Hmmmm, if Flannery was pushed down the stairs, it wasn't caught on video and he seemed to get right up and continue on. Seems like there was little time for him to fall, get up and continue on with his questioning. And Flannery isn't no spring chicken anymore.

Hmmmm, if Flannery was pushed down the stairs, it wasn't caught on video and he seemed to get right up and continue on. Seems like there was little time for him to fall, get up and continue on with his questioning. And Flannery isn't no spring chicken anymore.

Posted by: John D | September 21, 2007 7:03 PM

O J Dyslin,
Just because you're paranoid don't mean they're not after you.

Well, waddaya know, another Republic bully, and soon to be jailbird, lashing out at people just doing their job.

I guess the idea of doing an honest day's work is completely foreign to a Republic.

A lot of things weren't caught on video, but then again, it seems some people are able to see something & claim it's fact when they haven't a clue what they're talking about.

Must be that conservative logic again.

So how much pushing do you think Flannery was doing?

weinerlessbrain, it's the Republicans and conservatives who work the hardest day in and day out. I mean we have to as you and your ilk sure as hell don't have any abilities to work and hold jobs.

A lot of witnesses. The reporter should press charges against the Republican scumbag (republican, scumbag, redundent I know).

When does Jerry leave for his new home in Central America? Do we have an extradition treaty with Nicaragua?

Flannery should try out for the Bears.

Maybe Weller has learned a thing or two from his in-laws in Guatemala.

Taken by itself, this can be seen as just a loose cannon on the ex-congressman's staff losing control. I'm sure this interpretation--call it Narrative C--is what Weller will fall back on if he can't get Narrative A ("Flannery's lying") or B ("Flannery started it") to stick.

But coming so soon after the tasering of a student (yes, admittedly a mouthy attention-seeking student, so what?) at John Kerry's town-hall meeting in Florida, it reminds me a little too much of the third of Naomi Wolf's "Fascist America, in 10 Easy Steps" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2064157,00.html):

"3. Develop a thug caste

"When leaders who seek what I call a 'fascist shift' want to close down an open society, they send paramilitary groups of scary young men out to terrorise citizens. ... This paramilitary force is especially important in a democracy: you need citizens to fear thug violence and so you need thugs who are free from prosecution. ..."

I'm not saying Weller's staffer had an earpiece beaming in orders from Cheney's office or even that he was following instructions from the congressman. The thug caste, I think, doesn't need to be under tight centralized control to be effective. It just needs to create the perception that there are people around who will hurt you if you get out of line, and that they are above the law. That's one reason it's important for Flannery to press charges.

Flannery should try out for the Bears.

John D- I work 7 days a week on my farm, just like my wife and kids, AND, (wait for it) WE'RE all Democrats. I think the republic's have to work a lot because when you spend your days and nights lying to yourself and others, it's a full + time job. Telling the truth is easy, lying takes forever.

My first encounter with Jerry Weller:

In 1987 or '88, when the boy hog farmer was running for State Representative.

It was about 7:10 AM -My late wife Mary and I were taking 2 yr old Nora to the babysitter in Bradey, Il from our apartment in Bourbonnais. We took RT 45 which winds past Maternity BVM Church, and meets Rt 102 before Olivet Nazarene College.

Traffic was blocked - yep. a traffic jam right here in BURR Bone Us! It was getting late and we needed to be at Bishop MCNamara HS by 7:30.

Mary was chatting with Nora about the Ollie North testimony I believe. 'Is there an accident?'

Mary got out of the car. 'Pat there's a poor retarded kid selling stuff and everyone is yelling at him.'

'Go, help him' - Now!'

Well trained is well trained. Mary moved to the driver's side and I got out of the 1972 Nova.

Sure enough, the kid at Rt 102 and 45 was getting hassled. I walked up and there was the future Sandinista Beach and Land Speculator grinning from ear to ear and handing out literature to busy folks giving him the universal 'You're Number One!' hand signal.

I went back to the Nova - What's up! Didn't you help him?'

'He's beyond help - he's running for office.'

We were late.

You know, this stuff is going to keep happening as long as IOKIYAR.

We saw lots and lots of assaults by Republicans during the 2004 elections--and rounding up people in NY because the fascists cannot tolerate any kind of dissent--even by legal protest.

Box up the GOP and send them off to a facility for the criminally insane. It's better than they deserve--they belong in prison. And, karmically, they belong in Gitmo (but I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even Dick Cheney).

The only assault documented in the video is that done by the reporter himself. If you look carefully, he slams his way into the stairway and you can see that the woman "driver" is just inside the door at that point. The next thing you know, both the reporter and the driver appear to have stumbled down the stairs, almost certainly as a result of the reporter's actions.

Fascinating! The Congressman didn't touch him yet everyone says the reporter should "press charges'. Guy, the alledge push came from one of the Congressman accompanying people. Further, there is NO video evidence he was in fact pushed. Additionally, they were walking down some stairs, if I viewed this right. So the ONLY way this could go to court would be if there were witnesses...and as you know, there would be witnesses for BOTH sides.

Hey, I'm a Democrat-- and an active one -- I used to work on the Hill for a Democrat, and have volunteered in dozens of campaigns, etc. From what little can be made out on this video, it looks like the reporter (among others) was hounding Weller after his press conference ended, shoving their way into a relatively small stairwell. It looks to me like the reporter's physical pushiness contributed a great deal to whatever may have happened, and he didn't seem to have a bruise, scratch or any other damage. Frankly, it looks to me like the reporter's a jerk, who's now whining like a crybaby.

And I condemn the thuggish behavior of the Florida police in the Kerry incident, of the Repubs during the Florida recount, and also of Repubs who harrassed a blogger at a George Allen speech. But this incident doesn't seem to belong with those.