Protesters Building Large "Buddha" Outside Pelosi's House

From Roll Call's Heard on the Hill:

One might think it would be great to have Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as a neighbor (imagine the block parties!). But the Speaker apparently is not making herself popular in her high-dollar 'hood, telling reporters on Tuesday that protesters have taken up residence outside her house and are driving the natives wild.

"I've had four or five months of people sitting outside my home, going into my garden in San Francisco and angering my neighbors," Pelosi said at a gathering sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

Pelosi added that the squatters have engaged in decidedly non-neighborly behavior like hanging their clothes from the trees; moving in sofas, chairs and other "permanent living facilities"; and, oddly, building a large Buddha on the sidewalk in front of her home. "You can just imagine my neighbors' reactions to all of this," she said. "And if they were poor, and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they'd be arrested for loitering, but because they have 'impeach Bush' across their chest, it's the First Amendment."

Comments

[isis]

People got arrested just for crossing the street too close to Bush when he was president. So in a way she is better than he is.

[AurigaRa]

Poor Nancy
She was born with a silver foot in her mouth.
Oh, no wait that was GWB. Sorry Molly.

Pelosi, as long as you keep your idiot mantra going - Impeachment is off the table - then folks are going to be pissed. Too F***ing bad.

[LibsRHilarious]

Mama Pelosi doesn't tolerate rabble. She'll have removed by her goons.

(and yes, impeachment is OFF the table at Mama Pelosi's. Live with it.)

[Iconoplastic]

The lying sh|theel is getting exactly what she deserves.

No, wait - she deserves a hell of a lot more oppobrium and contumely for being a hypocritical beeyotch.

BOO EFFFING HOO, NANCY-PANTS.

[MissingAmerica]

While this may not be the smart thing for the protestors to do, perhaps Pelosi should take this opportunity to learn more about Buddha. Buddha is about peace and unity, about humanity and love. If nothing else, it should remind her that we are sick of war. We want the war ended, and we want this administration ended. That simple. So just study up on Buddha, Madam Speaker. Maybe you'll get the hint.

[JohnJames]

Or maybe they could just express themselves in speech instead of having the presumption and bad taste of using the Buddha - a symbol of a religion that, no doubt, few of them actually understand, let alone practice.

[janmarie]

buddhists don't have an insane delusion about symbols like christians do. i bet the protesters who made the buddha know quite a bit about buddhism too.

[conservativeoriginalist]

"Buddha is about peace and unity, about humanity and love. "

The modern rendition of the Buddhist pseudo-religion preaches about peace and unity, but not too long ago, they were among the most fierce war mongers throughout Europe.

"and we want this administration ended."

It'll be ended in 14 months. Then we'll have which ever Republican nominee start his term, due to the anti-Hillary turnout at the polls.

[kulshan]

care to substantiate those ridiculous claims??

site a single source??

As for the "anti-hilary " turn out, why isnt it the PRO whoever they are voting for.

see some people believe it or not, vote for who they believe would be best for the job.

opposed to voting to be on the winning side.

[watchingthings]

It would be such a beautiful world if politicians, once elected, would practice what they preached on the campaign trail.

[wndrwrthg]

In a ruling a few years ago, the supreme court ruled that campaign ads did not have to tell the truth.

[Dejack]

Well somebody, somehow, has got to get you to listen to the voice of the people, Granny!
We want Bush impeached.
May they stay in front of your house 'til you hear us!

[watchingthings]

I wonder what she is so upset about. She sure has a short memory. They are just trying to remind her what she forgot so fast after being elected. She promised to bring in impeachment legislation against the President as one of the first pieces of legislation if the people were good enough to vote her in. Otherwise, this can be looked as the third finger salute that she is giving the people by doing an about face, now that she's in.

[jennbeez]

Pelosi made no such promise. She said "impeachment is off the table" before the elections of 2006, yet everyone (including me) hopes she will go back on her word.

I want to know why she took impeachment off the table to begin with. They can't be this spineless and still be walking around. WTF does Karl Rove have on these people?

[keir]

Ok say the Dems try to impeach Bush...they take a vote, you think they will have the votes? You think the repubs will vote to impeach their man?

It take a super majority...we do not have it. All those who sat on their hands instead of working to elect more Democrats- Numbers matter.
And even if we had the numbers...if Pelosi was able to impeach Bush and Cheney...do you think that the majority of people would like to see Pelosi as President...and here she brought about impeachment? She is third in line.

Impeachment is no magick cure-all to begin with. All that means is lots of money and years of time...while impeachment is going on, our kids don't have health care, our soldiers don't have the care they need..education goes further down hill and it musters the repubs even more.

Put your anger and frustration in getting more dems in the senate, house and the Oval Office...lets not have another Conservative Supreme Court Justice.

keir

[ownsthepodium]

"And if they were poor, and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they'd be arrested for loitering, but because they have 'impeach Bush' across their chest, it's the First Amendment."

Wow. Now there is a revealing statement. Not a good sign of how she and her rich (just like are bashed on every other thread, evil rich) neighbors don't really think much of the poor beyond political tools. Hmmm, that's how they treat blacks as well. And that pesky first amendment!

