Am I the only one who doesn't get the "Occupy Wallstreet" movements

[A Mickeyfan]

Then why aren't they camped in front of the White House or the Capitol building - that's who bailed them out? Sad thing is when some of the protesters were interviewed, they didn't have a clue what about the issues. A lot of them are there to follow the crowd or get out of school or work for a few days!

They have been.. and some were arrested for it.. here it is on CNN and dated Oct 16th...

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-09/us/us_occupy-wall-street_1_protests-civil-rights-wall-street?_s=PM:US

 

[A Mickeyfan]

We soooooo need a "like" button. People just need to wake up and do some digging - but they're too busy watching Keeping up with the Kardashians....

years ago I want to say we had something similar to a like button... I remember it in the bottom right hand corner..

 

[eliza61]

Wait, what? Is there some "get out of work/school free" card one gets for protesting that I wasn't aware of? If people want to get out of work for a few days, they take a few days off. Then if they decide they want to take that time to go join in the protesting, that's their time to protest with. It's not like camping out in Zucotti Park gets you out of anything.

And folks are camping out in our nation's capital - there's a strong Occupy D.C. movement going on right now.

I don't know Katie, some where there must be a "guidebook to the correct way to protest" that I'm missing.

1) rule number one, you can only protest where "I" say you can protest.
2) Under no circumstances are you to inconvenience me
3) You must look like I say you should look. If I think you are lazy or a bum or unemployed, then your constitutional rights are suspended until you look appropriate.
4) You must have the message I say you are allowed to have. If you are not what I deem "organized or if you don't have what I deem as the "correct" message. then you must disband

 

[A Mickeyfan]

The laws aren't bent for the protestors. It may be illegal to camp in a park overnight, but it's not illegal to protest over night. And the occupation is clearly a protest. They have the right to be there, and aren't breaking any laws. Forcing them to leave IS breaking the law. The right to protest our government is spelled out crystal clear in our constitution. The only way to take away that right is to amend the constitution. They don't need a permit - the constitution is their permit.

If a park "closes" at dusk or night fall, then the park is "closed" and therefore not open to the public or anyone else for that matter. It does become illegal to "occupy" that area if it is clearly posted that area is closed. There is no difference in them staying over night as group (without a permit) or say me deciding I wanted to spend the night in the park in a tent under the stars.. I would be arrested.. why, because the park is closed. I am not just taking about camping. Most of the parks where these are taking place do not allow camping period.. never mind over night.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The camping thing is a gray area. A municipal may not allow camping, but the constitution allows protesting. The constitution doesn't say that you can only protest between certain hours. And a municipal can't over ride the constitution.

The constitution doesn't ban permitting, though.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I don't know Katie, some where there must be a "guidebook to the correct way to protest" that I'm missing.

1) rule number one, you can only protest where "I" say you can protest.
2) Under no circumstances are you to inconvenience me
3) You must look like I say you should look. If I think you are lazy or a bum or unemployed, then your constitutional rights are suspended until you look appropriate.
4) You must have the message I say you are allowed to have. If you are not what I deem "organized or if you don't have what I deem as the "correct" message. then you must disband

oh this is a good one... and this is a reason to protest.. so that our Country doesn't become a communist country.. where we can only do, look and say as "they" tell us.... After all, "they" have the money and will withhold it from us if we don't do as them deem fit

 

[A Mickeyfan]

The constitution doesn't ban permitting, though.

I am all for the OWS, but it does need to remain legal or the cause is going down the drain..

 

[Planogirl]

The laws aren't bent for the protestors. It may be illegal to camp in a park overnight, but it's not illegal to protest over night. And the occupation is clearly a protest. They have the right to be there, and aren't breaking any laws. Forcing them to leave IS breaking the law. The right to protest our government is spelled out crystal clear in our constitution. The only way to take away that right is to amend the constitution. They don't need a permit - the constitution is their permit.

Following that logic then anyone who breaks a law can just claim that they're protesting something.

