We're on the verge of losing this once-great country...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/30/1040975/-The-New-AmericaA-scary-place?via=recent
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
In Case You Missed This Edition of 60 Minutes....
...I hope you take the time to watch this video. And, by the way....Occupy Foreclosures knows where there are LOTS of vacant homes, most, if not all, foreclosed upon ILLEGALLY. What would be wrong with allowing families to move into these VACANT homes? Rent free. In exchange for their looking after the place, starting with a little seed money...?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/27/1040359/-Families-Living-in-Cars:60-Minutes-Video?via=recent
Terrifying. Simply Terrifying....UPDATE
If you believe our government is benevolent.....take a look at this...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/28/1040408/-Defense-Authorization-Bill-Raises-Alarms-Over-Civil-Liberties?via=recent
Pretty soon, they'll be outlawing the ACLU. Don't be caught napping...
Here's another on the same subject:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/27/1040371/-Monday-Stop-Senate:-Indefinite-Detention-of-US-Citizens-in-USA-by-US-Military-in-Secret-Legislation?via=recent
And still another..
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/28/1040468/-ALERT-!!!-Most-important-thing-today-!-Under-siege-?via=recent
Pick up the phone. Take action!!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/28/1040408/-Defense-Authorization-Bill-Raises-Alarms-Over-Civil-Liberties?via=recent
Pretty soon, they'll be outlawing the ACLU. Don't be caught napping...
Here's another on the same subject:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/27/1040371/-Monday-Stop-Senate:-Indefinite-Detention-of-US-Citizens-in-USA-by-US-Military-in-Secret-Legislation?via=recent
And still another..
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/28/1040468/-ALERT-!!!-Most-important-thing-today-!-Under-siege-?via=recent
Pick up the phone. Take action!!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Don't Miss This Special Edition of Democracy Now
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/11/25/occupy_everywhere
Click on the center logo and get ready for an hour of great information thanks to Amy Goodman!
Click on the center logo and get ready for an hour of great information thanks to Amy Goodman!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Buy Nothing Day
Go to:
http://occupywallst.org/article/occupyxmas-kicks-buy-nothing-day-nov-2526/
And while you've got a little time, and while you're there, have a look at the destruction of books wrought by Michael Bloomberg's goon squad...as well as laptops, etc. Who will pay?
And have a read about the 1% who are in charge of California's "education" system, (translated making tons of money by being in charge of something called "an education" (needed by all young people if they want to rise above the poverty level in this country), while imposing "austerity" on students....cutbacks, layoffs, reduced library hours, etc. not to mention horrendous debt at the end of four+ years of schooling...They m must be kidding: 81% tuition increase????
Have a read of this article on AIG now suing the American people to pick still another tab of this fat-cat operation
(not my cat! Borrowed from Google images)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Here it is......Hot Off the Press!
Thanks much, Barbara!!
Here is what we want:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/22/1039174/-Where-Does-Occupy-Wall-Street-Go-From-Here?via=recent
Here is what we want:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/22/1039174/-Where-Does-Occupy-Wall-Street-Go-From-Here?via=recent
WE ARE WINNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When a courageous group of high school students from Central High in Manchester New Hampshire can MIC-CHECK the President of the United States to his face and call for investigations and support for over 4,000 arrested protesters, and be articulate about income inequality and other injustices......
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/22/1039110/-President-Obama-Mic-Checked-at-High-School-in-New-Hampshire?via=recent
...we are winning! Congratulations to the "youngsters" taking up the lamp of truth and confronting the source about his lack of interest. "Wanna know what democracy looks like? This is what democracy looks like!"
Stop SOPA in its tracks
If you don't understand the issues on this one, trust me. You WANT your name read aloud as opposing it. I am one of the 60K
Go here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/22/1039105/-Join-Wydens-Censorship-Filibuster:-More-Than-60k-Have-Asked-For-Their-Names-To-Be-Read-From-Senate?via=recent
and take action. If you like and use the Internet, you need to do this.
Go here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/22/1039105/-Join-Wydens-Censorship-Filibuster:-More-Than-60k-Have-Asked-For-Their-Names-To-Be-Read-From-Senate?via=recent
and take action. If you like and use the Internet, you need to do this.
The %@#$ Hippies WERE RIGHT...
Don't fall into the trap (many do) of discounting this because you perceive it to be uncouth and potty-mouthed....there's value behind the use of the "F"-word...don't miss it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YadT2EmDW_c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YadT2EmDW_c
Gasland and Other Horrors
First, have a look at from last night's Keith Olbermann's show:
http://current.com/shows/countdown/videos/debra-winger-gasland-director-josh-fox-antihydrofracking-victory-delaware
And, don't miss the Worst Persons on Countdown, where Bloomberg et al staged a "terrorist attack" on New York --foiled, of course--to take the sheeple press away from the drumming at Bloomberg's PP (posh-palace) Pretty creative, eh! Even the FBI admitted it was a bit too much to swallow, even for them! Remember Bush's red-alerts? Every time he had to hide something else from the press, he issued a "red-alert?" And the knee-jerk press (what of it that hadn't been bought off) was once again led by the nose on still another snipe hunt.
http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/
Then pick up a copy of this movie on your way to get those last essentials for Thanksgiving and have a look at what is being done to us. Here in West Virginia we've been told by huge and overwhelming "gas interests" (Koch brothers, et al....for one, with all their evil tentacles undermining our water supply.....) that we are a "sacrifice zone." So, how would you feel being labeled as such? We've already been under seige with "mountaintop removal" and now, our farmland and the water we drink, is under attack (unlaid with karst with all its fissures and unknowns)....What are you willing to sacrifice to enrich the Koch brothers?
And while we're on the subject of earth demolition, check this out:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/19/1038235/-Architect-of-Reactor-3-warns-of-massive-hydrovolcanic-explosion?via=search
Finally, the light show was spectacular! http://occupywallst.org/ and the car horns in support shouldn't go unnoticed.
Monday, November 21, 2011
This will get your day rollin'....
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/20/1038494/-The-Empathy-Deficit
and then...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/21/1038452/-The-Goldman-Sachs-Project-to-take-over-the-world?via=recent
and top these off with Officer Pike of UC Davis fame:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/21/1038602/-UC-Davis,-John-Pike,-and-the-Birth-of-a-Meme?via=recent
and then...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/21/1038452/-The-Goldman-Sachs-Project-to-take-over-the-world?via=recent
and top these off with Officer Pike of UC Davis fame:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/21/1038602/-UC-Davis,-John-Pike,-and-the-Birth-of-a-Meme?via=recent
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Thank you, Occupy Wall Street Press
And this doesn't begin to address the incredible abuse protesters have endured. For the most part, peacefully.
http://motherboard.tv/2011/11/18/who-smashed-the-laptops-from-occupy-wall-street-inside-the-nypd-s-lost-and-found
Five thousand books thrown into the dumpster as Mayor Bloomberg wined and dined at a fundraiser for the New York Public Library. Seriously. At the exact same time police were savaging the entire library at Zuccotti Park.
http://motherboard.tv/2011/11/18/who-smashed-the-laptops-from-occupy-wall-street-inside-the-nypd-s-lost-and-found
Five thousand books thrown into the dumpster as Mayor Bloomberg wined and dined at a fundraiser for the New York Public Library. Seriously. At the exact same time police were savaging the entire library at Zuccotti Park.
Friday, November 18, 2011
You Make an Excellent Point, Wayfarin' Stranger...read below
After I posted Jesse LaGreca's list, I came across this:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/17/1037506/-A-Critique-of-MoTs-OWS-Phase-2-From-One-of-the-99?via=recent
It's a way to make "The List" manageable. Makes good sense. I feel a bit lost myself trying to explain to neighbors that OWS is not some commie plot and keep them from dissing me off as a pinko! So, we've got to keep the list short, punchy and sweet! Right now, as I write, General Assemblies all over the country, as meeting to discuss and map out, the next moves, the next actions.
