NATO weekend is officially here. Busloads of Occupiers, anarchists, communists, and other radicals have been arriving for the past few days in Chicago. 

Events and “actions” began on Monday this week with 8 arrests that morning at the Obama campaign headquarters and continued that afternoon on the south side of Chicago at a protest organized by the Chicago Teachers Union and Occupy Chicago. That protest was against “corporate higher education” and, more specifically, over budget cuts to Dyett High School that led to the termination of an art teacher.

Actions continued Tuesday morning with a march demanding an end to detentions of illegal aliens, with a vigil supporting rights for illegal aliens and immigrant families. Tuesday night marked the beginning of a violent anarchist/occupy presence in Chicago, with a violent march on the city’s south side. 

The march featured masked anarchists, communists, and occupiers chanting “f*ck the police,” which also happened to the name of the march (“FTP March”). Protesters harassed and taunted police, with support from some local residents, under the banner of ending police brutality, but there was some very vocal opposition from area neighbors who did not appreciate the presence of the protesters. 

The event ended with protesters storming the Halsted L Station and attempting to illegally enter the city transit system. After Chicago Transit Authority officials halted the train, the protesters left and continued their romp through back alleys, knocking over garbage cans and using construction horses as well as dumpsters to create barricades, slowing the police down from following them.

More “actions” followed Wednesday throughout the day and concluded in the evening at the Wellington United Church of Christ, a member of the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches, where Occupiers and radicals have been invited to use the church as a base for planning their actions. Buses began dropping off hundreds of protesters at the church Wednesday evening and were still arriving as of Friday afternoon.

“Spontaneous” protests and marches took place Thursday on Chicago’s north side, in Lincoln Park, near the church. Several hundred protesters took over Halsted St. as they did Tuesday, this time on the opposite end of the city. The protest was in response to the arrests of nine more Occupiers the previous night. Those arrests took place at the home of two Occupy Chicago activists over suspicion they were producing Molotov cocktails. The police claimed they found equipment inside used for that purpose; the occupiers denied it, claiming the equipment is used for brewing beer.

Today the National Nurses United held a large rally in Daley plaza downtown. There were about 2,000 in attendance. Nurses donned Robin Hood hats and watched a stage show mocking the leaders of the G-8. Bill Ayers was in attendance with his wife Bernadine Dohrn. The show was topped off with a performance by Tom Morello, the guitarist of rap-rock group Rage Against the Machine. Morello showed his solidarity with the nurses by wearing a red star sewn into his black shirt–a pretty expensive looking shirt, I might add.

During the protest I attempted to conduct several interviews. However, the Nurses Union–apparently worried about certain media being around–had given wrist bands to approved media to wear and instructed nurses not to speak to anyone that was not wearing one. When I inquired with the press relations personnel regarding this, and told her I was with Breitbart, she said they would not be doing any interviews with anyone from Breitbart, and then went over to her supervisor and informed him, “Breitbart is here.” Had you seen it, and you still may, you would laugh and probably imagine Andrew is having a laugh about it too. 

Not so funny, however, is that these radical organizations like the National Nurses United are afraid to talk to media which they fear do not fully support their radical ambitions. The group chanted for a “Robin Hood Tax” and, of course, the latest in left-approved forms of taxation, an “international transactions tax.”

Following the nurses’ protest, the occupiers, anarchists and others marched through downtown Chicago, closing down State St. en route to the financial district. They continued past the banks chanting, “one, two, three, four, Chase Bank f*ck you,” with a few chants directed at other banks, including Bank of America. This march concluded with a sit-in on LaSalle St. in front of the Chicago Board of Trade/Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank.

The festivities of their so-called “Week Without Capitalism” are set to continue throughout the weekend as the NATO Summit culminates. There is a general assembly scheduled for Friday evening and marches scheduled for the rest of the weekend. I asked an occupier outside of the Wellington United Church this afternoon what we can expect and when we will see the biggest rally. He told me, “NATO… NATO… it all depends on how the police are…” He also said the largest contingent of radicals and occupiers are here from New York. He did not have an estimate of how many. However, he and a few of his friends have been all over the country at different “occupies” and are itching for the demonstrations to begin as the summit gets underway.

