I disagree with the protestor's methods, but I sympathize with their cause. Many of them are young, who see no future for themselves in the New World Order that has been dumped so unexpectedly in their laps, as opposed to the Tea Partiers, who find their comfortable middle class lifestyle is now threatened by economic forces they cannot understand or control, but which they have played a great part in imposing on themselves and which they refuse to accept responsibility for.

But the criticism of the 99ers is not new, its the same old crap we heard in the 60s, they are dirty, unwashed, communist toublemakers, they should be shot on sight, spoiled rotten kids. I learned about tear gas in my military training. Nasty stuff.

As for the twinkling Tom thought was so funny, there are a few things that do stand out. These organizers went to some trouble to make that video, and distribute it, which tells me it has some form of training or communications message. But it is a tactical exercise of some sort.

My guess is it is to communicate to speakers on the podium who are looking for those signals, from their leaders or coaches in the audience (Speak louder, you're rambling, repeat that, etc).

As for my opinions of conservatism, I think I've made my position on that pretty clear. My view of society is a community where everyone participates for everybody's benefit. And those who contribute the most are entitled to recieve the most rewards.

But I view the conservative view the world as an athletic field, where only the meanest and biggest kids get to play, where they get to decide the rules, and everyone else can either like it or lump it. Except they really aren't so tough, because without all the other kids, there really is no game at all. There is nothing.