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We are the 99 percent

Thanksgiving Solidarity to All

Posted 10 years ago on Nov. 28, 2013, 3:51 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags: thanksgiving, power, people

Solidarity to those working in restaurants, Amazon-fulfilment centers, retail departments and Black Friday binge fests. May those at the top profit no longer. May we learn once again to be human together. May a new Jubilee come, from the people. We are thankful for you. Happy Thanksgiving.

38 Comments

38 Comments


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[-] 5 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 10 years ago

May this truly be a dismal sales season for the greedy employee abusers.

May it be just fine for those who care for "all" of their employees - with a "Living Wage" as well as "Real" profit sharing. Needless to say the blessed employers will be closed today ( as well as tomorrow - as business success should not rely on holiday sales ) so their employees can spend time with family and friends.

[-] 4 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

''Thanksgiving encourages cognitive cripples in their madness, just as it is designed to do ...

''The English arrived with criminal intent – and brought wives and children to form new societies predicated on successful plunder. To justify the murderous enterprise, Indians who had initially cooperated with the squatters were transmogrified into "savages" deserving displacement and death.

''The relentlessly refreshed lie of Indian savagery became a truth in the minds of white Americans, a fact to be acted upon by every succeeding generation of whites. The settlers became a singular people confronting the great "frontier" – a euphemism for centuries of genocidal campaigns against a darker, "savage" people marked for extinction.

“The Thanksgiving story is an absolution of the Pilgrims, whose brutal quest for absolute power in the New World is made to seem both religiously motivated and eminently human …. The Mayflower's cultural heirs are programmed to find glory in their own depravity, and savagery in their most helpless victims, who can only redeem themselves by accepting the inherent goodness of modern Americans.'' - Abridged and excerpted from :

History can be a bit of a bitch sometimes ... so sorry for any downer here but in antidote, consider :

''The time of our awakening is at hand. It is time to accept and exercise our true and loving powers. The embrace of inner and outer harmony happens as we disconnect from that which has drained us. Now is the time. Peace in our world starts with this claiming of our power and with our disengagement from that which has never worked. Can you be thankful for this as a realization within yourself ?

''Now you have a choice. You can let yourself be inspired or can support status quo & go find something to distract or numb yourself.'' But I've got to say that 'giving thanx' for the Parasite Class won't be easy !!!

Finally, consider : ''For the working class, things will only get worse so long as political and economic control is left in the hands of a parasitic financial aristocracy and its political representatives. Social opposition is mounting and will take many forms in the US. The defense of the most basic social rights—to a job, a decent wage, health care, education, a decent retirement, access to culture and art—requires a struggle against the two corporate-controlled parties and the financial oligarchy. The critical issue is the building of a new leadership in the working class'' from :

I give thanx tho' - for all the good people involved with OWS, here there and everywhere ~*~ & consider :

veritas vos liberabit ...

[-] 2 points by prospector22 (185) from Brooklyn, NY 10 years ago

We have a lot to be Thankful for. One of the main things that I am appreciative of are the many good people on this forum and out in the streets who spend so much of their time teaching, performing acts of resistance, organizing, sharing and learning.

But Thanksgiving is over and it is now time to prepare for the Holiday season ahead, so I would like to 'share' a song with you that I sang today with a bunch of other radicals outside the Secaucus Walmart, and we sang it again on the bus going back to NY.

The name of the song is Walmart Sells, although I personally think it should have been entitled Walmart Smells. This song should be sung to the tune of an old classic, Jingle Bells.

Dashing through the store

In a big blue Walmart smock

O'er the aisles I tour

Placing all the stock

The cheap stuff that they sell

Turns into junkyard blight

How sad it is to work in hell

Where they don't respect our rights

Oh, Walmart sells, Walmart sells

Workers down a hole

We work hard to move their stuff

For pay that is too low, oh

Walmart sells, Walmart sells

Walmart all the way

While executives get richer

Workers get crappy pay

A day or two ago

I thought I'd take a break

And soon my manager

Said I'd made a mistake

The time for my own needs

I guess I can't expect

But why should Waltons' profits soar

When we get no respect

Stand and join the fight

Our numbers growing strong,

Support the workers' strike

Singing union songs;

We'll make a better day

It's up to you and me

Raise wages, give us benefits

'cross the economy!

