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 2)
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on Sep 26, 2009

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.

Actually, we have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which has the same guarantee of free speech that you do.

With that said, the mockery that's been made in your country of freedom of speech can be summed up with this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_speech_zone

This is not something that's unique to the left or right. Both the Republicans and Democrats have "free speech zones" at their conventions which effectively censor any public protests by having the only legal protests in a boxed in area out of sight, out of mind and far away from the actual event.

Again, it's both sad and funny at the same time.

 

on Sep 26, 2009

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.

Yeah pretty much. These people protested before the "current crisis", they protested during the Clinton years. I personally am not bothered by their protests, just their "need" to smash private property and provoke violence. IMO when they do that they give up any credibility for their grievances.

Hannity had two of them on his show Friday. They gave me the impression that they were spoiled white kids that don't want to work for their future, they want it handed to them like they've had so far in their lives. They were all for wealth redistribution. Their "plight" to avoid responsibly in improving their own lives was, IMO, boring and uninspired. Many people have "lottery winner" fantasies, then they wake up and go to work. These people want to win the lottery but aren't even willing to buy a ticket. At least they can show their friends they were on TV. I'm sure their parents are so proud they can break a small business owners window. Maybe next time they walk by they will apply for a job.

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