We've already seen a bunch of fantastic posts documenting various Occupy Wall Street protests across the country. (You can check out a slideshow featuring photos from Open Saloners Harry Homeless, Linda Seccaspina and Lew Lorton here.)
Basically, we want you to keep it up! Go to a local protest, take pictures, write up a description of the experience and blog it on Open.
Tag your posts "Occupy America." Please note that by using this tag you're giving us permission to cross-post your photos or essays (with attribution, of course) on Salon.
(If you want to cover the protests, but don't want your work to be considered for cross-posting to Salon, just don't use this tag.)
UPDATE: Check out Kevin Army's fantastic account of the police raid on Occupy Oakland early this morning on Salon. As this movement continues, we're hoping to cross-post more of these great Open Salon reports. If you hear about something big happening at a local protest, check it out and report back! Basically: Just keep up with the awesome coverage. It's been amazing to read your firsthand reports of what's going on across the nation.
whatsthematterwithks
Michael Humphrey
Charles Yoo
Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments
Watch out for "Razzle Dazzle", Joan ;)
Thanks Emily
--sinclair louis
"One withstands the invasion of armies; one does not withstand the invasion of ideas."
--victor hugo
occupy wall street, my speech to the masses
I guess I could just be in the wrong part of town when asking??
I'm going to ask people, why are you here?
And seriously, people, I'm with you, but you've got to find someone to talk to the media who is articulate and who can sum up the sentiment in a short soundbite that resonates. I told the Occupy SD people that they should try using what Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winning economist, said.
Wall Street privatized the gains and socialized the losses. That's not capitalism. It's stealing.
http://open.salon.com/blog/jeff_j/2011/10/15/the_null_party_and_voting_clouds
It's a proposal for a new model for writing and passing legislation that's designed to more more power (and responsibility) into the hands of the public, and away from the parties and the big money.
Indeed, every prestigious hair salon and spa owner or fancy restaurant maitre d knows this or they just don't have the right clientele. Every investment banker and his wife knows what they need to do if they want to make sure the always get a good table at the best Manhattan or Michigan Avenue restaurant or prime appointment time with the ‘in' celebrity hairdresser! ‘Got a good investment tip?' ‘Sure X is going to buy Y and ..."
See "A Modest Proposal: The 1% Solution?" at Open Salon.com http://open.salon.com/blog/f_arouete/2011/10/25/a_modest_proposal_the_1_solution and other related articles.
An investment banker friend from Chicago, very openly and cavalierly, recently admitted to me that insider trading is common practice "everyone does it." The recent case of Rajat Gupta, Ex-Goldman Sachs Director, is nothing new. He is just one more like the “Queen of Mean” Leona Helmsley or Martha Stewart who go down while the bast majority of big fish escape the net. More scum that floats to the top only to prove how rotten to the core American capitalism is. Guillotine! Guillotine! Guillotine! Guillotine!
Indeed, every prestigious hair salon and spa owner or fancy restaurant maitre d knows this or they just don't have the right clientele. Every investment banker and his wife knows what they need to do if they want to make sure the always get a good table at the best Manhattan or Michigan Avenue restaurant or prime appointment time with the ‘in' celebrity hairdresser! ‘Got a good investment tip?' ‘Sure X is going to buy Y and ..."
See "A Modest Proposal: The 1% Solution?" at Open Salon.com http://open.salon.com/blog/f_arouete/2011/10/25/a_modest_proposal_the_1_solution and other related articles.
Perhaps the Occupiers might consider replacing the Wall Street Bull with a couple of pigs wallowing in unlaundered filthy money or sopping at a corporate trough for it's all really pig-sty beneath a tawdry facade
The entire United States government has become ineffective. Nine elderly judges pretending to rule "justly" despite disconnection with the masses is just another symptom of a system that no-longer works for representational democracy. I am now accepting having spent years in court seeking justice where justice is a novelty.
By coincidence, at the beginning of October, I was at Wall Street myself on a weekend visit . I walked through the Occupy camp site one morning, taking pictures, eager to get a sense of these young protesters.
Then, in the last couple of week, Occupy Oakland occupied the headlines for many days.
Occupy has been criticized for being disorganized and lacking a coherent message. What do these young people want, ask the detractors? What is their agenda?
