Elsewhere in Manhattan, the faithful lined up for hours in the rain outside Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store, in order to be among the first to purchase the new iPhone 4S. Long lines outside Apple stores have been reported worldwide as the 4S went on sale this morning, prompting analysts to predict that Apple could sell as many as four million of the new smartphones by the end of the weekend.

Personally, I'm into Apple gear as much as the next guy, and look forward to eventually upgrading my three-plus-year-old iPhone 3G, but I honestly don't get this shit. It's just a thing, whereas the folks braving the weather (and who knows what else) down in Zuccotti Park are lining up for something meaningful.

(Also, notice how the police never attempt to clear public spaces of people lining up for commerce. Just speech. Tells you which one we value more in America these days.)