Should the Tea Party be Thanking the Occupy Movement?

Read Time:10 Minute, 57 Second

By Kevin Price, Publisher and Editor and Chief, US Daily Review.

Occupy-Rome — Who does this persuade and how does it persuade them?

Recently I was at a political event and I met a young man who has been involved in the “Occupy” movement. He was excited about the organization and believed it offered great promise to his generation (he was in his early to mid 20s). I told him I was surprised he felt that way (because he seemed so rational), because I believe the movement is doing it’s issues more harm, than good, because of its terrible behavior. Then, I followed up by saying, “whatever those issues are.” It is the fact that it stands for nothing, that this group has become so large. If it ever stands for anything, I am sure it’s numbers would shrink.

So, this young person asked, “How is the ‘Occupy’ movement doing harm?” Honestly, I had no idea where to begin. I did, however, pulled examples from this exhaustive (and growing daily) list (thanks www.BigJournalism):

NY: 10/1/2011 — Police Arrest More Than 700 Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge
Madison, WI: 10-27-2011 — Madison Occupiers Lose Permit Due to Public Masturbation
Phoenix: 10/28/2011 — Flier at Occupy Phoenix Asks, “When Should You Shoot a Cop?”
NY: 10/18/2011 — Thieves Preying on Fellow Protesters
NY: 10/9/2011 — Stinking up Wall Street: Protesters Accused of Living in Filth as Shocking Pictures Show One Demonstrator Defecating on a POLICE CAR
NY: 10/7/2011 — Occupiers Rush Police … More
Cleveland: 10/18/2011 — ‘Occupy Cleveland’ Protester Alleges She Was Raped
NY: 10/10/2011 — ‘Increasingly Debauched’: Are Sex, Drugs & Poor Sanitation Eclipsing Occupy Wall Street?
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Man Accused of Exposing Self to Children Arrested
10/12/2011 — Iran Supports ‘Occupy Wall Street’
Portland: 10/16/2011 – #OccupyPortland Protester Desecrates Memorial To U.S. War Dead
Portland: 10/15/2011 — #OccupyPortland Protesters Sing “F*** The USA”
Chicago: 10/17/2011 — COMMUNIST LEADER Cheered at Occupy Chicago
10/15/2011 — American Nazi Party Endorses Occupy Wall Street‘s ’Courage,‘ Tells Members to Support Protests and Fight ’Judeo-Capitalist Banksters’
Boston: 10/14/2011 — Coast Guard member spit on near Occupy Boston tents
Boston: 10/11/2011 — Boston Police Arrest Over 100 from Occupy Boston
New York: 10/11/2011 — “You Can Have Sex with Animals.”
New York: 10/15/2011 — Harassing Police with Accusations of Phony Injuries
New York: 10/9/2011 — ‘Occupy Wallstreet’ Protesters Steal from Local Businesses
New York: 10/25/2011 — Three Men Threatened to Kill 24-Year-Old Occupy Wall Street Protester for Reporting Rape
Baltimore: 10/18/2011 — #OccupyBaltimore Discourages Sexual Assault Victims from Contacting Police
Portland: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Portland’s Attempt At Wealth Redistribution Ends In Theft
Los Angeles: 10/14/2011 – Anti-Semitic Protester at Occupy Wall Street
10/27/2011 — A Death Threat From an Occupy Wall Street Protester
10/27/2011 – Anti-Semitic Tweet From Occupier or Sympathizer
Boston: 10/20/2011 — Occupy Boston Doesn’t Want Police Involved in Rape
New York: 10/5/2011: Anti-Semitic Occupier Screams About Jews, Israel
New York: 10/4/2011 — Occupier Taunts Jewish Man
Boston: 10/2011 — Occupiers Block Street
New York: 10/2011 — Occupier Tries to Steal Police Officer’s Gun
