Brownfield, M

http://www.heritage.org/about/staff/b/mike-brownfield

Mike Brownfield is Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

at The Heritage Foundation. He serves as editor of The Foundry,

Heritage's public policy news blog, as well as the "Morning Bell," one

of Washington’s most widely read and influential e-newsletters. Mike

hails from Southeast Michigan and practiced law in Chicago, Illinois.

http://blog.heritage.org/2011/11/08/morning-bell-occupy-wall-street-gets-more-violent/

<div class="entry-content">

       <p>The true colors of the Occupy Wall Street movement are

starting to shine through, both in actions and affiliations. The picture

that is developing is one of increasing violence married with extremist

affiliations that is anything but representative of the 99 percent of

Americans the movement claims to stand for.

On Friday night in Washington, D.C., the Occupy protests turned

violent when activists marched on the city’s convention center in

opposition to an annual summit held by the conservative Americans for

Prosperity Foundation. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2011/11/05/occupy-the-kochs-violent-clashes-injuries-and-arrests-at-protest-against-corporate-greed/">Forbes reports</a> on the conflict:

<blockquote>Occupiers, many of whom had their faces obscured by masks

or bandanas, began banging on the transparent glass walls and doors of

the building, demanding entrance, then attempting to gain access by

pushing their way in when guests came or went. Eventually all doors bar

one at L Street were locked, with AFP guests and accredited press able

to do nothing but stand inside and watch the clash intensify, with a

line of police and security guards manning the locked doors at the Mt

Vernon St entrance.</blockquote>

At one point, a 78-year-old woman who was attending the event was

knocked down some stairs while attempting to get around the protesters, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgcRlrt2ZL4&feature=youtu.be">as this video shows</a>. She reportedly wound up with a bump on her head and a bloody nose. One occupier <a href="http://thecollegepolitico.com/occupydc-mother-uses-her-kids-to-blockade-door-during-violent-scuffle/">forced her children</a> into the center of the protest, and four protesters <a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime-punishment/2011/11/occupy-dc-becoming-increasingly-violent-police-say">were injured by a car</a> when they were intentionally obstructing traffic. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier <a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime-punishment/2011/11/occupy-dc-becoming-increasingly-violent-police-say#ixzz1d7YaAlHv">said of the violence</a>,

“That is no longer a peaceful protest” and that the protesters have

become “increasingly confrontational and violent toward uninvolved

bystanders and motorists.”

In New York, women were recently forced to set up a “safety tent” <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/zuccotti_park_big_top_ilBy4VfYIwDGt2I1rM33vL">after a rash of sexual assaults</a> and fear of more sexual predators joining the protests. In October, Baltimore occupiers <a href="http://biggovernment.com/dhunter/2011/10/18/occupybaltimore-discourages-sexual-assault-victims-from-contacting-police-offers-counseling-for-perpetrators/">discouraged women from reporting sexual assaults and rapes</a> to the police. Also in New York, an occupier turned violent this week in a McDonald’s often used for bathrooms <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/camper_mac_attack_IErwi9aOGMCPDdYJw2WcyI">when the restaurant refused to give him free food</a>.

These incidents follow <a href="http://nation.foxnews.com/occupy-wall-street/2011/10/26/occupy-wall-street-gets-violent-oakland">violence last month in Oakland, California</a>, in which protesters <a href="http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/morning-examiner-oakland-has-been-occupied">shut

down a busy port, took over abandoned buildings, set fires, burned

American flags, defaced private property and destroyed ATMs</a>. And as the movement turns violent, news is emerging regarding the Occupy movement’s radical, left-wing affiliations.

Heritage’s Lachlan Markay <a href="http://blog.heritage.org/2011/11/07/meet-the-radical-group-handling-occupy-wall-street-finances/">reports</a>

that as the Occupy Wall Street begins taking in hundreds of thousands

of dollars in donations, an organization known as the Alliance for

Global Justice (AFGJ) has been retained to process the transactions.

That group’s other activities and associations are cause for alarm:

<blockquote>The AFGJ provides ‘grassroots’ support for organizations

that pursue ‘a socially, ecologically and economically just world,’

according to its <a href="http://afgj.org/?page_id=2">website</a>.

Among its initiatives are efforts to encourage American soldiers to

desert and an anti-George Bush organization founded by members of the

Revolutionary Communist Party.

The organization’s president, Katherine Hoyt, leads the Alliance’s <a href="http://www.nicanet.org/">Nicaragua Network</a>

program, which supports the country’s Marxist Sandinista political

party — and was founded for the explicit purpose of overthrowing the

country’s government. Hoyt previously worked for the Sandinista

government, and has written numerous scholarly works lauding the group.

