currently, i am neck deep in the occupation of nashville, a part of the international movement of occupations. occupy nashville (ON) is my central "theater of operations". we have a good crew there, a lot of good energy, and no fear of repercussions.
however, nationally, the movement is in the crosshairs of the true 1% - not the successful businessman, the average millionaire, or multimillionaire, but that very thin slice of the pie which has good reason to fear us. their whole world view is based in fear and scarcity.
of late, the conversation has devolved from what are the injustices that can be heaped upon us and how can we correct them to how many more injustices can be heaped upon us despite our constitutional avenues of recourse. municipalities across the country have witnessed paramilitary suppression of occupations. what began as pressure for actually enforcing wrongs done the people by the too big to fail banks, laws that were on the books a few years ago, has become hand to hand combat (rather hand to hug interaction), a brutal fight for the most basic of rights. from the declaration of independence:
The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
as i see it, this means we will give something in between lip service and NATO support to any insurrection in the NAME countries, but will enact the worst of options, at the behest of the big $$, against our own people to suppress their concerns.
what can i say? my anger and dismay discourage all reason. i read a balanced article in some media or another, but now i make it a point to read the online comments. one can tell the leaning of the publications by the leaning of the comments. but, the main line, local media (in nashville, the local papers and tv have been very even handed, if a little confused sometimes), show a good 10:1 ratio of support vs. opposition.
nashville, by only the grace of the fates, has fallen into the national spotlight. "we", actually a small, separate group from the general assembly, decided a space must be occupied at our second ga, on oct. 8. by luck, the occupiers picked the legislative plaza, where we had previously held a very successful action. this location, according to a federal judge, allowed for the "quintessential" expression of 1st amendment rights - state property, no curfew. if you haven't followed the row between the state and the occupation at the plaza, google it. i don't have enough life left to explain it.
so what has happened since the nashville arrests on oct. 29-30? municipalities across the country have taken increasingly militaristic actions to counter protesters. news has surfaced via ap that 40 mayors spoke with feds on how to crack down on occupations. but let's back up.
if you don't buy into these copy / paste pieces or other items, google it. do your own research.
JPMorgan Chase recently donated an unprecedented $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation. The gift was the largest in the history of the foundation and will enable the New York City Police Department to strengthen security in the Big Apple. The money will pay for 1,000 new patrol car laptops, as well as security monitoring software in the NYPD’s main data center.
bank security forces and nypd join forces in surveillance work.
nationwide sweep of occupations, with similar tactics. THIS is where ON plays into it all. the raids at ON were about a week before the "sweep". for the most part, they were civil and professional, tho, like NYC, we had arrests of journalists. there is no doubt gov haslam / powers that be manipulated situation.
LRAD (google it) used in NYC, Oakland. other weapons used against peaceful protesters: batons, chemical sprays, pepper ball guns, "bean bags" (sounds so harmless), rubber bullets
rediculous amounts of pepper spray used at point blank range
tactics used, in ON and elsewhere:
undercover officers
dehumanizing claims against protesters (public urination, defecation, etc)
strike in the middle of the night (3 am seems to be a favorite) to minimize participants and media
proof of penetrating online presence of occupations thru undercover operatives.
aclu notice today re: actions against occupiers might include incarceration (google it folks - i'm running on memory on this one). the order states something to the effect that anyone, anywhere, at anytime, can be detained for any reason if they are deemed a threat (presumably to anything).
aclu reports:
http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/senators-demand-military-lock-american-citizens-battlefield-they-define-being
a questionable source:
http://theintelhub.com/2011/11/22/how-protestors-become-terrorists/
reason to be concerned:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/this_is_what_revolution_looks_like_20111115/
i could go on, but it is late and i want to post something tonight.
BOTTOM LINE:
the occupation is here to stay. the powers that be are afraid. we have only just begun.
bg 11.23.11
1 comment:
I wanted to be the first to comment even though I have nothing to say :) Snakeman
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