it is a movement. it is a matter of time to see how strong it is...
lack of progress and cold weather is enough to make a lot of people give up...
i have donated blankets and money to provide warmth for those that are going to be sleeping out in the cold, so i have done a small little part to support it..
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
The occupy protests in Rome became quickly became quite violent and skirmishes with police in New York give me the impression that this is really the tide before the storm. While these protests are peaceful, they are being met with resistance from the media as well as the many Americans who back Wall Street. The top 1% have too much to lose to simply give up here. The protesters will discover that non-violent solutions are ineffective. Corporate America still has a firm hold of government and while these protests have provided American television viewers with a good bit of 6:00 viewing, they won't bring about real reform.
Personally I find it quite sad that so many individuals are anti-union and anti-fair wage but will openly back the leadership on Wall Street despite the gross misappropriation and misuse of investor savings and American tax dollars. I just don't understand how so many people can cheer on the loss of working class and middle class pensions and jobs while advocating so strongly for the uber rich irrespective of their many transgressions against the United States. I mean, why were people more upset with the government throwing $30-or-so billion dollars to Detroit, but the banks were too big to fail so a trillion dollars can be tossed to Wall Street without batting an eye? Why do we hate middle-class workers so much that we've joined the crusade to eliminate them entirely?
I don't think anyone is cheering the bad economy.
The message from Tea Partiers is rather than losing all hope in the American system of liberty, justice and limited government, these community-builders -- the Tea Partiers -- are rallying to express their firm commitment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees equality under the law, not equality of material-world goods. The Constitution is designed to preserve liberty, not "empathy," for as any sentient person knows, empathy is entirely dependent upon which type of tyrant is sitting in the seat of judgment.
“We the people are the rightful masters of bothCongress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” Abraham Lincoln
this movement is not about tyranny or the loss of liberty. i wish people on the right would stop trying to characterize it like that and i wish they would stop the default argument that we are somehow so oppressed by some tyrant in the white house who has not and can not take away your liberty. it is not about patriotism or the concept of liberty and the loss of liberty...
stop taking the focus off of the reason people are protesting.
it is about the bankers making out like robber barons at the expense of regular people and it is about the ever expanding discrepancy of wealth and how regular working people are fucked and how there are no jobs.
if you channeled your anger at the real people that are oppressing you instead of having some smoke and mirrors theory blaming obama for everything you might just begin to understand where people involved in this movement are coming from...
if i remember correctly you said in the past that you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. these people are protesting against that and they are on your side because you deserve better than having to do that. nobody deserves to have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
equality under the law, not equality of material-world goods. The Constitution is designed to preserve liberty, not "empathy," for as any sentient person knows, empathy is entirely dependent upon which type of tyrant is sitting in the seat of judgment.
Who the hell is talking about empathy or "equality of material-world goods?" OWS doesn't care about material goods; I would guess a large majority of us--myself included--find materialism quite revolting.
Again this is misguided and is a vacuous statement that barely reaches the level of propaganda.
I originally wanted to reply to this post by saying that the Tea Party--as it was established in 2006 in Boston--does make some good points: tax reform, end the wars, end the war on drugs. it is a shame though that this movement as it originally stood in 2006 has been co-opted and bastardized by the Republican Right and has been diluted by Corporate interests--Koch brothers.
There is a lot that the Tea Party and OWS can agree on. Unity is much better than division for the American people. Division is much better than unity for the 1%.
this movement is not about tyranny or the loss of liberty. i wish people on the right would stop trying to characterize it like that and i wish they would stop the default argument that we are somehow so oppressed by some tyrant in the white house who has not and can not take away your liberty. it is not about patriotism or the concept of liberty and the loss of liberty...
stop taking the focus off of the reason people are protesting.
it is about the bankers making out like robber barons at the expense of regular people and it is about the ever expanding discrepancy of wealth and how regular working people are fucked and how there are no jobs.
if you channeled your anger at the real people that are oppressing you instead of having some smoke and mirrors theory blaming obama for everything you might just begin to understand where people involved in this movement are coming from...
if i remember correctly you said in the past that you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. these people are protesting against that and they are on your side because you deserve better than having to do that. nobody deserves to have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet.
The Obama administration has now spawned two grass-root movements born out of the frustration of government manipulation and failed policy ... is this the "change" we heard about?
The Obama administration has now spawned two grass-root movements born out of the frustration of government manipulation and failed policy ... is this the "change" we heard about?
Change WE THE PEOPLE can believe in!
