A place for me to pour out my rants without clogging the inboxes of my friends and family. Also a place to give info on myself and Mary, our family news and events.
The G20 comes to town
Published on September 23, 2009 By Rightwinger In Politics

As many of you probably know, the economic G20 Summit is being held in Pittsburgh, PA, this time. I live about a hour west of there.

I understand that the ‘Burgh was something of a second-string city; Chicago and New York, among other cities, turned it down.

I can see why; this thing is clearly more trouble than it’s worth, despite the positive assurances of Pittsburgh’s “Boy Mayor”, Luke Ravenstahl, that it would add to the prestige of the area.

"I think we're going to be highlighted in a way that we never have before because of our selection as the

G20 host city," Ravenstahl told reporters.

 That’s an understatement, Luke; I suppose there have to be reasons why cities would turn down a major international event like the G20.

These things began to make themselves clear some time ago, when groups of future protestors began asking, nicely, that Pittsburgh police would, please, not wear riot gear during their demonstrations.

Pittsburgh city council wisely voted 7-2 to allow protestors to wear masks. Smaaarrrt…..

2 or 3 weeks ago, Pittsburgh police arrested several would-be protestors, living in the basement of an abandoned building. They were preparing for the summit by urinating into 55-gallon drums, and defecating into buckets; the shit was then liquefied with acid, and poured into the 55-gallon drums with the urine.

Police found several battery-driven “Super-Soaker” squirt guns among their other provisions and possessions. I’ll let the reader take it from there.

The other day, as a “preliminary strike“, I suppose, someone was going around putting liquid feces into hand-soap dispensers.

Can anyone tell me what any of this retarded behavior has to do with world economics?

Pittsburgh’s police dept. has been complaining for weeks that it’s not ready for this; therefore, other PA cities, State Police and Sheriff’s depts. have been called upon to help out; many of the other municipalities have told Pittsburgh to go pound salt. They’re on their own.

On the news this morning, video of hippies---and that’s no exaggeration, hippies; very dirty ones, too, from the look--dismounting from an ancient school bus were unloading an even more ancient moving van, full of plastic tubs and boxes. Is anyone going to inspect those cartons? One of the idiots was wearing a pirate hat; you know, the silly little costume kind you buy at a party store.

Oh, but I’m sure he was just doing it in honor of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and not because he was simply some kind of rebel; a communist or anarchist moron.

Downtown Pittsburgh is being completely disrupted; all federal, state and local government offices in the area are closed today, tomorrow and Friday.

Allegheny Co. schools are closing early today, and are closed tomorrow and Friday, for the summit.

Many downtown businesses are closing, and are boarding up their doors and windows, against potential rioting. Doctor’s offices are sending employees and patients to satellite offices, if possible; banks and other businesses are giving days off, or allowing their employees to work at home.

My wife works in the Pittsburgh suburb of Greentree, and we have a couple friends who work downtown. All of them are taking tomorrow and Friday off, to avoid the traffic snarls and hassle, as bridges, tunnels and streets are being closed, in an area that already suffers major congestion, even in off hours.

The Convention Center is being barricaded like a fortress; businesses around it are hoping that the staff and media will make up for the business they’re losing during the disruption.

One of the “great” things about the G20 coming to the ‘Burgh is, they're touting, that they can show off their “green” side to the world.

Well, I’d like to see the massive “carbon footprint” all this is nonsense is going to generate.

The other day, a small demonstration was held, in which protestors marched--peacefully--demanding jobs.

That’s fine and all, but---let’s complain about lack of jobs, by disrupting a global economic summit. How does that makes sense? Or does it?

How is any of this worth the trouble?

 

 

 

 


Comments (Page 1)
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on Sep 23, 2009

Personally I can't imagine why anyone would want to host one of these summits. Every two-bit anarchist, anti-globalization nut swarms these things. If they want to hold them in peace they should pick a place like Saudi Arabia (a G-20 member) or somewhere dissent is not tolerated for a second. I'm all for honest protest as long as is doesn't interfere with the summit, but in recent years it has devolved into publicity stunts, and displays of violence. These "protesters" could learn a lot from the tea parties. Then again most of their "concerns" are fringe with no grassroots support. Some I'm sure just use it as a reason to smash things. Pelosi can go stand in the middle of them and see what real "anarchy" is all about. It should give her a baseline next time she feels the need to disparage the average American protester.

on Sep 23, 2009

The G20....where Communists and fringe rightwingers find common ground. The Commies come to protest capitalism, the Anarchists, government.

In the words of a favorite Vulcan Starfleet officer.....

