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Dorli Rainey, 84, was on her way to what she calls a “boring” Transportation Meeting when she saw helicopters flying around. She thought they were out for a nearby Occupy Seattle action and headed to the scene. Rainey joined Occupy Seattle for a demonstration and ended up being pepper-sprayed.
She appeared on “Countdown” with Keith Olbermann last night and told her story:
I stood around there with my friends and we were just deciding that we were stayed there long enough and we might go on. Well, we’re not a secret society and when somebody says, ‘Mic check!” everybody can hear it. And the cops also knew that we were on the verge of leaving. Just at that moment the bike patrol came up and shoved bicycles into the crowd moving them into the center and simultaneously they let go of the pepper spray and the pictures you can see where the pepper spray came all over…
…I got pepper sprayed and shoved and thank heavens there was a wonderful young Iraq veteran who stood next to me—He grabbed me as I stumbled as people were pushing. People couldn’t see where they were going. The cops kept pushing with the bicycles. The space we were in got smaller and smaller and we were really penned in. And the young man really stabilized otherwise I would have been on the ground trampled.
The entire interview is filled with wisdom from a woman with much experience from participating in all the great populist movements in the past half century. It is quintessential viewing, especially the part where she describes boarding a bus and having the opportunity to educate a bus of Seattle residents horrified that she was pepper sprayed.
It also is unusual because Olbermann keeps quiet and listens. He doesn’t interrupt Rainey to ask questions or steer her in another direction. He allows the stream of consciousness to happen, which a pundit like Ed Schultz or maybe Piers Morgan would never do.
Update: And, if you cannot get enough of Dorli Rainey, Democracy Now! also interviewed her.
63 Comments
I watched Keith’s show last night. He gained some more respect from me with that interview. I am so glad he had this woman on and showed that not all of the OWS supporters are young college aged people. She gave everyone a glimpse of what is really worth standing up for. It was especially good that she commented on the War Vet that helped to stabilize her and keep her from being tramped on.
I heard her on dn this morning. A truly classy, knowledgeable, brave woman.
Thanks for highlighting this, Kevin.
I noticed what you did: that KO just sat and _listened_ to this lady. And hers was certainly not your average stream of consciousness–she was coherent and articulate.
Anybody know have a current email for KO? I’d like to thank him for this interview and ask for more.
I just wanna give her a hug. What a great face and voice for Occupy.
Loved the street cred when she talked about growing up in 1930s Germany.
Sadly “street cred” now comes from growing up in a 1930 fascist dictatorship.
Moving and inspirational
As for Keith, he is often very generous that way. I find it much more informative when the host just lets the guest speak.
if we pepper spray the kids at school lunch would that count as balanced nutrition along with tomato paste?
That struck me as well. He did a fine job of letting her tell her story.
the police should be ashamed of themselves but somehow I doubt it
What an inspiration she is!
I saw this last night. I was humbled by this magnificent woman. And Keith just settled into his chair and listened.
Thank you, Dorli Rainey and Keith Olbermann.
It’s not just growing up in Germany in the 1930s. My late husband & sill-living SIL (now 86) did too, though family got out after Krystallnacht.
It’s how articulate she is, how much perspective she has, how she has maintained such a positive and productive outlook.
PTSD, survivor’s guilt often accumulate with age. You thought you’d put it behind you, but as your physical & mental & emotional resources age, they come back to bite you.
Rainey is extraordinary in not succumbing.
Yes Keith I think was astonished at her story and knowledge of current events.
I saw the interview last night and was impressed. KO appeared pretty moved by it, as well. Contrast his interview style (sit back and let the guest speak) with someone like Chris Matthews, who can’t wait until someone finishes a sentence before he starts running his mouth.
And Dorli? Classy, smart, fearless. We could use a large army of people like her.
The #OWS movement has two good ‘weapons’ to use against the Roundheads: shame and laughter.
I am still awaiting confirmation – but apparently, first occupier to be arrested at OccupyLA today was in her seventies – Seniors Rock !!!!
It would sure be great if we could all be above average.
Sadly, one of my great insights late in life is that isn’t going to happen.
The President stated that when a leader’s only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what is right for his country by leaving now.
President Obama talking with Germany’s Angela Merkel, Feb., 2011
George Carlin said, “Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider.”
Yup, I’m afraid.
Good line, but
I don’t find the average person stupid. They may be a lot of undesirable things; human beings, after all. A few at FDL denigrate them for being uninformed, without the slightest consideration or thought about how pressing the lives of most people are, especially these days.
Another death of irony moment.
