Displaying 2,821 To 2,850 Of 3,237 Comments Sally T.- It is not “their”movement.It is “our” movement. The movement labels itself as one that stands for, with and of the 99 percent. That’s me too. I lost my job three years ago when the company I worked for folded in less than a month because of owner and manager malfeasance. They got golden parachutes, and the core of the old company’s leadership reorganized and opened another company using assets drained from the one they closed. They even tried to take our pension fund and may still get it if our court case goes wrong. They very idea that we have to fight to keep our money is ludicrous but the way it is. Three years later….100’s of resumes and applications later…a handful of phone and on-line interviews and no offers of full time work……I am forced to agree with the HR experts I have consulted: I am too old, too experience, too knowledgeable and potential employers assume I have overly high expectations (without asking). So I do part time work to pay for my health insurance. I live on my savings, live very, very frugally, share a car with three others, take part in a services exchange and hold on. In 4 years, hopefully, SS, Medicare, my employer/employee pension, and my own retirement plans kick in. I have a lot of investment in the OWS movement: both past and present. If they claim to represent me….they need to be open to what I have to say. Members of OWS coordinating groups asked for input from a group of people who have long time involvement in social justice but I suspect we did not give them the input they wanted. I have contributed to their efforts both in donations, in resource development and management, in liaison work with city government and the police, and in being present for a number of days and a few nights. If they continue as they are now they run the danger of becoming kooky irrelevancies, perceived dangers, or lost opportunity. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 13, 2011 @ 6:36 am Morning…saw your post that begins “Murph, I moved your and Em’s comment to your post, as this one should also be moved,in order to keep the updates in one post….” in my e mail. Looked about for it on the three threads which have discussed Occupy and could not locate it….so responding here. I understand your point. One of my concerns however is that some threads appear to die out even though the story is still alive. There are also times when it seems appropriate to ask a wider question of a wider audience. And lastly I wanted to address a reply to Emerald’s response and could not locate where it was left so I dropped it at the first post where I found an Em post. Given this, I will work to respect the admin team protocols. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 13, 2011 @ 5:44 am The Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-War Movement (in its early days especially) drew from the wisdom of the non-violence movement, from the organizational blueprint of a variety of social justice movements and recognized the value inherent in multi generational input based on experience. In SC where I was still in high school there were three elderly ministers, two black, one white, who were the source of very important advice and whose direction based on experience provided a much clearer path for the rest of us. Hubris, over-reaching pride leading to a downfall, may be evident in our efforts but I suggest it is very much in evidence among those who do not believe that others have a place in their deliberations because they are not sleeping in tents every night. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 13, 2011 @ 5:28 am As usual, we are sympatico. Read my response to Cher. Thanks for your slightly different POV – widens my perspective. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 13, 2011 @ 5:18 am Morning, in my part of the world. Have you read my article “Occupy Wall Street: A Movement by and for the 99 Percenr:? If not, do so and a number of your questions will be answered. While I have not been on the street for many nights during Occupy, I have been at two sites and spent several nights. I have also been part of efforts to secure necessary facilities (port a potties, water stations) and to provide access to some professional legal resources. You can read the rest of my article to get a handle on how the position paper got written. I know how decisions (or rather the lack of them) are being made. And I stand by my observations. It is not hubris or arrogance to offer a critique of those methods…even if I had never been out there and never provided support. As one of the 99 percent which the movement purports to represent, I have skin in the game. The focus on local action and on the 90 percent consensus model for decision making has its purpose but as an effective decision making method for a national movement it is not working. At this point, in an area where the winter will likely be cool, and a bit wet, a lot of energy is going into fighting authorities to maintain the encampments and to figure out ways to maintain a relatively safe, secure and healthy existence. All well and good if public awareness and subsequent action was the result….but is that what is happening? In one of the cities I