"Fascinating".

on Sep 23, 2009

Ha!  Ravenstahl is a ninnyhammer!  Rightwinger, I never knew you were a fellow Pittsburgher!  Did you know that Ravenstahl recently bought this huge house?  I can't remember where it is, but maybe we should send the protestors there.  I don't know what that lepton is thinking because yes people will notice Pittsburgh but the G-20 also brings that million dollar damage tag.

Just take a look at Seattle when they held it.  He wouldn't have accepted it if he KNEW he had to fork over the money to repair the damage that it is going to cause! Well Rightwinger, you and I are going to have to pay for the damages. 

Rightwinger, you forgot to mention all the 'save a tree, kill a person' greens that will come as well. Don't get me wrong, I do feel that we should take care of the environment but not to the extreme that their agenda is pushing.

Its good to meet a fellow Pittsburgher here on JU, do you know of any other Pittsburghers? Were you born in the area? I would PM you but its not allowing me currently to PM you.

on Sep 23, 2009

the_Peoples_Party
Ha!  Ravenstahl is a ninnyhammer!  Rightwinger, I never knew you were a fellow Pittsburgher!  Did you know that Ravenstahl recently bought this huge house?  I can't remember where it is, but maybe we should send the protestors there.  I don't know what that lepton is thinking because yes people will notice Pittsburgh but the G-20 also brings that million dollar damage tag.

Just take a look at Seattle when they held it.  He wouldn't have accepted it if he KNEW he had to fork over the money to repair the damage that it is going to cause! Well Rightwinger, you and I are going to have to pay for the damages. 

Rightwinger, you forgot to mention all the 'save a tree, kill a person' greens that will come as well. Don't get me wrong, I do feel that we should take care of the environment but not to the extreme that their agenda is pushing.

Its good to meet a fellow Pittsburgher here on JU, do you know of any other Pittsburghers? Were you born in the area? I would PM you but its not allowing me currently to PM you.

Yes, you're right; there will be a lot of eco-nuts hovering and adding to that massive carbon footprint I mentioned. Kind of like the hypocrites who trashed the National Mall during Obama's inauguration.

I'm actually not a Pittsburgher; we live in Weirton, WV, but we do spend a lot of time, and money, in the general Pittsburgh/Allegheny Co. area. And as I said, my wife works in Greentree; I work in Imperial.

As for other Pittsburghers on JU, there used to be a guy on here, went by the handle "drmiler"; he was from the 'Burgh, 'n' 'at. Not sure where he's at now, though. Haven't seen him since I started comin' 'round again.

"Ninnyhammer"...+LOL+ I've seen that expression before; what, exactly constitutes a "ninnyhammer"?

Nice to meet you.  Go Steelers!

on Sep 25, 2009

Windows smashed at stores, car dealerships, banks; even a KFC and a Boston Market. What does fast food chicken have to do with global economics?

on Sep 25, 2009

Personally I can't imagine why anyone would want to host one of these summits. Every two-bit anarchist, anti-globalization nut swarms these things.

Follow Canada's example. If I remember right, when we hosted the G8 in 2003(4?)(5?), Jean Chretien put the location of the G8 in the mountains of B.C., far from any population centers.

You should have seen the images: At the gates of the summit, there was about 50 reporters and 3 protesters. Hilarious

on Sep 25, 2009

If I remember right, when we hosted the G8 in 2003(4?)(5?), Jean Chretien put the location of the G8 in the mountains of B.C., far from any population centers.

That was smart. Apparently even anarchists don't like to be inconvienced... a bit hypocritical I'd say.

on Sep 25, 2009

That was smart. Apparently even anarchists don't like to be inconvienced... a bit hypocritical I'd say.
---Nitro

If we did that here, they'd sue, claiming their right to assemble was being infringed, becaus they have so far to go, with no windows to smash.+LOL+

on Sep 25, 2009

How sadly true.

on Sep 25, 2009

How sadly true.

How sadly wrong. Come on, don't spoil a funny fact with hyperbolic caricatures.

on Sep 26, 2009

The Steelers are playing Cincy at Heinz tomorrow, I believe; maybe they could stay around and protest the game. After all, football is a very competetive, violent game. Competition and violence, both, are things people like the protestors hate.

I'm sure the fans tailgating in the parking lot would have a few things to say to them.

 

on Sep 26, 2009

oop...My bad. The game's in Cincy.

on Sep 26, 2009

Then again most of their "concerns" are fringe with no grassroots support. Some I'm sure just use it as a reason to smash things. Pelosi can go stand in the middle of them and see what real "anarchy" is all about.

