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Forum Post: How and why Occupy is destined to TRANSFORM into A POSITIVE REVOLUTION that will restore our republic rather than trashing it.

Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 16, 2012, 7:56 p.m. EST by therising (6643)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

(NOTE: If the beginning of this post is too touchy feely for you, just skip to the end where 4 specific actions are discussed, including hundreds of thousands of people surrounding Congress and shutting down Capitol Hill with nonviolent direct action).

Some are built to provoke, cajole and push in some strategic and some not so strategic ways. Others are very solution oriented. This is the perfect combo. This seems clear. Some bring the tension and others do the really important part and give a place for people to run from the tension. They run into the arms of these elegant revolutionaries and those people show people a different way of life, a new approach.

One type of approach tends to be more pushy, more sweeping, less artful. I personally feel this is somewhat necessary. It's more like a rugby match only with nonviolence.

The other method is more elegant and is the perfect compliment to the pushiness. One group takes humpy dumpty apart. Another puts him back together again.

I want to be clear that I do not personally seek distruction of the system..... I think the founders of this nation were brilliant, despite their obvious flaws. Go to the Jefferson Memorial sometime at night and read the inscriptions inside. You'll be awestruck. All I want is to help in whatever small way I can to inspire a good kind of tension that gets Americans to feel an appropriate level of disgust with how this elegant system has been hijacked by narrow corporate interests, reducing citizens to consumers and laying waste to our environment and our humanity.

I feel we need a giant shrug right now... A massive shaking off .... We need to shake just like a wet dog and regain our vision, find our compass, remember our dream. It is a good dream, an authentic dream. And it will carry us and sustain us as we push back against plutocratic, corpolitical forces that have inserted themselves between us and our great country.

I won't stand for it. And I think there are millions and millions of Americans who feel the same.

We, the people, are starting to pay more attention to what we have in common rather than what separates us. In doing so, we grow ever closer to the day when we realize we, the 99%, had the power all along. We begin to realize instinctively that we can make decisions from a position of unified strength rather than demands from a position of divided weakness.

The people are rising. We are an unstoppable force.

As Breyton Breytonbach put it before being sentenced to prison in South Africa for engaging in nonviolent protest, "Whether we win or whether we die, freedom will rise like the sun through the morning clouds."

Damn straight. We shall overcome.

So, that's the why. Wondering about the how?

Here is the how.

When you have time, please take 10 minutes and go through all four of the actions at the link below. Don't miss the last one. Drill all the way down until you get to the part where hundreds of thousands of people shut down Capitol Hill.... http://www.occupywallst.org/forum/how-the-occupy-movement-can-grow-to-100-times-its-/

38 Comments

38 Comments


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[-] 3 points by Quark (236) 12 years ago

I hope a new third party will arrive from this movement & will replace the republicans. That to me would be the sun. Anything else might be delusional. Without a leader, we have no movement. I am sorry to say this but it is true from my perspective.

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

I hope these four large actions this spring and summer can raise awareness an support to the point that a constitutional amendment is passed to effectively overturn Citizens United supreme court decision.

[-] 1 points by asauti (-113) from Port Orchard, WA 12 years ago

I hope that we will evolve to an electoral system with No Parties. A system where each candidate is measured by their individual principles, their policies and their voting record. Also a system where each election is open to anyone who wants to make a challenge for the seat.

As it is now, no "Democrats" can run to replace Obama. It's one party against another party, rather than one individual candidate against another.

[-] 1 points by Quark (236) 12 years ago

That would be great, too.

[-] 0 points by bensdad (8977) 12 years ago

When has a third party worked?
The kochs & alec & ruppert will NEVER let the Rs party to go away
Our only chance is to sever the money pipe from them to government.
how???


Please dont use profanity - the word "LEAD_R" must never be used
We OWSERS say "point person"
We MUST to sever our heritage of the succesfulness of Robert's Rules - and use something else -
civil rights never had a lead_r, India did not gain its freedom with a lead_r, ditto Poland & South Africa,
ditto, Apple & Berkshire
We know better than to fall for the trap of useless outmoded lingo and rules

My point person - Russ Feingold or Elizabeth Warren or Alan Grayson

[-] 3 points by Quark (236) 12 years ago

I think we need a leader and this is not a profanity but an idea. Please be more open. A third party is inevitable. It will be more like a second party because the republicans will go the way of the dodo. This new party will represent the 99% and defeat the Democrats. That is my prediction for now, but each day brings new predictions. Please be opened minded. Certain dynamics we can not escape regardless of semantics & delusion.

[-] 1 points by bensdad (8977) 12 years ago

I think I am open minded -
but maybe thats an oxymoron or an anti-oxymoron?
How do you think the kochs & murdochs will be spending their money if we do not get rid of citizens united and the Rs go dodo ?