The Sandinistas ruled from 1979 to 1990. Their leader, Daniel Ortega,

was elected again in 2006.</blockquote>

Another of AFGJ’s affiliates: George Soros. His Open Society Institute has <a href="http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990pf_pdf_archive/137/137029285/137029285_200412_990PF.pdf">given the group $100,000</a>. The Occupy Wall Street movement has other supporters, too, including Big Labor. The AFL-CIO <a href="http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/18/afl-cio-shells-out-ad-dollars-to-support-occupy-protests/">took out advertisements</a> supporting the protests and, according to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/occupy-wall-street-and-labor-movement-forming-uneasy-alliance/2011/10/19/gIQAkxo80L_story.html">The Washington Post</a>,

“Labor groups are mobilizing to provide office space, meeting rooms,

photocopying services, legal help, food and other necessities to the

protesters.” And despite the violence and radicalism, it’s a movement

that <a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2011/10/16/obama-mlk-jr-would-have-supported-occupy-wall-street/">President Barack Obama</a> and others on the left have been quick to support, too.

There is no doubt that Americans are suffering under tough economic

times. The jobless rate under the Obama Administration continues to

remain high at 9 percent while Washington is considering raising taxes

to finance more government spending. Americans are right to be

frustrated, to decry out-of-control bailouts and corporate subsidies,

and to voice their concerns. Violence, though, is not the answer.

<a href="http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/25/over-2400-tea-partiers-arrested/">There have been over 3,000 arrests at Occupy protests</a>

since they began only eight weeks ago. President Obama and liberal

congressional and grassroots leaders have been encouraging and inciting

these protests. It’s time for these leaders to persuade their followers

to stop destroying property and assaulting others–especially women.

These acts do not constitute peaceful free assembly or speech.

Quick Hits:

<ul><li>House Republicans have given the White House until noon on Thursday to <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/192137-white-house-heading-toward-standoff-with-house-gop-over-solyndra-subpoena">produce documents relating to the Solyndra scandal</a> under a subpoena issued last week. It does not appear, though, that the White House will comply.</li><li>Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15637539">says his country “does not need atomic bombs.”</a>

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency is set to release a

report on the progression of the country’s nuclear capabilities.</li><li>The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up the issue of <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-court-juveniles-20111108,0,7948418.story">whether it is unconstitutional</a> to impose life sentences on juveniles aged 14 or younger.

</li><li>The latest chapter in Europe’s economic crisis is centered around

Rome as a key ally of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190704577025613250061628.html">asked the leader to step aside.</a> Berlusconi has failed to implement reforms to manage the country’s crippling debt.</li><li>There are two gaping loopholes in the debt deal that will drive up spending in Washington. <a href="http://blog.heritage.org/2011/11/07/courting-disaster-two-gaping-loopholes-in-the-debt-deal-that-will-drive-up-spending/">Read more about it on Foundry.org.</a></li></ul>

      </div>-----<br />This ALEC use of propaganda in influencing public servants was echoed in ALEC interactions with PPDHDB/ACTIC personnel during preparations for the 2011 SNPS.<br />Records indicate that on November 10, 2011, Doner<br />Fundraising personnel employed by ALEC sent a copy of a November 8 article published in the Heritage Foundation’s newsletter, “The Morning Bell,” to Kierland Director of Security Black, Bayer Healthcare Head of Security Davis and ACTIC/PPDHDB TLO Rohme.<br />The article, entitled “Occupy Wall Street Gets More Violent,” written by Heritage Assistant Director of Strategic Communications Mike Brownfield, discussed an incident that reportedly occurred during an Occupy D.C. protest of an Americans for Prosperity conference on November 5, in which an elderly woman was “knocked down some stairs while attempting to get around protestors.” The article went on to discuss other incidents of civil unrest associated with Occupy Oakland, and to discuss alleged incidents of sexual assaults associated with Occupy Wall Street in New York and with Occupy Baltimore.<br />In closing, the article stated:<br />“President Obama and liberal congressional and grassroots leaders have been encouraging and inciting these protests. It’s time for these leaders to persuade their followers to stop destroying property and assaulting others-- especially women. These acts do not constitute peaceful free assembly or speech.”<br />According to records obtained by DBA/CMD, upon receiving the Heritage Foundation article on November 10, Black wrote the following email to Rohme:<br />“While we may not be looking at anything near this it may be prudent to request a Mobile Field Force be on call just in case during the 4 day period [of the ALEC<br />69<br />2011 SNPS]. What are your thoughts? [sic]”<br />While it is unclear what further conversation on this subject may have transpired between Black and Rohme, records indicate that Rohme forwarded this request on to PPDHDB Sgt. Kotecki. It is not known what further deliberation may have occurred on the subject, but it did follow that a “mobile field force”/”tactical response unit” (TRU) was present on the grounds of the Westin Kierland during the ALEC protest of November 30-- and that TRU officers, working under the direction of PPD Sgt. Eric Harkins (who was at that time working as off-duty paid security for ALEC/Kierland, under the command of Black) pepper-sprayed and arrested protestors.<br />Conspicuously absent from records obtained<br />===<br /><p>Join us on Friday, December 14, at noon ET for our “Lunch with

