“We strongly condemn the use of violence in Libya. The American people extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved-ones of all who’ve been killed, and injured. The suffering and bloodshed is outrageous, and it’s unacceptable. So are threats, and orders, to shoot peaceful protesters, and further punish the people of Libya. These actions violate international norms, and every standard of common decency. This violence must stop. The United States also strongly supports the universal rights of the Libyan people; that includes the rights to peaceful assembly, free speech, and the ability of the Libyan people to determine their own destiny. These are human rights. They are not negotiable. They must be respected in every country, and they cannot be denied through violence or suppression.”

-Barack Obama, February 23, 2011

Fast-forward to last week to New York City, at a Huffington Post fund raiser charity dinner. A woman, Naomi Wolf, was arrested by the police patrolling the Occupy Wall Street protests. She was not part of the protests initially; she wasn’t participating in it. She simply stopped on her way inside (where she was a guest speaker at the aforementioned event), to talk to the protesters, and asked for some of the protester’s demands to voice them at her time to speak. A bit later, the protesters who talked to her were moved to the other side of the street. She walked over and asked what was going on. She had mentioned to the protesters that they might need a permit to protest, as the police said people could not protest in the streets without a permit. (This is a ludicrous idea, and as Wolf stated, totally balks at the First Amendment which guarantees, allegedly, the right to protest freely and peacefully.) After further investigation (she’s a reporter), she realized she had a right to walk up and down the street peacefully. She did so to exercise her rights to protest peacefully. Suddenly, about 30 higher ranking officers surrounded her and her fellow protesters (a couple of dozen people), citing her as blocking pedestrians (they were walking single file). She carefully explained to the officer that they had the right to protest. The cop, with his bullhorn, yelled in her face, telling her to “back down” and “back away”. She froze, knowing it was an unlawful order. Immediately, she was handcuffed, forcibly moved into a paddy wagon.

Once released from the 7th precinct (not the 1st where protesters were taken), she was told if she violated again, she would be arrested. She asked, “If I was arrested by obeying the law, how do I know I won’t be arrested again?” No answer from the police Sargent.

Sounds like suppression to me. Free speech? Peaceful protest? Yeah, not so much. Fuck you Barack Obama, you lying sack of shit. Someone end this guy and his reign of tyranny, ASAP.

For every Occupy protester that has been beaten, arrested, pepper sprayed, pushed, Tazered, or otherwise - NEVER STOP FIGHTING.