Tag: Occupy

Thoughts On The Occupy Movement

First of all, I do NOT want to take away anything from the Occupy movement….they are finally taking to the streets and bring some attention and light to the whole economic imbalance that is this country….

But being an old cynic and opinionated SOB there are a few things I would like to say….all the major revolutions started small……and by revolution I am NOT in any way meaning the bang bang shootum up…..I am speaking about change……. REAL change……

Before I continue, let us look at other revolutions…..first, the American Revolution, which was not a real revolution but a rather violent disagreement between the family members that ended up very messy….to my point….it started rather small……a bunch of guys dressed up and raided a ship with tea and dumped its cargo into the bay in Boston harbor…..small.

Next came the French Revolution, in 1787 there was a terrible harvest and the populace had to spend more of their disposable income on food and the demand for other items fell…….the rise of social antagonism began to rise and electoral demands became commonplace….this was a small beginning and a very simple explanation of the beginnings of the revolution….and we know all too well that it took very little time before it turn violent and deadly for so many…..

Now the Russian Revolution…..I am sure well all think we know what happens…..and that it was the result that lead to the communist taking over the government…..I could write a Russian novel length volume of the revolution (if you have ever read a Russian novel you will understand)…..but let us talk about the beginnings of the revolution….WW1 had taken a heavy toll on the people of Russia and there had been all types of governments in place but none had been much success…..and then in February a protest led by women in protest of bread prices started a whole new round of protests that included workers, soldiers, etc….but the beginning of what we call the Russian Revolution was the march of women hunger marchers….it started small….with a world to win!

More recently, what is being called the “Tunisian Revolution” which started the whole Arab Spring…..it began with a small incident…..

Twenty-six year old Mohamed Bouazizi had been the sole income earner in his extended family of eight. He operated a purportedly unlicensed vegetable cart for seven years in Sidi Bouzid 190 miles (300 km) south of Tunis. On 17 December 2010 a policewoman confiscated his cart and produce. Bouazizi, who had such an event happen to him before, tried to pay the 10-dinar fine (a day’s wages, equivalent to 7USD). In response the policewoman insulted his deceased father. A humiliated Bouazizi then went to the provincial headquarters in an attempt to complain to local municipality officials. He was refused an audience. Without alerting his family, at 11:30 am and within an hour of the initial confrontation, Bouazizi returned to the headquarters, doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself on fire. Public outrage quickly grew over the incident.  And so it began!

Now to the main point of my post…..the Occupy movement started small, basically a hand full of people protesting Wall Street greed in Zuccotti Park in NYC……it started small and grew into a nationwide and now planet wide protest movement….a difference can be made but not at the expense of the movement…

As an aged long hair hippie, pinko commie I am so proud of the American people that they finally feel empowered enough to take to the streets in demand of justice and equal opportunity….they started small…..it has grown into a worldwide protest against those who exploit and enslave……makes my old heart take flight to know that all my bitching in the past has finally been heard and acted on……

All my years of attempting to educate…..(I was NOT alone, there were countless others)…….have , I hope in some small way, helped the American people to find their courage and their voice……

Remember ALL great seasons of change have started small, with a small group of brave people…..you have NOTHING to fear….but failure!  So, keep your eye on the prize……you have a world to win!

When Government Attacks!

College of Political knowledge

Subject:  American History

We have all seen the violence and the protesters vs police in this standoff between the 99% and the 1 %…there has been reports of DHS personnel involved, conference calls on how to handle the protests and even a coordinate attack by the PDs on the protesters….I have heard some on the Left call this unprecedented cooperation between the PD and the military…..interesting but unfortunately is just not so…..it has happened before and will happen again….

Let’s go back to the War to end all wars, WW1……people who fought in that war were promised a bonus for their service in 1924 Congress approved the “World War Adjusted Compensation Act”……this was vouchers issued to those who served in WW1 for the amount of their pay plus interests and not payable until 1945…..well we all know what happened on 1929….(pause here for thought)…..the Great Depression began……after about 4 years of no employment and trying to provide for their families….veterans, 17,000 of them marched on Washington on 1932 demanding that they be paid their money…..the numbers of people swelled to 43,000….this Bonus Army set up an encampment in what is now known as Anacostia Park……The camps, built from materials scavenged from a nearby rubbish dump, were tightly controlled by the veterans who laid out streets, built sanitation facilities, and held daily parades. To live in the camps, veterans were required to register and prove they had been honorably discharged.

The protesters remained in their area, now called Hooverville, waiting for Pres. Hoover to make good on the promises of the government……..But instead of treating the veterans with respect and compassion, because the Senate had defeated the bill…..the attorney general ordered the veterans to be removed, by any force necessary……when the police were unsuccessful, Hoover order then Army in with cavalry, tanks and fixed bayonets…..55 veterans were injured, 135 arrested and a 12 week old baby died from complications from the tear gas….

Now here is the rub……of the military officers involved were some of America’s greatest heroes…….Douglas MacArthur, who thought the veterans were a communist plot, George S. Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower….do those names look familiar?

