Northern Colorado Gazette

photo courtesy of Ringo the Gringo

by Jack Minor –

Local leaders in the Colorado Tea Party movement have said the leftist group “Occupy Wall Street” is indeed a mirror image of the Tea Party, meaning it is an exact opposite.

Occupy Wall Street has rallied people for protests in several cities across the US including Denver and New York.

During recent protests, members of the group have defecated on a police car and local businesses have complained of OWS members trashing  restrooms. The organization has occupied a park in New York. Local residents have complained that the park is not able to be cleaned because the protestors refuse to leave.  Hundreds of members of OWS were arrested when they blocked the Brooklyn Bridge.

Recently a speaker at a Los Angeles OWS rally said in order to achieve its goals the organization would need to engage in violence similar to what was done in the French Revolution with mass beheadings.

In the video captured by independent journalist, Ringo the Gringo, the speaker said, “One of the speakers said the solution is nonviolent movement. No, my friend. I’ll give you two examples: French Revolution, and Indian so-called Revolution.

Gandhi; Gandhi today is, with respect to all of you, Gandhi today is a tumor that the ruling class is using constantly to mislead us. French Revolution made fundamental transformation. But it was bloody.

India, the result of Gandhi, is 600 million people living in maximum poverty.

So, ultimately, the bourgeoisie won’t go without violent means. Revolution! Yes, revolution that is led by the working class.

Long live revolution! Long live socialism!”

Following the speaker’s remarks, the crowd erupted with thunderous applause.

President Obama and leading Democrats have expressed support with the group’s goals. Obama said the group’s actions “expresses the frustrations that the American people feel.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is attempting to gather 100,000 signatures on a petition that declares, “I stand with the Occupy Wall Street protests.” Former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, praised the group saying, “God bless them for their spontaneity.”

Vice President Joe Biden said he felt the groups were similar to Tea Party protests saying the OWS protestors had “a lot in common with the Tea Party.”

The Denver Post joined the refrain saying, “There are broad similarities. Both movements are decentralized and nonhierarchical, driven largely by an alienated and outraged citizenry that favors the same two-word phrase: fed up.”

Although the two groups are similar in that they both consist of large numbers of people turning out to protest, a close look reveals some stark differences.

Tea Party groups have specific demands; to reduce the size of government, control government spending, and for politicians to base all decisions on the Constitution.

By contrast, the protestors with OWS do not have a coherent theme other than their opposition to capitalism. On a website listing the group’s demands it is revealed there are no official demands.

“The Sovereign People’s Movement, represented nationally through the people occupying the various Liberty Square locations across this great country, have laid out and democratically submitted and are currently voting on, the list of following Demands to then be distilled into one Unified Common demand of the people.”

The site then goes on to say, “First of all. There are no Official Demands of the Occupy Movement.”

The groups are also different in that the Tea Party has never engaged in violence or destruction of property. In fact, Tea Party groups often make it a point to leave an area cleaner than it was when they arrived.

Local leaders in Tea Party movements have said the OWS protests are nothing like Tea Party protests.

Christy Rodriguez, leader of the Colorado Tea Party Alliance, said, “I don’t recall ever seeing Tea Party members arrested for disrupting the peace. There has never been an instance of a Tea Party member defecating on a police car.”

Rodriguez went on to say, “We have never called for violence and if someone did, we would immediately call them out.”

Brian Britton, head of the Greeley 9-12 Project, echoed similar sentiments. “While we do respect the founding fathers, we are not calling for armed revolution. We are simply common, everyday people trying to return to a Constitutional form of government by exercising our rights at the ballot box.”

Billionaire George Soros, who has founded numerous left wing causes including moveon.org and the Southern Poverty Law Center, is helping to fuel the OWS movement.

The first call to “Occupy Wall Street” came from the magazine, AdBusters, a publication funded by the Soros-funded Tides Foundation.

Moveon.org, another Soros funded organization has been actively supporting the protestors. The group has actively encouraged people to join the protesters.

Another key distinction, Britton says, is that Tea Party members are there because they want to be, not because they are paid.

The statement is in reference to a Craigslist ad  offering to pay individuals between $350-650 per week for “organizing in communities around New York State.”

While the ad does not specify job duties it does say hires will be used to “fight to hold Wallstreet (sic) accountable now.”

The ad also says those hired will be engaged in “direct action.” Critics have said “direct action” is usually a reference to protesting.

The ad denies that claim saying, “We don’t hire people to Occupy Wall Street.”