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Atascadero woman attacks Obama protesters

July 9, 2014
Rosemary Bem

Rosemarie Bem

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Claiming she was defending President Barack Obama from an unwarranted attack, an Atascadero woman pepper sprayed a group of peaceful protestors on Monday afternoon. Atascadero police then charged the woman with two counts of battery.

During the late afternoon, a group of five protesters were holding a demonstration at the Highway 101 overpass on Curbaril Avenue. The demonstrators were holding a sign calling for the impeachment of Obama.

At about 5 p.m., Rosemarie Bem, 67, pulled up beside the protesters in her car, doused demonstrators with pepper spray and then fled the scene, witnesses said. Even though police charged Bem with battery, she defends her actions.

“I’m a veteran, and I was protecting the president from what I perceived as an unwarranted attack,” Bem said when contacted by CalCoastNews. She did not offer any further explanation.

Atascadero Police Sergeant Jason Carr said the demonstrators did nothing to provoke the attack.

“The police report indicates that it was a peaceful protest,” Carr said. “They were merely holding signs on the freeway overpass. There were no words that were exchanged.”

Bem’s pepper spray hit two of the demonstrators, causing them burning and redness, police said. At the scene, paramedics washed chemicals off the victims’ skin.

Fred Starbuck, who was sprayed in the face and eyes, said the pepper spray also hit a third member of the group.

“She got me dead center,” Starbuck said. “I find it sad that someone would feel it’s okay to attack individuals because they disagree with your point of view.”

Shortly after the incident, officers located Bem. She then admitted to pepper spraying the protesters, Carr said.

Officers cited Bem for battery and battery with a chemical agent, and then released her.


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Thank God she didn’t have a gun. And that they didn’t.


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Perhaps they did. Perhaps she did. What you mean, I think, is that you’re glad they didn’t use their guns.


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In a group like this count on 20-30% carrying. Thank God.


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What I mean is what I said. If either party is dim enough to be packing in SLO County, then at least one gun would been have fired.


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I see flaming commie liberals are not represented here yet so here we go!


I don’t agree with the action of the person in the story but the idiotic notions of the impeachment freaks does deserve universal condemnation. I had the unmitigated joy to help legally disrupt a tea party rally some years ago.


Just like the very costly and ill advised impeachment of Bill Clinton, all this talk is just hot air and politically motivated by a bunch of malcontents. I don’t agree with everything the current administration has done but there are no actionable offenses to our laws or principles. In fact the right wing nut jobs and tea party fruitcakes would really go nuts if Obama kept all his promises and pursued a truly correct path. And he would have done better if not for the shameful and endless partisan opposition to everything by the far right, and its pandering to the most noxious elements of society. And of course we can’t forget the constant racism by our knuckledragging elements- what an outrage, have a ‘darkie’ for a President!


I’m hoping for a black (or brown) female lesbian President soon, maybe we can eradicate some of our prejudices and fears about ‘other people’ and become a nation for all people instead of just well off whites.


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“I’m hoping for a black (or brown) female lesbian President soon, maybe we can eradicate some of our prejudices and fears about ‘other people’ and become a nation for all people instead of just well off whites.”


I hope you are not serious, you would want the world to be at ease with a political icon? That always comes with built-in dislikes. It might be better to have this person prove their character based on human values rather than party lines.


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how about a community organizer born in Honolulu?


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Or a deserter Pres and a draft dodger VP? They worked out very well.


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Hooray Hotdog !


“I had the unmitigated joy to help legally disrupt a tea party rally some years ago.”


Yeah, it’s quite satisfying to turn the tables on these low grade tribalists…even using some of the tactics they think work so well for them.

You’ll probably remember the story, and so know my alter-ego, but they won’t.

I infiltrated a tea-bagger rally some years back. Just dressed up like them, blended with the crowd, stayed silent.

Had two signs with me, but carried them so the messages faced one another.

When the inevitable street queue lined up, I went to one end, so that my signs would be the first viewed by traffic. Then, I revealed them…messages towards traffic, blank backs towards the morons.

