Funny how nobody else was “screaming in pain” as they were escorted away from the unsafe crowding of a major intersection. The term “Drama Queen” comes to mind when Ann Wright is “brutalized.” Some colonel. I wonder how many times she let her troops see her over-react.

And by the way, they did not have any right to lay flowers at the Iwo statue. That statue is on federal property. Most people don’t realize the Quantico property line starts at the intersection.

oh Michael, your first troll, congrats !

another youtube of Sunday events here – did I mention David House is the shiznit ?!?! geawd I admire that young man

cbl doin’ some samplin’

uncivil hippies pushing back on riot shields:
http://splicd.com/7KKtwufKg9E/375/385

and I love,love,love the Bradley stickers on the riot shields – very much reminds me of placing flowers in National Guard gun barrels at the Pentagon in ’70: http://www.splicd.com/7KKtwufKg9E/432/450

thanks so much for all the coverage Michael Whitney and Firedoglake !

Even funnier how you show up here at every thread about Manning.

On the job, I see.

Pathetic.

This embarrassing brutality conducted by officers – and tolerated by the military and state police – was wholly unnecessary at this peaceful gathering.

The powers that be always find it necessary when they deem people “unruly”. To authoritarians, anyone who doesn’t do as they are told immediately should be slapped down as hard as possible. Bradley Manning is learning it. These protesters are learning it. However, it has gone on forever. Nothing changes for long including the maltreatment of the masses when they refuse to know their place.

At least it’s not as bad as Nazi Germany ,YET !

Look Gobbles we, the people own all federal property.

There should be a law against a disproportionate ratio of police to protestors.

you’re a right-wing ~~~Edited by Moderator. Disagree without insulting other commenters~~~, prob excited over the treatment of the old supporters of Bradley Manning. maybe you’re one of those DOD planted “persons”. but a ~~~Edited by Moderator~~~ for sure.

We had some fun Portland on Monday. Blocked the street with a cage with a VFP member inside. Cops did not want to arrest him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt5a3uvD80U

Pictures and report here

Quantico property is owned by The People ~~~Edited by Moderator~~~, unless it’s been “privatized” by the corporations. We will lay flowers any place we want to. what you gonna do about it ~~~Edited by Moderator~~~

excessive force against peaceful protestors at Quantico Marine Base

Well there you go, in the wrong place at the wrong time. You should have been in Benghazi and the Oil Corp USA would have come to your rescue and staved off those fascist police.

“I’m afraid that will happen indefinitely unless more people follow the example of Bradley Manning, whose courageous act of civil disobedience probably confronts him with life in prison,” Ellsberg said to a crowd of supporters at a rally earlier this month.

The police presence in riot gear and so forth is pure unadulterated fascism in action.

I can’t see why the protesters can’t be allowed to express themselves and if they block public property be arrested. This show of force is disgraceful.

This video needs to go viral for all Americans and the world to see. It’s a disgrace. But it’s not unexpected a peace demonstration and other civil disobedience demos. And they usually will incite violence just to get brutal and do mass random arrests.

This is what fascism looks like. It’s here. NOW.

who sends “the police” to these events? There are people behind “the police state”, who calls the shots there and what is their end game?

Looks a lot like the view I had during the 2008 DNC.

my bad, just over-emotional about the treatment of Bradley Manning for exposing the war crimes of the system, Will self adjust my comments in the future

Good job! That’s a diary!! You can do it as a cross-post.

Typical VA police reaction.

Hey, gitsum, ever been arrested by a cop who wanted to show you how tough he was? Two notches more than necessary with cuffs next to your wrist bone will make even a tough guy like you wince.

Ah SD, Gitsum is a manly man Marine so it would never bother him to see someone like col Wright arrested and abused.

We just have to all suck it up and all that.

You know, Semper Fi?

Just not sure what the f*ck he’s faithful to as it damn sure ain’t the Constitution, no matter the oath he swore.

Who prepares and equips and defines these “missions”. Where are the mass riots in the USA which call for this sort of “preparation” and response?

Clearly this is unnecessary based on history of peaceful protest in the USA.

I haven’t had an opportunity to read the book but I was curious why you begin every book salon with that phrase? :)

Once a Marine, always a Marine. That’s some heavy duty brainwashing. Seen a lot of drunken fools sayin’ Semper Fi! to anybody who’d listen.

Because nothing says “America” like police brutality in response to peaceful protest. Gitsum: You work for US, (self moderating here)!

Because I usually have not had an opportunity to read the books but I do like to participate.

It’s a courtesy to the author and host both to let them know that I might be asking an idiot question.

