“The Highest of all Sciences and Services—the Government”
We’re sitting in fron of a building (City Hall) where these words are inscribed. I don’t know how many people here would agree with that statement, but as long as the incumbent politicians refuse to acknolwedge the need for fundamenetal reforms, it is apparent that the protests, and the expansion of the movement, will continue.
Andrew Young sees this as an “outcry” and said the difference between the various “Occupy” groups and previous activist movements is the lack of “organization and articulation” that he says is necessary to succeed. So, these words from our brothers and sisters at Occupy Wall St. are worth repeating here:
From Occupy Wall St. October 9, 2011
“There is a danger. Don’t fall in love with yourselves. We have a nice time here. But remember: carnivals come cheap. What matters is the day after. When we will have to return to normal life. Will there be any changes then. I don’t want you to remember these days, you know, like - oh, we were young, it was beautiful. Remember that our basic message is: We are allowed to think about alternatives. The rule is broken. We do not live in the best possible world. But there is a long road ahead. There are truly difficult questions that confront us. We know what we do not want. But what do we want? What social organization can replace capitalism? What type of new leaders do we want?”
Looking forward to an interesting week of progress as the movement "organizes and articulates" together as one, as we reflect on the purpose of our activism. To do that, this voice from the past may offer some guidance:
“It is well that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”
Henry Ford
25 Comments
What Occupy LA is not.
Submitted by chris310 on
I was watching the live feed earlier today. Occupy LA is not a movement about racism. I'd hate to see this movement hijacked on that topic. Yes, racism is a serious issue but there are already voices representing that issue. This movement is about people being fed up with the banking institutions and corporations manipulating the politicians for their own financial gain. Some can articulate this in sound bites and others just know they are disgusted with what this country has become.
Thank you Chris, feeling the
Submitted by Visions1 on
Thank you Chris, feeling the same. People are really feed up. I listen to people almost every day talk about how they feel on a personal level. I am a petition gather, when I ask people to sign a petition to put an issue that is important on the ballet, many respond by saying from my experience that we do not need Congress, the Governors, or any politicians to run our country in to the ground any longer. One lady ask me to run for President, she said why not, I will vote for you. "Let the people take over let the people speak, let the people say NO", it is not alright what is happening to our world and our future. The word is NOO it is not OK.
Peace
Visions1, Peace
we should understand that
Submitted by giya.victoria on
we should understand that racism is a manifestation of class antagonism. the understanding of the regulation of wealth is a modern logic,so as anti-racism. we should not separate chronic social diseases from this campaign.because we want a new,modern,social system than capitalism.
Racism and class antagonism
Submitted by nobody on
Racism and class antagonism aren't the same, and they don't cause each other. They are two separate things that intertwine, creating a stronger rope, with which we are hung.
I think that it's good to deal with the issue, just as it's good to deal with sexism and homophobia. At least make an effort. Dealing with them isn't divisive - it will unify people.
Zizek!
Submitted by LovingFighter on
That quote was from Zizek in NY!!!! Watch it! http://occupywallst.org/
Without Capitalism we are Socialist's Yes ... No
Submitted by alhs06 on
We know what we do not want. But what do we want? What social organization can replace capitalism? What type of new leaders do we want?”
I am not looking to replace capitalism, I'm looking to control it's greed by repealing the corrupt legislation our traitorous elected officials were bribed into passing.
By repealing the "The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLB), also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999", it would be a moderate victory for the "Occupy" movement & reclaim some sanity for the 99%.
Take 5 minutes & Google the Act, you will then understand why it should be one of the first targets we aim at.
"Long Live Occupy, Long Live The 99%"!
just a constructive correction
Submitted by giya.victoria on
"sell a man a fish and you feed him for a day.teach him how to fish and you ruin a perfectly good business opportunity"
here is a misunderstanding of the quote; this quote is a sarcasm against capitalism and individualism.
marx is not a 1%, he died out of pneumonia, with no food to eat,not even paper to write,and debt on his head,boils everywhere his skin because he writes his life out against capitalism.. without marx,we would never have a greater understanding that corporate greed and capitalism is a form of power and control...without marx,we would never have this movement. not one thinker wrote about the strength of the people but him. we should be open minded. this is new,and this campaign requires our hearts and minds for the people
Done out of Respect & Solidarity
Submitted by alhs06 on
giya.victoria
In order to promote tolerance among our diverse camp & to show my respect to you in order to solidify our Solidarity to The 99% cause which brought us all together, I have changed the portion of my signature of which you took offense to.
