Obama on Occupy Wall Street: ‘We’re On Their Side’
- Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:08pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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During an interview set to air Tuesday evening on “Nightline,” President Barack Obama told ABC’s Jake Tapper that he “understands the frustrations” expressed by Occupy Wall Street protesters and that he “understands their struggles” and is “on their side.”
“The most important thing we can do right now is those of us in leadership letting people know that we understand their struggles and we are on their side, and that we want to set up a system in which hard work, responsibility, doing what you’re supposed to do, is rewarded,” Obama said. “And that people who are irresponsible, who are reckless, who don’t feel a sense of obligation to their communities and their companies and their workers that those folks aren’t rewarded.”
Despite having disparaged the Tea Party not too long ago, Obama even compared the current Occupy movement to the Tea Party, stating:
“In some ways, they’re not that different from some of the protests that we saw coming from the Tea Party. Both on the left and the right, I think people feel separated from their government. They feel that their institutions aren’t looking out for them.”
“We’re at a critical moment in this country where if we can regain some of the values that helped build this country that people, I think, long for, when they feel that everybody gets a fair shake but we’re also asking a fair share from everybody, if we can go back to that then I think a lot of that anger, that frustration dissipates,” Obama said.
Of course, Obama hinted that his jobs plan, the American Jobs Act, which would be funded in part by raising taxes on wealthy Americans, is part of making certain individuals pay their “fair share.”
ABC adds:
Obama acknowledged that widespread popular frustration is directed at him because of the administration’s failure to jumpstart job creation and economic growth. But he shrugged off the suggestion that he could have done more from the start, including focusing less on health care legislation.
“You ever wonder that if you had focused entirely, exclusively, not to take away your work on healthcare and Wall Street reform, but if you had just focus on jobs as some people suggest you should have been doing, that maybe it would be different than now?” Tapper asked Obama.
“Probably not,” Obama replied. “Every day, I think about other things we could be doing different and the truth of the matter is, we passed a very big recovery act that we knew was going to take some time to take effect. It made a difference.”
If Obama understands and can show solidarity with the Occupy protesters, and if, as Obama suggests, the Occupy movement is not so different to the Tea Party movement, does the president then suggest he was wrong about the Tea Party and now supports them as well?




















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Comments (194)
stinkybisquit
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:33pmSo, he supports a group which is asking hackers to help them by breaking interstate and international laws? http://occupyhack.com/
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:27pmHe is and always will be a “community organizer”..that means trouble stirring and pitting American against American. He taught Alinsky tactics to his foot soldiers and launched his political career from Bill Ayers’ living room. These are Obama’s peeps.
Report Post »V-MAN MACE
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:36pmObama is not on OWS’ side.
Obama supported banker bailouts, continues to give bailouts to failed companies, and appointed Federal Reserve lackey Tim Geithner to the Treasury Secretary position.
As soon as he appointed Tim Geithner- former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of NY – to Tres. Sec., I knew from that moment we were screwed.
The same thing will happen in a much worse way if you vote for Herman Cain- former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City- for president.
Ron Paul 2012
Report Post »HKS
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:42pmThe only people between him and a government takeover is those pesky rich folks. They still employ people and as long as there are people independent of government support his cause is defective. The more unemployment the better. US government bankruptcy leads him to his promise land.
Report Post »Bluefish49
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 6:22pmHow do you know the president is lying….is his mouth moving?
Report Post »ashestoashes
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:38pmSaul Alinsky’s tactics really do work..But you have the teacher’s unions teaching our children the liberal agenda in school. We’ve got the Islamic/Socialists as professors in colleges. These people that are coming up do not know what is going on. Rules For Radicals was dedicated to Satan for one who dared go against God gained his own kingdom. Satan is the father of lies. This is how they work. Obama and his minions robbed us to the tune of trillions of dollars..then Obama blames it all on the banks..when he gave and is still giving to Sharia Compliant Banks, and funding liberal organizatons such as Acorn and subsidiaries to steal another election. Then you have all the Muslim organizations in the US like the Muslim Brotherhood who Obama has worked in unison with to take down strongholds in the middle east. Isn‘t it just amazing that the man didn’t even have a birth certificate and they ushered him to the President of the United States.? And now another lie..he’s going to hold all accountable for “fast ans furious” They bombard us with and get away with so much criminality that it is just mind boggling.His whole Presidency has been the “Fast and Furious Great Heist of the United States”,
Report Post »phil65
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 4:49amMan those statements he made confirmed every suspicion I had of Comrade Obama. Funny how none of this mess got really vetted by our media during the 2008 campaign. I am sure that alot of misinformed people would not have voted for him, had they actually been told that he was a devout socialist. You would think that people would have picked up on that fact when he was telling Joe the plumber that he was going to take from him and give it to someone else, but I guess I greatly overestimated the intelligence of the voting public in our great country. Can‘t wait until he starts deciding who should and shouldn’t be rewarded, because we already know that it won’t make a damn bit of difference how hard you work, or how much you give to charity both in time and money, it will be all about who you are affiliated with. Hell of a way to ruin a country you incredible POS.