As an example of choosing those next moves, from my own agenda at the moment, MM and I are trying to start a community association in our neighborhood. We started with the simple stuff: checking on elderly in our neighborhood--those who want this service--to make certain those who live alone, those who are ill, those who could fall in their own home without being noticed...get the attention they need, etc. Potential members thought it was a great idea. The intial group has grown to around 25 people. That's a lot of participants considering our very rural and older population.
The trick here is translating real needs into simple actions. (getting a routine in place for the care-check, a form for making sure it's done, etc.) OTOH, it's a lot harder to explain to members that we COULD someday, if we go about it in the right way, actually build a community CENTER, where members of the community could gather, socialize, etc. without having to drive to Egypt in order to enjoy this kind of thing. This kind of pie-in-the sky looks worlds away to folks whose needs are more basic. But you have to introduce the dream. You don't want to get too carried away with the frosting when you haven't yet baked the cake! But, you don't want to forget to mention the possibility of something more, so, it's a go-slow approach, as you said: "one bite at a time" (although in the case of Republican elephants.....I would like to think we would get some help from their tendency to kill themselves.)
Build it and they will come...
Let me know, Jim, what you think of this prioritizing of our needs/wants, etc. The thing is...WE HAVE STARTED A CONVERSATION! And that is precisely what OWS is about!
Thank you for your fine comment!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/17/1037506/-A-Critique-of-MoTs-OWS-Phase-2-From-One-of-the-99?via=recent
It's a way to make "The List" manageable. Makes good sense. I feel a bit lost myself trying to explain to neighbors that OWS is not some commie plot and keep them from dissing me off as a pinko! So, we've got to keep the list short, punchy and sweet! Right now, as I write, General Assemblies all over the country, as meeting to discuss and map out, the next moves, the next actions.
As an example of choosing those next moves, from my own agenda at the moment, MM and I are trying to start a community association in our neighborhood. We started with the simple stuff: checking on elderly in our neighborhood--those who want this service--to make certain those who live alone, those who are ill, those who could fall in their own home without being noticed...get the attention they need, etc. Potential members thought it was a great idea. The intial group has grown to around 25 people. That's a lot of participants considering our very rural and older population.
The trick here is translating real needs into simple actions. (getting a routine in place for the care-check, a form for making sure it's done, etc.) OTOH, it's a lot harder to explain to members that we COULD someday, if we go about it in the right way, actually build a community CENTER, where members of the community could gather, socialize, etc. without having to drive to Egypt in order to enjoy this kind of thing. This kind of pie-in-the sky looks worlds away to folks whose needs are more basic. But you have to introduce the dream. You don't want to get too carried away with the frosting when you haven't yet baked the cake! But, you don't want to forget to mention the possibility of something more, so, it's a go-slow approach, as you said: "one bite at a time" (although in the case of Republican elephants.....I would like to think we would get some help from their tendency to kill themselves.)
Build it and they will come...
Let me know, Jim, what you think of this prioritizing of our needs/wants, etc. The thing is...WE HAVE STARTED A CONVERSATION! And that is precisely what OWS is about!
Thank you for your fine comment!
WOW, AGAIN!!!!
This is sooooo cooool! Don't miss it!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/17/1037610/-OWS-Messages-Projected-on-Verizon-Skyscraper-Near-Brooklyn-Bridge-(Updated)?via=recent
Also don't miss the fact that Congress is trying to ram through SOPA. What is SOPA? Life on the Internet as we currently know it, will die if SOPA goes through. Light shows and controversial YouTubes will disappear as "the government" will have to "approve or disapprove" of materials on the Internet. Big Brother is getting ready to extend its iron fist of control. If SOPA goes through, we will sink further into the police state we are becoming. Find SOPA on the web and study up because to defeat it will take a Herculian effort. I fits the model of suppression this government is aiming to install. Not allowing the press to cover the Day of Action by OWS has the eerie marks of totalitarian overreach. The news we are getting on this is mostly coming from Aljezeera.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/17/1037610/-OWS-Messages-Projected-on-Verizon-Skyscraper-Near-Brooklyn-Bridge-(Updated)?via=recent
Also don't miss the fact that Congress is trying to ram through SOPA. What is SOPA? Life on the Internet as we currently know it, will die if SOPA goes through. Light shows and controversial YouTubes will disappear as "the government" will have to "approve or disapprove" of materials on the Internet. Big Brother is getting ready to extend its iron fist of control. If SOPA goes through, we will sink further into the police state we are becoming. Find SOPA on the web and study up because to defeat it will take a Herculian effort. I fits the model of suppression this government is aiming to install. Not allowing the press to cover the Day of Action by OWS has the eerie marks of totalitarian overreach. The news we are getting on this is mostly coming from Aljezeera.
WOW!!!!!!
How FUNNY!!!! Google's headlines from the MSM this morning say, "NYC Authorities FOIL Protesters' Attempts to Shut Down Wall Street..."
Ahem......go here: http://occupywallst.org/ Check out the photos! Funny how the MSM creates "reality." It's funny because NYC refused even to let the press IN! Police kept the MSM press at bay for several hours yesterday, claiming "safety issues." I watched via UStream live stream where it was easy to see the huge phalanx of people all around Wall Street. The police kept trying to splinter groups.
Later in the afternoon, the numbers began to grow. By 3:00 p.m. NYPD estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 took to Foley Square, last night, winding their way through the streets and culminating with a Festival of Lights on Brooklyn Bridge. Briefly, yesterday, OWS did shut down Wall Street, though not for very long. At least the congestion outside created obstacles for all needing to make their way through the crowds. And it was peaceful, despite the NYPD's bashing skulls with nightsticks, trying to overrun pedestrians using barricades as weapons, even smashing one man's teeth...
But the courageous protesters kept their cool and stayed focused despite being threatened.
Can we call 30-40,000 a successful Day of Action? Add to that the actions that took place in 30 other cities across the country, and consider that this was the 2-month anniversary of OWS. I would call it the day a "success"...but it's only one day. We have a long road ahead. I'll have more to say about this later on today.
Ahem......go here: http://occupywallst.org/ Check out the photos! Funny how the MSM creates "reality." It's funny because NYC refused even to let the press IN! Police kept the MSM press at bay for several hours yesterday, claiming "safety issues." I watched via UStream live stream where it was easy to see the huge phalanx of people all around Wall Street. The police kept trying to splinter groups.
Later in the afternoon, the numbers began to grow. By 3:00 p.m. NYPD estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 took to Foley Square, last night, winding their way through the streets and culminating with a Festival of Lights on Brooklyn Bridge. Briefly, yesterday, OWS did shut down Wall Street, though not for very long. At least the congestion outside created obstacles for all needing to make their way through the crowds. And it was peaceful, despite the NYPD's bashing skulls with nightsticks, trying to overrun pedestrians using barricades as weapons, even smashing one man's teeth...
But the courageous protesters kept their cool and stayed focused despite being threatened.
Can we call 30-40,000 a successful Day of Action? Add to that the actions that took place in 30 other cities across the country, and consider that this was the 2-month anniversary of OWS. I would call it the day a "success"...but it's only one day. We have a long road ahead. I'll have more to say about this later on today.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
So. Let's get busy:
Jesse LaGreca says it all, right here. Got any questions? Seems pretty clear to me.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/17/1037356/-Welcome-to-PHASE-2-of-Occupy-Wall-Street,-now-here-is-a-message?via=siderec
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/17/1037356/-Welcome-to-PHASE-2-of-Occupy-Wall-Street,-now-here-is-a-message?via=siderec
UPDATE2...Want to Watch Live?
Go to: http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
Protesters have made it completely around the New York Stock Exchange..
LIVE UPDATES AVAILABLE HERE: http://occupywallst.org/
MORE: http://www.ustream.tv/TheOther99
Protesters have made it completely around the New York Stock Exchange..
LIVE UPDATES AVAILABLE HERE: http://occupywallst.org/
MORE: http://www.ustream.tv/TheOther99
Why Does Greece Need U. S. Tanks to Straighten Out Their Financial Mess?
