I had been deceived - My visit to an OWS protest, page 19


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ATS Members have flagged this thread 219 times


reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 08:33 AM by the4thhorseman
Originally posted by ThirdEyeofHorus
reply to
post by Jean Paul Zodeaux



People even in the ATS forum are starting to call people fascist when they don't support the OWS protest. I asked for a definition of fascism and provided one myself but all I got in response was whining about how much I protest socialism. I guess more people read my stuff than I thought.


Yes sadly the lines are being drawn here on the ATS as well. Gone are the days of "Deny Ignorance"...it seems that we only deny ignorance on the things we don't believe in. I feel the ATS is no longer a neutral ground of free thought...the winds even here have chosen their direction.


reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 08:54 AM by Mosthated718bx
reply to post by AMereCaratGirl



I wonder why comments as such are not starred enough, damn maybe this movement on the this site isn't as productive as I would like. Star for you buddy!


reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 10:19 AM by gncnew
Originally posted by Misoir
There were no drum circle hippies, tie dye pot hits, barefoot guitarists, face painting stands, orgies, or even any real hostility between participants.

I think this really only happens in the larger cities with large homeless populations... the "gypsies" if you will.
As I wandered through the crowd I listened to the chatter of college kids about the high cost of tuition or to my satisfaction, Ron Paul and ending the Fed, to talk of the two party duopoly and its control over us all.

There was a nice older man there in a wheel chair that [...] told me that there was nothing left for him just sitting at home, the government has repeatedly denied him Social Security Disability even after the documentation by his doctor of his serious seizure problems (forgot the name of the disease/disorder). At the same time he said that his neighbor is receiving government assistance but is perfectly healthy, the man just complains about his knee, anxiety, and anger issues.

Just to be very clear - the two biggest complains you found were students mad about high tuition for optional higher education and a handicapped man who wanted money from the government to live on? I'm trying to be very unemotional and logical about this.

After all, isn't the idea behind the Libertarian movement that the handicapped man should visit a non-profit charity for assistance instead of the government? Shouldn't the students be organizing boycotts to the universities that charge high tuition instead of Wall Street? And even further - if the cost of higher education is too high, then devote yourself to learn a trade ("blue collar") - or do like many many American immigrants do and work 2 jobs while going to school... it won't leave a lot of time to party and have the "college experience"... but you will get finished in a lot less debt.

Just as you would tell a liberal to visit a Tea Party rally to understand who they are and what they believe, you should do the same with OWS.

If it's not a Rep/Dem thing, or a Lib/Cons thing... why would you have to equate it to a self-declared conservative movement?

Seems that we're already conceding this a Democrat/Liberal movement while at the same time claiming it has no party or political affiliation or leanings.

If they show an interview of a OWS’er turn off the TV, it is not worth rotting your brain with.
Telling everyone to ignore the media's coverage because it's all wrong is tantamount to telling everyone to trust the official White House press conferences but don't pay attention to things like ATS...

One should always ingest as much info as possible and use their brain to separate the wheat from the chaff... Closing yourself off from an outlet of information is only inviting ignorance.

All this is obviously just my opinion, but I've already stated my opinion of this charade...


reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 03:49 PM by shogu666
NYPD Assaulting/Ramming Peaceful Protesters with Scooters (slow mo' action)
www.youtube.com...
edit on 17-10-2011 by shogu666 because: (no reason given)


The same situation , different camera , different police dude dude
www.youtube.com...
edit on 17-10-2011 by shogu666 because: (no reason given)



reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 04:03 PM by PapaKrok
reply to post by Deflagration



This movement cannot, by its very nature, be hijacked. I have seen it attempted and it is INSTANTLY evaporated by consensus. this generation is too savy and tech smart, they have heard all of the rhetoric and are wide awake. They understand the false left-right paradigm and they cannot be defined by TPTB...that is the saving grace here. You, my friend, really need to go see for yourself. It's in a city near you.....
edit on 17-10-2011 by PapaKrok because: (no reason given)



reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 05:49 PM by StealthKix
reply to post by Misoir



OWs nothing to see - global spread? whatever!

Political plant to win points with the common voters. Politicians are going to nod and agree then idiots will vote for them as they do then no change will come and the voters will be left looking stupid.

Back it all you want, sit in the cold and "protest" but your laughing if you think change is going to happen like this. Keep on moving - we'll see as winter rolls along how "hardcore" this wannabe protest is. POLITICAL SCAM / REHEARSED EVENT!!


reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 06:20 PM by twoandthree
reply to post by jimnuggits



You got it, jimnuggits. That's the "good" kind of greed I was referring to, not the other one that corporations can legally do under the current system because our politicians are their puppets.

