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In my day, never was longer.

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They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

We still have time to mess this up!

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

The willow is too close to the house.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

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If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

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Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

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There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

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If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Enhanced Protest Techniques / Where are the jobs, John?

Where are the jobs, John?

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Commenter Bella Q. sent this to me, and I think it’s great so wanted to pass it along:

WEST CHESTER TWP. – A protest by union groups and others at the West Chester office of Speaker of the House John Boehner grew rowdy enough Tuesday that staff members locked the door.

Boehner’s staffers locked the door so that (naturally) means they locked the door because protestors “got rowdy”.

About 125 protesters showed up. They wanted to send two protesters inside to speak to staff, but staffers locked the doors and would not let anyone in. One protester then kicked the door several times.

But wait. The staffers locked the door before a protestor “got rowdy”. The rowdiness caused the lock-out, although the lock-out happened first. Hmmm.

Boehner was at a fundraising golf outing in Dublin, Ohio.

Of course he was. Where else would he be?

No one was arrested.

That’s good. I don’t know why they would have been arrested:assembling in the general vicinity of Republicans? Standing somewhere near Republican staffers?

Union officials had vowed hundreds of people would rally at 11 a.m. Tuesday in West Chester to reinforce their point that Boehner needs to take care of people who need jobs in his district.

Here’s a video. They don’t look at all rowdy to me, but, you know, they’re union thugs, so it’s a given that Boehner’s staffers were victims. Luckily, Speaker Boehner was on the golf course, and out of harm’s way. What are the odds of that?

Thanks Bella Q.

Reader Interactions

50Comments

  2. 2.

    KG

    I don’t know why they would have been arrested:assembling in the general vicinity of Republicans? Standing somewhere near Republican staffers?

    Illegally assembling for a redress of grievances outside a designated Free Speech Zone?

  3. 3.

    kay

    @KG:

    I love that. The reporter wants us to know no one was arrested.

    Because they could have been! For something or other!

  4. 4.

    gbear

    Those protestors were taking John Cole’s advice from a couple threads down to start beating back republicans.

    Yay protestors!

  5. 5.

    Jane2

    Wow, how undemocratic.

    When I worked on the political side of government, we were instructed to meet and talk with protesters, invite them inside, and get appropriate bureaucrats to join us. It served to diffuse the situation, connect with the protestors, and give them a forum to discuss their issues. And the presence of political and bureaucratic staff ensured there would be follow-up, so protestors were more likely to take that route.

    Of course, that’s in Canada, and we’re Communists.

  6. 6.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I don’t watch the type of TV shows the Boner would appear on. With all the attention he’s gotten in the last couple of months, has any reporter thrown the “jobs! jobs! jobs!” line back at him?

  7. 7.

    A Mom Anon

    Why you’d think the staffers might have figured that locking the doors would escalate the situation…what’s the phrase? Feature not a bug? Jesus,I really loathe all this scaredy cat shit. Oh Noes,the constituents are coming,bar the doors!

  9. 9.

    Martin

    Well, the UK is at least trying:

    Amazon UK’s riot gear sales soar: Aluminum bats up 6000

    Aluminum bats aren’t a bad choice, they lack the reach of Boehner’s 9 iron, but wielded skillfully, they’ll make quick work of those narrow golf club shafts.

    Now, a wooden bat would have been a superior choice. First, it doesn’t have the ‘dink, dink, dink’ sound that aluminum bats have, which just plain sucks. Further, a good wooden bat can be broken along the shaft to make two good shivs, so it’s really quite the multitasker. And if you get some good fires going, well, the wooden bat helps move those along as well.

  10. 10.

    beltane

    I’ve heard you have to pay an admissions charge to speak with GOP staffers. Do John Boehner’s constituents really think they’re entitled to speak with him for free? Moochers.

  11. 11.

    The Dangerman

    The Orange One was searching the golf course for jobs (kinda like OJ was doing in searching for Nicole’s killer); you never know what you might find in a sand trap.

    Outside of the debt limit increase, has this House passed anything of consequence (and, by that, I mean it could pass the Senate, get signed, make the news, etc.)?

  12. 12.

    kay

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Of course not. That would be like asking Republicans where the “replace” part got off to, in “repeal and replace” health care. No one knows. It’s unknowable.

    They can promise anything, because 48 hours later, it’s like it never happened.

  14. 14.

    rea

    No one was arrested.

    Were they really talking about the demonstrators? Because, when you see “arrest” in close juxtaposition to “Republican Congressman”, demonstrators are not who comes to mind . . .

  15. 15.

    Bulworth

    Only teabaggers are allowed to gather peacefully riot and exercise their political right to free speech shout down their opponents at town hall meetings.

