on continued progress, The Associated Press has learned.
LS @ 123
All right LS!
tweety has showed the Warner clip 3 times now….
Is Crocker the person that was sent to negotiate with the Iranians? That is frightening. Is this guy doing nose candy?
Why not send in General Wesley Clark, General Zinni, Madeline Albright, and Flynt Leverett to deal with Iran. They actually understand the region? Do they want to be successful with Iran or not?
Seymour Hersh reported several years ago that the US had special forces on the ground in Iran. Wonder if they were sent in with the IED’s? Can you say Mossad in Iran?
Re: Ishmael @ 98’s comment….
More on police duplicity during the Bushworld visit to Canada here.
____
(and that was formerly our Neil’s ‘Ohio’ at the end, which is ironic in the extreme given that we are having some Ohio-style voter suppression problems of our own in Quebec at the moment)
.
It should be easy enough with this powerful video for a forensic medical person to pinpoint exactly when (and by whom) this man’s leg was (intentionally) broken. I find this truly disgusting.
GeorgeSimian @ 112
Which msd’s have tried to stop the coming assault on Iran? When? Where?
Tell me please, I would be most happy to learn
that I’ve been missing something like that.
I just called and the staffer that answered claimed to have just heard of it. Unbelieveable.
Are we really an entire day ahead of the Speaker of the House’s Office?
Ishmael @ 98
There will.
There was police provocateur violence in the ‘99 Seattle WTO protests (I witnessed burly men in blue throwing rocks through local small business windows (after the Black Bloc had targeted and broken windows in megacorp stores at noon on nov. 30) and then push their way into police lines out of the corwd.
In April 2000 at the IMF/WB protests I personally cared for a protester (wearing black) who had been trodden on by DC Police who rode their horses into non-violent crowds.
In LA in August 2000 I ID’d John Glass (violent provocateur) at the convergence space for the protests at the DNC convention. Mr Glass – who had been outed in the forest protection movement – just happened to show up telling us he had four pounds of cannabis off site to “give” to the convergence.
The WTO has been stymied ever since Seattle. The IMF/WB are still questioning their role and legitimacy. In Los Angeles, the march past the LAPD’s violent and corrupt Ramparts division HQ and the massive march through the garment district helped lay the path for the massive pro-immigration rallies we saw in the last year.
In the pro-peace, pro-America, pro-troop rallies against the Iraq war to come, there will be
provocateurs
police violence
false charges
suppression of public assembly (DC police have that down)
illegal arrests.
Just as there were in Seattle, DC..and everywhere else we have won.
For this next round of protests, think zones. The point of conflict is the hot zone (red zone). Next to that is the “maybe” zone (yellow zone).
ANd the biggest zone (formerly “green zone”) is the chill zone – where the public can come and assemble and demonstrate.
The Black block and the anti-globalization movement will do the work in the hot zone and “maybe” zones.
There will be plenty of room in the “chill zone” for families and regular citizens.
So – despite the prospect of some law enforcement violence and sleaze – you can come out, be heard, and go home the same day.
Sounds like a good outing to me.
Joe Klein’s conscience at 107 – Mea culpa, you’re right, Stills wrote it.
SufiLizard @ 6
I am a lawyer That footage should be the basis for an immediate motion to dismiss the charges–
He clearly did not assault any officer. Further, upon view the tape, the judge should refer this case for prosecution/discipline of the officers involved.
After they broke his leg (and from the angle of his foot you could tell something was very wrong with his leg)
They left that man sitting on the floor in handcuffs,so that he could not even shift the weight of his body to find a comfortable position.
Grauitous injury like that almost makes wish I was a tort lawyer.
GeorgeSimian @ 112
The elected Dems who choose to act as cowards.
Good God. That poor man. And how long did it take to get him medical attention? Weren’t the police prepared at all?
called the capitol police offcier. they told me I was wrong and that “i can’t believe everything I see on TV.”
I told him i wasn’t weatchign tv, and how long has it been policy to beat up old people, 6-on-1. I pointed out that my taxes pay for this, and that’s when they hung up on me. So I called back, and asked for the gentleman’s name, explaining that I would be registering a formal complaint, and he hung up on me again.
I am going to be complaining in writing I believe. This kind of thuggery is fucking bullshit.
My senator’s office, Bob Casey, has promised a response if I write a letter. I encourage FDL readers to complain personally to THEIR senator and let them know that this kind of behavior from public servants in the public’s house is not acceptable.
t4toby @ 134
Either they just had a shift change or they are lying. They are lying. Three or four of us have talked with them in the last half hour.
They are lying I spoke to them too.
HumboldtBlue @ 93
Amen to that.
Firepups – you all make me so proud to be at FDL … and Liz from the Hip Hop Caucus sent thanks from their whole team. They will fight this arrest
and I’m sure we’ll support them.
hackworth @ 59
That is what we say about every outrage..and it never happens. My guess, if a poll was taken, 43% would say a black man “mouthing off” to white cops deserved getting the shit beat out of him. 32% would be indifferent and 25% would be outraged.