I am wondering why Greece needs tanks from the U. S. to settle their financial difficulties...It's time we all started "wondering" what the heck is going on....worldwide as well as right here in our rapidly crumbling former democracy...and it DOES concern everyone...or should...Yves Smith is no lightweight!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/17/1037302/-The-99-of-the-99-that-arent-paying-attention-should-wake-up?via=recent
Aren't you all wondering about a LOT of other things? It's time to at least start paying consistent attention! The billionaires are on the marchm too. They know what's at stake for them. These soldiers of fortune include the Bloombergs, the Clintons, the Blankfeins, the Dimons, the Bushes, the Geithners.....and they're all "marching" lockstep against those of us in the 99%.
It's time to get off the couch.
So, what can you do? TALK. Talk to your neighbors, talk to your friends. Don't hide your light under a bushel. If an 84-year-old woman can demonstrate, WE can. WEAR your opposition. Move your money. Vote with your feet. We didn't elect the Obama we now have. They got to him. Yeah, it's a little bit of extra effort to move those monthly pay-ins, but do it! Start thinking about who would make a good "write-in" candidate. How about Marcy Kaptur? Elizabeth Warren? Have the courage to start something.
Take the time to study what's going on. Read Daily Kos--there are plenty of choices. Watch Amy Goodman's Democracy Now. Take time to explain to those who are still questioning, still on the fence. It won't be long, now--a few months at the longest--and you're going to want to be in the thick of it, fighting for your Constitutional rights.
Right now, as I write, despite authorized press passes, journalists are not being allowed to cover the march on Wall Street "for security reasons.." Check out Democracy Now, which is running a Live Stream...go to http://www.democracynow.org/ for a Live Stream
And did you know we're sending troops to Australia? TROOPS!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/17/1037302/-The-99-of-the-99-that-arent-paying-attention-should-wake-up?via=recent
Aren't you all wondering about a LOT of other things? It's time to at least start paying consistent attention! The billionaires are on the marchm too. They know what's at stake for them. These soldiers of fortune include the Bloombergs, the Clintons, the Blankfeins, the Dimons, the Bushes, the Geithners.....and they're all "marching" lockstep against those of us in the 99%.
It's time to get off the couch.
So, what can you do? TALK. Talk to your neighbors, talk to your friends. Don't hide your light under a bushel. If an 84-year-old woman can demonstrate, WE can. WEAR your opposition. Move your money. Vote with your feet. We didn't elect the Obama we now have. They got to him. Yeah, it's a little bit of extra effort to move those monthly pay-ins, but do it! Start thinking about who would make a good "write-in" candidate. How about Marcy Kaptur? Elizabeth Warren? Have the courage to start something.
Take the time to study what's going on. Read Daily Kos--there are plenty of choices. Watch Amy Goodman's Democracy Now. Take time to explain to those who are still questioning, still on the fence. It won't be long, now--a few months at the longest--and you're going to want to be in the thick of it, fighting for your Constitutional rights.
Right now, as I write, despite authorized press passes, journalists are not being allowed to cover the march on Wall Street "for security reasons.." Check out Democracy Now, which is running a Live Stream...go to http://www.democracynow.org/ for a Live Stream
And did you know we're sending troops to Australia? TROOPS!
The New Face of the Revolution
Enjoy this new old face:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/16/1037252/-UPDATED-The-New-Face-of-Occupy-Wall-Street:-Dorli-Rainey?via=recent
You go, Dorli!!!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/16/1037252/-UPDATED-The-New-Face-of-Occupy-Wall-Street:-Dorli-Rainey?via=recent
You go, Dorli!!!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Don't Miss Amy Goodman's Democracy Now for 11-15-11
http://www.democracynow.org/
A real jaw-dropper if you believe in our First Amendment Rights....to ignore this is to ___________(fill in the blank after you've seen it...)
You might also enjoy Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Bloomberg on Current TV last night. KO was so mad, he was sputtering...! And, if you are a Michael Moore fan, you'll also appreciate his appearance on KO's show.
A real jaw-dropper if you believe in our First Amendment Rights....to ignore this is to ___________(fill in the blank after you've seen it...)
You might also enjoy Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Bloomberg on Current TV last night. KO was so mad, he was sputtering...! And, if you are a Michael Moore fan, you'll also appreciate his appearance on KO's show.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Ten thousand are watching -- UPDATE
Go to:
http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
for a view of our police state. Ten thousand are online right now, watching this unfold; latest is that the Judge who granted protestors the right to return to Zuccotti Park (Liberty Plaza) has been removed in favor of a more generous judge (to the owners of Brookfield Park); also police destroyed 5,000 books from the library; the police are arresting and roughing up journalists; they have driven away journalists covering the march, eviction, etc. Police tear-gassed the food and kitchen; they used bulldozers to scrape up and dump all personal possessions in dumpsters;
UPDATE:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/15/1036711/-Breaking:-Homeland-Security,-FBI,-Others-Advise-Coordinated-Occupy-Crackdowns?via=recent
http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
for a view of our police state. Ten thousand are online right now, watching this unfold; latest is that the Judge who granted protestors the right to return to Zuccotti Park (Liberty Plaza) has been removed in favor of a more generous judge (to the owners of Brookfield Park); also police destroyed 5,000 books from the library; the police are arresting and roughing up journalists; they have driven away journalists covering the march, eviction, etc. Police tear-gassed the food and kitchen; they used bulldozers to scrape up and dump all personal possessions in dumpsters;
UPDATE:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/15/1036711/-Breaking:-Homeland-Security,-FBI,-Others-Advise-Coordinated-Occupy-Crackdowns?via=recent
Evictions and brutality orchestrated from the top?
I think it's rather odd that our esteemed President hasn't said one word about OWS. Now, maybe we are beginning to understand why...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/15/1036657/-Breaking:-Mayor-Quan-Admits-to-Collusion-of-Multi-City-OWS-Evictions?via=recent
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/15/1036657/-Breaking:-Mayor-Quan-Admits-to-Collusion-of-Multi-City-OWS-Evictions?via=recent
On the other hand....it can be done!
Read below. Makes me proud to call Seattle the place of my birth!
Mon Nov 14, 2011 at 07:54 PM PST.
Seattle City Council passes Resolution from Occupy Seattle's G.A. in Unanimous Voteby Lefty CoasterFollow .
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In a resounding endorsement of a Resolution before the Seattle City Council that is likely to lead to the divestment of city funds from the Big Banks passed tonight in a unanimous vote. THE RESOLUTION ORIGINATED AS A RESOLUTION PASSED BY OCCUPY SEATTLE'S GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
I first saw the good news on Occupy Seattle's twitter feed
OccupySeattle #OccupySeattle
Seattle City Council unanimously pass resolution in favor of #occupyseattle !
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply
OccupySeattle #OccupySeattle
Incredibly inspiring testimony from occupiers at the city council meeting. Most council members very supportive #occupyseattle
1 hour ago
OccupySeattle #OccupySeattle
Many here at city hall talking in favor of divestment proposal for city of Seattle
2 hours ago
From the Seattle P.I.
Seattle City Council backs Occupy Seattle
In a lengthy resolution that borrows language from the Declaration of Independence — it has 14 “Whereas” clauses — the Seattle City Council on Monday gave its blessing to the Occupy Seattle protest.
The resolution, which passed on a 9-0 vote, was sponsored by activist Council members Nick Licata and Mike O’Brien.
The sweeping resolution covers everything from a review of Seattle’s banking and investment practices, to a demand that Bush-era cuts in federal income taxes be allowed to expire.
The resolution’s broad wording suggests that the nation’s economic ills go back to the Reagan era, declaring:
“WHEREAS, over the past 30 years, gains in our economy have accrued largely to the top 1 percent income earners, who now control 40 percent of the wealth in the United States due in part to public policies that can be changed . . .”
They made me proud to be from Seattle.
.
Here are some excerpts from the Resolution:
Seattle City Clerk
A RESOLUTION recognizing and supporting the peaceful and lawful exercise of the First Amendment as a cherished and fundamental right in the effort to seek solutions for economically distressed Americans at the federal and local levels.