  16. 16.

    gnomedad

    My brother has decided that Boehner is a RINO; not sure whether that’s standard Tea Party doctrine now. In any case, if the Tea Party had converged on his office, it would be Democracy In Action.

  17. 17.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Disgraceful. This is what happens when insensitive and greedy little people refuse to just starve to death quietly when their betters tell them to. We’re all Londoners now.

  18. 18.

    Zifnab

    No one was arrested.

    That’s good. I don’t know why they would have been arrested:assembling in the general vicinity of Republicans? Standing somewhere near Republican staffers?

    Wait till they try to vote. Man, will the Republicans ever be pissed then.

  19. 19.

    El Cid

    Nebraska GOP Senate candidate AG Jon Bruning tells a cute little story which simulataneously portrays environmentalists as job-killers, biologists as naive effeminate tree-huggers, and “welfare recipients” (right, because there are sooooo many of those) as racoons eating beetles out of buckets with dead rats in them because we’re all too dumb to realize how tricky-lazy they are.

    In a video captured by the liberal group, American Bridge 21st Century, Bruning makes the comparison as part of an elaborate metaphor originally focused on environmental regulations.
    __
    He describes a requirement that workers at a construction project gather up endangered beetles by luring them into a bucket with a dead rat in order to release them elsewhere.
    __
    But the plan is thwarted when hungry raccoons then eat them straight out of the rat-infested bucket. Which, according to Bruning, is a perfect image to illustrate how welfare recipients receive their benefits.

    The hero is, of course, the all-American red-blooded farmer who uses his videocamera to show that racoons prove that biologists are un-American latte-sippin’ stupid ay-leets.

    The problem here, though, is that there’s not a really clear reference to race or homosexuals. Or that the racoons illegally snuck over some border. Or that the beetles are Muslims.

  20. 20.

    Yevgraf

    First, it doesn’t have the ‘dink, dink, dink’ sound that aluminum bats have, which just plain sucks.

    Now, a wooden bat would have been a superior choice. Aluminum never feels right as you impact the skull. Wood just has that nice, old timey feel with a satisfying “thunk” sound, and doesn’t seem to want to bounce back. Plus, I like a heavier feel to my follow-through.

  21. 21.

    Martin

    @beltane:

    I take it that cricket paddles don’t carry the same amount of wallop.

    They do, but being asymmetrical, require more skill to wield for maximum benefit. But they do have an extra 2 inches of reach, and that’s not worth nothing.

    But the thinner cricket bat has a distinctively different sound to it, and not as satisfying to me as the dull thud of northern white ash struck against a member of the ruling class.

  22. 22.

    kdaug

    “Jobs, jobs, jobs.”

    Oh, and “I got 98% of what I wanted.”

    Now watch this drive.

  23. 23.

    Poopyman

    Huh! Wonder why I got an ad for USConcealedCarry.com on this post. Never had that one before.

    Seems like a standard Republican MO is to shut out or remove constituents who aren’t active supporters of their politicians. Wouldn’t it be nice if that were pointed out in pieces like this instead of exaggerating how “rowdy” the crowd got as rationale for locking them out?

    But I won’t hold my breath.

  25. 25.

    capt

    Jobs? Well, it is the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 that are just about to kick the job creators into gear. The job creators are about to start creating jobs, that is if we don’t take away their tax cuts or their war. Then they’ll just have to wait.

    It is all so simple.

  26. 26.

    The Dangerman

    @Martin:

    …dull thud of northern white ash struck against a member of the ruling class.

    I’m not sure that dull thud is the desired result; a concussive blow misses out on those satisfying shrieks of pain…

    …but, if we are going with bats, might I suggest a fungo, since it’s smaller diameter might be useful for shoving up the offending parties ass (using care not to break the handle off in the process, of course; that could be mighty embarrassing in a Gere/Gerbil kinda way).

  27. 27.

    Stefan

    But the thinner cricket bat has a distinctively different sound to it, and not as satisfying to me as the dull thud of northern white ash struck against a member of the ruling class.

    Still, it’s never been the same since they moved to the one-day riots, rather than the more gentlemanly 5 day test riots (with appropriate tea breaks) that we used to have. Glad to see the London mobs extending this out like in the olden days.

    And don’t even get me started on the abomination of 20-20 riots.

  28. 28.

    BGinCHI

    The London riots will end this weekend with the start of the English Premier League.

    Or, they’ll be more entertainment before the rioting gets going again.

    Anyone catch the interviews with the young (18ish) girls from Croydon today on the BBC? Or the minister of whatever who said, with jaw clenched, that it was strictly criminal acts and NOTHING MORE.

    Hey Tories, just keep arresting people. That’ll solve it.

  30. 30.

    Rick Massimo

    That’s good. I don’t know why they would have been arrested:

    Being Someone a Republican Wants Arrested. That’s a thing; look it up.

