Forum Post: OCCUPY the Political Space !!
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 22, 2011, 2:46 p.m. EST by seaglass
(671)
from Brigantine, NJ
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
OCCUPY has made its point through the encampments , but Occupying Public places 24/7 has its severe limits as were seeing and we should now move on and take what's important from this moment and adapt and move on. Its time to OCCUPY the Political space everywhere. A Political vacuum exists in this country and we should be filling it. We should take the GA idea and open GAs everywhere, every town, every large business and every neighborhood. No democracy exists in America today and we can fill that space if we do it now. From there the possibilities are endless. Wasting our energy trying to Occupy parks 24/7 is a waste of energy and resources. We already by the very nature of our nos. OCCUPY the entire country 24/7. We are the 99% we already OCCUPY the PHYSICAL Space , what we don't OCCUPY is the POLITICAL SPACE and that's what this whole thing is really about.
Agreed What we need as a minimum is GA's for every congressional district so that delegates can be elected for the National GA NGA NOW all roads lead to Philadelphia: https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
We're obviously on the same page.
OWS should have declared the occupations over two weeks ago and simultaneously announced the preparations for the NGA. They missed that boat, damaged our reputation. Oh well.
OWS beats the drum of the 1st Amendment right of the people peaceably to assemble but yet when I mention the 1st Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances I hear that that is not what OWS stands for, it's heirarchical, it's treasonous, or simply it's impossible. I appreciate that drafting that list is going to be a difficult task but I don't see how OWS is going to actually change anything if people don't use the right to petition as strongly as they've used the right to peaceably assemble.
I think OWS should morph into OLB, Occupy Liberty Bell or OIH Occupy Independence Hall. Have small peaceful assemblies all winter long in every congressional district spreading the word about the National General Assembly starting July 4th in Philadelphia. Ask the people of Philadelphia to invite their fellow Americans into their homes for the NGA and coordinate this all winter too. Have occasional "occupations" throughout the winter, growing in size as the spring approaches, the WE ARE THE 99% growing louder with each event. This keeps the light shining and the movement looks smart, smells like a rose. Imagine the city of Philadelphia's population doubling or tripling for four days in July 2012. Some ideas are just plain better than others.
NGA NOW all roads lead to Philadelphia https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
Whats the pt. of doing demos. and not asking for a redress? Seems that #OWS got captured by the enemy early on doesn't it? If its just a bunch of people standing around complaining and doing nothing more its street theater.
The problem I have with the idea of GAs is that no one shows up when it is time to vote so inevitably a small group takes control. There was an election 2 weeks ago across the nation and only 23% of the people turned out. I voted at 7:30PM and I asked about the turn out in our town and it was about 20%.
Now there were some local and state GA type questions on the ballot.
So 20% of us made the decision. Immagine if there were a GA vote every night. That is what we would need and I believe no one would show up.
Representative government really not such a bad idea. But that is just my humble opinion.
This seems completely reasonable and within our means. We can remain autonomous and extend our political influence at the same time, since that is our desires as citizens in the first place. (Trying to address grievances that this would be too political, it's the next logical step to practical social change)
Personally, I see the GAs as the nucleus of "new" truly democratic party, not the phony pay to play Dinocrats and Retardican parties were stuck with now.