Forum Post: The Message that Brought Me Here - We Are The 99%
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 6, 2011, 12:34 p.m. EST by JadedCitizen
(4277)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
A father whose sons constantly quarreled, asked them to bring him a bundle of sticks and then challenged each in turn to break the bundle over their knees, which they found impossible. He then split the bundle and showed how each individual stick could easily be broken. "United you are strong; quarreling and separated and you are weak," he said. ~Aesop fable
”A lot of people tried to paint this movement as not unified and we do not have a cohesive message, but as far as I can see we have one message and it is corporate greed and we are not standing for it anymore,” she declared. “No matter what your sign says, it all stems from the same source and that is corporate greed running amok.”
http://rt.com/news/occupy-message-simple-success-543/
So what are we doing to unite around this simple message. Why are we debating conspiracy theories, the merits of capitalism vs communism, and everything else under the sun? Why are we liberating outdoor space? Why are we quarreling about all this stuff?
It is time to unite around a clear strategy to end corporate greed run amok.
The mission of the 99%, United, is to get public funded campaigns, get the greedy special interests off our necks, and restore power to the people.
Does anyone agree with this idea?
Jaded.. i give you another 'LIKE' hit for this.. and yes , i not only agree, but i have worked for nearly a Decade now to Expose Corporate Greed.. Get the SEC to Investigate the Crooks.. and have had over 3 petitions against the criminals ! Every petition got an investigation or 2.. and Goldmans Sachs leads the 'Guilty'.. but only Fined!
This Current petition demands More.. we Demand Indictments!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/8/stop-the-corruption-on-wall-street/
TY all who have signed, and thank you to those who are just about to. ..Marlow
I signed it in November and it doesn't seem to have gained any traction since then :-(
Jade.. i know.. i needed some rest for a few weeks and couldnt get the darn thing out there.. I have been hoping for those like yourself that signed it would FaceBook or Twitter it to others. It needs a lot more circulation than i alone can get done.
TY Dear for your efforts already. Marlow
Hey JC : A tune http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-o3CJytIPE thanx to recent poster 'yalbullar' ;-)
I like it. I can relate,
Jaded - adj, worn out or wearied, as by overwork or overuse.
Reassemble ; Reconstruct ; Recuperate ; Regenerate ; Replenish ; Restore, via ...
a) As brisk as you can manage morning and pre-dusk walk of ~15 mins ;
b) Lots of water - with slices of lemon and NO refined white sugar ;
c) Mindfulness During Breathing OF the act of breathing ;
d) Ergo, mind stilling and 'emptying' &
e) http://www.yogaforbeginners.com/ !
~*~
ommm mane padme hmmm ;-)
Will yoga help get the 1% boot off my neck.
J@dedC : Re. "Will yoga help get the 1% boot off my neck?" ; NO, tho' it may make it more bearable !
Which on reflection, may well be counter-revolutionary, so scratch the 'yoga' ; cue more bilious rage !!
However thAt imay well shorten and coarsen your existence whilst still inhabiting this current frequency range and which in turn may ultimately be Even More 'counter-revolutionary' !!!
Oh,the eternal search for The Ever Elusive - Happy Mediummm~{;-)
"mens sana in corpore sano" ...
I cycle between jaded (cynical) and jaded (tired and weary). Life is a balancing act.
Nevertheless, you remain an engaged and active citizen - even as evidenced by your persistantly pro-progressive posting around these parts !
Not that "SpammersWordisBleak" will understand, given his half-wit post above !!
"Nil Desperandum", m8 !!!
Nice pet name for the troll.
For sure "ScammersWorldisBleak" is a OWS-Troll but no one would Ever call him a pet ;-)
Further, in order to clarify OWS's 'raison d'etre', please watch The Documentary Film 'INSIDE JOB' :
a) Free Download : http://www.multiupload.com/7B46GXEHYZ ,
b) Latest Working Link : http://documentarystorm.com/inside-job/ &
c) The Official Movie Website ; http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/ .
