Support for Occupy from within the assisted-living community: ‘Hard times – we made it through and we have faith that you will too’
In every generation there is a passionate group of people who seek to do battle with whatever injustice there is going on. Good for them, we hope they do. We’ve lived through a few movements ourselves. Many of us were shocked when we saw segregated restrooms in our travels around the country. One of us even recalls getting in the wrong line. Who knew? A toilet is a toilet. Then, we witnessed a movement that led to change for the better.
Though we aren’t very familiar with the Occupy movement, we do know, the world is changing, our country is in a recession, and for many people, things don’t seem to be getting better. Are you unsure about what direction our world is going right now? We understand that.
. . .
If you think times are hard, if you think it’s scary, and you think there is no hope for the world, come and “occupy” the nearest assisted living community near you, and ask us how we found hope in our time. We made it through, and we have faith that you will too.
http://tinyurl.com/87pluwy
Occupy medics give first aid to 7-year-old struck by car [NM]
A 7-year-old girl was hit by a car while crossing Main Street at Orchard Avenue on Saturday.
The girl, whose name has not been released, was walking with her family, when a car turned east off Orchard onto Main and struck her.
“She must have flown at least between six and 10 feet,” said Cornelia de Bruin, who was protesting with Occupy Farmington at Orchard Park at the time. “Luckily, we had some medical personnel occupying with us.”
According to De Bruin, the medical personnel included a physician, Lynne Portnoy, and trained medic Brandon Prince. Both ran to the girl’s side to administer aid.
http://tinyurl.com/6rfbfd5
Occupy the Sec roundtable discussion with Chris Hayes
(video)
http://tinyurl.com/83zzrvj
Climate peaceful at ‘Occupy Koch Town’ protest
About 150 protesters marched through downtown Wichita on Saturday afternoon as activists from across the country gathered for the weekend “Occupy Koch Town” rally. Although the block-long line of protesters temporarily blocked several major intersections, the march was peaceful, and police made no arrests and issued no citations.
Among the marchers was Doris Ravenfeather, a retired nurse from Wichita, who said her concerns about the environment prompted her to join the protest.
“My major thing is protecting nature,” she said as she walked toward Century II. “We’ve got to save our land. I’m tired of seeing it abused.”
http://tinyurl.com/7wv6q6g
Bank Settlement Was a Bait and Switch All Along
During the many months over which we read excellent posts from David Dayen, Yves Smith and others about the on/off negotiations between state Attorneys General, the Administration and the five major banks, I assumed, and I suspect many others also believed, that the settlement negotiations were essentially a law enforcement matter. Thus, any settlement should be judged on principles relating to fairness and criminal justice. It now appears that that interpretation was fundamentally inaccurate.
Instead, it’s becoming more apparent that the Administration always viewed this not primarily as law enforcement but rather as a means to promote its efforts to help the housing market and the economy, even if only a bit. Law enforcement was at best a secondary consideration, if it mattered at all. That misunderstanding explains much of the angst the still unspecified settlement terms are causing.
http://tinyurl.com/7gl5stz
Poor, White and Republican
F.D.R. called him “the forgotten man,” but that was long ago. By 1972, he was a member of the silent majority and had become a Democrat for Nixon (he wore a hard hat with an American-flag sticker). 1980 produced the Reagan Democrat (this time he came from Macomb County, Michigan, and was discovered by the pollster Stan Greenberg). By 1994 he had curdled into the Angry White Male (he elected the Gingrich Congress). In 2008, he was simply the working-class white-by then he was no longer forgotten, and no longer a Democrat of any kind; he was a member of the much-analyzed Republican base. The television godfather of the type, of course, is Archie Bunker, but you can also trace his lineage more darkly through the string of hard-bitten blue-collar movies that begins with “Joe” (Peter Boyle, 1970), goes on to “Falling Down” (Michael Douglas, 1993), “Gran Torino” (Clint Eastwood, 2008), and, in a rural context, “Winter’s Bone” (2010). He’s a descendant of the thirties Everyman played by Henry Fonda and Gary Cooper, except that in the intervening decades he lost his idealism and grew surly, if not violent, consumed with a hatred of hippies, immigrants, blacks, government, and, finally, himself.
. . .
Perhaps the biggest political puzzle of our time is why, as the lives of working-class whites have descended from the stability and comfort of “All in the Family” to the chaos and despair of “Gran Torino” and “Winter’s Bone,” these same Americans have voted more and more reliably Republican. Sunday’s Times had a fascinating and disturbing lead story about the pattern of government dependency around the country. A map showing areas of greatest reliance on public benefits corresponds with weird exactness to the map of red America: the South, Appalachia, and rural areas in general.
Occupy exposing political shenanigans [TN]
There were two articles in The DNJ recently about the Occupy Movement, one about state Rep. Eric Watson introducing an anti-occupy bill. He pointed out the vulgar behavior of some individuals, but he didn’t mention hundreds of true Occupiers who don’t condone that behavior.