I began getting LOTS of honks and ‘thumbs up’ . My ‘compatriotes’ behind me thought I was great !

Finally, one of them noticed what my signs said, and it took a minute to sink in that I was NOT a part of their Stupid Patrol.


“I’m hoping for a black (or brown) female lesbian President soon”

Yeah, but how about a gay atheist that goes by the name of Jesus ?


That would really make their heads explode !


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If you’re going to say street queue, there’s no need to use “line” queue is a line.

Wow, infiltrating a local rally, how daring of you. Holding your signs together so no one could read them until you were ready for you devilish deed. You are truly amazing, are you a MI5 agent, know an agent would know a queue was a line….. Keep up the good work American is depending on you.


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Infiltrating political rallies is a bipartity activity, so don’t get your underdrawers in a bunch.


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ms. malone, no worries there, I always “go commando”


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Typical radical leftist tripe. Not one work about an issue, just insults and a blanket accusation of racism, as if opponents of Obama’s policies are equally as dull witted as “hotdog” about the issues. On tope of that, “hotdog” is proud of having disrupted other people in the exercise of their free speech. He should consider himself lucky that the attendees at the tea party rally were so restrained that they did not shut down his disruption immediately.


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chrisinpaso says: “Typical radical leftist tripe. Not one work about an issue, just insults and a blanket accusation of racism, as if opponents of Obama’s policies are equally as dull witted as “hotdog” about the issues”


So the same thing you did, but it’s ok when it’s you.


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Typical. The left cannot help but focus on race and sex, when this is about actions and ideas. I gave up trying to reason with these people long ago. They either wise up like I did or stay stupid til they die.


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Because in “jonhartz’s” America having an option is ok only if it is the approved one, from the list.

Thank goodness.


https://i.imgur.com/4oS2u.gif


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Hotdog, Are you trying to tell us that you are going to run for President in 2016….


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Ms. Bem apparently doesn’t work well with others. From an Atascadero City Council Meeting where she wanted to ban motorcycles from her neighborhood:


“She (said she)has tried to work with her neighbors but suffered vandalism in response to her complaints”–quoted more or less from the minutes.


Time for a mental health check or a change in medication. The next incident may be worse.


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Ms. Bem deserves all the scorn heaped on her in these comments and much more. Trying to justify her action because she is a veteran is an outrage to all veterans who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. Freedom of speech is the cornerstone for all other freedoms. If we disagree with someone’s statements, we use our own free speech, not pepper spray! Ms. Bem’s actions were more suited to a dictatorship where criticism of the great glorious leader is suppressed with violence.


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Yeah, I also don’t agree with her pimping her service record in an attempt to justify her actions.


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If it had been me, with my shaved head and neck tats, hosing down oldsters on the sidewalk with pepper spray, I would STILL be on Kansas Ave, or stuck somewhere with a 5150 hold.


How is it that this offender gets away with “cited and released” ?


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She is a retired Lt. Col. who swore to uphold the Constitution, including the First Amendment, until it got in her way…has a $633K estate, so she naturally fits right in with the Obamas. Too bad, I just delivered a pile of magazines to the Women’s Honor Farm on Kansas Ave, she will miss out on some good reads…


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So are you just a stalker or is there a personal beef you are not telling us about?


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I’d like to see some of her whacked cronies on here come to her defense instead of just hiding behind the little red thumbs downs.


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You are right, much easier to pick on the slow ones, short bus is an easy target.


Also you thinking those little red thumbs voters were on the bridge say’s much more about you.


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As a ‘veteran” didn’t she take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States? OH, I guess she forgot.

She should take advantage of Obama care and get some much needed help.


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Liberals only want freedom of speech for those who drink the kool-aid


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The lazy only want broad brushes to paint with, the truth needs much more.

Speaking of Kool-Aid.


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Hey, I am a liberal and I defend anybody’s efforts to state their opinions, as long as doesn’t involve violence.


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If she really cared about the nation, she’d be out there with a similar sign and not defending the “honor” of some traitorous politician. Clearly she is another leftist whack job.


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This will be news


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