Occupy

[BadBeast]

Isn't it great how Occupy is a truly ''across the board'' movement, unifying people of all persuasions to act against the evil Jewish overlords international financial corruption?

http://www.newser.com/story/131217/nazi-party-endorses-occupy-wall-street.html

[Cain]

Daily reminder: if fascists support something, it makes everyone else who does so a fascist.

Fascists against the Iraq War?  Being against the Iraq War means you're a Nazi.

Strangely, this argument never seems to apply to the far right's support of Israel in Europe, or their support of draconian anti-terrorism and immigration legislation.  Funny that.

[Cain]

More proof of Occupy's fascism:

What does Occupy want?  More jobs.

What did the fascists in Europe win on a platform of providing?  More jobs.

[Don Coyote]

only fascists want jobs. true patriots don't want jobs.

[BadBeast]

only fascists want jobs. true patriots don't want jobs.

Only Anarchists truly embrace both ideals. ie: Everybody else can work if they want to, but I'm . . 

A/Too much of an idealistic purist to actually work myself.
B/ Obeying my anarchical principles, which dictate I remain outside the corruption of the workpool.
C/ Rules is for fools, Jobs is for Knobs, All Coppers are Bastards, and Fuck you too!

[Cain]

Uh, what the hell?

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Chemical-bomb-tossed-into-Occupy-Maine-encampment.html

PORTLAND — Occupy Maine protesters say Sunday morning's attack with a chemical explosive has left them with a mixture of anxiety and resolve.

"We are more motivated to keep doing what we're doing," said Stephanie Wilburn, of Portland, who was sitting near where the chemical mixture in a Gatorade bottle was tossed at 4 a.m. Sunday. "They have heard us and we're making a difference."

Wilburn said she was startled and briefly lost hearing in her left ear when the device exploded beneath a table about 10 feet away. Wilburn's hearing returned and police said no injuries were reported.

Portland police Sgt. Glen McGary said the bomb was thrown into the camp's kitchen, a tarped area where food is cooked and served. Protest organizers said the explosion lifted a large table about a foot off the ground.

"There was no fire . . . We had a good 20 feet of thick smoke rolling out from under the table," Wilburn said. They could see the "G" on the 24-ounce bottle and its orange cap, as well as bits of silver metal, she said.

She and a friend who ran over to look at it breathed in fumes that smelled like ammonia, she said.

Witnesses said a silver car had been circling before the attack, its occupants shouting things like "Get a job" and "You communist." They believe someone from that car threw the device, according to a statement from Occupy Maine.

[Don Coyote]

A Tea Party Patriot fighting Communist Nazis.

[Cain]

The article does go on to say police suspect that the Occupy protest was not a deliberately chosen target, as another device of the same design was set off that night.

However, that could have been a trial run, to test the design and see how it performed, with Occupy still being the main target.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Way to make sure the Occupation keeps on rolling, now that it has violent opposition, dumbfucks!

[East Coast Hustle]

One of my friends was one of the closest people to the blast. He said it was just pure dumb luck that nobody was injured or worse as the area the device was thrown into is ordinarily quite crowded.

[Triple Zero]

Way to make sure the Occupation keeps on rolling, now that it has violent opposition, dumbfucks!

That's about the only upside.

But, daaaaaaaaaaaamn what the fuuuuck.

[Jenne]

So...the attitude of the police is nonchalant on this?

Nice.

[LMNO]

Ok, I was talking with a friend about Occupy last night, and I started thinking:  What's the end game, here?  We know what the protesters want (well, most of 'em): to hold wall street accountable for essentially destroying the economy.  But how do you get there from here?  The democratic (small "d") way would be to elect representitives who run on a platform of holding Wall Street accountable.  However, a) I really doubt tent city will be allowed to stay in place until November 2012, and b) It's still a one party system disguised as a two party system. 

So how does this all end?  With a Chicago '68 bang, or a day after Woodstock wimper?

[Triple Zero]

Well,

at some point, we're going to have to tie down the bankers, plug tubes down their throats, force-feed them on foie-gras, and eat their livers.

But then what?

[Cramulus]

I've been thinking about this too. Here's how I visualize the best case scenario.

Occupiers continue hanging out and making noise. They succeed in transmitting a populist meme to the collective consciousness of America: Let's elect people that are working for us, and vote out people that are working against us. The topics to focus on are money (Cui Bono?) and corruption.

November 6th, 2011: the one year countdown to the 2012 election begins. The supporters of OSW have become a grassroots political entity, beholden to neither the democratic party nor the mainstream media. Even after the protests end, there continues to be a core body of activists who can transmit information to the masses without using traditional media channels.

This group reframes the political discussion around corruption/noncorruption instead of liberal/conservative. They are successful at this because there is a sense that they are the populist group, they represent the largest possible consensus of concerned, informed American citizens. Both the democratic and republican parties court their approval.

The year 2012: Congress gets increasingly anxious about the upcoming elections. Americans have never payed attention to these races before! There is a race to pass as much OSW-supported legislation as possible. A lot of political currency might be gained from answering their demands.

November 6th, 2012: the election takes place and there is a massive turnover. The election's energy is fueled by the propaganda of the OSW movement and the focus on corruption/noncorruption. We collectively elect a rag-tag group of freshman congressman/senators who aren't afraid to push through unpopular legislation like lobbying restrictions and campaign finance reform.


In the end, the moral of the story is that the HOPE we felt during the 2004 Obama campaign does not come from politicians, it comes from the public standing up on their feet and participating in democracy.

Frankly, I consider it a win condition if they change the conversation about how things get better in America. In the last 10 years, we've gotten more jaded, cynical, and hopeless about things - the important thing IMO is that we get a new narrative about activism. We have to demonstrate that things can actually get better. Whether the OSW protests are visibly "successful" or not, they will set the stage and tone for American activism in the next decade or more.


This may sound optimistic, but I don't think it's entirely unrealistic.