So Happy Holidays everyone! I feel privelidged to be a part of this struggle with all of you.

[-] 4 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

"In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us." from :

Thanx for your poetic post as that is how I read it just now. Sometimes seeing the similarity of our struggles worldwide is a reason for strength and in this vein, from a UK perspective - I append :

One Struggle ; One World ; One Love !!! Together We Are Stronger !! Solidarity ! Take heart from this ...

Finally, extremely pertinently to the day & your endeavours, please see the following essential piece :

''This year, the day after Thanksgiving will be remembered not as the biggest shopping day of the year, but as the day Americans took action to demand that Walmart, the country's largest employer, pay workers livable wages and play a part in improving our economy.''

per aspera ad astra ...

[-] 2 points by prospector22 (185) from Brooklyn, NY 10 years ago

"In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us."

That was very well said, but for me a better version comes from Rose Schneiderman in a speech that was given at the Old Metropolitan Opera House in 1911 after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, in which 146 garment workers (129 of them women) died.

"I cannot talk fellowship to you who are gathered here. Too much blood has been spilled. I know from my experience it is up to the working people to save themselves. The only way they can save themselves is by a strong working-class movement."

The direct actions against Walmarts all across the country should be very buoying to all of us here. As more people realize the power that we have by working together..collectively ...we become more emboldened....confident in our belief that people working together can make a huge difference.... as history has proven time and again.

By concentrating much of our efforts on Walmart, which as I have said before is one of the poster children of what is wrong in this country...we have the ability to bring them to their knees, and when that happens, the dominoes will begin to fall...some by themselves and others with a big push.

For a brief summary of yesterday's Walmart protests, with special attention paid to the one near NYC in Secaucus, NJ....we turn to the high spirited, radical and extremely intelligent...the indomitable Ms O'Neil, whose alias Aunt Pythia has taken time out from her "long and boring edition"... of her not so busy advice column...lol.. to talk about her "Occupy friends." She mentions one very bright young lady named Marni who is in her Occupy Finance/Alt Bank class, but she neglects to mention the 3-4 other OFAB'ers who were there too, and she will hear about that tomorrow, for sure, ;-) On the last of the 5 links she has put up, "here"... advance pics & I am on the right holding up the Walmart = Poverty banner with my new friend Russel who had a great sense of humor, although not quite as twisted as mine...lol

http://mathbabe.org/2013/11/30/aunt-pythias-advice-the-long-and-boring-edition/

One thing I can assure you though as much fun as most of us had outside the Secaucus Walmart yesterday, it would be safe to say that we all know that losing this struggle is not an option, not if we want to live our life in dignity anyway. I think most of us also realize the importance of forming good friendships along the way because we know that it is inevitable that there will be darker days in our struggle.

Edit; Solidarity with all those who are working to make this a better World

[-] 3 points by beautifulworld (23769) 10 years ago

Thanks for sharing this, Odin. What an awesome bunch of people.

[-] 3 points by ImNotMe (1488) 8 years ago

This Thanksgiving, got crazy RWNJ relatives coming? ''Saturday Night Life'' has an answer (of sorts!):

''Bernie Sanders at Georgetown University describes what Democratic Socialism means to him and explains why he is running for President of the United States, and what he wants to do, and how he plans to do it. ''

This is a Must Watch / Listen / Read, from Bernie Sanders for all OccupyWS supporters & US Citizens, who need to STOP being MSMind-Managed into voting for 0.01%/1%'s best interests, against their own!

fiat lux et fiat justitia ...

[-] 2 points by beautifulworld (23769) 8 years ago

Bernie Sanders at Georgetown University is a must watch video, I agree. He speaks truths there that we've been saying here for years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G6T_TCE064

He quotes FDR:

"Individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence."

