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Thought for the Day (10/20/11)

"It [Occupy, 99%, OWS] rightly puts the focus on the economic institutions rather than on the politicians who are merely their lackeys. The countless grievances may not constitute a coherent program, but taken as a whole they already imply a fundamental transformation of the system. The nature of that transformation will become clearer as the struggle develops. If the movement ends up forcing the system to come up with some sort of significant, New Deal-type reforms, so much the better — that will temporarily ease conditions so we can more easily push further. If the system proves incapable of implementing any significant reforms, that will force people to look into more radical alternatives." - Bureau of Public Secrets
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Open Letter to My Apathetic Friends

"i have managed to live 57 years not caring - i feel less stressed than the average American - i was never under the illusion that the government cared about me -  i am sure the government doesn't care about me so i am not disappointed when they do yet another thing to fuck with me - i expect to be fucked with and since i don't pay attention to the news, i don't even know when i am being fucked with, and i simply don't care.  it is the way of the world. government fucks with the people."  

Those words come from a very dear friend of mine, a friend of over 30 years. She regularly reads my blog and comments privately to me at least once a week. Her words are in reaction to my latest series of political posts on the Occupy Movement.


I recognize that many millions are not involved in the political process for precisely the reasons she gives. But feeling powerless is not simply a reaction to the way things are. No, in fact, the systems of government, commerce and finance actively attempt to persuade us to become apathetic. Occupy Wall Street and the OWC spawned encampments around the world are ever so slowly beginning to frighten the fat 1%. "They" are, in turn, reaching out to their politicians and other elected  and appointed officials, like police administrations. "They" want this potential disruption to their rigged system to stop before it reaches critical mass.


Too late!


So what I say to my apolitical and apathetic friends is this - you can help us and help yourself, in some very simply ways. Emails written from home make a difference. Donations of food, clothing, books, cleaning supplies - all help the Occupy encampments.


But more importantly, I ask you to take seven minutes to watch the TED talk I have linked to below. Trust me, just a few minutes will get you to think very differently about your active choice to be apathetic. The same few minutes will also serve as a reminder to liberals, conservatives, centrists and nearly anyone wondering about the extent of corporate complicity in the manufacturing of inequality around the world. 


TED Talk: The antidote to Apathy (7 mins.)
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Thought for the Day (10/18/11)

". . . the rise of the social-welfare state was a response (often of market-oriented liberal democracies) to the threat of popular revolutions, socialism, and communism as the frequency and severity of economic and financial crises increased . . . Any economic model that does not properly address inequality will eventually face a crisis of legitimacy. Unless the relative economic roles of the market and the state are rebalanced, the protests of 2011 will become more severe, with social and political instability eventually harming long-term economic growth and welfare."
Nouriel Roubini writing at truth-out.org
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Talking About Occupy

Perhaps the single most important action you can take right now is to talk to someone about the Occupy movement. Two tactics come to mind. The first and the easiest is to find out if your friends, your political allies have heard about Occupy. If not then you must engage them with the facts, not the mass media message. Only about 50% of the population has heard of Occupy right now, so basic information needs to spread. Be the spreader.

The second conversation is more difficult but much more productive to everyone - have the conversation with someone who disagrees with you. Doesn't matter if you support Occupy or are against it. Doesn't matter if you don't have all the information, facts, figures and spin. Just begin the conversation.

I am engaged with several people. One card carrying liberal democrat, an ardent Obama supporter, who sees the Occupy demonstrations as helping the republicans. On the other side I trade long emails with a man whom I respect as open, honest and well informed. He is also an arch-conservative and is currently rereading Atlas Shrugged as a guide to everyday living. A third conversation is with an old college friend who actually has worked inside the Washington beltway for many years; his predictions in '08, '04 and '00 were right on the money, I value his insider observations. By the way, his prediction at this stage of the presidential scrum - Romney outwaits the republican fringe candidates, wins the nomination and defeats Obama for the job.

I learn from all of these conversations, that's why I started them. My arguments are both refined and tempered by engaging with a variety of opinions. I am still searching for a strong middle of the road friend to take up yet another back and forth exchange.

Please talk to someone, even a whole bunch of someones. And write, don't let the corporate media sway your opinion with their propaganda. It is not true that Occupy lacks a clear message; it is true that CNN, Fox, NYT and others don't want to hear that message because it puts them squarely in the crosshairs.

Talk about Occupy. Write to the sources of power and information. Engage in Your Democracy. It was the Arab Spring but we are entering the American Autumn and the American Winter and by next spring - everything could change.

Here's a link to what Occupy has accomplished in the first month.
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political cartoon from The New Yorker
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The Day After

Yesterday was October 15th - the first worldwide day of the Occupy Movement.

Rome, Italy: (100K-200K) Riots or near riots - tear gas, burned cars, smashed windows. Demonstration possibly hijacked by 'Black Bloc' instigators.

Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Berlin, Moscow, Madrid: - peaceful.

New York City: the home of Occupy; lots of marchers, lots of marches. Yes, some arrests but one has to wonder when those are necessary and when its just the power structure flexing their old stereotypes.

San Francisco: bigger (10,000) and longer lasting protest with several marches still going on into the evening.

Berkeley: My first hand report from the streets of Berkeley, California. A couple of hundred for the noon rally. SF and Oakland drew much bigger crowds but this is Berkeley so I am a bit surprised that there were not more older protesters here to support Occupy. The crowd did grow as the afternoon wore on.

Thousands show up to Occupy Las Vegas

High estimates from the left: 951 cities in 82 countries
Low estimates from the right: a few dirty hippies with no coherent message
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thanks to Pauly for the graphic
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The Real Art of Protest

All of today's images come from 











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Open Letter to My Friends in the Center

You are the friends I am most concerned about. The middle class has taken a double edged beating in this financial meltdown. You lost homes, pensions, jobs, buying power and you paid for it. In the past this country has helped those at the bottom of the ladder; maybe not enough and always not soon enough but help was there. You, in the middle, have paid for that assistance and mostly you complained little or not at all.

Today, you need the help and Congress is fighting over whether emergency relief funds for flood and tornado victims is really a priority in this country. I know there are survivors of Katrina who will tell this this is not a new way for our government at act or lack action. But the help needed today is more basic, more at the core of what our national government has become. We are no longer looking out for the 99%. Those at the top are prospering, not breaking even, not hurting a bit like everyone else. They are increasing their fortunes each and every day; turn on any one of the market watching television channels - on Wall Street the recession is long over; profits are up, bonuses are up. And nothing is trickling down.

"Don't raise their taxes" we are told, "they won't create jobs if we raise their taxes".... Well we haven't raised their taxes, where exactly are the jobs? Where are the bank loans to small businesses? You want to see this 'trickle down" economics in action - take a look at the cartoon on my last blog post.

Sorry, I got off on a bit of a rant there. So let me ask, do you honestly feel your government cares about you? Right, I agree. So get yourself a twitter account, listen to what is being said in those Occupy encampments. Those aren't all kids out there. It's you, it's me, it's everyone who wants America to be what it once promised to be. With Liberty and Justice for All, there shouldn't be a price tag on Freedom.

Occupy America! 
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