But didn't the Tea Party--the Tea Party that was not co-opted and diluted by corporate interests and the Republican party-- begin in 2006? A shame: they had a good message until they became a caricature of their original selves. Not 100% their fault. I blame Palin, Bachman, the Kochs, etc for manipulating the movement.
And, OWS was bound to happen. It doesn't matter who was in office.
All that aside, I agree with you: this is not what we expected 3 years ago, and I'm sure Barry is sitting in the Oval Office saying, "this wasn't supposed to happen while I am president"
The Obama administration has now spawned two grass-root movements born out of the frustration of government manipulation and failed policy ... is this the "change" we heard about?
Change WE THE PEOPLE can believe in!
But didn't the Tea Party--the Tea Party that was not co-opted and diluted by corporate interests and the Republican party-- begin in 2006? A shame: they had a good message until they became a caricature of their original selves. Not 100% their fault. I blame Palin, Bachman, the Kochs, etc for manipulating the movement.
And, OWS was bound to happen. It doesn't matter who was in office.
All that aside, I agree with you: this is not what we expected 3 years ago, and I'm sure Barry is sitting in the Oval Office saying, "this wasn't supposed to happen while I am president"
Same thing will happen / is happening to OWS. Unions are already exerting their influence. With lack of leadership and goals in OWS, the movement will be ripe for the picking by special interest groups or those who "claim" to represent it. Their image will be distorted, manipulated, stereotyped by conservative opposition and media groups ... just like happened to the Tea Party. And a core group will stay with the core ideals and push forward dispite it all ... just like the Tea Party ... well, that is once the OWS figures out what their core ideals are.
this movement is not about tyranny or the loss of liberty. i wish people on the right would stop trying to characterize it like that and i wish they would stop the default argument that we are somehow so oppressed by some tyrant in the white house who has not and can not take away your liberty. it is not about patriotism or the concept of liberty and the loss of liberty...
stop taking the focus off of the reason people are protesting.
it is about the bankers making out like robber barons at the expense of regular people and it is about the ever expanding discrepancy of wealth and how regular working people are fucked and how there are no jobs.
if you channeled your anger at the real people that are oppressing you instead of having some smoke and mirrors theory blaming obama for everything you might just begin to understand where people involved in this movement are coming from...
if i remember correctly you said in the past that you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. these people are protesting against that and they are on your side because you deserve better than having to do that. nobody deserves to have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet.
What specifically have the bankers done to make out like robber barons?
this movement is not about tyranny or the loss of liberty. i wish people on the right would stop trying to characterize it like that and i wish they would stop the default argument that we are somehow so oppressed by some tyrant in the white house who has not and can not take away your liberty. it is not about patriotism or the concept of liberty and the loss of liberty...
stop taking the focus off of the reason people are protesting.
it is about the bankers making out like robber barons at the expense of regular people and it is about the ever expanding discrepancy of wealth and how regular working people are fucked and how there are no jobs.
if you channeled your anger at the real people that are oppressing you instead of having some smoke and mirrors theory blaming obama for everything you might just begin to understand where people involved in this movement are coming from...
if i remember correctly you said in the past that you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. these people are protesting against that and they are on your side because you deserve better than having to do that. nobody deserves to have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet.
What specifically have the bankers done to make out like robber barons?
do you really need me to answer that?
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
this movement is not about tyranny or the loss of liberty. i wish people on the right would stop trying to characterize it like that and i wish they would stop the default argument that we are somehow so oppressed by some tyrant in the white house who has not and can not take away your liberty. it is not about patriotism or the concept of liberty and the loss of liberty...
stop taking the focus off of the reason people are protesting.
it is about the bankers making out like robber barons at the expense of regular people and it is about the ever expanding discrepancy of wealth and how regular working people are fucked and how there are no jobs.
if you channeled your anger at the real people that are oppressing you instead of having some smoke and mirrors theory blaming obama for everything you might just begin to understand where people involved in this movement are coming from...
if i remember correctly you said in the past that you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. these people are protesting against that and they are on your side because you deserve better than having to do that. nobody deserves to have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet.
What specifically have the bankers done to make out like robber barons?
do you really need me to answer that?