What an angel. She really hit it on the head when she made the comparison to Nazi Germany. Which proves to the politically correct media that not all such references are somehow disrespecting the holocaust.
It still amazes/amuses me that the White House is so quiet in the face of the #OWS movement. Can’t seem to manage to ride that tiger. Good. They must hate us for our freedom.
The prez is in Oz checking out sites for our new bases there.
I vaguely remember him saying that. Have you got a link to that? I’d love to repost that everywhere.
I forget where I saw it, but not new bases, just sending our miliitary to play on existing bases with the Aussies. He was bored so he went to create another expensive mistake.
via twitter – Breaking – NYPD has surrounded Park, no one allowed to leave, paddy wagons en route, expecting mass arrests
today’s pig, tomorrow’s bacon
p.s. suspect we shouldn’t be calling them “paddy wagons”
Things are difficult, alright – and getting more so each day. It does trouble me when people continue gravitating toward demonstrably unreliable and/or deliberately misleading sources of information, even after having been shown that such sources are part of the problem. I see plenty of that, lemme tell you. When people don’t have the time, I’m OK. When they deliberately put the blinders on…well, it bothers me.
Maybe if we don’t build them no one will get electrocuted. s/
Very good statement, 99% includes a wide variety of Humans all of whom are different and essentially the same. We are all snowflakes and pointing out the differences and claiming some sort of superiority based on a perceived advantage is a real waste of time.
I have found as did Studs Terkel that the unwashed masses have many good insights and can out”smart” many “intellectuals” who can quote Shakespeare and Thracymachus.
gallows humor, but it’s the first time i’ve laughed today.
Thanks!
I’ve seen some pretty high IQ people do the same. One of the reasons I’m not going back to my SIL’s for Tgiving this year is that last year a new guest, a middle-aged boyfriend of an unrelated guest, and his first time at the gathering, asserted that Muslims were trying to impose Sharia law on the U.S.
See my 32 for an example of the opposite. I’m sure that I could easily find more sensible sentences from most of the unwashed. Among other examples are the interviews of OWSers, most of which on leftie sites have been highly articulate and show a good command of the situation.
Instant example: msnbc anchor asks OWSer what the message of the movement is, and he said: that everyone should say what their own message is; I’m just here giving mine.
IMHO I don’t think they are silent just working behind the scene and using police to do their dirty work.
It is obvious what side O is on at this stage. He is a politician in the most derogatory meaning you can attach to that term.
Keith had Bob Reich scheduled to talk about OccupyCal after Dorli Rainey, but instead let Dorli Rainey tell her story through his Reich time. Good choice. Classy move. Her story of recognizing the opportunity to teach people on the bus when she must have still been in pain was inspiring. An example for all of us. Glad I happened to tune in.
We better! We have the examples and mentors like this lady, and we have most of us gotten the best this country once had to offer. We know how it can be. Those of my generation who do not support Occupy in the ways we can should be ashamed.
Word.
We oldsters need to take the front line in Occupy. We owe it to the young because we let them down by not paying attention to what was going on.
My raging rightwing family members are all pretty high-IQ. All have at least a BA, if not one or more advanced degrees. All work in prof level jobs and all are pretty well-traveled to various parts of globe. Some have even done various kinds of work in third world countries… of that, most of it is missionary type but some is educational and/or took intensive language classes and lived in locals’ homes.
That said, my family members are AVID RushGlenn listeners, usually 24/7/365, and they mostly ALL *believe* that various Muslims are currently *inflicting* Sharia law “all over the country.” They truly cannot give me a clear-cut factual *example* of it happening, but that deters none of them one whit from fervently *believing* in their heart of hearts that Sharia Law is – booga booga booga – just around their very corner coming to GET ‘EM!!!!!
These are highly intelligent folks with a lot of cultchah going on.
It’s not just “dumb rubes” who buy into this nonsense.
I might also add that I have trad-Dem voter pals who are also well educated and smart, who fervently believe that there *could be* terrorists just about anywhere about to pounce on ‘em, and that’s why THEY believe in our current police state.
The brainwashing that happens via our propoganda media (in various fashions) is very intense, very pervasive, and clearly, very persuasive. Not just the uneducated get bamboozled by any stretch.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Not only does it reveal both Bloomie and Kelly to be even more thuggish than though, but as Cindy, who is there, is tweeting, it won’t stop the OWS actions planned for today.
Oh, and by the way, if anyone shuts down the NYC subways, it’ll be Bloomie — the OWS folks just want to do mic checks at certain subway stops:
Hell, Pat Buchanan travels a lot and he’s as big a bigot as anyone. It’s who you live among when you go home that counts.
