Did “Occupy Wall Street” turned into a “Crackdown on Wall Street?”
By louisehartmann
The “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration turned into a “Crackdown on Wall Street” as NYPD officers disrupted a peaceful march across the Brooklyn Bridge and arrested more than 700 people on Saturday. Yet demonstrators in lower Manhattan’s Zucotti Park – the “central command” of the movement – remain undeterred despite the crackdown. Each day, more and more people are streaming into the park – renamed “Liberty Square” – to join the protests against corporate greed and an economy that benefits the 1% over the 99%.
And elsewhere around the country – similar demonstrations have begun. Hundreds flocked to Dewey Square Park in Boston over the weekend to sent up tents and “occupy” that city indefinitely too until major reforms are made to our economy. More and more people are paying attention to what’s going on in New York City and elsewhere – and the attention is only going to grow as thousands of fresh new demonstrators are expected to join the ranks of Occupy Wall Street thanks to influential labor unions that pledged their support for the cause and are expected to dispatch members to the demonstrations this week.
Despite a media blackout of the protests, brutality by police, and rough weather – the resolve of the young people who want to transform this nation for the better cannot be broken.
Comments
#2
People will recognize the value of a physical newspaper when they see that the reports on line are fungible. I'm glad that some are paying attention.
#3
Eat the rich!
#4
Looks like the US is looking more and more like the brutal regimes of Egypt, Libya, and Syria. What hypocrites US politicians are when they belittle other country's governments for "cracking down" on their demonstrators and then do it themselves. Way to go New York's finest Nazis! You must be very proud of yourselves.
#5
Middle Class being attacked? Everyone below the sociopathic wealthy is being attacked in ALL countries!
#6
Oh, and by the way, forget about using your popguns to take the country back. Donate to the Savory Navy Battle Group. We need at least 24 heavy aircraft carriers battleships and cruisers, about 60 light ACs with Apache HCs, 60 battleships stationed in the Caribbean, off the East and West Coasts, control over all the military satellites and Predator drones, along with ground control over the associated missiles, and enouth destroyer screen to fight off the drug smugglers who don't want to see any changes. Oh, by the way, donations of oilers and other support ships will be appreciated.
#7
Have we become a nation of mass murderers whose leaders ought to be charged with crimes against humanity by international courts?
Treason starts at the top of governments, and the United States has been betrayed by our elected representatives for decades, from our Presidents on down. The betrayal of America continues without pause today. I fully support and encourage Americans to take to the streets in massive, peaceful protests. We have the constitutional right to seek a redress of griveances from our government and need to exercise that right in every way possible.
I am a 64 year old, decorated Vietnam combat veteran who is a current survivor of a cancer caused by exposure to Agent Orange, a generic term for at least 17 different deadly herbicide combinations. This tragedy began in the 1960's, yet it is killing American veterans as well as Vietnamese civilians and their newborn babies even today. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Vietnamese, Thais, Laotians, Cambodians, and others have suffered and died from exposure to agent orange. Agent Orange was used in Guam, and Americans have been exposed to it, within the territorial U.S. There is no end in sight to these horrendous crimes against humanity committed with the full permission of our government.
Today, there is another "Made in America" crime against humanity unfolding in Irag and Afghanistan. Our military has been using depleted uranium munitions all over those war-torn countries, leaving the lethal spent munitions where they lay. Not only are American servicemen and women dying right NOW from exposure to this deadly radiation, but thousands and perhaps millions of civiliians and their children in those and other countries will die from exposure to this American-made radiation for generations to come: Just like Vietnam. Will we the people ever learn, yet alone care about the crimes against humanity committed in our names, and passed off as "national defense"?
#8
Time to get pumped - great video of Occupy Wall St. with Steve Earle singing, "The Revolution Starts NOW!"
#9
The mainstream media finally picked up this most important story, but what bothered me was the way they painted it, not as newscasters reporting facts, but as spokespeople for Wall Street interests. They report T-Party demonstrations with admiration, and then they paint the Occupy Wall street as a disorganized rabble. They have shown us who they represent, be careful what opinions about the news you take from main stream media, it's presented like a Madison avenue ad campaign. My latest left of center independent cartoon is about the media and Occupy Wall Street protests. www.whatnowtoons.com
#10
Tear gas and tasers
#11
I saw that! My favorite sign.
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The preppies will be afraid to drive in their own cars. The Puritans showed how effective Community Shunning can be. It's either bow to social pressure, or Clockwork Orange is their choice.
#12
Welcome Home Bro. I have the dark cloud of anticipated agent orange diseases hanging over my head. Vets are eligible for service connection for AO if they were on the DMZ in Korea in the late 60's, for it was used there too. It was also stored and shipped in and out of US military bases all over the world as well as the USA. Wish we had the internet and Professor Hartmann back in the day when we went to Nam. Might have got us out of there sooner. Thanks Thom for the expanded education. We are the same age. Hope I look as good as you when I am your age. This may very well be the revolution you speak of coming to the US beginning now on Wall Street!
#13
If this continues it is my great hope that the American voters will finally wake up to the fact that the current Republican party is trying to turn this country into a corporatocracy and the best interests of the middle class and the poor lie with re-electing President Obama. Although he has been somewhat of a disappointment to Progressives he is showing more backbone lately with his jobs program and with a victory in 2012 he may drop the hopeless attempt at bipartisanship and give us a Progressive Agenda. It is an undisputable fact that our economy is consumer driven and only jobs that put money in people's pockets will turn the economy around. It is all up to the voters to give the President a big enough majority in Congress so he can heal this nation.