Respectfully alhs06, your Brother in Arm's.
"Long Live Occupy, Long Live The 99%"!
much thanks and respect
Submitted by giya.victoria on
well said comrade,thank you. im hoping to see you this weekend and all of you!
We have a mixed economy. It
Submitted by nobody on
We have a mixed economy. It's not the early industrial capitalism of the late 1800s, when there were few regulations. It has many socialist qualities, like freeways, public schools, public fire departments, public olleges, public broadcasting, public parks. Lots of it.
Likewise, the old communist countries had small markets. They had a central bank, currency, things to buy, but you just coudn't buy much because there was no easy way to trade between the communist countries and the big first-world nations.
I'm all for repealing GLB, but that's not going to pull this economy out of the muck. And it's not necessarily going to protect us from everything -- the S&L crisis happened before GLB, and before G-S had been chipped away at for a decade.
It seems to me like we need to at least try traditional Keynesian policy: run big deficits, cut taxes, and grow debt.
Beyond that, who know?
Lenin,Marx, Stalin & Trotsky
Submitted by alhs06 on
post deleted
Unity - focus on the ONE thing we all have in common.
Submitted by msamyvogt on
I spent a few nights camping over the weekend. I must say I was very saddened at what I saw. Everybody was way off topic and forgot how things change; not how things should be but how to deal with how things are.
UNITY changes things. A large group of people, all 99% of them, are required to effect change. While it would be nice to have green energy and animal rights that is NOT what 99% of people have in common. The ONE THING WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS OUR SUBJUGATION TO CORPORATE AMERICA. As soon as this topic is not the ONLY thing you talk about you are no longer representing all - and we know that ALL is the only thing that makes change.
How do we get ALL PEOPLE to join the movement? We have to make them feel like they are part of it. Like the common man can change things. Instead of attracting the kind of people who feel comfortable standing up together for one cause they came upon a mess of Thai dye and idealistic hippies, people speaking about green energy and how the world would be so nice if we all just hugged eachother. NOT something the average man can relate to and certainly not a group middle-America wants to be a part of - we need those people to be with us or we're wasting our time. I understand that the marginalized are part of the 99% but you are by NO MEANS the common man whose alliance is going to be what makes a change. He's the guy who has nothing in common with you EXEPT BEING WHORED BY WALL STREET/GOVT.
Furthermore, when you act that way it's VERY EASY for the media to dismiss this movement as a bunch of crazy kids who shouldn't be listened to because they're just freaks, hippies and nutjobs. And if you think you aren't being portrayed like in the corporate media (who wants this movement to fail) then you're naive and NO CREDIT TO THE CAUSE. You're doing EXACTLY what the corporations want you to. EXACTLY. And if you get off by being marginalized this isn't the time. Leave your indivuality at home this time. THIS IS ABOUT HOW WE ARE ALL THE SAME AND NOT HOW WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT!!!!!
Keep your other agendas at home, get focused on the ONE cause we're all here for and make this something everybody feels a part of! Focus on unity - for this movement will die wihtout it. Focus on the ONE THING that makes us all the same and NOT the many individual causes and agendas you don't share with all. Save your other causes for another rally (much of which I support) but your splintered intentions will be your, MY, and EVERYBODY's defeat.
Now go ahead and tell my why I'm wrong and I'll sit back and watch you express your individuality and how it's all connected (which it is) and try to justify your exclusion of the common man. We all know he should feel the same way we do; but he doesn't and is not going to be convinced by what he sees as a bunch of barefoot hippies. So clean yourselves up (fake it like i do - it's the only way we're going to win) get focused our sameness and not our differences, and stop ostracizing yourselves for crying out loud.
Well said...
