I think you are capable of answering for yourself. You seem to be implying that the number is closer to 100 than 1000. I simply want you to state whether you think it is closer to 1000 people or 100 people.

7/23/2013 9:26:23 AM

does it really matter who answers your stupid question?

7/23/2013 9:46:53 AM

as long as its clear that its a stupid question

7/23/2013 9:50:07 AM

I have to give them credit. They stepped outside the box as some intended to occupy the NCGA building overnight (including the president of the NCAE). The police were not intending to arrest and were just going to wait them out until Barber asked protesters to sit in and that they would stay as long as it takes. Some brought sleeping bags and toothbrushes with them.

7/23/2013 9:58:53 AM

i'm surprised these jobless hippie bums actually have teeth to brush.

7/23/2013 10:11:41 AM

You aren't allowed to return to the Legislative Building as a condition of your arrest sentencing. The only exception to that was with the first 13 or so people who were arrested back in April before they started making that a condition. That's why Rev. Barber gets to keep going in even though he was arrested. So I suspect more often than not, it's different people each time.

7/23/2013 12:09:23 PM

Quote :

"You aren't allowed to return to the Legislative Building as a condition of your arrest sentencing."

I thought they are all pleading not guilty and demanding trials? Its kind of a pointless maneuver unless they are actually clogging up something, like the courts.

7/23/2013 11:01:52 PM

hey bro, GoldieO ... he answered your question!

7/24/2013 9:50:27 AM

Quote :

" That's why Rev. Barber gets to keep going in even though he was arrested. So I suspect more often than not, it's different people each time."

So would that privilege be revoked if he were arrested again?

7/24/2013 11:20:20 AM

Sorry guys, I can't participate in the revolution, fight discrimination and change the world anymore because my parole will be revoked. I don't want to actually go to jail for my righteous cause. It's not fun.

7/24/2013 12:59:04 PM

The latest from the NC Libertarian Party on the proposed voting restrictions:

"Libertarians oppose more restrictions on right to vote"
http://lpnc.org/2013/07/libertarians-oppose-more-restrictions-on-the-right-to-vote/

Quote :

"The voter ID proposal alone was a bad idea to begin with. Cramming in further restrictions on the right to vote – including eliminating pre-registration for 16- and 17- year olds, ending same-day registration, even with a valid ID, restricting early voting, and banning paid voter registration drives – doesn’t just make a bad bill worse, it perverts the bill into a nightmare for free elections."

Quote :

"The right to vote is the most basic, fundamental right we have, and it must be jealously guarded in order to preserve our democratic system. It is the right “by which all other rights are protected,”as Thomas Paine observed."

Quote :

"The Libertarian Party of North Carolina urges the people of our state to reject this bill. Call your state representatives today and urge them to vote “No” on HB 589."

7/24/2013 2:47:05 PM

in our post Citizen-United world, wouldn't banning paid voter drives infringe on our rights to free political speech?

7/24/2013 4:39:38 PM

If you have to pay people to actively go out and entice people to register to vote, those voters are probably not worthy of democracy to begin with.

7/24/2013 5:37:01 PM

8 Protesters arrested for occupying Tillis' office and sitting in following tonight's hb 589 voter suppression Senate vote. 3rd reading is tomorrow.

7/24/2013 9:33:32 PM

But did they lock arms?!

7/24/2013 10:56:34 PM

I can not take that sign serious after the nonsense I had to sit through today in dealing with the PPACA Act.

7/25/2013 1:24:22 AM

SMC I am not sure if they locked arms because the media was kicked out when arrests began but it did take awhile to get them out. As for voter ID, the worst problem isn't the ID. The biggest issues are cutting early voting and then not allowing extension of hours in extraordinary circumstances such as long lines on election day. You can clearly see where that leads. Suddenly there will be a shortage of booths in more progressive areas. Additionally they are easing contribution limits, meaning more big money influence in politics.

7/25/2013 12:13:25 PM

If you aren't willing to skip out on work and spend 8 hours in line to vote, you're not a true American.