Most authors are willing to respond positively.

When I hosted, I told my author in advance to regard it like doing a live presentation on a book tour & assume no one had read it.

Where do we find the list of Federal employees working to disrupt polite conversation?

They are our employees and we should know their names and handles.

That’s what a transparent open society would be like, that we were promised by Bogus barry.

Nazi Germany was tops in the twentieth century propaganda by Government agents

Looks like we’re trying in every way possible to make the Nazis look like pikers.

I believe that “the police system” is trying to ratchet up the response to provoke violence. Then they feel free to clamp down even harder/ pass laws to further the “police state”. People need to push back at the system/people who profit from the privatization of the police state.

One only needs to look at the “for profit” prison system that is now taking hold in the usa. People become currency units to the system. And the reason to lock up people becomes less and less important.

Yikes! Austin police tried doing the same thing during the Iraq war protest when people laid down in the street while others drew chalk outlines around them. Then the crowd started chanting, “Leave them alone”, and the cops backed off in a hurry. I’m proud to say I started that chant.

I think most of the authors do understand that (the occasional unnamed guest notwithstanding)

I believe that “the police system” is trying to ratchet up the response to provoke violence. Then they feel free to clamp down even harder/ pass laws to further the “police state”.

Of course they are. Then the complicit, lapdog media will rush out a heavily edited video that would make James O’Keefe blush and it will look like Liberals gone wild on Jerry Springer or something.

You know, my first thought was “that’s not shocking at all. I’m going to carp at Whitney about how this is standard.” But then my second thought was “this never stops being shocking, even if I’m not actually surprised.”

I had the “opportunity” to see barbed wire, metal green zone walls, camo humvees and clouds of riot pigs running around the streets of my nice, peaceful city in 2008 when the right wing of the Corporate Fascism War Party came to town. After that, I don’t know man, nothing along these lines surprises me anymore. Even if it brings up feelings of shock.

Great write up, dude.

Agree about the police. The silver lining to the police trying to provoke something that justifies a crackdown is that the crackdown tends to radicalize moderates and get the hesitant off the fence and into the streets. Historically speaking, at least.

So we have that to look forward to, maybe.

Not only that but it’s almost certain that an unedited video will survive. That’ll add a bit of gas to the fire.

I don’t think it’s necessary to tell them you haven’t read their book… just let your questions fly and if they’re good, they’ll bite.

A quick google shows the statue is outside the base on “Jefferson Davis Highway” and Fuller Road, by the MC Museum. Just google National Museum of the Marine Corps and a map will show the location.
Here is a link to the Google Earth location
http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map-94878.kml

Yeah, well, I’ll probably continue to say it anyway as it works for me.

The sad or is it frightening fact is that the fascists are your neighbors and in nyc called NY’s finest.

We ARE the fascists, We drop the bombs, We build the war machines, We are the boots on the ground, We enable fascism.

Whatever makes you happy. I always get a laugh from it though… it’s like clockwork… but they don’t know… we do sssshhhh

“Call the Goon Squad!”
“We are the Goon Squad!”

http://www.jofreeman.com/photos/convention68.html

scroll down for photos – I keep feeling deja vu when I watch this video of the Manning protest – at least no one was beaten -

I would love to have the numbers of the true financial cost of this “show of force” to the taxpayer in Prince William County. How much overtime for officers, dogs and horses? The salary for 100 officers and any subsequent overtime has to be quite steep. I would love to ask the voters of Prince William county – who were never threatened during the protest – which they would rather spend their money on – teachers, roads or riot police?

I hate to feed these guys but…
So you figure she was “overreacting” (no hyphen, buddy) and probably showed this “overreacting” to her troops? And would that be because she doesn’t have a penis? Because your statement sure sounds like it came from a sexist to me.

Thank you for the thoughtful post & video. I was interested to learn more and totally unsuprised by the outcome brought to you by the fascist state.

Let me remind others here, just for the record, there was waaaay more disruption at some T-party rallies and/or Town Halls, and whereohwhere were the riot police & military, etc.?? Why, not in evidence. Some nutbar brings open-carry weapons – admittedly legally – to where the POTUS is speaking, and eh? so what.

Yet we have a bunch of older citizens peacefully protesting a horrid action by our govt done in our name – and let me add that have the RIGHT to peacefully protest – and lo: the riot police & other thugs of the state are brought out in full regalia.

And then we even have our paid troll tsk-tsking us with false info about the protestors were “faking it.”

Yep: bearing witness. Sad business, this.

Appreciate the efforts of all concerned.

