OCCUPY WALL STREET MEDIA WATCH hyp3rcrav3 Sign Off
“Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is the merger of corporate and government power.” Benito Mussolini
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Solidarity to Amazing Occupiers and all of the Progressive Unions and members who joined Occupy Wall Street in the first weeks of the movement. I salute you all!
I have spent the last year working on this site; www.occupywallstreetmediawatch.org and it has been quite the adventure. During the height of the Occupy Events in October 2011 and May 2012, I would sometimes sit and work on this web site for 16 hours (or more) a day. It has been educational.
I tried to include protests from around the world that were not necessarily 'Occupy' protests but involved issues that Occupy members would be interested in understanding. My favorite, most interesting, current protests are the anti-nuclear protests in India. Here are a couple of links. They happened in September 2012. Look at the photos in these links. Amazing ideas. “Anti-Nuclear Activists Block Tuticorin Port In India, Hold Water Strike To Protest Nuclear Power Plant” http://www.ibtimes.com/anti-nuclear-activists-block-tuticorin-port-india-hold-water-strike-protest-nuclear-power-plant
“Koodankulam Protesters Create Symoblic Mass Graves” http://www.countercurrents.org/cc160912.htm
Those images are inspiring and every Occupier ought to look at them.
Of course, the events in Spain, Santiago, Greece, and Moscow were huge the entire year. Much happened in the world over the last 12 months that few are aware occurred.
Dissent against the Chicago School of Economics and Disaster Capitalism has practically become a crime. “Activists warned to watch what they say as social media monitoring becomes 'next big thing in law enforcement'” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/activists-warned-to-watch-what-they-say-as-social-media-monitoring-becomes-next-big-thing-in-law-enforcement-8191977.html
Even so called liberals are on the privatization band wagon. With infrastructure and many other things, Government can do it more cheaply and efficiently. Another thing is that the Commons, property that has been public - some since the founding, is being auctioned off or worse given away in no bid deals. That is the private sector outright stealing what belongs to the people and a small group of politicians / revolving door lobbyists and corporate heads profit. This combination of government and business, the military industrial complex Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us existed, is nothing short of Corporatism. The Mussolini quote on the Front Page says everything you need to know about Corporatism. (You 'kids' should read up on Benito and Morgan.)
The international aspects of Occupy are missed by many. The fact that Berlin had an Occupy on Sept 17th , 2011 was missed by most. It was massive and violently supressed. It would take weeks before Germany could reorganize in Frankfurt and Stuttgart. We all know the European Indignados protests predate Occupy but Spain also had September 17th, 2011 OWS Solidarity Rallies. The Arab Spring Egytptian youth protesters held 9/17/11 Occupy Wall Street Solidarity Rallies. (They are now being repressed by the new regime.) Even the Chinese had Occupy rallies. Most were blacked out in media censorship but Occupy Hong Kong held Central HSBC's Asia headquarters building for more than 10 months (306 days) before they were forcibly evicted.
Occupy is an popular international movement and it isn't only made up of anti-capitalists. It was even suggested that Unions become “Internationals” again and link up with their counterparts across the globe. The only way to counter Corporate Globalism is with Internationalist Labor. Unions were originally formed around the world by Anarchists and Socialists trying to improve the lot of their lives. (Socialism is not Communism for all you Tea Partiers.)
I have some opinions about the direction of the Occupy Movement. Many may not like my ideas at all but others will agree with me completely. One opinion I have is that Occupy Wall Street missed an opportuniy by not communicating more with the Unions. Many in the Anarchist contingent felt the Unions were trying to co-opt Occupy and were hostile to their help. Little was it realized that this was a chance to co opt the Unions. Remember, when the Unions were active in Occupy, the protests were the largest with the most numbers of people. Occupy started out to be a Populist movement. OWS lost much of its support because of the lack of co-operation between the neo left and organized labor. OWS was non partisan. Tea Party Republicans (Dirty hippie Soros Democrats) and rhetorical Marxists ('Reform is the enemy of Revolution') made it a partisan movement. Some people could not keep their personal dogmas out of it. Some even tried to take control and succeeded in some cities. That made it difficult for many average Americans to continue their early enthusiasm for Occupy Wall Street.