 

[Planogirl]

Here is an interesting audio story about the the difference between the 99% and the top 1% and how much wider the income gap between the two has become in the last 30 years:

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/29/141823761/the-income-gap-explained-with-candy-corn

That is a great article and illustrates a part of the problem quite well. There is too much disparity between the rich and everyone else but what can be done about it? I don't begrudge people making as much money as they can so how can it be split up more reasonably without infringing on individual rights?

Bringing down Wall Street won't happen. Too many people at all levels of income are invested in it. (401K anyone? Have those in favor if OWS checked to see what stock they actually have?). This topic becomes interesting when real proposals are made as some have already done on this thread.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Following that logic then anyone who breaks a law can just claim that they're protesting something.

Say, how 'bout me & you meeting outside the turnstiles of the MK, then we will walk in through the swinging gates where they have the wheelchair symbol. When we get stopped by security, we can just tell them that we are protesting because we feel they have raised their prices too much... Let's see how far it gets us.... I have never seen the inside of the backstage offices of security (perk of protesting) or the OC Jail for that matter...

 

[KBoopaloo]

LOL, in montgomery Alabama they "marched" every day for over 365 days and pretty much ending segregation on buses, shut down business in the downtown area to the point of changing the states segregation laws.

Protest is supposed to make your life difficult. NOTHING changes from sitting on the coach and watching.

I guess they guys in Egypt and Libya should have said "hey let's not protest guys, the tourist may be upset". LOL

Sorry but pretty much every positive change in this country, starting with the American Revolution started because protestors made themselves a "nuisance".
Gay rights, civil rights, anti discrimination all came about because people no longer allowed the "Status quo" to continue to ignore the problems and sorry unless some thing directly hassles you, we ignore it

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~Martin luther King.

So basically you are saying that the protest has no merit simply because it is annoying you.

That's not what I am saying at all. I understand how revolutions and changes come about. My job involves talking to people everyday about the Boston Tea Party. I get it.

What I am saying is that THIS particular protest seems so all over the place that much of their message is lost. If one watched one of their marches through Boston (and I have watched several, as they have marched right by my workplace many times), you would be hard-pressed to know what their main concern or how they are looking to change anything. Their message is muddy as evidenced in this thread where we've had debates going back and forth about whether they want student debt to be forgiven or not, whether they want to pay taxes or not, whether they want capitalism or not. It's unclear. Many outside the Occupy circle truly can't tell. And lots of the tweets I see from camp are about drum circles, knitting tents and needing coffee donations not any actual issues which I believe really hurts their overall movement.

As I said, I support a lot of what I think are their core arguments, I just don't see how THIS particular method of protest is going to bring about that change. I could be 100% wrong and big changes will come from the Occupy movement, but I just don't see it right now.

 

[Planogirl]

Say, how 'bout me & you meeting outside the turnstiles of the MK, then we will walk in through the swinging gates where they have the wheelchair symbol. When we get stopped by security, we can just tell them that we are protesting because we feel they have raised their prices too much... Let's see how far it gets us.... I have never seen the inside of the backstage offices of security (perk of protesting) or the OC Jail for that matter...

I wouldn't mind seeing those areas.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

LOL, in montgomery Alabama they "marched" every day for over 365 days and pretty much ending segregation on buses, shut down business in the downtown area to the point of changing the states segregation laws.

Protest is supposed to make your life difficult. NOTHING changes from sitting on the coach and watching.

I guess they guys in Egypt and Libya should have said "hey let's not protest guys, the tourist may be upset". LOL

Sorry but pretty much every positive change in this country, starting with the American Revolution started because protestors made themselves a "nuisance".
Gay rights, civil rights, anti discrimination all came about because people no longer allowed the "Status quo" to continue to ignore the problems and sorry unless some thing directly hassles you, we ignore it

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~Martin luther King.

So basically you are saying that the protest has no merit simply because it is annoying you.

No--it has merit. It depends on the annoyance and depends on if you are breaking the law.

