The Death of The Occupy Movement

Two Activist at LaSalle and Jackson, April 7, 2012 

That which swirls around the computer screen this morning is not the wispy, grey swirls of second hand cigarette smoke. I had my last cigarette at 4:00 PM last Sunday. While visiting with my son at Fort Leonard Wood for his graduation from AIT, I picked up a commercial pack of cigarettes. The FDA approved, and modified, Cigarettes scorched my bronchia. In less than 24 hours I had a raging case of bronchitis. So, for now at least, I am again a non-smoker. The only perk to not smoking, is not smoking; and all that is contained in a healthier life style. Society will piss all over a smoker for being a smoker, and once the smoker stops smoking, society will continue to find some other reasons to piss all over the ex-smoker. The oligarchy, and the 1% nation, needs to find some means to remind the 99% that they do not measure up. They just have to keep everyone in their place, right?

That brings me to a touchy subject….

Clown Bloc at LaSalle and Jackson, May 20, 2012 

• Inequality rising: inflation-adjusted household incomes, 1979-2007 
• Change in real hourly wages by wage percentile, 1973 - 2009 
• Trends in the Distribution of Household Income Between 1979 and 2007

The Death of The Occupy Movement

Ah… who says?

• Occupy Wall Street movement has hit a wall
• What Stonewall Got Right, and Occupy Got Wrong 
• Can Occupy Wall Street survive?
• The Occupy Movement Is Going Nowhere
• Could the end be near for Occupy Wall Street movement? 

NoNato Rally, May 20, 2012

To all those who are eulogizing Occupy, kindly get a clue. Moreover, to all those who have utter distain for the horizontal democracy of Occupy, again, I add "clue in."

We have pointed out the problems in how you run your nation. If you decided to fix it, that is your prerogative. I would suggest that you, with all your wealth, connections, and true Chicagoist Clout, get busy on fixing your mess. 

You know what you need to do. You have all the tools necessary to formulate a nation state where there is “liberty and justice for all.” You do not need us to tell you how to fix your mess. You need to fix your mess. We are fixing our corner of the world allotted to us, and we don’t need your help telling us where we have gone wrong, or where we are going wrong. It is your mess, it is the mess you have made of the United States of America, and you can fix it.

• Reports of Occupy’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated 

I would suggest, on this fine Sunday Morning in late June of 2012 some eight months since Occupy Chicago took to the sidewalks at LaSalle and Jackson, that you just might want to pay attention to the teachings of your Jesus Christ. 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24

LaSalle and Jackson, November 19, 2011

Chicago Bail Fund

The Chicago Bail Fund will assist those arrested in Chicago while protesting the war-machine of NATO, economic injustice, and related issues. It has been set up by Occupy Chicago, who will administer the funds with the help of its fiscal sponsors, the Crossroads Fund and 8th Day Center for Justice. All donations are tax-deductible.

To make a donation by check, make checks payable to "8th Day Center / Chicago Bail Fund", and mail (or drop off) to:

8th Day Center for Justice
205 W Monroe St # 500
Chicago, IL 60606

Funds are still needed!

We Withstand A Withering World

May 20, 2012, 9:00 AM -- Activist Sign at LaSalle and Jackson

Wisconsin

There can be no denial of the disappointment which occurred in Wisconsin this past week. The citizens of Wisconsin rejected the notion of ousting Walker. In the afterglow of the failed push to unseat the Koch Brothers, Tea-Party darling, two things seem to be standing out. First, many people in Wisconsin, including union members, find it unseemly to unseat a Governor in midterm. Second, there is a Democratic majority in Wisconsin's Senate now. This is the preferred solution to Wisconsin's problem. The citizens of the state seem to feel the legislative body controlled by the opposition is sufficient to check the radical, right wing, draconian power of a fascist governor bent on selling the state to the highest bidder. Will it pan out? Time will tell. If the Democratic Senate of Wisconsin revisits the budget bill that clipped the unions' ability to function, then it is a tactic which will pay off for a few more (but not everyone). If, however, this new Democratic body does not revisit those issues, then it will prove that the Democrats are no better than the Republicans in this era.

Arrest in Chicago

The activists of Occupy Chicago once again have fallen afoul of Chicago Police Department. There are suspect allegations that a single protestor threw a pot, pan, skillet (kind of depends on who wrote the report). In the following police inspired riot, ten others were arrested. One, an independent photo journalist, was swept off the sidewalk for doing nothing more than taking pictures.

May 20, 2012, 4:15 PM -- Abandoned Sign After Police Blitz at Michigan and Cermack

The eavesdropping law which has prevented citizens from videotaping police officer in public was recently struck down. That legal nicety is not deterring the Chicago Police Department from arresting people for taking pictures. Having cases dismissed, losing law suits, such things do not matter. Nothing in the future will diminish Rahm's police force. They are going to sweep the streets clear of all journalist and protestors, so that the city remains safe for the murderous elite. This may sound asinine, but it is a fair summation of the situation going on in Chicago these days.

As long as the Chicago police continue to protect the few at the expense of the many, I can't say I really give a damn what happens to them. But I will ask this, how is it that a cop wearing a helmet gets a knot on the head from a non-ballistic object? The loss in velocity over the course of the trajectory would render the blow as glancing at best. If the bike helmet is designed to prevent injury in the event from a fall from a speeding bike, how does a bump on the head by a pot lead to serious injury? But would they lie? We are talking about a police department which has been convicted for torturing people in the name of their version law and order.

Some of the citizens of Chicago say that we should be more respectful of the Chicago police department in order to hold the "High Moral Ground." It is painful to listen to this nonsense. It is even more painful to have to admit that before NATO's visit to Chicago, I had similar misguided convictions. The Chicago Police are doing their best to embrace the thuggish brutality of the past. They are out of control by any stretch of the imagination. It is only a matter of time until that is proved, once again, to the people of Chicago. It is appalling that anyone would continue to support what is happening here in Chicago. 

May 20, 2012, 5:00PM -- Sign found again at Michigan and Cermak

Based on Mark Colvin’s work in Crime and Coercion this is completely understandable. Constant coercion, official indifference, and bullying, produce people who will accept such behavior as normal. That is the sick truth of it. The destruction of a functional civilization is the end result of accepting such abuse as common.

The worse part of this fiasco, however, is that we have to spend time wring about it just to illuminate the official hate on the street. Such discussions take us away from removing the influence of billionaires and multi-nationals from our government… if it is our government at all. One has to begin to wonder whose government this is any more.

When good average citizens are subject to arrest, and confiscation of property, without anything resembling due process, one has to question what is going on. When the on looking citizens nod in consent to the abuse of power, one has to question what has become of the promise of “liberty and justice for all.”

Independent Media Van

We've received many good ideas on what has to be added to the van project. However, as of right now we don't have enough money to address any of them. Again, I'd ask you to consider aiding me with this project.