BEBETO MATTHEWS - Associated Press Hundreds participating in the Occupy Wall Street protest continue to camp in lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, in New York. The protests started on Sept. 17.
John Nichols, associate editor of The Capital Times, is the author of seven books on politics and the media. He writes about electoral politics and public policy for The Nation magazine, and is a contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times.
The “Occupy Wall Street” movement’s political breakthrough came Wednesday as leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus joined Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in endorsing the burgeoning national challenge to corporate greed and corrupt politics.
On a day that saw thousands of union members, community activists and supporters of New York’s Working Families Party rally in solidarity with the New York protests, Congressman John Larson, the Connecticut Democrat who is the fourth-ranking member of the party’s House Caucus, announced, “The silent masses aren’t so silent anymore.”
Of the demonstrators, Larson said, “They are fighting to give voice to the struggles that everyday Americans are going through.”
Not surprisingly, it was Sanders who offered the most full-throated support of the movement. At the Campaign for America’s Future “Take Back America” conference, he declared: “We have the ‘crooks’ on Wall Street, and I use that word advisedly — don’t misquote me, the word is ‘crooks’ — whose greed, whose recklessness, whose illegal behavior caused this terrible recession with so much suffering. We believe in this country; we love this country; and we will be damned if we’re going to see a handful of robber barons control the future of this country.”
STEVE KINDERMAN - Eau Claire Leader-Telegram/Associated Press Gov. Scott Walker
John Nichols, associate editor of The Capital Times, is the author of seven books on politics and the media. He writes about electoral politics and public policy for The Nation magazine, and is a contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times.
Joseph Stalin is reputed to have suggested that it did not matter who cast the votes. What matters is who counts the votes. I don’t have a taste for comparing Gov. Scott Walker with the Soviet strongman. But when it comes to managing elections, Walker is giving his harshest critics ample encouragement to make the comparison.
How so? While Stalin wanted to game the system after the voting was finished, Walker wants to game it before the voting begins.
Specifically, Walker and his legislative allies have moved in recent days to have the state’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules cede authority over the state Government Accountability Board — which oversees Wisconsin elections — to the governor.
Walker’s scheme is a dictator’s dream. With the prospect that the scandal-plagued governor could face a recall threat in short order, what could be better for Walker than gaining control of the rule-making process regarding recalls?
The day was August 25, 2011. There were hundreds of people in the Wisconsin State Capitol Rotunda, most left. Thirteen, including myself, refused to leave. We were booked into jail under charges of Unlawful Assembly and Disorderly Conduct then released. Two days later, Robin Vos gets beer poured on his head allegedly by Miles Kristan, one of our brothers in solidarity. The GOP in Wisconsin goes crazy demanding that everyone be sent to jail. Well today, they got their wish and with it we lost the one department that has actually upheld justice. Today in court CJ and Damon Terrell as well as Thi Le went to court, an attorney appeared on behalf of Jenna Pope and myself. I am not sure whether or not the sixth person showed up. In court the District Attorneys office asked that a signature bond be set, standard procedure.
What wasn’t standard was that they also requested we sign that we will not break any administrative codes. Over ninety percent of all arrests by this group were for violations of the constitution. They arrest us under administrative codes for doing things like silently filming our legislature or holding a sign on the first floor of the rotunda. Many of these battles we have won. If we were to sign off to that we would be signing away our First Amendment rights. So the three that showed up refused. They were taken to jail immediately for a period upwards of ten days. This is not justice. The Dane County District Attorney’s Office has shown clearly that they now want to follow the GOP and turn the jail into a concentration camp for political activists. I am currently in Washington DC. I have ten days to turn myself in. Then I, as well, will sit with the rest of them.
What does it mean to have freedom? To me it means that you do not follow societal rules and you realize that your personal freedom is located in your rights and upholding them. If I were to follow unconstitutional orders I would not be free. I would be enslaved to the very system in which the Government uses to suppress the very rights that our troops die for. The District Attorneys office has, in one swoop, spit on the face of freedom, democracy, and the Constitution. I would rather sit in jail knowing I still have my rights then be out of jail following orders that violate them. Chris Freeman, the District Attorney handling these cases, should be ashamed of himself. Locking up peaceful protesters for days to months is only done to control us. It is done because we are viewed as a threat to the system as it stands now. I will not stand for it and neither should you. I am putting out two calls to action. The first, flood the Dane County Jail with bodies. Surround the building and every square inch of visible property around it until these people are released (I will soon be one of them). Then flood their phones. Everyone should call the office at (608)-266-4211 and let them know what you think about them spitting on that which our troops have fought and lost life and limb for. That which makes our country great. And make sure you note that you will not vote for District Attorney Ishmael Ozanne if these people are not released immediately.