am connected with, a major charitable event which has a 50 year history and provides funding for services to the very needy was significantly disrupted by the Occupy Movements efforts. In this case, the very people the movement wants to lift up were hurt and those trying to help those people were angry. As to the DC occupation and the NY march on DC…seen much coverage? clear on what the purpose is? what the plan of action is? I remember in the days of the civil rights movements while involved in protests in South Carolina and Georgia, some were asking why our sit-ins were not takeovers (a tactic the anti-war folks would adopt to some measure). Leaders of the movement explained that the the tightly focused efforts (marches, rallies) provided the best method to communicate clearly to the nation and did not expose participants to the kind of provocations which both police and citizen groups were prone to launch in off-camera moments. For long marches where points of assembly were needed and camp outs necessary, we tended to gather in safe areas where we could not be ambushed, or trapped and were surrounded by supportive locals. Now some efforts lasted for weeks (such as strikes and boycotts) but even those involved actions which were meant to draw attention to specific injustices and to economize on the movement’s energy. In one action, there were protests involving the desegregation of the staff of a set of city and county clinics and hospitals. A boycott of services, an awareness building campaign (aka teach-ins, prayer services, pamphleting) and rallying points outside of key points of access. We gathered in the early morning and dispersed by mid afternoon. Never being caught out at night was stressed. Did things turn violent at times? Yes. But given the vulnerability of those in the movement I remain amazed that many more of us were not harmed. Above all we kept our eyes on the prize. The anti war movement did not and its impact dissipated with the winding down of the Vietnam War. MLK’s hoped for crusade against poverty never really got off the ground because of his death. There is a lot more. Bottom line for me and for others who are long in the tooth is efforts to take on the establishment- we fear a great opportunity is being lost for lack of concerted effort in support of a well defined purpose. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 13, 2011 @ 5:10 am AdLib… Spent a frustrating hour on a conference call this afternoon with protest vets and reps from four Occupy committees….I guess it was always so, but the young have no interest in listening to the less young (alright, the old!) Herding cats …yup. Demonstrating is a means to an end but very few of the organizers have bothered to consider what that end needs to look like in concrete terms nor how to get to it. Media coverage is turning away or focusing on disturbances or the human interest challenges of surviving winter. The story re. winter camp will grow colder, faster than they do. There is no general consensus re. a DC event either- nature, scope, size. Frustration piling upon frustration. I wrote this earlier and posted it. Emerald had some really good thoughts. Again, admire your clarity and scope. From earlier today: “IT’S GOING WRONG BUT THERE IS STILL TIME….As much as the heart of the movement is in the right place, as real as the movement’s issues are, as authentic as the nature of the protest is….the lack of centralized planning and internal legitimate authority is really wearing thin. Long term sit-in protests hardly ever work out. They are too hard to manage and provide too many opportunities to go wrong. The fault can lie with the police, with the organizers, with malcontents, with provocateurs., with outside agitators….doesn’t matter….IT GOES WRONG. Time to negotiate a small, space and participant limited ongoing occupy with period bigger events in the form of rallies, teach-ins, marches, symbolic actions. And then plan on a mega DC event. ” Thoughts? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 12, 2011 @ 8:38 pm Em…hey…. I am part of an on-line working group that is pulling ideas together from a host of folks. We wanted to see how the “strike” call went down in Oakland today. Part of the info gathering and temperature taking with the public at large. I am hoping to publish something here in the next two days and invite reaction. Others are doing the same thing. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 2, 2011 @ 3:53 pm “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”, Benjamin Franklin » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 2, 2011 @ 3:00 pm Maybe wallet cards too. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 2, 2011 @ 2:53 pm Can’t say it any better. [img]http://cdn.crooksandliars.com/files/vfs/2011/11/not%20camping.jpg[/img] » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On November 1, 2011 @ 9:05 pm Two Outstanding Occupy Pieces A Master Class in Occupation by Chris Hedges, explores the theoretical roots of the Occupy/99er Movement in the context of the experience of a young “career” protester. http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/a_master_class_in_occupation_20111031/?ln Take Five Minutes of Your Day to Keep Wall Street Occupied With This Amazing At-Home Activism Plan by Sarah Seltzer looks at one of the tactics that could keep the Occupy Movement very much in front of the Corporations. