OK, so a lot of the demonstrators were from Woodstock, right next door. But we demonstrated in nearby Kingston, on our own actual Wall Street, in front of the Wells Fargo Office. Besides, Woodstock is already occupied, and for over forty years.
Kingston, New York, is in Ulster County, in the beautiful Hudson Valley. We are a haven for artists, lefties, farmers, orchard-keepers, Manhattan weekenders, rock-climbers, and students. But few students were there today. (We expect more young people to come at our OWS rally on Saturday in my town, New Paltz, a SUNY town.)
This was the primary demographic today: middle-aged or older, but probably unable to retire. The Woodstock People, 60-something women with long grey hair and open faces, old men with beards and earth tone shirts. All had that certain air of lifelong progressive activism: keen eye contact, quick smiles, weary mien. Lots of hugs: most knew many.
We would seem the poster-child set for the Rushes and Hannities: "agitators", veterans of causes since the 60s. But almost all of us are business people, entrepreneurs, and overwhelmingly bourgeoisie and well-educated. Most of us are directly affected by the bad economy and unregulated, rapacious banking. And desperate to re-establish the opportunities and protections for our children and grandchildren. In other words, "despite" our leftist politics, we are hard-working, optimistic, ordinary, beleaguered, middle-class Americans.
As usual, our superb local law enforcement were there. I can't say that enough: Ulster County law enforcement is professional, intelligent, fair, and a welcome presence everywhere they go. Another myth busted – defiant lawless dirty anarchist radicals my ass– and liberal Ulster lives the truth of our support of police every day.
I went with my grown daughter Molly and my Buddhist friend Steve. On the way home I ranted about the one guy at the end who muddied the waters with his anti-fracking energy agenda, his anti-factual declarations about energy, his call to end all fossil fuels tech overnight, and his inane reference to Nazis. Steve – who is more patient with my know-it-all obsessive criticizing, my tendency to find the one hair in the soup kettle, than I deserve – reminded me that 99% of the speakers were on-message.
We all agreed. We are with that 99%, who spoke ferociously about our criminal banking system. Whether they know it yet or not, so are most Americans. If we stay on-message, they WILL know.
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I wrote a piece about Banking, "Bartleby the Scrivener", "Ivan Ilych", and Gandhi ("Fixing the Banks with a Second Set of Books") for doesthismakesense.com. To help those who are bored by literature, I included a cool javascript accordion effect so readers can click to make the literature exegesis disappear, and skip right down to my Plan for Fixing Banking.
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Seer
daisyjane
The Good Daughter
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the traveler
Ashley F. Miller
Salon.com
Comments
This is wonderful, Greg. r.
I can't bear to talk about it anymore. I have given and given and given and they have abused and abused and abused because I do not worship at the screne of their infinite wisdom. The more ignorant, most entitled kids I have ever seen are being glorified, while my brilliant daughters have never been interviewed by the press and these people demands why they aren't there.
The people who drop in after work are lovely. I hope and pray it is only New York that has the dredges. What kind of person thinks he has the constitutional right to freload. I think the cops this week have been saints by and large.
I am never talking about those who work and come here, just those who feel they have the constitutional right to freeload on NYC indefinitely.
So your dreadful fudging has noble roots.
While I know people my age are well-interntioned about such attending rallies and such, I can't help but feel that there are more important ways the bourgeosie can aid & abet: like with money. Otherwise, as I've said elsewhere, I feel its important for geezers to speak only if spoken to. Don't offer advice unless it's requested. "Our" protests are way different than these. This is a young people's movement. They need to make their own mistakes and above all to not follow geezers, watch the parking meters.
Come to think of it, there's more of a spirit of Woodstock to be found & felt in the Occupy movement than in any Mobilization or similar mass rally I ever attended. No leaders. No plans. No potties.
…Well, that would do it for me. I’d change my ways for sure and give up all that money.
Yes sir—this is going to work great!
When your fans are through reading your "Fixing the Banks with a Second Set of Books" (which is another great piece) they should jump over to "The Woman Who Knew Too Much" in the latest Vanity Fair.
Elizabeth Warren is the one person in this country with enough junk yard dog in her to go toe-to-toe with Wall Street.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/11/elizabeth-warren-201111
--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
Humans get annoyed.
I was reading this morn.
The front page covers it.
It's prophetic. Justice cry.
Wall Strret be wise to listen.
Chane too. No rob others.
`
I was drafted into Vietnam when Woodstock happened. I recall folk telling me about Woodstock.
The Wall Street ilk freaked.
I knew one who got deferred.
His Pa got his son a GED 4-f.
$? A 4- F?
That was a draft deferment.
He went to Woodstock too.
He roll in fetal ball position.
He lay next to mud pudddle.
The Wall Streeter balled bah.
I was told he cried three days.
`
He went through therapy too.
He looked terrible after that.
Woodstock gave him measles?
No.
It looked like facial chicken pox.
His face was all red-pot marked.
The real post-Woodstock reason?
`
The Wall Streeter had amany Panic attacks.
He had to relearn out to use a kitchen fork.
Thee red-blotches were Red-Fork-Marks.
The Wall streeters's son kept poking bad.
He could find his mouth with the fork.
He kept missing his Open Up Mouth.
With the fork he's stab. He missed.
He couldn't 'hit' his open mouth.
I wasn't there. I was in Vietnam.
We got red scars from bullets.
Gads.
I am at the public library.
I am showing folk `round.
They heard Open Salon is`
nice . . .
sometimes.
I hope this goes.
I may call the Mounties.
The Mounty cops are nice.
I was very happy to see the photos and your piece from Kingston. Woodstock was my home for most of my life until I mmoved onto our boat in Miami. It is a bit warmer.
The article was great and I rated it too.
I have a piece I would like to get cross referenced to on your blog; it's at http://www.open.salon.com/blog/pierre_angiel/2011/08/12/why_the_rich_dont_pay_taxes
It might be a good fit on your blog too. It got too little attention here at OS and it needs exposure.