So you see the government is quite capable of entering into the fray if the need arises….and some of us believe they have already jumped into it….also as you can see there has been a long history of the government pissing on veterans…no matter what they say….vets are of NO consequence to the government….they did their part for the country and now the country has NO need for them they are shoved aside in the name of austerity!

So my advice to the Occupy Movement is to not underestimate what the government is willing to do to protect the status quo……..

While We Were Asleep

The other day while most of America was sleeping from another of trying to earn a living….the police departments in several cities were attacking the Occupy movement to evict the people that were protesting…..we all, at least those of us that were interested, have seen all the vids and photos of what happened on that early morning raids……but while we were asleep and police were doing the dirty work of the government…..another issue was playing out under the radar thanks to the raids…..

Have I peaked your curiosity?

Congress is the culprit I speak of and here is what they are attempting to do……

We Love Bailouts Bill: HR 1838 (Stivers) would repeal a section of the Dodd-Frank Act that prohibits the Federal Government from bailing out big Wall Street derivatives dealers. What are they thinking? With Merrill Lynch right now attempting to transfer a total of $75 trillion in derivatives bets from its investment arm into Bank of America, its FDIC-insured parent company, why is the GOP eager to facilitate the next giant taxpayer bailout?

Dark Markets are Good for You Bill: HR 2586 (Garrett) would allow big Wall Street derivatives dealers to continue opaque bilateral trading and allow them to avoid price transparency required by the Dodd-Frank bill. Off-book gambling in the derivatives market was a key cause of the 2008 financial crisis, and Dodd-Frank made huge steps forward, requiring the vast majority of derivatives to be traded in open forums where everyone could see what is going on in this $600 trillion dollar market. Similarly, HR 2779 (Stivers) would exempt all transactions between related affiliates from derivatives regulations, creating less, not more, transparency.

Swap Till You Drop Bill for Pension Funds: HR 3045 (Canseco) would permit swaps dealers to get a blanket exemption from any duty to respect the best interests of pension funds when giving any advice on a swaps deal. Just last week, we saw the largest municipal bankruptcy in United States history, in Jefferson County, Alabama, which was caused when JP Morgan Chase bribed local officials into entering a swaps deal to refinance a sewage district.

Go Back to Sleep SEC Bill: HR 2308 (Garrett) would create a series of new hurdles for the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to jump before the institution can pass a new rule or regulation. SEC is not my favorite regulator and their fines on the big Wall Street banks have not been commensurate with the crimes, but compared to the U.S. Justice Department, SEC regulators have been veritable energizer bunnies, extracting billions in concessions.

AS promised, the Repubs are trying to gut the Frank-Dodd Financial Reform Act…….and as usual they are doing the dirty work for those they really work for….Wall Street and the Banks…….

People!  The time has come for us to demand more from our government…….and these moves are no where in the best interests of the average American……speaks volumes on who really runs this government and YOU allowed it to happen…..

Should The Violence Be Eliminated?

This post is directed at the OWS protests that are flaring up around the globe….and the violence and vandalism that the mass media loves to focus on….

This opinion piece was written by Bill Berkowitz for Truthout,,,,and it asks some good questions…..

As has been now widely reported in the national and local media, after a peaceful march on Wednesday, November 2nd that shut down the Port of Oakland, a relatively small band of people occupied an abandoned building in downtown Oakland, broke windows around the downtown area, and spray-painted slogans during the early Thursday morning hours – defacing many small downtown businesses, including businesses that had been supportive of the goals of Occupy Oakland.

Every nascent movement has its fair share of mischief-makers. Sometimes police provocateurs lurk in a crowd waiting for an opportunity to disrupt a demonstration. Sometimes there are those who see no other way forward but by instigating violence; some call it heightening the contradictions.

The November 2nd General Strike shut down several city banks, garnered support from a number of other businesses and blocked the night shift at the Port of Oakland the fifth busiest port in the U.S. Some 7 to 10,000 peaceful protesters (including yours truly) – from all walks of life – participated in these marches and rallies.  Labor was broadly represented.

Many who participated were undoubtedly new to political action. Tired but euphoric, Occupy campers and thousands of protesters returned to their tent city and homes believing that the General Strike — the first in Oakland since 1946, succeeded in its mission.

Demonstrators in several cities around the country, including Philadelphia and New York, held solidarity rallies with Occupy Oakland. The early reporting in the mainstream press and on local television lauded the protesters for their numbers, their diversity and their non-violence.

It had been a good day for Occupy Oakland and the Occupy movement in general.

And then a small band of protesters sprang into action. The mayhem that ensued was unfortunate, counter-productive and stole the day.

An abandoned building in downtown was occupied, many storefront windows were shattered – including those of businesses that had supported the strike, fences were ripped down, graffiti sprayed, and the police predictably attacked. This time, unlike the police riot in late October – when the police used tear gas and rubber bullets, during which Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen was hospitalized with a critical skull fracture after he was hit with a projectile — which brought national attention to Occupy Oakland, and support from all across the country, police use of tear gas and “flash bang” grenades action would not garner sympathy from folks across the country.