I also think we should reintroduce the poll tax by arresting anyone with outstanding IRS debts or warrants on the spot when they show up to vote. You should have to go through a wall of police and government agents as you enter the sacred building.

[Edited on July 25, 2013 at 4:49 PM. Reason : .]

7/25/2013 4:46:41 PM

Largest turnout by far today. Non NAACP estimates are at 9,000. They marched in the street to Fayetteville St. where a rally is ongoing now.

http://instagram.com/p/cXd0gFiLqd/
https://twitter.com/OccupyJonesSt/status/361970764645298177/photo/1

7/29/2013 7:26:49 PM

[Edited on July 29, 2013 at 8:14 PM. Reason : .]

7/29/2013 8:08:45 PM

So did any of ^ that actually work?


Or did the legislature do exactly what they intended to do all along?


Seems like every week I read about some bullshit bill that has been passed in NC.

7/30/2013 12:15:18 PM

it worked
Moral Mondays and the South’s New Liberal Gospel

ABBY RAPOPORT JULY 29, 2013
North Carolina progressives suffered devastating setbacks during this year’s right-wing legislature. But they're ready to fight back.
http://prospect.org/article/moral-mondays-and-south%E2%80%99s-new-liberal-gospel

7/30/2013 12:34:31 PM

summary?

I haven't lived in NC in over 5 years, so I don't really keep up with the local politics.

7/30/2013 12:40:21 PM

Because I gotta be honest, from the outside looking in, those protests look like a massive failure in the face of rightwing radicalization of the state government.

7/30/2013 12:42:19 PM

just because they didn't have much affect on the legislation that came out of the current session, doesn't mean they were a complete failure. they've garnered national attention, and will likely have an effect on the next voting cycle. think long term.

7/30/2013 1:12:48 PM

I am thinking long term. The state legislature just proved that they could go against popular will and impose their agenda regardless.

Sorry, I'm just more pessimistic than you are.

7/30/2013 1:14:10 PM

so what you're saying is there's no point in trying?

7/30/2013 1:15:46 PM

No....just saying....The passive aggressive approach didn't seem to work.

And if these fools get voted back into office, it will have all been for naught.

7/30/2013 1:26:12 PM

Try harder.

This is a McProtest full of McActivists.

7/30/2013 1:26:13 PM

well, you know if they try too hard, they be labeled as hippies, extremists and anarchists and be dismissed as being the lunatic fringe.

7/30/2013 1:29:47 PM

They get labeled that anyway; might as well not be ineffectual.

7/30/2013 1:32:00 PM

What do you think they should do? Do you agree with their protests?

7/30/2013 1:40:01 PM

Quit treating these as simply "a cool thing to do today?"

Like Occupy did?

I'm not saying they're all that way, but I would say most.

It doesn't matter if I agree with them, but I support those who are there for the right reasons.

7/30/2013 1:58:36 PM

and I'm asking how they should do that.

I was around a couple monday evenings, including yesterday, and stopped by just to see what was up. most of the people there seemed to be working, middle-class family people. the type of people who are affected by the recent legislation. they weren't there to be cool, they were there because they're concerned about the direction of our state. but being working family folks, i don't think most would resort to violence, and couldn't afford to be arrested. so they did all they could do.

[Edited on July 30, 2013 at 2:02 PM. Reason : ]

7/30/2013 2:01:49 PM

Quote :

"so what you're saying is there's no point in trying?"

I'm saying exactly that. Life is precious, don't spend it in the streets begging for scraps from your masters. Have some damn dignity.

7/30/2013 2:12:13 PM

Define "all they could do."

I'm actually quite interested in these protests at this stage, and not trying to be disparaging at all.

It just seems to not be going anywhere, and will be forgotten in a month or two.

7/30/2013 2:13:13 PM

^^ you're getting worse and worse (you realize the irony of saying that, while you're sitting at a computer whining and complaining on the wolf web, right? have some dignity man, jeez.)