I guess I don't really need you to do anything... just looking for some examples, that's all.
this movement is not about tyranny or the loss of liberty. i wish people on the right would stop trying to characterize it like that and i wish they would stop the default argument that we are somehow so oppressed by some tyrant in the white house who has not and can not take away your liberty. it is not about patriotism or the concept of liberty and the loss of liberty...
stop taking the focus off of the reason people are protesting.
it is about the bankers making out like robber barons at the expense of regular people and it is about the ever expanding discrepancy of wealth and how regular working people are fucked and how there are no jobs.
if you channeled your anger at the real people that are oppressing you instead of having some smoke and mirrors theory blaming obama for everything you might just begin to understand where people involved in this movement are coming from...
if i remember correctly you said in the past that you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. these people are protesting against that and they are on your side because you deserve better than having to do that. nobody deserves to have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet.
What specifically have the bankers done to make out like robber barons?
They had one of those occupy protests in my home town this weekend. It was truly hilarious. First, they picked a Saturday to protest in front of the courthouse, which is closed on Saturday.
Then, it seemed that they had no idea what they were protesting or why. They just wanted to protest something. One even had a sign that said "BRING BACK FIREFLY". Really? I never watched the show, but I heard it was pretty good, but I doubt the folks in the courthouse of my little city had anything to do with its cancellation.
The rest of the protest reminded me very much of the witch-burning scene from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
The following link may contain the most succinct explanation of the protests that I have heard so far.
Still, there's a difference. With mortgage defaults, banks seize and resell the home. But if a degree can't be sold, that doesn't deter the banks. They essentially wrote the student loan law, in which the fine-print says they aren't "dischargable." So even if you file for bankruptcy, the payments continue due. Hence these stern word from Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers. "You will be hounded for life," he warns. "They will garnish your wages. They will intercept your tax refunds. You become ineligible for federal employment." He adds that any professional license can be revoked and Social Security checks docked when you retire. We can't think of any other statute with such sadistic provisions.
I was smart enough as a 17-year old to know I didn't want to owe money after finishing college, so I sensibly got a state-school education and commuted to school (and got some scholarships to reduce the $6,000 tuition; honestly this wasn't all that long ago). Of course, I didn't get that "college experience" that many get, which is definitely something I regret. But I sure don't regret the "college experience" of paying back loans for 30 years either.
I guess a lot of these kids were raised by parents who are irresponsible with money themselves and didn't teach proper money management, and they get suckered into taking these huge loans that they can't possibly pay back. I really don't know what the answer is to this. It's definitely a fucked up system.
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; Phila, PA 10/21/13; Phila, PA 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
Still, there's a difference. With mortgage defaults, banks seize and resell the home. But if a degree can't be sold, that doesn't deter the banks. They essentially wrote the student loan law, in which the fine-print says they aren't "dischargable." So even if you file for bankruptcy, the payments continue due. Hence these stern word from Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers. "You will be hounded for life," he warns. "They will garnish your wages. They will intercept your tax refunds. You become ineligible for federal employment." He adds that any professional license can be revoked and Social Security checks docked when you retire. We can't think of any other statute with such sadistic provisions.
I was smart enough as a 17-year old to know I didn't want to owe money after finishing college, so I sensibly got a state-school education and commuted to school (and got some scholarships to reduce the $6,000 tuition; honestly this wasn't all that long ago). Of course, I didn't get that "college experience" that many get, which is definitely something I regret. But I sure don't regret the "college experience" of paying back loans for 30 years either.
I guess a lot of these kids were raised by parents who are irresponsible with money themselves and didn't teach proper money management, and they get suckered into taking these huge loans that they can't possibly pay back. I really don't know what the answer is to this. It's definitely a fucked up system.
I love the words used... "hounded for life" "intercept your tax refunds"...
And then you say "they get suckered".
How do they get suckered actually? Because if this OWS is all about Students not wanting to pay their loans back, I'm 100% against the OWS. It's crazy talk.
Still, there's a difference. With mortgage defaults, banks seize and resell the home. But if a degree can't be sold, that doesn't deter the banks. They essentially wrote the student loan law, in which the fine-print says they aren't "dischargable." So even if you file for bankruptcy, the payments continue due. Hence these stern word from Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers. "You will be hounded for life," he warns. "They will garnish your wages. They will intercept your tax refunds. You become ineligible for federal employment." He adds that any professional license can be revoked and Social Security checks docked when you retire. We can't think of any other statute with such sadistic provisions.
I was smart enough as a 17-year old to know I didn't want to owe money after finishing college, so I sensibly got a state-school education and commuted to school (and got some scholarships to reduce the $6,000 tuition; honestly this wasn't all that long ago). Of course, I didn't get that "college experience" that many get, which is definitely something I regret. But I sure don't regret the "college experience" of paying back loans for 30 years either.