Status: Adopted as amended
Date adopted by Full Council: November 14, 2011
Vote: 9-0
Date introduced/referred to committee: November 7, 2011
Committee: Full Council
Sponsor: LICATA; CO-SPONSOR: O'BRIEN
1. The City will review its banking and investment practices to ensure that public funds are invested in responsible financial institutions that support our community. The Council may also consider future legislation to promote responsible banking and provide an incentive for banking institutions to invest more in our City, particularly with regard to stabilizing the housing market and supporting the creation of new businesses. This review should include evaluating City policies on responsible depositing and management of City funds.
2. The City will examine the number of home foreclosures in Seattle, the geographic neighborhoods in which the foreclosures are occurring, and lender information on homes involved in the foreclosure process, including real estate owned homes. Furthermore, the Office of Housing will work with the Seattle-King County Asset Building Collaborative's Foreclosure Prevention Action Team to gather qualitative data on the circumstances and causes of foreclosures and the foreclosure methods and practices of lenders, including reviewing apparent inequities many people in Seattle face when lender foreclosure proceedings occur.
3. The City will continue to address economic inequality and wealth disparities by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender. Through the City's Race and Social Justice Initiative and 2012 City Council committee work programs, the Council will continue to identify effective approaches to asset building, job training, access to banking and other financial services, educational attainment, family support, access to health care and other ways to address historic trends in disparities.
4. The Council will request a report from the Department of Finance and Administrative Services on all exemptions or waivers allowed for City taxes to examine the impact of both tax shifts and lost revenue to the City against the economic and social benefits the exemptions are intended to bring to the City.
5. The Council will consult with advocates of tax reform and experts on equitable taxation and review past tax reform efforts in order to work effectively with the State Legislature toward a more equitable tax structure.
6. The Council will analyze how city election campaigns are currently financed and explore alternatives.
7. As federal and state assistance dwindles, the City resolves to continue to use available resources to provide assistance for the most vulnerable people in Seattle.
8. The City recognizes that reforms in education and career preparation are essential for building a viable future and that the disparities in these areas begin very early in life and they continue through adulthood. The Council will seek maximum possible funding for Early Learning and Basic Education in the State Legislative Agenda. During challenging times, it is also critically important to support community colleges, technical colleges, and state universities as they provide access to retraining and workforce development opportunities.
Section 4. The Council and the Mayor recognize and support the important responsibility the Seattle Police Department exercises in protecting for everyone our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly while, at the same time, appropriately enforcing City laws and regulations.
I think this is a useful template for resolutions that other Occupations may want to bring forward in their own cities and towns
Mon Nov 14, 2011 at 07:54 PM PST.
Seattle City Council passes Resolution from Occupy Seattle's G.A. in Unanimous Voteby Lefty CoasterFollow .
Share148 permalink 51 Comments
In a resounding endorsement of a Resolution before the Seattle City Council that is likely to lead to the divestment of city funds from the Big Banks passed tonight in a unanimous vote. THE RESOLUTION ORIGINATED AS A RESOLUTION PASSED BY OCCUPY SEATTLE'S GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
I first saw the good news on Occupy Seattle's twitter feed
OccupySeattle #OccupySeattle
Seattle City Council unanimously pass resolution in favor of #occupyseattle !
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply
OccupySeattle #OccupySeattle
Incredibly inspiring testimony from occupiers at the city council meeting. Most council members very supportive #occupyseattle
1 hour ago
OccupySeattle #OccupySeattle
Many here at city hall talking in favor of divestment proposal for city of Seattle
2 hours ago
From the Seattle P.I.
Seattle City Council backs Occupy Seattle
In a lengthy resolution that borrows language from the Declaration of Independence — it has 14 “Whereas” clauses — the Seattle City Council on Monday gave its blessing to the Occupy Seattle protest.
The resolution, which passed on a 9-0 vote, was sponsored by activist Council members Nick Licata and Mike O’Brien.
The sweeping resolution covers everything from a review of Seattle’s banking and investment practices, to a demand that Bush-era cuts in federal income taxes be allowed to expire.
The resolution’s broad wording suggests that the nation’s economic ills go back to the Reagan era, declaring:
“WHEREAS, over the past 30 years, gains in our economy have accrued largely to the top 1 percent income earners, who now control 40 percent of the wealth in the United States due in part to public policies that can be changed . . .”
They made me proud to be from Seattle.
.
Here are some excerpts from the Resolution:
Seattle City Clerk
A RESOLUTION recognizing and supporting the peaceful and lawful exercise of the First Amendment as a cherished and fundamental right in the effort to seek solutions for economically distressed Americans at the federal and local levels.
Status: Adopted as amended
Date adopted by Full Council: November 14, 2011
Vote: 9-0
Date introduced/referred to committee: November 7, 2011
Committee: Full Council
Sponsor: LICATA; CO-SPONSOR: O'BRIEN
1. The City will review its banking and investment practices to ensure that public funds are invested in responsible financial institutions that support our community. The Council may also consider future legislation to promote responsible banking and provide an incentive for banking institutions to invest more in our City, particularly with regard to stabilizing the housing market and supporting the creation of new businesses. This review should include evaluating City policies on responsible depositing and management of City funds.
2. The City will examine the number of home foreclosures in Seattle, the geographic neighborhoods in which the foreclosures are occurring, and lender information on homes involved in the foreclosure process, including real estate owned homes. Furthermore, the Office of Housing will work with the Seattle-King County Asset Building Collaborative's Foreclosure Prevention Action Team to gather qualitative data on the circumstances and causes of foreclosures and the foreclosure methods and practices of lenders, including reviewing apparent inequities many people in Seattle face when lender foreclosure proceedings occur.
3. The City will continue to address economic inequality and wealth disparities by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender. Through the City's Race and Social Justice Initiative and 2012 City Council committee work programs, the Council will continue to identify effective approaches to asset building, job training, access to banking and other financial services, educational attainment, family support, access to health care and other ways to address historic trends in disparities.
4. The Council will request a report from the Department of Finance and Administrative Services on all exemptions or waivers allowed for City taxes to examine the impact of both tax shifts and lost revenue to the City against the economic and social benefits the exemptions are intended to bring to the City.
5. The Council will consult with advocates of tax reform and experts on equitable taxation and review past tax reform efforts in order to work effectively with the State Legislature toward a more equitable tax structure.
6. The Council will analyze how city election campaigns are currently financed and explore alternatives.
7. As federal and state assistance dwindles, the City resolves to continue to use available resources to provide assistance for the most vulnerable people in Seattle.
8. The City recognizes that reforms in education and career preparation are essential for building a viable future and that the disparities in these areas begin very early in life and they continue through adulthood. The Council will seek maximum possible funding for Early Learning and Basic Education in the State Legislative Agenda. During challenging times, it is also critically important to support community colleges, technical colleges, and state universities as they provide access to retraining and workforce development opportunities.
Section 4. The Council and the Mayor recognize and support the important responsibility the Seattle Police Department exercises in protecting for everyone our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly while, at the same time, appropriately enforcing City laws and regulations.
I think this is a useful template for resolutions that other Occupations may want to bring forward in their own cities and towns
Get Used to It.
Have a look at what a police state looks like:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/nypd-raiding-liberty-square/
And go here to watch livestream...from way earlier this morning--roughly 1:00 a.m.(5,000 were viewing this live at 1:00 a.m. when the riot police struck....
http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
And here's another look at what a police state looks like:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/nypd-raiding-liberty-square/
and here:
http://occupywallst.org/
and here:
http://www.occupytogether.org
http://occupywallst.org/forum/nypd-raiding-liberty-square/
And go here to watch livestream...from way earlier this morning--roughly 1:00 a.m.(5,000 were viewing this live at 1:00 a.m. when the riot police struck....
http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
And here's another look at what a police state looks like:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/nypd-raiding-liberty-square/
and here:
http://occupywallst.org/
and here:
http://www.occupytogether.org
We Need to Get Off the Couch and Stop Cooperating with the Enemy
Some of my friends look at me like I might have a contagious disease when I mention out here JOTOLR that I am wholeheartedly not only supporting, but --as best I can--working for OWS.