Free Bradley Manning!!!!

riot police

Wow– that was a lot of material. Excellent job, Michael!

So everybody’s clear now that the Commonwealth of Virginia actively recruits retired military to live there only to treat them like this?

From MyArmyBenefits:

The Commonwealth of Virginia offers special benefits for its military service members and veterans including state tax advantages, education and tuition assistance, vehicle tags, as well as hunting and fishing license privileges. Eligibility for some benefits may depend on residency, military component, and veteran disability status.

and none them were carrying and showing off their 2nd amendments

fascism is alive and well in merika and it pays well for these sadists.

What’s with the Commonwealth of Virginia police dressed like US Army complete with look-a-like shoulder patches (time point 10:02)? You can barely see the women and men underneath that stuff. Can they see and breath in there and actually do their job? Do they get to wear and use the same shitty prison-made equipment the deployed military has had to use since Desert Storm? The same shitty equipment purchased from the war profiteers with their fat lobbyists sitting with your elected officials like Fools on The Hill? All on your city, county, state and Federal tax dollars. What an utter fraud and frickin’ disgrace.

It’s video game stuff… intimidatin

Hi Gitsum, The first thing Daniel Ellsberg said on Sunday was that the Marines WOULD allow the citizens rallying to lay flowers — they were bright red and white carnations, by the way — at the Marine Memorial. I was there and heard Ellsberg say this.

This Memorial is a statue of that famous photo of Marines planting the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima. Daniel Ellsberg said that he’d actually helped to pay for it. It sits right out there by Route 1, well in front of the gate to Quantico, and is usually available to the public. See also comment 36, below.

Not only that. At the end of the speeches, when the rally had walked down Route 1 to opposite the Marine Memorial, we were standing behind barricades on our side of the road & someone in authority, with a bullhorn, said again and again that only 5 people would be allowed to cross Route 1. They were Ellsberg, Ann Wright, and three others whom I could not see. In other words, Ellsberg, Wright, and three others had a perfect right to be in that roadway to cross and lay flowers. There a few layers of people in front of me: I could not see them do this. But the bullhorn announcements were quite clear.

The person with bullhorn also said, again and again, that only members of the press with visible press credentials were allowed outside the barriers. The rest of us had to stay behind.

I find odd the apparent notion that “federal property” = “American citizens have no right to go there.”

Lt. Col. Wright may even be in her 70s. Daniel Ellsberg, I believe, is 80. Really dangerous, scary folks! Got to suit up in riot gear to meet them, for sure.

Virginia state troopers are pretty bad. But hey it’s Virginny.

Those are beautiful service horses. Think folks will think twice now about having them at their stables? What about that nice meal and cup of coffee folks served with smile because they believe the police serve and protect? That’s all has been changed by this. Disgraceful!

VA cops are notorious. Trust me, as a Virginian, I can vouch. I love the dude with the goggles and high powered machine gun. What are they are going into battle? Talk about overkill.

I don’t see it as a convincing showing of police brutality. Sorry.

I don’t accept that. What a cop out (pardon the pun those of you who are the real deal). ;-)

Well, VA troopers certainly look scary with their shiny cue ball heads and jackboots. I avoid them like the plague.

There you can see it–all the regalia bought by Federal money to combat the “War On Terra”. 9-11 brought a windfall of dollars for state and local police forces–to “keep us safe” from “those that would do us harm”.

And don’t forget the drones. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out that there was drone surveillance, too.

They can listen to our phone calls, track us on the internet and with our cell phones, read our emails, and there is nothing we can do about it.

Real deal cops don’t need or do that stuff. So, we agree there. I was earlier saying to raise your standards of expectations of who serves the community. It should be the best and brightest– only they can actually get the job done. The others need to go back to school.

So now the local responders have all the wrong equipment and aren’t prepared for real community support because they’ve been diverted from their true purpose and function. Forkin’ brilliant recipe for community disaster. Sure makes the hedge fund managers more tax-free “income.”

You can see they’ve militarized local police forces throughout the country to intimidate protesters and citizens. Never remember this level of hardware when I was growing up.

To be fair, though, PG County Maryland cops are pretty scary, as well. They are armed and packed to the hilt at supposedly peaceful community gatherings.

From my experience, some of the biggest bullies in high school became–wait for it–police officers. Why do you suppose that is?

More or bigger “equipment” never impressed me. In certain instances it’s actually a liability.

I don’t get it. You have a bunch of elderly protesters. Are the cops gonna mow them down with those big guns? I mean, what’s the intent? I’d like to know. This society is beyond paranoid. Seriously.

