We are the 99% and have no specific leaders. This is a diverse group with different beliefs and interests but we are all one and the same. The system pushes us to give up, but this movement will eventually become too big to fail.
Just 1% of the population has control over the 99% and we will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption. The rich minority tries to speak for us and as Stephen Colbert says,
“Math is only a theory”
The 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
It has to start somewhere with somebody, so united we stand or together we fall. These are the photos of the 99% of those who protest and some who experience "the wealth of America" every day.
All Photos by Linda Seccaspina 2011
From the Occupy SF march in San Francisco and Occupy Oakland
My friend Kevin Army did a blog about the march last week in SF on Open Salon.
Kevins "co- blog" with me is up already this morning and can be seen here.. His videos say it all.
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And how I love them, our American protesters and their fighting spirit. I love that they are finally there! Now we need to find a way to bring the teaparty to us and we WILL be the 99ers. ANd that's what the powers that be are afraid of...that we will find that common ground. They are desperate for us to never find it and to remain divided.
take that you lazy OSers!!! ha HA!
This is how conservatives really think...
http://www.open.salon.com/blog/siobhan_curious/2011/10/11/if_you_cant_pay_for_college_then_college_isnt_for_you
To win, you need teamwork, and to have teamwork, you need to assign roles, tasks, duties. And to do this, you generally need captains. That said, these can be rotating, changing, temporary positions. That said, you still need them.
RW: Going to read it. Yes they need some sort of team leaders if you read what I just said to FM. Looking like an idiot at a place like that is just reminiscence of the Big Lebowski. If this is going to work we need people to speak correctly and not refuse to talk.
Belinda: Most of the people my age or younger had been looking for a job for 3 years.
There is a huge DIY community growing in the country, and many people creating smaller, more self reliant communities. Somewhere in all this mess, many of us ended up in a corner we have a hard time digging ourselves out of. We must all rethink our future, including the kinds of communities we build. It is obvious the last model hasn't worked out so well.
RW - the blogger is not advocating cutting grants, despite the (deliberately provocative) title. She posted a piece by a student and asked for discussion. There's a difference. And she's planning to post various other student pieces on various subjects in days to come.
The children of the unwashed masses struggle to speak clearly on issues of importance because public schools pretended to teach language and mathematics. While privileged children in private schools enjoyed a real education.
There is a reason parents line up to pay $10,ooo per kif per year for private school.
C is for count
C is for cry
U is for unite
P is for persevere
Y is for YOU, Linda, YOU who occupy our hearts and minds with your reportage!
99% thankful and 1% love. But you know, "math is just a theory!"
Congrats on the well deserved EP!!!
It can be done Sheila if everyone pulls together and they get rid of the greed.
Zanelle: Its when I see the results of a failed economy with the pictures of the homeless here. Their faces need to be seen.
Thanks Cathy.. HUGGGG
Jack: If everyone can forget their side or their opinion for just one second this might work. BUT can they?
Oryoki: We start with ONE and grow.. It has to start somewhere
Well done.
...and wonderful to see you back on OS.
R
Steve: Not so yesterday. Kevin is going to post a video sometime next week of people /youth that had nothing to say yesterday. It was a different feeling.. and someone needs to keep these kids going in the spelling dept. You can see one mans poster above that was misspelled. Some who was a college student made his sign and he had to correct it.
HUGGGGGGGGS to you Susie
Midwest: It is.. but yesterday in some instances it was like a sequence from The Big Lebowski.. serious
But that Beatles song is actually very critical of revolutionaries and protesters. In a way, it is subtly pro Establishment, actually...
Miguela: Everyone has a story and usually you get a glimpse when you look at their face.
Belinda: High Five!
RW: You know I had no idea about the history of this song and I wonder if Occupy Wall Street does. I do believe this is their theme song.
Really interesting and thank you for posting this so we all know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_%28song%29
http://tarpley.net/2011/09/29/emergency-program-for-anti-wall-street-protestors/
even adding my own points to the ones he enumerated in his article:
1: The immediate reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act
2: The immediate rescinding of NAFTA
3: The overturning of the Citizens United “decision” and the immediate arrest on charges of treason for the Bush cronies masquerading as judges that are responsible for it.
4: A reopening of the NIST “investigation” of 9/11 chaired by an impartial panel of architects, engineers, and scientists.