I guess a lot of these kids were raised by parents who are irresponsible with money themselves and didn't teach proper money management, and they get suckered into taking these huge loans that they can't possibly pay back. I really don't know what the answer is to this. It's definitely a fucked up system.
I love the words used... "hounded for life" "intercept your tax refunds"...
And then you say "they get suckered".
How do they get suckered actually? Because if this OWS is all about Students not wanting to pay their loans back, I'm 100% against the OWS. It's crazy talk.
It's not at all what we are about. it's about getting a return on the investment you made in your education. People are disillusioned; they feel that the system that they bought into--the loans--has crumbled and now they feel that they don't even have a chance to use the education that they payed for. When institutions become for-profit instead of for people, e.g. healthcare, education, then you have problems
for people wondering what OWS is about...for me anyways, listen to one of our greatest Canadians. He explains things perfectly and his passion is unreal. This isnt about kids trying to get someone else to pay their loans.
for people wondering what OWS is about...for me anyways, listen to one of our greatest Canadians. He explains things perfectly and his passion is unreal. This isnt about kids trying to get someone else to pay their loans.
for people wondering what OWS is about...for me anyways, listen to one of our greatest Canadians. He explains things perfectly and his passion is unreal. This isnt about kids trying to get someone else to pay their loans.
“There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!”
- UC Berkeley Free Speech Movement leader Mario Savio, 1964
“There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!”
- UC Berkeley Free Speech Movement leader Mario Savio, 1964
i love that speech. there is a lot of video of it on youtube.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
I love it; and this is why I love the Occupy protests: people showing a sincere desire to fight injustice.
What happened to us? We became lazy and arrogant; we were brainwashed into thinking that life is just a race to see who has the most expensive car or the biggest TV. We became more interested in the lives of celebrities than in the lives of our friends and neighbors; we've been distracted by the latest sale at the mall and the latest TV "talent" show. We, as a nation, were on top for so long, and we forgot what we did to get there.
In middle school, I remember that there were kids who were taller than everyone, who already had mustaches. These kids were looked up to--literally and figuratively--and seemed to be well ahead of the pack. But then, as junior year of high school came around, everyone else caught up to these kids: they stopped growing and everyone else finally hit a growth spurt. And then, in senior year, everyone was pretty much on the same playing field. The United States was that tall kid; the United States was the 7th grader with the mustache. But that was a long time ago, and now we are all seniors.
It was bound to happen, and it obviously all started on January 20, 2009....
(but yeah, I couldn't stop imagining Mario busting through the door and asking Jerry to borrow his spatula)
[quote="whygohome"I love it; and this is why I love the Occupy protests: people showing a sincere desire to fight injustice.
What happened to us? We became lazy and arrogant; we were brainwashed into thinking that life is everyone gets what their neighbor gets and if they don't earn it, we'll give it to them. We became more interested in the lives of celebrities than in our own lives; we've been distracted by the latest sale at the mall and the latest TV "talent" show. We, as a nation, decided to baby our kids and tell them it's alright, nobody's really a loser, and we forgot what we did to get there.
In middle school, I remember that there were kids who were taller than everyone, who already had mustaches. These kids were looked up to--literally and figuratively--and seemed to be well ahead of the pack. But instead of admiting that, our parents told us, don't worry - you are just as tall and mustachioed as them, don't believe your eyes. But then, as junior year of high school came around, everyone else caught up to these kids: they stopped growing and everyone else finally hit a growth spurt. Then our parents told us - see? They suck - you are better than them and deserve more accolades than them, screw equality for everyone. And then, in senior year, everyone was NOT on the same playing field, and our parents told the "lesser" kids that they deserved whatever the smart kids got even if they weren't really smarter, but were just more dedicated and working harder (or maybe, it was simply that they were smarter - that happens). My enemy was that tall kid and was the 7th grader with the mustache. But that was a long time ago, and now we are all seniors and our parents were wrong - we can't just demand we get what someone else has. We may have a tougher row than someone else, but all that means is we have to work harder to get our share of the American Dream. But, goddamn it!!! We're going to do just that rather than blaming someone else for our "misfortune."
It was bound to happen, and it obviously all started when we were in grade school....
[/quote]
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
It was bound to happen, and it obviously all started on January 20, 2009....
It took a special man to disgruntle the majority of America to the point that no one trusts the government anymore.
I have this strange memory of the stock market crashing, 2 wars (one of them surely needless) raging, and bailouts galore, long before 1/20/09. I must have been dreaming.
