I'm not one to jump in on
I'm not one to jump in on political stuff but would just like to take a moment for some observations.
I was a "hippy" in the true sense of the word. I lived on several communes back in the 60's and 70's. I was very happy when Vietnam came to a close.
As a young woman I was horrified by the shootings of JFK, MLK and RFK.
There was a lot of protesting for many good reasons; racial and women's equality and ending the war, among a few of the top reasons.
For the following decades it appeared to those of us from the "beat" and "hippy"generation that the young people had the benefits we had hoped for but seemed complacent and not interested in furthering changes that still needed to happen.
Meantime, the WALL came down, women and people of color were finally gaining respect ( still a long way to go but it's a happening thing), and hope for future change coming seemed inevitiable and possible.
Now the people are looking again for change. They have taken to the streets.
This is a time honored tradition on a global basis; Ghandi, MLK and others. Yes, there are the good and the bad. Yes, there are those who take advantage of the moment for personal gain.
BUT, my impression of the Occupy Movement in general after speaking with those on the inside of it is that they are legitimately looking for change. True, many do have jobs and and education. However, I applaud thier efforts to draw attention to the matter of corporate running of the USA.
Within thier Occupy groups they are attempting to show that it is possible to self govern, feed the poor and be ecologically sound. They are not looking for hand outs nor demanding jobs. They are looking for equality in governing.
I'm sure all of us are rather horrified when elections roll around to find that Comapny A contributed X gazzilions of dollars to get Mr or Ms "smith" elected. We really must stop this.
Whether or not one agrees with the goal, a protest is legit and the fact that it is speading shows there is a problem that needs to be addressed.
If I did not agree with these folks on some level, I am still in support of civil disobedience, marches and protests for the good of the country. I am also proud that in the USA we don't have tanks rolling down the streets etc. There have been too many unfortunate police incidents but in general we are free to express ourselves.
Drawing attention to a problem is a good thing.
Remember, If you are a person of color, a woman, gay, of a particular religion, taxed without representation, free to purchase a firearm, etc etc etc. You have protestors to thank for fighting for you and /or drawing attention to the problem.
What we do about it follows.
Thanks for listening.
Peanut