If this happened to Rev Yearwood, it can happen to any American. I hope this video gets major media airing so the ‘what, me worry?, I’m not doing anything wrong’ crowd can see what you can get for voicing disagreement.
looseheadprop @ 137
Ahh, LHP, ya don’t wanna be an Ambulance-Chaser, do ya? By the way did ya notice that several pink shirts entered the chamber during the skirmish…!!! 8-)
Elliott at 124
Thanks.
A lesson on how to protest and have fun.
Biggus Diggus @ 78
Looked like at least five big guys on top of him at once. Leg badly angled; weight does the rest.
Ishmael @ 136
It’s okay. I love Neil, but I just had to give Stills his due. And the genius in “Ohio” was as much the music as the words.
Rev Yearwood has recently been in Iraq and he’s been talking about the connections between how the people of Iraq are treated and the people of Katrina … I guess that’s scary talk to the powers that be.
OT
sorry, but, here’s how I see Crocker…
/s
siun or selise i need the # for the cbc either of you have it plz?
kirk murphy @ 135 –
to add to your most excellent list, i personally saw (and photographed – i was volunteering as a legal observer with the nlg) 4 police provocateurs posing as protesters at the miami ftaa protests.
Biden is tearing up on Tweety talking about flying on a plane home from Bagdad with fallen soldiers….very sad….
Kathleen @ 130
Our dead American soldiers kia in Iraq. What did they perish for?
selise @ 154
Hi selise – bless you!
Are the pics posted?
I’d like to spread those mug shots as far as possible – the “local” demo cops pop up in other cities….
lhp said–
“Grauitous injury like that almost makes wish I was a tort lawyer.
Careful what you wish for.
Although one can always wish for a swarm of torts and/or tort lawyers to descend upon those that deserve it.
.
Kathleen @ 70
Public Affairs! That’s their press office.
This needs to be “Spotlighted”.
tweety just said chimpy is hiding behind Petreus, shows Warner clip AGAIN and now Jim webb up, y;all have to see this 1st part of tweety it is actually very powerful
Oklahoma kiddo @ 157
A pack of lies… Ooh, Webb is next on Tweety…!!!
oh wow is tweety upset! wonder who shook him up……
EvilDrPuma @ 75
Ever since 9/11 and “our universally heroic first responders,” police and security guards all over DC have been acting like they think they’re frickin’ special forces. It’s calmed down a little since the first year, but there’s still a hell of a lot of attitude that because they’re checking IDs and bags, they can decide whether you have the right to be there.
Petraeus can’t tell us what we’re fighting for in Iraq.
Franco @ 154
Why is it that I pay Comcast $55.00 a month and all I get is CNN and FOX? No movie channels nada, only CSPAN One. Sorry to complain and as soon as I sell this house I’m getting Direct TV. Thanks for the updates.
Matthews on fire, If Petraeus can’t tell us whether this war in Iraq is making the US safer this is “maddeningly stupid”.
Please do not tell me this is new for Matthews he has been ripping on this war for a long time. He was one of the first MSMers to go into Walter Reed and focus on returning soldiers. Next on Hardball… Webb
Jonathan @ 148
I usually take candles, bubbles, and little star stickers for the kids when I go to protests/demonstrations.
kirk murphy @ 158
sorry, i don’t think so… i took those pics with real film (not digital) and gave it to the nlg. will go looking through my old notes and pics to see if there are dups. remind me if i don’t find them w/in a few days.
Even if the Capitol Police fall under the Senate’s jurisdiction, this happened at a joint meeting of two committees of the House of Representatives. That alone ought to make Pelosi ask a few questions.
I don’t like seeing anyone’s leg get broken, but when it’s someone wearing a clerical collar . . . let’s just say that gets a bit closer to home for me.
The “Bush is hiding behind Petraeus” comment was like a laser to the heart of the issue..
There is only ONE fucker who should be taking the heat for this war- and that’s the president of the United States.
I just emailed KO and linked to this video. We should all do it so mind doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
“Is a failed-state still possible in Iraq?” Huckleberry.
LHP, in all seriousness a really, really vicious tort lawyer is just what is needed.
One of the things I see organizing demo medicine is the “tail” of protesters injured by deliberate police violence. THe departments learn from one another, and “successful” violent tactics are widely copied.
Our demo attorneys are great free speech and criminal lawyers, but we haven’t yet attracted really vicious tort lawyers to the professional brain trust that helps with major demo logistics.
Lots of cases (though a tiny fraction of the whole – just enough to spread fear) at each major demo; lots of documentation/witnesses; lots of articulate, affluent victims of intentional law enforcement violence.
If you think of any attorneys who’d love that work, we’d love to have ‘em.
looseheadprop @ 137
marymccurnin @ 173
What’s the KO linky…
Siun @ 144
excellent! solidarity!
Listening to the hearing makes me mean. I knew it was serious when I decided to bonsai plants in my garden because it felt so good to whack the roots. Something I really want to do to Congress.
