Glenn Greenwald describes the status of the Occupy movement, both the hope for continued vitality and the disturbing para-military response by our government.
The reason the U.S. has para-militarized its police forces is precisely to control this type of domestic unrest, and it’s simply impossible to imagine its not being deployed in full against a growing protest movement aimed at grossly and corruptly unequal resource distribution. As Madeleine Albright said when arguing for U.S. military intervention in the Balkans: “What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about if we can’t use it?” That’s obviously how governors, big-city Mayors and Police Chiefs feel about the stockpiles of assault rifles, SWAT gear, hi-tech helicopters, and the coming-soon drone technology lavished on them in the wake of the post/9-11 Security State explosion, to say nothing of the enormous federal law enforcement apparatus that, more than anything else, resembles a standing army which is increasingly directed inward.
For those who want to help the protesters through the winter, Greenwald suggest that FireDogLake has done an excellent job of raising money to by cold weather clothing and gear for the protesters. If you would like to pitch in, visit FDL.
Here is a photo of a police officer defending America by spraying students with pepper spray at UC Berkeley. http://i.imgur.com/0UoEz.jpg
Unless I’m mistaken, that’s UC Davis, my graduate alma mater, and not UC Berkeley.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/cops-pepper-spray-passive-protesters/2011/11/19/gIQAXz7UcN_video.html
Huge Canadian spy operation focused on activists ends with a whimper: “Police organizations across the country co-operated to spy on community organizations and activists in what the RCMP called one of the largest domestic intelligence operations in Canadian history, documents reveal.” http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/22/g20-police-operation.html