Lap it up libbies, lap it up.

[GrouchoMarxist]

Now there is a revealing statement. You willfully misconstrue what someone says in order to make a completely unfounded accusation so you can (you think) score a political "point".

What else is new?

[SmellyOne]

Like the left did with the "phony" thing with Rush Limbaugh, right?

[Agentprovokatur]

Interesting response. Was it just because of the sign off designed to (and apparently successfully) tick you off? If you check out most of my postings you'd think me anything but a "right-winger" (maybe a "rights whiner"), but as a ticked off constituent of Madame Speaker Pelosi's (I did vote for her) I had a very similar reaction to that statement and don't think his interpretation is "completely unfounded".

How DO YOU think it should be interpreted? At best she is saying that civil protestors need to be neat and tidy and not disturb anyone? I think the point of civil protest is to get the ATTENTION of those who are not listening. I think at a minimum it was an unthinking (something she has been doing lots of - or none of depending on how you interpret that) callous statement. And from there it's not really too far of a stretch to his interpretation.

So . . . How DO you interpret it?

[pelosiforpresident]

Hi, grouchy In a weird and bizarre twist of events, ownsthepodium is right on this.
Credit where its due. Pelosi is a piece of shit.

[LostInTheStars]

I agree with the sentiments of the protesters, (and I think Pelosi did a better job as minority leader than she is doing now), but doing indecent things in the name of morality is not a progressive value. It's not Pelosi's fault that she doesn't have the votes to impeach or to stop the war. Let's get straight on who the real doers-of-evil are: the Bushies. It is good for Pelosi to feel pressured, but desecrating her private property is a crummy way to do it. If we can't get along with overly cautious Democrats, how are we ever going to win over the moderate Republicans that we so desperately need. If we want Bush to use diplomacy, why don't we try it ourselves with members of our own party. Also, we should consider the possibility that Pelosi will do a better job if she can relax and get a good night's sleep at home.

[hiplib]

Not correct. Disagree.
Pelosi does not need Republican votes to stop the war. The Dems have the power to defund it by not voting any more money except for withdrawal.
The Congressional Dems and their leaders were voted to oppose Bush and stop the war. Instead they have given Bush everything he hs asked for and voted to escalate the war.
The Dems should stop worrying about getting moderate Repubs to supposr them and remember us, the people who voted them in.
Words cannot express the anger I feel at the way Pelosi and the Congressional Dems have betrayed us and I 100% support these protestors.
Pelosi does not deserve to sleep well at night.

[Dejack]

Also disagree. Someone with real political skill would be arm twisting, negotiating, cajoling, ..doing whatever is necessary to peel off Rethuglican votes - not continually whining like Pelosi, "Boo..hoo.hoo! We don't have the votes." She needs to GET the votes! Even the Rethugs realize they are on the wrong side of the war issue and are digging their own political grave by support of Bush. They need to be worked over. Pelosi's a wuss and lacks the ability to bring them over.

[bookish]

They can start by defunding Blackwater.

[Agentprovokatur]

How long will apologists continue to repeat the lame bleeating canard of the Sheeple running the Democratic Party. We don't have the votes.

War - No Funding requires no vote. Just do not pass any war funding bills.

Impeachement - It's a trial. You can get the votes in the House who brings the Impeachement. Then it's dumped in the lap of the Senate who hold the trial after investigations and hearings and such. To paraphrase Claudius from the historical fiction I, Claudius, let all the poison seep out of the muck. As someone else said here, when the stench becomes public, even the most ardent Bush supporting Republican in the Senate will have to vote to save, their own ass, and fortuitiously, the Republic, by impeaching.

We need a public lancing of this boil on our Democratic Republic, so people can both see the sickness and hopefully the stench of it will motivate them to make sure it doesn't happen again, at least not in my lifetime.

[Merrysunshine]

Mike Gravel could educate Nancy on how to get the impeachment job done.

[FunMe]

Great that skank Pelosi is finally getting what she deserves!

I too had HIGH HOPES ... I still do because I will fight to replace people like Pelosi with true progressives (i.e., real DEMOCRATS).

Meanwhile, I think those protestors should call themselves:

CAMP WE THE PEOPLE!

[The 13 Colonies]

I agree, she is a DISGRACE to all women, and needs to be replaced by a real Democrat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SmellyOne]

More of you HuffBots should dedicate yourselves to this type of behavior.

You might actually effect change.

Until then... have fun with the internet snarkiness.

[abbiehoffmansghost]

Hey Stinky, do you actually have anything to add to any discussion about anything, ever?

[SmellyOne]

I'm sorry, let me re-phrase my comment:


Bravo!!!! THIS is what I'm talking about. Making noise!!!!! Those people protesting have dedicated themselves to making a difference and are doing so in an awesomely creative way.