This is Bush and the Republicans’ war. Republicans are in collusion with Bush and Cheney. It becomes Bush’s war when Republicans turn on him for war crimes and take action to bring our troops home immediately, close all military bases in Iraq and seriously solve the refugee problem that neighboring countries are humanely answering.
Another call to my senators. I hope they are having nightmares and are under extreme stress.
Actually, many of the senators are asking hard, in-depth questions. I don’t know how some of the Republicans sleep at night. No soul. No conscience. Just empty hollow suits.
Goddammit, maybe California is as screwed up as they say. Pelosi has turned out to be a craven political hack; Feinstein is a war profiteer; Boxer is about as useful tits on a hog; our Governor is calling for a law banning violent video games … yeah, yeah, I know stop giggling … my Congressman is leaning Blue Dog.
Fuck it, Oregon is inly 90 miles north.
olbermann linky
KOlbermann@msnbc.com
Oklahoma kiddo @ 109
Barbara Lee.
kirk murphy @ 175
I bet John Edwards could recommend someone.
A trigger-happy U.S. patrol opened fire on civilians in the Sinak district of Baghdad, killing many Iraqis and wounding others….
http://www.azzaman.com/english/
ok i got the # i was seeking and called the cbc and asked if a statement has been made – not yet an aide named irene told me… cbc members supposedly back in their respective districts – still seething……….
Looks to me like it was the 6 people surrounding Rev. Yearwood who need to be arrested for disorderly conduct and assault. That is what I saw on the video.
Kathleen @ 37
Thanks, Kathleen. I was pretty sure I remembered that the “Capitol Police work for the Speaker’s Office” line was a bit of wingnut spin from the Capitol steps graffiti incident, but I couldn’t find any specifics. (It wouldn’t make sense for them to be solely under the authority of the House.)
Franco @ 162
Matthews has been on fire for quite some time, this is not the first time that he has been ripping it up, but he does seem to be turning up the heat. Go to the Hardball site and watch him last night…steam coming out his ears and fire in the eyes.
HumboldtBlue @ 179
Canada a few miles more. And it has health care! *grrrr*
Father Berrigan. We need you.
Webb “I was against the invasion, we have become more vulnerable because of the invasion of Iraq” ” we entered this war recklessly, have to get out carefully”
Webb went onto say that “we need aggressive diplomacy by talking with Iraq’s neighbors”
RossK @ 159
Oh, I predict that the good reverand will have many many tort lawyers willing to take his case on contingency fee.
And maybe even a couple willing to do it pro-bono.
Nope pups, I would expect to see the fed gov’t writing some checks to the good Rev.
Siun or somebody, would you please MAKE SURE that the Reverand knows that in order to sue the government you have to put in a “Notice of Claim” to the US Court of Claims and you have a very short time limit to do so.
When I say short, I’m talking like is could be as short as 15 days (I haven’t looked it up).
Differnt jurisdictions (city, county, state, fed) have different time periods. They are all MUCH MUCH MUCH shorter than the regular statute of limitatons.
Even an experienced tort lawyer, who may not have much experience suing the fed gov’t, might miss the deadline.
Tell the Rev. to get that Notice of Claim in ASAP!!!!!!!
JK’s Conscience at 150 – Yes, the music is amazing too – I crank up the song whenever I hear it on the radio (I suspect it gets considerably less airplay in the US than Canada).
marymccurnin @ 15
I think we’re somewhere between “drifting” and “rushing pell-mell” for the kind of anticipatory law enforcement depicted in Minority Report. This is shown primarily in the prisoners held at Guantanamo, as well as in the trial of Jose Padilla. Of course, in Rev. Yearwood’s case, their evidence for suspecting that he would commit a crime while in the hearing room was within epsilon of zero (as we say in calculus), but you could say the same for a number of the prisoners in Guantanamo. His “future crime” was evidently the fear that he might commit an unpleasant distraction. (After all, you know, he was, like, hip hop! What more proof do you need???)
Oh, how I long for a Congress who will stop accepting this erosion of our national culture, and act firmly, and with conviction, to uphold the Bill of Rights!
Bob in HI
No, it’s what facism looks like. Get used to it.
peanutbutter @ 188
Do you think Canada would take in a few million U.S. refugees?
An OT..FYI..
Untangling the latest GOP gay scandal
link
And Craig gets a hearing on his attempt to witdraw his plea. Good. I think.
Judge has agreed to a hearing on Larry Craig’s guilty plea, per Tweety.
Kathleen @ 190
Tried to say something in another response to you above but it disappeared..
Sincere diplomacy while Bush/Cheney are in office is not going to happen. If James Baker couldn’t get them to do it..congress will not be able to either, imo.