Report Post »teamarcheson
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 8:46amThe Insane President Zero At It Again, He Supports Anti-Semites, Anti-American Communists, and Drug Users.
The TEA is nothing close to the Woodstock-Wall-Street protesters. The TEA does not smoke pot, get paid to march, sponge off of the system, cheat, smell, or take drugs. The TEA cleans up after itself and the WWS do not even know what clean means.
Report Post »motonutt
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 10:51amIt does take a community of idiots to support this clown.
Report Post »Brizz
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 4:54pmI‘m sure he’s behind them 100%, just like his pal Van.
Watch what’s going on in Oakland.
http://www.mrctv.org/videos/abusive-occupyoakland-protesters-ban-media-tent-city
Report Post »Kerri g
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:31pmNo Mr. President the OWS is nothing like the Tea Party. And that you can’t tell the difference is why you will not be President again.
Report Post »mils
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:42pmHe is using his office as a campaign tool .
He’s on their side?…hell he caused all of this!! Are they too stupid down there on wall str to not realize this?
I get so frustrated with this man. he goes on tv makes claims, no one challenges him!! If i could, i would.
If he is not challenged…blatantly, not subtly…he will continue to lie to the public and be believed by the uneducated socialists …Just because you went to college DOES NOT IN ANY WAY mean you realize what is going on in the world. In fact the people that are there appear to be screaming about the student loans they agreed to, the jews being in control etc..NOT THAT YOUR OWN GOVERNMENT HAS SCREWED YOU AND IS NOW RUNNING AWAY FROM THE TRUTH!!
Damn it makes me livid that he is not being challenged to his face
Report Post »lapua338shooter
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:03pmLord in Heaven help us if this commie rat gets in office again. If you think things are in the crapper now, just wait. I still get a real bad feeling about this guy. He’s here for a reason & it’s NOT to run a country. Ruin, perhaps… but certainly not run unless it’s run into the ground. Don‘t turn your back on this guy if you know what’s good for you & your family.
Report Post »Wayne
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:08pmHe would do anything or say anything to keep his job. Him and Soros will take care of that trash on NY, they fit right in with the crowd.
Report Post »ACLUHater
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:10pmThis Bozo sees the world through commie-colored glasses
Report Post »motonutt
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:17pm@OBUMMER ………….”and that we want to set up a system in which hard work, responsibility, doing what you’re supposed to do, is rewarded,” Obama said. “And that people who are irresponsible, who are reckless, who don’t feel a sense of obligation to their communities and their companies and their workers that those folks aren’t rewarded.”…….EXCUSE ME…..“doing what we are supposed to do”?
Who in the hell is he to tell us what we are supposed to do? NOT REWARDED….if we don’t support our communities????? Pure socialism. This whole thing is the attitude of the left, right out on display.
“I think people feel separated from their government. They feel that their institutions aren’t looking out for them.”……………………. @Obummer…..I don’t want you looking out for me, I could care less if you even know I ever existed.
This clown is showing his true colors more and more all the time.
Report Post »yintercept
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:33pmThe Tea Party is the group trying to revive the ideas that made America strong. OWS seems to be repeating the dialectics that’s been destroying Western civilization for the last century.
Report Post »Lamarr01
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 2:03amI saw one anarchist/marxist at a Tea Party rally. She was trying to shout down the speakers. There were a few Obama supporters including a drunk bum and the local TV and Newspaper distorters / reporters.
Report Post »marine recon sniper
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:31pmi do not think potus would survive marine boot camp…
Report Post »chips1
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:38pmNot if a Marine gets hold of his Muslim A$$.
Report Post »TelepromoterNChief
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:11pmHe would do just fine as long as there is sand.
Report Post »lapua338shooter
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:15pmIf you take a moment & think about the way things were 20 to 30 years ago & compare them to today. How the hell is he getting away with the things he does? When it was discovered Nixon was part of a cover up in the 70′s, the country was ready to have him tarred & feathered. This guy is in the process of turning our country into a third world cesspool & the people are letting him.
