Thread: Thousands to occupy Wall Street in protest

Call to Action on this September 17th



This statement is ours, and for anyone who will get behind it. Representing ourselves, we bring this call for revolution.

We want freedom for all, without regards for identity, because we are all people, and because no other reason should be needed. However, this freedom has been largely taken from the people, and slowly made to trickle down, whenever we get angry.

Money, it has been said, has taken over politics. In truth, we say, money has always been part of the capitalist political system. A system based on the existence of have and have nots, where inequality is inherent to the system, will inevitably lead to a situation where the haves find a way to rule, whether by the sword or by the dollar.

We agree that we need to see election reform. However, the election reform proposed ignores the causes which allowed such a system to happen. Some will readily blame the federal reserve, but the political system has been beholden to political machinations of the wealthy well before its founding.

We need to address the core facts: these corporations, even if they were unable to compete in the electoral arena, would still remain control of society. They would retain economic control, which would allow them to retain political control. Term limits would, again, not solve this, as many in the political class already leave politics to find themselves as part of the corporate elites.

We need to retake the freedom that has been stolen from the people, altogether.

1. If you agree that freedom is the right to communicate, to live, to be, to go, to love, to do what you will without the impositions of others, then you might be one of us.
2. If you agree that a person is entitled to the sweat of their brows, that being talented at management should not entitle others to act like overseers and overlords, that all workers should have the right to engage in decisions, democratically, then you might be one of us.
3. If you agree that freedom for some is not the same as freedom for all, and that freedom for all is the only true freedom, then you might be one of us.
4. If you agree that power is not right, that life trumps property, then you might be one of us.
5. If you agree that state and corporation are merely two sides of the same oppressive power structure, if you realize how media distorts things to preserve it, how it pits the people against the people to remain in power, then you might be one of us.

And so we call on people to act

1. We call for protests to remain active in the cities. Those already there, to grow, to organize, to raise consciousnesses, for those cities where there are no protests, for protests to organize and disrupt the system.
2. We call for workers to not only strike, but seize their workplaces collectively, and to organize them democratically. We call for students and teachers to act together, to teach democracy, not merely the teachers to the students, but the students to the teachers. To seize the classrooms and free minds together.
3. We call for the unemployed to volunteer, to learn, to teach, to use what skills they have to support themselves as part of the revolting people as a community.
4. We call for the organization of people's assemblies in every city, every public square, every township.
5. We call for the seizure and use of abandoned buildings, of abandoned land, of every property seized and abandoned by speculators, for the people, for every group that will organize them.

We call for a revolution of the mind as well as the body politic.

Admirable, but Mayor Bloomberg won't let them do anything serious.

Provisions in the Patriot Act will make quick work of these terrorists. Watch as the threat level is raised to aquamarine to deal will these protesters.

Twitter is censoring any tags that might help this thing grow into anything.

I think they should send in the forces... They would help it grow.

A lot of comments on Facebook about checkpoints on main routes into the city and people being turned away. Very little coverage on the mainstream US media.



Let's just hope the protests grow.

Originally Posted by Neo

Let's just hope the protests grow.

If every unemployed adult in the U.S. joined it would be massive.

Americans don't fight for justice or freedom, their government does. It would be great if there were a happening there but I doubt it will materialize. Are there any recognized individuals fromt he media, politics, religious groups or the entertainment world there to bring attention besides WikiLeaks? Is it true that twitter is censoring? Screw them if so. You can see the formerly free Internet websites have gone corporate. The corporations are out to shut up voices who have alternative opinions. Sad state. America is in the middle of a corporate gangbang.

What was the point of scheduling this on a Saturday in the first place? The market is closed on the weekend, and Wall Street is dead until Monday.

Originally Posted by mobs00

Provisions in the Patriot Act will make quick work of these terrorists. Watch as the threat level is raised to aquamarine to deal will these protesters.

Got that right!

Guess the example of Kent State has dimmed in some folks memory, eh?

Riots aren't the answer (and will bring the predictable response)- peaceful mass action is. The USA needs a Ghandhi. Near impossible to achieve that with a divided and surprisingly complacent population though. the problem in this scenario though is that when and if it explodes, it explodes big time...

Originally Posted by FailSafe

What was the point of scheduling this on a Saturday in the first place? The market is closed on the weekend, and Wall Street is dead until Monday.

Americans like to do their revolutions on Saturdays....nothing much on TV during the day, and the National guard is less likely to show up cause they like their weekends off too....

What do these fucking idiots hope to achieve?

Originally Posted by Koojo

What do these fucking idiots hope to achieve?

Why are they 'fucking idiots'?

Originally Posted by sabang

Originally Posted by Neo

Very little coverage on the mainstream US media.

I noticed, and how predictable too. If there is one downtrodden people who might use the ethos of the times and stage some mass action, Americans are it. They really have been conned by their government- or as the protesters more accurately put it, 'power structure', of which government is an integral part- but in turn, still lickspittles to the true power base of existing money.

Look at the facts-

1- The banking system brought the economy to it's knees, and if not for urgent (and expensive) government action would have collapsed the whole financial system. Many illegalities, lies and shady practises have been exposed. How many Bankers have been 'punished' for these various abuses? Not even one, in fact last year bankers earned all time record bonuses, this two years after their collective arses were saved by bailouts and emergency loans.

