Thom Hartmann: Sticks & stones are not allowed...but handguns are...

[thomhartmann]

On Tuesday night - 30 Santa Monica College students - including a small child - were pepper-sprayed. Five students were treated on the scene for injuries inflicted on them by the police, and two others had to be taken to the hospital. So what did these young people do to deserve a chemical attack by the cops? Nothing...absolutely nothing deserving that kind of a response. They merely were exercising their right to peaceably assemble at a Board of Trustees meeting at their college. When they protested against the college's plan to charge more money for classes - they were met with a face full of pepper spray. Just like these students at the University of California Davis last year were doing nothing - except sitting peacefully - when they were doused with pepper spray, too, by campus police officers. Or these young women - who were peacefully marching with the Occupy Movement and kettled in by NYPD cops who then hit them with pepper spray as well.

They didn't deserve this sort of treatment. So what's going on here? Why are young people around the nation getting assaulted with chemical weapons for simply doing what patriotic Americans are supposed to - organize peacefully and speak truth to power? Or, perhaps more importantly - why have there been countless uses of pepper-spray against peaceful Occupy protestors, but not one use of pepper spray against armed Tea Party protestors? The hypocracy of this unequal response to two movements is on clear display in the city of Tampa, Florida, which is preparing to host the Republican National Convention in August. City officials are taking precautions to defend the city from the nasty Occupy protestors - by banning water pistols, Guy Fawks masks, and string more than six inches long. But guess what's not banned?... handguns!

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