Narrated by Matt Damon ... "It's a powerhouse of a documentary that will leave you both thunderstruck and boiling with rage."
'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.
In order to get an insight into the nature, motivation and The Dark Forces of "the other side", please watch the documentary, "The Billionaires' Tea Party (Proof Tea Party Is Nothing But Astro Turf)" ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO_WC0FINmA !!
Finally, please consider that when 'LOVE' is the guiding animus, all sorts of "different kinds of wonderful" become possible ... and thus, with a touch of artistic license, please reflect on "The Greatest Speech Ever Made" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK2WJd5bXFg&feature=related by one Charlie Chaplain !!!
Amor Vincit Omnia ..
pax et lux .
Seen "Inside Job' and is saved on my hard drive. Excellent documentary. Seen "The Greatest Speech Ever Made" also, very powerful speech indeed.
Haven't gotten around to watching "The Billionaires' Tea Party" yet, but I have it bookmarked for later when I have a free hour to watch it.
PS. Snakes make good pets, spiders make good pets, and trolls make good pets too. Creepy little buggers they are, but good pets all the same.
getting off the couch and working towards a goal will help you, no one has their boot on your neck....that's the excuse you and other's use to justify your continued failure and lack of effort towards a productive end....
dear slammersworldisback at best your insights about ows are completely misguided but you get an a+ for misinformation and effort. ows is about getting money out of politics and stabilizing the economy so we don't have financial fiascoes like the present one. this isn't too hard to understand, is it?
I feel the same way when Romney talks about the 'invisible boot' of government. WTF expensive drugs is that dude on? Must be some good shit.
Naturally people agree with your idea, only the sociopaths wouldn't. It needs to be validated through some sort of consensus so that "we the people" present a united front. Hence the need for a National General Assembly and the petition, and therefore my growing frustration with the NYCGA, which is NOT beyond reproach in this matter.
I share your frustration. I've signed three different petitions to date but none of them are getting much attention.
My frustration with the NYCGA is a different matter.
Sorry, I don't know enough about the NYCGA to understand your frustration.
The occupations gave birth to the movement and were tremendously successful. The NYCGA led the way and like it or not, they are the de-facto leaders. (Here's the test: If Occupy DenverGA announced that there was going to be an NGA in July in Philly, who would notice? If the NYCGA made the same announcement every media outlet in the world would be on the story.) So the de-facto leaders do the democratic thing on consensus and endorse the NGA as per the 99% Declaration so there is a process to divest themselves of their untenable dictatorship. They would and should welcome this relief.
This puts it mildly. I can and have been more accusatory. I am calling on the NYCGA to publicly endorse the 99 % Declaration on December 17th.
So I am clear and not making assumptions, is the NYCGA aware of the 99% declaration? if so, how long? have they already declined to endorse it?
The Declaration was publicly announced at the NYCGA October 15th in the evening meeting. It was on the working group pages, but they were privately removed sometime at the end of October. The history is on the 'about' page on the Declaration site. I do not know the current status which is why I will continue to demand a public endorsement.
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
Wow, the Huffington Post story really threw things into a tail spin. Anyway, the more I read about the Declaration, the more I like it. Please continue to pester the crap out of the NYCGA on the 99%'s behalf until you get them to come back to their senses and endorse it. Good luck.
The NYCGA will not make political demands. This is completely against the philosophy of OWS and would be contradictory to their philosophy. As soon as you make demands to the government, you acknowledge its importance in the political process and create a hierarchy between the demandee (higher) and the demander (lower). It's like asking your mom's permission to sleep over at your friend's house. OWS is all about anarchy, i.e. the idea of a leaderless protest where people make decisions together.
That is an old comment from a month ago. Their philosophy is fairly clearly stated on the home page. However, it took me awhile to accept that they were not going to change or morph into something else.
