Rep. Michele Bachmann’s speech from Patriots Point this evening was thrown askew by demonstrators.

About eight minutes into her address on national security, the presidential candidate was interrupted when approximately 30 Occupy Charleston members stood in orchestrated protest.

Initiating calls for “mike check!” were followed by an organized alert of respectful intent: “this will only take a minute,” the group announced collectively.

“We have a message for Ms. Bachmann,” they continued in organized address, specifying needs for the government to represent citizens instead of corporations. “This does not help the American people,” was the thematic conclusion of Occupy Charleston’s demonstration, which was sporadically interrupted by other attendees.   

Bachmann left the podium escorted by police shortly after the interruption.  When Occupy Charleston peacefully left the hosting USS Yorktown facility, chanting “we are the 99 percent” in their exit, Bachmann returned to complete her address.

Afterwards, Bachmann said “They have a right to do that, but how disrespectful to do that in a roomful of veterans.”

Occupy Charleston issued the following statement this evening shortly after its demonstration:

“Today Occupy Charleston invoked the first amendment at a speech by presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. Together in unison we took advantage of the moment to address the system and the people within it as to the unjust role of corporate money in politics. Michele Bachmann was not our target in this action; she is a representative of the institutional and legal corruption that has infected our country – a system of corruption that values profit over people and is driven by the financial interest of the few against the many.”

This evening’s protest was the first public event for Occupy Charleston since its 99-hour campout at Charleston’s Brittlebank Park from the 19th to the 23rd of October.  

Speaking to the Family Research Council this morning, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann gave her take on how to address the high rate of unemployment in the country.

“(I)f anyone will not work, neither should he eat,” Bachmann said. 

(posted on youtube by ivolsky)

What this Republican presidential candidate is apparently overlooking, however, is that the number of job openings in the country is far, far less than the number of unemployed.

According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 3.1 million job openings in the country.

The number of unemployed, though, is 13.9 million, says BLS. That’s more than four times greater than the number of jobs available.

Add in the fact that a majority of those 13.9 million Americans (52 percent) are not receiving any unemployment benefits whatsoever, and it stands apparent that Bachmann’s goal is already underway: they have no money to buy food to begin with.

So instead of addressing this malady affecting so many in the country, Rep. Bachmann, we should make it worse and toss in other obstacles, too? Eliminate their eligibility for food stamps, perhaps?

That seems to be a typical Republican response. Cure the unemployment problem by starving the unemployed.

Bachmann’s bus busting ‘cross the border foretold of Armageddon.

Well, maybe not ‘end of the world’ (though she makes me wonder, sometimes), but right after the whacko congresswoman from Minnesota entered the state speeding on I-20 through Aiken County – really, just minutes after – the sunny skies all about the Lowcountry turned gloomy.

And then came the thunder. And plenty of lightning. And rains so heavy and hard my yard still has standing water five hours later.

It started like this: about 4 o’clock, I got a forwarded text message from a Carolinian returning home from Georgia. (That source will remain secret to protect her from the Angels from Hell leading the Bachmann entourage at the moment…)

“I was passed by a fine, motor home-type bus with Michelle Bauckman(sp) for President all over it. It looked like what she might use when campaigning. Was she supposed to be in the state??? My comment is...they were speeding. I was going 70, which is the speed limit, and they had to be going 85 or more."

Now, just reading of her entrance alone would give any progressive Carolinian a chill, I suspect, so I took that to be the reason for the Bachmannbumps appearing on my forearms at that moment. I didn’t stop long enough to notice the cause was a rapid drop in temperature. 

I quickly did a search to verify if Bachmann had such plans.  Sure enough, “We are starting a bus tour tomorrow in South Carolina,” she’d told Sean Hannity yesterday.

And then my internet signal wiggled. (I took that to be occurring simply because I was looking at a FOX News site…).

Right then, Fuzzy the Cat began rapidly pacing all about my feet, hissing and growling when I leaned over to find out what was wrong with her.

And then KaPOW! Lightning began striking frequently and powerfully, and very near my house. The clouds burst open to drop gallons – and I mean GALLONS – of rain. 

And the first thing that popped out of my mouth when the lights began to flicker was, “Damn – she really IS in South Carolina!” (Fuzzy responded with a wail as she clawed at the bedroom door, desperate to hide under the bed.)

When my internet reception was restored, I searched for Bachmann’s schedule. Sure enough, she’ll be in Myrtle Beach tonight, Charleston and Lexington on Wednesday, and Greenville on Thursday.  Her tour will close with a Town Hall Meeting in Rock Hill that evening.

And local weather reports covered the torrent, too; “it fell big,” said local meteorologist Bill Walsh from WCSC-TV, “with lightning.”

As I’d expect, the heavy rain is supposed to last through Thursday, and the Carolina skies will clear up again that night. That’s when Bachman’s bustling bus will leave to begin its beeline to Cedar Rapids, IA, where … wouldn’t you know it? … it’s supposed to rain this weekend, right when and where she'll appear.

But please, Bachmann, can you tell the bus driver to keep an eye on the speedometer? Especially on those wet roads you’re bringing everywhere you go. I mean, we can’t wait until you’re gone, but don’t want to see our residents run off the road by your entourage as you do so.