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Forum Post: The Story You Dreaded

Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 26, 2011, 11:19 p.m. EST by Brandon37 (372)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

47 Comments

47 Comments


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[-] 2 points by PandoraK (1678) 12 years ago

If one looks below the surface, I know difficult for some, one sees that the Tea Party isn't what it attempts to appear.

Ending the Fed, then reducing government are not conductive to anything. End the Fed then the monetary system must divert to the government which would entail expanding the Dept of Treasury greatly, which means expanding the government.

Thousands of contradictions within the philosophy of the Tea Party.

Violence? One alleged rape. One murder which was only 'nearby' and not connected in any way to OWS.

Oakland, ah Oakland...the city of riots...this justifies the denouncement of OWS every where.

It was pointed out that a public assembly being attended by a TP member with a concealed weapon or anyone else for that matter is a threat to peace and safety. I have guns and do not feel the need to attend a public event armed. Or Tea Party members showing up at a rally with signs, jeez, try reading those signs! TP relatively peaceful? Short time? The TP has been around for ages, it's just recently they have gone public.

[-] 2 points by OldLeftie (253) from Washington, DC 12 years ago

Hey folks, don't yo get it? Brandon37 here is pretending he's not the Brandon Loran Maxwell who wrote the article in the first place! Geez! Critical thinking and a bit of research/investigation is required of all of us if we're going to hold this together.

So PLEASE LIKE THIS COMMENT to keep it at the top of the column....

Now...

Brandon, tell us, PLEASE

why you're pretending to be someone other than the author of this piece.

Tell us PLEASE

why you call it a story, and not a commentary which is what it really is,

and

tell us PLEASE

Why ANY of us should care what's published in the Washington Examiner....

To reiterate my earlier comment...

The Washington Examiner is a free daily newspaper published in Springfield, Virginia, and distributed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz.

The newspaper was formerly distributed only in the suburbs of Washington, under the titles of Montgomery Journal, Prince George's Journal, and Northern Virginia Journal. Anschutz purchased their parent company, Journal Newspapers Inc., in October 2004. On February 1, 2005, the paper's name changed to the Washington Examiner, and it adopted a logo and format similar to that of another newspaper owned by Anschutz, the San Francisco Examiner. The Examiner's parent company, Clarity Media Group, also owns the conservative opinion magazine The Weekly Standard.The Examiner co-sponsored the Republican presidential debate in Ames, Iowa on August 11, 2011.

Brandon Loran Maxwell is a quarterly contributing political columnist to Street Motivation Magazine. His Op-Ed's have appeared in The Washington Examiner and on OregonLive.com; and he has been profiled in both The Oregonian and Willamette Week. Brandon has been a guest on television news programs such as KATU's Town Hall. He is a produced playwright and winner of Portland Community College's annual 'One Act Festival'; a chapter leader of Students For Liberty; and a Political Science undergraduate at Brigham Young University in Provo..

[-] 1 points by ramous (765) from Wabash, IN 12 years ago

As if pro-OWS stories aren't written and tweeted by the same people. I say, so?

[-] 1 points by TomJoad (30) from Highland Heights, KY 12 years ago

You can;t comment on the story. I would have liked to point out the video of Tea Partiers attacking a progressive meeting of little old ladies in a park a few months ago. Or how they threatened congressmen at town hall meetings. Got in their face when they were trying to leave, shouting and even pushing a couple. I guess that was just good clean fun.

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

How would you compare OWS to the Tea Party?

[-] 1 points by thegreamango (6) 12 years ago

Well, they both started off real strong with issues about government accountability...but then kinda got turned around and backwards somewhere along the way.

[-] 1 points by divineright (664) 12 years ago

I'd still like to see them try to join forces, put all the differences aside, establish common goals, and go after government corruption. It would speak volumes if the citizens could muster more diplomatic agreement than the "leaders".

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

What has changed regarding what the Tea Party stands for?

[-] 1 points by thegreamango (6) 12 years ago

Not so much change, per se, but what has been tacked on. It started somewhere VERY similar to OWS and IIRC, immediately after or near the time of the governments bailout. They went on to throw super conservative views into their mixing pot, going towards a religious right-wing direction.

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

How?

[-] 1 points by TomJoad (30) from Highland Heights, KY 12 years ago

The first might save us, the second is insane.

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

interesting. I think the Tea Party has been smeared by the media. I don't think the majority involved here even know what the Tea Party is about. I am not a member of the TP, but that is my observation.

[-] 1 points by hamalmang (722) from Lebanon, PA 12 years ago

Ive listened to hundreds of hours of conservative radio blabbing on and on about the tea party. I get it. They want "their" country back. They want to live in the 1950's but with the capitalism of the 1920s and regress to the 19th century. They need to grow up.