Report Post »I pride myself in being reasonably intelligent but somebody’s gonna have to explain this to me. I really don’t understand the whole scenario. Where are the protests at 1600 Pennsylvania Av??? Where is the public outcry? What the hell is the news media doing helping him? Many questions and no answers!!!
AvengerK
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:38pmLAPUA338….how is Obama getting away with it? 30 years ago, the media feigned impartiality. Now they’re very open about being in the tank for the Obama and the democrats. You forget that ABC reporter who got warned by an Obama official for asking too many questions about Fast and Furious?
Let me remind you, Big Government has leaked emails on it’s website of media members actively coaching the OWSers on how to appear less insipid. “Journolist 2.0 includes well known names such as MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan, Rolling Stone’s Matt Tiabbi who both are actively participating; involvement from other listers such as Bill Moyers and Glenn Greenwald plus well-known radicals like Noam Chomsky, remains unclear. The list also includes a number of Occupy organizers, such as one of the Occupy Wall Street main organizers Kevin Zeese.
In these emails we see MSNBC’s Ratigan, hawking his book in the footnotes, instructing occupiers on how properly to present their demands and messages while simultaneously appearing on television reporting “objectively” on the story (when he’s not taking part in the protests himself as content.)”…..Make no mistake if this was a conservative president the marxstream media would raking him or her over the coals for choosing sides among Americans. The only problem is the left overplayed it’s hand and came out of the shadows..their idiocy and reprehensible nature have exposed themselves and they stand to lose both the presidency and the senate in
Report Post »scudster
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:29pmMister Obama understands their struggles perfectly well because he instigated the whole thing in the interest of socialisim.Dont matter because this will fail to get the desired results and the republic will stand.
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:40pmMy self , my wife – 3 sons 30 + and 3 daughter in laws all registered Democreats fell for hope and change. Not again will we be suckered. Obama’s policys have effected us all. He gave bailouts to wall st and the banks so I can‘t figure out why they aren’t marching on the Capital. At Xmas 2009 I was apalled by the bonus’s these people got.
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:29pm“Probably not,” Obama replied. “Every day, I think about other things we could be doing different and the truth of the matter is, we passed a very big recovery act that we knew was going to take some time to take effect. It made a difference. Yes you made a huge difference Marxist in chief,you grew government while simultaneously destroying the private sector and trying to end capitalism.
Report Post »Lamarr01
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 1:57amFor a real recovery, the government needs to undo every law, regulation and political appointment Obama has made. How much more damage will be done in the next 15 months?
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:28pmObama has officially “jumped the shark”. He’s just lost the independents. He’s desperate to retain his base. This is a pResident who is willing to play American against American for his political life. This is truly one of the saddest displays I’ve seen from this disgusting little man.
Report Post »The tea parties stand for lower taxes, less government, lower government spending and adherence to the constitution, free market principles. Obama meets none of these criteria and good luck finding one smelly OWSer who wants those things. In fact they’re the polar opposite, more government, punitive taxation, scrapping the constitution, higher government spending and a stranglehold over the free market. The man makes me nauseous.
marine recon sniper
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:24pmobama is my choice for moron of the day… just saying
Report Post »Docrow
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:28pm2nd that
Report Post »OniKaze
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:32pmDay?? Month, Year…. Hell, I think he could be up for fool of the Decade since he KNOWINGLY tells lies, KNOWING that people will catch him on it… (too bad most won’t call him out on it to his face)..
God what I wouldn’t give to have a 10 minute discussion with the Fuhrer-in-chief…. First I would start by asking him to explain how raising everyone’s taxes will create jobs… Cause besides needing a few more IRS agents (with shotguns) to count said taxes, i cannot think of anyway that will create any jobs….
But maybe because I live in the real world, I may never understand… Who knows…
Report Post »Tronix
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:39pmMoron of the century.
Report Post »dsind
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:48pmdouble dueffus too.
Report Post »this guy is pitting one against the other….
what a wonderful marxist :(
gmoneytx
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:24pmHe’s on their side, considering he’s one of them to begin with, sure he can relate!
Report Post »TexasHunter
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:24pmOf coarse he is. This is Soros and Owebama’s plan. Marxist of the USA. There passing will come in NOV. Just to long of a time for me.
Report Post »Zoe
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:23pmBut you bailed the banks out????????????????????????
