It seems like they are going to keep pruning this down until there's nothing left. Sounds fine to me! Hopefully then the Mayor will let the LRC focus on things that actually matter to this community. Out of this entire debacle, the thing that stands out at me the most is that our Commission is actually pretty cool. I don't think they will pass it. But our Mayor is just awful! She's gotta go.

Dregs? Are you talking about people? That's a horrible thing to say. Anyway, I don't think the Commission is really sold on this Curfew law idea. Why do we need every strip of median on the highway to be its own park? It's a little silly. Hopefully they will put an end to this nonsense, especially since it might really end up harming the homeless.

I agree with Speck that we need to make Athens more walkable (and bike-able). A law being considered now by Athens commissioners has a chance to negatively impact that -- the proposed Public Curfew law. Essentially it would designate all public spaces as parks, and give closing hours for those new parks.

The law would be police-enforced. Basically the police would ask you to leave, and if you don't, you would be arrested.

We don't need a curfew for Athens.

https://www.facebook.com/StopTheAthensPublicCurfewLaw

The Athens Occupier was covering this great event too! Check out these photos:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=615753468441625&set=a.58671644801...

http://www.facebook.com/TheAthensOccupier

There was an awesome rally last Wednesday to end the ban on undocumented immigrants attending UGA -- The Athens Occupier was there to cover it!

Check out these photos from the event!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=615753468441625&set=a.58671644801...

Immigrant rights are HUMAN rights.

@Bellehowell:

Like us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/TheAthensOccupier

Thanks, Bellehowell! I was about to post that myself. It's from the Athens Occupier. Please 'like' us!

http://www.facebook.com/TheAthensOccupier

[quote][b]Pologize[/b] -
You don't know the situation of any of the Occupy members yet you have judged them all. Double standards. Gotta love em. [/quote]

And the funny part is, it's actually him who doesn't have a job apparently!

We had the fair on Saturday so people with jobs could go.

I admit that last year when I slept on the street with Occupy, I was indeed unemployed. However now I am working full-time. As are all current members of Occupy Athens except for the disabled vet as I stated before. Let's just lay that to rest. Even back then, most of us had jobs or were students. We weren't on the street 24/7 although we tried to keep at least some people there all the time.

Besides, there is no shame in not having a job, as long as you are looking. I was looking last year but jobs are hard to come by. It's a tough economy. You know... that was actually part of the reason we were out there.

Thanks to all the well-wishers!

So I'm the only one here who thinks some of these comments are hate-filled and harassing? I doubt it.

And regarding the employment status of current Occupy Athens members -- We are all gainfully employed except for one.

That one is a disabled veteran of the US Navy.

RightWingExtremist -- you have no idea what you are talking about. You weren't even at the event on Saturday. You're talking about things that happened a year ago. The rest of us are talking about last Saturday.

"We expect our commenters to have lively discussions, but racist, hate-filled, harassing or libelous comments will not be tolerated."

So, this apparently is not true, WTF Online Athens?

What's wrong with you people? We in Occupy hold a fair for community organizations and somehow that inspires hate and harassment?

Or is it just that? That -we're- the ones actually doing positive things in the community and you just can't handle it, can you? You just can't stand to see us succeed at something that might actually bring the community closer together?

And it was a great success! We will do it again.

Occupy Athens has re-launched our Facebook page. We're going to include all the content normally going into our newspaper, the Athens Occupier, as well as videos, podcasts and more. Check it out:

http://www.facebook.com/TheAthensOccupier

Perhaps Cowsert is unaware of the concept of public banking. By creating a bank owned by the State of Georgia, we could solve all of our budget issues without having to cut programs.

Check out this article on the Athens Occupier:

http://www.facebook.com/TheAthensOccupier

Also, write Cowsert and Specer Frye and tell them you want the Bank of Georgia rather than have your taxes raised or programs cut!

"And I don't consider Carter Kessler a Republican, and neither does the Republican Party."

The current Republican establishment party's days are numbered. Your corrupt party is doomed. It will be taken over by people who believe in LIBERTY or it will be destroyed.

Get used to it. Carter is just the beginning of a massive wave of liberty.

Capping state employee salaries is not Republican now? Give me a break, that's fiscally conservative of course. It's only if you're one of the corrupt corporate Republicans Carter is trying to fight that you would have a problem with that. That's a conservative and common sense position.

He said he didn't support the Charter school -amendment.- Worlds of difference there.

Why wouldn't you want to go against the Republican establishment, which is corrupt to the core? Republicans should stand for eliminating corruption in government anywhere it can be found. Even in the Republican party itself. Especially in the Republican party itself!

He's not running from what he believes, he just doesn't want to be labelled by people who obviously have an agenda against him. He did say that he'd "take libertarian over authoritarian" in the debate. How is that not admitting his libertarian leanings?

I'm glad he supports nullification as a general principle. If he's given up on trying to nullify Obamacare, that too I think is probably wise. He should spend his effort fighting for things that will help people in this district, and not on lost causes.

I still fail to see the problem with anything Carter said at the debate. Are you saying you -want- him to try and nullify Obamacare? Don't be worried that he's going to be elected and then all of a sudden have this big push to nullify. That's a lost cause and everyone knows it. He's going to stick to what he said and not attack it. It doesn't make sense for him to do otherwise.