[-] 1 points by stuartchase (861) 12 years ago

Here's the Revolution's new song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL4ei-RE3Nc

http://occupywallst.org/forum/something-to-think-about-part-1/

Brothers and sisters, the KTC needs to lean on you!

The Revolution starts here!

[-] 1 points by gnomunny (6819) from St Louis, MO 12 years ago

Just another smear piece chock full of bias and inaccuracies. Ignore.

[-] 0 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

Why do you say that? The author seemed pretty balanced. He criticized the Tea Party.

[-] 1 points by OldLeftie (253) from Washington, DC 12 years ago

Brandon! You are the Author! You're outed! Deal with it!

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

I do not write for that paper, or any paper. The author is at the top near the title.

[-] 1 points by OldLeftie (253) from Washington, DC 12 years ago

"Brandon Loran Maxwell is a quarterly contributing political columnist to Street Motivation Magazine."

So it's just coincidence that your alias and the author's name are both "Brandon"?

Be that as it may. It's not a story. It's an op ed in a right wing newspaper by a likely Mormon (Brandon goes to Brigham Young U.). So I am simply saying that you are overstating its importance. And I wonder why. The idea that you are in fact the author of the piece would be a reasonable explanation.

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

That's not me. I am flattered that you think I am a professional writer.

[-] 1 points by OldLeftie (253) from Washington, DC 12 years ago

Brandon is no professional writer. He's a student who is tolerated by a right wing newspaper because he feeds its prejudices. And it was no flattery. How could you think it was flattery?

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

Sorry. I am not that person. I still find it flattering that you would assume I am this high profile person.

[-] 1 points by gnomunny (6819) from St Louis, MO 12 years ago

It seemed like he was praising the Tea party to me. He claims there have been no bad incidents involving Tea Partiers. That's not quite true (see TomJoad's comment at the top of the thread, for example). The comment about 'rapes and sexual assaults have been regular occurrences at protests across the country.' That's a bit biased IMO. Regular occurrences? Hardly. And some have been proven to be downright falsehoods. He mentions murders. Plural. Untrue. One murder in Oakland was NEAR the Occupy site and had nothing to do with OWS, although the MSM claimed otherwise. The only other murder that I know of, if you could call it that, was a miscarriage in Oregon or Washington state caused by a policeman hitting a pregnant girl in the stomach twice with his baton. He says 'the movement's leaders have been overridden.' What leaders? There are no leaders. And I must add that in places like New York City, the homeless and many troubled individuals staying in shelters were ENCOURAGED to go to the Occupy sites for the express purpose of stirring up conflict and dissent. Besides, when you get as broad a range of diversity as you have at OWS, there's bound to be problems. Ever been to a concert, or a large Fourth of July celebration? Also, the Tea Party seems to represent a far narrower slice of society, demographically-speaking. I would expect less problems. So, yeah, it seems like a biased piece to me.

[-] 1 points by gnomunny (6819) from St Louis, MO 12 years ago

I've caught a few of those. But being a born skeptic, I have to take those with a grain of salt. Don't get me wrong, crimes have occurred, I don't mean to downplay them or dismiss them totally. But you shouldn't believe everything you see, especially in the MSM and especially when so many powerful people would like to paint as bad a picture of OWS as they can. The mega-bankers and those in Congress would definitely like to see OWS go away. A case in point was the incident a couple weeks ago in DC when it was reported that an OWS participant pushed two old ladies down a flight of steps. A few days later when a video from a different angle surfaced, one which showed the whole thing more clearly, it showed the first woman was actually pushed down by someone LEAVING the venue. In other words, it was a 1% (if you want to call him that) that pushed her in his attempt to force his way through the crowd of protesters. The second lady fell as the crowd was moving backwards because of the first incident. So the second lady falling was an accident. So, it's often hard to get the true picture of things, especially when relying on published news reports.

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

I never believe everything I read. However, the riots alone were highly damaging.

[-] 2 points by gnomunny (6819) from St Louis, MO 12 years ago

I must agree. I remarked last night that I thought Oakland was giving the whole movement a bad name. More bad has come from Oakland than all the other sites combined. Image will be the biggest hurtle we have, but I still believe in the cause, so I'm going to stick with it. And like I said, there's bound to be problems when you allow virtually anyone to join in or hang around. Ever been at a party when some 'bad elements' showed up later in the evening? It doesn't take much to ruin the whole affair.

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

Take the good parts of the movement and focus on those with friends, family and neighbors.

[-] 2 points by gnomunny (6819) from St Louis, MO 12 years ago

Good comment. The biggest, and best, changes should happen at home.