Jeremy Ryan
Executive Director
Defending Wisconsin PAC
jryan@defendingwisconsin.org |
Robert Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. He has written thirteen books, including The Work of Nations, Locked in the Cabinet, Supercapitalism, and his most recent book, Aftershock. His "Marketplace" commentaries can be found on publicradio.com and iTunes. He is also Common Cause's board chairman.
"Robert Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. He has written thirteen books, including The Work of Nations, Locked in the Cabinet, Supercapitalism, and his most recent book, Aftershock. His "Marketplace" commentaries can be found on publicradio.com and iTunes. He is also Common Cause's board chairman."
RT has come to Phliadelphia!
"We have officially expanded our coverage into the City of Brotherly Love, where millions of viewers in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey will now be able to tune in to watch our 24/7 broadcast. This recent addition marks the latest expansion of RT, which is also currently available over-the-air in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC and other markets from coast-to-coast. In addition, don’t forget that RT is always available streaming on the Internet for free at RT.com/USA" Read More Here
"British Conservative Party defense secretary Liam Fox is in the midst of scandal that has grown deeper as ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are revealed. Pressure has been growing on Fox in recent weeks after having been caught in a lie about unethical dealings with his friend and former flatmate, and more ethical problems arising from the operation of a recently-dissolved, ALEC-connected "charity" Fox founded.
Liam FoxIn June, a businessman had a private meeting with Fox in a Dubai hotel to ask the defense minister to put pressure on United States corporation 3M regarding a $41 million dispute over technology sales. Fox initially claimed the meeting was a chance encounter, but The Guardian revealed that the get-together was organized by Adam Werrity, Fox's longtime friend and the best man at his wedding. A lobbying firm linked to Werrity also received payment for his fixing the meeting." Read More Here| Center for Media and Democracy
The following article first appeared on the Web site of The Nation. For more great content from the Nation, sign up for its e-mail newsletters here.
"I keep hearing comparisons between the London riots and riots in other European cities—window smashing in Athens or car bonfires in Paris. And there are parallels, to be sure: a spark set by police violence, a generation that feels forgotten."
"Followed by the emergency G-8 and G-20 meetings, when the leaders decided, collectively, not to do anything to punish the bankers for any of this, nor to do anything serious to prevent a similar crisis from happening again. Instead they would all go home to their respective countries and force sacrifices on the most vulnerable. They would do this by firing public sector workers, scapegoating teachers, closing libraries, upping tuitions, rolling back union contracts, creating rush privatizations of public assets and decreasing pensions—mix the cocktail for where you live. And who is on television lecturing about the need to give up these “entitlements”? The bankers and hedge-fund managers, of course."READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
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Hi Bev!
I am writing an advance on this wknd's Occupy New Haven and wanted to talk to some people who are involved/going. Do you have a sec to chat today? I am at 203-789-5615 or could call you...
Best, Abbe Smith New Haven Register
Make soup, deliver soup, share soup. DIY soup. Revolutionary soup. Image: Rantipole via Flickr.
I’ve received a number of queries from young moms and others who want to know what they can do to support the #OccupyWallStreet movement even though for logistical reasons — particularly having little kids —they can’t get to New York, D.C. or even a local event.
The rising tide of sympathy for good old fashioned, red, white and blue American protest is a refreshing addition to our national conversation.
It’s great to know how many people back the protests, how many more are finding ways to actually physically be in one location or another to lend their voice to the chorus, and how many will do what they can from the sidelines.
Clearly being there isn’t possible for everyone, but there are very practical ways to help the cause from the comforts of home. The low hanging fruit first. You can:
Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist and syndicated columnist and the author of the international and New York Times bestseller The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (September 2007); an earlier international best-seller, No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies; and the collection Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate (2002). Read more at Naomiklein.org. You can follow her on Twitter @naomiaklein.
I love you.
And I didn't just say that so that hundreds of you would shout "I love you" back, though that is obviously a bonus feature of the human microphone. Say unto others what you would have them say unto you, only way louder. READ FULL TEXT HERE
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