Submitted by blueeyedmonkey on
I agree that the movement itself should not attempt to force personal agendas on others. It is so crucial that we sway the hearts of the "everyman and everywoman" to join the cause on the common ground of fighting the corporatocracy. The education about other issues should be a more organic process. Just my opinion.
Lifelong activist in action and in spirit. helping out in any ay I can. Web designer/non profit consultant organizing from behind this screen. Coming downtown on weekends.
ME TOO!
Submitted by irishmcme on
That is exactly RIGHT! I too was down there this weekend and very disappointed. It came across like a circus and we cannot afford to loose this chance right now! Too many people are depending on CHANGE!!!!! We need a change and what I saw last weekend was exactly as you described, splintered.... GET A GRIP PEOPLE, THIS IS OUR CHANCE! Don't act like a bunch of spoiled, psychotic, brats now! We've had enough of that!
Agreed
Submitted by bdop4 on
We need to apply the KISS theory and maintain one goal: wresting control of OUR government from the 1%.
bdop4
Unity -YES!
Submitted by rwillhite on
I too spent the weekend downtown, and while it is great to see a movement, I ask that we maintain focus on the original goals of economic ferofm surrounding the corporate control and bleeding of our government. Yes there are a great deal of social and economic problems, but let's attack where we can gain a foothold.
What brought me down here, what got me involved was the basic thrust of this movement in addressing a particular issue, One could say that through economic separation, the corporate governance keeps us divided, keeps us arguing as a group over why this cause or that problem, or this group should be included. If we do not maintain focus on our main objective, then they have won, then we will prove them right in the media, that we are a bunch of disorganized angry people, who don't stand a chance.
Let's not tear down the system, but use it to take back our governent. A people united, can never be defeated...that is what I hear, but not what I see.
Once we have been effective on a single point...and I believe that this point could bey the keystone, then we as a nation can address everything else, point by point.
Rob - what you believe is what you manifest
KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Submitted by irishmcme on
I was moved enough last Saturday to get up off of the couch and hop on the train and go to L.A. We need to be very careful here to not look like a 3 ring circus! Which is the impression that I got last Saturday and this is how the news and the other sides are portraying this. You need to have designated speakers and stick to the agenda! KEEP IT SIMPLE! There are so many problems that we all are facing right now, but we need to come across with simple requests. Chant some simple phrases to bring it home to everyone..... Make some points.
Keep it simple, get more people involved that have the experience, I'M PRAYING FOR US ALL!
Irish McMe
BE SPECIFIC AND NOT ANTI-CAPITALIST
Submitted by mightymail on
Saying we want to find an alternative to capitalism is too radical. Overall, capitalism, like democracy, has flaws, but it is the best thing out there. Remember Winston Churchill's quote:
"Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
The same could be said for capitalism. No other economic model has been as successful.
What needs to be done is address capitalism's biggest flaw, that it cares most about the bottom line, not the health and welfare of the people. Intelligent regulation and well-designed laws are the only things that can balance it out. Occupy's requests should be specifically related to what can be regulated or legislated.
I see four big categories: 1.) health care, 2.) job creation, 3.) financial reform (including mortgages), and 4.) campaign finance reform. I've spent a lot of time reading the posts at http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/ and one of those four issues, usually multiple ones, are the ones that have affected everybody there.
So we should ask ourselves - what are real, specific changes that need to be made in each of these areas? Every other cause thrown out there - though admirable - is a distraction.
I don't know enough about all these areas to be able to toss out a ton of knowledgable suggestions, so toss out the ones that affect you.
