Forum Post: OWS THINK TANK, OWS Advanced Research Projects Agency (OARPA), Creative, Off the Wall, Strategies
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 6, 2012, 12:52 p.m. EST by Middleaged
(5140)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Like to try inutitive thinking while I write.
Thinking I have been indoctrinated as much as anyone else about what we must not think about by both the Left and the Right.
Everyone here has Looked for Trends in Politics and Corporate Shennanigans, Looked at Risks and Fears, Looked at Solutions, argued about Ideology, Discussed Education, Many are teaching and speaking, Networking, building communities, starting local thinking global awareness...
Not sure if there is a Simple Ideology that expresses what everyone wants, but it is worth many attempts.
A) Love People, Care for your community, Look for Grassroots Solutions, beware of Financial Schemes, beware of Politicians, beware of deregulation, take care of the environment, Don't Make war, Preserve Individual Rights/Civil rights/Privacy Rights, Preserve Social Safety nets, Make Health Care and Education Afordable.
B) Same as A above, but believes everyone has to pull themselves up by the bootstraps.
C) Same as A above, but wants to deregulate businesses and expand petroleum drilling and Fracking, wants to increase investment in defense, and wants to Cut taxes.
Well ...I guess that approach doesn't get us very far, but think most people would support Ideology A as many of us like Thrid Party Platforms (in my opinion).
So if Ideology A is enough of a start, then What Ideas for Strategies that are completely Off the Wall are worth kicking around. We all have ridgid Ideas of what is Right & Wrong. Put aside those Ideas for a minute.
For Instance the Socialist Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles back in 1848 (or something like that) predicted the Corruption that the USA has become within the Capitalist System.
But to me, there is no place in the US to Discuss this ...or even honestly Look at Capitalism and Socialism. We have had socialism since like 1935 in the USA (OASDI). SS is the #1 most popular government program in US History. Anyway the Point is We have capitalism & Socialism and we have to have Regulations to Fight Corruption.
So you are the OWS Think Tank.
The Problem: Bankers and Money Interests have taken Control of the US Congress, US President, and Federal Regulatory Agencies. In another sense it is Corporate Federalism, or Fascism (marriage of government and corporations...but correct me if I am wrong). A symptom of the Siezure of the US Government is the Global War on Terrorism and the Making of War.
My Limited Understanding of Grassroots Solutions
1) Libertarians: Want to reverse Federalization and Return Power to the States... somehow dismantling federal systems and authority.
2) OWS and G8 Protestors have raised awareness for over a decade, but have gained 1 Million Supportors (or much more...correct me here).
3) Many Million People are Teaching the Kids about War and Government Corruption, and the Financial Crisis. Looks like much of Grassroots and OWS is about Educating and Learning. Buy Local, Shop Local, Bank Local.
4) The Petition Drives should keep going. Petitions teach people and reach people one on one. Eventually Petition Volunteers will Educate more and more people that never got educated or were exposed to OWS.
5) Many Smart People are magnifying the Total Force and Impact of OWS by using their Law Skills, Financial Skills, Becoming a Congressional Watchdog, and by doing Research Reporting and Writing. An Effect to deter competition is a point of Law. And Conflict of Interest is a Point of Law. Refusal to carry Out Duties to Prosecute Fraud and Criminal Activity is a Crime. And I keep thinking there are laws similar to RICO Laws about Racketeering that can be applied (Matt Taibbi???).
6) Mortgage Bubble Collaspe and 2008 Financial Crisis caused a backlash that has educated Millions of Americans about Banking, Finance, Economics, Politics, How Washington Really Works, How Campaign Finance Works, How Lobbying Works, Who Lobbyist Are, US tax System, Corporate and Hedge Fund Tax rates, Etc.
7) And these Crisis have in effect Created by Backlash... Networks that Oppose Corruption in the US and In the World. OWS Protestors are now connected to Media, Money, Publishers, Writers, Film Makers, Regulators, Educators, and Acedemia.
8) The USA is now Smarter having gone through the pain of the 2007-2008 Crashes. We can't go back to being Blissfully Ignorant - Not all the way back. Way TOO Much Money was Lost for the US to get all snuggly and warm again. Many Voters will be questioning the IMF and WB not to mention the WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP, and NATO... as well as all the old Military bases in Germany, South Korea, and Japan.
