The eyewitness accounts and youtube vids paint a pretty clear picture about the July 3rd incident at Kiddie Village at the U.S. National Gathing at Wyoming.
It takes two sides to have a war, for sure, and I try not to be overly biased about these sort of things, but there is difficultly in rationally assessing the facts without coming to the conclusion that the paramilitary incident management team succeeded in provoking an incident worthy of all the riot gear they brought along. Mission accomplished so to speak. Trying to see things from the perspective of the authoritarians produces way too much cognitive dissonance. First we have the official version of the story:
Rock Springs, Wyoming (July 4, 2008) — Forest Service officers were patrolling the main meadow area of the National Rainbow Family Gathering yesterday evening. The officers made contact with a subject that would not cooperate and fled. The subject was apprehended; once detained other Rainbow participants began to interfere with the situation.
Officers began to leave the Gathering site with the subject and were circled by more Rainbow participants that began to physically interfere. Another participant was detained for physical interference.
Ten officers were escorting the detained subjects when about 400 Rainbows surrounded the squad trying to leave. More officers were requested to assist in the main meadow area. The mob began to advance, throwing sticks and rocks at the officers. Crowd control tactics were used to keep moving through the group of Rainbows.
"This lawless behavior is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it," Forest Service Director of Law Enforcement, John Twiss, said. "The safety of our employees, public and Rainbow participants is our number one priority and we will continue to protect everyone on the National Forest."
...
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A U.S. Forest Service official says the agency must consider banning the Rainbow Family from its land after a confrontation led to the arrest of at least eight people in Wyoming.
John Twiss, director of Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations in Washington, D.C., said Monday that he was among the officers who responded last week when Rainbow Family members threw sticks and rocks at federal officers.
Typical comment:
What Twiss (since he was there) fails to mention is that the FS LEOs spent all day on the 3rd basically trying to get into peoples' faces and piss them off. They walked into peoples' camps and were confrontational and arrogant, and pushed the limits of proper search methods. You had to be very well informed about your rights, and maybe even have had some coaching, in order to not have your rights be violated by improper searches, seizures and arrests. Along about 3PM, three of the LEOs rode through the trade circle--not actually physically contacting people, but scattering them like chickens-- on the biggest ATVs that I have ever seen-- not sitting on them, but standing up on them with stiff arms clad in black leather gloves, glowering down at people through black full-face, black-visored helmets. I just could not believe what I was seeing, and my confusion remains as to what they thought they were accomplishing, or if they realized what else they were accomplishing, and if they had thought about whether their intended aim was being outweighed by the "collateral damage" they were causing. Or whether, as some will hold, and I have to take a look at, they were intentionally causing one thing (hostility) in order to get the reaction they were looking for later. The fact that Twiss is from DC means that he is likely a mover and shaker for the FS LEO program at the national level-- they have designated a national team to take care of this "problem", and the continued existence of this team (and increasing budget, in order to allow for the purchase of such kewl "riot control" toys)depends on a justification that its services (and price tag) are necessary to "protect the public."
My comment:
It is totally old news about how successful government tactics were in breaking up and destroying countercultural movements. There is nothing conspiritorial about it. It is proven historical fact that Nixonian style tactics have worked successfully in the past-- all it takes is a few assholes dressed like hippies to make the whole movement look violent, divided, and stupid-- at least to the mainstream media. Nowadays with youtube and rapid information sharing on the internet, things get a little bit more complex, and reality is obviously more complex then a mainstream news summary could ever possibly be. Good thing too.
That being said, I have to congratulate the government on its successful tactics: going to a U.S. National Rainbow gathering war zone with my children does not sound very fun-- or safe. The irony is that by destroying the sanctuary of kiddie village, a whole segment (prudent parents) who have been a wholesome backbone and who have helped keep gatherings family/spiritually oriented, will likely choose to stay home and watch the next years' U.S National Rainbow Party/Riot on youtube.
Support your local and regional gatherings folks! Enjoy the rare merger of peace, nature, and the magic of family while you can! Because after they finish with harassing the u.s. national gatherings to death, you can be sure they will come after us. Like a rare mountain flower on the verge of extinction, the jackbooted thugs in government employment will inevitably stomp us into oblivion, another historical footnote to be forgotten by the next generation of the oppressed. And yet-- how sweet the mountain air!