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; Phila, PA 10/21/13; Phila, PA 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
It was bound to happen, and it obviously all started on January 20, 2009....
It took a special man to disgruntle the majority of America to the point that no one trusts the government anymore.
I have this strange memory of the stock market crashing, 2 wars (one of them surely needless) raging, and bailouts galore, long before 1/20/09. I must have been dreaming.
true dat. i guess the system has finally reached a boiling point.
Comments
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
lack of progress and cold weather is enough to make a lot of people give up...
i have donated blankets and money to provide warmth for those that are going to be sleeping out in the cold, so i have done a small little part to support it..
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Unfortunately, I get the feeling that it won't stay this way. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/10/15/world-occupy-protests-rome-london.html
The occupy protests in Rome became quickly became quite violent and skirmishes with police in New York give me the impression that this is really the tide before the storm. While these protests are peaceful, they are being met with resistance from the media as well as the many Americans who back Wall Street. The top 1% have too much to lose to simply give up here. The protesters will discover that non-violent solutions are ineffective. Corporate America still has a firm hold of government and while these protests have provided American television viewers with a good bit of 6:00 viewing, they won't bring about real reform.
Personally I find it quite sad that so many individuals are anti-union and anti-fair wage but will openly back the leadership on Wall Street despite the gross misappropriation and misuse of investor savings and American tax dollars. I just don't understand how so many people can cheer on the loss of working class and middle class pensions and jobs while advocating so strongly for the uber rich irrespective of their many transgressions against the United States. I mean, why were people more upset with the government throwing $30-or-so billion dollars to Detroit, but the banks were too big to fail so a trillion dollars can be tossed to Wall Street without batting an eye? Why do we hate middle-class workers so much that we've joined the crusade to eliminate them entirely?
I don't think anyone is cheering the bad economy.
The message from Tea Partiers is rather than losing all hope in the American system of liberty, justice and limited government, these community-builders -- the Tea Partiers -- are rallying to express their firm commitment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees equality under the law, not equality of material-world goods. The Constitution is designed to preserve liberty, not "empathy," for as any sentient person knows, empathy is entirely dependent upon which type of tyrant is sitting in the seat of judgment.
stop taking the focus off of the reason people are protesting.
it is about the bankers making out like robber barons at the expense of regular people and it is about the ever expanding discrepancy of wealth and how regular working people are fucked and how there are no jobs.
if you channeled your anger at the real people that are oppressing you instead of having some smoke and mirrors theory blaming obama for everything you might just begin to understand where people involved in this movement are coming from...
if i remember correctly you said in the past that you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. these people are protesting against that and they are on your side because you deserve better than having to do that. nobody deserves to have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Who the hell is talking about empathy or "equality of material-world goods?" OWS doesn't care about material goods; I would guess a large majority of us--myself included--find materialism quite revolting.
Again this is misguided and is a vacuous statement that barely reaches the level of propaganda.
I originally wanted to reply to this post by saying that the Tea Party--as it was established in 2006 in Boston--does make some good points: tax reform, end the wars, end the war on drugs. it is a shame though that this movement as it originally stood in 2006 has been co-opted and bastardized by the Republican Right and has been diluted by Corporate interests--Koch brothers.
There is a lot that the Tea Party and OWS can agree on. Unity is much better than division for the American people. Division is much better than unity for the 1%.
+1,000,000
Change WE THE PEOPLE can believe in!
But didn't the Tea Party--the Tea Party that was not co-opted and diluted by corporate interests and the Republican party-- begin in 2006? A shame: they had a good message until they became a caricature of their original selves. Not 100% their fault. I blame Palin, Bachman, the Kochs, etc for manipulating the movement.
And, OWS was bound to happen. It doesn't matter who was in office.
All that aside, I agree with you: this is not what we expected 3 years ago, and I'm sure Barry is sitting in the Oval Office saying, "this wasn't supposed to happen while I am president"
What specifically have the bankers done to make out like robber barons?
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I guess I don't really need you to do anything... just looking for some examples, that's all.
Start here:
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/toplis ... risis.html
http://www.time.com/time/business/artic ... 1723152,00.
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/arti ... cleid=2114
http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes ... ng-market/
http://daviddegraw.org/2011/08/banana-r ... -in-taxes/
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies ... 45634384/1
a good blog: http://www.cepr.net/index.php/beat-the-press/
Then, it seemed that they had no idea what they were protesting or why. They just wanted to protest something. One even had a sign that said "BRING BACK FIREFLY". Really? I never watched the show, but I heard it was pretty good, but I doubt the folks in the courthouse of my little city had anything to do with its cancellation.
