Forum Post: An open letter to Lawrence O'Donnell

Mr. O’Donnell

Thank you for your vocal support of the OWS movement to date - but now we need more - a big concerted push. A push not only from you but also from Rachel Madow, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz, Bill Maher, and so on.

The OWS movement is being heard and noticed. But is beginning to stall and split along lines of those who have specific “wrongs” they feel need to be addressed. Although the World Wide Occupy movement grows by the day which gives it the appearance of being a single body - it is not and its needs to coalesce around and behind a single common demand - if there is one. If not OWS will be easy to potray as a “hippie”, far left, unrealistic, unkempt and unwashed group of people who want handouts.

I believe there is such a single commend demand that OWS can get behind and push.

It simply is we demand to have our government back! By this I mean we need to remove money and special interests from our electoral and government bodies. If we can do this, ergo we have the environment in which true discussion and debate can take place - absent the dictates of the 1% and corporate special interests. I believe this may be the only way all OWS supporters will be able to achieve their disparate goals. Although I suspect some within the OWS movement advocate for a totally different form of government - I think the majority are not looking to destroy the system but rather to bring it back and establish equal representation for all. I don’t think we wish to constrain free speech - including that of the 1%. What OWS supporters want is to be able to be heard rather than to be dictated to.

Secondly, I believe it is imperative that we find a very few of us who can be our spokes people. At the moment all we have is a gaggle and cacophony of disparate voices calling for this and/or that. Without a voice or a few voices speaking for all of us we have no structure within which we can press our demand and give the current government a single point to work with to achieve what I feel needs to be our initial primary (sole) goal. We need to be able to convince our elected congressmen and women that WE are the people who elect them and it will be at their peril if they ignore us. We need them to understand that it is not they who decide who to take direction from - that has already been decided and is baked into our constitution - it is and always should be the 100%!

If we can achieve a government that truly represents us - which means lobbying, PACs, donations of incredible magnitudes, etc. and even unions will be barred from the electoral and on going governing process. By definition this also means taking money out of politics - including holding those responsible who have used the system to pad their bank accounts at the expense of the 99%.

If you agree we need to coalesce around some focus you have the bully pulpit from which to press such an approach. You and your peers have that ability - we “the common people [God how I hate these demeaning words]” do not. I challenge you to build a News Anchor’s chapter of OWS. I also challenge you and your peers to work with OWS to find a way we can get the same message and facts of life to mainstream America. Whereas your programs have sizable audiences - I suspect for the large part you are all speaking to the same relatively small group of people - who by now are already converts to the cause.

How do we get to those in middle and rural America? To those who watch the Simpsons and Reality Shows as opposed to the programs of you and your peers. I do not mean this in a derogatory manner - in general this segment of Americans does not have exposure to both sides of the story. This segment of Americans must be exposed to there being 1% who control 45%, and they need understand that supporting this is not the same as supporting the American Dream. In fact supporting it makes achieving the American Dream more difficult. They also need to understand while they deal with the problems of the recession, the 1% have accumulated even more wealth and in many cases knew fully well that their actions would only accrue to their benefit at the expense of the 99%. We also have the responsibility to explain why this doesn’t have to be this way, and that they have the voice to change it. I think if this was to happen then this segment would also sign up for the OWS movement.

We desperately need your help - help beyond that which you have already given. We need you to first speak to OWS and tell us we need to focus and have people who will represent us in communicating OWS’s demands to the 1% and our elected officials. We need you to also get your peers to take the same bold steps.

I thank you advance for your assistance at this historic moment

Alex P Westport, CT