President Obama: Should you really go to Pittsburgh?

[Ken Burch]

The police are harassing nonviolent activists, such as the Seeds of Peace group.

Protest permits are being denied to legitimate and clearly honorable activist groups.


Add to this that the whole G-20 is nothing but a gathering of the global forces who want to stop everything you believe in. Please give serious thought as to whether any good comes of your attendance at the G-20.


You SHOULD be working for fair trade for all, so that the world's goods and services can be shared without exploitation. You can't do that in Pittsburgh this weekend.

[jonnyblitz]

1. I am sure Obama believes in what the members of the G-20

believe in.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FSogol]

2. Yes. They have good sandwiches there. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

31. I will never enjoy fries on my sammich. I'll happy sticking with the O...

or that guy with the hotdog stand outside of Hillman who almost certainly isn't there any more.

[Tracy_in_NC]

3. The Burgh

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and my family is still there. They are all blue collar, life-long Dems but suddenly voted Republican in the last election but it had nothing to do with race *ahem*. Anyway, my sister has been complaining about what an inconvenience the whole G20 is to Pittsburgh. She is a hairdresser and she says all her clients are upset by what should be a great honor for their city. I was listening to a Pgh talk radio station online the other day and the host and callers were also complaining. Of course, if the Super Bowl came to town, they'd gladly close schools and walk to work in the dead of winter. Honestly, I wish the President had chosen another city because they Pittsburghers are a bunch of ignorant ingrates.

[PA Democrat]

4. Obama got 75% of the vote in the city of Pittsburgh;

57% of Allegheny County. Nice broad brush you have there. :eyes:

[Efilroft Sul]

7. I might be wrong about this...

...but I think Tracy meant that her family, who are these blue-collar Dems, voted Republican last year. At least, that's how I read her post.

[Tracy_in_NC]

8. Thank you, Efrilroft Sul...

You are correct, my anger is directed at my family and friends in Pittsburgh. It's wrong to declare all Pittsburghers ignorant. It just pains me that this great honor for Pittsburgh has somehow been turned into yet another anti-Obama rant.

[dflprincess]

20. The only "honor" in having the G20 in the town (any town) where one lives

is that it makes it easy to get to the protests against it.

[joecool65]

6. Yes, your whole family, salon patrons, and people on talk radio

are representative of everyone in the Pittsburgh area.
Nice sampling. Maybe you should work for Rasmussen or Zogby.

[Ken Burch]

12. Pittsburgh is a labor town.

No way could the majority of people there be pro-globalization. Workers never back "free" trade.

[Cali_Democrat]

10. Why attack all the people from Pittsburgh?

:eyes:

[damonm]

22. Well, there are the Pirates...

:silly:

[Ken Burch]

27. Roberto Clemente was a leftist-he donated to the Black Panther free lunch program in Pittsburgh

Clemente died flying more earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua because Somoza had stolen most of the relief goods and money that people had sent(this had a lot to do with Somoza getting overthrown a few years later, btw).

I think Roberto Clemente's heart would be with the protestors-he might march with them too if he still walked among us-and I think his spirit will be with the marchers this weekend.

[damonm]

33. Not necessarily a Leftist -

but a top-quality human being nonetheless.

[DatManFromNawlins]

37. The same reason they attack any other region or city

They're a bunch of prudish, lily-white, ivory tower assholes who mistakenly think that because they speak with compassion and progressivism out of one side of their mouths that they can vent their regressive, nonsensical hatred as long as they're among their own kind. It's virtually identical behavior to your garden variety southern redneck.

[joecool65]

5. The Seeds of Peace have been breaking the law

they have had their bus on someone's property. without permission Would you want a busload of people on your property without your permission?
Those slackers should either find a campground or other public place to park their bus, get hotel rooms, or find someone willing to house them.

[Ken Burch]

9. They're being harassed because they're social justice advocates

n/t.

[Ken Burch]

11. If they were breaking the law, the ACLU wouldn't be backing them up

You've accepted the police/globalist spin without question. Why?

[dotymed]

18. JoeCool is a Freeper

His "loyalties" lie with the dogs. Notice the small
number of posts and the "hidden" journal....just
another kid using mommies computer.

[cherokeeprogressive]

24. Re: "small number of posts"

I hate it when someone uses a DUer's number of posts to justify accusations of freeperosity.

You've been a member for 434 days and have 134 posts for an average of 3.24 per day.

He's been a member for 117 days and has 52 posts for an average of 2.25 per day.

Less than one post per day separates the two of you. I don't think that qualifies you to use his post count to justify your statement.

From the DU Rules page:

3. Civility: Treat other members with respect. Do not post personal attacks against other members of this discussion forum.