The young people in Occupy Murfreesboro repeated during several meetings that I attended that no drugs or alcohol were to be brought to any meeting, no profanity was to be used, and that the area they occupied was to be kept clean. They were there simply to fight for democracy by trying to raise public awareness to what is happening within our government. Ironically, their efforts aren’t that different from citizens at the beginning of the 20th century. Then, as now, millions of people were unemployed and living in poverty. All they asked for were fair wages and decent working conditions so they could raise their families.
. . .
While most of us sat in nice warm homes last December, those courageous young people of Occupy Murfreesboro stood in the cold, wind and rain because they believed our state, our country, and democracy are worth fighting for. They are to be commended. They didn’t camp on the Civic Plaza for fun and games. They assembled there trying to raise our awareness. We should be proud of them. To support them, we should vote out every legislator who is a member of ALEC that’s up for re-election in 2012 (and then the remainder in 2014) and then elect individuals who will represent the citizens and not large corporations.
http://tinyurl.com/7mhfpnf
Attacking the unions
(video)
Mitt Romney goes on the offensive against unions in Michigan, a move that will probably backfire and harm his political chances.
Occupy Chicago protests Hull House closing
The demonstrators are upset that the closing of hull house left 300 people unemployed and hundreds of families without support.
Division Within City over Walmart Evident at First Coffee With Council [CA]
Redlands’ first Coffee with the Council event Saturday kicked off with a spirited exchange between residents and again highlighted a division in the city over Wal-Mart.
About 40 residents sat down with Mayor Pete Aguilar and councilman Bob Gardner at Kiddough’s Bakery, just steps away from Congressman Jerry Lewis’ Brookside Avenue office.
Occupy Redlands had a strong presence. Their questions were primarily centered on their opposition to a proposed Super Walmart and their pleas that the council adopt a resolution opposing the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission court decision and “corporate personhood.”
http://tinyurl.com/7rssr7x
Conservancy district official defends fracking leases [OH]
A Muskingum watershed official said leases that would allow hydraulic fracturing at Clendening and Leesville lakes will include safeguards ensuring companies involved in oil and gas production act responsibly. Sean Logan spoke Saturday in downtown Mansfield at an event organized by Occupy Mansfield.
. . .
Fracking opponents were mostly courteous, but some made it clear they weren’t happy with Muskingum officials’ decisions.
“Why is a watershed in the business of negotiating with the oil and gas industry?” Jan Kennedy asked. “Ohio has worked so hard to clean up its water.”
http://tinyurl.com/7khuv8b
Occupy Delaware finds key supporter – Gay veteran speaks about freedoms at rally
[Dan Choi] The former Army officer and Iraq War veteran whose announcement that he is gay helped end the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy read a poem Saturday at an Occupy Delaware “Tent Raising and Rally” and urged protesters to continue to fight for inclusiveness.
Choi was one of many speakers who appeared at the rally, attended by about 100 people at the Occupy Delaware encampment at Spencer Plaza. During the rally, Occupy Philadelphia gave one of its tents to the Delaware group. In return, Delaware presented Philadelphia with laptops and other equipment for its media effort.
http://tinyurl.com/7wbsh6n
Phillipines: Pining for the City of Pines
In another event, what the local paper Northern Philippine Times described as the biggest rally in Baguio City, more than 5,000 people held protest actions on January 20 against SM Baguio’s plan to cut or ball around 200 fully grown pine trees to construct a seven-story parking lot beside its mall.
Protesters dubbed their rally “Occupy SM Baguio” and thousands of netizens worldwide have reportedly joined the move against SM in various Internet networking sites. The Times said a sizable number of old-time Baguio residents who have migrated abroad even came home to join the protest actions.
In a country known for squandering its natural resources, it is perhaps not so uncommon to find woodlands and forests being mauled in the name of urban development. There are already at least 8 million hectares of denuded forests nationwide, according to official government statistics.
http://tinyurl.com/748q6re
Romanian protests highlight brutal reality of capitalist restoration
Echoing a statement made by many protesters in Occupy movements across the world, Romanian protester Sorin said: “We are here to protest, we cannot face it any more, we have no money to survive, our pensions are so small, the expenses are more than we can afford. It’s no way to live.”
Sorin, like thousands of other Romanians, has engaged in mass protests that have threatened the stability of the current government and highlighted the great crisis facing the majority of the nearly 22 million people of the country.
http://tinyurl.com/6n4ra7f
Maori reportedly occupy Crafar farm
A group from a south Waikato iwi is moving to occupy one of the Crafar farms, calling for the land to be returned to them.
The farm at Benneydale, south of Te Kuiti, is one of those being considered for sale to a Chinese conglomerate.
The protestors from Rereahu say the farm is significant to them as it’s where the iwi’s chief died.
http://tinyurl.com/7q429vd
One Response to “The OB Media Rundown for 2/20/12”
on February 20th, 2012 at 3:37 am #
[…] here to see the original: The OB Media Rundown for 2/20/12 This entry was posted in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and tagged chicago, city, council, […]