What I Saw at Occupy Wall Street

Written by John Ritchie, TFP Student Action

Soon after entering the protest perimeter at Zuccotti Park a piece of communist propaganda was thrust into my hand. The flier starts: “It’s not just Wall Street… capitalism must be destroyed.”

Communist terrorist Che is celebrated at OWS

As I continued reading, other lines jumped off the page: “Only communism can live up to the aspirations the Occupy Wall Street movement has tapped into.” Then the tag line calls readers to “join the revolutionary communist Progressive Labor Party.”

I kept walking, tiptoeing around a maze of sleeping bags and clutter.

The next sight that caught my attention was a large, dirty flag stamped with the figure of communist terrorist Che Guevara held by a disheveled protester. I approached and saw “Smash the State” printed on it. “I don’t think this is going to remain peaceful,” said the fellow holding the communist Che flag. Meanwhile, a group of agitated anarchists dressed in dark, dirty clothes yelled, “What does democracy look like? This is what democracy looks like.”

Is a new tribal savage emerging?

Beside the Che flag was a gray-bearded man hawking buttons. “I’m an anarchist,” he offered. Pointing to his buttons, he explained: “These are anti-war, these are racial, these are gender [pro-homosexual], and these are anti-authoritarian.” Other crude signs were displayed amid the eclectic conglomeration of hundreds of disgruntled protesters. “Eat the rich,” said one. Others promoted socialism or environmental “rights.”

Then I stumbled into a discussion circle dedicated to “breaking the gender binary,” which is another way of saying they want to dismantle the differences between male and female. The very idea of manhood and womanhood was offensive to them.

How interesting. Seemingly separate movements all converged for a common revolt. Protesters shared a common contempt for authority, our military, morality, law, order, private property and inequality in general. By chance, I looked up and saw a man holding a megaphone emblazoned with the word “revolt.”

Class war: "I want you to steal from the rich."

Churchill put it well. “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”

I continue strolling around.

The odor was aggressive, very unpleasant. Almost every conversation I overheard was heavily laden with profanity. I was even cursed out by a woman who did not like my video camera.

The protesters fancy that they represent 99% of America. But do they? Do people waving communist flags stamped with an image of Che Guevara, peddling anarchy and socialism really represent 99% of America? No. Not even 1%.

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Protesters in Rome, acting in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Watch the footage here