[-] 1 points by Quark (236) 12 years ago

I see your point. I don't have an answer, but my best guess is they will spend it on $40,000 dinner plates and the like continuing on as if the rest of planet is their servant.

[-] 1 points by fairforall (279) 12 years ago

hehe.

[-] 2 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 12 years ago

plu·toc·ra·cy (pl-tkr-s)

n. pl. plu·toc·ra·cies

  1. Government by the wealthy.
  2. A wealthy class that controls a government.
  3. A government or state in which the wealthy rule.
[-] 2 points by IslandActivist (191) from Keaau, HI 12 years ago

Agreed. Tip of the hat to you, my dear good sir.

[-] 2 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

It's time. 2012 is the year people will rise nonviolently to begin reclaiming this great nation.

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

Occupy seems to be gaining new momentum

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

New petition 2/22/2012

Petition the President.

This is part of what I told Him: ( what would you say ? )

We should not be exporting period. The complaint that we are always given about the high price of gas and natural gas and oil is that our supplies are so low. Is this not why new regions were opened to access more oil and natural gas deposits? Stop lying to us. Shut down fracking shutdown new drilling. Regulate the industry and put a cap on the prices. Tax the industry properly and put the money to work creating and implementing true green energy not bio-fuel.

From the Sierra club ( please take part ):

We need to tell President Obama that exporting dirty LNG is dangerous, environmentally destructive, and unacceptable. Sign our petition urging the president to put the brakes on LNG exports.

http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=4RTsJjuLoMPhCGtObg3BwA

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

OSTA : First we had one, then two sponsors for the "One Subject at a Time Act." NOW WE HAVE SIX!

We've just gained 4 new co-sponsors.

This means that you now have multiple new chances to become more powerful! Here's how to . . .

Do two simple things that will make it more likely that some of these new "One Subject" sponsors will . .

Ask their friends in Congress to become sponsors too.
Also sponsor our "Read the Bills" and "Write the Laws" acts.

STEP ONE: Go to the Facebook pages for each new co-sponsor and thank them for supporting the "One Subject at a Time Act."

Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Congressman-Mo-Brooks/155220881193244?sk=wall Representative Ann Marie Buerkle of New York: http://www.facebook.com/RepBuerkle?sk=wall Representative Robert T. Shilling of Illinois: http://www.facebook.com/congressmanbobbyschilling?sk=wall Representative Allen B. West of Florida: http://www.facebook.com/AllenWestFL?sk=wall

Use your "thank you" to suggest that they send a "Dear colleague" letter to their friends in Congress, asking them to become co-sponsors too.

Also ask them to consider introducing the "Read the Bills Act" and the "Write the Laws Act." Share the links for those bills with them . . .

https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/rtba/ https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/write-the-laws/

Many of you have done this already with Reps. Marino and Posey. It's had an effect. In fact, we know it's been a positive motivator for Rep. Marino to seek additional publicity for OSTA and to recruit his colleagues.

STEP TWO: Call and say thank you for sponsoring the "One Subject at a Time Act", and suggest that they send a "Dear Colleague" letter asking other members of Congress to also co-sponsor "One Subject."

Rep. Mo Brooks: Phone: (202) 225-4801 Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle: (202) 225-3701 Rep. Bobby Schilling: (202) 225-5905 Rep. Allen B. West: (202) 225-3026

And finally, if you think we're doing a worthy job, consider making a financial contribution here.

Jim Babka President DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h

Official email newsletter of DownsizeDC.org, Inc. & Downsize DC Foundation.

SUPPORT the "Educate the Powerful System".

Feel Free to Forward or Reprint, as long as attribution and action links are retained/included. But we recommend you delete everything in this footer, i.e., below the words "Downsizer-Dispatch".

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[-] 1 points by bensdad (8977) 12 years ago

So I see the why
I don't see the how
If your ultimate answer is "third party" - can you cite when, since the civil war, a third party has won
If not - what is the how?

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

Here is the how. Take 10 minutes and go through all four actions. Don't miss the last one. Drill all the way down until you get to the part where hundreds of thousands of people shut down Capitol Hill.... http://www.occupywallst.org/forum/how-the-occupy-movement-can-grow-to-100-times-its-/

[-] 2 points by bensdad (8977) 12 years ago

I don't mean to be mean- but I have to say this IMHO.