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:23pmOkay Marxist in chief tell us how you’re going to redistribute wealth and make everyone equal,just exactly how does that work? You’re going to create a utopia right? You clueless tool,Marxism doesn’t work,it‘s been tried before and it’s consistent it always fails,like you,a failure and you’ll be unemployed soon to.
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:32pmDon’t you thimk they want these idiots to get violent so they can declare Martial law due to Civil Un rest? This is exactly what he wants. He will be king if that happens and there will be no election next year.
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:49pmYes I think the Marxist needs violence to justify martial law so the election won’t be needed.
Report Post »Max jones
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 10:03pmBOOM…there you go– you got it right. I have been wondering why he was being so stupid …..
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:23pmIt is funny how they wanted to call the Tea Partiers racists and Nazis when the American Nazi party and the American Communist party are backing this group on Wall Street.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:28pmThis will backfire big time on them… they are now saying (in a round about way) that they support Socialism and Communism.
People will begin to see right through this. If it was a one or two day protest they would have drawn in more people, but they are playing by the old Communist playbook. The longer they are there the more the public sees and gets turned off. Keep it up dopes!
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 9:06pmAbsolutely correct, BOMUSTGO!
It’s amazing how those inbred mouth-breathing progressives and their mindless, clueless drugged-out sheep wallowing in their own filth at Zucotti Park can’t see this! Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups!
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:22pmAnd……Obama jumps the shark. He’s officially thrown his hat in with the smelly OWSers. He has now lost the independents..what few he had left. We’re looking at a pResident who is choosing sides between the American people and is no longer governing. Every American right now should hang their head in disgust.
Report Post »To educate our dear leader….the tea parties stand for less government, less taxation, less government spending, keeping your hard earned pay and adherence to the constitution. By all means, find me one protester (if you can hold your breath long enough) in this crowd who supports those. Obama certainly doesn’t meet those criteria.
TexasHunter
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:25pmImpeachment needs to take Presidential Action.
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:21pmObama is what is known as the enemy within— He’s out to distory the US -
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:30pmThis is all Obama knows…community organizing..trouble stirring, protests, riots, instability. He’s never earned a pay check from the private sector. Even as a lawyer he represented non-profits.
Report Post »CLEttinger
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:55pmWe need an honest intelligent reporter to actually question him on his redistribution of wealth cause and not let him redirect the question. Ask him how raising taxes creates jobs. Someone somewhere has to get a straight answer out of this commi to open the eyes of the rest of our citizens.
Report Post »matinva
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:27pmThe larger problem is that those in the media know less about economics than Barry. It‘s hard to ask someone a ’tough‘ question of this nature if you’ve never run a business, made a payroll, provided benefits, etc. Those in the media are educated derelicts who are, for the most part, privileged people who have never been in that situation. They don‘t know what questions to ask this nitwit so we get stuck listening to the same crappy softball questions all of those in the ’slobbering’ media ask like, “So, how’s the dog today?”
Report Post »JaceBeleren
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:20pmIn the Liberals own vocabulary aren’t they commiting an attrocity. If the evil Jewish people are occupying the land of the gentle, loving Palestinians, then aren’t the protesters doing the exact same thing. Shouldn’t it be called “Dispute Wallstreet” ?
Report Post »Bluenose177
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:20pmso now we know what the douchebaggers down on wall street are doing when they aren’t chanting crap, smoking pot, screwing anything with a heart beat and annoying people with businesses in the area. Here they are, posting their conspiracy theory nonsense about the Rothchilds
hey, anybody wanna buy a $5500 mac laptop that “fell off the back of a truck”
Report Post »eat-more-bacon-USA
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:20pmCriminal birds of a feather …
Report Post »tMC
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:19pm“…and that we want to set up a system in which hard work, responsibility, doing what you’re supposed to do, is rewarded”
If ONLY capitalism worked that way…
Report Post »Akbarjonnie Shaheed
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:18pmLets see…….Yes, I guess if you can compare The Tea Party to The Pee Party it is ok to compare Obama to Hitler.
Report Post »qpwillie
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:18pmHey, that’s the same thing 0bama said about the tea party movement!!! …… No wait — No, come to think of it, he said something completely different about us.
Report Post »fatjack
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:17pmClueless.
Report Post »Nervous Investor
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:27pmI don’t think so ….. this is his forte; Community Organizing. Just that The president is operating behind the scenes in my opinion with Van Jones and Media Matters and SEIU and AFL-CIO and the multitude of other bad actors doing the leg work “underground” stirring up the Comunists, Anarchists, Druggies, Trust Fund Bums, the Ignorant and sundry other creatures from the underground darkness.
Report Post »just the facts
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:42pmNot only clueless, but a divider.
