Occupy All the Things!!

[Paj]

Bulletin from TS London correspondent

The Occupy movement seem to be having a more positive reception in the UK. Camping out in the grounds of St Paul's Cathedral (with tents, no less), a senior figure in the clergy has already resigned over his stance on the Occupy movement. This has emboldened the campers significantly. Generally the media portrayal is less partisan then what Ive seen in Australia - less 'filthy hippies' and more 'disenfranchised professionals' angles taken.

There have been moves by the Conservative government to amend laws to prevent their continued occupation or issue stronger warnings and such, but legally they can't do much, and there has certainly been no excessive force or anything like that.

I think that in the aftermath of the G20 and Tottenham riots, the government (as much as theyd love to ) is wary of using excessive force again, and is trying to resort to more diplomatic means. But their patience is clearly running out.

[kranky al]

just wow. the land of the free to have the shit beat out of you by police whilst the media describe it as nudging

http://www.infowars.com/establishmen...rs-as-nudging/

do that again and i will nudge your fucking head in

[kranky al]

oh and heres the article http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...ley/51150628/1

[kranky al]

http://m.heydad8794.net/site/mobile?...sig_network=fw


my idea of nudge

[Slurm]

[frogman]

http://www.news.com.au/business/back...-1226195078133

I wouldnt mind a job that paid $1000 per hour. Its a good thing we dont have any reasons to protest corporate greed in Australia.

[Slurm]

Yeah, stop being so ungrateful and go occupy a job.

Meanwhile,

A NAB spokesman said executive remuneration was linked to performance.

Made me lol hard. Inside. Where I bottle up all my anger.

$1000 an hour worth of performance. Yup.

Cocks.

[frogman]

$175000 a week.

Thats a McMansion nearly every month.

[The Biz]

Wow. Shit's getting really messy in New York right now. From what I understand, another overnight general assembly was planned for the evening, and given the green light by authorities and the private owners of the park they are currently occupying. At some point during the evening, plans and minds changed dramatically, and the owners gave police permission to go in and arrest the occupiers. Public transport was shut down, all bridges were closed and all air traffic ordered out of the area. Any and all media was also banned from the area and broadcasting the events. Then, and only then, did Police launch a full force (what can only be described as an attack.) on the masses, riot squad in full gear using full force and firing tear gas into crowds of non-violent protesters. Most people were removed from the area, some were arrested. All camping equipment was effectively stolen. Not confiscated, as it was destroyed. Keep in mind the area is closed off and all media is banned, and shit is REALLY escalating right now, lots of violence, unfortunately from both sides. This will continue well into the day. Pretty horrible when you realise that you can now consider police brutality and denial of media passage as a "First world problem."

On a side note, the developers of the adjacent complex and the private owners of the park in question Brookfield Office Properties, are the same developers currently in charge of Perth City Square. (That God awful building going up at the moment, that one that completely eclipses the St George Tower. You know the one.) This could and should have some interesting implications for any protests/marches planned within the #OccupyPerth movement.

Edit: WOW AGAIN! Huge win for the people and a massive momentum shift. Judge ruled at an early morning hearing that the the previous night's evictions and arrests were unlawful, and now the people may return to Zucotti Park. Record numbers are turning out to there, and to Foley Square to march the streets and crash a press conference that Mayor Bloomberg is holding trying to justify what happened last night. Here's hoping the protesters and police alike can keep their shit together...

If you're interested in what's going on right now it's hard considering the media blackout happening there at the moment, it's sad to say but the best way to keep abreast is Twitter. Check out the #OWS #OccupyWallStreet #Bloomberg #ShutdownNYC and the mildly sensationalistic #USRevolution hashtags for plenty of reports from ground zero.