Instead of headlines about the huge crowd, its’ diversity and peacefulness, the headlines on Thursday morning read: “Occupy Oakland Protesters Tear Gassed by Police” (ABC News); “Riot police fire projectiles, arrest dozens of Occupy Oakland protesters” (Los Angeles Times); “Occupy strike descends into chaos” (San Francisco Chronicle); “Peaceful Occupy protests degenerate into chaos” (AP). The Oakland Tribune, the local daily newspaper, headlined its story “Occupy Oakland, city regroup after night of confrontation.”

Movement building is both an art and science, and its ebb and flow can be shaped by unforeseen events. In the case of Occupy Oakland, it was the confluence of the initiative of a few dozen protesters, a city of political activists, a righteous cause “We are the 99%,” and a police riot that ultimately brought thousands to downtown Oakland.

Savvy organizers were able to mobilize quickly and effectively. The movement broadened from dozens in tents camped out at Frank Ogawa Plaza (renamed by the protesters Oscar Grant Plaza after the young unarmed man killed by BART police) to thousands. Teachers, public employees, office workers, the unemployed, students, seniors, and Mothers with children in strollers joined the activists that initiated Occupy Oakland. In terms of age, ethnicity and race it was a very diverse crowd.

Growing a movement often depends on how it is perceived. If it is dynamic, creative and achieves some of its goals, more people will join. Even small victories will bring more people and more energy to the movement.

Randy Gould, the Kansas City, Missouri-based editor of Scission (formerly The Oread Daily), who has been involved with his local Occupy movement and closely following national developments, offered this perspective:

“Most every Occupy Site in the country has people arguing about this today. Many opinions are being expressed. Keep in mind that the whole Occupy Movement is one big populist shindig.  It may vary from place to place, but the ‘Occupations’ are full of people from all over the political spectrum.

“Some see this ‘broadness’ as a really good thing.  Some, like me, question it. Combine a so-called leaderless movement with no common political orientation and what do you get? Who is to say, who represents what, who is to do what, what tactic is correct, which slogan to shout, what sign to hold up?

“At some point the Occupy movement has to decide what it wants to be and whose interest it wants to represent … or it will implode. For how long can you have anarchists, Marxists, Ron Paul supporters, right wing libertarians, dogmatic pacifists, liberals, feel good people, angry people, people who intend to defend themselves and more, capitalists, petty bourgeois, workers, unemployed, business owners, professionals, anti-racists, racists, and all that and more in an ‘ain’t we got fun’ atmosphere?

“How can you expect to enforce discipline while pretending not to enforce discipline?  How can you honestly complain about some group or another ‘using’ and ‘abusing’ your ‘movement,’ when you invite every one in and make decisions in General Assemblies that change from day to day?

“You want a really broad based movement? You got one. You want to say it isn’t about [a specific] set of politics, it isn’t right or left?; You got it. You want the 99 %; well you got em.

“And you got all that comes with it.”

Gould added, “In the end, let me reiterate one point. That building did not have to be seized last night. That and the violence that followed did steal the thunder from an impressive day. That is too bad.”

In the coming months, the Occupy Movement will face all sorts of challenges. Obviously the weather is one of them. Police action against encampments could occur more frequently. Its survival will in part depend on the strength and breadth of its supporters.

It will also depend on the ability of the Occupy Movements to continue to craft and define itself as an inclusive movement with appeal beyond the usual protesters. As is evident in the challenges of the Oakland General Strike, this also means being able to create a community where random vandalism and acts of violence are not tolerated and are clearly labeled as not of the Occupy movement.

I posted this in The Daily Agitator and wanted to get everyone’s in-put…..My thought is that anyone committing violence or vandalism is crapping on the movement as a whole….it should not be tolerated!

An Attack On “Occupy”

The “Occupy” movement has gone worldwide…..and it seems that we in the blogosphere are the only ones that give it total support….the media sucks at covering it………social networking is the only way that the whole story is getting out….but now that could be hampered by legislation…..

This is an article posted in the site, Addicting Info……….

In what would be a stunning disregard for First Amendment rights, rumors are swirling that the Republican controlled Congress is now considering a new bill that could blackout sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other sites that utilize content generated by users. Phones such as iPhone, Android, AmazonCloud, Pandora, Grooveshark and even your email accounts would be adversely affected.

Some provisions in the bill would make it a “felony to stream unlicensed content — including cover band performances, karaoke videos, video game play-throughs, and more.” Major profit driven corporations are the driving force behind such a bill.

This bill could also effectively silence the ‘Occupy’ movement that has swept the nation by killing information sharing. Most Americans currently get most of their news about ‘Occupy’ through social media. If social media sites were to shut down because of the bill, Americans would be less likely to see ‘Occupy’ footage and would thus be in the dark, forcing us all to rely on corporate owned media sources. This bill is dangerous and would be a major blow to constitutionally protected freedom of speech. This is nothing more than government sponsored censorship and must be stopped.

Please make your voice heard and demand that Congress kill this bill. You can take action here.

Take action!  Let those in power know that you will not sit idly by……it is time for all of us “99%” to do our part in support of the movement….whether you march in the streets or write about the happenings by keeping the PD honest and in check….you can make a difference!

The Time is NOW!  Get involved!