Before I debunk Keith Olbermann’s “debunking,” let’s remember what Keith Olbermann said. It’s the standard to which Mr. Olbermann needs to be held:
That is Mr. Olbermann’s statement and he hasn’t backed down from it. Instead, he’s made “debunking” the entire list of rapes and sexual crimes that I put together the number one item on his “Countdown” show.
I actually didn’t need a whole list. All I needed was one, so I didn’t do an exhaustive search. I grabbed stuff from the long list of Occupy crimes called The Rap Sheet that Big Goverment kept up until the end of December, 2011. After all, Mr. Olbermann is the only person in the world I know of who is claiming “no Occupy rapes, no cover-ups.”
Little did I suspect that the depths of illogic and outright lies to which Mr. Olbermann would descend.
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Luckily, Mr. Olbermann has an ally in his lies — the Daily Kos! He posted the transcript there, all laid out in print form.
Olbermann started the TV show segment with the proven lie that Andrew Breitbart was drunk, as if calling the Occupy movement ‘filthy animals’ isn’t the most sober assessment in the world. Then in rapid fire fashion, Olbermann pretended to ‘debunk’ every item on the list.
How? Olbermann does a few weird tricks here: One is that he decides to disqualify accusations if the assailant was homeless, even if the event happened at Occupy in an Occupy tent. Of course, the homeless are PART of Occupy. Not all are violent, of course. But if an assault happens AT Occupy, it’s an Occupy related assault — except in Olbermann’s world. Of course, there were many, like this one, committed not by a reported homeless person, but by actual identified, participating Occupiers.
In a couple of cases – Madison and Austin spring to mind — he just pretends that events which are obviously part of Occupy don’t relate to Occupy. It’s weird, but he does it.
So, here’s a point by point look at Olbermann’s debunking. Remember though — “No Occupy rapes, no cover-up, no apology, no retraction.” None. Got that?
From Olbermann:
Story number one: Madison, Wisconsin. Turns out this is the story of Occupy Madison losing its permit for a few days, in part because of a charge of public masturbation. No charges, no names, no evidence, and even the head of the local business association that brought the complaint, one Mary Carbine, was emphatic that the behavior was, quote, “not necessarily by the protestors themselves.” Breitbart’s people evidently never read the update at the bottom of the post.
The story:
Mary Carbine, the executive director of the Madison Central Business Improvement District, said a neighboring hotel’s staff voiced concerns about having to recently escort hotel employees to and from bus stops late at night due toinappropriate behavior, allegedly including public masturbation, from people in and around the protest.
Here’s the update that I supposedly didn’t read.
UPDATED Nov. 1: An earlier update mis-attributed the allegations of public safety concerns from a city commission meeting to a Madison parks official. The allegation was, in fact, made by Mary Carbine at the meeting, who said community members had raised concerns about inappropriate behavior by individuals in and around the Occupy Madison protest, not necessarily by the protesters themselves. [My emphasis]
In and around? So – it’s a protest that attracts masturbators? They don’t protest, just masturbate? I’ve been to Madison; I didn’t see that.
Number two: Cleveland, refers to an alleged assault of a member of Occupy Cleveland. No arrests, and the police offer no indication the alleged assailant was a member of Occupy.
The story:
According to police reports, the 19-year-old student was instructed by “Occupy Cleveland” personnel to “share a tent with the suspect due to a shortage of tents.” The suspect identified himself as “Leland” to the woman. The woman told police that after she had thought the suspect went to sleep in his own bed, she slept in a sleeping bag provided to her by the rally.
Video from Channel 5, Cleveland:
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If the alledged assailant isn’t part of Occupy, why was he in a tent with the victim? And either way, this cccured AT OCCUPY.
Number three: Seattle, turns out to be the arrest of a man for indecent exposure in schoolyards and other parks, not at Occupy Seattle. Detectives say they were told the suspect had been “seen” at Occupy, and again they make no claim he was associated with Occupy.
From the story:
“… detectives learned he had been at Westlake Park taking part in the Occupy Seattle protests.“
I think “taking part in the Occupy Seattle protests” is a claim that he was associated with Occupy.