^^ dawgsmom, Carter is a conservative, that's why he's a Republican. Why do you think he's misrepresenting himself?

Carter has never changed his beliefs. The stuff about his being against mandatory minimum sentencing, drug testing for welfare recipients, and wanting to cap state official salaries -- those are all positions of the Libertarian party!

It sounds like most people here just don't understand what a libertarian is, or what they believe.

Libertarians are -liberal- on issues of civil liberties, drug laws, and legal issues like minimum sentencing. Or more accurately, I could say that liberals are libertarian on these issues. The stuff about capping state official salaries -- that's a conservative fiscal policy! It just happens to be one that many liberals agree with.

And you're saying that Carter has changed his positions? No way. He's held these positions for a long time. Anyone who says he's changed just doesn't know him.

The stuff about Obamacare -- look of course being a conservative, Carter has issues with some of the things in there. But given that his district is mostly supportive of Obamacare, Carter's not going to fight against it. It's as simple as that. Carter has accepted it as the law of the land and that's what he said in the debate. From some of the comments it sounds like Carter gave a ringing endorsement of Obamacare, but what he said was "Legislators need to understand it's the law of the land." <-- look not a ringing endorsement, that's resigned acceptance.

Carter Kessler is the future of the Republican party. The Liberty movement is the future of the Republican party.

@yeti: There were actually four of us from Occupy Athens there.

Would you like to read a copy of the Athens Occupier that I personally handed to the Caterpillar CEO? It tells why we were protesting. We just want people to know the truth about how Caterpillar treats their workers, even though we are happy like most people that they're building a plant here. You don't have to like the company to be happy about the jobs.

I also asked the CEO to justify laying people off and slashing pensions when they are having back to back some of their most profitable years ever as a company.

He told me "That's just the way our system works." Yes, I know that. That is what we are trying to change. Please join us in Occupy Athens. Our next General Assembly is at 8 pm on Sunday, September 30th outside City Hall.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-YE41tESp5QbVQxVVBPVjJodlU/edit?pli=1

It's great that we're getting new jobs, but we should welcome Caterpillar here with our eyes open. Check out the Athens Occupier article about Caterpillar:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-YE41tESp5QbVQxVVBPVjJodlU/edit?pli=1

[quote][b]ppensyl[/b]I agree. ALL people should be allowed to walk or stand on a sidewalk as that is it's intended purpose. [...] I agree with a law that would prevent people from turning sidewalks, deemed as public access walkways, into campgrounds where the rest of the public not involved would have their access inconvenienced by the impromptu campsite. [...]
[/quote]

Yes, we in Occupy Athens agree completely with this statement. Just as a point of information -- there already is such a law. People aren't allowed to block sidewalks when they protest, or for any other reason. Blocking sidewalks is illegal.

This is why we never block sidewalks or access to buildings while we protest. The new law they are proposing has -nothing- to do with blocking access to sidewalks or anything else, it's only about camping and tents that aren't blocking anyone or anything. They want to make -that- illegal too, even if it's not inconveniencing anyone.

@jtsim:

I don't use the big banks for anything. I don't borrow money for any reason. I AM doing something. Are you?

One of the main problems we in Occupy Athens are protesting against are BIG BANKS that cause the biggest collapse since the Great Depression and then whine to the American people to bail them out.

Even worse, once they were stabilized with OUR MONEY, they pay themselves HUGE BONUSES and then start illegally STEALING OUR HOMES through "inappropriate" foreclosures. Not a single one of these banksters (besides Madoff) have seen the inside of a jail cell.

Is that coherent enough for you?

@The Oracle of the Athens Banner Herald:

The owner of that property are the people of Athens. We're allowed to use it, that's the entire point. We were kicked out unjustly. We were kicked out because we were speaking our minds in public, and the Mayor and police disagreed with what we were saying.

This is really outrageous. We in Occupy Athens started out last year fighting corporate greed and the big banks, this year we switched gears to fighting city government corruption, and now it seems like we're stuck fighting for the right to fight at all!

If they think they can even TRY to pass such a law without a re-Occupation, they're crazy! Everyone in Athens -- we have to fight this. The 1st Amendment isn't just for leftists or Occupiers, it's for all of us. One day, it might be the rights of Occupiers who are trampled on, another day it might be the Tea Party, environmentalists, religious groups, the homeless -- who knows?

We all have to band together to support the free speech rights of everyone else. This law can't be allowed.

And I LOVE how they admit that there is no such law currently on the books. So, Occupy Athens was evicted and almost arrested -why exactly-??? It's because we challenged a corrupt government. Even if you disagree with Occupy completely, please agree that we have a right to protest..

@grove600:

[quote][b]grove600[/b] -
Actually. I think you believe this, but in all reality, you are looking for equal results. [/quote]

I'm not looking for equal results. I think that there will always be people and communities that are better off and those that are less well off. But if we try to make opportunity more equal, the difference in results will also become more equal.

"So, why aren't you occupying Washington?"

I live in Athens. If I lived in DC, I'd be in Occupy DC.

"Yet you rail against big corporations, and that focus is what's wrong with your "movement". Consumers let them get away with the things they do."

Consumers and government. Those in Occupy agree that government shares a huge share of the blame. We are against both government and corporate corruption.

We don't like Obama much at all, but we don't want to see Romney take power either, because he's clearly willing to sell out his principles to gain power. There is no difference between the Republicans and Democrats, imo.