Elliott @ 182
You know what? That is a great idea.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 189
Yes, I have noted before the lack of priests with balls enough to counter the papal pit bull in this immoral Iraq war situation. Too busy coverng their asses in the abuse scandals. Where are the nuns too? Doesn’t the church press the importance of life at all costs. I guess the abortion issue is more important, because those “losses” are “unnecessary”!?X
Oklahoma kiddo @ 109
126 in the House (61% of Dems), 22 in the Senate (44% of Dems).
Kathleen @ 196
I’d say they’re more likely than we are, if we were faced with a wave of refugees (again, *grrrrr*).
This in some ways makes me think of Spain in 1492. One of the consequences of their policy was a ‘brain drain’…Canada’s got to be benefitting from that, as it’s the bright ones getting out earlier…!
I just called about this. The receptionist said that its the Sergeant at Arms who is responsible for the Capitol Police…to which I replied, doesn’t the Sergeant at Arms report to the Speaker? Without anything further she transferred me to voicemail.
I called back immediately, got the same woman and told her that I didn’t appreciate being treated so rudely. She said they were getting lots of calls… to which I replied “as you should be. What is the Speaker going to DO about it? This is the United States of America. That used to mean something.”
Are we sure that Tweety isn’t just trying to increase his viewers like Keith. IMO Keith is showing the way on how reporters should examine and probe issues.
Elliott @ 182
Or, instead of recommending someone else, Edwards might offer to take the case himself.
Why doens’t Pelosi sic these guys on the persons who’ve defied their suponeas?
Oklahoma kiddo @ 197
Dizzy. I think.
Did you catch my answer on your question about how many in D party voted against?
Phoned the capitol police public affairs office. Emailed Obama, Durbin and Manzullo and Olberman, now off to send more.
Guess Christians aren’t allowed to love their enemy anymore.
JPL @ 205
Whatever it takes…….
1,593 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen Siun and the Firepup Patriots:
“This is not what democracy looks like.”
No, it’s not but it IS what fascism looks like and this is NOT the first time in our history that the mask of civil democracy has been raised to expose the twisted face of fascism…our very own 200 year old American fascism. Again this is NOT the first time the myth of American democracy has been exposed for the efficient authoritarianism that it really is but from this moment on there is no putting a friendly face back on the gargoyle.
The Civil War, Reconstruction, WWI and the Palmer Raids, the Veterans Army and General Macarthur, the McCarthy movement, the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and, of course the legitimizing of friendly fascism with the election of Ronald Reagan. All these moments of conflict between the forces of democracy and the power of the oligarchy resolved with tens of thousands dead and the re-legitimizing of authoritarian control. But today mask has been ripped off and there will be no attempt to put a friendly face back on the beast.
The oligarchy is threatened by the seer weight of the mass of democracy. The popular will can NOT be finessed into continuing to send the children of America to kill the children of Iraq in order to secure oil for American corporations and the hegemony of Israel in the Middle East. This is the last battle in the 200 year old struggle to make real the idea of democracy…we won’t win this battle by attending faux committee hearings and playing out the charade of presidential electoral politics. We will win this battle by delegitimizing the entire sham. Don’t sit and listen patiently to fascists and their enablers as they lipstick the pig – organize, demonstrate and strike!! Don’t fret and agonize over tactics and whether or not it’s a good idea to call “bullshit” on the bastards while wearin’ pink outfits, close the God damned meetings down. And don’t wait patiently in line and pretend to “see no evil” while your brothers and sisters are bludgeoned, beaten, broken and hauled off to face the “justice system”.
Jesus H. Christ on a fuckin’ crutch, fascism is here and it ain’t gunna acquiesce to the sham of a “free election”. We gotta shut the whole thing down…storm the legislature and tell the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination that they don’t stand a chance unless they lead the charge or get the fuck outta the way.
Organize, demonstrate…throw the fuckin’ bums out!!
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, NOBODY’S GUNNA DO IT FOR YA!!
t4toby @ 134
If the Congresswoman’s staff had read her damn incoming constituent email last night, they need not have been surprised. I sent a link to this YouTube about 5pm pacific time, with an email demanding an explanation.
If they don’t know about Reverend Lennox Yearwood’s assault, injury, arrest, hospitalization, and arraignment by today, it’s their own damn fault for not reading yesterday’s email. Get with the program, please, Pelosites.
Oh, and:
TROOPS
HOME
NOW
And Hillary is returning almost $1,000,000 in campaign contributions raised by a crook. Public finanacing is now critical to good government. This is not a difficult concept.
Wish I were a Mighty Mite lodged in the Capitol Police phone system counting calls they received. In case they forgot, thousands of pairs of eyes are upon them.
Richmond at 201 – I believe there is a nun serving a considerable sentence for war protests, and in fairness, both John Paul II and the current Pope have denounced the Iraq War, but agreed, the current church hierarchy in the US is much more concerned with John Kerry’s communion taking than this unjust war.
bobschacht @ 193
His biggest offense was standing in line while black. And wearing a button that said he loved the Iraqi people. Further proof that the Iraqi people have become (for a long time now) the enemy alone with black people. And brown people. And progressives. And mouthy liberal women. And anyone making less than $250,000 a year. And anyone who needs health care.