Now I do not think this is the proper path. Better strategists than Tarpley and I are in control of this thing. It is better to leave the whole thing open ended. Unless you are a simpering retard that depends on information from the now disgraced Rupert Murdoch and his lap dog Roger Ailes also now disgraced:
http://nymag.com/print/?/news/media/roger-ailes-fox-news-2011-5/
You know that America has been hijacked by a bunch of conniving pasty faced criminals, from I am ashamed to say NYC, who have installed their very own president into the Oval Office. I think all of America agrees that they must be punished for their river boat gambling with derivatives that resulted in a real unemployment rate of 25% and massive foreclosures on houses and small business’s throughout America. Lets just leave it at that and avoid the infighting that will only lead to Civil War.
Unemployed
Over-qualified
Where are the jobs?
She just got to me the most, that look on her face...
Thanks for being there and taking photos for us all to see what's going on !!
I love that one also: What will you do with your one wild and precious life?
Catherine: I hear there is a Occupy Ottawa march from Myriad which is nice to see too. Harper has hijacked that country long enough. (sorry peggy but we agree to disagree)
Steve: I am once a week Linda now unless something BIG happens..:)
Matt: the Koch bros.. dont get me started.. river boat gamblers as Jack Heart says
Marsha: I do believe you 'old farts' have done really good stuff down there.. The Villages appreciate you.
Jack Heart: Thank you for posting this. I do believe the term ;rover boat gamblers' is my new word as it fits.
Civil War.. has it not already started in some aspects?
Rated
In my last lay off it was only the two of us over 50 women both there longer than many others. This has happened to me before, then you have to take a job making less. Then they laid off younger people, now the company is closed and the former employees had to take jobs making less. Or have no jobs at all.
Supply and demand, they will take away all the jobs until everyone will take minimum wage. They want maximum work for minimum wage. They want and want and want.
"Power to the People" was an interesting concept back in the late 60's- can we keep the SDS from stealing it this time? Or rather, can we keep One part of the "Ruling Elite" from surrendering" it to the Other (with a nod and a wink).
I don't remember the exact quote, someone here probably does, but it concerns the inauguration of Obama (Clinton?) and bombers flying in formation overhead. The quote concerns the epiphany of an anti-war activist, looking up at the"symbols of oppression" and realizing "They're OUR Bombers NOW!"
I like the notion of hanging bankers and lawyers, it's just tricky to sort out the 95% who give the other 5% a bad name.
I predict that there will be a modern day cyber Robin Hood who will soon make a move toward the kleptocrats and their bulging accounts via the internet. What if all our debts were wiped clean and the whole country hit the reset button?
RW: thanks for all the info.. You and Jack are my reference books:)
Jack Heart: BTW I had no idea what the Glass Steagall Act being Canadian and I saw a sign so I cam home and looked it up. Thanks for mentioning it.
Just thinking: That woman holding the sign is on Kevin's blog in his video. Smart woman and a damn shame
Harry's Ghost: Non violence is the way to go - if they can keep it up
Erica: Thanks so much
Shiral: I was surprised by the cover photo BUT it was my favourite pictures
Muse: Doing this is a lot of worl I will admit.. But it is a good feeling
♥R
Is it all greed??
Thanks Charlie!!
Walter: SF march mostly youth but they were informed.. Oakland a mixture but the younger ones had no idea what to say. Educate if you are going to protest.. we did..
Cynthia: Being 60 sometimes all I feel I am good for are senior discounts and then they raise them to 65..:)
Chiller Pop: Thank you so much and thank you for supporting Kevin too..
Token: Is this becoming similar to the French Revolution?
Cindy: If you give up it's worse
Linnnn:: OOHHHHHHHHHHH I love that idea of a modern day Robin Hood. I think we can team up Jack Heart and RW to become one.:)
Fusun" Merci ma belle
Good Job, Linda!
You captured a lot of the spirit and tone, I think, of why so many different people are there for so many different reasons -- though all basically stem from the same disease: greed and the corruption it creates.
Congrats on the EP.
And the Beatles wrote exactly what they meant to write with Revolution. It was, I think, highly critical of the average radical protesting poser who was really just looking to lead for their own brand of control.
You say you got a real solution, well you know, we'd all love to see the plan,
You ask me for a contribution, well you know, we are doing what we can,
But if you want money for people with minds that hate,
All I can tell you, brother is you have to wait.
I think that's pretty clear. Some folks rant about needing change and only want money and power from you to institute their own crazy ideas. That's not revolution, that's anarchy.
Change or shift your perspective a bit and you can see that song makes a lot of sense. All the way around.
