Subject:  Anarchy vs. oligarchy (Reuss)..
Date:     Sat, 4 Dec 1999 060014 -0600 (CST)
From:     "Roy L. Beavers" 
To:       emfguru 
--------------------------------------------------



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 4 Dec 1999 01:16:51 +0100
From: Christoph Reuss 
To: "Roy L. Beavers" 
Cc: john_mccain@mccain.senate.gov, gephardt@mail.house.gov,
    john_ashcroft@ashcroft.senate.gov
Subject: Re: Anarchy vs. oligarchy.....

On Wed, 1 Dec 1999, you wrote (referring to anti-WTO vandals in Seattle):
>
> Attacks against innocent local businessmen will not win you the sympathy
> of the American people!!!

For the record:  The few vandal acts that happened were directed against
Big Biz, *not* against small local businessmen.  The media distorted this
with their usual bias.  Here's what a resident of Seattle reported:

(Start Quote)
#I saw no damage to "local small business," although there may have been some
#since I have been downtown.  In the area where most of the vandals acted,
#there ARE no local small businesses - they can't afford to do business
#there.  It's the big boys' downtown commercial zone. The window and graffiti
#damage I personally saw was to Starbucks, Fidelity Trust, Bank of America,
#McDonalds, Sharper Image and the like.  Gap, Nike and other vandalism was on
#the local news.  I don't agree with smashing anything, but I do want to
#dispel the above mentioned media myth...I wouldn't call vandals "activists"
#either.
#
#All this damage was done by a tiny number of people.  I personally witnessed
#several scenes where nonviolent protesters were telling the violent ones to
#stand down, sometimes successfully and sometimes not.  In the last few days
#there have been more large (1000 - 5000 or more) person peaceful rallies and
#marches by combinations of labor, environment, agriculture and other groups.
#Some have apparently been gassed and/or sprayed by police without any
#provocation other than marching.
#
#There have been some definite incidents of out-of-control police actions.  A
#friend was witnessing on Capitol Hill Wed. PM and confirmed reports of
#overuse of tear gas wafting into residents' apartments, groups of residents
#simply trying to get home being harassed, including physically with gas and
#pepper spray, and so on.  Last night's late news (Seattle Ch. 7) showed a
#lone resident on Capitol Hill, approaching a group of 6+ riot police,
#extremely upset and vocal but nonviolent about what was being done to
#himself, his neighborhood and his fellow residents.  They let him get close
#(he was walking towards them, yelling hoarsely "what are you doing?!?  What
#are you doing?!!?"), pulled back a bit so he was in a bit of a semicircle,
#and then four or five of them pepper-sprayed him in the face at close range
#with no warning whatsoever.
#
#Meanwhile, the media people continue to run interview clips with
#unapologetic vandals who call themselves anarchists, and no interview clips
#with nonviolent rally, march and action organizers and participants.  Heaven
#forbid any intelligent discourse or wisdom should leak out to the general
#TV-medicated public.
(End Quote)¨

Cheerio,
Chris





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