This is quite possibly one of the biggest misconceptions and, in many cases, outright lies about protests of this kind. The publicly spouted narrative goes that the folks who show up to protests are all batshit crazy anarchists just there to throw rocks and make trouble. What doesn't get a lot of air time is that most of these people have entirely legitimate gripes they're protesting, like, I don't know, the fact that trillions of dollars of taxpayer money around the globe is being spent to prop up and even reward the very perpetrators of the current crisis.

But no, they wouldn't be protesting that. They're all just a bunch of "anti-capitalists" there to make trouble.

The reality on the ground actually is quite different. For every yahoo out there throwing rocks, 99% are peaceful marchers, protesting a legitimate gripe.

 But ever since Seattle going to protest at one of these shindigs is pretty much useless. Why? Because Seattle scared the bejeezus out of the organizers because people in the streets actually succeeded in disrupting the meeting. Ever since then there's been ridiculously massive overkill on the part of various governments, to the point that we should all be ashamed of the lengths that  our governments have gone to stamp out free speech. 

For example, I lived in Calgary when the G8 summit was being held in Kananaskis (as Cikomyr was talking about earlier)

The money spent and manpower dedicated to ensure that the G8 leaders would never even get so much of a whiff of protest was ridiculous. Calgary and surrounding area was saturated with security, police, army you name it. Several infantry companies (I don't know how many) were out prowling around day and night. One of the local  municipal airports got taken over for the Army to stash their helicopters and mobile air defense platforms were setup all over the place. Our special forces (called Joint Task Force 2) were apparently deployed in the countryside to peg any Al-Qaida ne'er do-wells that would try and infiltrate the conference.

During the G8, my girlfriend and I were out for a daytrip in the rockies. On the drive back into town, we basically got stopped dead in the middle of the transcanada highway.... traffic was backed up for miles. After sitting there for quite some time, eventually we started moving again very, very slowly. As we inched forward, we finally got to see the cause of all the commotion.

At the turn off from the highway towards Kananaskis (were the G8 was being held several miles away) There was a group of maybe 100 protesters. They were in the ditch, holding signs, not causing any ruckus.

Surrounding them, were literally 1,000 security and army (with helicopters overhead) making sure that this crowd of unruly anarchists didn't try and funny business.

It was both sad and funny at the same time, that during an event like this the government was so terrified of any public dissent that they were so willing to throw out many of the basic tenets of a democratic society with free speech in order to "maintain order" from the group of evil protesters who just wanted to express themselves.

Now the new thing with all of these events is a gimmick to make it look like we're not trampling on people's rights by creating "free speech zones", which is usually a parking lot many miles away from the actual event wherein protesters can gather and scream into the wind at their hearts content.

The idea that we even need a special zone entitled "free speech area" is a shame in and of itself.

Now, this is what I'd REALLY like to know about.....

With all of these townhall meetings in the States, there were several folks who showed up packing heat..... some folks with handguns, some with AR-15 rifles, all to simply exercise their rights. Even (and in some cases especially) when the President was there.

What would happen if one of the protesters went to a peaceful march at the G-20 carrying his AR-15 rifle? Would the police respect his right to bear arms, or would they freak out and scream that the protesters are armed and start shooting?

On the news this morning, video of hippies---and that’s no exaggeration, hippies; very dirty ones, too, from the look--dismounting from an ancient school bus were unloading an even more ancient moving van, full of plastic tubs and boxes. Is anyone going to inspect those cartons?

Hhhmm.... I wasn't aware that there was a law in the U.S that opens hippies to exemption from their basic rights and freedoms against unlawful search and seizure.

 

 

on Sep 26, 2009

Artysims:

First of all, I wasn't aware Canada's constitution made provision for what we Americans call "First Amendment Rights".

Freedom of speech is (ostensibly, at least,) guaranteed here, but not there...as I understand, anyay.

If that's so, then the protestors are permitted to air their greivaances only by at the discression of the government, which can do so if, and as, it pleases.

Hhhmm.... I wasn't aware that there was a law in the U.S that opens hippies to exemption from their basic rights and freedoms against unlawful search and seizure.
---Arty

Sure there is, if there's reason to suspect trouble, as there was in Pittsburgh. That's how police warrents are issued.

 

 

on Sep 26, 2009

How sadly wrong. Come on, don't spoil a funny fact with hyperbolic caricatures.

Dark humour... what doesn't make you laugh will kill you.

Just follow the money.

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=K&goButt2.x=10&goButt2.y=8

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