Wonderful photo essay again, Linda, glad you couldn't stay away.
--rated--
Lezlie
Regarding OWS, this will only get bigger because the economy is not getting better; it is stagnant (if not getting worse) and I suspect that we are in much more trouble than those at the top are willing to tell.
Just Thinking.. No tis not Kat but it does look like her..:)
Zuma: LOL yup get out in the field and then not be able to wlka the next day hahaha
Scarlett.. That man had a job family and home three years ago. Lee.. was the nicest person..
Owl.. once a week.. I miss interacting with the writers of OS
Divorced Pauline.. hugggggggg
Jack Heart: People saw the tea baggers do it and said why not..
Lezlie: good for them- invited my ass
Christine: Thanks and congrats on yours
PAarchangel: I was homeless once for a week.. I cannot imagine a year or two
Abrawang: System Error says it all to me
Good one!!! RATED!! And congo-rats on the EP!!
Thanks Lea.. HUGGGGG
Hugs to you Bellwether .. no send me some soup..:0
Tink: There are two other really funny pics but I was trying to keep it a serious one.
Scanner: yes they do:)
--sinclair louis
"One withstands the invasion of armies; one does not withstand the invasion of ideas."
--victor hugo
occupy wall street, my speech to the masses
What would that be?
Obama Half Breed Muslin?
WTF?
"Our Mr. Wren, Lewis Sinclair wrote about Main Street & people like Ann Vickers. Some say ,"It can't happen here.."
Yes, it can, as we are "The Innocents."
And glad to see there will be Tuesday posts from you here.
this killed me..:) Good advice
Cranky.. I ask myself that same question
Written by an American: I wanted to put the video first but my friend suggested it would be better at the bottom.. Now that would get anyone going..:)
Chrissie: We can only hope!!
Various.. Oct 15th.. Occupy Ottawa!!!
A walrond.. I love doing these
This is why the Left attacked the Beatles for this song. Ramparts Magazine and the New Left Review, some of the most pre-eminent liberal protest mags of the time, criticized the Beatles for that song.
In any event, while it is a kick-ass rock song, I think the message is too confusing to be an effective protest song. A good protest song doesn't criticize fellow protesters. It unifies protesters and, perhaps, attacks the common enemy. The "Internationale" does this...as does "Solidarity Forever," and "We shall Overcome" and others...
The problem is, the music industry is so corporatized today, there are no good new protest songs out there, at least like there were in the 1960s. We should really fund new artists and concerts and events and get new songs out there for the new wave of protest filling the streets. Scanner had a good song! 8)
Indeed, this is what many of the modern day Power Elite continue to do regarding protesters (they are finding it harder with OWS, because it is leaderless). That said, this is the traditional conservative narrative regarding left-wing protests. Which, in a way, is hypocritical, because nobody is more violent, hateful and power-hungry than the Western Power Elite, based in London, Washington, D.C., etc.
I mean, how could London and Washington honestly, and without hypocrisy, accuse the '68 protesters of being power hungry and violent, when the US was killing millions in Vietnam and the US was interfering all over the world and perpetuating the cause of Western Imperialism? Its kind of hypocritical.
So the Beatles sound very much like Glenn Beck, in a way, in that song, even though they were doing so from a totally different perspective (that of alternative, anti-Establishment eastern religion). In any event, that perspective coincided with the Establishment's perspective during the '68 protests and conflicted with the Students' perspective, which was why the song was so controversial.
Ok. I am done now. I don't want to metamorphasize into a troll. 8)
Gordon: Better to hold a sign than to stand back and do nothing.
RW: I always considered you the politics guru.. I now have added music and I thank you..
Thoth: HUGGGGGGGGGG and thanks
And even BIGGER CONGRATULATIONS on having your photos featured on BIG SALON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People need to see what you've documented.
Thank you so much Enemy.. I so appreciate your words..
HUGGGGGGG
rated with love
And seeing John Lennon in the video stilled me. Boy, he'd be right there with us. That's for damn sure. Perhaps he is in spirit anyway.
Several decades ago, Margaret Thatcher claimed: "There is no alternative". She was referring to capitalism. Today, this negative attitude still persists.
I would like to offer an alternative to capitalism for the American people to consider. Please click on the following link. It will take you to an essay titled: "Home of the Brave?" which was published by the Athenaeum Library of Philosophy:
http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/steinsvold.htm
John Steinsvold
Perhaps in time the so-called dark ages will be thought of as including our own.
--Georg C. Lichtenberg