What the Occupy Wall Street Movement Means #OWS
Allow me to state this up front:
I am part of the 99%
and very likely you are as well.
You can split hairs and say you’re part of the 53% and are making ends meet, and that those people in the 99% movement called Occupy Wall Street do not speak for you. However, it is a matter of time and even if you are blessed to be in the struggling 53% (as your slogan says), you are still one paycheck away from being homeless. 1 out of every 6 Americans live at or below the poverty line with many more already categorized as severe poverty.
Even you are just as likely not to have any health care coverage at all, and you work ungodly hours (lucky, so you are told, to have the two or three part-time jobs that you have to hold down to barely make ends meet). In many cases, even you are faced with the constant decision whether you will pay the bills or actually eat. Whether you will eat or pay for your medication out of pocket. You’re lucky for all that, when the richest in this country earn your yearly salary every single day, and do absolutely no work for it.
I’ve heard the absurdity of the 53% counter-movement attributing those in the Occupy Wall Street movement as “Hippies” or “Communists” – I’ve read quotes from Republicans such as Mitt Romney (R) calling those protesters “Un-American” – I am absolutely appalled at this blatant ignorance. This guy is running for the highest office in this nation and he has absolutely no idea what it truly means to be a Patriot? I can’t blame him, though, because a majority of you have no idea what it means to be a true American Patriot, either.
One thing most Americans seem to consistently fail to understand is what an American PATRIOT really is. It is no wonder, then, that those who we elect are incompetent and themselves have no interest in the people or know what an American Patriot actually is. As George Carlin once put it: “Garbage in, Garbage out.”
Those who would call themselves American patriots need to stand ready to do the same things today that our forefathers did in 1775, and we'd better be ready to be called conspirators, traitors, seditionists, communists, and (today's buzzword) terrorists by the government loyalists we oppose.
An American patriot is not somebody who supports his or her government. If that's what the American definition of a patriot were, we would not have been calling George Washington, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, James Madison, Thomas Payne, John Hancock and all the rest of them "patriots" would we?
Those true patriots were all men who openly advocated revolt against their own government and even the corruption of bankers.
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President of the United States of America (1743-1826)
That's what made them American Patriots in the first place.
Their government, the one oppressing them in 1775, was headquartered in London, England.
My government, the one oppressing me in 2011, happens to be located in Washington D.C.
Aside from that, there is little difference. My government today is at the mercy of large financial backers, those 1% who, while technically called upon to pay taxes and be held accountable for crimes they commit, most often do not. Those 1% are actually rewarded for their greed, corruption and manipulation of our legal and political system against the very people it was meant to serve, willfully oppressing and destroying the people and this planet for their own benefit and gain, because our politicians in the Whitehouse, Congress and Senate all are indebted to them. This was never a matter of Right versus Left in this country, Republican versus Democrat – no, this is now a matter of Right versus Wrong. This movement is isn’t about pointing fingers at a particular political party in order to justify policies or inaction – this movement is about the collective of this nation realizing that neither side from our leadership has done their job and that the real control of this country does not lay in the hands of the people, by the people or for the people any longer.
Make no mistake, oppression is coming from our government. When your vote means nothing, because both candidates are heavily funded by those of highest wealth and corruption (even in secret), and our “elected” leaders are more indebted to those financiers and bankers than to the very people of this nation, it is oppression and corruption across the board and we were warned by our own founding fathers that this would happen. We were warned by the men who defined the very nature of what it is to be called American Patriot and who fought for this country and freedoms that it represents.
To me, the citizen who
• runs around waving the American flag,
• pledges his support to the government in Washington,
• and goes along with what that government says
is the same thing as what the colonials used to call a "loyalist." We Americans never used the word "patriot" to describe anybody who was a loyalist. The very term "loyalist" meant somebody who was "loyal" to the government in London and to King George III. A "loyalist" was the then equivalent of today's "statist" in that they supported the (then) state which was (then) the British government.
The true American patriot is the antithesis of a loyalist.
The true definition of what an American patriot actually is can be determined only by examining what those men who signed the Declaration of Independence (and their followers) actually did. So, let's learn what a true patriot is by taking a look at what those true patriots actually did.