^well, maybe not "all they could do", but i'm just saying that don't want to get arrested. a lot had jobs and kids. so they came, participated, held their signs, chanted their chants, filed into the legislature, marched in the streets.

7/30/2013 2:21:15 PM

Quote :

"you're getting worse and worse (you realize the irony of saying that, while you're sitting at a computer whining and complaining on the wolf web, right? have some dignity man, jeez.)"

That's not irony. I'm here for my own entertainment.

7/30/2013 2:28:14 PM

so bitching and complaining about the government anonymously on the internet is entertaining to you?

7/30/2013 2:29:44 PM

Apparently. I don't think anyone is posting in TSB to make a difference or to...shutter cultivate intellectual discussion.

7/30/2013 2:33:48 PM

I'm just trying to figure out your position. You constantly complain about the evil, evil government on the wolf web, but then criticize and belittle citizens for actually going out and protesting against the evil, evil government? I don't get it.

7/30/2013 2:35:43 PM

I just think protesting is useless. It's a good way of getting attention from people that already agree with you, but that's it. There have been successful protests in history, but a couple thousand people gathering in downtown Raleigh doesn't do anything to change the votes of the thousands of rural voters.

You have a problem with the legislators, but the legislators were elected, and most of them will be elected again. You don't like the legislation, and neither do I, but this democracy in action. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

7/30/2013 2:45:10 PM

i still don't understand why you would criticize and belittle thousands working-class citizens for protesting extreme legislation.

7/30/2013 2:46:39 PM

I don't intend to belittle them, I'm saying they're wasting their time. They don't believe they're wasting their time I'm sure, but I think they are. History doesn't have many examples of peaceful, small-scale protests doing much good.

Carlin said it best: Power does what it wants. If you want to undermine the system, stop worshiping power and instead condemn the ones that take it.

[Edited on July 30, 2013 at 2:57 PM. Reason : ]

7/30/2013 2:50:36 PM

Quote :

"Carlin said it best: Power does what it wants. If you want to undermine the system, stop worshiping power and instead condemn the ones that take it."

What? Who's worshipping power? Aren't the protesters condemning those in power by protesting?

7/30/2013 2:59:31 PM

Maybe historically protests were more effective because that's all they had.

Like most things "back in the day" you had to actually show up and do something in person.

Social media etc has devalued the protest just like its devalued the high school reunion.

7/30/2013 3:00:59 PM

They're not against the use of power, they just disagree with the people that happen to control it at the moment. If the other side were in power, then you'd have tea party folks in the streets instead.

Want to have a marginal impact? Work within the electoral system. Want to have no impact? Become a protester.

Quote :

"Maybe historically protests were more effective because that's all they had. Like most things "back in the day" you had to actually show up and do something in person. Social media etc has devalued the protest just like its devalued the high school reunion."

I think the stakes were much higher in the past. Many of the people protesting the Vietnam war were of age to be drafted. There was a real threat that you were going to be sent off to die. That really lights a fire under your ass.

Shitty, corrupt state politics? I'm not saying all of this legislation is unimportant, but it doesn't inspire the same kind of broad action that's necessary to wake politicians up.

[Edited on July 30, 2013 at 3:08 PM. Reason : ]

7/30/2013 3:04:45 PM

Quote :

"summary?"

the link is the summary, its a great summary
http://prospect.org/article/moral-mondays-and-south%E2%80%99s-new-liberal-gospel

7/30/2013 3:37:14 PM

Watch out this chick wants to touch children.

7/30/2013 4:22:45 PM

The value of protests, beyond garnering media attention and public awareness, is always questioned. But the message of the final Moral Monday was to take the rallies back to your communities.

I believe there are rallies being planned in August in each of the 13 congressional districts and possibly more beyond that around the time of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Planning voter registration, photo ID assistance, and get out the vote also seemed to be important themes, and leveraging the local events towards those ends seemed to be the next step.

7/30/2013 4:33:44 PM