9) If you Predict we are in a kind of Civil Rights Movement right now and accept that suppression of protests has worked somewhat ...then that sort of leads into Strategies. I personally don't know anything about protest preparation and protest strategies. But think increasing Media attension is the stated problem. Video Work and Film are probably very effective (again I don't know)
Summarizing A) Protest Strategies B) Video and Film Strategies C) Education Strategies D) Petition Strategies E) Network Strategies F) Lawyer & Financial Expert Strategies for Laws and Lawsuits G) Grassroot Community get-togethers H) Government Watchdoging I) Reports and Published Investigations J) Townhall Meeting with Congressmen to Ask them about Corporate Welfare in an Agenda set to only Talk about Corporate Welfare K) Public Criticism of government particpation in specific agencies and organizations. L) Third Party Candidates M) Participation in Political Party Third Party N) Warn People with Pension and Retirement Plans to see how funds are invested and to see if the funds have been fully invested in by Employeer or State (Public education about Zombie private equity funds in pension plans) O) Focus on Corruption P) Learn More about Taxes, tax abatements, Corporate Tax rates and Corporate Welfare Q) Ask Where is the Next Bubble, where are the financial guys going to strike the Economy Next? - Then Sound the Alarm to get your community out of the way of the financial Bubble R) Start an OWS Think Tank, write down Objectives, Goals, Strategies, Mission.
I have Pretty Much Failed here to Brainstorm any new Strategy, but I remembered a couple I just heard
Mission: Take Back Congress
Objectives: A) Get rid of bankers working as regulators B) Get rid of Giethner, Bernanke, Holder, Schapiro, Grunberg C) Get Money out of Politics D) Reinstate Glass-Steagall,
Strategies, Listed Individually for Objectives.
Goals, Prosecute Fraud, Promote Conservitive Accounting and Auditing prosedures in the US, Keep Bankers out of Government Jobs, Use the SEC and FDIC to Prosecute bad behavior in banking, Use FBI to prosecute Major Fraud, regulate the shadow banking areas,
What Else?
Bill Black testified against the Keating Five and prosecuted with others 3000 cases against bankers in the 90s. The Result is Congress won't go after their Big Campaign Contributors any more. Worse, Obama has Scared Whistleblowers away from blowing the Whistle.
Local Law Enforcement have been federalized to a degree. They have been added to alert networks, given new equipments, provided contacts to regional fusion centers for emergency coordination, established relationships and formal relationships to glue them to the federal machinery. This complicates any effort for States to try to pull back from federal control or federal systems.
Some people believe we are indanger of another collapse from Un-Regulated Derivatives (Unregulated and not even Transparent for people to see and total up into Dollars) which could be $1 Quadrillion Dollars World Wide. This is part of the Case for more Banking Regulations. And this is the kind of thing that Marx and Engles were warning of being a danger in Capitalism.
Good question - thanks for asking :
Middleaged said 41 minutes ago at Nov. 6, 2012, 1:04 p.m. EST (delete)
This might be simplistic. I posted something that everyone has already been doing all along. What do you think is it okay? http://occupywallst.org/forum/ows-think-tank-generate-ideas-gather-ideas-survey-/
DKAtoday said 35 minutes ago at Nov. 6, 2012, 1:10 p.m. EST (delete)
Of course it is OK - we have only just started to make change - we need to keep the discussions happening and circulating out to the public.
Education and outreach are growing - and that needs to continue.
Imagine the Voice of the US forms a Chord & Rises up into the Air for Everyone to hear.
Creative Thinking comes out of Many Sources.
The Musical CHORD Formed by US Media, Politics, Corporations - has become something of a Din. There is a Faint chorus in the back singing of Individual Rights, Civil RIghts, the Constitution, Equality, and Equal Opportunity. The predominant Voice in the CHORD formed by the USA is Money, War, Corporate Interest, Power, Hegemony, Energy, Consumption, and Corruption.
Perhaps that is a Teaching Story for your Community and for our children. Don't know how many Creative Artistic Type people will read this... Education follows Oral Traditions, Song, Dance, Music, Greek Tragedies, Myths..... History.
The Problem with History is we have BS in our Culture (if you are like me). History is Written by the Winners of Economic and Class Wars. History is Written by Politicians and Media. Media has Conflicts of Interest since it relies on Money.
The CHORD formed by US Main Stream Media is a Slurry, Sloppy, Song by a Well Dressed Drunk in an English Bowler Hat. In the UK they would call him an "Empty Suit" because his eyes never Light Up. He is a Man of no passion and crushed Dreams. He gives himself to work ...and nothing else.
The CHORD sung by London is also a Din. It is a Akward, Nervous, Song sung as if short of time. There is a background of Military Drums from a forgotten Empire. The weak Chorus from the Magna Carta doesn't soothe 70 years of Austerity, Thatcherism, and Deficit Spending.
Protests add a Cadence and Heart Beat to the CHORD of the USA.
Creative Centers are a kind of Refuge for People aren't they? Artist are usually aware of social issues even before most other people. Art represents a kind of Think Tank to explore Ideas and form Strategies. Every city has creative centers. Bohemia and Prague come to mind. The Cafe's and Salons in Paris. Greenwich Village. San Fransisco. Sante Fe'.