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 31, 2011 @ 12:12 pm I was in Denmark several years ago during Parliamentary elections. Every ad, in every form of media, had very clear tag lines telling you who paid for it and there was an on line data base that logged every ad (with thumbnails and links) and then provided in depth documentation as to the source of the ad (both who paid for it and who produced it). There were also links to fact checking groups that evaluated most ads. Bottom line: far fewer ads, most were pretty straightforward and non-incendiary. Of course a Parliamentary system lends itself to such reform given that every election is local. TV ads are allowed only one month prior to the election. All elections are state supported with support triggered by petition drives. The support is modest AND there is a cap on how much can be spent in toto even with private funding. Public debates broadcast locally and widely attended are common. AND….anyone holding office agrees to have all future employment and compensation reviewed by the national election commission for conflicts of interest. The longer you are in the Parliament, the longer the review will continue. There are other ways of doing this. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 18, 2011 @ 8:34 am Must agree. Full public funding, spending limits, time specific election seasons, full transparency and disclosure of all root sources for special interest groups engaged in electioneering and issue campaigning. None of that is in the Ratigan plan. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 17, 2011 @ 10:04 pm The video quickly went viral after being posted to YouTube. Sgt. Shamar Thomas shared this statement on his YouTube channel: “I took an Oath that I live by. am NOT anti-NYPD. I am anti-Police Brutality. I am no longer under contract with the USMC so I do NOT have to follow military uniform regulations. I DON’T affiliate myself with ANY GROUPS or POLITICAL ORG. I affiliate myself with the AMERICAN PEOPLE that’s it. I REFUSE to affiliate with anything that SEPARATES. There is an obvious problem in the country and PEACEFUL PEOPLE should be allowed to PROTEST without Brutality. I was involved in a RIOT in Rutbah, Iraq 2004 and we did NOT treat the Iraqi citizens like they are treating the unarmed civilians in our OWN Country. No one was brutalized because our mission was to ‘WIN the hearts and minds.’ why should I expect anything less in my OWN Country.” » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 17, 2011 @ 9:50 pm Bito The Marine……Sgt. Shamar Thomas joined the Marines in September 2003. His unit, the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, was deployed in 2004 and 2006. In 2004 he was in a provisional rifle platoon, where he saw combat in Operation Al Fahjr, the second battle of Fallujah. In 2006, Sgt. Shamar Thomas was the non-commission officer in charge of a small detention facility in Rutbah, Iraq, where he received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, along with many other ribbons and medals. He was honorably discharged in September 2007. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 17, 2011 @ 9:48 pm I wrote you a note last night in frank admiration of what you were doing yesterday. I looked forward to being with you and others here at least in spirit via the news coverage. I was at home most of the day. Without the live feeds from OWS and several of those at events, I would have thought that not much was happening. I knew that was not so. CNN had minimum coverage (a slot every hour). MSNBC was doing is Prison Weekend stuff, it’s how they pay their bills. NBC had a 10 minute slot on its nightly news at 5:30. HP, Salon, Daily Beast, all ran stories during the day. Alternet and Raw Story did quite a bit. I just got off the phone with a friend who is a producer for local and regional news in NYC. Here is what he said. All of this is dissipating coverage. Does this sound plausible to you? I am very angry at the lack of coverage but I am trying to figure out what is going on? Or is this corporate buddies hanging together? I discussed this with funky last night and the thoughts offered were good. I just finished watching three morning news programs and the coverage is still lightweight. When the TP got 1000 people to a two hour event it was all over the news….what’s the diff? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 16, 2011 @ 7:03 am White Shirt, a commanding officer in the NYPD, just stepped in and told the patrol officers to back it off and calm it down….good man. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 15, 2011 @ 5:05 pm And the TV coverage is minimal. Glad Bito is passing this on. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 15, 2011 @ 4:53 pm TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO WATCH A VIDEO THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE RIGHT… Victoria Jackson of SNL fame, now a right wing talk show host, trying to ambush 99 Percenters on Wall Street. It’s a Powder Puff Football Team vs. the Green Bay Packers. MUST SEE.
