Forum Post: Wanna read my OWS Speech?
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 25, 2011, 9 a.m. EST by KofA
(495)
from Muenster, TX
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Here's the whole speech link: http://betterliberalarguments.blogspot.com/2010/10/call-to-action.html
...it was too long to post in its entirety, here.
Here's a tidbit:
Call to Action
"We the People are not presently well represented by our elected officials. Our basic needs are often times left to what we can muster between ourselves. Government at all levels fails us daily. Redresses for these outright crimes against civility are met with courts and bureaucracy that are impenetrable to appeal or petition. From state and federal down to our county and city levels, government suffers shortcomings. Our government has become the hindrance upon our pursuit of happiness, basic freedom, and even equality under the law. People, this is not what government was intended to be. Government is merely People realizing that problems can best be handled by people working together, rather than against one another. You are not alone. We the People left the State of Nature, in order to form a more Perfect Union. We levied claims that We would work together to see to it that certain Rights were inalienable. Moreover, We claimed that when government failed, that it was Our Duty to fix it. The problem is that We have become complacent, and unaware of our governments’ actions. ..."
Here's my call to action:
Your top priorities differ from her top priorities differs from his top priorities. Therefore the priority is to hold a National General Assembly (NGA) where a list of top priorities can be hammered out coming from the roots, what I call the congressional District General Assemblies (DGA's) or 'spokes councils'. The final 'official' act of the NYCGA is to announce the NGA.
OWS exercised its 1st Amendment right to peaceably assemble.
OWS MUST exercise its 1st Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
This is the one thing 100% of Americans will understand.
+10...
ANYTIME protesters are disbanded, they have a case for a civil rights violation, just as long as they were 'assembling' so they can petition the government.
here's an example from history of a list of grievances:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_Resolves
This is really cool...
Thanks for the link.
I think you copied my Declaration of Independence for the Occupy Movement.... http://www.scribd.com/doc/73304557/Declaration-of-Independence-for-the-Occupy-Movement
I did no such thing, but I do LOVE the way you think/write! :)
Be well.
The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, available at this website and elsewhere on the web was also modeled after the Declaration of Independence. I'm not exactly sure what the point of documents like yours are if they are not presented at a GA where they would either gain some traction in the movement or be dismissed.
I'm the originator of the Declaration of Independence of the Occupy Movement.... I posted a thread a week ago and never gained traction from these forums but I have gotten document downloads which tells me people are printing it out... http://www.scribd.com/doc/73304557/Declaration-of-Independence-for-the-Occupy-Movement
AWESOME...keep up the great work!
The only official political statement yet approved by the NYC GA, the governing body of OWS, is the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, available on this website and elsewhere on the web.
Well, I'd invite anyone who's willing to present this essay at a GA...
I was told at my local Occupy camps (before they were dismantled) that it was too long, and should be more of a teach-in thing. The point of my document is to outline how we got ourselves in our democratically induced corruption, to begin with, AND provide a solution/way OUT of this situation.
I am a writer, so my first purpose behind anything I write is to inform those who read my material. The more people, the better... :)
The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City is only 600 words long which is about one third the size of the average article in the Nation magazine and pretty darn short, considerably shorter, in fact, than your document. It is available at this website and elsewhere on the web. Read it.
Whatever the point of your document how do you expect it to gain any traction unless it is presented and approved by at least one GA somewhere?
I have tried to present this document where ever I go, within the OWS movement.
Sadly my disability (I am a quadriplegic) keeps me from having my boots on the ground, but I am sincerely trying to do my best to get good positive messages into the hands of those who can best employ them...
Admittedly, most of my work has been focused on getting this Motion passed: http://occupywallst.org/forum/ows-motion-i-seek-a-2nd/
I believe that there is a Disabilities Working Group affiliated with the NYC GA. Check out the NYC GA link at the top of this page. If not you might try to start one as an vehicle for the disabled who cannot attend GAs to have their voices heard and felt more effectively in the movement. It might be a good idea to start a web based GA for the disabled and their supporters.
+10...
I have been trying desperately to get GA's to adopt some form of online submission feature, but have seen no positive results on that fight, yet.
Again, you might try the strategy of actually trying to organize an on line based Disabilities GA, specifically open to people with disabilities and their supporters.
Than you for the suggestion. I'll get to work on that.
Question: "Where or how should I begin that endeavor?"
You might just go ahead and set up an OccupyDisability website. If you build it, they will come. Or ask somebody from OWS to come to you and help you set up a GA.
Thank you for your insights. I'll get something started...
There are other posts about this here...
At what GA did you present this?
None...but I have handed out over 700 hard copies... I've only read or handed it out to small groups, individuals, and shared it with forums not unlike this one.
The hard copies are designed to look like the Declaration of Independence, printed on a legal sized antique gold parchment, using Declaration font, and the backside even has an invisible treasure map on it, that leads to a real geocashed treasure.
I was told it was too long to be employed at a GA...