I could go on. Won’t.
QuakerGirl @ 214
And, I might add, we need no warrant to keep our eye on the establishment.
peanutbutter @ 208
Yes I did. ;0)
JPL @ 205
I think it’s fine if he is. It would be the first time someone else at MSNBC caught on to the fact that they get better ratings ($$$) if they’re not trying to be Fox clones. And since Tweety has been at the bottom of the ratings barrel lately (second only to Tucker Carlson) if it works, he might well continue on the path of light.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 114
It confounds that this site remains a bastion of believers in the “system”. God the issues you focus on are so goddamm petty. How about ending our dependence on fossil fuels during a HRC administration or revoking every television and radio license in this country so that some or any can compete in a re-application process in changing the media ownership.
How can you ask what Hillary will do about anything which matters? She is just an extension of the petty careerism and is at her core no different.
Tweety aka Chris Mathews is a Water carrier for the right wing fascisti.
Mathews slimed Al Gore and Kerry on a daily basis. He loves the strutting Codpiece. Now he doesn’t like the war? He did everything he could do to beat the drums for it.
Wingers will say that Tweety’s current squawking about the war proves that the media has a liberal bias. Tweety and the MSM have a right wing bias. They now hint at being anti-war b/c it plays better.
Mathews poo-pooed the Move-On piece and tagged the Democrats in a very unfair and fascist manner.
Franco @ 180
Thank you for the link. Sent a note.
Ane while we are talking about the transformation of the Capitol Police into stormtroopers, aren’t these the same guys Congress would have to rely upon to enforce “inherent contempt” proceedings? It is possible that they would defy orders to arrest Miers or Bolten.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 212
This is happening because we are holding their feet to the fire. Revolution happens from the bottom up.
Redshift @ 219
and he wants to be popular with those left wing blogs, he’s probably read some comments about himself right here.
peanutbutter @ 9
I am grateful for the footage, too.
I’ll take a pass on crucifying the officers, but I do want to know who sent them, and why, and who gave the order for the gang tackle. Those are the people who should be held responsible. If Speaker Pelosi is involved, hold her accountable.
Bob in HI
Redshift @ 202
Thankyou. ;0)
Siun @ 126
Disorderly may stick (my sound was messed up but it’s possible).
Assault on an officer is the standard charge – always leveled against a defendant who gets the shit kicked out of him.
Those who have been around for a day or two always recognize the red flags raised when assault on an officer is filed (especially when the defendant turns up injured).
Drive-by, sorry, back later.
bobschacht @ 225
Helter Skelton helped set the tone. He called the protesters “a**holes” and egged the police on to prosecute and get tough. He should be held accountable.
EvilDrPuma @ 216
Most things are a double edge sword. Watch the people and the people will watch you ; P
QuakerGirl @ 223
Yes. ;0)
LHP – good advice. I’ll make sure they know!
Thanks!
Eureka Springs @ 199
All we are saying is “Give Impeachment a chance” Got on the Diane Rehm show with John Dean yesterday. Got the Impeachment question in at the end of the show. Mentioned that he had written about the Impeachment of lower level officials who had served in the Bush administration. Asked if there is still enough time to Impeach, Ari Fleisher, Rove, Douglas Feith etc. specifically so that they can never/ever roll back into a future administration Am unable to link from this computer but his answer was great.
Give Impeachment a chance…this is it folks let’s push. JPL @ 205
BS Matthews was pushing and challenging the neo-cons long before Olberman. Matthews was challenging Kristol, Frum etc. many years ago, now I don’t think they will come on his show. Matthews was the first MSMer to go into Walter Reed. Folks here at FDL love to rip “Tweety” up but if you watch the show regularly (and I do not agree with a great deal of what he says) he has been ripping the “cakewalk” radicals up even before the invasion.
Olberman started on his track later much later than Matthews but has pushed his personal opinion much further than Matthews. While I appreciate Olberman spouting off, I believe Olberman is more the showboat.
Wolcott:
Siun @ 231
thanks for bring it to our attention!
I was also mystified by the casual and disinterested tenor of the crowd surrounding this incident, save a few shouts. The impression I got was that the police thought he cut in line and should go to the end. But it did not appear to me that he cut in line, and he was saying he did not cut in line.
Nobody seemed to be saying he did either.
Unfortunately, once you start arguing with the police they will arrest you, period. We’ll see what happens to these charges. They should be dropped.
At TPM they’re saying JoeL was trying to get Petraeus to agree we need to attack Iran.
Petraeus said no.
He gets an epsilon’s worth of approval for that.
OT: The sheriffs in San Bernardino county ahd a major pot bust this morning. Three guys in camo with assault rifles were guarding the crop and shot at them – the sheriffs got one of them.
From the LA Times story, the interesting paragraphs:
(emphasis mine)
hmmm libby dole has a new face i see….just turned back to sen hearing to see whats up..calming down some…i want congress to speak to this assault on free assembly…calm enough now to call speakers office ;o}
Oklahoma kiddo @ 226
I guess this depends on which vote you’re talking about.
