I believe if anyone would hide behind children in order to keep cops from deploying standard crowd control methods, the children should be taken and the parents arrested and charged with child endangerment...

Nice report, thanks!

"si vis pacem, para bellum"

Thank you for this, Jeff. Excellent meeting reporting.

"In principle, I am an anarchist. Kurt Vonnegut once said he was an agnostic who respects Jesus Christ. I am an anarchist who loves democracy." - Kenzaburo Oe

..thanks for all the work, Jeff.

"He also stated that Olympia Police had made a decision that if people were using children as “shields” and there was likelihood that pepper-spray or tear gas would be used, then those children would be “kidnapped” (that word choice was Drew Hendrick’s) and parents/guardians would be arrested."

I found this item to be interesting. It would seem that OPD is doing some subjective thinking when refering to the children as "shields", considering that a woman posted in The Olympian that she took her children down to the protest to "greet the soldiers and tell them thanks" and was angry that a protestor bumped her child. I'm wondering if that person would get the same treatment and would that child be considered subject to removal. Maybe OPD can shine some light on which children were "shields" and which were there to "greet the troops".

Jeff, thanks for coming to the meeting and writing up a report on it. It's interesting to read your perspective. It helps me to understand where you're coming from and where you stand in regard to PMR.

Personally, I would rather have someone who is supportive of PMR do write-ups/reports/press releases for PMR meetings.

To illustrate my point, I wonder if Operation Support Our Troops would allow someone from PMR, say Drew Hendricks for example, to show up at a meeting and take notes sometime...

I am glad that you sat through a meeting and that you were able to see the inner workings of PMR.

However, I question whether how many PMR organizers were made uncomfortable by your presence. Many of us remember seeing you at the port protests holding your sign that read "God Bless Israeli Bulldozers".

You have been vocal in your opposition to PMR and to the anti-war movement in general. Personally I wonder what made you decide to come to the meeting, and I would be interested to hear about it and know.

Again, I think it was great that you came. Although I wasn't completely comfortable with it, myself; I think pushing the comfort zone is important. I hope you understand, and perhaps respect PMR a little bit more after witnessing a meeting first hand.

you know, I am really not sure HOW a known enemy/active counter-protester of social change organizing movements in Olympia (including PMR), attends a movement meeting ostensibly as a "community journalist," while at the same time collecting information about this group as well as any other who happened to have information at the meeting site is labeled here as responsible community journalism. For myself, I would label this surveillance and intelligence gathering by a right wing fanatic at a leftist meeting.

I think you did a fantastic job reporting and I look forward to an 'op ed' column if and when you choose to write it. I find it interesting that they PMR has to take time to see if anyone feels "oppressed". I also find it fascinating that they received a donation of gas masks. I have never been to a meeting where that was brought up. I think since you posted the next meeting for March I may try to join you and come listen in to the agenda and discussion. It is a side of political activity that I am only somewhat aware of, outside of the blogs.

Good work Jeff.

C.

One of the great non sequiturs of the left is that, if the free market doesn't work perfectly, then it doesn't work at all-- and the government should step in.

Thomas Sowell

You are welcome to come visit and enjoy and write about or speak about 'conservative' meetings just the same. They are, to the best of my knowledge, open to the public meetings as well. I still do not see what there is to 'ferret out'. Often when a protest is going to take place, there are announcements to the public to get the word out, to help boost attendence. So again, what is there to ferret out? I am sad that you are offended that someone take the time to actually see for himself what goes on, and to gain a perspective, whether he is looking for one or not. 

C. 

One of the great non sequiturs of the left is that, if the free market doesn't work perfectly, then it doesn't work at all-- and the government should step in.

Thomas Sowell

He came down to Camp Quixote when we were on the lot downtown and had a great time. We kept hearing rumors that the police were going to raid us. We didn't know. But I most certainly was not using him as a shield to prevent a police raid. The very idea that police would think twice about rushing in with children present seems a bit of a stretch to me anyhow.

I am really upset that ANY parent/guardian would think about taking kids into a scene where they could get hurt (for any reason).

This could be a good poll...how many folks "support kids at protests"?

It's safe to say that PMR desires "transparent, inclusive and democratic" meetings. I think that includes maintaining an "open" meeting space.

However, that in no way requires PMR to allow people who disagree with PMR's stated goals or tactics to participate in meetings. In an ideal situation there would be no censorship of who may or may not attend meetings. If someone's presence has dampening, disruptive or oppressive effects on the function of the meeting, then it seems altogether reasonable to respectfully request that someone not attend a meeting. That said, no decision on whether to restrict certain individuals from meeting attendance has been made, nor even discussed, nor do I think it is necessary or altogether appropriate to maintain such a discussion on a public forum. It's an internal issue.

PMR will take appropriate action and render a decision on this issue that will reflect the best interests of PMR as organization that seeks to build a broad based critical mass resistance movement to the illegal and immoral wars of occupation as they are being perpetrated by our government.

Why should the PMR fear somebody taking notes at their meetings and accurately reporting the event? Is the PMR planning illegal activities? Are they embarrassed that a member who has advocated violence is getting coverage in connection with their "non-violent" organization?

I can understand why they wouldn't want Mr. Brigham in attendance on a personal level but I don't understand the fear that they could be marginalized by what basically amounts to meeting minutes.

You say that a good cause will even sanctify war! I tell you, it is the good war that sanctifies every cause!
Friedrich Nietzsche

...even though a flood of "small" one-liners is "flashing" by me...

Edit: Added the word small

...eh?

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Matthew 7:1-5

"A point of view is only a view from a point..." ~ Unknown

The one I choose to live by is this one

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

(Colossians 3:13)

"A point of view is only a view from a point..." ~ Unknown

Time to let this one go.