His only mission as a socalled president is to divide the people. Turn them against the other. Rich against poor or vise-a-verse, black against white or vise-a-verse, the workers from the non workers, the unions from the real workers, the haves from the have nots. His mission is to seperate and cause chaos within the United States so that socialism, or marxism or whatever kind of ism other than Americanism excells. He’s breaking up the country, very effectively I might add, and nobody is taking the time to look for the root causes.
To stop this, we need to cut off the head, the money, groups and people all associated with an anti-american view. We need to fall back on the constitution and capitalism that is the foundation of our sucess.
Thanks to the education process, or more so the people behind the education process, we’ve lost a good percentage of the 30 and under crowd. Thanks to the media which has turned increasingly anti-american, people are being fed poison and destruction and all but the unadulterated truth. They are fed just enough truth to make the lie real.
We are in trouble here folks, and the next president, will be making hard unpopular choices. If we are unfortunate to retain this idiot in office now, we’ll loose the freedoms that we have(had) and tomorrow will be a complete different in a freedomless point of way.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:16pmGreat work, President Zero. As usual you are on the wrong side.
Report Post »Can’t wait to hear you introduced as “ex-president”.
CatB
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:21pmI thought he was supposed to represent ALL Americans .. okay he has now picked a “side” (like we didn’t know) Time to take him out NOVEMBER 2012!
TEA!
Report Post »db321
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:32pmIs there anyway we can take the Title of Ex President away – he has not demonstrated one thing that has been Presidential. He has been an absolute disgrace. You bet he is on their side – his former adviser Van Jones (that Glen Beck ran out) along with Soros organized and funded the whole thing.
Let me predict from my crystal ball – the fleabaggers have now raised $300,000 – two predictions – 1st is that their was one donor for $300,000 -George Soros. 2nd Prediction – these fleabaggers will raise 2 to 3 million by New Years.
All of it going to promote the destruction of the US as we know it.
Everyone wants to know what the protestors want – IT DOESN’T MATTER – all the organizers want is for the fleagbaggers to show up and the wheels of progressive transformation takes it from there.
This is not Soros’s first rodeo – I truly hope he will not be able to complete this Dream of his.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:53pmDB321:
Report Post »I propose we call him ex-Dick obama…you are right. He does not deserve to carry the title when he’s evicted.
Bluenose177
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:16pmof course he’s compared them to the Tea Party.. That’s his out should this, or should I say WHEN this goes pear shaped and they either get violent and/or turn on him and the dummicrats he can always say, “see just like those tea party types that hate me”
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:14pmIs President Obama Mr. Soros’s point man in establishing global tyranny? http://commonsense21c.com/
An economic crisis, ending in violent chaos is the prescription for replacing a Republic with a Dictatorship. Since taking office, Mr. Obama’s agenda has been a blueprint for establishing that economic crisis.
That agenda is approaching completion. The economic crisis is almost upon us and the civil unrest to justify a declaration of martial law and suspension of the Constitution has started with the “OCCUPY WALL STREET” campaign. The Tyrant has slightly one year to bring his plan to fruition. The economic conditions resulting from Mr. Obama’s agenda to create the economic crises will certainly prevent reelection.
On February 24, 2011 President Obama informed Congress that he would not enforce the laws that he disagreed with. Thus, Mr. Obama declared himself a Dictator? Is this our new form of government? A Dictator does not require the approval of Congress! Dictators don’t resign and dictators don’t allow free elections! The “OCCUPY WALL STREET” is the beginning of the final step to consolidate tyrant’s power!
Report Post »Tom K
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 10:19am@TOBYWIL2: You are exactly correct; the plan for the destruction of our country is moving forward and right on schedule. So many Blaze comments have described BHO as stupid, inept, etc. Barry is following his instructions from, probably Soros, perfectly. Our economy has almost been destroyed, useful idiots are in the streets both here and around the world, the planned unrest will decay into violence and the people will demand law and order from the Marxist in Chief. Brown shirts will end the unrest by crushing ‘some’ of the useful idiots, but conditions will demand stronger measures. Martial law will be declared, news / information outlets will be government controlled, the guns owned by law abiding citizens will be collected, useful idiots and some law abiding citizens will be jailed and Dictator Obama will energe from his bunker and hail the New World Order. America will be lost on the trash heap of history. November 2012 may not be soon enough to turn this thing around ! Pray for America.
Report Post »mbriz
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:13pmGood job, Mr. President.
Report Post »TelepromoterNChief
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:15pmGreat job.
@$$hat.
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