[-] 1 points by OldLeftie (253) from Washington, DC 12 years ago

The Washington Examiner is a free daily newspaper published in Springfield, Virginia, and distributed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz.

The newspaper was formerly distributed only in the suburbs of Washington, under the titles of Montgomery Journal, Prince George's Journal, and Northern Virginia Journal. Anschutz purchased their parent company, Journal Newspapers Inc., in October 2004. On February 1, 2005, the paper's name changed to the Washington Examiner, and it adopted a logo and format similar to that of another newspaper owned by Anschutz, the San Francisco Examiner. The Examiner's parent company, Clarity Media Group, also owns the conservative opinion magazine The Weekly Standard.The Examiner co-sponsored the Republican presidential debate in Ames, Iowa on August 11, 2011.

Brandon Loran Maxwell is a quarterly contributing political columnist to Street Motivation Magazine. His Op-Ed's have appeared in The Washington Examiner and on OregonLive.com; and he has been profiled in both The Oregonian and Willamette Week. Brandon has been a guest on television news programs such as KATU's Town Hall. He is a produced playwright and winner of Portland Community College's annual 'One Act Festival'; a chapter leader of Students For Liberty; and a Political Science undergraduate at Brigham Young University in Provo.

In other words, it's not a "story", it's just one person's opinion, and the person has to advertize his own work.

Wouldn't it be nice if you were as honest as you want the rest of us to be before you start throwing mud. But obviously, you don't agree with Jesus that you have to be free from sin first.

[-] 0 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

I just knew this was the worst case scenario. The media has announced that OWS has helped the Tea Party.

[-] 1 points by OldLeftie (253) from Washington, DC 12 years ago

The media being whom? You? Brandon, you're outed!

[-] 1 points by powertoothepeople (280) 12 years ago

Oh, please do you get paid by the click on your story there?

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

what? Are they hiring for that? Is that a job you have done?

[-] 1 points by powertoothepeople (280) 12 years ago

Yes, some of these sites pay the writers based on clicks to the stories they've written.

e-how does it, I thought the Examiner sites did that, too. And there are others, I'm drawing a blank right now but there are a few "article" sites that pay out based on clicks.

I do hire bloggers sometimes, but not right now.

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

Why not propose this idea as a place for unemployed OWS members to look?

[-] 1 points by powertoothepeople (280) 12 years ago

I have a lot of ideas for unemployed people to make money online.

I have offered before, all people in need have to do is PM me.

One guy got mad and told me my opportunities suck. But if you're hungry - it beats having to take a bus or a subway somewhere to make shit money. In addition, if you use your own creativity and ingenuity, you can earn 1K a week and more selling online and using various information sites, etc. He was just a negative nelly.

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

Then I don't get it. Why are people not being positive here and claim there is no work when you have knowledge for them that could change that.

[-] 1 points by powertoothepeople (280) 12 years ago

While I support most of the professed goals of this movement, there are indeed some negative people on this forum and actually, everywhere in life.

Some people can't make a go of things because they get in their own way. That IS a fact of life, unfortunately.

This is a great time to invest in real estate, too, if you can. When life gives you lemons... : )

[-] 0 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

This is the attitude we built this nation on. ^^^^

[-] 0 points by thegreamango (6) 12 years ago

The Occupy Wall Street movement in its infancy had the correct sentiment: End corporatism, end the Fed. This sentiment, however, has since been diluted by progressive populism. "Occupy Wall Street's dialogue is no longer about whether government should engage in favoritism, interfere with markets and provide bailouts; or whether the Federal Reserve has too little accountability.

But rather, whether someone makes too much money. It is no longer ground zero for the advancement of liberty, but ground zero for complaints about income disparity and calls for the redistribution of wealth."

Man ain't that the truth. Bummer.

[-] 2 points by notaneoliberal (2269) 12 years ago

No, it "ain't" the truth. It still is about ending corporatism. I don't know that "end the fed" was ever a focus of anyone but clueless Paulies.

[-] 0 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

It sucks they weren't able to shed the radical element.

[-] 0 points by thegreamango (6) 12 years ago

Yeah man, I think I'm dropping my support of the movement. It seemed like a week ago it was all rainbows and butterflies, with us shouting about spending cuts, ending corporate welfare, and government favoritism...now it's just about getting in the way, sharing money, one love etc.

Nothing wrong with that mind you, but it sure as hell wasn't what this movement was originally about.

[-] 0 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

They have to get serious for it to work.

[-] 1 points by thegreamango (6) 12 years ago

About which part? The original ideals?

[-] 1 points by Brandon37 (372) 12 years ago

the representation and the tactics. They cannot win this battle on the streets.