COMMENTARY | The Occupy Wall Street movement has reached from one coast to the other. Starting in New York City, and then spreading to Los Angeles, the movement is alive and well in places like Salt Lake City and even tiny St. George, Utah. As one of the original hot spots in the first American Revolution, it is no wonder that the movement has taken hold in Boston, Massachusetts. What is surprising is that the most blatant disregard for our fellow Americans has happened in this city. The Boston Mayor, Thomas M. Menino, said, “I will not tolerate civil disobedience” in my city.
Police officers told protestors that they had to disburse and within a few moments, according to The Young Turks, they began to forcibly remove the protestors. In a matter of seconds, the situation turned violent as Boston’s Finest ripped an American Flag from the hands of a protesting American war veteran and tossed that flag on the ground. That flag ended up in the trash can, along with the private property that the protestors were forced to leave behind (i.e. tents, etc).
It wasn’t too long ago that another protest occurred in Boston. You may have heard of it. A group of lawless young men reminiscent of frat boys dressed themselves up in tacky costumes and stormed the docks. These guys were crazy! They illegally boarded ships and started tearing the place apart like totally-wired Ozzy fans, man. They broke into state property and ended up tossing a whole bunch of stuff overboard.
If my memory of Fourth Grade History is accurate, one of the guys’ names was Paul Revere. He was just a regular “Joe”, really. He was a silversmith and a dentist. He made spoons and teapots. He pulled the occasional tooth. He was married (twice actually) and had a whopping amount of children. I guess he got tired of the fact he made these really great teapots, but nobody could afford to buy tea to put in them.
He and his out-of-control cronies got together and dumped a shipment of tea into Boston Harbor in an act of not-very civil disobedience. What the current citizens of this country are doing is incredibly civil compared the actions of the “heros” we like to call our forefathers and founders of our nation. Yet, Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston finds their actions too disturbing for the “other” citizens. The protest will get in the way of daily life in Boston and therefore, he won’t tolerate it. I hate to think what might have happened to Mayor Thomas M. Menino back in the day, when Paul and his buddies decided they had had enough. As I recall from my early childhood studies, it didn’t end very well for Ol’ King George.
My greatest hope is that the citizens of Boston who had their property stolen, who were bullied out of a public park, and who felt the sting of the establishment will sue the Boston police department and the Mayor. I hope they will continue to protest and make their voices heard.
The crowd chanted “Shame” as the officer’s pulled down the flag and moved in on the crowd.
I have never heard a truer word.
Here’s another set of words that I find true and oh-so-apropos:
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
Thomas M. Menino did not say these words. No, these are the words of Thomas Jefferson.
Sources:
The Young Turks, Occupy Boston: Police vs. Veterans, October 11, 2011
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