Two Months Ago

Two months ago today about 1000 passionate patriots took to the streets of Manhattan. Since then phrased like “Occupy” and “99%” have taken on a whole new meaning. I guess I could go look it up; I have utterly lost count of how many other cities around the world have joined in the Occupy Movement.

Occupy protests around the world: full list visualized

It is well over 144 covering the globe. Most of them are disorganized. Most of them are hounded by police. And, most of them have stood their ground peacefully to show the world the dark underbelly of the United States of America. The few are frightened of the many that have stood peacefully for morality, and an ethical society.

There are a few who love to point to one incident or another to discredit the Occupy Movement. However, after the provocation by police at the beck and call of the socioeconomic elite if the Occupy Movement was not committed to self-sacrificial, non-violent protest Oakland, California was be a smolder wreck right now, and New York, New York, Dallas, Texas, and Portland, Oregon (to name but a few) would be in flames.

Media Matters

Once again, last night, I was in the awkward position of defending the Occupation in other cities. While the detractors will allow me to say that the ills heaped on the Occupation may not be happening in Chicago, they are happening here, or here, or here. Main stream media, courted so much by the Occupation’s General Assemblies and various Press Corps, is trashing the movement. I’ll not give credence to the media produced hysteria by reposting it here. It is sufficient to say ill-willed, opinion driven, cynical reporters loath the chaos of the leaderless masses of the Occupation.

The main stream media is reporting the occupation as the rule of the mob. Yet, essentially, the Occupation is run under a classic Greek style of Democracy dating back before the time of Jesus Christ. Somehow this is unacceptable. So, why is the Occupation courting them? I can only say that the Occupation has not been thinking far enough outside the box to get the message out. There are a few who have, but those outlets are still web based, and far too easy to ignore. The web is a cacophony of conflicting ideas run by search engines which post listings based on popularity. That is not the swiftest way to accumulate accurate information.

Crime

There is this idea that blames the Occupation for sexual assaults, murders, theft, and other crimes within the now dwindling encampments. This gives righteous justification for the authorities to disband the peaceful gathering of people protesting for a better world. Somehow, as it has been pointed out by a few in the media (including Allison Kilkenny), the failure of the society outside the camp is acceptable and understandable, but when the same social ills enter the camps, it proves that Daddy Government knows best, and the camp is the cause of the problem. I can guarantee you that the murder, thief, rapist did not grow up in the shadow of the Occupation’s General Assembly, and did not become dysfunctional due to the presence of the Occupation. Those criminals are the direct by-product of the condition of humanity inside, or outside the Occupation. How many hundreds of years’ worth Criminological data has to be cited to prove that obvious point?

Winter Blues?

People seem to think that the coming winter will be the demise of the Occupation movement, and some, who have never stood for anything more than a paycheck, a six pack, and the right to party, are quick to insult the Occupiers. It is no secret that the original time table including wrapping up the Occupation in late November. It was set later in Chicago. In Chicago that date was December 23, 2011 to be exact. So, if the Occupiers have enough sense to come out of the cold, it is to their credit, not their shame. The only shame resides with those who have used brutal force to suppress the best in society. That shows exactly why it is necessary to continue the protest in other venues.