I said Barbara Lee, who was the sole person who voted against the AUMF on Sept 18, 2001.
But I guess you were asking about this? Which notes: The authorization was sought by President George W. Bush. Introduced as H.J.Res. 114 (Public Law 107–243), it passed the House on October 10, 2002 by a vote of 296-133, and the Senate on October 11 by a vote of 77-23. It was signed into law by President Bush on October 16, 2002.
Mr. Joe Lieberman represents his interests and those interests outside our country. Primarily.
I’d recommend the ACLU, myself.
P J Evans @ 236
Just another reason to legalize pot.
bobschacht @ 225
OK kiddo @ 212
It was interesting looking at the story on the front page of the LA Times this morning, about Hillary returning those donations from Hsu’s ‘network’.
They were warned about Hsu last June and blew it off. If they’d paid attention, they’d have avoided a lot of trouble.
Anatomy of a quagmire: The David & Ryan show
bobschacht @ 225
I’d have to respectfully disagree here with you Bob.
This is a primo example of a widely-held police mentality that “we be police, so anything we do must be right.”
Bad policing, bad police policies and bad police are not acceptable. Anywhere.
How could any rational human being fail to understand that the Reverend was in the right?
The answer is that the DC police were not being rational human beings. And those are just the type of people that do not ever belong on a police force.
As a matter of fact, those type of people are generally the type that we have the police forces to protect us against.
Start the revolution. It WILL be televised .
Ryan Crocker “the cookie pusher. If that’s the State Department, we’re in trouble. So says Matthews on “Hardball”.
I’m trying to picture a Repub returning almost $1 mil in campaign $ from a crook as quickly. lol
Hard to tell the difference, these days, between the static in Iraq and the shit going downhill in Washington.
ironranger @ 248
just think if they returned all of their crooked money……..
Hey yo,
The cops single him out for wearing abutton…they are black and white cops…they put their hands on him…one cop from behind and thatis when I notice the Reverend start to jump. He’s on the ground saying “I’m not resistin’ I’m not resisting”
It was hard to see how and when his leg broke. I would have been yelling about that!
Unbelievable. Poster pasters and now a reverend? WTH are the police thinking???
P J Evans @ 243
I think that is a fairly accurate comment you make. ;0)
Franco @ 87
What evidence do you have for this?
I’m not saying that I think you’re wrong, I’m just looking for good source info.
Bob in HI
P J Evans @ 243
Hubby Clinton returned $$ from Hsu in the ’90’s. Either HRC is monumentally stupid, or the $$ got funnelled in thru another name.
do-si-do @ 251
They are thinking, like Bush, that they can do anything they please.
Phinneus T. Pothead @ 246
yeah, on youtube.
peanutbutter @ 253
It got funneled in by a family called the “Paws”, who rented from him or something.
marymccurnin@249: returned the crooked $ & made equivalent donation to vets, sick kids, etc. Never mind…
I am going to a tiny little peace rally on Saturday but I am taking my camera. Just in case.
I had to walk away from listening to David Broder. Twit.
Siun @ 232
I sent an email to TPM about the Rev’s leg!!!
Did Petraeus just say that “al Queda has accepted that they will never rule Iraq again”
Impeachment march in D.C. Go to Impeach Bush website
Inner City Blues
Make me Wanna Holler
I’ve had it with the violence. Anyone going to that demonstration on the 15th better be prepared with gas masks and maybe even some kind of protective gear like vests and helmets or something. There were a lot of agitators at the Repub convention demonstration. There is going to be a lot of angry people – especially after this. And don’t forget to yell “Whoa” if the horses approach.
Kathleen @ 262
Again…??? WTF!
peanutbutter @ 253
Argh, this is not correct, sorry. Hsu was bankrupt in the 90’s, not donating to candidates anywhere…
P J Evans @ 236
That sort of incident is run-of-the-mill news up here. Mexican drug gangs have used huge swaths of state and federal lands for growing MJ, not to mention the thousands of personal indoor growing operations. In fact, our local DA won;t even prosecute small-time growers, it’s not worth the effort.
Sorry for OT
bobschacht @ 253
Pelosi is losing ground she backed down to A*P*C on the legislation requiring this administration come back through congress when they try to attack Iran, keeps saying that Impeachment is not on the table. Pelosi losing ground
P J Evans @ 237
This reminds me of the record breaking poppy harvest in Afghanistan. Aren’t there millions of people in need of morphine who are in the end stages of their lives? Couldn’t the Afghani’s actually profit from their product and ease the suffering of millions at the same time?
Couldn’t pot offer relief to depression sufferers and add to tax coffers? Or is it only big pharma’s role to alter consciousness? Prozac okay, but forget about marijuana? It’s so natural, so 60’s, so peace inducing. Must be destroyed.
I think I recall Tweety Matthews say, “We are all neo-cons now.” Matthews used his journalistic skills and discovered that women like the Iraq War.
carmen @ 271
It is all about control, control, control. Not rational thought.
