Occupy Everything!

[claws]

When did this "Occupy whatever" thing get started? Is it some hip new movement?
It seems to be all over the place lately and is starting to annoy me.

[Rev. Powell]

It's the liberal equivalent of the Tea Party.  Unfocused outrage with no practical ideas.  Ignore it and it will go away soon enough.

[Trevor]

I wish they would occupy my undies: that would make them go away in a hurry.

[tracy]

A good friend of mine in New York has to pass by or through these characters 5 days a week to get to where he works. He says it looks like a bad party with no focus....that has gone on too long.

[LilCerberus]

If they're the 99%, I suppose I'm the other 99%....

[Criswell]

Bored college students that don't really know whats going on.

[indianasmith]

I think the Reverend nailed it.  These folks are mad at everybody that has more than they do, because it's just not fair!  Most of them seem to be in violation of numerous civic codes, others have crossed the line into vandalism, arson, and assault.  The Oakland bunch was particularly thuggish.

Time for that Napoleonic "whiff of grapeshot"!

[Mofo Rising]

I find the whole thing pretty interesting, especially since I've noticed that people's viewpoints about it seem particularly colored by the manner in which people receive their news.

There are plenty of people involved in the Occupy movement with more nuanced views than are generally reported. If you receive your news from organizations that are not in sympathy with the protestors, they are generally presented as either naive college kids or, at worst, thugs similar to the recent riots in England. There's more going on there than that.

A lot of what the occupiers do is theater, but that's protest. It is what it is.

Stepping aside the politics of the protestors, I find the police response to the situation to be fairly odious. indianasmith brought up Oakland. The Oakland police have been some of the worst offenders as far as the over-use of force, such as shooting clearly non-threatening photographers with non-lethal projectiles, or tossing a flash grenade into a group of people attempting to help another wounded person. Both of those incidents are very easy to find online. Combine that with the widespread practice of police covering up there name tags to avoid identification (also readily available online), well... that is just inexcusable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZLyUK0t0vQ

I like the police, but there's a reason people in positions of authority need to be held to a high level of accountability. The abuse of authority going on in these situations should concern anybody who cares about this country.

[JaseSF]

I support them fully. The only way to affect real change is to take action. People are fully within their rights to protest and well should be if they're really in  a democractic society...something of which I wonder about more and more these days.

[FatFreddysCat]

I sympathize with the ideas behind the movement, shame that the only people within it that get press/media attention are the delusional wanna-be's and the clueless who are just hanging out cuz it's the new "hip" thing to be doing.

[Newt]

The prolonged occupations turn into shanty towns.  This does nothing to impress or attract the support of the public.  In Toronto the social workers are saying that (by Friday last) at least 10% of their clients have moved out of shelters and into tents in the park.  Hard to see that as a good thing.

No focus, no practical suggestions and no sign of the potential of getting any soon.  They've passed the point of having any positive effect: time to pack up and move on to the next thing.  Whatever that may be.

[Flick James]

Thanks Rev for a succinct yet measured response. The liberal equivalent of the Tea Party movement is about as appropriate a comparison as we're likely to get.

[Rev. Powell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaohFnBHtkk

[JPickettIII]

If they're the 99%, I suppose I'm the other 99%....

Me too.  My question is, how are these people eating and paying for the bills.  If they are the 99% that is, (I have a lot to say and the server will crash with my wordage about this goofs) Oh nevermind.  All I know is that these people need to stop occupying everything and start applying for everything (employment).

I think I will keep the rest of my opions about these people quiet.

Later,

John

[Flick James]

If they're the 99%, I suppose I'm the other 99%....

Me too.  My question is, how are these people eating and paying for the bills.  If they are the 99% that is, (I have a lot to say and the server will crash with my wordage about this goofs) Oh nevermind.  All I know is that these people need to stop occupying everything and start applying for everything (employment).

I think I will keep the rest of my opions about these people quiet.

Later,

John

Those are my sentiments as well. It's not that I don't have sympathy. Believe me, I do. It's not that I don't understand how rough it is. I do.

However, economic recovery is what we need. Occupy Wall Street, whether they mean to or not, are countering economic recovery. I understand that they are angry for being out of work. But shutting down businesses is exactly what you DON'T want to do if you want econmic recovery. It's like trying to cure a headache by cutting off your head.