The truth about our counter-protest (and what the Tennessean got wrong!)

From: Stephen Siao

Friends,

By now, I'm sure most of you have heard of our counter-protest of Occupy Nashville last night. However, if you read the Tennessean today, you definitely did not get the true story (which is, I suppose, expected). It was definitely not a kum-ba-ya moment like the Tennessean spinned it as. In fact, several of our members were called racists by Occupiers with the Tennessean reporter standing right next to them (she proceeded to interviewing them but made no mention of them being called racists!)

Here is our video response to the Tennessean's misleading article: http://www.youtube.com

I encourage you to check out WSMV, News Channel 5, WKRN, or TN Report's coverage of it, which were all accurate and fair (is that really too much to ask for nowadays??).

We went for two reasons. First, we wanted to show them that not all college students supported the movement, in fact many are actually against it. Their demands will do nothing but add to the burgeoning debt already on each of my generation's shoulders. Second, we believe their protest is fraudulent and misguided. They should be at the White House--not the State Capitol or Wall Street.

Though the some of the media (and bloggers) chew us up, at the end of the day, I am so proud of each of the 22 students who courageously took the stand against this movement. We thought when it started raining, surely we'd lose half the group--but no, everyone came!

Also, the media's take about how they graciously invited us to speak to them is misleading as well - they invited us, then pressured us, into speaking to their group. We declined their first few offers, and then two reporters came up with voice recorders asking why we were refusing to speak to them and whether we were just there to cause trouble. At that moment, maybe against better judgment, we decided we didn't want them to spin that, so we took the floor and gave them a piece of our mind!

All the best,

stephen

Stephen Siao

State Chairman, Tennessee College Republican Committee

President, Vanderbilt College Republicans

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