Another person at the Occupy Wall Street / OccupyNH rally yesterday in Manchester was Ben DiZoglio.  As opposed to Leah and Mirav, he seemed genuinely attached to the movement here. He had noticed that I was recording the event and offered that since they now had some power, offered an outlet for use (unfortunately I had left the AC brick at home). Since several others had refused to do interviews (I figured out, partially, why later on), I requested an interview to find out why he was there and was looking to see what some of the difference were between OWS and the TEA Party movements:

When I got home, I decided to Google his name and found out that he was a student at Plymouth State (an athlete on the baseball team) and had written an Op Ed for the Nashua Telegraph this summer:

At every tea party rally I’ve ever gone to, veterans tend to be given positions of honor and are either asked to speak or, at the very least, are recognized.

The message, of course, is the people who protect our country should be praised for their service. Often these humble veterans will say the true heroes are those who sacrificed everything for their country.

But then the political speeches begin…

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Here are some other video clips from yesterday’s OccupyNH (Occupy Wall Street)’s rally in Manchester.  Somethings that struck me as I re-watched the clips (in random order):

• 0:30 – It’s a bit weird to listen to the "human microphone" fashion of speaking at these gatherings.  Speak 3-6 words, let the audience repeat it. I guess they believe regressing from using a bullhorn / PA system is progress.  It also seems to enforce the collectivist outlook – everyone, the same words, the same time, all the time…..to evoke the same thoughts?

• 0:50 – It is very weird, in the beginning, to seemingly have to have an entire crowd decide how to use Porta-potties; I kinda thought in this day and age that pretty much most adults would have the proper decorum.

• 4:01 – The MSM is ignoring you? Doesn  Not according to right leaning Media Research Center – but that would spoil your narrative of "being isolated" and thus a group wide "victimization".  The TEA Party has a legit beef – but not you guys:

Not only have you had more coverage, but also more favorable coverage.

• 4:26 – Oxymoron: "The 99% is everywhere".  Er, isn’t that true just by definition?  But isn’t it just a bit much that you, the 0.00001%, have decided you can speak for the rest of us?

• 7:17- Will Manchester Mayor Gatsas really allow this crowd to camp out in Victory Park all winter in tents?  Have they pulled the permits and paid the fees?  Will they have to follow all sanitary and food handling ordinances?

• 13:23 – I am still bothered by this "sign of hate and violence" (best seen at 17:58).  Watch the video to see that this is not an outlier holding it – it is right in the heart of their gathering in a "drum circle" (ok, more like a hazy grouping, but hey….). Not one person said "get rid of it, it’s hateful and  offensive".  I guess Political Correctness is only determined by who says it…

• 18:24 – my favorite part:  Organizers cracking down on an "individual thought and action", stripping away individual initiative.  Must not act alone unless we all act together (and we will ensure that it happens by use of the "agenda / process" of the "human microphone".

You know, I DO have a great reason for the OWS folks to keep using the "human microphone" – it is FAR easier to transcribe what they say when they automatically repeat what was said a second time.

More thoughts after the jump

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