New York: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Block Traffic, Get Arrested
Oakland: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Throw Garbage at Police
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — Abusive #OccupyOakland Protesters Ban Media from Tent City
Eugene, OR: 10/19/2011 — Occupiers Displace Farmers’ Market Threatening Hundreds of Jobs
Portland, OR: 10/18/2011 — Capitalist Offering Jobs at Occupy Portland Finds Few Takers
NY: 10/20/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Threatens Businesses, Patrons
NY: 10/14/2011 — Violence Breaks Out During #OccupyWallStreet March Toward Stock Exchange
NY: 10/14/2011 — Protesters March On Wall Street, Scuffle With Cops
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Protesters Threaten Reporter
Oakland: 10/26/2011 — Occupiers Scuffle with Police
Oakland: 10/24/2011 — Protesters Storm, Vandalize, Shut Down Chase Bank
Dayton, OH: 10/22/2011 — Protester: ‘F*ck The Military, F*ck Your Flag, And F*ck The Police’
Chicago: 10/14/2011 — Protesters’ Message At #OccupyChicago Rally: ‘Destroy Israel’
NY: 10/23/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Supporter Rants Against Israel, Jews
NY: 10/22/2011 — #Occupy Kid: ‘Burn Wall Street, Burn!’
NY: 10/21/2011 — New Yorkers Fed Up With Noisy, Defecating Protesters
Oakland: 10/21/2011 — Occupy Oakland Evicted After Reports Of Crime And Intimidation
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Out of Control: Rats, Graffiti, Vandalism, Sexual Harassment, Public Sex and Urination
Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Occupiers Under Investigation by FBI for Links to Terrorism
Cleveland: 10/29/2011 — Rape Reported at Occupy Cleveland
Dallas: 10/24/2011 — Police Investigating Possible Sexual Assault Of Teen At Occupy Dallas
Bloomington, IN: 10/26/2011 — Man Claims Occupy Bloomington Protesters Drugged, Handcuffed Him
NY: 10/10/2011 — Sex, Drugs and Hiding from the Law at Wall Street Protests
Glasgow: 10/26/2011 — Woman Gang-Raped
Boston: 10/23/2011 — Occupy Boston Protesters Arrested For Dealing Heroin – With 6 Year-Old in Tent
Portland: 10/16/2011 — Sex Offender Registers Occupy Portland Camp as Address
Denver: 10/15/2011 — Occupy Denver Demonstrator Accused of Groping TV Photographer
Lawrence, KS: 10/25/2011 — Sexual Assault Reported at Occupy Camp
Minneapolis, MN: Bricks, Rocks, ‘Riot Supplies’ Discovered by Police
Phoenix, AZ: 10/27/2011 — Neo-Nazis Patrol “Occupy Phoenix” With AR-15′s
Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Chicago Invades City Hall
10/26/2011 — ACORN, Occupy Email Talks About Assault on Banks
10/26/2011 — OccupyWallStreet Strategy for Reports of Violence Against Cops
Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers Wows Occupiers
Chicago: 10/25/2011 — Ayers Coaches #OccupyChicago, Callsg for School ‘Occupations’
10/26/2011/ — Occupy Protests Have Jewish Leaders Concerned
Wash DC: 10/27/2011 — OccupyDC Leftists Provoke Police – Hang Flag on Top of DC Statue
Albuquerque, NM: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Squatters Riot With Police
San Diego: 10/25/2011 — Flag Used as Chew Toy by Occupier’s Dog
Oakland: 10/25/2011 — Occupiers Throw Bottles at Police
NY: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Protesters: Rush Limbaugh Is Bigger Threat Than Al-Qaeda
10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Launching First Nationwide General Strike in America Since 1946
NY: 10/28/2011 — Fox 5 News Reporter Assaulted at OWS