On 2/29 OWS will have "shut down the corporations"
I want to see what is changed on 3/1
There have been MANY huge demos in DC
and alec & david & charles & ruppert are still doing what they do


IMHO- OWS did an historic job waking up America to the truth of crapitalism.
AMERICA IS NOW AWAKE
it is time for action - and I do not mean violence
why can't we learn from the success of
alec, the tp, the NRA, the AARP, the prohibition movement a century ago?
they woke up America with demonstrations - and then -
THEY GOT IT DONE WITH POLITICAL ACTION


83% of Americans polled agree with getting money out of politics
marches and demonstrations will not do this

WHAT CAN WE DO TO DO WHAT 83% OF AMERICANS WANT DONE

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

I agree with your sentiment but please take a little more time to go through everything. Your answers are in there. Don't miss very last Aug 4 action. Need to drill all the way down and get to the detail and methods. Please pay close attention to the section with Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes from his letter from jail -- specifically the "creating tension" portion. He and Gandhi both knew how to make real change happen and they left us the playbook.

I'm with you on getting things done. Believe me. That's exactly what I think needs to happen. We need to give Middle America a way to get involved AND we need to achieve RESULTS that have real impact.. It's in there....

[-] 1 points by JIFFYSQUID92 (-994) from Portland, OR 12 years ago

Right On! We are the 99%, the People. 1% dominance is not tolerable.

Now we need to ACT!

From now until November 6th our primary goal should be to get out the vote.

No matter what qualms you have with Dems or Government or the system, MORE CONS WILL MAKE IT WORSE!

OWS and all Occupy Movements, especially here in PDX, need a major image makeover. Loud and clear signs, clean American flags, no NO more Woodstock reenactments! Camera ready and picture perfect!

Everything else (third party, environment, capitalism, etc.) depends on a successful election and the hearts and minds of the American public. So we need to apply and engage in KISS (keep it simple stupid).

Unite and Win! Unite and Win! 2010 Never EVER Again!!

Image and Vote! Image and Vote! "We the 1%" NOT What They Wrote!!

http://front.moveon.org/ | http://www.rockthevote.com/ | Lots more! ?

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

Good points!

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

It's time for Pluto to stay in Disney world.

What??? plu·toc·ra·cy (pl-tkr-s)

n. pl. plu·toc·ra·cies

Government by the wealthy.
A wealthy class that controls a government.
A government or state in which the wealthy rule.

OHhhh.

[-] 0 points by JIFFYSQUID92 (-994) from Portland, OR 12 years ago

ONM ~ Occupy News Media

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

Yes!!!!!!

[-] 1 points by JIFFYSQUID92 (-994) from Portland, OR 12 years ago

AB-SO-LUTE-LY !! (from ur other post, there's got to be a better way to find our stuff)

Occupy News Media!!

Starting with Fox Lies!!

If MSM (main stream media) didn't omit, under and over cover, and have a corporate-owned bias, more than half of our problems would not exist. Public opinion, the power of the people, is what all those Citizens United bucks are going to ~ as we speak. Follow the money, that's where the key to the kingdom resides. "ONM" could create a lot of attention, MSM doesn't like that kind of attention, and effect some better coverage appeasements. But to get real change, we have to get MSM to exempt News from the tyranny of profits. Tough sailing when PBS is funded by ADM and Exxon Mobil.

Fox Lies (and RW hate radio) just needs to be rated XXXX, because it's more obscene than any porn could ever be. Remember that scene last year when protesters surrounded a Fox Lies van and just kept chanting Fox Lies!!!!??? That was a great American moment!!

Hello General Assembly!! Are you listening!! When do we start??

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

One way we could OCCUPY THE MEDIA in the very short term is to start pouring money into the SUPER PAC that was started to benefit the OCCUPY movement. The SUPERPAC would obviously have 100% transparency and should be completely and totally devoted to supporting efforts and events that help achieve a constitutional amendment to effectively OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED supreme court decision.

The media will cover this new SUPER PAC's fund balance and the use of funds RELENTLESSLY. This provides not only super strong funding source for Occupy activities related to overturning Citizens United but it also gives us endless opportunities to spread messages via mainstream media.... They would cover this like a horse race and would be fascinated endlessly with the new and innovative ways the money is utilized to help overturn Citizens United. This will, in turn, bring Citizens United into Americans' living rooms each evening and will thereby exponentially increase support for overturning that terrible decision.

And Americans can very easily show their support for overturning that lousy supreme court decision by donating dollars to the fund that is 100% devoted to supporting efforts and events that promote the achievement of a constitutional amendment to effectively overturn Citizens United.

Could be a virtuous cycle.

I believe this is yet another way to Occupy the media. Don't get me wrong. I would also love to see us PHYSICALLY Occupy the media in all sorts of non-violent ways (heck, we should surround FOX with a crowd of 200,000 protestors as far as I'm concerned). I think the incredible attention that would arise from having active SUPER PAC called "Overturn Citizens United" would be yet another way to Occupy the media. In this case, instead of Occupying their building, we're Occupying Their attention.

[-] 0 points by JIFFYSQUID92 (-994) from Portland, OR 12 years ago

No argument here.

I do think that there are priorities, especially this election year and OWS' first Spring and Summer.

Get out the vote, OWS image makeover!