On the other hand, I've found far more who immediately applaud my efforts. I display an OCCUPY poster wherever I go. It's slipped inside an old Pampered Chef bag which has a clearview slot for the poster that makes it visible as I go about my errands. The poster is the one I posted here the other day that reads, "Why is it easier to believe that 150,000,000 Americans are being lazy rather than 400 Americans are being greedy?" I've gotten all kinds of support for this. Raised fists, "You go, girl!" even short conversations about needing to do something, how unequal and rigged life is, and much much more.
I've made arrangements with several of my favorite online vendors to not use my credit card and instead wait for a check to clear, telling the person on the other end of the phone line it's in support of OWS against the BIG BANKS. "Oh, WOW! How great!" or "Way to go!" And these are the VENDORS!
You know, people....maybe we're all just slow to catch on or maybe we lack courage....but time's up. The problems our country faces are not going to go away by electing still another "great white hope." They aren't going away because we hoped that if we hid in the basement long enough, it would go away by the time we were ready to come out.
There's no hope out there other than for a complete makeover of this country. There's no magic rainbow. People have lost their homes, their jobs, their dignity, their families...their lives. And unless we all get up off the couch and start wearing our courage, start recognizing corporate fascism for what it is, we're going down--no question about it.
Below I have posted this entire diary from Daily Kos. The link is also posted so you can go back and have a read of 255 comments. People are fed up. And the only complaint I have with this beautiful post is that the words "pissed off" could diminutize the extent of our anger.
I am outraged. OUTRAGED! We've been screwed. It's time to get off the couch and take an active role in reclaiming our country. We are not here to change a few minds with regard to "fairness." We are here to change a world that sorely needs us at this critical time. This isn't about taking out a few greedy bankers (although that's part of it.) This is about saving the planet and building a society from the bottom up that reflects our values, our dreams, our concerns for the environment, our concerns for one another....So have a read, and tell me you've become an activist, voting with your body. You can do something. Choose an action. If you want a copy of that poster, let me know and I'll email it to you. Meanwhile, take time to read from the Declaration of Independence.....for real. Just reading those words is so inspiring. It reminds us of what the founders of our country faced. Can we do less? What right do we have to cower in the corners in fear?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/14/1036281/-Alternatives?via=search
Mon Nov 14, 2011 at 07:42 AM PST.
Alternatives
by One Pissed Off LiberalFollow .
Share47 permalink 204 Comments
A revolution is coming — a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough — But a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability.
Robert F. Kennedy
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
When in the course of human events shit breaks down, it is everyone's right and responsibility to fix it. And that is what is happening with the occupation movement. We are no longer pleading with the government to change its ways. We are turning our backs on the past and embracing the future. We are inventing a new way forward for the old ways are broken.
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Such has been the patient sufferance of the American people; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present Corporate Plutocracy is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
From the Declaration of Independence, with bold text representing substitutions by this writer.
It's not only our government, and not only our system of commerce and finance, nor the insult and injury inflicted by the Military Industrial Complex - it's the whole shooting match. The problem is our whole superficial mind-numbing soul-sucking culture where we are programmed, manipulated, played like puppets and exploited like beasts of burden and given the same level of care.
It's an empty, hollow road ahead and we don't have to go down it.
We can opt out of this neo-feudalism/corporate-fascism by not cooperating with it. We can re-invent the future. We can jump off this cliff and be reassured that wherever we land, it's got to be better than this shit.
People don't know exactly what they want, but as one friend of mine put it, they know one thing: FUCK THIS SHIT! We want something different: a different life, with different values, or at least a chance at different values.
Matt Taibi, h/t UnaSpencer
It's possible to do it all differently, to live with dignity and integrity and to do the right things because they are the right things to do. We can respect nature and science, mind our planet and look out for the least of these our brothers and sisters. It doesn't have to be all about profiteering and looting, or beating out the other guy, or dropping bombs on people and taking their shit. We can live together with mutual regard and concern. We can share. We can take care of each other. We can help each other. We can live ethical lives in every respect and rescue our planet in the process. We can crawl out from under the shame and denial demanded of us by the present order. We can stop the killing, the looting and the madness. We can choose to love each other over hating and fearing each other. We can live lives that are just, peaceful and good. We can learn to cooperate and to tread lightly on the earth. Not only can we do these things - we must do these things.
An alternative is being formed. It is not an adjunct. It is an alternative.
“This movement is so beyond, 'Hey let's get this candidate elected.' Those days are over... we've all participated... What did we get? Where are we? We're in the worst shape we have been in this country that I have seen in my lifetime."
Michael Moore
All the police and all the weaponry in the world cannot put this genie back in the bottle. We will not be turned around. No longer will we be denied. There will be justice in every corner of the earth.
A new world is coming
Monday, November 14, 2011
Seeing Sex in Every Story
Warning: TWBAR (This will be a rant.)
I thought about abandoning this post, which I wrote over the weekend. Thought some of you might be offended...but here we are again this morning, with the lead story on Google....you guessed it: the plight of Penn State
Had it dawned on you that over the past week the red-hot-headlining-number-one story- on every single day this past week --put forth by Google has been in one way or another about
Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex... and more SEX?
I have often wondered if this abberrant fixation on sex by our country, of course promoted by the likes of Google, and MSM, et al isn't brought about because the 1%--controllers of the MSM--are all alpha-males. And alpha males are all about power, and power is about subjugation of those perceived as being weak. It is also about baiting their sharpened hooks to troll for attention from a lazy couch-anchored population to the worst society has to offer. And corporate America wants our attention on the Bread and Circuses they are so adept at creating.
I don't know about you, but I am sick of Google's focus on sex. More to the point, I am sick of their flagrant disregard for the suffering their They facillitate the prurient, they are the voyeurs: they are the provocateurs; it is they who promote drug (sex) addiction.
For the past week and a half, all we've seen is SEX,SEX,SEX,SEX,SEX...except for the intervening moments when a shooting has occurred at an Occupy Wall Street encampment (unrelated to anything OWS could, should, would, have done about it,'')
Instead of serious issues, we are slimed with still another sordid pie-cut of the JoePa scandal (scandal being another juicy word for the MSM) ad nauseum, fanning the flames of obscession.
It's been as if nothing were more important for this country at this time than how a bunch of high-powered football jocks managed to rape children and keep it secret for years. One commentator yesterday even had the gall to proclain that Penn State fans were somehow entitled to a win yesterday over Nebraska in order for them to overcome all the other "bad news" they were having to cope with...
Bad news? I guess that's one way of putting it...I rather doubt the families of the victims would have characterized the events in that vein.
What has happened to our sense of morality, decency, compassion and privacy in an event like this? The victims and their families are quietly suffering behind the scenes while the MSM makes a sideshow out of their pain. This is beyond disgusting. It's immoral in every sense of the word.
There are so many critical things crying out for our attention, our efforts, our cooperation, our creativity, our intelligence, our understanding! This nation is sick. Did you know there are 47,000 homeless in New York City alone? Now THAT is a problem worth looking into in a locale where a Republican mayor insists all is hunky dory... Not only that, but according to some sources, Bloomberg's thugs are now herding the homeless to Zuccotti Park, and guess what? OWS is feeding them and offering a blanket to all comers, walking the talk, moving down the bench a notch. How many? OWS says it is feeding between 3-5,000 per day. Now....why isn't New York City taking care of its homeless; more to the point, why does it HAVE so many homeless?
Did you know that the health department in Oakland has descended upon the OWS encampment there and is now disallowing certain foods (confiscating them) that are "unhealthy" to serve (and yes, OWS works out of certified kitchens) (and many of the recipients of the food are homeless, so the health department obviously prefers to knit-pick the minutiae of food "safety" and use that as a weapon to shut down Occupty Oakland rather than feed their homeless.