The "Buddah" part is exceptionally brilliant, because at first glance it's LARGE so it will interest people, then it may even connect with some people on a spiritual level. Buddhism is great because it's not about God, it's about Clarity of Soul. It's about utilizing the human brain in a fashion that isn't based on knee-jerk caveman reactions to difficult situations. It's about getting the most out of humanity in a more actualized way.

This woman should be made uncomfotable at every turn, especially at her home, because she has defied mandate (that was a mandate, wasn't it?) and done NOTHING to scale back our involvement in Iraq.

You HuffBots should be the people to do it.

If the people who want to end the war want to be taken seriously, they need to make a little more noise in the streets, because the people who's minds you want to change aren't posting comments on HuffPo.

The peace movement has done enough to put things over the top, only enough to get the Democratics elected. How'd that work out?

Cindy Sheehan exhausted her physical and financial well-being to protest, and not enough people followed suit. If there were more Cindy Sheehans (minus the cursing), there would be actual pressure on Congress to do something.

They don't take you people seriously enough.

I actually feel bad for the HuffBots, because they got USED.

Now, they should be PISSED. More pissed.

The system of Checks and Balances I have faith in is failing, because the Democratics are failing, and now it's time to "Take the Power Back" (Insert Rage Against the Machine CD now and press play).


I apologize if you don't like my previous general tone, but fuck you people for calling me a Nazi.

[bookinky]

I think it was really clear in that CNN interview, after repeating "impeachment is off the table" (without further explanation) she went on about how it's now clear that this is the Republican Party's war, not just Bush's... as if America's goal was just to have the Democrats re-elected!

I think she goes in and out of her 'partisan' bull$hit without even knowing it... I'm referring to her comment in that article that was posted a page or wo back in the comments.

She sounds just like Bush, when he claimed not one regret over the way. Clearly she is part of a ruling class. They all need to be removed. government funded elections... no more richwits in politics!!! We do not need leaders; we need boring old public service people who will hit the books, do research, and come up with new and better ideas, not just rehashing what's safe to say in the current political climate.

[bethinCary]

for Spkr Pelosi:

Can't imagine St. Michael agrees with you.

[ResidentChimp]

Pelosi is a typical whinning Democrat surrender monkey. It was alright when Shehan was parked outside President Bush's home, but now when her own party targets her, she doesn't care for it. She's getting just what she deserves.

[abbiehoffmansghost]

You see the difference between the constituents of the the two major parties? Democrats have a moral and ethical sight-line that is uncaring of who or what is in its path. They know right from wrong; as a result even their own party members are expected to have the same moral character. When it appears that they don't the Democrats call them on it. The Republics care about one thing: money. And they don't care who or what they have to step on or over to get it.

[ResidentChimp]

That's a pretty funny characterization.It doesn't seem that the people protesting outside Pelosis' home have much regard for anyone else in the neighborhood. They're just self righteously trashing innocent bystanders, not caring who or what they have to step on or over to get what they want. It doesn't indicate they know right from wrong. By the way, Abbie Hoffman was a self indulgent narcissist , who didn't care for anyone but himself. Not exactly a poster child for moral character.

[pmfelipe]

The democrats do not want change. They just pretended they did. Just look at the bills that are passed, they are all bills that the republicans introduced and supported by most democrats in both houses of congress. Yes there are democrats who really represent you but most of them are being marginalized by the party.

Just look at the Edwards and the four sitting senators who are running for President. Do you even believe that if any of them wins the Presidency they will restore the constitution, stop the war, pass a universal healthcare bill and make critical decisions when it comes. The only candidate for real change is Kucinich but the elitist members of the party does not want him to even be heard by the people. The bills that he sponsored and co-sponsored in congress were all left to die but if a republican proposes a bill it is immediately voted upon.

If you all want real change, then start looking for candidates who have integrity and courage to effect real change. You have to start cleaning the party of those who are democrats by name only. There is no candidate who is unelectable because if you rally behind them, help them get elected and vote for them they will not be unelectable. However if winning is your only desire then you will never win because the enemy will just infiltrate you and lie as much as they can to win. If you want real accountability start with the Presidential candidates who voted for this illegal war, voted for the Patriot Act and is trying to confuse you with a health insurance subsidy plan instead of a real healthcare plan.

Democratic voters needs to have the courage to truly work for real change and to do that needs defeating not only republicans but also Democrats who do not have the courage to make true critical decisions. Especially life & death decisions.

[RogerHWerner]

Unfortunately, Democrats can't accomplish what you suggest without the assistance of Republican and Independent voters. And no president can clean up government without the full support of Congress and the court system. This is how our country's government works...three co-equal branches. I understand hat this idea is easily forgotten in the present environment.

I would further add that both of the major parties desire maintenance the status quo. There are differences between the two parties to be sure but both would equally suffer if politics were to change in this country and so don't count on their support. Change is possible but it would need overwheling grass roots support or it might occur if a substantial majority of state governments demanded it.

[ashabot]

Impeach Nancy.

[Dejack]

Yes....get her the hell out of that seat.
She's had her chance and has blown it.
Get rid of her!

[wanked]

Send your donation to Cindy Sheehan in San Francisco, CA. Shes there to help with your request.