"Real freedom must include economic security." Amen, Bernie

"People are not truly free when they are unable to feed their families, when they are unable to retire with dignity, when they are unemployed or underemployed or when the are exhausted, or when they don't know how they're going to get medical help."

At the 25 minute mark he begins to define what he thinks Democratic Socialism is. This is a great place for those who don't understand what socialism is to begin to get a grasp on what it really is.

[-] 2 points by ImNotMe (1488) 8 years ago

I don't think that Bernie Sanders is .. in objective, international terms - Really That Radical! It is just that the US [MSM-Mind-Managed] body politic - has been shifted so far to The Right in two generations, that previously centrist positions are now considered ''radical''!! Hitlary Rancid Clinton isn't a solution to thAt!!

Many thanx for your guide and critique - of Senator Sanders' excellent speech at Georgetown University.

pax ...

[-] 2 points by beautifulworld (23769) 8 years ago

Agreed. He's radical for the U.S., though, which is full of turkeys voting for Thanksgiving. Voting against raising wages, against healthcare for all, against affordable education, against worker rights to time off. It just boggles the friggin' mind. All while voting in war hawks that spend all of our money on war instead of the things we need. Instead of improving life here, they destroy lives abroad. It's really sick and I'm really sick of it.

Bernie Sanders speaks sense, but I agree with you that none of what he says is truly radical, nor is it real socialism. But, taking on the billionaire class is the matter of the day, they are the ones controlling the economy and where the money goes (to war) and who has power (the capitalists).

[-] 0 points by ImNotMe (1488) 8 years ago

Yep ... ''Voting Against raising wages, Against Healthcare for all, Against affordable education, Against worker rights to time off. It just boggles the friggin' mind.'' ... I totally agree and it just goes to show how extremely low-info; low-education but Highly Mind Managed The US 99% have become over the last 40 years!!! Then a chump like Trump comes along with all his squillions & people think yes, it's the fault of Mexicans, Blacks, Muslims because surely US Banks, Corporations & Oligarchs, can't be fleecing the sheeple!! Americans have to STOP respecting their abusers and worshipping the affluent and avaricious!

fiat lux ...

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[-] 2 points by ImNotMe (1488) 8 years ago

It's an outrage how Americans take the lack of Basic Universal Healthcare so easily!!! Turkeys Don't Naturally Vote For Thanksgiving!! They have to be sedated & trained ... by The Gogglebox in the corne spewing Visual Valium & Corporate Propaganda!! Switch your TVs off America and Go Get Organised!

et veritas vos liberabit ...

[-] 2 points by MattHolck0 (3867) 8 years ago

24 US/ally airstrike 1=23=16

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-politics-dicaprio-idUSKCN0V02MA

howseriousisisis

[-] 2 points by beautifulworld (23769) 8 years ago

Clicking through my notifications. What a goddamn travesty how many replies to me have been REMOVED! After over 4 years here I find that so freaking disrespectful. TYRANNY!

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[-] 1 points by ImNotMe (1488) 2 years ago

"The Myths of the Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage They Imbue" .. by Claire Bugos:

"In truth .. massacres, disease and American Indian tribal politics are what shaped the Pilgrim-Indian alliance at the root of the holiday." Also please..

From 1st link: "The myth is that friendly Indians, unidentified by tribe, welcome the Pilgrims to America, teach them how to live in this new place, sit down to dinner with them & then disappear. They hand off America to the white people so that they can create a great nation dedicated to liberty, opportunity and Christianity for the rest of the world to profit. That's the story - it is all about Native people conceding to colonialism. It’s bloodless and in many ways an extension of the ideology of Manifest Destiny."

fiat lux et respice, adspice, prospice!

[-] 2 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

''Walmart = Poverty'' sums it up. The six heirs to the Walmart fortune are worth as much as nearly half of all American households & the company has driven down American wages by outsourcing much of its distribution work to warehouses across the US and to production abroad. In addition, bringing a new Walmart to town may hugely cost a community in lost wages and closed small businesses. The clear discrepancy between the Waltons’ wealth and that of the rest of the USA may be massive but it's just one example of the prevalence of income inequality in America, with its greedy 'Hoover Up Crapitalism' !!