All these petitions are too easily ignored, not that no petitions is better. The same applies to the 1st Amendment petition (petition the government for a redress of grievances). The one difference with this petition, which is the List Of Grievances being drafted by the National General Assembly, is that it should have a very broad base of support and will not only carry a lot of weight, it will be delivered with a warning:
V. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that IF the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES approved by the 876 Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY in consultation with the NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE, is not acted upon within a reasonable time and to the satisfaction of the Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, said Delegates shall reconvene to utilize the grassroots network established in the election of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY to organize a new INDEPENDENT POLITICAL PARTY to run candidates for every available Congressional seat in the mid-term election of 2014 and again in 2016 until all vestiges of the existing corrupt corporatocracy have been eradicated through the power of the ballot box.
One of my big problems with the declaration is that it throws around the term "99%" far too lightly. I understand the idea of the 99% and what that represents - but you can't say that you have the support of 99% of the population. Your quote above presents as fact that the grievances were approved by the delegates in consultation with 99% of the people - and that just isn't true, and the politicians know that. There should be a better way to word that so that it is more factual.
Ascertaining the exact % of people that support the List Of Grievances can't really be done until the NGA produces the final draft, if even possible or necessary. The use of the term 99% is simply a literary device born out of the OWS movement. The goal of the Declaration is essentially about positives changes for the 100% of people and an end to corporate 'personhood' In this part of Section Three the term American People is used instead of 99%.
" The PETITION shall be a product of the 876 elected Delegates who will confer with the American People during its creation. While attending the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY in July 2012 the Delegates shall deliberate and vote upon grievances, proposals and solutions to be included in the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES and, if necessary, adjourn for further consultation with the American People as our founding fathers did during the first two Continental Congresses. "
Other big problems?
No other big problems. There are many of the grievances that I agree with, and some that I don't - but that's ok. I'm very curious to see how the delegates are chosen and how this all plays out.
You might be a delegate ; ) stay tuned : )
NGA NOW all roads lead to Philadelphia July 4th 2012
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
Finally! I'm dead tired of all the weirdos. Of everything I've encountered so far, this is the most reasonable blueprint for achieving something substantial. A petition with the weight of a real threat behind it. I love it. Thanks for sharing and I'll keep watching for the List of Grievances to be finalized. God Bless you.
In the book, The Spirit Level, the authors make a strong statiistical case that higher levels of income disparity is a sinking ship for everyone, in many ways. Their interpretaion (which I agree with) is something along the lines that we are social and interdependent beings who automatically translate economic disparity into something like "winners" and "losers,' "in-crowd" and "alienated." In this way negative psychological effects run deeper than outer effects (such as not enough disposable income to continue to feul a broad-based economy). People of all economic levels end up with spirits contaminated by fear or desperate (and paranoid) striving that gets in the way of peace, and of something we might call "group spirit." Without a good group spirit, we can't effectively utilize the many individual gifts that each member of the "one body" would otherwise be able to contribute. My interpetation of the correlation between income disparity and social ills (of all sorts) is that an every-man-for-himself metamessage throughout a culture/society makes the "group spirit" sick. While the strategies for greater income disparity may be many and varied, and will, no doubt take quite a while to impliment, we can begin right now to create a culture that values all human gift types, and all human beings as being a "gift." We can at least set our minds on that theme while we work on external means of effecting greater income equality. It is, I suppose, an attitude change. One that offsets an overly competitive culture. No human gift is less than other human gifts. All are needed for the "one body." Once we agree on that idea, then we can begin to try to answer this question: "How can we nurture and utilize each and every one of those gifts?"
