Occupy NATO Mayhem: Bull on Parade

Chicago became the latest epicenter of the Occupy Wall Street movement during the NATO Summit this weekend. Full-on street melees and coordinated cyber attacks reestablished the Occupiers' ability to cause chaos on American streets, dominate the news cycle, and impact our political discussion as election season hits full stride.

Even more disturbing, police disrupted two alleged terrorism plots affiliated with Occupy. Five individuals are now detained on charges including conspiracy to commit terrorism, attempted possession of explosives, and making a false terroristic threat.

Predictably, the Occupy horde (including pro bono lawyers) cried foul over the terror arrests, claiming that undercover officers set up the anarchists. But at this point even the casual observer is left with the firm recognition that deranged men with violent intentions have latched onto the Occupy movement.

All of this insanity over a NATO Summit begs the simple question: why?

Depends on which Occupier you ask, but their main gripe against NATO seems to be that it's a tool of oppression, a sort of global army for the 1% and mechanism for endless war.

Say what you will about NATO's future, but it has protected civilians from slaughter in Kosovo and Libya-- not to mention the millions it saved from Stalin's totalitarian nightmare before the fall of the wall. On the contrary, much of the Occupiers deep-seated animosity to NATO seems to stem from the alliance's historical opposition to the Soviet Union.

But such inconsistency has never troubled Occupiers in the past. Their leaders constantly drone on about being a leaderless movement and protest oppression by capitalist countries while celebrating the freedoms of Cuba.

Mostly, the antics and mayhem in Chicago reinforced what we already know about Occupiers. Their ideology is more a collection of emotions than a set of goals. They embrace their ignorance of history and celebrate the incongruity of their ideas. Occupiers don't know much about the world, but that gives them little ground to defend, and little room for doubt. Chants and marches are so much more fun, anyway.

So as they protest and plot going forward, remember that the Occupy movement itself is both means and ends. They want to express their rage and bring down the state, but either would suffice, as long as they get attention and feel important.

The NATO Summit was Occupy's clarion call for the self-righteous, self-indulgent, and self-pitying left. The mayhem they caused won't change any policy abroad or inspire introspection at home. It was cheap political theater, intended to circumvent rather than promote discussion, and intimidate those inclined to disagree.

Ultimately, all this chaotic nonsense from Occupy amounted to Bulls*** on Parade.

(for more on Occupy Wall Street's history and ideology, click here)