Compare these interviews with almost any interview with a Tea Party protestor. Complex ideas, well spoken, high end vocabulary, well marshalled facts. First, they Ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you and then you win. SHE HAS TO BE A SECRET AGENT FOR THE PROGRESSIVES whiny voice A TEA PARTY CANDIDATE FOR CERTAIN……The question is governor? senator? representative? maybe even President. REALLY NOW- THIS HAS TO BE A SNL SKIT….. She comes across as a witless fool and those she thinks she is ambushing best her every single time. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 13, 2011 @ 8:29 am THE NEW PROTESTS: NAMING THE REALITY…. FORGET ABOUT CALLING THIS NEWEST GROUND SWELL OF POPULAR DISCONTENT I have heard the “99 PERCENT MOVEMENT” used in Reference to them. Isn’t the 99 PERCENTERS a more positive and powerful term than the OCCUPIERS? Since this is obviously an organic movement that is not being funded and controlled by the Koch brothers, the media is characterizing them as a “mob.” BUT- All 5 freedoms guaranteed in the 1st amendment are being practiced there: Speech, Press, Religion, Petition and Assembly. It could easily be the most important renewal of the American Revolution since the Civil War or the Birth of the American Progressive Movement at the end of the Civil War. GIVEN ALL THIS….WHERE ARE THE TEA PARTIERS???? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 9, 2011 @ 11:14 am Obama Is Doomed Next Year… Or Is He? News coverage as a reality tv show….. Reality TV makes pretends that what is scripted, packaged, rehearsed, shot and reshot, and then reviewed after each episode to improve the product for the next episode……is, well, REAL. It is not. On the X Factor two weeks ago, Paula ran from the judges table backstage to “sickup” because of the tryouts flashed the judges and the audience. NO, I DO NOT WATCH IT, BUT I READ THE STORY AND LOOKED AT THE CLIP. It illustrates something very important. Paula’s exist and “illness” was reshot no fewer than five times. What, the producers did not think the overcoat and naked legs of the “contestant” were giveaway? And they edited and broadcast the scene. SHOCK TV is often So, TV news, which must make money, uses the same techniques. Look at Current TV or Link TV for comparison. Both look for citizen contributions for support and are attracting both audience and donors. The difference is worth the donation. One last point….I am stunned at how often programs that are supposed liberal/progressive in orientation perpetuate the falsehoods that underpin the issues you bring up. The most important one is the myth of Imperial Presidency. Obama is not Caesar Augustus…without the House primarily and the Senate secondarily NOTHING gets done. The overwhelming focus on the Office and Person of the President with little focus on Congressional accountability misleads everyone. The second most important piece of mythology lies in the failure to understand cause and effect in the history of an event. Thus….it IS true that this Recession is Obama’s…..and Bush’s….and, yes, even a bit Clintons. It IS true that Wall Street Deregulation is Bush’s, but it is also Clinton’s, Bush Sr. and Reagan’s. Why don’t they tackle the myths. Because the myths make the telling of the reality tale easier- less complex, time compacted, dramatic. And the truth is always harder to put into sound bites, and, less face it, more boring. If the goal is viewers and clickers, truth will always suffer. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 5, 2011 @ 1:55 pm The Debt Ceiling Battle: Obama Won It, Despite What You Heard I have been a CCer for a long time. Like what they do and who they stand for. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 7:22 pm Good data. The Blue Dogs and one independent made the effective majority 52 or 53. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 7:20 pm Nailed the HCA’s impact. Lefties can be as doctrinaire and absolute in their standards as any rightie. The want it all and as a result often get nothing. Talk about the perfect being the enemy of the good. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 7:18 pm Not a word to argue with here. You have met some of my neighbors I think. Rural Missouri. Poor. Overwhelmingly White. Victimized by agri-business. Ill served by medical clinics. Their taxes are low, but they get nothing for the little they pay. Many live on Social Security and depend on Medicare/Medicaid to stay alive……and the GOP runs the show. Mind numbing. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 7:15 pm SueInCa Yes, Obama tends to want to lay out the facts and the facts are rarely simple. Tell the truth and you typically get a long story. So, you are correct. He needs simple messaging to match the GOP’s. The GOP message is built on a premise that world views where fear, anxiety and anger dominate can be turned to the support of their side of the ballot. What is ironic is that most of us should be in fear of, anxious about, and angry toward GOP priorities. