Occupy The Truth
• In a recent column [“How Not to Occupy This”, On The Beat], Alex Teach wrote about the Occupy Wall Street protests, saying there was a “widespread pattern of wearing masks, vandalizing property, effectively shutting down already-struggling businesses, and of course sh***ing on the occasional police car more than at previous Tea Partiers events.” Does he understand the masks? Has vandalism and shutting down business really been “widespread”? And can he cite cases of poo on the po-po?
Angelia
Chattanooga
Alex Teach responds: “There are many photographs of protestors defecating on NYPD patrol cars. These are well documented. Mr. Google is your friend. As far as businesses, no less the man than Donald Trump had to personally intervene on behalf of small businesses in and around Wall Street. And as far as do I understand the masks, my answer is: Yes.”
The Real Enemy
• The Occupy protesters need to understand that a free economy is not an unregulated economy—far from it. Market forces, when not impeded by politicians and bureaucrats serving special interests, are the toughest regulators, punishing firms that waste resources, destroy value, and fail to serve consumers. In other words, the authors and administrators of the Dodd-Frank financial-regulation regime are the enemies, not the friends, of justice for the 99 percent. Demanding more power for government is equivalent to demanding more privileges for Wall Street. When will the protesters realize that?
Sheldon Richman
Chattanooga
Evicted Chattanooga
• In last week’s issue, you guys wrote about how our local Occupy protestors were “too polite” [“Too Polite To Protest?”]. I thought it was a bit of comedic exaggeration until I tried to find out where the protests were actually being held. It’s more like a Benny Hill routine. City Hall…no, can’t stay. County courthouse…whoops, need to go back to City Hall. The big lawn at the river…oh, too many rowers, so back to City Hall and hey, it’s raining, does anyone have a tarp? I would guess that nearly no one in Chattanooga is really that upset, in spite of what the small group would have you believe otherwise.
Casey Lawrence
Chattanooga
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