I know there is a lot of wisdom in your words. I especially have felt the deep negative psychological effects of our overly competitive society and wish for change to. But humor my practical side if you will. Changing a society's attitudes is no small task. Our leadership is bankrupt of any voices like yours. I want us to join together and take some kind of action that will put more caring, wise voices, hopefully like yours, into our leadership.
i think that ows members should have a copy of that book-
--FREE OF COURSE-- RICHARD WILKINSON AND KATE PICKETT
Why Greater Equality
Makes Societies Stronger
pdf 396 pages
http://www.multiupload.com/6IVYLFT1XK
mp3 audio
forward: ROBERT B. REICH Professor of Public Policy, University of California Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Most American families are worse off today than they were three decades ago. The Great Recession of 2008–2009 destroyed the value of their homes, undermined their savings, and too often left them without jobs. But even before the Great Recession began, most Americans had gained little from the economic expansion that began almost three decades before. Today, the Great Recession notwithstanding, the U.S. economy is far larger than it was in
It is a well-established fact that in rich societies the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. The Spirit Level, based on thirty years of research, takes this truth a step further. One common factor links the healthiest and happiest societies: the degree of equality among their members. Further, more unequal societies are bad for everyone within them-the rich and middle class as well as the poor. The remarkable data assembled in The Spirit Level exposes stark differences, not only among the nations of the first world but even within America's fifty states. Almost every modern social problem-poor health, violence, lack of community life, teen pregnancy, mental illness-is more likely to occur in a less-equal society.Renowned researchers Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett lay bare the contradictions between material success and social failure in the developed world. But they do not merely tell us what's wrong. They offer a way toward a new political outlook, shifting from self-interested consumerism to a friendlier, more sustainable society.
activist training http://1vbd3.cjb.net
You're the second to recommend The Spirit Level. I am going to start reading tonight.
I own no property
I must rent to live in a house
Jeffrey Friedman argues that natural law libertarianism's justification for the primacy of property is incoherent: if...the liberty of a human being to own another should be trumped by equal human rights (62), the liberty to own large amounts of property [at the expense of others] should... also be trumped by equal human rights. This alone would seem definitively to lay to rest the philosophical case for libertarianism... The very idea of ownership contains the relativistic seeds of arbitrary authority: the arbitrary authority of the individual's 'right to do wrong.~wiki
the right to take the ball away from the game
yep, or pay off the referees to make calls in favor of their team.
yeah....and? I didn't buy my first house till I was 39, and I was homeless twice in my life...once because of circumstance, and once, by choice, to save up a downpayment to buy said house......
now pay the bank back
Yeah...that's how it works.....I guess you think paying all your life and having nothing in the end is a better idea?
that is a result of inflated housing value
serfing USA
I got a deal, I bought it in 2009...got it for less than the previous buyer paid for it years earlier....and I started with equity because of my reasonable down payment...it's small enough I can make expenses even if I am laid off and have to collect unemployment (which isn't likely)...
Responsible behavior doesn't cause so many problems.....
I could have purchased in Mid -2000's much easier as I was on a massive upswing financially, but the prices were too high, and it was clear they were artificial and would eventually fall....and after the minor financial catastrophe I had in 2006-7 (due completely to my own stupidity) it turned out to be wise not to buy at that time...
it's a debtor economy
The Third Industrial Revolution: Toward A New Economic Paradigm
"Our industrial civilization is at a crossroads. Oil and the other fossil fuel energies that make up the industrial way of life are sunsetting, and the technologies made from and propelled by these energies are antiquated. The entire industrial infrastructure built off of fossil fuels is aging and in disrepair. The result is that unemployment is rising to dangerous levels all over the world. Governments, businesses and consumers are awash in debt and living standards are plummeting everywhere. A record one billion human beings--nearly one seventh of the human race--face hunger and starvation."
"Worse, climate change from fossil fuel-based industrial activity looms on the horizon. Our scientists warn that we face a potentially cataclysmic change in the temperature and chemistry of the planet, which threatens to destabilize ecosystems around the world. Scientists worry that we may be on the brink of a mass extinction of plant and animal life by the end of the century, imperiling our own species' ability to survive. It is becoming increasingly clear that we need a new economic narrative that can take us into a more equitable and sustainable future."
