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Occupy Wall Street

edited October 2011 in Politics
So things went down in Boston recently.

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Arresting vets and trampling over the flag doesn't make a happy Boston PD; there are apparently divisions in the ranks, and it makes me wonder what the police in NYC are going through right now.

But it looks like they wont need to worry too much since the Marines are getting sent in.
The protesters on Wall Street will soon have the protection of United States Marines who will form a human wall between the crowds of tireless protesters and the increasingly unpopular New York cops who continue to appear on YouTube in scenes that twist the insides of patriotic Americans.
From here.
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Comments

  • edited October 2011
    Say what you will about Philly but the Occupy Philadelphia people seem to be extremely well organized and prepared and good with talking with officials and police. I might go hang out there a bit this weekend.
    Post edited by Cremlian on

  • Menino's ultimatum actually made me want to go down there and start part-time occupying (call it "Time-Share Wall Street.") When Occupy began, I was skeptical (as I should be with any protest that has a "test run") but they've proved they're committed, and I'm starting to warm to them.
  • the Marines
    Just to clarify, not the Marines, but Marine vets who are no longer active duty. Big difference.
  • Ah, okay then. That actually makes more sense than sending in The Marines.
  • the Marines
    Just to clarify, not the Marines, but Marine vets who are no longer active duty. Big difference.
    I had a religion teacher in high school who was a Marine vet from Desert Storm and Desert Shield, no longer on active duty.

    Make no fucking mistake: Once a marine, always a marine. I had nothing to fear from that man, and he was incredibly nice even to problem students. But woe be upon you and all your kith and kin if you ever crossed him.
  • Make no fucking mistake: Once a marine, always a marine.
    Yes, notice how I didn't say former Marine...
  • Make no fucking mistake: Once a marine, always a marine.
    Yes, notice how I didn't say former Marine...
    You said "big difference," though, and while that's true (they can't have rifles or anything, obviously), I'm just pointing out that I wouldn't fuck with even the nicest Marine vet, no matter what you offered me.
  • If I didn't already have plans this weekend I'd be going to the Occupy Charleston event. They're being pretty well organized, and are even having roleplaying scenarios prior to the march so people can get trained in how to deal with anti-protesters.
  • Let's try this again...

    I'm generally in favor of the whole Occupy Wallstreet movement, but this was a pretty good article by David Brooks giving another perspective on it. I think he makes some valid points.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/opinion/the-milquetoast-radicals.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

    (Also, the computer here where I'm working apparently freaks out every time I try to use the insert link button, so if anyone could let me know what the code is to do it manually, I would appreciate it.)
  • (Also, the computer here where I'm working apparently freaks out every time I try to use the insert link button, so if anyone could let me know what the code is to do it manually, I would appreciate it.)
    Learn HTML.
  • Conservative sponsored blog appears "we are the 53%"
    http://the53.tumblr.com/

    Opposite blog appears, "Actually, you are the 47%"
    http://actuallyyourethe47percent.tumblr.com/
  • Bwahahaha. Brilliant.
  • Awesome, I love it.
  • This shows what we should be upset by better than I ever could.
    Someone should print out those charts and just line them up at Occupy. And let's remember the source here is Business Insider. not exactly a lefty agit-prop machine.

    This seems to be the era of diffuse leadership of social movements, perhaps in large part because the technology enables it. Diffuse leadership makes it less likely that groups will make clear, concise statements of demands, but it sure does create allegiance and resilience.

    It's going to be interesting to see what happens when winter hits here in the Northeast. Some of the part-time Occupants might not spend as much time in the encampments, but those whose only alternatives are shelters or couchsurfing might just stick around. Plus, the hardcore political organizers probably aren't leaving anytime soon.

    Occupy could become a network of politicized Hoovervilles. Man.
  • Conservative sponsored blog appears "we are the 53%"
    http://the53.tumblr.com/
    Opposite blog appears, "Actually, you are the 47%"
    http://actuallyyourethe47percent.tumblr.com/
    The first post on 47% is classic. That moron is a prime example of people being convinced that suffering and doing terribly is good for them.
  • So what happened in the early 90's to make this chart possible?

    image
  • Off the top of my head, maybe Desert Shield/Storm? Bush Sr. was a Republican too, so maybe there was a push for deregulation?
  • It was a culmination of a lot of things starting as far back as the late 1980's, and had a lot to do with consistent deregulation of the financial sector and dismantling of its safety nets over the next decade.
  • So what happened in the early 90's to make this chart possible?
    Some say it's a result of the SEC requiring salary disclosure. Full paper tl;dr, so here's part of the abstract:
    Data on executive pay shows that SEC-mandated, detailed disclosure of information
    of executive compensation has not reduced the United States level of compensation of officers.
    While, arguably, disclosure generates a greater understanding of corporate executive pay for the
    shareholders, the availability of these numbers constitutes also an enormous advantage for CEOs
    and CFOs. Indeed, unless paid at a level equal to, or above the market average, a CEO/CFO
    may well decide to move to a different corporation. This problem makes retention a crucial issue
    in all public corporations and contributes to further driving executive pay to excessive levels.
  • maybe Desert Shield/Storm?
    image
  • More money to defense spending was my thought. I'll admit it's not a well thought-out idea.
  • My money's on The Spice Girls.
  • Somebody had to pay for all that big hair in the late 90s. Who else to turn to but the American taxpayer?
  • Conservative sponsored blog appears "we are the 53%"
    http://the53.tumblr.com/

    Opposite blog appears, "Actually, you are the 47%"
    http://actuallyyourethe47percent.tumblr.com/
    Ok, so I tried google and failed my Google-usage check. Could somebody explain what is that 53% and why does it matter?
  • Ok, so I tried google and failed my Google-usage check. Could somebody explain what is that 53% and why does it matter?
    In the Republican scream and lie forum
    The Right-Wing Version of ‘We Are the 99 Percent’: Heartbreaking.
  • Ok, so I tried google and failed my Google-usage check. Could somebody explain what is that 53% and why does it matter?
    Various conservatives have made the claim that only 53% of the US pays taxes. This has been pretty much debunked -- while for various reasons (including laws passed by conservative icon Ronald Reagan) it is possible that only 53% of the population pays federal income taxes, that other 47% also pays sales taxes, state/local income taxes, excise taxes, property taxes (directly if they own their own homes or indirectly via rent paid to landlords), and so on.

    Also note that some of that 47% that doesn't pay federal income taxes probably includes the very wealthy who only pay capital gains taxes, but those conservatives fail to mention them...
  • I was thinking about the bathroom problems facing the protesters. It smells like hobo pee very badly here and protesters are harassing the local delis and using their bathrooms, making a mess without buying things.
    This makes them look like dirty freeloaders, which is exactly what the right wants to see them as.
    I think they should compile a list of all public restrooms in the area, and all wait in line to use those. Someone should buy or donate brushes, buckets, mops, gloves, and cleaning supplies. Three times a day, people will sign up in shifts to clean the bathrooms, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night. They will make those bathrooms sparkling, even better than when they have come there. Not only will it show the communal spirit, caring for the group, but it will demonstrate that to get something from a society, you have to give back. If everyone takes care of public things and puts in effort (or, you know, taxes), everyone will get something back. It's not fun, but the results will be good.
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