Unite and Win: Bernie Sanders already has a project for reversing CU.

Media (MSM) is the end result of CU. Let's go directly to MSM!

Unite and Win! Unite and Win! 2010 Never EVER Again!!

Image and Vote! Image and Vote! "We the 1%" NOT What They Wrote!!

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

We can definitely do this. It is all possible.

[-] 0 points by JIFFYSQUID92 (-994) from Portland, OR 12 years ago

When do we START!?

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

Now

[-] 0 points by JIFFYSQUID92 (-994) from Portland, OR 12 years ago

How?

[-] 2 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

You asked HOW we each can help kick this movement into high gear. I think it's a 7 step process:

FIRST - You identify a specific cause / effort --- getting straight in your own my the clear goal and the steps necessary to achieve.

SECOND - You come up with a kick ass top shelf slogan that is clever and sums it up. If it energizes, inspires and provokes, you've succeeded. Don't go to step 3 until you get to that point.

THIRD - Come up with a website address that is very memorable and captures the essence of the specific cause. This web address needs to be one you can remember if it was given to you verbally after your 3rd beer the night before. It has to be that good. Don't go to step four until it is. This is an address for a brand new website specifically devoted to your cause.

FOURTH - Develop your website for that cause into a hub for all things related to achieving the goals. It should be clear, clean, easy to use and "stand alone approachable" to someone who's never even heard of Occupy Wall Street. I'm not kidding.

It must:

A) Sum up the "problem" and outline why solving the problem is urgent. By the time someone reads this paragraph A, they should be all fired up.

B) Outline quickly the positive benefits to solving the problem. These can fall into any or all of the following four categories: how these benefits affects web visitor's own life and life of his or her family, how these benefits impact their town, now these benefits impact the American population, how these benefits affect the world population and how these benefits impact the local, national and world environment.

C). Outline the steps from start to finish to achieve the stated goals for this specific cause. Be careful to include information at end of each step describing how web visitor can get involved in different ways on this particular action step.

D). Summary page should remind visitors of the top 5 things they can do to help with this cause.

E). Connections, resources and links: Last section is very important. It should be a hub for spreading the word and getting people educated and involved. It should contain:

  1. Facebook, twitter links etc. that allow someone to spread the word about this cause with one or two clicks to their network of family, friends and associates

  2. Outside resources, petitions, educational materials, websites, email addresses and any other links / info that will further the cause

  3. Should allow a search by zip code to identify resources, meetings and groups nearest the person who is visiting the site.

  4. Website can't achieve anything until you get the word out in a way that gets tons of people visiting your site.. So, in addition to the facebooking and twittering above, you need to email link to this website to everyone your contact list, incuding family and friends, and ask them to spread the word to at least ten people each and ask them to do the same. Write letters and op eds in local and national papers and reference the link to website in context of your writing.

Write to your elected representatives (all of them) and tell them how you really feel. Talk to local media about the issue. Speak with local community leaders, business leaders and mavens of all types so they also underscore the importance of this cause to your town, Focus as much a possible on specific beneficial results, both short and long term.


FIFTH - So, steps ONE to FOUR above help you and your group achieve your aims that will presumably improve life for everyone in your household, town or country....even the world. Repeat this process for each of the causes that mean most to you.

SIXTH - Each of the sites above in step 5 should be stand alone and should be able to help someone get involved whether they're novice to activism and / or this cause or not. But you should also create an umbrella website that gives a short introductory paragraph containing info on the theme common to all. Make sure that name is really catchy and memorable. Spread the word of that umbrella site via methods above. Make all these sites easily searchable in many ways. All posts should emphasize the power of nonviolence and perhaps another section reviews benefits and history of nonviolent movements.

SIXTH - Then, push like hell and continue to hone your sites so they are as concise and inspiring as possible.

SEVENTH - Lastly, and most importantly, have some really good spots on this website, on nearly every page, that allow a busy supportive person to send money via PayPal etc. to established clearly legitimate activist groups. Expect 90% of people to just not have time to physically help but allow those 90% (who are still movivated) to send money. It's simple and it makes a difference. Be sure to be clear that 100% of the money goes to furthering the specific cause referenced.

Rock n roll

[-] 2 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

I like your style. Motivate and show the way.

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

We should be in this to win it and now is the time :). Let's get shit done. Let's get that virtuous cycle of awareness and direct nonviolent action going :)

[-] 2 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

I'm with you!

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

I just typed a detailed 1200 word step by step response and accidentally clicked cancel instead of save. O o p s . . . I will retype In AM. :-)

[-] 0 points by JIFFYSQUID92 (-994) from Portland, OR 12 years ago

Oh well.

[-] 1 points by therising (6643) 12 years ago

Will definitely get it to you in the morning. Maybe it's for the best and I needed to sleep on it :)

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