Jeremy Rifkin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-rifkin/the-third-industrial-revolution-_b_964049.html
Read this it will help. We face a new world and new circumstances that may virtually destroy not only our way of living but us.
Thanks for the information. Being my first exposure to Jeremy Rifkin and his vision, it sounds like science fiction, but I don't mean that in a bad way; rather in the sense that it is so different it feels alien to the way we do things now. It's grand visions like this that are sorely needed. His linking of the relationship between new technologies and new energies and subsequent impact on society seems pretty accurate to me.
But of course any new ideas I'm exposed to bring many questions about the credibility of the author. Is this guy a quack or for real? Can this really be done? What prominent people support his idea? Who are his critics?
Before I can embrace this new idea, I need more questions answered. But I really like the idea.
Oh, he's for real and been at it for a while. I caught him on CSPAN first time I heard of him.
Here's a bio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Rifkin
Enjoy!
Wow, this guy is spot on. I also found him on TED.
http://www.ted.com/talks/jeremy_rifkin_on_the_empathic_civilization.html
Yes, good. He's no lightweight, he's a heavy lifter. When the ideas are good and sound, they grow in strength. When we see the truth we begin to understand and it bears fruit.
Thanks, and Good Luck!
Yes, indeed, we must restore power to the people. Doing this will require sacrifice and perseverance.
I move me cut cut the heart of the sacrifice and hold it to the winter solstices sun
working hard to restore power to the people should be the given, working smarter to get it done should be the question.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/new-hot-jersey-shore-season-5-episode-2-one-man-do/
[Removed]
On the forums we waste time. The organization lacks organization. No leadership. A leader would ban many on this forum.
I don't see the forum as a complete waste of time, not for me personally - I've been exposed to a few new concepts and ideas here and there. but the rest of what you say seems to be pretty accurate.
I'm waiting. I am 55 and seen all this crap decades ago. And it was stolen from shit that happened centuries ago. All crap.
You are not representative of the 99% though, and the support for OWS is very low.....so, why don't you stop with the "We are the 99%" nonsense?
You are less than 35%, and most American's think your movement is a negative thing.....
Get a clue and go back to world of warcraft and eating twinkies in the basement of your grandmother's house...
Until one of you detractors can give me a really solid answer as to why you're here when you say this whole movement thing is so insignificant, I'm going to have to ignore you.
I like torturing defenseless creatures.....
and pointing out the truth to those who fail to comprehend it........
But, mostly the former.....I like to watch squirm in your responses, post nonsense as fact, and use news stories and website postings as factual evidence......looking for any justification for YOUR failures....for any possible way to prevent yourselves from having to look in the mirror and realize your problems are mostly self-inflicted.....
You're in rare form these days. You used to come across as engaging, now you just sound desperate.
If you can claim to represent me, and the "99%" I can also use hyperbole and exaggeration in my responses.....
I guess, however, I shouldn't take swings at you, specifically.....I think you are mostly amiable, although we differ on perspective........I apologize....
I should take a breathe after responding to modestcapitalist, zendog and shooz.......it's not fair to the rest of the posters here to carry that disgust into responses to them...
I think you misjudge the title of this post. I don't claim to represent the 99%, I claim the message "We are the 99%" resonated with me and brought me here.
I understand, we all have our days. We all want what is best for our country; we just have very different ideas about how to get there and things can get testy around here in a hurry.
Those guys are very aggressive at getting the truth out, but I was raised to be courteous and I try to back away from endless fights of your facts vs my facts. They end up going nowhere and accomplish nothing. In the end, it will never come down to whose facts are better, it will come down to whose facts are more trusted.
Jon Huntsman is the only one talking about this and it is something I agree with him on. We have a trust deficit in this country. And it needs to be restored. Trust cures a lot of things.
trusting liars doesn't help much...
I couldn't have said it better..