Talk:World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999

Untitled[edit]

To discuss the article regarding the massive demonstrations in Seattle protesting this conference, see Talk:WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity.

Art Thiel, the sports columnist[edit]

Was stating his opinion about the conference. He hardly represents the voice of Seattle opinion about the conference pre-event. Both the Times and PI reported universal support for the conference prior to its occurrence. To suggest that there was widespread, or any opposition, pre-event, is wishful thinking. All sorts of people found reasons after the riots occurred, of course, but that's typical Monday-morning-quarterbacking. Please stop adding your pro-Anarchist POV into these kinds of articles. Wikipedia is not a soapbox. Morton devonshire 03:37, 30 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Regardless of what his normal column is, I still consider it worthwhile to include. SchuminWeb (Talk) 03:41, 30 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

When did your melon become the benchmark for what is or isn't notable? Go back and look at pre-conference reports in the PI and Times -- there wasn't any opposition to holding the conference. Morton devonshire 03:46, 30 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I could say the same for you and your "melon". But rather than remove material, why don't you cite something that backs up your point? SchuminWeb (Talk) 04:01, 30 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That would be your pro-protestor POV speaking. It makes perfect sense to list the prior opposition to the Conference, but I can't find anything in the Times or PI that discusses it -- if it's there, please go ahead and include it in the article. As to Art Thiel's rant, give me a break. Please pick a subject you actually know something about -- you were not around here when the event happened, are not a Seattle resident, and you are not familiar with any of the media accounts that were presented during the event. All you have as a frame of reference are Anarachist ramblings about the event and an obviously POV perspective. Wikipedia is supposed to be an encyclopedia, not an arm of the Black Bloc movement. Morton devonshire 17:17, 1 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

^"...around here when the event happened...a Seattle resident...familiar with any of the media accounts that were presented during the event..." All constitute original research. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 147.106.53.225 (talk) 16:30, 14 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Given that, by most accounts, half of the protestors were from Seattle or the immediate area (and most of the rest were housed by people from Seattle or the immediate area , the claim of universal support seems pretty bizarre. - Jmabel | Talk 04:09, 30 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Castro invitation[edit]

This may give an idea of the level of Seattle's ambivalence about the event: in August before the Ministerial, five (out of nine) Seattle City Council members (at the behest of a Seattle congressman) extended an invitation to Fidel Castro to attend. ([1]; the latter portion of the article is unfortunately cut off. -- Jmabel | Talk 04:24, 30 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Views on the conference[edit]

Now let's find other sources of opinions to add to in this section in addition to Art Thiel. I'd be interested to see what the thought about it was before the event, as well as more afterward opinions. SchuminWeb (Talk) 02:16, 18 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nothing forthcoming after 2½ years? Ho, hum! I suggest we just dice this section and the feeble trivia it contains. Cheers Bjenks (talk) 08:05, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The movie promotion should be reduced to a "see also". I can't see any justification at all for the the views of a sports columnist here, it really all has to go. Cheers Bjenks (talk) 01:04, 13 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

3rd-world delegate opposition[edit]

Should be more detail on the "African delegate revolt"... AnonMoos (talk) 17:10, 26 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Delta Force[edit]

I'm reverting this edit on the grounds that it's unsourced and apparently controversial. In any event, it's off-topic—unless we need to know who the caterers were, and the cleaners, etc.

Trying to find a source, I came up with the following.

"Yeah, it sounds insane saying the Delta Force was there. You can look it up. They flew in fifty guys from a training camp in Oregon. That's why I think it shouldn't be surprising that we're living in a total police state because all the TV is a big propaganda machine — I mean, you were there and you don't know that Delta Force flew in fifty scumbags to make the protestors all look bad. It's so sophisticated, it sounds crazy."

Even now, this still sounds crazy to me. Classic Alex Jones overkill. The police riot is bad enough — does he have to add America's most elite and secretive counterinsurgency team? And don't we have a law that forbids military operations on American soil? But as soon as I fire up a search engine, I find a news clip reporting that the Special Forces "took up residence in a Regrade motel and fanned out downtown dressed as demonstrators," with some others "wearing their jungle greens."

Seems we may need a little discussion before handing out a WP medal to the Delta boys here. Bjenks (talk) 03:33, 25 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]