#14
Thom asked the $64,000 question. I see two very good signs. The first is that the younger voters are getting back into the game. Second, the multi-city movement is a sign that there is broad based support for demanding the citizens of this country gain control of our government, not the Koch Bros. or the Chamber of Commerce. People appear to be waking up and not liking what they see while also understanding it will get much worse if the Republicans win in 2012. Corporate America wants a return of the days before the Great Depression when child labor was okay, unions were dealt with by hired mobs, workdays were 12 to 14 hours, benefits were non-existent, corporate America controlled the government and courts, and competition was squashed by the big boys. You still have to get elected in this country. The key is that enough of us understand Republicans have always won by turning us against one another with ridiculous arguments. Thus the final question. Will we vote in our own best interests or will we buy into the ridiculous arguments that we don't need teachers, firemen, or police officers as much as we need corporations who have no intention of hiring more workers in this country. We shall see.
#15
Moonturtle, it's good to hear from you. Thanks for the added info and support. It is time all of us vets "come home" and tell the truth about what happened to us and what is happening today to those who enlisted because they thought that was how they could best serve their country. We can no longer live with "my country, right or wrong." God bless America and damn the politicians.
#16
"Great mimes, drink alike..."
Coined this day by me.
"...They say nothing and play charades
and drink together,
at patriotic parades...
#17
Good thoughts. The conservative agenda consists of three main issues: destroy the unions; destroy the middle class; and use "free trade" to destroy America. It's that simple. I do not like or endorse the way Mr. Obama has conducted himself as President, but I will vote for him as the lesser of the evils we will be presented with. Keep up the good thoughts and good luck.
#18
That's good advice for all Americans. I turned off the downsized, corporate owned mainstream media years ago and hope more Americans do the same. There is no honest news or information to be found on TV (Jon Stewart excepted).
#19
Obama is just as much full of hot air as he was before he was first elected. He's just making more campaign pretensions that he is only making because he is trying to sucker his jilted base back into voting for him again. He will be just as committed after being re-elected as he was after he was elected the first time. We need to Primary Obama and get someone in there that will have some commitment in favor of most Americans instead of the Banksters and Wall Street. They are counting on your belief that "you have no other choice". The Republicans sure don't want another Obama term but the Banksters and Wall Street know that Obama is still their man who will give them what they want and keep the "believers" (in the Democratic Party--even as corrupt and effete it currently is) hoping for a change that will never be in their favor. The current corrupt system counts on you believing that you have no other choice. Obama doesn't deserve our support anymore. He blew it and will continue to stab us in the back once he gets what he wants.
#20
This is just the beginning. The protests will grow larger and their will be a list of demands. The revolution has begun.
#21
If it takes mass "Occupy Wall Street" protests nationwide to facilitate communication of the PLAIN TRUTH then so be it. With government takeover and essential shut down by Koch-deluded individuals in the house of reps, the protests might be the only hope we have to reverse this outrage on DEMOCRACY. This movement isn't going away, history is unfolding. PEACEFUL PROTEST as a communication tool could in fact end the ECONOMIC VIOLENCE being co-sponsored by mass media UNTRUTHS and deceptions. Wake up "Merica" this aint no Fox alarm clock either!....it's "WE THE PEOPLE" armed with TRUTH!
#22
Thanks growin!
#23
WE the people MUST Stand up to this opression !! We MUST FIGHT BACK !! They are thugs and bullies , stoming on peacefull protesters!! Worse than Egypt or
#24
There is a good chance that the "OWS" could morph into something like the "SDS" of 1969 ..... if they are able to weather the storm. The "Weathermen" also come to mind. I just hope they don't get goofy like the Yippies in 1967 hoping to levitate the Pentagon by chanting "out demons out". Students had the military draft to fight then ....... now they must fight the poverty draft.
#25
The movement on Wall Street is long overdue. Keep it up until we see some change in Washington. Another great way to send a message to the banksters is to remove any money that you may have in one of their banks and move it to a locally owned small financial institution, something like a state or county bank or better than that a credit union. You will have fewer fees, most likely a better interest rate and people that actually appreciate you business. As far as the stock market I found an investing firm that is a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada, now that is someone I can trust. Canada actually regulates the bankers and financial institutions.
#26
Just an aside: Norton Anti-virus blocks the website http://www.occupywallst.org/ as a "Malicious Website." Can we say "censorship"?
#27
ahh so the crow now doth call
that we march and prey
on what shall soon be
the carrion men of the glass spires
on the walled street....
its about time...to bad i am a 2 jobs working stiff trying to keep my kids in mac and cheese and my self in pabst. I would love to just hop in my hippie mobile and go join in.....life sucks! American is not what is use to be....
#28
everybody pull it from b of a and go join your credit union. after the screw job they just gave folks with the $5 dollar debit fee. Hey have you done the math? As if they haven't pilaged us enough? the sheer amount of free money they just raked in is criminal and i can't for the life of me figure out why congress isn't doing anything about it. time to go back to cash only living adn start bartering?
#29
Scarrino....We have much to do welcoming home this generation. I heal by helping others, and not by sitting on a shrink's sofa. Less than a week ago, I lost my dear friend and our combat medic from Nam at only 61 years old to cancer. Nam, the gift that keeps on giving; just like PTSD. It is a fine line to tread in hating the current occupations and wars for oil and the military industrial complex stockholders, and convincing those returning vets that I support them and not the war. Many will not sort that out for years, or even decades. I just stick to welcoming them home and helping them gain VA benefits, and leave politics and religion out of it.
#30
Has anyone seen this Youtube video... I ran across it yesterday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz0swK0mpMk
Kinda spooky
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