Number four: Cleveland. This is the same story as Number two. Listed twice. This time a Fox News video is linked.
Yep. I mentioned this on Twitter last night. My mistake. There are assaults I didn’t put on this list, obviously. Don’t worry, I’ll add some later this week, Keith.
Number five, Dallas. Despite the Breitbart headline: “Police Investigating Possible Sexual Assault Of Teen At Occupy Dallas,” the alleged assault victim told police the sex in question was consensual. She would not press charges nor cooperate with authorities. The claim that there was an assault originates with one local tv station’s anonymous source in the Dallas police department.
The age of consent in Texas is 17. The girl was 16 years old. (Update: 14 years old.)
The article quotes people who knew the girl. The facts aren’t in question and the ‘anonymous source’ is not relevant to anything.
This is interesting because Olbermann used the same ‘it was consensual’ excuse for Julian Assange.
Number six: Portland, Oregon. The registered address that a sex offender gave authorities, turned out to be the same address as the Occupy Portland camp. The police have no evidence he was ever there, nor do any witnesses place him there.
This issue concerned the protesters, so why doesn’t it concern Keith Olbermann? With no Occupy camp, the guy couldn’t have listed his address as Occupy.
The story also links to another story of a sexual assault at Portland where the victim refused to cooperate with the police. That probably doesn’t concern Keith Olbermann, either.
Number seven: Lawrence, Kansas. A local Police Captain Jim Martin is quoted, in the Breitbart-linked story, as saying “someone who had been at the Occupy Lawrence camp reported on Monday morning a possible sexual assault. (Martin) said he did not believe the victim or any possible suspects were members of the group.”
From the story:
Martin also confirmed that someone who had been at the Occupy Lawrence camp reported on Monday morning a possible sexual assault. He said he did not believe the victim or any possible suspects were members of the group but rather were transients who stayed in one of the group’s tents Sunday night.
Though he was not present at the camp Sunday night, Phoenix said he was told of the filing of the sexual assault report. He said that witnesses had told him that two men and one woman came into the camp seeking a place to sleep and were offered one of the open tents. He said that group members were “deeply affected” by the events and were considering new measures to ensure their safety within the park, including distribution of a flier titled “Creating a safe space,” which asks participants to “refrain from engaging in activities that are not conducive to creating and maintaining a safe space.
So people staying AT Occupy, IN an Occupy tent somehow aren’t related to Occupy?
Number eight: Glasgow. Breitbart assigns responsibility for an assault on an Occupy protestor in Scotland to the American Occupy movement. He also does not note that the morning after the incident, Occupy organizers voluntarily disbanded the camp after police refused to provide security (at about 1:48 of the video, the Scots reporter notes the protestors have mostly left already and “put the Occupation on hold” while police investigate the crime).
Who assigned this to the American Occupy movement? It’s Occupy. It’s a gang rape. It’s related.
Number nine: Manchester, New Hampshire. A woman operating out of her own home is arrested there after she tries to turn an Occupy protestor into a prostitute.
The story:
A city woman is accused of pimping a 16-year-old girl she met in Victory Park during the Occupy NH demonstrations.
So you have to be pimping AT Occupy for it to count for Olbermann? Meeting at Occupy doesn’t count as Occupy-related? No? Really? Okay.
Number ten: New York City. An Occupy protestor is assaulted in her tent.
Yep. By a kitchen worker at Occupy.Obviously related. At Occupy. Olbermann doesn’t mention the ‘kitchen worker’ part. Interesting.
Number eleven: New York. It’s the same story as Number ten. He has again listed one twice. Incidentally, despite the November reports claiming the Occupy food tent worker would shortly be charged with something besides sexual abuse, there are no stories on the net indicating this has yet occurred.
This isn’t a duplicate. The headline is huge – how did Keith miss it?
Protester busted in tent grope, suspected in rape of another demonstrator
Read the story – the same kitchen worker had (at least) two victims, so I listed the story twice. Two victims, two separate incidents. Olbermann doesn’t mention this, either.