We still have a ways to go, but we can get there if we keep trying!

The Chinese appear to be just a couple of steps ahead of us at the moment, but the technology is there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/world/asia/22china.html?_r=3

They haven’t become anything. They are just bullies impersonating officers. What was the community thinking in allowing them that job in the first place?

The collective mindset of the police is military. If their commander says, “Go out and break some heads”, they do it. And there are many officers that will actually enjoy it. Questioning authority has gotten many citizens mistreated.

Bradley Manning is the canary in the coal mine of American fascism.

Excuse my language, but everybody knows the police are pussies. Sure, they’ll kill woman, children, men and animals indiscriminately, but only if they have overwhelming numbers, technology, or they can sneak up on a person. There is no end to the things they fear.

The police suck. I hate their guts. All of them. I even hate their wives and children. The poor have no police protection. Which wouldn’t be so bad if we had protection from the police.

FWIW, I cried when the riot cops took action.

In talking with my 30-year-old son last night on the phone,I was trying to answer his questions on the specifics of what upsets me so about Obama,and realized how aging gives you a perspective on current situations primarily because of the span of years you have as a reference.You recognize patterns,and for that matter,lack of patterns.

What happened in that video IS NOT a logical consequence for anyone who values a free America.

Now that you’ve said all that I have to come clean. I’m the son of a deputy sheriff (but he was more like Andy Griffith than Bull Connor).

I have had the same reaction to these “I have not had an opportunity…” questions. It is one thing to be sure a Book Salon is generating participation, and to ask a prepared-in-advance question to prime the pump, but when the pump doesn’t seem to need priming, the prepped questions seem unnecessary.

Of course the guests probably don’t see the repetition, so it may not matter, and I’m sure the question is genuine.

Where is our America? Obama is worse than Bush. Free Bradley Manning. WikiLeaks IS Freedom of SPeech. Another war is obscene. Anybody but Obama for Pres in 2012. Go Dennis Kucinich. Together we stand. Unions stand for Democracy. End police state and overt control.

When we all went to the polls in November of 2008 we thought getting rid of “W” and electing Obama would bring many changes for the betterment of our country. Sadly, it looks like almost nothing has changed. Even sadder, is the squandered opportunity he had with the nation at his back.

I could care less about whether she has a penis or not. I’ve seen women conduct themselves better in in extremely stressful situations that most men would have done. It has everything to do with the fact that Ann Wright was hamming it up for the cameras.

Watching these disgraceful thug cops makes me ashamed to be an American.

I have been disgusted with this country’s politics for a long while. It does make one very ashamed and humiliated, especially when they say they do the shit they do in our names for the betterment of the country.

Better my ass!

And gitsum, go pound that sand somewhere else…you will not get any traction here tough guy…I do know of a bridge you can hang under…

It’ll frighten the bats.

Shame to the storm troopers.

Did someone photo the badge #’s of these storm troopers so they can be locked away in an insane asylum.

ID these radicals . ENOUGH, IS A FUCKING ENOUGH already !

Bingo we have a winnr for the most vile, disgusting, lacking the basic humanity of compassion and EMPATHY comment of the day.

With 48 minutes here on the east coast till a new day I don’t think a challenge can be mounted.

Right — you’re getting to the heart of the matter. These riot police become an extension of the Military and are trained much like the soldiers that shot civilians from a helicopter in the Wikileaks video. They carry out orders without questioning, or worse they take pleasure in inflicting “punishment” and treat their victims like characters in a video game. It’s “us versus them” taken to an insane extreme.

Our system is set up to procure the most effective destructive tools imaginable, while the media create the false image of the U.S. being the “good guys”, no matter how our actions harm innocents and thus denigrate our image throughout the world. And we export those same “defense” weapons and riot gear to oppressive dictatorships and states (like Egypt & Israel, etc), and we conduct wars and covert ops in places like Iraq and AfPak.

All of that GUARANTEES there will be extreme hatred that inflames terrorism against our country and fear among our citizens. It’s a spiral that creates an ever more oppressive reign of terror by governments and backlashes from the oppressed, while we are forced to support this regime through taxes and our labors. “Step outta line, the Man come and take you away” (Buffalo Springfield)

The reason these cops overreact is that they have swallowed hook, line and sinker the Obama-Clinton propraganda that the Wikileaks affair has endangered national security, Gate’s sensible denial notwithstanding. Obama, narcissist that he is, equates his political well being with the nation’s.
These brainwashed cops think Bradley’s supporters are treasonous and a threat to national security, so they feel justified. The real culprits here are the servile, craven corporate media.