Iraq veteran in critical condition at Occupy Oakland demonstration

[mooncliff]

This is so sad.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19199894

[World Traveler]

Re: Iraq veteran in critical condition at Occupy Oakland demonstration

There are 3 videos in this article. The second video, first of two at bottom of article, shows injured man (a 2-tour Iraq veteran!), lying flat on his back, not moving, in the street.

His friends become concerened and rush over to his aid. Just as they reach him, tear gas is fired point-blank directly at them and the injured man, by a very nearby cop. The scene smokes up and the friends fall back, overcomes by the fumes. They then re-group and carry wounded man out, who is dazed and unresponsive.

He is now in a coma, in critical condition, in the hospital. He was injured by a cannister thrown by police, that hit him in the forehead.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1033159.html

[LargoWinch]

Re: Iraq veteran in critical condition at Occupy Oakland demonstration

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Iraq veteran in critical condition at Occupy Oakland demonstration

Kind of an individual's Bonus Army kind of incident.

Anyone familiar with the Bonus Army?

Worth googling it......and make note of the names involved......MacArthur, Patton, and Eisenhower.

[Shakespear]

Re: Iraq veteran in critical condition at Occupy Oakland demonstration

lakedaemonian - Thanks for that referral. I love history because it sure makes the present a lot clearer.

So these military luminaries really showed their stuff chasing demonstrators who wanted their money in the wake of the (smaller) Great Depression. Then Gen. MacArthur thinking they were Communists (those that demand money) attacked without orders. Wow ... nothing surprises ever.

[Chris Coles]

Re: Iraq veteran in critical condition at Occupy Oakland demonstration

Devoid of fresh thinking and assuming that a demonstration is an attempt to disable the workings of the administrators that are the ones that are devoid of fresh thinking; they go to war against the people to protect themselves from any form of accounting for their failures. This is a classic breakdown of law and order perpetrated by the authorities.

Mega was indeed 18 months early.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Iraq veteran in critical condition at Occupy Oakland demonstration

In response Occupy Oakland is calling for a general strike on Nov. 2nd.



Also, somewhat related, is this video from the congressional supercommittee yesterday.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/J...5243/stop/5305

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Iraq veteran in critical condition at Occupy Oakland demonstration

lakedaemonian - Thanks for that referral. I love history because it sure makes the present a lot clearer.

So these military luminaries really showed their stuff chasing demonstrators who wanted their money in the wake of the (smaller) Great Depression. Then Gen. MacArthur thinking they were Communists (those that demand money) attacked without orders. Wow ... nothing surprises ever.

From the Military History perspective....this simply further reduced my opinion of MacArthur......and dented Patton a bit in my mind(I always thought of him as pretty much a very useful and needed dog...best kept on a short chain in peacetime).

I still like Eisenhower though......his role was more peripheral and he was STRONGLY opposed to it...but went along in the after action report.

General Smedley Butler is another fella I think is worth mentioning to not only get some historical context(of a possible fascist scenario the US avoided: The Business Plot largely erased from general knowledge) but also to show that the US military doesn't produce just rabid warfighters(Patton)......but many honorable citizen soldiers with great integrity.

I would LOVE to see someone like Ken Burns do a documentary on The Bonus Army and General Smedley Butler/Business Plot. But I think he's booked out for the next 10 years.

I suspect we will be seeing a fair few Depression/Dust Bowl Era films/TV shows in a couple years.