It’s been a long time since I was at a protest, but then and now I cannot understand the police tactic of penning a crowd and giving people no way out.
Yes, but also if you watch too much tv and listen to too much radio, it has a huge impact. I see it amongst my leftie pals, who buy into a log of bogus crap, too. As has been pointed out here often, NPR is now quite rightwing and pumps out a ton of propoganda, esp for the MIC, and lefties are buying it without a care bc they still think NPR is “leftwing.” Media is very powerful in manipulating the masses, no matter how well educated.
You can’t? No offense, but the GOAL is to create maximum harm for the crowd and to serve as an example for what’s gonna happen to YOU should you decide to participate. Makes good footage on the tv, too, whilst the propoganda media spins it as: lookit the DFHs “attacking” the PD and causing the mayhem.
Typical tactic, which has been employed for a long time by the PTB.
And people make fun of “rubes and rednecks.” Might want to take a good look in a mirror.
Must admit I’m guilty of that mocking, myself, sometimes. Not good to do it, but there are those times when I’m just so frustrated at how willing some are to buy into this crap. But it is hard to connect the dots, if you don’t do a lot of your own research. The media & church propoganda is very artfully crafted for maximum bamboozlement.
I was paying attention. However, I didn’t stand up.
and, if we want to look for examples of our tax dollars at work doing more of that, all of gaza is an open air prison.
The two photos yesterday and today in my local paper are of people reaching over the barricades towards the police. Nada of the police brutality. AP stories.
Ha! Daily Caller reporters got beat up by NYPD, but were helped by protesters!
http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/17/371349/reporters-for-right-wing-publication-daily-caller-beaten-by-nypd-helped-by-protesters/
Yup, and this after six AP reporters were manhandled and arrested in the trashing of OWS.
What a gal ,,great interview and kudos to Olberman and Current TV for getting this on the air..Props to ALL veterans for peace..they truly understand that war is a racket..
Kevin’s got a new liveblog rolling
http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2011/11/17/live-blog-for-occupy-movement-occupy-the-subways-brooklyn-bridge-march-unfolds/
I am proud to be a brother in citizenry and life with Dorli Rainey…….we suck…….we are wimp ass cowards..i don’t want to accept this kind of conduct from my employees any more……
That is my experience, too. A lot of people I know who vote Democratic believe the sky is about to fall if we don’t do something about them fanatic Muslims! I’m usually speechless, having used up all my ammunition shortly before the Iraq invasion and found it hopeless.
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We must have the same friends. They also believe in the New York Times. These people are in a 1970S time warp.
Yes Democracy Now had a great interview with this wonderful woman. I guess the police thought she was a very dangerous granny who had to be subdued.
Oh yes, these are the new liberals, liberal fascists who believe in the War on Terror scam and also believe that we are spreading democracy in the Middle East, a humanitarian effort. I actually had one of these dweebs tell me the other day that it’s amazing how ungrateful the Afghans and Iraqis are. These are the Obamaites, more right wing than most Republicans. They believe in globalization and free trade too, how it’s going to make everyone more prosperous. OK so it’s actually made most people poorer, you know, the 99%. Well that’s what has to be sacrificed to make the world a better place, the working class is expendable we don’t need them. That’s the new liberal party line, only the elites deserve to rule and prosper and so everything would be all right if we just stopped criticizing Obama. Disgusting.
LOL (bc if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry…).
Yeah, a friend of mine just the other day was praising the Police state to the high heavens bc by collecting a TON of very detailed data on all citizens and incessantly spying on us, it’ll surely keep us “so safe” from terrorists.
When my friend made the comment, I started to laugh bc I thought it was a snarky joke. Sadly, NO! Said friend was dead-set serious and really really agrees with all citizens being intensely spied on/wire-tapped/you name it, all in the name of being “safe” from terrorists. And gets very very *defensive* if another viewpoint is provided, I might add. This friend of course is still *madly* (choosing terminology here) in love with Obama and is so rah-rah American exceptionalism that it’s scary. Still votes Dem, but….
The propoganda machine is very powerful. Our friends have been absorbed into and bamboozled by it. I strive for compassion bc it’s the only way that some sort of true communication w/such people is possible.
The friend I discussed @60 is somewhat awakening with the Occupy movements, plus has had some of other friends and relatives lose jobs and is starting to see how ripped off we are. But I think it’ll take a LOT more to convince this friend that there aren’t terrorists under the beds.
Very much like the McCarthy era, though, sadly. Witch hunts! Spy on citizens! A-OK… urgh.
i’ve got the same friends!
What s great idea! Put pepper spray in a pizza sauce base and it becomes a vegetable with the requisite 3 servings a day.