The rest of the protest reminded me very much of the witch-burning scene from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
The following link may contain the most succinct explanation of the protests that I have heard so far.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW56Z-0xwIQ
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/08/the-debt-crisis-at-american-colleges/243777/
and a quote:
I was smart enough as a 17-year old to know I didn't want to owe money after finishing college, so I sensibly got a state-school education and commuted to school (and got some scholarships to reduce the $6,000 tuition; honestly this wasn't all that long ago). Of course, I didn't get that "college experience" that many get, which is definitely something I regret. But I sure don't regret the "college experience" of paying back loans for 30 years either.
I guess a lot of these kids were raised by parents who are irresponsible with money themselves and didn't teach proper money management, and they get suckered into taking these huge loans that they can't possibly pay back. I really don't know what the answer is to this. It's definitely a fucked up system.
Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
I love the words used... "hounded for life" "intercept your tax refunds"...
And then you say "they get suckered".
How do they get suckered actually? Because if this OWS is all about Students not wanting to pay their loans back, I'm 100% against the OWS. It's crazy talk.
It's not at all what we are about. it's about getting a return on the investment you made in your education. People are disillusioned; they feel that the system that they bought into--the loans--has crumbled and now they feel that they don't even have a chance to use the education that they payed for. When institutions become for-profit instead of for people, e.g. healthcare, education, then you have problems
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUTDxUicSmo
fucking beautiful
For those in Canada, we are occupying Toronto, Montreal... Please be there!!!
David Suzuki is the man!
- UC Berkeley Free Speech Movement leader Mario Savio, 1964
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Mario Savio Dec 2, 1964
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhFvZRT7Ds0
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I love it; and this is why I love the Occupy protests: people showing a sincere desire to fight injustice.
What happened to us? We became lazy and arrogant; we were brainwashed into thinking that life is just a race to see who has the most expensive car or the biggest TV. We became more interested in the lives of celebrities than in the lives of our friends and neighbors; we've been distracted by the latest sale at the mall and the latest TV "talent" show. We, as a nation, were on top for so long, and we forgot what we did to get there.
In middle school, I remember that there were kids who were taller than everyone, who already had mustaches. These kids were looked up to--literally and figuratively--and seemed to be well ahead of the pack. But then, as junior year of high school came around, everyone else caught up to these kids: they stopped growing and everyone else finally hit a growth spurt. And then, in senior year, everyone was pretty much on the same playing field. The United States was that tall kid; the United States was the 7th grader with the mustache. But that was a long time ago, and now we are all seniors.
It was bound to happen, and it obviously all started on January 20, 2009....
(but yeah, I couldn't stop imagining Mario busting through the door and asking Jerry to borrow his spatula)
What happened to us? We became lazy and arrogant; we were brainwashed into thinking that life is everyone gets what their neighbor gets and if they don't earn it, we'll give it to them. We became more interested in the lives of celebrities than in our own lives; we've been distracted by the latest sale at the mall and the latest TV "talent" show. We, as a nation, decided to baby our kids and tell them it's alright, nobody's really a loser, and we forgot what we did to get there.
In middle school, I remember that there were kids who were taller than everyone, who already had mustaches. These kids were looked up to--literally and figuratively--and seemed to be well ahead of the pack. But instead of admiting that, our parents told us, don't worry - you are just as tall and mustachioed as them, don't believe your eyes. But then, as junior year of high school came around, everyone else caught up to these kids: they stopped growing and everyone else finally hit a growth spurt. Then our parents told us - see? They suck - you are better than them and deserve more accolades than them, screw equality for everyone. And then, in senior year, everyone was NOT on the same playing field, and our parents told the "lesser" kids that they deserved whatever the smart kids got even if they weren't really smarter, but were just more dedicated and working harder (or maybe, it was simply that they were smarter - that happens). My enemy was that tall kid and was the 7th grader with the mustache. But that was a long time ago, and now we are all seniors and our parents were wrong - we can't just demand we get what someone else has. We may have a tougher row than someone else, but all that means is we have to work harder to get our share of the American Dream. But, goddamn it!!! We're going to do just that rather than blaming someone else for our "misfortune."
It was bound to happen, and it obviously all started when we were in grade school....
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I have this strange memory of the stock market crashing, 2 wars (one of them surely needless) raging, and bailouts galore, long before 1/20/09. I must have been dreaming.
Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16