You mention Egypt. Are you aware that protestors broke into the museum and tried to steal artifacts? They were protesting--but they were doing something illegal. There was also violence by the protestors.

Is that okay in your acceptance of the right to protest?

 

[leahjade]

I hear and read stuff like, "Collapse Wall Street" (yea, there are other things chanted too, but this has not been disavowed). What will that accomplish? Do people stop to think about what that would mean?
__________________

Guess they need to teach more history in school because these kids don't seem to know that's what caused the Great Depression!

 

[FredS]

LOL, my pastor showed this picture during a sermon to make a point and I thought it was hysterical...

Your post explains why so many people are turned off by "organized religion". Personally, it seems that the Occupy movement (if you want to call it that) has started off pretty unclear and disorganized, but I do get some of the point. It certainly ISN'T just "I hate any commercial product" and that's absurd for people to try to reduce it to that.

So much worse, for a so-called minister, a man of God, to deliberately misinterpret, and to mock, something like this, when people are sincerely distressed and trying to convey their protest against the bailouts and our own representatives doing a crappy job. It's sad, mean and kind of twisted to me to use such a picture, that is deliberately missing the message, in a sermon. . I'd be re-thinking having someone like that "guide" my spiritual growth, but your choice.

 

[OceanAnnie]

It's not that the people that don't agree with OWS don't understand. There are points that masses of people do agree with. And lots of points and actions the masses don't agree with and that's the crux of it, IMO.

Yes. They have a right to protest within the confines of the law.

We need successful businesses. Jobs. "Down with big business" and "Collapse Wall Street" isn't going to get us there.

 

[EllenFrasier]

One thought I had while seeing the tents covered in snow on the news - the USA is practically the only place I can think of where people who have a place to live would deliberately sleep in a tent during a snow storm just to prove a point.
All over the world, Turkey for example, people are forced to sleep in tents often with 10 or more people to a tent, because of the earthquake in this example. People on Haiti are still sleeping in tents and have no home to go to once this "protest" is over. And I am sure that there are many other places where a tent would be considered luxury and these people think they are roughing it.
Crazy world we live in, isn't it?

 

[maddhatir]

Funny that no one has done anything about this.....until now Abe! Very sad that we let it get to this point. And now, people don't understand the anger?

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed" Abe Lincoln

 

[mikkiwikki]

I don't understand all the comments crapping on our fellow americans..

We *are* all americans right? And as such agree to the precepts of the constitution...

I'm very happy for my fellow americans who have done well, and are able to shun those who cannot break into the workforce right now. Really I am! Kudos to you.

But understand this...every year the population is growing exponentially, and our jobs are being sent over seas..

a few facts - as the emotional bias and rhetoric solves nothing.

Facts. If you are not scared yet - You are not paying attention.

AND beyond all that...

ASK YOURSELF..WHY is it that a FAMILY in the US now...
has to have TWO people working to make ends meet? Why is that? The american people need to wake up, and start asking these basic questions. You think these corporations care about your families? You are wrong. When I was growing up we were living large on one income. Not possible anymore. all these folks poo poo ing that everything is fine need to wake up.

Citizens united
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United
excerpt
"At bottom, the Court's opinion is thus a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self government since the founding, and who have fought against the distinctive corrupting potential of corporate electioneering since the days of Theodore Roosevelt. It is a strange time to repudiate that common sense. While American democracy is imperfect, few outside the majority of this Court would have thought its flaws included a dearth of corporate money in politics."

Or maybe we are ok with the idea that CORPORATIONS (ie. the almighty job creators) being equivalent to HUMAN BEINGS.

if so I fear for this country very deeply, and I love my country dearly.

Oh and BTW the corporations are more that HAPPY TO divide us with RED/BLUE political crap.
If we are fighting one another they dont have to do anything.'

We are AMERICANs RED WHITE AND BLUE - this taking sides stuff gets us NOWHERE

 

[uromac]

Interesting article regarding the backlash of occupy wallstreet

http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/26/news/economy/occupy_wall_street_backlash/