2- How many supposedly advanced nations have a wealth disparity that exceeds that of most third world and developing nations? One- the USA. Libyans, with the assistance of Nato, have just cast out their national leader, Qadaffi. Yet in Libya a child is more likely to live to the age of 5 than a child born in the US, and the wealth disparity there is not nearly as inequitable as that of the 'democratic' USA.

3- In spite of this, who pays the most tax on their earnings in the US- the Middle class, or the Rich? The Middle class pays way more tax on their earnings than the already Rich. Where is the justice and equity in that?

Bottom line, it is as apparent as the lines on ones hand that the government of the USA no longer operates for the benefit of the people- 'of the people, by the people, for the people', what nonsense. Cold facts speak louder than the hired rhetoric of PR people, and the cogent facts are above.

Adding insult to injury, not only is the US Congressional system resisting any tax increases (more accurately, the cessation of the temporary and disastrous Bush tax cuts) for the richest 5%, they are actually lobbying for further tax decreases! This in a nation where the governmental system is rapidly going broke, and where social welfare benefits are a fraction of those in other developed nations. Enough is enough. But try and convince the average amerkin of that. It seems they indoctrinated the 'credit card generation' well.

To bring back the anachronistic term of the "Social Contract", the Rich and their hired minions, who speak for less than 5% of the US populace, have well and truly broken this contract, in fact trampled it. Most of the USA has been going backwards for the last 20 years and more. Except, of course, the 'you know who'. Amazing.

Well said, Sabang !

Originally Posted by Latindancer

Originally Posted by sabang
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neo
Very little coverage on the mainstream US media.
I noticed, and how predictable too. If there is one downtrodden people who might use the ethos of the times and stage some mass action, Americans are it. They really have been conned by their government- or as the protesters more accurately put it, 'power structure', of which government is an integral part- but in turn, still lickspittles to the true power base of existing money.

Look at the facts-

1- The banking system brought the economy to it's knees, and if not for urgent (and expensive) government action would have collapsed the whole financial system. Many illegalities, lies and shady practises have been exposed. How many Bankers have been 'punished' for these various abuses? Not even one, in fact last year bankers earned all time record bonuses, this two years after their collective arses were saved by bailouts and emergency loans.

2- How many supposedly advanced nations have a wealth disparity that exceeds that of most third world and developing nations? One- the USA. Libyans, with the assistance of Nato, have just cast out their national leader, Qadaffi. Yet in Libya a child is more likely to live to the age of 5 than a child born in the US, and the wealth disparity there is not nearly as inequitable as that of the 'democratic' USA.

3- In spite of this, who pays the most tax on their earnings in the US- the Middle class, or the Rich? The Middle class pays way more tax on their earnings than the already Rich. Where is the justice and equity in that?

Bottom line, it is as apparent as the lines on ones hand that the government of the USA no longer operates for the benefit of the people- 'of the people, by the people, for the people', what nonsense. Cold facts speak louder than the hired rhetoric of PR people, and the cogent facts are above.

Adding insult to injury, not only is the US Congressional system resisting any tax increases (more accurately, the cessation of the temporary and disastrous Bush tax cuts) for the richest 5%, they are actually lobbying for further tax decreases! This in a nation where the governmental system is rapidly going broke, and where social welfare benefits are a fraction of those in other developed nations. Enough is enough. But try and convince the average amerkin of that. It seems they indoctrinated the 'credit card generation' well.

To bring back the anachronistic term of the "Social Contract", the Rich and their hired minions, who speak for less than 5% of the US populace, have well and truly broken this contract, in fact trampled it. Most of the USA has been going backwards for the last 20 years and more. Except, of course, the 'you know who'. Amazing.
Well said, Sabang !

I have to say I agree with the content of your post and as "latindancer" posted "WELL SAID SABANG"!

Maybe I'm classed as one of the apathetic ones...because I for one am wondering if it's too late to correct what appear to be irrevocable faults in today's modern Western societies?

The reason I say that is there's been no accountability for the financial crisis brought about by the crooked bankers, regulators, market makers, politicians etc. who brought the whole global financial system to it's knees.

If there's ever to be anyone held accountable I assume it will be a very few and minor scapegoats.

Originally Posted by Koojo

What do these fucking idiots hope to achieve?

If you need to ask...

I'm amazed it took this long, frankly. They've been well and truly f*cked over. Big time. And those that did it are laughing at them.

Originally Posted by WilliamBlake

Originally Posted by Koojo

What do these fucking idiots hope to achieve?

If you need to ask...

I'm amazed it took this long, frankly. They've been well and truly f*cked over. Big time. And those that did it are laughing at them.

But what do they hope to achieve by this? Change?
Not like this.

Originally Posted by sabang

Is the reason for the apparent apathy and myopia of so many US people partly to do with chemicals? I say that because very many Americans I've met are on these 'happy pills', or recreational drugs- it really surprises me. Both their apathy, and their chemical dependance that is. Perhaps drugs are the key to mind control after all. I'm over reaching, probably .

Did some idiot break in and hijack your computer Sabang?

America does have excessive legal drug use and abuse. It's one industry that probably isn't suffering too much these days.

An interesting point by Mobs earlier too about the Patriot act, this is the kind of public order action that the Patriot act is really aimed at, add to that the growing corporate jail system and it's not difficult to surmise where this protest will lead.