[chay]

they also had a sound canon at the ready. fucking terrifying show of force unleashed upon unsuspecting people at 1am in the morning.

meanwhile, the temporary injunction they were awarded this morning has been overturned by a supreme court judge. OWS can return to the park, but not set up structures.

bit of a theme really. they're learning, but i believe the movement will evolve.

this made me giggle:

NYPD Occupying Liberty Square; Demands Unclear

Posted 3 minutes ago on Nov. 15, 2011, 6:51 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

New York, NY — The NYPD have been occupying Liberty Square since 1: 00am Tuesday morning, with the brand new occupation now set to enter its second day in just a few short hours. But will anyone listen to them when their message is so incoherent?

"What are their demands?" asked social historian Patrick Bruner. "They have not articulated any platform. How do they expect to be taken seriously?"

Critics of the new occupation allege that meddling billionaire Michael Bloomberg is behind the movement. Others question the new occupiers' militant posture, concerned about the potential effects on the neighborhood.

"I suppose they have a right to express themselves," said local resident Han Shan. "But I'd prefer it if instead they occupied the space with the power of their arguments."

[monkey]

Working in a trading room I'm unfortunate enough to have to listen to the sky news and sky business channels for 7-8 hours per day. While it's mind numbing at the best of times, it's a good indicator/barometer for the opinions and motives of the aussie arm of the murdoch media.

Today I noticed a sharp change in the dialogue about the OWS movement. The news updates, highlights and segments are now referring to the whole movement as purely 'anti-capitilist', 'anti-corporate' and 'green'. While this language has been used repeatedly to describe sections of OWS in most media outlets, this is the first time sky has labled the entire movement with such simplified blanket definitions. This may seem small to many of you, but these subtle changes are indicators of how the media shapes public opinion. After OWS was initially ignored by the media for its first 4-6 weeks, then occupied the main stories for a couple of months, it now seems to be fading in the media cycle and public interest in the US and Australia. I spose its not surprising the media/conservative powers will start to lay the boots in now.

I stopped watching 7,9 and 10's pathetic excuses for news a couple of years ago so I assume they started this language a while back, if not from the beginning. Whether media outlets simplify, stereotype or generalise their descriptions of such events for populist or ratings reasons, or have a political agenda behind such language is debatable depending on your view.

Add to this new waves of raids and arrests occuring in Oakland, Portland and NY since Sunday, and now M E L B O U R N E/Sydney, it looks like the tide is changing against the protests. With winter dampening protestor sentiment in the US and the crowds starting to dwindle, it will be interesting to see if protesters return next year, or if it'll take another market correction or report of police brutality to redraw the crowds.

That said, the European and Arab Spring protests continue to go strong.

Do those of you who support OWS still believe this will be a lasting movement? Is it still valid or has it made its point?

Or are they starting to morph into stinking hippies who should occupy a job?

[Beni C]

On a side note, the developers of the adjacent complex and the private owners of the park in question Brookfield Office Properties, are the same developers currently in charge of Perth City Square. (That God awful building going up at the moment, that one that completely eclipses the St George Tower. You know the one.) This could and should have some interesting implications for any protests/marches planned within the #OccupyPerth movement.

Thats going to be BHP's new building mate.

[little dead gracey]

Thats going to be BHP's new building mate.

Brookfield are still the developers and owners. BHP is a tenant.

[heist]

this made me giggle:

haha

[stevie_]

Working in a trading room I'm unfortunate enough to have to listen to the sky news and sky business channels for 7-8 hours per day. While it's mind numbing at the best of times, it's a good indicator/barometer for the opinions and motives of the aussie arm of the murdoch media.

Today I noticed a sharp change in the dialogue about the OWS movement. The news updates, highlights and segments are now referring to the whole movement as purely 'anti-capitilist', 'anti-corporate' and 'green'. While this language has been used repeatedly to describe sections of OWS in most media outlets, this is the first time sky has labled the entire movement with such simplified blanket definitions. This may seem small to many of you, but these subtle changes are indicators of how the media shapes public opinion. After OWS was initially ignored by the media for its first 4-6 weeks, then occupied the main stories for a couple of months, it now seems to be fading in the media cycle and public interest in the US and Australia. I spose its not surprising the media/conservative powers will start to lay the boots in now.