Many thanx for both the Rose Schneiderman quote and your comment/link/report after the protest at Walmart @ Secaucus, NJ and ''Solidarity with all those who are working to make this a better World''.

The effects of this inequality may cascade down generations and accumulate and compound over time, as 'The Brahmins' detach themselves and tell themselves they are not responsible for anything. Clearly, no system like that can continue.

This sad period since Reagan and maybe for another 10-15 years or more hence, will be seen for the historical aberration that it is - as Empire retreats and Americans rediscover the 'New deal' rationale of Roosevelt and reassert and recapture their democracy from the Corporatocracy, Plutocracy and Venal Kleptocracy of the present. Sometimes things have to get worse in order to get better, as unpleasant as that is to say or even think.

radix omnium malorum est cupiditas ...

[-] 1 points by prospector22 (185) from Brooklyn, NY 10 years ago

Most of us were a bit disappointed when we were told we would not be protestting on the property of the Secaucus Walmart on Black Friday. Instead, almost as good we were able to protest at the main intersection and exit that led into and out of the Sam's Club and Walmart parking lot..

I will have to say the Secaucus police were very professional from everything that I saw. The NYPD should takes classes from them. At one point while holding our Walmart = Poverty banner, I called out to an older police officer...a lieutenant or supervisor of some sort, and I said, "I'm here for my grandkids and by proxy I am here for your's as well." And he walked over to me, real close, and said something like.... I know, we're union and they're screwing with us, but I have to be impartial, and I said, "I know." There was emathy and respect in his eyes.. It was a real neat moment for me, as it has been in the past in NY... with a similar reaction a couple times there too. I guess that's why they have the swat teams, which I did notice a small special unit standing by well off to the side.

One woman from our group did wander over to the Walmart on her own, and she said the place was swarming with cops both inside and outside. I asked her if they were SPD, and she said no and thought they were the Hudson County police or sheriffs.

Anyway, I took out my frustration at not being able to get on the Walmart property, on the following day while taking care of a friend's farm. Before going to a Walmart nearby, I took a roll of tape and cut ten pieces off and stuck them around the breast pocket of my shirt and then put a bunch of quarter sheet, bright green, and orange... err "information' papers on the inside pocket of my jacket. I then walked around the store and calmly pulled a single sheet out at a time and looked as if it was a shopping list....then at different places throughout the store.....from hardware, to toys, to men's wear....I would rip a piece off tape from my shirt and put it on the information sheet ...lol,and then stuck 'em on very visible places, especially the last one which I stuck on their front door. You might look at it as a getting ready for the Holidays event. ;-)

In re. to your one link, There is no doubt in my mind that the real big neoliberal push began in the Reagan era. From there though trickle-down has been embraced by both parties.

[-] 4 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

It's ... ''Tiny Tim Time At Walmart'', by Jim Hightower :

Thanx for your really very nice comment & just how come you are being stinkled for that ?!!! Sheeesh !! Corporate Koch Suckers and 1% Stooges still abound here, lol ! GR8 work with the tape and paper and respect and solidarity at the old school techniques too in these times of all 'Twitter' but no trousers lol :-)

Ain't no 'Trickledown Crapitalism' any more, only 'Hoover Up Kaputalism' so ... Resistance Is Fertile ~*~

e tenebris, lux ...

[-] 3 points by prospector22 (185) from Brooklyn, NY 10 years ago

The fact that "...Our Lives Are Being Violated By Corporate Greed" in a plethora of ways from numerous corrupt instituitions and people should be the impetus for us to not rest on our laurels, namely the super-successful Black Friday protests that took place throughout the country.

On that note, this past Sunday, Alt Banking started to prepare for the next direct action against another corrupt institution, Jamie Dimond's JP Morgan Chase, and we will be taking it to their corporate headquarters on Park Ave.....where we will be coalescing with NEW DAY NEW YORK this Wednesday

http://www.nycga.net/events/ows-d4-occupy-jp-morgan-new-daynew-york-direct-action/

Note: If this doesn't come up, just click on "click here" in actions in NY on this web site.