Earlier today, Breitbart News published evidence suggesting that several of Elizabeth Warren’s contributions to a Cherokee-themed cook book were plagiarized. Late this afternoon, more evidence of plagiarism appeared in National Review’s The Corner. The following excerpt comes from Warren’s 2006 book All Your Worth:

For millions and millions of Americans, debt
has become a way of life. Owing a bunch of money has become normal in
this country, right up there with playing baseball in the summer and
eating turkey on Thanksgiving. In fact, more than 80 million Americans now owe money on a credit card. And
not just a little bit of money: The average family that carries a
balance now owes more than two months’ income on their credit cards.

Maybe your grandpa has told you that “back in his day” if you
couldn’t pay cash, you didn’t buy it. And that was pretty much true:
Debt just wasn’t a routine part of American life the way it is today. A generation or two ago, almost no one carried any debt except for a home mortgage and maybe a car loan.
There were no giant credit card balances, no payday loans, and no home
equity loans. In fact, just 35 years ago, the total amount of debt
outstanding among all American households was about 1/600th of what it
is today. That means that for every dollar your generation owes today,
your parents’ generation owed less than half a penny!

The portions in bold are identical to another book published in 2005. Here are the same paragraphs as they appear in Rob Black’s Getting on the Money Track:

For millions of Americans, debt has become a way of life. Owing
thousands of dollars in high-interest debt has become the norm in this
country.  This is astonishing and shows we are a nation of spenders and
not savers. In fact, more than 80 million Americans now owe
money on a credit card. And not just a little bit of money:  The average
family carrying a balance now owes more than two months of income on
their credit cards. Because bankruptcy laws in the United States were recently changed, getting away from credit card debt is going to be even tougher than in the past.

You might have heard this from your grandparents: “Back in the day,
if we couldn’t pay cash, we didn’t buy it.”  This was pretty much the
truth:  Debt just wasn’t a routine part of American the way it is today;
it was viewed quite differently. A generation or two ago, almost no one carried any debt except for a home mortgage and maybe a car loan. There were no giant credit card balances, no payday loans (watch out for these as they  end to charge 10 percent or more for the right to your own money), and no home equity loans. In
fact, just 35 years ago, the total amount of debt outstanding among all
American households was about 1/600th of what it is today. That means that for every dollar your generation owes today, your grandparents’ generation owed less than half a penny!

Warren’s excerpts were obviously cut and pasted. This sort of thing would usually be considered a firing offense for anyone who writes for a living; however, Warren’s book was co-written with her daughter. It’s possible the daughter is responsible for this. I suppose Warren will have little choice but to throw her under the bus if she wants to stay in the Senate race (and keep her job).

Rob Black has a business conducting financial seminars. I contacted Mr. Black via Twitter but haven’t heard back from him so far.

Today’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com.

• France’s power couple: François Hollande and Valérie Trierweiler
• Azerbaijan conducts high-powered military exercises in the Caspian Sea
• China imposes a 2 1/2 month fishing ban in the South China Sea
• Vietnam’s fishermen defy China’s fishing ban in South China Sea
• Today’s Schadenfreude: North Koreans kidnap 29 Chinese fishermen
• U.S. is aiding supplying of weapons to Syria’s rebels
• New Cyprus controversy strains relations between Turkey and Israel

France’s power couple: François Hollande and Valérie Trierweiler

Valérie Trierweiler, the ‘partner’ of France’s new president François Hollande, is moving to distinguish herself from her predecessor Carla Bruni, the supermodel/singer wife of Nicolas Sarkozy. Trierweiler is bringing back the traditional French music, like Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose, as well as the accordion. Trierweiler claims to be better placed than Bruni to handle the workings of power. “I am and remain passionate about news. I know politics, I know the media. Bruni came from a world totally alien to that of politics. She didn’t necessarily know the codes,” she said. Guardian

Azerbaijan conducts high-powered military exercises in the Caspian Sea

Azerbaijan recently completed large-scale military exercises in the Caspian Sea, involving around 1,200 servicemen, 21 ships, 20 speedboats as well as eight helicopters. Although Azerbaijan is claiming that the purpose of the exercises is to protect Azeri assets from terrorists, the huge scale of the exercises implies that they’re really targeted at countering military buildups by Iran and Russia. Jamestown