I stopped watching 7,9 and 10's pathetic excuses for news a couple of years ago so I assume they started this language a while back, if not from the beginning. Whether media outlets simplify, stereotype or generalise their descriptions of such events for populist or ratings reasons, or have a political agenda behind such language is debatable depending on your view.

Add to this new waves of raids and arrests occuring in Oakland, Portland and NY since Sunday, and now M E L B O U R N E/Sydney, it looks like the tide is changing against the protests. With winter dampening protestor sentiment in the US and the crowds starting to dwindle, it will be interesting to see if protesters return next year, or if it'll take another market correction or report of police brutality to redraw the crowds.

That said, the European and Arab Spring protests continue to go strong.

Do those of you who support OWS still believe this will be a lasting movement? Is it still valid or has it made its point?

Or are they starting to morph into stinking hippies who should occupy a job?

And this here, is where so called "democracy", "polls", and "public opinion" of the large majority of people who don't have time / can't be fucked / whatever with alternate media sources comes from. It's why, to me, I'll never take polls or public opinions or anything of that nature in the least bit serious of what is ACTUALLY NEEDED, they're all so completely null and void, realistically making "democracy" a bit of a show pony ride in a sense for me anyways. When 3/4 of the population is too blind to keep trusting mainstream media, then that's 3/4 of the public opinion that's more or less irrelevant.

I think it will be a lasting movement. The effects of the 08 GFC is probably still trickling down through the economy and there's going to be an increasing number of people getting more and more pissed off. I keep that optimistic approach, and I say it is, as it always was, totally and absolutely valid. Rampant capitalism is ruining the world, there's absolutely no doubt what so ever. You can only patch up all the fuck up's until it starts bursting at the seams. It might take another collapse though so can it please hurry the fuck up so we can get this over with. The people who are gonna get fucked in the arse again are just going to be spending the rest of their time until it does happen hopelessly saving and struggling to survive, so let it be quick for their sake.

If every person in the world was a hippy, I really would have no problem so I fuckin hope they fit into that little stereotype people keep pandering to. Peace? Reading? Love? lolz, no thanks give me arse fucking and wars

[Haile Selassie]

GFCs dont trickle down, they start from the bottom and tickle up at the feet of the rich

[stevie_]

GFCs dont trickle down, they start from the bottom and tickle up at the feet of the rich

But won't the increasing number of people's houses who become reclaimed by the bank keep going as they keep reaping the riches of their fuck up?

[Multivital]

Rampant capitalism is ruining the world, there's absolutely no doubt what so ever.

hurr durr, your little buddy verstyle begs to differ in the other thread.

it's making life better, just look at the size of his new TV!

[Haile Selassie]

rampant capitalism made capitalism worse

technology made the world better, capitalism directed technological development towards what people (thought they) wanted

[Dynamik]

The Daily Show 16.11.11 - Samantha Bee's "Occupy Wall Street Divided"

A beautifully ironic report about the social inequality that evolved within the movement about social inequality.
Poor people down one end of the park, MacBook toting hipsters at the other and the 'executive' group that hangs out in the foyer of the bank where it's nice and quiet, away from the masses.

i give it 4/5 upside down smilies

[Dynamik]

GFCs dont trickle down, they [...] trickle up at the feet of the rich

[Multivital]

rampant capitalism made capitalism worse

technology made the world better, capitalism directed technological development towards what people (thought they) wanted

did you think about this AT ALL?

2/10 try again.

Also, the Amazon rainforest would like a word as would some guys who say they work in a factory in China or something.

[Chach]

I see Super Mario who is entrusted with saving Italy and Europe is a Goldman Sachs boy.

I'm starting to feel paranoid.

[Slurm]

Lets see my chemical weapon occupy your mouth your disgustingly peaceful, unarmed young female!





This is a surgical strike, like we did in Kosovo!