Yes, all the stories on Google worth looking at are at the very end of their very shallow roster designed to subvert attention to what's important. It's always Tiger Woods or Kim Kardashian (sp?) or Charlie Sheen, or Dancing With the Stars, or that Rick Perry suffers from CRS. But, then again, there's the Herman Cain SEX scandals, ( there's those juicy words again) playing out on the political stage...over and over and over.....all with a bunch of idiots in kabuki theater, parading as "candidates."
I try to stay away from Google, but I admit, it's difficult to do. My blog is tied to Blogger which IS Google. So, despite getting my news from places like the Real News Network, Democracy Now, Occupy Wall Street Press, Countdown and Daily Kos, I still find myself tied to Google.
I find it creepy, too, after I have just checked the price of coffee beans at my favorite online outlet and a minute later, in Google "news" , is an ad from ANOTHER coffee company in the righthand margin of my screen offering me a 7% discount on coffee beans from that company. Or I've just finished visiting Paradise Fibers to check the price of a set of knitting needles, and I get a pop-up ad in the margin on specials at Paradise Fibers that I can cash in on. Talk about Big Brother....It's Big Brother Google.
And did you ever notice that there's no place you can complain to Google about stuff? Nope. They are safely anchored within the padded cells of the 1% bastion sipping their champagne as they choose "news" for the masses. What they want you to know--or not know.
They don't want us to think. They don't want us to understand that corporate America has sold us out. They don't want you to focus on the fact that the oligarchs are in power.
Want real news? Something other than sex? Try any of the above publications I've mentioned and learn what is really going on in this country, this world. Get the real story on OWS--rather than some concoction of the 1%...start paying attention (if you haven't already) to the things that need doing, require understanding. Don't settle for sugar-coated, bite-sized breakfast bits of the Today show featuring the frosted flakes and pop tarts of celebrity. Instead...discover some real news--news that provides nutrition for the mind and the soul instead of constant titillation. We've got so much to do in this country!
http://therealnews.com/t2/component/content/article/50-danny/794-mic-check-you-say-you-want-a-revolution
I thought about abandoning this post, which I wrote over the weekend. Thought some of you might be offended...but here we are again this morning, with the lead story on Google....you guessed it: the plight of Penn State
Had it dawned on you that over the past week the red-hot-headlining-number-one story- on every single day this past week --put forth by Google has been in one way or another about
Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex... and more SEX?
I have often wondered if this abberrant fixation on sex by our country, of course promoted by the likes of Google, and MSM, et al isn't brought about because the 1%--controllers of the MSM--are all alpha-males. And alpha males are all about power, and power is about subjugation of those perceived as being weak. It is also about baiting their sharpened hooks to troll for attention from a lazy couch-anchored population to the worst society has to offer. And corporate America wants our attention on the Bread and Circuses they are so adept at creating.
I don't know about you, but I am sick of Google's focus on sex. More to the point, I am sick of their flagrant disregard for the suffering their They facillitate the prurient, they are the voyeurs: they are the provocateurs; it is they who promote drug (sex) addiction.
For the past week and a half, all we've seen is SEX,SEX,SEX,SEX,SEX...except for the intervening moments when a shooting has occurred at an Occupy Wall Street encampment (unrelated to anything OWS could, should, would, have done about it,'')
Instead of serious issues, we are slimed with still another sordid pie-cut of the JoePa scandal (scandal being another juicy word for the MSM) ad nauseum, fanning the flames of obscession.
It's been as if nothing were more important for this country at this time than how a bunch of high-powered football jocks managed to rape children and keep it secret for years. One commentator yesterday even had the gall to proclain that Penn State fans were somehow entitled to a win yesterday over Nebraska in order for them to overcome all the other "bad news" they were having to cope with...
Bad news? I guess that's one way of putting it...I rather doubt the families of the victims would have characterized the events in that vein.
What has happened to our sense of morality, decency, compassion and privacy in an event like this? The victims and their families are quietly suffering behind the scenes while the MSM makes a sideshow out of their pain. This is beyond disgusting. It's immoral in every sense of the word.
There are so many critical things crying out for our attention, our efforts, our cooperation, our creativity, our intelligence, our understanding! This nation is sick. Did you know there are 47,000 homeless in New York City alone? Now THAT is a problem worth looking into in a locale where a Republican mayor insists all is hunky dory... Not only that, but according to some sources, Bloomberg's thugs are now herding the homeless to Zuccotti Park, and guess what? OWS is feeding them and offering a blanket to all comers, walking the talk, moving down the bench a notch. How many? OWS says it is feeding between 3-5,000 per day. Now....why isn't New York City taking care of its homeless; more to the point, why does it HAVE so many homeless?
Did you know that the health department in Oakland has descended upon the OWS encampment there and is now disallowing certain foods (confiscating them) that are "unhealthy" to serve (and yes, OWS works out of certified kitchens) (and many of the recipients of the food are homeless, so the health department obviously prefers to knit-pick the minutiae of food "safety" and use that as a weapon to shut down Occupty Oakland rather than feed their homeless.
Yes, all the stories on Google worth looking at are at the very end of their very shallow roster designed to subvert attention to what's important. It's always Tiger Woods or Kim Kardashian (sp?) or Charlie Sheen, or Dancing With the Stars, or that Rick Perry suffers from CRS. But, then again, there's the Herman Cain SEX scandals, ( there's those juicy words again) playing out on the political stage...over and over and over.....all with a bunch of idiots in kabuki theater, parading as "candidates."
I try to stay away from Google, but I admit, it's difficult to do. My blog is tied to Blogger which IS Google. So, despite getting my news from places like the Real News Network, Democracy Now, Occupy Wall Street Press, Countdown and Daily Kos, I still find myself tied to Google.
I find it creepy, too, after I have just checked the price of coffee beans at my favorite online outlet and a minute later, in Google "news" , is an ad from ANOTHER coffee company in the righthand margin of my screen offering me a 7% discount on coffee beans from that company. Or I've just finished visiting Paradise Fibers to check the price of a set of knitting needles, and I get a pop-up ad in the margin on specials at Paradise Fibers that I can cash in on. Talk about Big Brother....It's Big Brother Google.
And did you ever notice that there's no place you can complain to Google about stuff? Nope. They are safely anchored within the padded cells of the 1% bastion sipping their champagne as they choose "news" for the masses. What they want you to know--or not know.
They don't want us to think. They don't want us to understand that corporate America has sold us out. They don't want you to focus on the fact that the oligarchs are in power.
Want real news? Something other than sex? Try any of the above publications I've mentioned and learn what is really going on in this country, this world. Get the real story on OWS--rather than some concoction of the 1%...start paying attention (if you haven't already) to the things that need doing, require understanding. Don't settle for sugar-coated, bite-sized breakfast bits of the Today show featuring the frosted flakes and pop tarts of celebrity. Instead...discover some real news--news that provides nutrition for the mind and the soul instead of constant titillation. We've got so much to do in this country!
http://therealnews.com/t2/component/content/article/50-danny/794-mic-check-you-say-you-want-a-revolution
So, you think it's dying down? Or that it's over?
Not hardly. Not even close. As OWS heads out to the hinterlands, as it marches from New York City to Washington D. C., as it Occupies Phoenix on November 17 and November 18 http://occupyphx.org/; as we honor a No-Buy day on November 25th...as we lock in for the long haul....we grow stronger and more than ever convinced of the "rightness" of our stuggles. And it will be a long haul. Read (from the Occupied Wall Street Journal) http://occupiedwallstjournal.com/ this speech by Naomi Klein:
The Most Important Thing in the World
by Naomi Klein
Thank you for allowing me to post this speech in its entirety. I want to make sure it's easy to access and read and gives no excuse for not linking/reading.
NEW YORK TURNS OUT TO OCCUPY WALL STREET: Labor unions and student walkouts brought tens of thousands to Foley Square on Oct. 5. After dusk, crowds filled lower Manhattan around Zuccotti Park, re-named Liberty Square by the occupation. Despite high spirits among the protesters and no incidents of violence or vandalism, NYPD officers arrested numerous people. Pepper spray and batons were also deployed.