Then there was the violence. Police exploded and we are watching courts continue to throw most Occupy cases out as unconstitutional. However, with violence came Co-intel Pro (Counter Intelligence) inifltration and entrapping (framing in this case) like the NATO arrests. Media admonsihments and derision by the Corporatist Media followed the Homeland Security lead. It didn't help that suddenly Oakland had OWS discussing “diversity of tactics”. This frightened off many of the average person, often in need of education on the subject of financial manipulation and control, who previosly supported Occupy Wall Street.
There is something called realpolitik. The normal working class or middle class American is not ready for violence or a revolution that will cause thousands to die. Americans warm up to non violent protest. It does change things but it takes years. We need a revolution of thought.
I do think Occupy is still moving in a positive direction. The fact that it fragmented almosts insures it continuity. Occupy Wall Street has also motivated people who were disheartened by the current social mileu in the United States and elsewhere. They realized they weren't the only person to see there was something wrong with the economic climate. They were ready to talk about it. However, as most people aren't versed on how economics actually works, they just knew they were confused and angry. They didn't know who to be mad at.
OWS showed them who perpetrated the theft of their pensions. OWS showed them who manipulated the markets and bankrupted their employers so they were out of a job. OWS showed them who misled them into an iffy and complex mortgage that destroyed their lives as they were foreclosed upon. OWS showed them that Big Business buys politicians and therefore laws. OWS showed them they could DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
So we have an Occupy Movement made up of many tiny working groups, some in communications with others, some not, some made up of seasoned activists, some made up of recently motivated individuals. Each working group will have small actions but Actions like Occupy Monsanto happen in 40 countries. Occupy Wall Street / Occupy the World will definitely continue to disrupt the dominant paradigm.
We also have a 99% Movement off-shoot that many find wishy washy (read Democrat). It is infact going to affect positive, progressive change in the long run as it pulls the Democrats slightly left of center right. Maybe we will get that instant run-off voting idea into the mainstream zietgiest so third parties have a chance.
The reality it, technical advances and post industrial society requires a change in how the economic sytem functions. Untethered, unregulated capitalism leads to Corporatism in a continuing feedback loop between Government and Corporation. (I like government. It gives me schools, roads, weather reports, Mars images and protects me from economic predators... scratch that last one.)
Everyone needs to educate themselves. Read Milton Friedman, the Father of the Chicago School of Economics, read John Maynard Keynes the advisor for FDR's New Deal, read Karl Marx (a pen pal of Abe Lincon), read Adam Smith, read Thomas Paine, read Paul Krugman, read Naomi Klien, and even read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged (don't forget your barf bag). Read everything! Learn every perspective and know what you are talking about when you try to make the USA and the World a better World for our great, great, grand kids seven generations from now.
Back at the very beginning, in Septemeber 2011, I saw a great thing born. I saw an economic and social climate ready to rise up and say “NO MORE” to the Corporatist control of the United States. I saw a World rise up and recognize that this wasn't an American problem. This wasn't and Arab problem. This wasn't and Israeli problem. This wasn't a Russian problem. This was a World Problem (like global warming and ice cap melting) and has to be addressed.
Occupy the World will slowly but surely educate ourselves and others and create elegant and lasting solutions to the problems facing the human race. I'm glad to be part of this.
In the beginning there was a media blackout be it apathy or intent. There was only a few brief reports in New York papers or in other locals that had 9/17 events. No national mention at all. Suddenly, on Sept 19th, Michael Moore mentions Occupy Wall Street on MSNBC Rachel Maddow. The first drip of the coming media tsunami when Tony Balogna peppersprayed innocent, unarmed, young women. (That kind of PR couldn't have been bought.)
I started keeping track of media mentions for my own purposes. I was spending most of my time writing and tweeting media and unions in my own personal PR blitz to make the world aware of Occupy. I started searching and recording every link I could find on Occupy Wall Street and related topics (so I could make an educated argument) I could find. It then occurred to me that I should formalize these pages and create a public archive for all to view. The first pages reflect the frenetic times of September and October 2011.
I am retiring this web site. I am no longer in the condition that kept me home bound. I am doing well and have always been an activist. I find that I may serve a more useful purpose out and about now that I am able. I will go out and report events instead of archiving the reports of others. I believe I can do the Occupy Movemnt the most good this way.
It has been an Honour being of service to the Occupy Wall Street community and I hope this resource has been useful. The http://www.occupywallstreetmediawatch.org archive will be available for the following year until October 2013.
Thanks for everything. Solidarity to all and the World Shall Be Free!
Hyp3rcrav3
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