But the CHORD of the USA is more stiff and structured. The US is the most productive country in the world. In the Industrial Revolution a Military management system was addopted to keep children, men, and women productive on the factory floor. Time management and sequential work flow are Synonymous with America. Many Americans Don't respect you on the Basis that you might "Look Like You Don't Work". The Music of America is Work, Get A Job, or we don't Respect you....
(This is an Error in Logic. There aren't enough jobs for everyone. Women didn't join the workforce till the 1960s (50 years ago). You can't raise the Retirement Age, becaue there aren't enough Jobs.)
The Love revolution is about letting your kids find themselves and do work they believe in regardless of the money. We have teachers, nurses, artists, laborers, waiters, busboys, cooks, trash collectors, ag pickers, immigrant workers, maids, historians, professors, farmers, retirees, writers, researchers, watchdogs, election workers, volunteers, charity workers, etc.
If you want to be an Artist or Community Worker. The Culture of the US has to support this to make the Song, Music, Chord of the US better for everyone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Village
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech_Movement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Generation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture_of_the_1960s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture_of_the_1960s#Politics
Jack Weinberg and sit-in
On October 1, former graduate student Jack Weinberg was sitting at the CORE table. He refused to show his identification to the campus police and was arrested. There was a spontaneous movement of students to surround the police car in which he was to be transported. Weinberg did not leave the police car, nor did the car move for 32 hours. At one point, there may have been 3,000 students around the car. The car was used as a speaker's podium and a continuous public discussion was held which continued until the charges against Weinberg were dropped.
Follw-up comment. Continuous circulation may seem like old news being repeated - except that people need to consider - that what they may have heard before - others very well may not have - and sometimes people need to be presented with an idea more then once before they actually consider it.
Example : http://occupywallst.org/forum/after-voting-today-how-about-making-another-statem/
It has been mentioned before - it does not mean that it has been seen or considered by all - yet.
Thanks. I'm probably one of those that misses a lot. That is why I use bold, bullets, and capitals ...makes it easier to read for me. But don't see that others have a hard time with font and reading. So could be another point on top of yours.
Slight differences in presentation can be like whole different colors or sounds to individuals - you never know what might gain someones attention.
This sits well with your strong post :
multum in parvo ...
Excellent. Ellen Brown has just spoken for me. It is about Financial Schemes. Here is something New from Bill Black you may not have seen yet:
Wall Street urges Obama to commit the Great Betrayal – William K Black
http://wallstreetexaminer.com/2012/11/06/wall-street-urges-obama-to-commit-the-great-betrayal-william-k-black/
"One of the most important reasons that more Americans support the Democratic Party than the Republican Party is that the Democratic Party is viewed as the Party that created and guards the safety net. The elements of the safety net are the crown jewels of Democratic Party policy successes.
"Only a Democrat can make it politically safe for Republicans who hate the safety net to unravel it (a process that would occur over a number of years) by legitimizing the claim that the safety net must be cut. Obama may not intend to unravel the safety net. He may have been convinced by Wall Street that it is necessary to begin to unravel the safety net in order to save it. But the result would be to declare open season on the safety net by legitimizing the false Republican memes that the safety net is unsustainable and harms the nation. The Republican Party’s and Wall Street’s greatest frustration is that they have been unable to unravel or discredit the safety net. The Democratic Party has its Wall Street wing, but the Republican Party has been Wall Street’s principal representative for decades. The Republican Party has been unable to deliver Wall Street’s unholy grail – privatizing Social Security.
"Wall Street salivates at the prospect of any privatization of social security. This would lead to them being able to charge tens of billions of dollars in fees annually and the banks that administered the privatized program would be systemically dangerous institutions (SDIs) because the consequences of allowing bank failures to cause tens of millions of Americans to lose their retirement savings would require either that all such deposits be federally insured or that the failing banks be bailed out by the federal government. Privatization, therefore, is a convenient fiction. The banks’ profits will be private; any catastrophic losses will be borne by the public. The SDIs’ already massive political power, often exerted through front groups like Third Way, will burgeon."
~
I take the above excerpts from your excellent link. People like Profs. Wm. K. Black, Michael Hudson and Ellen Brown are very important for OWS and the 'new people centred economics' that we all need and I'm very pleased that 'Kilkennomics' is back on in Ireland. A 'festival of new economics' - imagine that ! Thanx again 'Ma'. Stay well, strong and aware.
pax, amor et lux ...
http://occupywallst.org/forum/why-we-need-free-media/
I notice that people have been looking for printable media - like post cards that can be printed out at home by anyone. Well the above post link is about free media and has a list of resources. Not in there? Some also talk about do you have an idea - we can work on it.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/now-that-we-got-our-guy-reelected-why-dont-we-do-s/