FOR A MOB LOOK IN THE MIRROR MR. CANTOR
"I for one am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and the other cities across the country. And believe it or not, some in this town have actually condoned the pitting of Americans against Americans.” Eric Cantor, GOP House Majority Leader (Rep. VA) speaking at the conservative Value Voters Summit about the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in NYC and around the country.
Those thousands of peaceful Americans, exercising their First Amendment right to peaceable assembly to express their their grievances against the financial industry for the enormous damage it has done to the middle class and the country as a whole, are anything but a mob. They are peaceful, even in the face of unwarranted NY police pepper spray. They are protesting in the finest tradition of people throughout our history who have worked for and inspired change by peaceably assembling to air political needs not being met by Congress or the Administration.
Close your eyes, listen to Cantor's words, and you can imagine fifty years ago the same inflammatory and dismissive and false statements hurled at the peaceful anti Vietnam war protesters and the peaceful black civil rights protesters, some of whom suffered grievous injuries and even death for their courageous efforts.
Cantor may be one of our highest ranking political figures, but he should be sent back to a grammar school civics class to brush up on the meaning of the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment of which states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
When Congressman Cantor denigrates groups exercising that First Amendment freedom because it terrifies him that his political agenda is being threatened, not by the opposition party, but by the people at large, he ceases to function as a reputable and responsible public servant.
Cantor has for years now, served the interests of the upper 1% of the wealthy who have managed to decimate the middle class and shatter the American Dream for the vast majority of us. If the Congressman wants to see a real mob, he should merely hold a mirror up to himself and his caucus.
Those thousands of peaceful Americans, exercising their First Amendment right to peaceable assembly to express their their grievances against the financial industry for the enormous damage it has done to the middle class and the country as a whole, are anything but a mob. They are peaceful, even in the face of unwarranted NY police pepper spray. They are protesting in the finest tradition of people throughout our history who have worked for and inspired change by peaceably assembling to air political needs not being met by Congress or the Administration.
Close your eyes, listen to Cantor's words, and you can imagine fifty years ago the same inflammatory and dismissive and false statements hurled at the peaceful anti Vietnam war protesters and the peaceful black civil rights protesters, some of whom suffered grievous injuries and even death for their courageous efforts.
Cantor may be one of our highest ranking political figures, but he should be sent back to a grammar school civics class to brush up on the meaning of the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment of which states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
When Congressman Cantor denigrates groups exercising that First Amendment freedom because it terrifies him that his political agenda is being threatened, not by the opposition party, but by the people at large, he ceases to function as a reputable and responsible public servant.
Cantor has for years now, served the interests of the upper 1% of the wealthy who have managed to decimate the middle class and shatter the American Dream for the vast majority of us. If the Congressman wants to see a real mob, he should merely hold a mirror up to himself and his caucus.
posted by Walt Zlotow at 10:03 PM
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