Breaking the law for the purpose of civil disobedience has a long and honorable history. This is no such thing. It is political sabotage -- similar to individuals at Liberty Park urinating on the sidewalk. This is a right wing scheme to discredit Occupy Wall Street by random and hateful behavior.
The actions of this individual, Patrick Howley, an assistant editor at The American Spectator and his friends were what led the Air and Space Museum to be closed as well as to pepper spray being deployed against the larger Occupy Washington crowd.
They charged an entrance to ASM that escalated into police violence. Mr. Howley is proud of this achievement in the "dirty tricks" category:
As far as anyone knew I was part of this cause — a cause that I had infiltrated the day before — and I wasn’t giving up before I had my story. Under a cloud of pepper spray I forced myself into the doors. Suspecting that the entire crowd would be able to get inside, I ran blindly across the floor of the Air and Space Museum to find a place to observe, drawing the attention of hundreds of stunned khaki-clad tourists (some of whom began snapping off disposable-camera portraits of me). I strained to glance behind me at the dozens of protesters I was sure were backing me up, and then I got hit again, this time with a cold realization: I may have been the only one who had made it through the doors.
Under a cloud of pepper spray I forced myself into the doors and sprinted blindly across the floor of the Air and Space Museum, drawing the attention of hundreds of stunned khaki-clad tourists (some of whom began snapping off disposable-camera portraits of me). I strained to glance behind me at the dozens of protesters I was sure were backing me up, and then I got hit again, this time with a cold realization: I was the only one who had made it through the doors. As two guards pointed at me and started running, I dodged a circle of gawking old housewives and bolted upstairs.
The tourist reaction within the museum — like the reactions of those on D.C. tour buses and sidewalks Saturday — was one of confusion and mild irritation. In the absence of definitive national polling on the matter, that may be the best opinion sample we yet have of this rash of ill-defined, anti-corporate and anti-bailout protests developing across the country. What began on Wall Street is now spreading, and the question still remains: is it dangerous?
Socialist indoctrination methods are surprisingly effective. It’s hard not to get swept up in the Movement when you’re among a hundred foot soldiers — most of them attractive 20-year old girls — marching down E Street toward Freedom Plaza chanting, “How do we end the deficit? End the war and tax the rich!” Whenever the protesters would pass a group of tourists they’d implore them to join, and when a few smiling college kids would hesitantly jump in everyone would applaud wildly.
This Mr. Howley entered the museum contrary to orders from the Museum guards. He declined to halt as ordered by the Museum guards. He did so with intent to cast the OWS demonstrators as lawless renegades and a danger to others. He committed Aggravated Trespass, admittedly and pridefully, for which he can be charged under the laws of the District of Columbia. His actions and the actions of his friends led to scores of peaceful citizens being hit with pepper spray.
Mr. Howley is a prime example of why America needs robust criminal law enforcement. He and his cohort believe for some reason that they are immune to prosecution. We will see.
More generally, Occupy movements across the country can expect right wingers to crash the party. These individuals will break the law. They will challenge police. Their heroes are the crooks from the Richard Nixon campaign -- financed by C.R.E.E.P. (Committee to RE-Elect the President) -- who published fraudulent letters, used false identification routinely, and burgled professional offices including the Democratic Party offices in the Watergate.
Be careful. Today more than the 1970s, these vocal right wingers expect to get away with their crimes. We should do what we can to disappoint them. Right wing extremists such as this Mr. Howley should never be allowed to distort the peaceful demonstrations of Occupy Wall Street and our allies.
Appropriate content for a criminal complaint is being investigated. This Mr. Howley was photographed and recorded on surveillance cameras.
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