10/28/2001 — Total Occupy Arrests Made Thus Far: 2750
Nashville: 10/28/2011 — 30 Arrests Made at Wall St. Protest
NY: 10/20/2011 — Former Marine Tries to Taunt Police into Violence
NY: 1023/2011 — Islamist Group Joins with Occupy Wall Street
Los Angeles: 10/13/2011 — Roundup of Overt Occupy anti-Semitism
NY: 10/12/2011 — There are No Anti-Semites at Occupy Wall Street. Except for This Guy
Missoula, MT: 10/20/2011 — Drunk 11-Year-Old At Occupy Missoula, Adult Arrested
Oakland: 10/28/2011 — Bounty Out On Police Officer?
Manchester, NH: 10/28/2011 — Woman charged with pimping teen recruited at Occupy NH rally
San Diego: 10/28/2011 — 40 Occupiers arrested
Boston: 10/24/2011 — Occupy Boston Vandalism of Banks
Boston: 10/25/2011 — Store Owner Suffers 4 Break Ins Since Occupy Boston Began
Portland: 10/28/2011 — Portland Police: Buckets of Excrement Scattered Around #OccupyPortland Camp
Seattle: 10/20/2011 — Two Possible Occupiers Charged With Assault
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Armed Felon Arrested at Occupy Seattle
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — A Tent Fight and (At Least) One Arrest at Occupy Seattle
Seattle: 10/17/2011 — Over 50 Cops Clear Westlake Occupation, Make Eight Arrests
Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Cops Arrest Several Occupy Protesters
Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Chanting Protesters Surround Police After Officers Arrest Two
Denver: 10/29/2011 — Protesters Clash with Police at OWS Denver
Austin: 10/13/2011 — Occupy Austin protesters arrested for blocking cleaning Crews
Calgary, CN: 10/28/2011 — Occupiers do $40,000 in Property Damage
Cincinnati, OH: 10/21/2011 — 23 Arrested, Remains of protests fill two dumpsters
Sacramento: 10/19/2011 — 9 arrested in ‘Occupy Sacramento’ protest
Sacramento: 10/13/2011 — Four More Occupy Sacramento Demonstrators Arrested
Austin, TX: 10/22/2011 — Man Arrested After Knife Incident at Occupy Austin Camp
Nashville: 10/29/2011 — Tenn. Protesters Arrested For 2nd Straight Night
Austin, TX: 10/30/2011 — Austin Police arrest 38 Occupy Austin Protesters
NY: 10/30/2011 — Woman Assaulted in Her tent
Orlando, FL: 10/28/2011 — Occupy Orlando, police clash over use of downtown park
Orlando, FL: 10/26/2011 — 2 Occupy Orlando protesters arrested for trespass
Orlando, FL: 10/22/2011 — Police arrest 19 Orlando protesters on trespass charges
Asheville, NC: 10/30/2011 — Occupiers Clash with Homeless in Asheville
Nationwide: 10/27/2011 — Pro-Occupy Site claims 2511 Arrests Thus Far
Fort Worth, TX: 10/16/2011 — Arrests at Occupy Fort Worth Protest
NY: 10/29/2011 — Three Incidents of Anti-Semitism
San Francisco: 10/29/2011 — Anti-Semitic, Folsom Street Fair Types & Che Guevara Lovin
Oklahoma City: 10/30/2011 — Death of Street Poet at #OccupyOKC Treated as Homicide
Baltimore: 10/31/2011 — Woman Claims She was Raped at #OccupyBaltimore
Boston: 10/31/2001 — Alleged Heroin Dealer Joined Occupy Movement
Ottawa: 10/31/2011 — #OccupyOttawa Violent & Sexual Assaults Not Reported to Police
Santa Barbara, CA: 10/5/2011 — Occupiers Defy Police
Santa Barbara, CA: 10/6/2011 — 8 Occupiers Arrested
Denver, CO: 10/31/2011 — Occupiers Taunt Police, Knock Motorcycle Cop to Ground
Dallas, TX: 10/24/2011 — 23 Occupy Dallas Protesters Arrested After Bank Demonstration
Richmond, VA: 10/31/2011 — Arrests of Occupiers in Richmond
Dallas, TX: 1v1/1/2011: Man Arrested for Child Sex assault at Occupy Dallas Camp
NY: 11/1/2011 — Protesters Flock to STD-Test Clinics After Occupier ‘Free Love’
