[Sledge]

I finally got through with selecting and Photoshopping the photos I took at the FTAA protest. Presented for your enjoyment and education.

Regards,

Steve AKA Sledge

[Congressman Billybob]

Too bad, turkey. The Miami police were ready for you and your cohorts, unlike the Seattle Police. Guess you'll have to buy a coffee at Starbucks, rather than smash their windows in.

Get a life. Get a clue. Or get lost. DU will probably enjoy your pretty pictures.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "Double Crossing at the Rio Grande," discussion thread. IF YOU WANT A FREEPER IN CONGRESS, CLICK HERE.

[dagnabbit]

Too many Marxists in that crowd to make it something pro-freedom.

Too many open-border, unlimited-population advocates to make it something pro-environment.

To protest more credibly against creeping world government, someone should organize totally separate events that exclude the wacko far-left.

[Lurker]

Damn, I was hoping for some more cracked skulls.

L

[Dan from Michigan]

Here's the problem(I oppose NAFTA, GATT, and FTAA BTW).

Perception is reality. I've tangled with some anarchist pukes before. If you get 100 nuts and 2000 average joes at a rally, the 100 nuts are going to be on TV and paint the crowd. At a gun rally, it's the stereotypical 'Militia types' that get the coverage.

Those types marginalize those like us that oppose FTAA.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Nice report, however I can't seem to figure out one thing - why would Illegal Immigrants (the Freedome Ride or whatever, that were particpating) would be protesting against the "loss of our sovereignty", when they VIOLATE that sovereignty by their very presence here.

You got suckered by leftists, Che.

[finnman69]

Too bad you left out the ugly images of the anarchists, punks and thugs all the other media sources managed to capture .

[finnman69]

for better photos click my thread....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1025777/posts
Police, Trade Protesters Clash in Miami (Typical Punks getting 'proper' Police treatment)

[Chad Fairbanks]

You left some stuff out, man:

Protestors trying to pull down the fence that surrounded the meeting area. Gee, why would they want to do that?

And a cop making an inventory of various items found on several of these non-violent, peaceful protestors...

[witnesstothefall]

It's nice to see the authorities protecting the rights of the people to peacefully assemble and petition the government. It's doubly nice to see that the authorities protect life, limb and property from those who wanted violence not a peaceful demonstration.

America is a beautiful thing.

[TopDog2]

I was there as well and your perceptions mirror mine. Too much force, not enough friendly. I didn't agree with a lot of the messages that I heard that day, but the intimidation was way beyond what I expect to see in the United States.

[Choose Ye This Day]

The level of force and intimidation present at the protest were altogether uncalled for.

Gee, I can't imagine why they'd want a large show of force...

[newwahoo]

If there aren't enough police and property is destroyed or people are hurt (as has happened too often with these protests), the police are wrong. If there are a lot of cops and the demonstrators feel "intimidated", then the police are also wrong.

Its a no win situation for the cops, but you can bet the local property owners supported their actions in this case. Their stores and homes were protected from the whims of the travelling anarchist-leftist circus.

[MegaSilver]

To the protesters I would suggest that politics be left out of events like this one. All day I was assailed by chants of "Bush's FTAA". The growing trend toward globalization and the subjugation of the our country to these Trans-National organizations is not a manifestation of the desires of any particular political party, and Party Politics should not intrude when we are discussing these matters. Whether Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Green, all Americans lose when these organizations win. The Union speeches were little more than Democratic campaign speeches, and the chants in the streets blamed it all on G.W. and Jeb Bush. We need to put aside party politics in these matters and together we can defeat globalization.

We should organize a pro-Bush, anti-FTAA march.

[FreeManWhoCan]

I live in Miami and had a grand ole time watching the nightly news. The highlights were

#1) THE DIRTY HIPPIES ARRIVING IN MIAMI AND REALIZING THAT THEY COULN'T PITCH THEIR TENTS AND THEN COMPLAINING ON WSVN (Channel 7) ABOUT IT. ONE GUY EVEN HAD THE GALL TO SAY THAT "THE CITY OF MIAMI PROMISED US THERE WOULD BE PLACES WHERE WE COULD CAMP. THE CITY OF MIAMI SHOULD HELP OUT THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO PLACE TO STAY. WHY AREN'T THE PEOPLE OF MAIMI OFFERING THEIR HOMES TO US?" They then flashed a phone# on the a piece of cardboard. I could not stop LAUGHING!

#2) WHEN THE PROTESTERS PROTESTED THE FACT THAT THE OTHER PROTESTERS WERE ARRESTED, THEY ARRESTED AROUND 50 MORE PROTESTERS.

#3) THE COPS FINDING ALL THE WEAPONS (ROCKS, SLINGSHOTS, CHAINS) AND STOPPING THE DAMAGE OF STORES AND DISPLAYING IT ALL ON THE SCREEN FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.

#4) THE FTAA MEETING ENDING A DAY EARLY AND THE PROTESTERS HAVING NOWHERE TO GO.

#5) ALL THE COPS EVERYWHERE. THEY WERE GREAT AND I LOVED IT. IS ANYONE GOING TO TELL ME THAT JEB BUSH WASN'T INVOLVED?

#6) THE FACT THAT THIS DID NOT BECOME ANOTHER SEATTLE.

[browardchad]

Well, you certainly did select and Photoshop. We live down here, and our (liberal) local news stations couldn't seem to find any of the relatively normal-looking people you just happened to find yourself surrounded with. We did see, night after night, tatooed and pierced thugs and anarchists tangling with cops -- sorry you apparently missed the action.

The Miami cops did a damn good job -- try picking another venue if you are sincere about opposing globalization -- or anything else -- peacefully. No one who believes in private property rights and/or the rule of law has any sympathy for trade meeting demonstrators, based solely on the record.

[Caipirabob]

Peaceful protester in compliance with the law are welcome. If they turn out to be hostile anarchists, I highly endorse the smashing of skulls into pulp. They do not have the right to inflict their wrath upon the innocents of Miami. The police were acting as our avatars down there, keeping the peace and protecting the innocents. We've all seen what these ghouls have done during their protests in other countries, they are not going to misbehave on our soil, this is not France or some other third-world sh*t-hole nation.

My praise goes out to Miami and the police who kept the peace this past week. If the word got out how much business was lost due to the presence of these protesters and the threat which was known throughout the city in advance, there would have been nothing that would have protected the protesters from the citizens of Miami and all those police would have been "their best friends".

BTW our Cubans did not help to restore Miami only to have it trashed by well funded Socialists, Communists and Anarchists. If they show up in this town, they'd better behave themselves. Despite what liberals would have us believe, the Latino community in South Florida is exceptionally hard working and takes a great deal of pride in the results of their work. Miami is a jewel of their efforts. The enemy needs to tread lightly in this neck of the woods...

Hate to sound so bitter, but THIS IS OUR HOME and we don't "take" to people disrespecting it.

[gorkulus]

where did all the pictures go? they were really great. do you still have them? could you send them to me?

[gorkulus]

where did all the pictures go? they were really great. do you still have them? could you send them to me?

[sport]

As far as I am concerned the only thing the police did wrong was use rubber bullets instead of lead bullets.

And they should have cracked more skulls.

[Coleus]

Bush and the Republicans in congress seem to want this pro-communist bill passed. It will be worse than NAFTA since we will be in union with Socialist, drug-pushing South American countries and, I think, Cuba.