MSNBC's Joe Scarborough marvelously mocked the Occupy Wall Street movement Monday by joking about how the destruction of private property during this weekend's riots in Rome will actually create jobs.
"That will help with the construction industry in Italy," kidded Scarborough as pictures of the riots played on the screen. "You have to rebuild Rome because people burned it down" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
MIKA BRZEZINSKI, CO-HOST: I want to ask Sam Stein about the Occupy Wall Street protests which are now one month old, and they took a global turn over the weekend. 951 cities in 82 countries were scheduled to take part in demonstrations after online organizers called for a worldwide rally. The mayor of Rome said $1.4 million in damage was caused after rioters who broke away from a peaceful protest smashed windows and torched vehicles around the city.
JOE SCARBOROUGH, CO-HOST: Now, see, that will help with the construction industry in Italy.
BRZEZINSKI: Oh, lord.
SCARBOROUGH: So, they, no seriously.
BRZEZINSKI: Stop it. Just stupid.
SCARBOROUGH: No, you have to rebuild Rome because people burned it down. That’s actually a plus up. This Occupy Wall Street group, look at that, they are creating new jobs.
Despite the snark, the point is a good one likely lost on America's Occupy Wall Street-loving media.
Unlike the Tea Party which the press first ignored and then totally derided, OWS has now after just one month of existence already been responsible for the destruction of private property and thousands of arrests.
At any moment, what transpired in Rome can happen in any city in America causing millions of dollars in damages.
Yet day after day, night after night, our media are gushing and fawning over this movement in a fashion that clearly is emboldening the participants whilst inciting additional followers.
When a riot finally happens on our shores, will the press bear some responsibility for its shameful support of a movement so obviously antagonistic to America and some of our most successful citizens?