Albeit controversial, Ayn Rand wrote some damn good stuff. I don't know anyone else who can define greed in such a beautiful and powerful way. :-D

reply to post by Amanda5



Amanda5, I beg to differ. If you'd read THE FOUNTAINHEAD or ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand, you'll see that there are good types of greed... and that greed is necessary (As someone who escaped communist USSR, she really had a great way of defining it). Also, good greed is a part of life in every organism that survives.

May I suggest the common definition of 'greed' is insufficient to the deeper meanings and necessity of it. But just because there is a good type of greed, that doesn't mean the corporations who've passed federal laws to make them wealthier and do away with the small business shouldn't be repealed. I don't recall the exact number, but it's something like each lobbyist spends about $20,000,000 per Congress person each year to get their bills passed as they want it. (That number is probably off, but the real number was equally astounding and disgusting. I should've wrote that statistic down.)

So, there is definitely a clear difference between greed and corruption. One can existing without the others, even though the common definition merges to the two. Thanks for your feedback.


reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 06:30 PM by twoandthree
reply to post by ShadowZion



The corruption-free greed is a virtue. Sometimes it helps to dig deeper into the etymology and historical references in what the Bible presents as law.

'Greed' can be defined as wanting the best for oneself (to be one's best) so that he/she can also have something to give others and advance society. This applies to 11 of the 12 Apostles who were greedily absorbed as much as they could about the Messiah. This deep spiritual appetite then fed generations after generations of believers.

Likewise, if you're greedily managing your talons/talents properly, then you have more blessings to bestow upon others and society. It is what we are commanded to do. Be greedy to be the best you can be without blame... and have charity.


reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 06:39 PM by Amanda5
reply to post by twoandthree



Thank you - you are the reason I enjoy writing as a beautiful and powerful craft. It is also why I am a passionate English Teacher. People do not really know the power of their written words until they are the source of critical thinking.

With all the push button devices we are giving our Children I am not surprised that so few of them seem truly interested in writing at length - with depth - with personal reflection ...

Maybe this is why there are so many people at Occupy Wall Street, they need to gather together and communicate without pushing buttons that will give them an instant reply. The mere fact that the people are still Occupying Wall Street shows that they are not completely reliant on push button devices for answers - deep down inside they want long term solutions.

Just my thoughts.

Much Peace...


reply posted on 17-10-2011 @ 08:37 PM by Surfrat
I do think that there’s one secret that members of this movement need to learn.

What’s this secret? The power of one.

You see, right now this movement is a disjointed mess. Between inarticulate speakers filled with socialist rhetoric and a dress code reminiscent of Woodstock, there’s one thing missing.

The protesters need one clear, specific course of action, not general outrage at some vague villain named “Wall Street.”

I can think of plenty of changes that need to happen to get the economy on firmer ground. Two, in particular, are ideas that this group of protesters, along with the general public, could rally around.

First, bring back some form of Glass-Steagall. This Depression-Era legislation was designed to separate traditional banking from investment banking. Its repeal in the late 1990s allowed banks to increase the amount of leverage they could use. Given this power, banks set out to create and employ products like derivatives that substantially increased the use of leverage.

While I’m not a fan of government interventions in the market, limiting leverage will do more good than harm. The original law worked. Its repeal allowed for the housing bubble. In your personal life, you separate the cash you need to pay your bills from your investments. If bankers are held to the same standard, we’d likely see less wild booms and busts.

Second, it’s time to impose term limits on members of Congress. The longest-serving members get top committee assignments, and huge corporate donations. It’s also the reason why a lifelong renter like Barney Frank could end up running a committee on housing, where he could claim that one of his top donors, Fannie Mae, was in sound financial condition right before it went bankrupt.

History doesn’t record much of the reason behind the twenty-second amendment, which imposed term limits on the presidency. But it passed Congress in 1947, just as America was starting to emerge from a Great Depression whose depth and severity was caused, in part, by the economic policies of a willful president with a poor understanding of market incentives.

I can understand the frustration of protesters. But blaming Wall Street or a weak economy for the results of your own choices isn’t the answer.

It’s easier to create change from within.

So, pick one change to rally around, then pack it up and go find work. I didn’t say find a job, because there might not be one. Create your own. Innovate.

Call me a protester protester, but spending your time outraged that someone has it better than you doesn’t make your life better. It just makes you look petty and jealous. It detracts you from living your life to the fullest.

If only a small fraction of the protesters created their own jobs and businesses through entrepreneurial derring-do, we’d all be too busy enjoying the fruits of a robust economy to care about those who have managed to do better.


Read more: The Power of One
Important: Can you afford to Retire? Shocking Poll Results
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