Siun is upstairs with a new thread.
FunnyDiva
I just emailed my Congressman, John Lewis, with some links.
Reading at afterdowningstreet, I gather that he was told in person about the incident yestersay.
Too late here to phone his Atlanta office, but tomorrow… would be good to let him know the extent of our outrage, and that if he speaks out about this horrible event, he will have considerable support.
LS @ 266
This assessment is at variance with my experience and expectations.
Although I do believe all major protests will be met with incidents of state violence, I do not believe the picture described is warranted.
UFPJ rallies are not where I’m worried about mass casualties. If you stay away from the Black Bloc (easy to do – unless you’re wearing all black and a bandana over your face they won’t want you around) I wouldn’t be concerned about the major permitted demos on the 9/15.
Spending days lugging gas masks and chemical weapons decontamination gear around demos from ‘99-200o left the “action medic” community acutely aware how heavy that gear is. Even small pieces of body armor are heavy.
In windy conditions (or near the air intake systems for large public bldgs -conveniently at street level in much of DC – tear gas is useless due to contamination and “blowback”)
The non-permitted “breakaway” marches are where police violence is likely to be most intense – staying with the main body of marches obviates that risk.
The GOP spins our right to assemble as a threat to met with brute force.
They tried that recently and looked like fools for bringing thugs and yahoos to the Vietnam Memorial to “protect’ it during protests.
But their hype before the rally discouraged our side from turning out due to the Fox-hyped) fear of violence.
The Capitol Police’s violence and the threats of violence at protests – that’s the real terrorism, folks – making violent examples of a few to discourage the 60% of Americans who oppose this war and the GOP’s tyranny.
When we spread their fears for them, we serve them. I respect the choice not to participate in public demos – but I do not believe that choice is required to stay safe in the upcoming major permitted demos.
[Oh - for denying paved areas to mounted forces: ball bearings. Thousands of ‘em. Not to be used once the horses are out (that creates injury risk to horse and rider), but to make a “horse-free” area stay horse free.
For this to work, deployment of the area denial tool (bearings) must be followed immediately by notifications to law enforcement.
Hey - leaving the body armor at home makes room for a bullhorn.
Have fun taking back our Republic.
We deserve it.]
This is Out fucking Rageous.
Mad Dogs @ 245
Well, I said I’d pass on crucifying– but disciplining, yeah, that works for me.
Bob in HI
Fuck this. I hate bullies. If anything were to convince me to take to the streets, this would be it. Time to stand up, people.
Please update the post with the video for part 2, which shows medical staff attending to Rev. Yearwood and putting him in a wheelchair:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwKpr1CEQ00
carolyn urban @ 279
YES!
Wearing a button gets you arrested?
Is this the “freedom” so proudly evoked by members of Congress at every opportunity?
Do we truly live in the land of the free anymore?
I don’t think so.
A shameful, racist performance by the capitol police.
Damn them.
looseheadprop @ 137
File it as a 1983 case in U.S. District Court in D.C. See if it gets assigned to Judge Walton. Wouldn’t THAT be a hoot!
Fckin not believable. Pig piled in DC trying to see what he is paying for with his taxes.
All that and taxation without representation.
Good for the Police, they shouldn’t have let those CodePink bitches into the hearings either.
The way those pink bitches kept flaring up during the testimony was outrageous.
Then when the Police would lead them out of the room they would howl like they were being murdered.
Being a protester and being a clueless asshole is a very fine line.
The Rev. should shut the hell up about the people of Iraq and support the damn troops.
Chris Jones @ 285
Gee Chris,
New around here?
Uh, Chris? They didn’t “howl like they were being murdered.” They howled like they were protesting at a public event.
Watch the tape. The Reverend was exercising his rights, which supposedly patriots like you seem to be are in favor of.
Or please: defend and justify six cops breaking a middle-aged man’s leg because he doesn’t leave when you tell him to. And good luck with that “he assaulted an officer” charge.
To everyone else: Why is it that the thugs and bullies and authoritarian tough guys feel they have to pretend to be “patriots”? Why not just stand up and say, “I’m a thug, a bully, and an authoritarian tough guy”? They’re never more fascistic than when they think they’re defending “freedom.”
I hope the Rev. sues the cops and the horses they rode in on. And thank whatever god you prefer for You Tube.
Okay, he’s not “middle-aged.” (Sorry, Rev.)
MrWonderful @ 287
I agree the amount of force used was way over the top. Apparently, the button he was wearing led the cops to believe he was gonna be a problem.
But, if they are gonna let the CodePink kooks in then they should have let him in as well.
I have no problem with people pointlessly protesting outside as long as they want, but to disrupt the hearings repeatedly is ridiculous.
So I agree with you that the Police were out of line, and I don’t have any particular love for the Police anyway.
However, while this situation wasn’t handled well I think you have to give the Capital Police a certain amount of latitude.