I think you've violated this rule with your subject line.

:D

[MadBadger]

32. Ok, then how bout you are using freeper font?

[dotymed]

35. I am glad

that my font bothers you so bad. maybe one day Ill ask the
kids or grandkids to "update" it...maybe not. Don't
trust anybody over 30...

[Why Syzygy]

14. They have the property owner's permission.

Get your facts straight. It's the POLICE who come in and say the "neighbors are complaining", which is no violation AT ALL! Bitching neighbors doesn't mean someone is breaking the law!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x376283

Who's side are you on?

Furthermore, the ($20 million) POLICE presence is not even allowing PERMITTED marches!

(...)
Yet despite the pacifist character of these events, police mobilized an intimidating show of force--and even refused to abide by the march route and other terms of the permits issued by the city.

"In both cases, they were marching in downtown Pittsburgh, and in both cases, they were stopped by police within their permitted march zones and told they were not able to proceed to their final destination along the route that had already been agreed to with the city," said McAllister-Erickson.

"If this is how they are reacting to relatively mild protests in an atmosphere that's not superheated by the presence of the G20 delegates and many days of activity, it foretells a lack of tolerance for constitutional rights on the part of the city and police, and sets a bad tone for the rest of the week."
(...)
http://socialistworker.org/2009/09/23/pittsburgh-cracks-down

You need to rework your loyalties.

[Ken Burch]

29. Thanks for confirming that

I thought "Joe Cool" was making it up, but didn't have the proof.

[QC]

13. "the global forces who want to stop everything you believe in"

From what we have seen so far, he's as big a believer in corporate capitalism as anyone else who will be at this shindig. More than most, actually.

[Why Syzygy]

15. Community organizing doesn't apply when it comes to

freedom of voice.

(...)
Ahead of his arrival in Pittsburgh for the summit, President Barack Obama made it clear that he didn't value the opinions of protesters, anyway. "I was always a big believer...that focusing on concrete, local, immediate issues that have an impact on people's lives is what really makes a difference, and that having protests about abstractions as global capitalism or something, generally, is not really going to make much of a difference," Obama said. (...)

http://socialistworker.org/2009/09/23/pittsburgh-cracks-down

[QC]

17. Yes, and the bloggers need to shut up, too.

He's becoming quite the elitist lately.

[dotymed]

19. From what Sibel Edmonds

says, it is not just "lately." I worked for
President Obama's election (hard) but I think I was duped.
But, can you imagine a McCain/Palin administration? Kucinich
was my original pick, until he was kidnapped.

[QC]

23. Yeah, it's not like we had a real choice.

We never do, come to think of it.

[dflprincess]

21. I wonder if he'll apply that attitude toward anyone who protests

his policy in Afghanistan - or who marches for true health care reform?

He may want to try and stay in touch.

[Hippo_Tron]

25. It's the finance ministers and central bank governors of 20 countries including...

France, Germany, the UK, Australia, Japan, the EU, and Canada. Some of these countries have center-left parties in power and even if they don't their center-right parties are arguably more left than the Democratic Party. I don't see how this is possibly a group that wants to stop everything he believes in.

[Ken Burch]

26. Most of them are still tied to the globalization and austerity thing

That's why social democratic parties are collapsing in most of Europe-they take the side of the banks against the workers.

[Hippo_Tron]

28. And if you think the President is against globalization you are sadly mistaken

I'm sure he'd like to see some more regulations in terms of the environment and labor standards, as would many of the G20 countries. But he's not an opponent of the global financial system by any means.

[BlooInBloo]

30. Pittsburgh is so many things, all neatly wrapped up into their own neighborhoods....

A lotta love, and a lotta hate there (and everything in between). But I miss the place at any rate.

[RetroLounge]

34. He just wants to go to Primanti Brothers...

Can you blame him?

RL

[dotymed]

36. The "slackers"

who were feeding the protesters were not breaking the law.
They had permission to park their bus on private property.
Personally, I am glad that they are providing food to the
protesters. I am also glad that the protesters are on site and
making the feelings of many Americans known. I think the
wealth distribution, globally, is sickening. Also, the laws
that have allowed the wealth to be distributed upwards are a
travesty. I used someones posting number to accuse them of
being a "freeper." Actually I should have attacked
their message. When I read their message and looked at their
posting number, small like mine, I used this to accuse them of
being a "freeper." Actually, their message about the
volunteers was what pissed me off. When the local law
enforcement went out of their way to harass these non-violent
protesters, I was pissed even more. When I read posts in 
favor of the behavior, it disgusted me. I used the wrong
reasoning to attack the message, but I stand by my conclusion.