So in preparation for this event the crew of Alt Banking which includes several people with backgrounds in finance had a most unusual meeting. We gathered around two large tables & had an arts & crafts day which was amazingly reminiscent of my early school years, art class in particular. Anyway we produced the poster size signs we will need for the direct action on Wednesday. I could not help but think of the amusing irony in making these protest signs in the classroom of a prestigious Ivy League University, Columbia.. which Obama attended.

I will be having a radical rendezvous with the indomitable Ms O'Neil on the early side of noon Wednesday to attach the ten 4'-5' cardboard rolls, that I will be bringing to the signs we will be using for that protest.

And BTW, this will probably be the last direct action or event that I will participate in this year..... on the east coast anyway. Thanks & Solidarity

[-] 3 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

I really rate Paul Bucheit and wholeheartedly recommend that item above to all. Alas. I do wish we had some large laurels to rest on but onwards and upwards in The 99% Struggle for a Mass Movement. Your link wouldn't open but I am taking the liberty to append the following for any and all interested readers :

I love the delicious and arguably sad, irony of you and your comrades engaging in your ''art class'' at Columbia University, where Obomber was a student. Best of luck and solidarity to you all. I'll take it from your final line that you'll be elsewhere after this next action so wish you and yours well the very best for Solstice, Xmas and Yule. Roll on the New Year. New Beginnings and lengthening days ~*~

pax, amor et lux ...

[-] 1 points by ImNotMe (1488) 2 years ago

For THANKSGIVING" - here's some essential viewing that U won't regret!

"The Evolution and Meanings of Human Skin Color" by Nina Jablonski:

et fiat lux!

[-] -1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

Jesus H, Christ, Odin., Writing a book?

[+] -4 points by darmand (-15) from Williamsport, PA 10 years ago

I'd love to read a book by Odin! He's in a special place to report on Occupy having been to so many Occupy actions and having also lived the Occupy Internet life. A true occupier in action and in spirit.

[-] 2 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

Well, the only thing that you have correct is that he is in a special place. After that, it all goes down hill. Stop with the lies. Stop with your pathetic cockroachiness.

[+] -5 points by darmand (-15) from Williamsport, PA 10 years ago

Why put down those who fight for the same cause as us. Shouldn't we work together, give encouragement to one another?

[-] 3 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

The only encouragement that you will receive is to be honest. Develop integrity. We can't work together until you do that.

[-] 3 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

Why use multiple IDs? Why do you lie? Awe.......sore spot? Keep downvoting.

[-] -3 points by darmand (-15) from Williamsport, PA 10 years ago

Perhaps it is necessary for Odin to use many IDs in order to make his voice heard. I'm sure he would use the Odin ID only if that was possible. It reminds me of the conundrum occupiers faced. They wanted their voices to be heard, the government says it works for the people, but then their protests were always interfered with by the police. If people are shut out from the discussion, then it seems rather perverse to complain when they find ways to come back and make their voices heard. Occupy is about fighting injustice, and controlling who can and cannot talk is one of the biggest injustices known to man. Refusing censorship is one of the key qualities of an occupier for occupying is the act of refusing to be censored. In that respect, Odin is one of the greatest occupiers here.

[-] 2 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

Or perhaps it's because he is repeatedly banned. Can you tell me why that would happen? Can you explain why you are repeatedly banned?

If you have no integrity, and you have zip, then you don't have a message.

[+] -5 points by darmand (-15) from Williamsport, PA 10 years ago

If Odin or anyone else is repeatedly banned, then that is the problem we should solve. There is no good reason to ban a forum user. Everyone should have a voice. Occupy is about refusing to be shut out of the discussion, it is not about shutting others from the discussion. You cannot build strong communities by given a voice to only a few.

[-] 3 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

By we, that would be you. Amiright? You aren't interested in communities. You are interested in promoting fear propaganda. But please continue to play the victim.