China imposes a 2 1/2 month fishing ban in the South China Sea

According to China’s fishery authorities, China has imposed a 2½ month fishing ban in the South China Sea, “as part of ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the area’s marine resources.” The ban runs from May 16 to August 1. Violators will face punishments such as fines, license revocations, confiscations and possible criminal charges. Also, all fishing boats are required to have activated positioning equipment so they will not accidentally enter banned areas. Xinhua

Vietnam’s fishermen defy China’s fishing ban in South China Sea

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry has protested China’s fishing ban: “Vietnam opposes this unilateral decision by China and views it as an invalid one.” China is imposing the ban pursuant to its claim to have full sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, including areas historically belonging to other countries. ( “13-May-12 World View — China denies preparing for war with the Philippines”) A group of Vietnamese fisherman have set sail to defy China’s fishing ban. One of the fishermen was among 20 Vietnamese fishermen previously kidnapped by the Chinese for violating an earlier fishing ban. “Whatever orders the Chinese government wants to give, they can go ahead, but we are not scared of them,” he said. Radio Free Asia

Today’s Schadenfreude: North Koreans kidnap 29 Chinese fishermen

As my mother used to say, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. The North Koreans have kidnapped 29 Chinese fisherman in three fishing boats, and demanded $190,000 for their release. It’s not clear whether the North Korean government authorized the captures. According to a person who has spoken with the captors, “If the kidnappers don’t get the money by [Thursday], they will sell off the boats, which are worth 3 million yuan (U.S. $473,000).” Radio Free Asia / AFP

U.S. is aiding supplying of weapons to Syria’s rebels

Obama administration officials now believe that an expanding military confrontation in Syria is inevitable, and is coordinating the effort to supply arms to the rebels. According to one State Dept. official:

“We are increasing our nonlethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, and we continue to coordinate our efforts with friends and allies in the region and beyond in order to have the biggest impact on what we are collectively doing.”

The flow of arms to Syria’s rebels has increased significantly in recent months after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month. Administration officials also held talks in Washington this week with a delegation of Kurds from sparsely populated eastern Syria, where little violence has occurred. The talks included discussion of what one U.S. official said remained the “theoretical” possibility of opening a second front against Bashar al-Assad’s forces that would compel him to move resources from the west. Washington Post

New Cyprus controversy strains relations between Turkey and Israel

Relations between Turkey and Israel have been relatively calm in recent months, thanks to the crisis in Syria, but a new controversy is causing disputes to flare again. Turkey is demanding an explanation from Israel on Thursday for violation Turkish Cypriot airspace by an Israeli plane that was chased away by Turkish fighter jets. Turkey and Greece fought a bitter war in Cyprus in 1974, resulting in a partition of the island into Greek and Turkish regions. Tensions flared in 2010 over an Israeli-Greek Cypriot deal for oil and gas explorations around Cyprus. The ownership of the gas and oil is disputed, and Turkey is accusing Israel of violating Turkish Cypriot airspace in order to spy on Turkey’s oil and gas exploration efforts. Zaman (Istanbul)

Looks like Jon Lovitz is just warming up with his anti-Obama comments.

Lovitz, one of only a handful of celebrities willing to openly critique President Barack Obama, was at it again last night on Fox News’ “Hannity.”

The “Saturday Night Live” alum took aim at George Clooney’s Obama fundraiser this time, calling the president hypocritical for trashing the rich while letting them line his campaign coffers.

“But what I find is he’s hypocritical with saying the, you know, the one percent don’t get us, and, you know, he’s a multimillionaire now, you know, they’re not paying their fair share of taxes, now I’m going over to George Clooney’s house to get money from millionaires and billionaires, and he collected $15 million, and, you know, “Wall Street are the bad guys, but now I have to go to a dinner with Wall Street people to get money for my campaign.”

The upcoming film “2016: Obama’s America” does some digging most mainstream press outlets prefer not to do regarding the current president. And, in excavating Barack Obama’s past, the movie paints a picture of what a second Obama term might be like.

“2016,” which hits theaters next month, has a new web site along with a new trailer.