Aloha,
Benjamin
It takes two sides to have a war, for sure, and I try not to be overly biased about these sort of things, but there is difficultly in rationally assessing the facts without coming to the conclusion that the paramilitary incident management team succeeded in provoking an incident worthy of all the riot gear they brought along. Mission accomplished so to speak. Trying to see things from the perspective of the authoritarians produces way too much cognitive dissonance. First we have the official version of the story:
Rock Springs, Wyoming (July 4, 2008) — Forest Service officers were patrolling the main meadow area of the National Rainbow Family Gathering yesterday evening. The officers made contact with a subject that would not cooperate and fled. The subject was apprehended; once detained other Rainbow participants began to interfere with the situation.
Officers began to leave the Gathering site with the subject and were circled by more Rainbow participants that began to physically interfere. Another participant was detained for physical interference.
Ten officers were escorting the detained subjects when about 400 Rainbows surrounded the squad trying to leave. More officers were requested to assist in the main meadow area. The mob began to advance, throwing sticks and rocks at the officers. Crowd control tactics were used to keep moving through the group of Rainbows.
"This lawless behavior is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it," Forest Service Director of Law Enforcement, John Twiss, said. "The safety of our employees, public and Rainbow participants is our number one priority and we will continue to protect everyone on the National Forest."
...
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A U.S. Forest Service official says the agency must consider banning the Rainbow Family from its land after a confrontation led to the arrest of at least eight people in Wyoming.
John Twiss, director of Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations in Washington, D.C., said Monday that he was among the officers who responded last week when Rainbow Family members threw sticks and rocks at federal officers.
Typical comment:
What Twiss (since he was there) fails to mention is that the FS LEOs spent all day on the 3rd basically trying to get into peoples' faces and piss them off. They walked into peoples' camps and were confrontational and arrogant, and pushed the limits of proper search methods. You had to be very well informed about your rights, and maybe even have had some coaching, in order to not have your rights be violated by improper searches, seizures and arrests. Along about 3PM, three of the LEOs rode through the trade circle--not actually physically contacting people, but scattering them like chickens-- on the biggest ATVs that I have ever seen-- not sitting on them, but standing up on them with stiff arms clad in black leather gloves, glowering down at people through black full-face, black-visored helmets. I just could not believe what I was seeing, and my confusion remains as to what they thought they were accomplishing, or if they realized what else they were accomplishing, and if they had thought about whether their intended aim was being outweighed by the "collateral damage" they were causing. Or whether, as some will hold, and I have to take a look at, they were intentionally causing one thing (hostility) in order to get the reaction they were looking for later. The fact that Twiss is from DC means that he is likely a mover and shaker for the FS LEO program at the national level-- they have designated a national team to take care of this "problem", and the continued existence of this team (and increasing budget, in order to allow for the purchase of such kewl "riot control" toys)depends on a justification that its services (and price tag) are necessary to "protect the public."
My comment:
It is totally old news about how successful government tactics were in breaking up and destroying countercultural movements. There is nothing conspiritorial about it. It is proven historical fact that Nixonian style tactics have worked successfully in the past-- all it takes is a few assholes dressed like hippies to make the whole movement look violent, divided, and stupid-- at least to the mainstream media. Nowadays with youtube and rapid information sharing on the internet, things get a little bit more complex, and reality is obviously more complex then a mainstream news summary could ever possibly be. Good thing too.
That being said, I have to congratulate the government on its successful tactics: going to a U.S. National Rainbow gathering war zone with my children does not sound very fun-- or safe. The irony is that by destroying the sanctuary of kiddie village, a whole segment (prudent parents) who have been a wholesome backbone and who have helped keep gatherings family/spiritually oriented, will likely choose to stay home and watch the next years' U.S National Rainbow Party/Riot on youtube.
Support your local and regional gatherings folks! Enjoy the rare merger of peace, nature, and the magic of family while you can! Because after they finish with harassing the u.s. national gatherings to death, you can be sure they will come after us. Like a rare mountain flower on the verge of extinction, the jackbooted thugs in government employment will inevitably stomp us into oblivion, another historical footnote to be forgotten by the next generation of the oppressed. And yet-- how sweet the mountain air!
Aloha,
Benjamin
posted by:
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Hawaii
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Re: Reckless gov't shooting at Kiddie Village
Wed, July 23, 2008 - 7:47 PMIt takes two sides to have a war is old school.
And anyway.... it wasn't a war it was an occupation.
