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!