I believe the critics miss the point. Yes, the protesters are young and disorganized. Yes, they are rabble rousers. That being said, Occupy nonetheless performs an important function. It focuses attention on our anemic economy and ailing society, things the leaders of government and captains of industry prefer to sweep under the rug.
I believe our country is in crisis and the cause of the crisis lies in the unfettered dominance of corporate America. At no time in history, and in no other part of the world, are big corporations as rich and powerful as they are in America today.
Their power is not limited to market share alone. Through lobbyists and financial contributions to elected representatives, corporate America also wield tremendous political power.
Profits are the bedrock of a market economy. Under the license of profit making, a license as venerated as motherhood and apple pie, corporate America pressures and manipulates government leaders into making policies that maximize profits. But maximum profits do not necessarily mean maximum benefit to we the people.
Pharmaceutical corporations are supported in maximizing profits while patients suffer high prices and unsafe drugs with undisclosed side effects. Food corporations are supported in maximizing profits while we the people get obese and unhealthy with highly processed foods laden with trans fats, salt and monosodium glutamate.
Airlines are supported in maximizing profits while passengers are burdened with habitual delays, last-minute cancellations, and unsafe airplanes. Banks, the target of Occupy Wall Street, are just the tip of the iceberg. Wall Street is just one wing of the rogues gallery of corporate thugs and their government accomplices.
In 2008, President Obama was elected on his campaign's promise of change. While his administration has wrought some change, the widespread feeling among many of his supporters is that such change is insufficient given the magnitude of what needs to be done.
Change is essential if America is to avoid going the way of the Roman empire. We must as a society alter course and take corrective action to curb the excesses of corporate America .
I was in Sydney, Australia recently and saw flyers posted by Occupy Sydney. The flyers asked, “What if we were prepared to sacrifice comfort for change?”
Are we?
Paul Haider, Chicago
The BIS provides the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision with its twelve-member secretariat, and with it has played a central role in establishing the Basel Capital Accords of 1988 and 2004. There remain significant differences between US, EU and UN officials regarding the degree of capital adequacy and reserve controls that global banking now requires. Put extremely simply, the US as of 2006 favoured strong strict central controls in the spirit of the original 1988 accords, the EU was more inclined to a distributed system managed collectively with a committee able to approve some exceptions. The UN agencies especially ICLEI are firmly committed to fundamental risk measures: the so-called triple bottom line and were becoming critical of central banking as an institutional structure for ignoring fundamental risks in favour of technical risk management.
they posted it free on their facebook
that's the spirit!!!
Don't we already occupy America?
Granted, we're a little spread out and we live in houses instead of tents--but, I'd venture a guess that that pretty much constitutes occupying.
But, thanks for the idea anyway Emily -- you're so cute!
Equally important is that Occupy Wall Street is not a spontaneous movement, but a subversive movement that has been in operation much longer than the two months they have been in the public’s eye and claim to be. It is clearly geared for Obama’s re-election and turning America into a Communist/Socialist country. I don’t believe the Occupy protesters want that at all!
In a recent ruling about a ethics charge brought against Linda Upmeyer, a Iowa legislator by Iowa Citizens For Community Improvement, research show both the charges and the group bringing the charges have been in existence for quite some time. The charges were dismissed.
Additional research shows that Iowa Citizens For Community Improvement is linked to many other socialist groups
All are connected to and promoted the Occupy Wall Street movement i.e. Iowa Citizens For Community Improvement; Progressive States Network; National People’s Action, and many more, ECT. These are all Progressive/Communist/Socialist organizations and are but a few established left wing socialist organizations all across America.
When you read their mission statements one can see they have been in existence for some time, much longer than the violent Occupy demonstrations.
All these organizations intend on making American a Communist/Socialist country.
While we all want change for the betterment of mankind, it is important that we have a County left, and that everyone can enjoy freedom with the opportunity to get ahead. Occupy will not leave us with that kind of country.
We must search for that “thread that binds” and come together with one voice. Occupy is not that thread.
The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.
Beware of what you are signing up for!
http://open.salon.com/blog/occupykaren/2011/12/06/camping_for_a_cause_a_chicago_occupation_against_violence
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────────────────▄████▄For your great noidea to do this... Enjoy!
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────────────────▄████▄For your fantastic idea for this open call. Sorry the last one got a big typo...