Iowa: 11/1/2011 — Occupiers Intend to Disrupt Iowa Caucus
NY: 11/1/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Costs Main Street Workers Their Jobs
San Diego: 10/29/2011 — Businesswoman Closes Shop After Threats By Occupiers
Palm Desert, CA: 11/1/2011 — Occupiers Arrested
Tampa, FL: 10/24/2011 — Six Occupiers Arrested
Tampa, FL: 10/27/2011 — Two More Arrested In Connection to Occupy Tampa Movement
Tampa, FL: 10/29/2011 — Occupy Tampa Protesters Arrested After Scuffle With Police
Oakland, CA: 11/3/2011 — Rallies Turn Violent
Seattle, WA: 11/2/2011 — Cops, Protesters Clash
Oakland, CA: 11/3/2011 — Protests Degenerate Into Chaos
Tulsa, OK: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Clash With Police
Sacramento, CA: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Smash County Vehicle Windows
Philadelphia: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Arrested
Charlottesville, VA: 11/1/2011 — Underage Drinking at Occupy Charlottesville Site
Portland: 11/2/2011 — Occupier Shoves Police Officer into Moving Bus
Oakland: 11/2/2011 — Malkin’s Collection of Vandalism and Menacing Signs
NYC: 11/3/2011 — Occupier Busted In Tent Grope, Suspected In Rape
NYC: 11/4/2011 — 16 OWS Protesters Arrested at Goldman Sachs HQ
Oakland, CA: 11-3-2011 — Occupy-Friendly Business Vandalized
Asheville, NC: 11/3/2011 — 24 Occupiers Arrested
Raleigh, NC: 10/28/2011 — Eight at Occupy Raleigh Arrested After Standoff
NYC: 11/4/2011 — Deranged Homeless Man Goes on Violent Rampage In Zuccotti Park
Dallas, TX: CPS Seizes Baby From ‘Occupy Dallas’ Site
Wash DC: 11/4/2011 — Occupier Uses Child as Human Shield — Video
Wash DC: 11/4/2011 — Occupiers Try to Storm Americans for Prosperity Event — Video
Omaha, NE: 11/3/2011 — Three Occupiers Arrested
Atlanta: 11/3/2011 — Protester Turns On Fellow Protester With Knife
Los Angeles: 10/28/2011 — Drug Use and Property Damage
Boston, MA: 11/4/2011 — 3 Charged With Dealing Crack; Occupy Boston ‘Deteriorating’
Boston, MA: 11/4/2011 — Occupiers Storm Israeli Consulate; Anti-Israel Chants — Video.

Every time another protester defecates on a police car, rapes another protester, or uses anti-semitic language, their numbers shrink. Maybe not in their crowds, but of independent voters that are watching them on TV and reading stories about the group.

In the same vein, I believe these protesters are actually helping the Tea Party, by showing the latter to be a far more reasonable movement. As the media has embraced the “Occupy” movement, it has made Americans aware of the huge contrast between this radical and hate based movement and those calling themselves members of the “Tea Party.” Tea Party participants look like my neighbors, while the “Occupy” radicals resemble characters from Charlie Manson’s family. The media and its love of the “Occupy” movement is only going to push more Americans to the Tea Party.

I have been involved in many Tea Party events and have spoken to as many as 11,000 participants at one time and at no time did I feel uncomfortable. Meanwhile, my experience with the “Occupy Houston” was absolutely creepy, as men and women walked around in circles with tape on their mouths and carrying very odd signs crying a victim status. At first, I was concerned about the “Occupy” movement and its potential impact on the Tea Party. Now, I look forward to more liberals foolishly embracing it and watching their reputations shrink as does the credibility of this strange movement.