Hearings like these tend to brink the loons out of the wood work, so I’m glad they’re tough.
It’s silly to charge the Rev. with assaulting the Police, and I predict when the dust settles the charges will be dismissed.
They certainly do let a lot of loons into these hearings. Of course, the worst of the lot are from the shrub administration, and they have invitations.
Chris,
I don’t think anyone gives a flying fuck what you predict. You’ve already outed yourself as a horse’s ass.
In fairness, I didn’t know that the Rev. is a famous activist (just like I thought he was older than he was). I simply hadn’t heard of him. The cops probably had, so they were primed to overreact, which they did.
I respect your moderation of your first comments, Chris, but I reject “protest pointlessly.” The fact that we all heard/saw it, and are talking about it, proves it wasn’t pointless. And when they were made to leave, they left. If they had set off stink bombs and run around throwing paper around, that might have been pointless, ie, stupidly alienating and therefore self-defeating.
To me what they did was classic protest.
As for “latitude,” no: it’s times like this that good cops give the public latitude. Yearwood could not have been more polite, more unarmed, or more docile. I’m sure the cops were under more stress than they’re used to, but that’s their job. That gang tackle was disgraceful, let alone actionable.
Now love = terrorism
I am disgusted and shocked as to why this man was stopped. Because he LOVES (agape, meaning the love of the world) the Iraqi people. Well now love is a very DANGEROUS thing doncha know? Love is more dangerous than a bomb, machine guns or bazookas. Many of this know why you are so terrified of love. Because you know you can hold a gun to anyone’s head and MAKE them do what you want out of fear. But you can Never ever change the heart. And when love changes hearts, it is THEN that true and radical change can occur.
Well what about coming to MY house Mr DC Policeman, Home Security or whoever you are, see I LOVE THE IRAQI PEOPLE TOO!!!!
Oh and I love Afghani mothers and daughters (and sons too but they don’t get shot in the head for doing something some political wing nut doesn’t think is “womanly” that shuts them down), and
Come get me, I happen to want to spread love around the world, not greed as wing nuts like as greed is their god.
Cat In Seattle
What’s with Pelosi? If she’s their boss then it’s her responsibility if these thugs are beating people up and breaking their legs. This kind of thing won’t go down well with her constituents. Maybe we should be backing her opponent, Cindy.
marymccurnin @ 15
I’m at a loss as to why he couldn’t get in. I didn’t understand that. I mean, I’d be a little ticked if I wasn’t allowed in but those behind me were.
lisa @ 291
BINGO! Irretrievably outed
Oink , Oink , KIDDIES !
Bill R. @ 294
Cindy doesn’t wear nice pantsuits however. Um, excuse me, I meant powersuits.
nonplussed @ 38
for your comment and the one above,
i called pelosi’s office, was transferred to tape. i immediately called back and stated i did NOT want to talk to a recording – that i was a constituent of pelosi’s – voted for her – and would like to have information on this incident, NOT make a comment. i asked what the policy was for allowing members of the public to view a public hearing of OUR government. she also referred me to the sgt at arms who tried to transfer me to the cap police.
i also told her i was NOT interested in a press release on a specific incident, i wanted to know who sets the policy for public attendance.
finally, she transferred me to the armed services committee – where the man kept putting me on hold EVERY time i tried to ask about the policy (after he, too, tried to transfer me to the cap police).
i told him that this is OUR government – AND his – and that the capitol police actions and hearing policies are regarding the people of this nation for whom the government works.
i told him that he and the representatives were sent there to represent us – and that WE were the people OF the government – on whose behalf they were acting. i also told him that when an american citizen has his leg broken while attempting to attend a PUBLIC hearing, there is something gravely wrong with the action within that house.
he tried to tell me that rev. yearwood was “trying to run away” from the police(according to what the police told the committee) and that is why he was restrained. i asked if he had seen the video, he said no. i suggested he watch it and also have the members do so.
finally, he said (irritated), i’m VERY busy! and hung up.
we need to send this link to every member of that committee, to pelosi’s office, to every member of both houses.
the capitol police have begun to take themselves far too seriously – from ejecting cindy sheehan from the state of the union, to manhandling congresswoman mckinney to breaking the leg of an american who has broken no law – we have a serious problem in d.c.
i also just called bernie ward’s show on kgoam810 to relay the story – and we all need to do more to get this video into the media. most media reports are inaccurate and paint the police story as the correct one.
this scares the hell out of me – it is too reminiscent of the days of the viet nam protests.
what next? loaded guns – again?
…public attendance.
snip…
…OUR government
i WILL use spellcheck…
i WILL use spellcheck…
i WILL use spelcheck…
This incident is outrageous beyond belief. It shows exactly that our police are now the “pigs” again, just like during the vietnam war demonstrations. The police are again doing service for the criminal administration running this country. Disgusting.
My good friend was with me up in Michigan Indian territory recently wearing the following t-shirt:
HOMELAND SECURITY
(picture of Native American warriors)
Defending the homeland since 1492