Here's mine: Underwater on my mortgage, on time with payments, not an FHA loan, let me refinance to today's low rates. The money I save would be directly spent into the economy. There's enough people in my situation to infuse a lot of stimulus money into the economy this way! My bank, Bank of America, would rather have me short sell - further reducing my communities' property values and killing my credit, thereby taking me out of the housing market, which means even less demand. We need a Good Credit, Underwater Borrower Refinance program. The FHA Short Refinance program, also known as the FHA Negative Equity program exists, and would help me, but is VOLUNTARY for the banks. It's not enough.
shmanny
Submitted by costlyj on
you're wearing my shit man p's all w love u man XD
no victim no crime
Submitted by costlyj on
no victim no crime
We Are Creating a New Political Party
Submitted by ep021765 on
With occupations in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, Kona and hundreds of cities in between, we are at the infant stage of creating a new political party that represents the middle class, the 99%. Over time each city and/or state, with their occupation and countless months of hard work supporting this movement, will have matured into a respected representative of this new party. At some point in the future we will have to have a national convention. We the people of this movement of democracy will have to come together and create a national platform. This movement is on the right side of history. With that being said, I propose that this new party be called "The American Party".
Thought you might like this poster.
whoa
Submitted by Supersean on
I admire your zeal but with things the way they are I can't imagine that creating a new party would be effective. Ask yourself if the Green party or Libertarian party is truly effective. They aren't because they don't have the money to compete, and both have been established for decades.
Let's reform campaign finance first. That is, unless you're a billionaire with money burning a hole in your pocket!
What we are!
Submitted by legalizitt on
We are not anti-Capitalism. Do not listen to FoxNews.
We have nothing to do with George Soros.
We are tired of Washington politicians not representing the people.
We want the DOJ to catch those responsible for the financial meltdown and hold them accountable.
We want Congress to fix Social Security by slowly raising the retirement age over time, means test, and increase FICA payroll tax a little on upper income brackets.
We want regulation to be installed in the financial sector to help prevent future abuse.
We want to stop Congress from cutting programs that made this country the greatest on Earth and increase taxes on the wealthy back to where they were under Clinton.
We want to reduce military spending for unneeded pork projects, streamline the military, wrap up the Iraq war, have fewer boots on the ground and utilize drones and special ops.
We want banks to help fix the mortgage mess they created with teaser ARMs by using the government money to buydown high risk rate loans to stop the foreclosures from continuing to drag down the housing market.
We want to keep religion out of Government.
We want to stop the wasteful hurtful War on Drugs, reschedule marijuana as a Schedule 2 drug, and move toward a national medical marijuana rule.
We want to protect the EPA.
We want to stop talking about distracting invasive social issues like abortion control, gun control and illegal immigration, and start talking about rebuilding our infrastructure, building a national hydrogen distribution network for the future generation of fuel cell powered cars, increase agriculture production as the world population increases to avert global food price escalation, and do other things to create jobs now and in the future.
We want Government to stop approving M&A activity that reduces competition.
We want to stop the police state that has materialized since privatizing the industrial prison complex.
We want the Republicans to work with Obama and the Democrats.
We want Congress to stop talking about cutting taxes on the "job creators", and do things that will increase consumer demand.
We want to legalize gay marriage across the nation and be done with it.
We want to reform Wall Street to stop wild speculation that increases prices for oil, food, and other commodities.
This is what the Occupy protests are about, not what FoxNews says it is.
Fox condemns the protests as anti-American, un-patriotic, anti-Capitalist, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
We ARE Americans!
We love our country!
We want to take it back from the special interests and the Corporations and the ultra-rich, and return it to the PEOPLE!
I HAVE A JOB - CITIZEN !
Submitted by Corporal Thing A. on
Please, to any that have the ability. It is making the rounds that Mayor Bloomberg is planning a 'cleansing' Saturday morning at the crack of dawn at Liberty Plaza / Zucotti Park by clearing out the Occupiers. ( Forced relocation, anyone ? Bonus Army ? )
If there is a concern about sanitation, THEN SEND IN SANITATION WORKERS. ...and keep it peaceful. And do it in the daylight.
WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED !
Corporal Thing A. 'Civilizationalist'
Sanitization concerns No Lawsuites
Submitted by alhs06 on
I heard or read this morning that the area will be cleaned up, without removing tents or any other substantial but temporary personal belongings. This info is not confirmed, so keep an eye on your stuff or have someone sit @ your area to ensure it's safety. The last thing we need is a slew of Law suites regarding remove & disposal of personal item's.
JUST KEEP IN MIND "One Occupier's Treasure, may be another's, (Government employees clean up crews) trash".
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