[+] -7 points by darmand (-15) from Williamsport, PA 10 years ago

I believe creating strong communities is what we should do. That starts by giving everyone an equal voice no matter what their opinions are. We need to discuss together on equal ground. No one should have the privileged position of banning those they disagree with.

[-] 3 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

You believe in selling fear.

[-] 3 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 10 years ago

On Black Friday, workers at 1500 Walmart stores stood up and walked out to demand fair treatment from the nation's largest retailer.

Working Families supporters stood with them, joining them at rallies around the country. And so far, more than 30,000 people have signed our petition to Walmart to pay its workers a fair wage. Will you sign our petition to Walmart to pay their workers $15/hr?

Poverty wages are good for Walmart's bottom line, but they're bad for America. Walmart made more than $15 billion in profit last year. And the Walton family has more than $100 billion in combined wealth -- more than the bottom 40% of Americans combined. That level of inequality is wrong. But a raise at Walmart would help boost the entire economy.

Will you add your name to call on Walmart to pay fairly?

http://action.workingfamiliesparty.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8905&tag=mo-wal15

Thanks, and happy holidays.

Joe Dinkin Working Families

PS. Below is Jen Kern's message launching this petition the day before Thanksgiving.

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jen Kern, Working Families reply@workingfamilies.org Date: Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 10:37 AM Subject: Thanks Walmart?

Friend,

It really hurts on Thanksgiving. When everybody should be spending time with loved ones, some struggling families can barely afford a holiday meal. For some of us, the day after Thanksgiving means shopping but for many, it means waking up before the crack of dawn and going back to work at poverty-level wages. On Black Friday, it becomes startlingly clear: our economy only works for the wealthy at the very top and not at all for the rest of us.

That's why this Friday workers are demonstrating at 1500 Walmarts across the country -- the largest Black Friday protest in history. We can join them by calling on Walmart to pay their workers a living wage. Walmart and big-box CEOs may want to ignore their striking workers, but they can't ignore the call of tens of thousands of protesting customers -- especially not on Black Friday.

Click here to tell Walmart: Pay your workers $15 an hour.

Across the country this year fast food and retail workers have been taking to the streets, going on strike demanding a living wage and the right to organize. And no where is this fight set in its sharpest focus than Black Friday.

Poverty wages are good for Walmart's bottom line but terrible for working families and local communities. Instead of addressing the issue, a Walmart in Ohio recently asked employees to donate food to their fellow employees. It's time Walmart hears us from every angle: workers, activists, families and customers.

Join the fight and stand in solidarity with your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers at Black Friday protest near you. Tell Walmart to pay their workers $15 an hour.

Strength in numbers is how we win. Let's prove it.

Jen Kern Working Families

PS. With demonstrations at over 1500 Walmarts nation-wide there's a definite chance there's a rally in your area. You can check the full list of events at this site: http://blackfridayprotests.org

[-] 3 points by Ache4Change (3340) 10 years ago

There's less and less to give thanks for these days, eg. 'Walmart isn’t taking care of its workers at all. It won’t pay a living wage, won’t provide decent health care or other needed benefits, won’t allow workers to organize so they can have their own voice — and then abandons them to beg for scraps if they want to share in Thanksgiving with other Americans.'

'This is obscene and a moral outrage. Three Waltons — Alice, Robson, and Jim — are heirs to the Walmart fortune and are sitting on more than $33 billion apiece, thanks to decades of profiting on the low wages the corporation pays. Shouldn’t they at least pony up a pittance from their prodigious inheritance for a few turkey-and-sweet-potato dinners on Thanksgiving?' from -

http://www.nationofchange.org/tiny-tim-time-walmart-1385711767 & see -

http://www.nationofchange.org/thanksgiving-anxieties-political-and-personal-1385649509 +

http://www.nationofchange.org/pizza-hut-manager-fired-refusing-open-thanksgiving-1385654362 .

'May we learn once again to be human together. May a new Jubilee come, from the people.' Amen. Never Give Up On The 99%! Occupy Wall Street! Solidarity.

[-] 3 points by Axis116 (63) 10 years ago

"May we learn once again to be human together." I'll vote for that!