If there is one thing I know, it’s that the 1% loves a crisis.
When people are panicked and desperate and no one seems to know what to do, that is the ideal time to push through their wish-list of pro-corporate policies: privatizing education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over.
There is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it’s a very big thing: the 99%.
And that 99% is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say “No. We will not pay for your crisis.” That slogan began in Italy in 2008. It ricocheted to Greece and France and Ireland and finally it has made its way to the square mile where the crisis began. “Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?” “We’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” And most of all: “Welcome.”
Many people have drawn parallels between Occupy Wall Street and the so-called anti-globalization protests that came to world attention in Seattle in 1999. That was the last time a global, youth-led, decentralized movement took direct aim at corporate power. And I am proud to have been part of what we called “the movement of movements.” But there are important differences too. For instance, we chose summits as our targets: the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the G8.
Summits are transient by their nature, they only last a week. That made us transient too. We’d appear, grab world headlines, then disappear. And in the frenzy of hyper-patriotism and militarism that followed the 9/11 attacks, it was easy to sweep us away completely, at least in North America.
Occupy Wall Street, on the other hand, has chosen a fixed target. And you have put no end date on your presence here. This is wise. Only when you stay put can you grow roots. This is crucial. It is a fact of the information age that too many movements spring up like beautiful flowers but quickly die off. It’s because they don’t have roots. And they don’t have long term plans for how they are going to sustain themselves. So when storms come, they get washed away.
Being horizontal and deeply democratic is wonderful. These principles are compatible with the hard work of building structures and institutions that are sturdy enough to weather the storms ahead. I have great faith that this will happen. Something else this movement is doing right: You have committed yourselves to non-violence. You have refused to give the media the images of broken windows and street fights it craves so desperately.
And that tremendous discipline has meant that, again and again, the story has been the disgraceful and unprovoked police brutality. Which we just saw more of Wednesday night. Meanwhile, support for this movement grows and grows. More wisdom. But the biggest difference a decade makes is that in 1999, we were taking on capitalism at the peak of a frenzied economic boom. Unemployment was low, stock portfolios were bulging. The media was drunk on easy money. Back then it was all about start-ups, not shutdowns. We pointed out that the deregulation behind the frenzy came at a price. It was damaging to labor standards. It was damaging to environmental standards. Corporations were becoming more powerful than governments and that was damaging to our democracies. But to be honest with you, while the good times rolled, taking on an economic system based on greed was a tough sell, at least in rich countries.
Ten years later, it seems as if there aren’t any more rich countries. Just a whole lot of rich people. People who got rich looting the public wealth and exhausting natural resources around the world.
The point is, today everyone can see that the system is deeply unjust and careening out of control. Unfettered greed has trashed the global economy. And it is trashing the natural world as well. We are overfishing our oceans, polluting our water with fracking and deepwater drilling, turning to the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet, like the Alberta tar sands. The atmosphere cannot absorb the amount of carbon we are putting into it, creating dangerous warming. The new normal is serial disasters: economic and ecological.
These are the facts on the ground. They are so blatant, so obvious, that it is a lot easier to connect with the public than it was in 1999, and to build the movement quickly. We all know, or at least sense, that the world is upside down: we act as if there is no end to what is actually finite—fossil fuels and the atmospheric space to absorb their emissions. And we act as if there are strict and immovable limits to what is actually bountiful—the financial resources to build the kind of society we need.
The task of our time is to turn this around: to challenge this false scarcity. To insist that we can afford to build a decent, inclusive society—while at the same time, respect the real limits to what the earth can take. What climate change means is that we have to do this on a deadline. This time our movement cannot get distracted, divided, burned out or swept away by events. This time we have to succeed. And I’m not talking about regulating the banks and increasing taxes on the rich, though that’s important. I am talking about changing the underlying values that govern our society. That is hard to fit into a single, media-friendly demand, and it’s also hard to figure out how to do it. But it is no less urgent for being difficult. That is what I see happening in this square. In the way you are feeding each other, keeping each other warm, sharing information freely and providing health care, meditation classes and empowerment training. My favorite sign here says “I care about you.” In a culture that trains people to avoid each other’s gaze, to say, “Let them die,” that is a deeply radical statement.
We have picked a fight with the most powerful economic and political forces on the planet. That’s frightening. And as this movement grows from strength to strength, it will get more frightening. Always be aware that there will be a temptation to shift to smaller targets—like, say, the person next to you. Don’t give into the temptation. This time, let’s treat each other as if we plan to work side by side in struggle for many, many years to come. Because the task before will demand nothing less.
Let’s treat this beautiful movement as if it is the most important thing in the world. Because it is. It really is.
from a speech delivered Oct. 6 in Liberty Square
The Most Important Thing in the World
by Naomi Klein
Thank you for allowing me to post this speech in its entirety. I want to make sure it's easy to access and read and gives no excuse for not linking/reading.
NEW YORK TURNS OUT TO OCCUPY WALL STREET: Labor unions and student walkouts brought tens of thousands to Foley Square on Oct. 5. After dusk, crowds filled lower Manhattan around Zuccotti Park, re-named Liberty Square by the occupation. Despite high spirits among the protesters and no incidents of violence or vandalism, NYPD officers arrested numerous people. Pepper spray and batons were also deployed.
If there is one thing I know, it’s that the 1% loves a crisis.
When people are panicked and desperate and no one seems to know what to do, that is the ideal time to push through their wish-list of pro-corporate policies: privatizing education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over.
There is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it’s a very big thing: the 99%.
And that 99% is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say “No. We will not pay for your crisis.” That slogan began in Italy in 2008. It ricocheted to Greece and France and Ireland and finally it has made its way to the square mile where the crisis began. “Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?” “We’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” And most of all: “Welcome.”
Many people have drawn parallels between Occupy Wall Street and the so-called anti-globalization protests that came to world attention in Seattle in 1999. That was the last time a global, youth-led, decentralized movement took direct aim at corporate power. And I am proud to have been part of what we called “the movement of movements.” But there are important differences too. For instance, we chose summits as our targets: the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the G8.
Summits are transient by their nature, they only last a week. That made us transient too. We’d appear, grab world headlines, then disappear. And in the frenzy of hyper-patriotism and militarism that followed the 9/11 attacks, it was easy to sweep us away completely, at least in North America.
Occupy Wall Street, on the other hand, has chosen a fixed target. And you have put no end date on your presence here. This is wise. Only when you stay put can you grow roots. This is crucial. It is a fact of the information age that too many movements spring up like beautiful flowers but quickly die off. It’s because they don’t have roots. And they don’t have long term plans for how they are going to sustain themselves. So when storms come, they get washed away.
Being horizontal and deeply democratic is wonderful. These principles are compatible with the hard work of building structures and institutions that are sturdy enough to weather the storms ahead. I have great faith that this will happen. Something else this movement is doing right: You have committed yourselves to non-violence. You have refused to give the media the images of broken windows and street fights it craves so desperately.
And that tremendous discipline has meant that, again and again, the story has been the disgraceful and unprovoked police brutality. Which we just saw more of Wednesday night. Meanwhile, support for this movement grows and grows. More wisdom. But the biggest difference a decade makes is that in 1999, we were taking on capitalism at the peak of a frenzied economic boom. Unemployment was low, stock portfolios were bulging. The media was drunk on easy money. Back then it was all about start-ups, not shutdowns. We pointed out that the deregulation behind the frenzy came at a price. It was damaging to labor standards. It was damaging to environmental standards. Corporations were becoming more powerful than governments and that was damaging to our democracies. But to be honest with you, while the good times rolled, taking on an economic system based on greed was a tough sell, at least in rich countries.
Ten years later, it seems as if there aren’t any more rich countries. Just a whole lot of rich people. People who got rich looting the public wealth and exhausting natural resources around the world.