[Buffle]

Tiananmen Square?

[Slurm]

Top: Portland, Nov. 17

Bottom: Seattle, Oct 15

[deflo]

Top: Portland, Nov. 17

If you're with the hipsters, you're against America.

[Slurm]

Opposite the Verizon building, there is a bunch of city housing. Subsidized, rent-controlled. There’s a lack of services, lights are out in the hallways, the housing feels like jails, like prisons.

I walked around, and put up signs in there offering money to rent out an apartment for a few hours. I didn’t say much more. I received surprisingly few calls, and most of them seemed not quite fully “there.”

But then I got a call from a person who sounded pretty sane. Her name was Denise Vega. She lived on the 16th floor. Single, working mom, mother of three.

I spoke with her on the phone, and a few days later went over and met her.

I told her what I wanted to do, and she was enthused. The more I described, the more excited she got.
Her parting words were, “let’s do this.”

She wouldn’t take my money. That was the day of the eviction of Zuccotti, the same day. And she’d been listening to the news all day, she saw everything that had happened.

“I can’t charge you money, this is for the people,” she said.

She was born in the projects. She opened up her home to us.

She was in there tonight with her 3 daughters, 2 sisters. The NYPD started snooping around down on the ground while the projections were up, it was clear where we were projecting from, and inside it was festive.

“If they want to come up they’re gonna need a warrant!,” her family was saying. “If they ask us, well, we don’t know what they are talking about!” They were really brave and cool.

[Slurm]

"Occupy my chemical weapon you peaceful, unarmed, sitting and defenceless students!"

[Slurm]

Oh Zappa

[Slurm]

[Buffle]

Top: Portland, Nov. 17

Bottom: Seattle, Oct 15

Whoever it is that treats their citizens this way, we should introduce trade sanctions against them for as long as they continue to do so.

[Dynamik]

[The Biz]

[Slurm]

[Slurm]

[neonknome]

[frogman]

http://gawker.com/5861191/how-egypt-...py-wall-street

Two people were killed in Cairo and Alexandria this weekend as Egyptian activists took the streets to protest the military's attempts to maintain its grip on power. And guess how the state is justifying its deadly crackdown.

"We saw the firm stance the US took against OWS people & the German govt against green protesters to secure the state," an Egyptian state television anchor said yesterday (as translated by the indispensable Sultan Sooud al Qassemi; bold ours).

Yeah—it gets harder and harder to maintain a moral high ground when videos like this and pictures like this are unavoidable. But American police haven't killed anyone! Indeed! That's definitely something worth bragging about: so far, cops here have only sent a single person to the hospital with brain damage. U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

Meanwhile, in Egypt, the protesters—mostly young liberal activists and Islamists—are engaging in "running street battles" with police after shutting down Cairo's busiest square. In particular, they're protesting the proposed principles for a new constitution—under which "the military [and its budget] would be exempted from civilian oversight."

Update: Just as we hit "publish" on this post, authorities launched a major assault on Tahrir Square in an attempt to evict it of protesters. Al-Jazeera has a live feed.

[Corteks]

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/23...ir-Government-

First introduced in the US Congress in 2007 by Democratic Representative Jane Harmon, this new law passed the US House of Representatives by a secretive voice vote, but failed to pass the US Senate, after which it was believed dead until this past week when it was embraced by Obama who became the first American President to name his own citizens as a threat to his Nations security.

In what is called the National Security Strategy document, that is required of US Presidents by their Congress, that embraces the dictatorial ideals of the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act", Obama has ordered his Federal police and intelligence forces to begin targeting Americans opposed to him and his radical socialist polices.

Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor, John Brennan, in speaking to reporters about this new "strategy" says it makes the problem of home-grown terrorists a top priority because an increasing number of individuals in the US have become "captivated by extremist ideology or causes."

[Curare]

I love the fact that the russians are going, oh well, you guys are fucked now! LOL!

When the russians wig out at your 'freedoms', you know you dun fucked up.