Heritage” Google+ Hangout. We will be hosting a panel discussion on what

right to work means for Michigan, and what it means for employers and

employees. We want to hear from you. If you have questions you would

like to ask our panel, you can leave a comment on this blog, <a href="https://twitter.com/heritage">tweet @Heritage</a> with the hashtag #HeritageHangout, or leave a comment on our <a href="https://plus.google.com/+TheHeritageFoundation/posts">Google+ page</a>. You can watch the hangout here, or on our <a href="https://plus.google.com/+TheHeritageFoundation/posts" target="_blank">Google+ page</a>.

Our guests are:

James Sherk, Senior Policy Analyst in Labor Economics at Heritage

Lindsey Burke, Will Skillman Fellow in Education Policy Studies at Heritage

Mike Brownfield, Director of Social Media for Governor Rick Snyder (R-MI)

Manny Lopez, Managing Editor, Michigan Capitol Confidential at the <a href="http://www.mackinac.org/">Makinac Center for Public Policy</a>
From “Born to Run” to “Born in the USA,” “Darkness on the Edge of

Town” to “Human Touch,” Bruce Springsteen has brought his brand of rock

from the streets of New Jersey to the farms of the heartland, speaking

to the American experience as a poet with a six-string. For more than 40

years, he has carried the torch of rock-and-roll to millions of fans,

and now he’s headed back on tour, this time with a new song that,

believe it or not, speaks to conservative values.

Sure, it might seem to be a stretch. After all, The Boss has been

known for his liberal activism. His anthem “No Surrender” was John

Kerry’s campaign theme song in 2004, he headlined MoveOn PAC’s “Vote for

Change” tour that same year, and he opened for President Barack Obama’s

inauguration in 2009.

But Springsteen’s “Take Care of Our Own”—which seems custom-made for a

political campaign commercial—interestingly enough resonates with those

on the right, whether Bruce realizes it or not:

<blockquote>From Chicago to New Orleans

From the muscle to the bone

From the shotgun shack to the Superdome

We yelled “help” but the cavalry stayed home

There ain’t no-one hearing the bugle blown

We take care of our own

Wherever this flag’s flown

We take care of our own</blockquote>

If there is one theme that cries out, it’s that in this American

community of ours, we ultimately rely on each other and, as he admits,

sometimes the “cavalry” cannot come to save us. Conservatives would

agree. Instead of seeking a savior in government, conservatives value

self-determination, free enterprise, limited government, and individual

freedom—all of which suffer when an almighty state crowds out our

freedoms.

Liberals, though, first look to their cavalry—the federal

government—to come to the rescue when Americans are in need rather than

finding solutions in civil society — among local communities, houses of

worship, schools, volunteer organizations, and neighborhoods.

We saw that philosophy in President Obama’s State of the Union

address this week when he advocated for a new wave of progressive

policies to bring “fairness” to America. Instead of seeking to return

power to states and local communities so that people can take care of

their own, he called for a concentration of more power in Washington,

all paid for by confiscatory tax policies that reflect the notion that

the federal government knows how to spend money better than the people

do.

The President looks to the state to spur innovation and move America

forward. His is an effort to make the “cavalry” bigger so that Americans

need not take care of their own. Ultimately, though, that is a policy

that saps individual liberties—quite contrary to what the Founders

intended. It’s contrary, too, to the rugged individualism that

Springsteen once sang of.

In 1975′s “Thunder Road,” a much-younger Bruce cried out to his

beloved, wrenched in pain over the dissatisfaction in his life, his

loneliness, his despair, and his desire for something better. And he

knew it was up to him to make that change. He didn’t call for the

cavalry, but he looked inward, and then he looked forward:

<blockquote>In the lonely cool before dawn

You hear their engines roaring on

But when you get to the porch they’re gone on the wind, so Mary climb in

This town full of losers and we’re pulling outta here to win</blockquote>

Moving on to find a better future—and not waiting for the government

to provide it—is a truly conservative value and an American one, too.