Number twelve: Chula Vista CA. On November 6th, a woman posts on the Occupy Los Angeles facebook page, asking Occupy to help locate her daughter, 16-year old Ashley Springer. The last the woman knew, Ashley Springer was at Occupy-LA. Breitbart does not note that, according to good news from “The Vanishing Kids Coalition,” by December 9th, Ashley Springer was home, safe, sound, and unharmed.
While I’m happy she was found safe, it doesn’t change the fact that she went missing from an Occupy event.
Number thirteen: Philadelphia. Though the Breitbart list blares “Occupier Arrested for Rape,” the actual newspaper headline says the opposite: “Man arrested in Occupy Philly sexual assault.” The alleged victim was a member of Occupy, not the assailant,even though Breitbart implies it was the other way around.
From the story “A man is under arrest, and police are processing him for sexually assaulting a woman at the Occupy Philly camp near City Hall Saturday night.”
He sexually assaulted a woman AT the Occupy camp – but once again, Olbermann decides this isn’t related to Occupy. Sexual assaultat the camp. Right there. Not related? Wow.
Number fourteen: Austin, Texas. A man in a sleeping bag near the Occupy encampment in a public square is arrested for allegedly masturbating in front of a 16-year old. Again, despite the Breitbart headline “Occupier Accused of Masturbating in Front of 16 Year-old Girl,” in the actual article police do not conclude that either victim or perpetrator was involved with Occupy.
Another stunner. The victim, assailant were both part of Occupy and AT Occupy. Here’s the lead paragraph.
A man is in custody on felony charges after a teenage girl told police she saw the man masturbating while looking at her in the amphitheater at City Hall Plaza, home to the Occupy Austin encampment, according to an arrest affidavit. [My emphasis]
The man and victim are both at the Occupy Austin encampment. The guy is in a SLEEPING BAG. Like he’s camping at the Occupy Encampment. Seems connected to me.
More of the story:
The 16-year-old girl was sitting on the steps of the amphitheater, talking with her friend at about 6 a.m. Sunday when she saw a man, later identified as Smith, undressing to get into a sleeping bag, the affidavit said. She said she looked away, but was not alarmed to see him undressing, as it is common for people at the plaza to do so before getting into their sleeping bags, the affidavit said.
Okay AND – the girl is there at 6 a.m. Just like passing by? Or does it sound like she’s part of the Occupy Encampment, being there at 6 a.m. Oh! And the girl has seen people getting into their sleeping bags before. There. At the encampment.
But this has nothing to do with Occupy, according to Olbermann. Why not? No clue.
Number fifteen: Chicago. A 21-year old man named Robert Reitz whom Occupy Chicago confirmed had attended some of its events, is arrested at his home, on child porn charges. Breitbart does not bother to note that in the second half of the very story he linked to, Occupy Chicago responded to the arrest by immediately banning him from its encampment.
Okay. Olbermann is confirming the story. A guy connected to Occupy arrested for child porn. By the racist, sexist tool of the 1% police. And Occupy bans him – good for them! Nothing is refuted here; it’s a sex crime and it’s associated with Occupy.
Number sixteen: St. Louis. Again, the victim in an assault is identified as a member of Occupy, not the alleged perpetrator. As an aside, in the “list,” Breitbart’s people link not to an actual news account, but only to the notorious fraud Dana Loesch’s version in which the truth has been carefully expunged.
Truth? Maybe Olbermann will like this link better — even it confirms what Dana Loesch said, despite Olbermann’s smear of Loesch.
ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Police say they’ve made an arrest in a sexual assault that took place last week at the Occupy St. Louis campsite downtown.
Brian E. King, believed to be homeless, is accused of crawling into the tent of a 20-year-old woman who was taking part in the occupation of Kiener Plaza and fondling her through her clothes
Woman assaulted AT Occupy. In her tent. That’s an Occupy related assault.
Wait – the assailant was homeless??! That changes … nothing.
Number seventeen: New York. Again, the victim in a fondling case is a member of Occupy; police identify the assailant as a local homeless person.
Again – happened AT Occupy. To an Occupier. By a homeless person.
The question is: Why is Olbermann still defending this?
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