[Slurm]

[kranky al]

i heard something tonight that answers that last one nicely


how is it that rich companies get assistance when they lose money - why is there socialism for capitalists yet capitalism for the rest of us?

[Slurm]

Because thats the way they made the rules.

We let them keep playing that way.

[kranky al]

slurm - that was a rhetorical question in response to the last question on your pic - the one asking for a single soundbite

some economist on the abc came up with that as an answer to that question.

[heist]

here's a nice video

[djdeej]

[neonknome]

[nosaj D:]

lolol
roll over red rover

[Slurm]

The First Amendment Upside Down. Why We Must Occupy Democracy

You’ve been seeing this across the country … Americans assaulted, clubbed, dragged, pepper-sprayed … Why? For exercising their right to free speech and assembly — protesting the increasing concentration of income, wealth, and political power at the top.

And what’s Washington’s response? Nothing. In fact, Congress’s so-called “supercommittee” just disbanded because Republicans refuse to raise a penny of taxes on the rich.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court says money is speech and corporations are people. The Supreme Court’s Citizens Uniteddecision last year ended all limits on political spending. Millions of dollars are being funneled to politicians without a trace.

And a revolving door has developed between official Washington and Wall Street – with bank executives becoming public officials who make rules that benefit the banks before heading back to the Street to make money off the rules they created.

Other top officials, including an increasing proportion of former members of congress, are cashing in by joining lobbying power houses and pressuring their former colleagues to do whatever their clients want.

Millionaires and billionaires on Wall Street and in executive suites aren’t contributing all this money out of sheer love of country. Their political spending is analogous to their other investments. Mostly they want low tax rates and friendly regulations.

Why else do you suppose tax rates on the super rich are now lower than they’ve been in three decades, and why – even though the long-term budget deficit is horrendous – those rates aren’t rising?

Why else do the 400 richest Americans (whose wealth is larger than the combined wealth of the bottom 150 million Americans) now pay an average tax rate of only 17 percent?

Why do you think Wall Street got bailed without a single string attached – not even being required to help homeowners to whom they sold mortgages, who are now so far under water they’re drowning?

And why does the financial reform legislation have loopholes big enough for bankers to drive their Ferrari’s through?

And why else are oil companies, big agribusinesses, military contractors, and the pharmaceutical industry reaping billions of dollars of government subsidies and special tax breaks?

Experts say the 2012 presidential race is likely to be the priciest ever, costing an estimated $6 billion. “It is far worse than it has ever been,” says Republican Senator John McCain.

If there’s a single core message to the Occupier movement it’s that the increasing concentration of income and wealth at the top endangers our democracy. With money comes political power.

Yet when real people without money assemble to express their dissatisfaction with all this, they’re told the First Amendment doesn’t apply.

Instead, they’re treated as public nuisances – clubbed, pepper-sprayed, thrown out of public parks and evicted from public spaces.

Across America, public officials are saying Occupiers have to go. Even in universities – where free speech is supposed to be sacrosanct – peaceful assembly is being met with clubs and pepper spray.

The First Amendment is being stood on its head. Money speaks, and an unlimited amount of it can now be spent bribing and cajoling politicians. Yet peaceful assembly is viewed as a public nuisance and removed by force.

This is especially worrisome now that so many Americans are in economic trouble. The jobs recession grinds on, seemingly without end. Homes are being foreclosed upon. Qualified students cannot afford college.

Or they’re forced to take on huge debt loads they can’t repay in a jobless economy. Schools are firing teachers. Vital social services are being axed.

How are Americans to be heard about what should be done about any of this if they are not allowed to mobilize and organize? When the freedom of speech goes to the highest bidder, moneyed interests have a disproportionate say.

Now more than ever, the First Amendment needs to be put right side up. Nothing less than the future of our democracy is at stake.

(Source : http://robertreich.org/post/13163087845 )

[Slurm]

“When you already own the US government, you don’t need to buy any more banks.” Omid Malekan.