    But seriously, noting that no one was arrested is about the only way a reporter could say “Boehner’s office wants me to portray this as a terrorist attack, but they’re just whining; really, no one did anything” without actually saying that. (Actually saying that, of course, would bring a flood of screaming phone calls and all-caps e-mails. Which is not intimidation when Real Americans do it.)

  31. 31.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @BGinCHI:

    The London riots will end this weekend with the start of the English Premier League.

    Heh.

    This reminds me of the spring protests, every spring, in Seoul when I was stationed there. Always coincided with the week AFTER the finals at the universities.

  36. 36.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @El Cid:

    Yep. I posted that link in another thread. This guy is running against Ben Nelson. For all the Nelson hate, it has to be clear that THIS GUY is your other option.

  37. 37.

    BGinCHI

    @me: Nice.

    GOP: “It’s all Obama’s fault.”

    Person with a brain: “What is?”

    GOP: “Everything.”

    Ps. The Garrison pics on Serwer’s twitter account are kind of weird.

  38. 38.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @me:

    What a fucktard Preebus is. Is he trying to live to Michael Steele standards or something?

  40. 40.

    mclaren

    I don’t know why they would have been arrested: assembling in the general vicinity of Republicans?

    Because the Pentagon and the United States government have classified non-violent public political protests as “low-level terrorism.”

    “So here we have a massive assault led by Federal Government law enforcement agencies on left-wing dissidents and protesters who have committed no acts of violence or illegality whatsoever, preceded by months-long espionage efforts to track what they do.”

    Source: “Federal government involved in raids on protestors,” Glenn Greenwald, 31 August 2008.

    Haven’t you been paying attention, Kay?

    Didn’t you notice what the DOD training manual says about political protests?

    Which of the following is an example of low-level terrorism activity?

    Select the correct answer and then click Check Your Answer.

    O Attacking the Pentagon

    O IEDs

    O Hate crimes against racial groups

    O Protests

    [The “correct” answer is Protests.]

    Pdf of Pentagon training manual containing this delightful info here.

    Didn’t you see the name of the Minneapolis state police unit that arrested those vegans?

    “The Minneapolis Joint Terrorist Task Force.”

    Peacefully protesting the policies of the United States government is now `terrorism.’

    Terrorists must be crushed. Stopped. Neutralized. Destroyed. Killed if necessary.

    And since political protestors are now classed as `terrorists,’ well, what does that say about the people who gathered to protests John Boehner’s political policies?

    Enemy combatants. Extraordinary rendition! Into the steel cages at Gitmo with ’em!

    This is the dark destination to which the “Global War on Terror” has led in 2011.

  41. 41.

    Legalize

    @Yevgraf:
    That’s all true. But don’t discount the acceleration you can get through the strike zone with an aluminum bat. You won’t tire yourself out as quickly, AND you’ll rack up a higher volume of bat-to-dome contact.

  44. 44.

    Kathy in St. Louis

    John was at a fundraising gold tournament in Dublin, Ohio? Correct me, Ohioans, if I am wrong, but isn’t that the place that the Irish scam family that steals money doing home repairs calls home? I mean, was he helping them raise more money, or was it a scam of some sort? Just checking.

  45. 45.

    les

    @The Dangerman:

    Outside of the debt limit increase, has this House passed anything of consequence (and, by that, I mean it could pass the Senate, get signed, make the news, etc.)

    No, nada, nothing. Plenty of “look at me, Teabaggers” crap. I’m not sure anything except the debt ceiling bullshit has made it through.

  46. 46.

    Ruviana

    @Jane2:

    To borrow a meme from another blog, I want to take a long moonlit walk on the beach with this comment.

  47. 47.

    Kathleen

    Move On is protesting at the orange one’s exurban hellhole office again tomorrow. Tomorrow is a national protest regarding jobs.

  48. 48.

    Mo MacArbie

    OK, way late to the party (and moderation bound), but that should be “Oy! Where’s the fucking jobs, John!”

  49. 49.

    cjdavis

    Too late as well, but two points:

    I was actually at the rally briefly, but didn’t stick around when I realized Boehner wasn’t going to be there at all – contrary to the email MoveOn sent out. (FU MO)

    Second, I noted the exact same ‘crowd got rowdy’ phrase when I read the article in the paper this morning. Pure editorializing bs by the paper, because there’s an actual statement from Boehner’s staff farther down:

    Press Secretary Brittany Bramell issued this statement by email: “While we respect their right to assemble and voice their opinions, Congressman Boehner’s staff has a responsibility to serve the constituents of the 8th district and in order to do so we need a workable office space.”

    Also bs, but the Enquirer just making stuff up is nothing new.

  50. 50.

    Jafar

    Healthcare Jobs are a very good career change for people who decide to go back to school especially while the job opeings are really low.

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