The point is, today everyone can see that the system is deeply unjust and careening out of control. Unfettered greed has trashed the global economy. And it is trashing the natural world as well. We are overfishing our oceans, polluting our water with fracking and deepwater drilling, turning to the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet, like the Alberta tar sands. The atmosphere cannot absorb the amount of carbon we are putting into it, creating dangerous warming. The new normal is serial disasters: economic and ecological.
These are the facts on the ground. They are so blatant, so obvious, that it is a lot easier to connect with the public than it was in 1999, and to build the movement quickly. We all know, or at least sense, that the world is upside down: we act as if there is no end to what is actually finite—fossil fuels and the atmospheric space to absorb their emissions. And we act as if there are strict and immovable limits to what is actually bountiful—the financial resources to build the kind of society we need.
The task of our time is to turn this around: to challenge this false scarcity. To insist that we can afford to build a decent, inclusive society—while at the same time, respect the real limits to what the earth can take. What climate change means is that we have to do this on a deadline. This time our movement cannot get distracted, divided, burned out or swept away by events. This time we have to succeed. And I’m not talking about regulating the banks and increasing taxes on the rich, though that’s important. I am talking about changing the underlying values that govern our society. That is hard to fit into a single, media-friendly demand, and it’s also hard to figure out how to do it. But it is no less urgent for being difficult. That is what I see happening in this square. In the way you are feeding each other, keeping each other warm, sharing information freely and providing health care, meditation classes and empowerment training. My favorite sign here says “I care about you.” In a culture that trains people to avoid each other’s gaze, to say, “Let them die,” that is a deeply radical statement.
We have picked a fight with the most powerful economic and political forces on the planet. That’s frightening. And as this movement grows from strength to strength, it will get more frightening. Always be aware that there will be a temptation to shift to smaller targets—like, say, the person next to you. Don’t give into the temptation. This time, let’s treat each other as if we plan to work side by side in struggle for many, many years to come. Because the task before will demand nothing less.
Let’s treat this beautiful movement as if it is the most important thing in the world. Because it is. It really is.
from a speech delivered Oct. 6 in Liberty Square
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Broke? Are you kidding???
Watch this video! It's down a few paragraphs. Scroll down to get it. Well worth a view!
http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/the-story-of-broke
http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/the-story-of-broke
SCORE!!!!
I know, I know....hockey season is a ways away....but we have, indeed, scored! Read on! And BTW, thanks to Occupy Wall Street and mainly Bill McKibbens's dogged fight against the Keystone XL Pipeline Obama finally had to take notice, saying the project needed more "study." After making a ring around the White House, Bill McKibbens and the dedicated protesters (and helped by Occupy Wall Street) won the day.
So, I just got this email from Markos Moulitsas, Founder of Daily Kos:
Since September 29, at least 700,000 Americans have moved their money out of big banks and into credit unions.
The big banks are so freaked out by what's happening that some have locked their doors and even called the police on customers who tried to close their accounts.
Click here for ten amazing stories about big banks desperately trying to stop customers from closing their accounts:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/11/1035479/-Ten-stories-of-people-moving-their-money,-despite-bank-efforts-to-stopthem?detail=hide
Please share these stories with a friend, too. Everyone needs to know we have the big banks on the run.
Keep fighting,
Markos Moulitsas
Founder, Daily Kos
PS: Help keep Daily Kos strong by chipping in to support us.
Support Us Daily Kos Home Unsubscribe
So, I just got this email from Markos Moulitsas, Founder of Daily Kos:
Since September 29, at least 700,000 Americans have moved their money out of big banks and into credit unions.
The big banks are so freaked out by what's happening that some have locked their doors and even called the police on customers who tried to close their accounts.
Click here for ten amazing stories about big banks desperately trying to stop customers from closing their accounts:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/11/1035479/-Ten-stories-of-people-moving-their-money,-despite-bank-efforts-to-stopthem?detail=hide
Please share these stories with a friend, too. Everyone needs to know we have the big banks on the run.
Keep fighting,
Markos Moulitsas
Founder, Daily Kos
PS: Help keep Daily Kos strong by chipping in to support us.
Support Us Daily Kos Home Unsubscribe
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Love these links....
Speaks for itself. Have a look!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/09/1034658/-Get-a-What-A-Job-70-of-Occupy-Wall-Streeters-are-Employed,-Compared-to-56-of-Tea-Partiers-?via=recent
Thank you Daily Kos for your constance vigilance and eloquence. You are tops!
And...I will tack this onto this post for good measure. I don't always agree completely with Dave Pollard, but he's always interesting! And there's plenty to agree upon, to say the least!
http://howtosavetheworld.ca/2011/11/05/the-metamovements-message-were-not-buying-it-any-more/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/09/1034658/-Get-a-What-A-Job-70-of-Occupy-Wall-Streeters-are-Employed,-Compared-to-56-of-Tea-Partiers-?via=recent
Thank you Daily Kos for your constance vigilance and eloquence. You are tops!
And...I will tack this onto this post for good measure. I don't always agree completely with Dave Pollard, but he's always interesting! And there's plenty to agree upon, to say the least!
http://howtosavetheworld.ca/2011/11/05/the-metamovements-message-were-not-buying-it-any-more/
I Am Proud to have Zeroed Out my credit card with JP Morgan Chase
Poor Alabama!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FLII1RHuvc
So how can we help Alabama? Probably can't. It's pretty much a done deal, but we can slap JP Morgan Chase. We can be a burr under their saddle.
Quit using your credit card! Pay it off and then leave it lie at zero balance. Make them do the accounting every month on a zero balance. Use money orders, checks, and cash...or if you are lucky enough to have a credit union credit card, then for you, it's business as usual. Withdraw your money from ALL BIG BANKS...and YES!!! it DOES hurt them. So far, they are amazed. The next withdraw en masse is December 5, 2011. That gives you plenty of time to move your money. By putting it into local, community banks, the money stays in your...community!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FLII1RHuvc
So how can we help Alabama? Probably can't. It's pretty much a done deal, but we can slap JP Morgan Chase. We can be a burr under their saddle.
Quit using your credit card! Pay it off and then leave it lie at zero balance. Make them do the accounting every month on a zero balance. Use money orders, checks, and cash...or if you are lucky enough to have a credit union credit card, then for you, it's business as usual. Withdraw your money from ALL BIG BANKS...and YES!!! it DOES hurt them. So far, they are amazed. The next withdraw en masse is December 5, 2011. That gives you plenty of time to move your money. By putting it into local, community banks, the money stays in your...community!
Police State Coming to a Town Near You...
Watch for it! A police state is coming soon to a town near you..! ...In some cases, it's here......and it's frightening. Check out Keith Olbermann's program for last Monday and have a look at a police state. Listen to Olbermann's interview of Scott Campbell. See what you think. Looks like police brutality to me...or are my eyes deceiving me? Not a word, though...nothing from the MSM.
And now, Asheville...for distributing flyers? They don't have the right to do this. We don't have "free speech ZONES!" We have free speech EVERYWHERE!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/09/1034611/-Breathtaking-Police-State-Overreach-at-Occupy-Asheville-(NC)?via=recent
By way of contrast, check out the actions of the city of my birth: Seattle
http://clerk.seattle.gov/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?d=RESF&s1=31337.resn.&Sect6=HITOFF&l=20&p=1&u=/~public/resny.htm&r=1&f=G
Time to get off the couch, people...Talk about abridgement of Constitutional Rights! The sidewalks are OURS! Our tax dollars PAID for them! The building the police are housed in was bought and paid for by US! It's OUR building. It belongs to the 99%.
I thought the police worked for US! WRONG. They work for the 1%. Did you know that a good percentage of the police who are harrassing protestors everywhere are private security? Many of the so-called "police" that have descended on protesters in Zucotti Park are actually private security, hired by Bloomberg and all his rich friends. And they make up their own laws and rules as they go along?
Finally, on a brighter note, stay with Keith Olbermann and enjoy his interview with David Crosby and Graham Nash. For those of you in the 99%, this will warm your hearts! Go to Countdown Tuesday night, November 8, 2011
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