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 7:11 pm Read my reply to AdLib reply to see how closely we agree. Thank you. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 11:37 am I hope so, but I wonder if Boehner had enough control to get his caucus to move with him. I have wondered if Obama understood this and part of the way the deal was constructed gave Boehner the cover he needed to move the GOTP. Given what the GOP has done, and not done, it is remarkable that they have any strength with the electorate but the polls (and special elections including tomorrows in W. VA) would say otherwise. I hope the electorate awakens. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 11:36 am AdLib….hi….your “Brazil” avatar is one of the most recognizable here. Thank you for the kudos. We are in agreement from first to last here. A few extra thoughts. A huge part of the tax cut renewal was setting the stage for the most productive lame duck session in 40 years. I believe the GOP thought they would get the renewal, be able to label Obama as a “caver”, AND bog him down in the Lameduck BUT, he had Pelosi and Reid and hey were ready to go. As we both know, the Dems NEVER had the 60 vote filibuster proof supermajority in the Senate that both the Left and the Right mythologize. The Blue Dogs joined with Lieberman to block the most progressive elements of health care, to limit the size of the Recovery Act, to table confirmations and appointments etc. But, what passed in that lameduck session could not be opposed by those who had the Dem label (even if they lacked the heart). Good strategy. This has been his story from the first, but does he get credit for it. Not much. I worked on the Obama campaign in GA, NC, Tx and Nebraska as a last minute community organizer. My job allowed me to take good chunks of time away to do this.I lived in SC and worked on the campaign there steadily. What worried me then was the unrealistic expectations so many saddled Obama with. There were the starry eyed novices and the veteran progressives…..both expecting the man to hang the moon. And then the economy flatlined. And then the GOP showed their true colors – a willingness to do whatever it took (no matter who it hurt) to return to power. Huge odds. But, Obama has handled it far better than I would have ever hoped. Still, those novices and veterans moan….they seemed to regard the 2008 election as a kind of coronation of a divine right monarch or as the start of a zealots’ crusade. Most of the critique from the Left arises from ignorance or a lack of realism. As to the media….the media on the right is subsidized by Big Money and supported by a base which is fearful, angry and anxious (and united in their rejection of Obama). The media on the left is relegated to the edges (Link, Current, a few small newspapers and magazines). Most of the Media the Right labels leftist is really centrist leaning left (MSNBC, Washington Post, New York Times). And for them, driving viewership and subscriptions are their raison d’etre. So their reporting is mixed and focuses on ginning up conflict pitting side against side. So they downplay Obama’s strategy in order to heighten the tension. Lastly, far too few in the media today are really “pundits”. I am amazed at how some of the really big names do not do their homework; do not pick up on what’s really going on, and accept the “truisms” muttered firstest and loudest. The 24/7 news cycle has done little to encourage in depth analysis. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 11:27 am There was a lot of screaming in 1776, 1781 and 1789 but the difference today is the power of the media and its omnipresence. Had there been cameras in Philadelphia, or New York in those days….Oh My! But, on the whole you are correct. Todays circus is the worst in modern memory. Certainly since the Great Depression. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 2, 2011 @ 7:21 pmComments Posted By MurphTheSurf3
1) The novelty is wearing off.
2) There are no central events (speakers, symbolic actions) around which media can gather.
3) The lack of a clear agenda haunts the movement.
4) The crowd is not providing the “stories” they are looking for; and there is an element of real antagonism which seems geared at provoking the police.
5) Lacking identifiable leadership there is no one to speak for the group or to its members.
wild eyed look
fifth grade vocabulary
fourth grade debating skills
no ideas of her own =================================
The “OCCUPY” Movement
planned to provoke.
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