1. They spoke and wrote profusely and published their beliefs and opinions clearly stating the truth, that their government was tyrannical and guilty of crimes against the liberty of the common man. They openly denounced the government and its agents, not only in print but in public speeches and gatherings. They did this despite great personal risk for doing so. This went on for some time prior to 1775.
Sounds like what our patriots are doing today in Occupy Wall Street. They’re following in the footsteps of our founding fathers, exercising their rights (First Amendment), and standing against corruption across the board which is against the liberty of the common man. If only we could all be so noble and patriotic to stand together as they do, instead of mocking our own people and trying to dismantle them. Ask yourself, who is really acting unpatriotic?
2. They conspired, both in secret and later openly, to overthrow and revolt against their government with the aim of throwing it out and establishing a new and different governmental system. In doing this, they were branded as traitors and seditionists by their government... but they did it anyway, despite the risk.
Occupy Wall Street was at first conspired in secret and now openly as a peaceful protest. It follows direct democracy in all things – not representative democracy as we have now. While they have no plans to overthrow the government, this may likely become a possibility if their grievances are not met or corrected in our government, and continued loyalty to the most greedy and corrupt in this nation continues. As more violence and opposition from those they oppose escalates, so too will their determination to be heard. Peaceful patriots will be beaten and abused only so long before they will fight back.
3. Eventually, after their government had fired the first shots, they took up arms against their government and began killing it's policing agents, who were the armed force enforcing the oppressive dictates of their government.
When the government and corrupt wealth in this nation fire the first shots, make no mistake – those peaceful patriots will fight back.
All these things were done by a small number of men, against great odds and at great personal and economic risk, but they did them anyway and that's what made them true American Patriots. They did these things, I might add, in an age when documents had to be all handwritten and communication was by means of letters carried on horseback. There was no Internet or social media to foster their revolution.
Those who would call themselves American patriots need to stand ready to do the same things today that our forefathers did in 1775, and we'd better be ready to be called conspirators, traitors, seditionists, communists and terrorists by the government loyalists and corrupted top 1% we oppose. We must not allow them to get away with branding us with those labels. Labels are the instruments tyrannical governments all use to thwart opposition. Any government born out of a revolution, as was ours, can be replaced by the same means. And it doesn't take a majority to do it, just as it didn't in 1775. When you see or hear patriots branded by the establishment using such terms, remember this:
The present American government, its establishment press and uninformed Americans using such labels here are no different from the government of Communist China branding its dissidents as "counter-revolutionaries".
A lot of people who frequent Internet websites such as this one like to think of themselves as patriots.
Are you? Unless you are now ready to do the things the real patriots did you are not, in fact, a real patriot. You are the very opposite of what it means to act as a patriot of this country.
The Bill of Rights –
Lest you’ve forgotten what it means to be a true patriot.
First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Second Amendment: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Third Amendment: No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Fifth Amendment: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Sixth Amendment: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
Seventh Amendment: In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Eighth Amendment: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Ninth Amendment: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Tenth Amendment: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
So, how is our government and those 1% acting against the people and subsequently duping you into being mouthpieces for their lies?
For one, the 53% movement clearly does not understand the scope of the First Amendment – criticizing the protesters for actually protesting and calling them communists when they are truly patriots. It is the same First Amendment Right that gives them and the 53% the Freedom to speak – but more so the freedom to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances. If anything, those who are protesting are acting more patriotic and American than the people who flippantly mock them in ignorance from the 53% and 1%.
To say that I’ve heard this “communism” label and mockery of true patriotism coming from not only civilians but even Ex-Marines who were sworn to uphold and protect this nation from threats foreign and domestic, to uphold the Constitution and the rights afforded to our nation, is alarming and insulting. If anyone should be a true patriot, I expect our armed forces, active and retired, to stand tall in this country’s time of need.
Luckily there are quite a lot of patriotic Marines and veterans who understand what it means to be a true patriot, and have decided to stand with this nation to uphold their oath. To know thy enemy, even if it is our own government, and to stand and protect this nation from threats foreign and domestic. I applaud those true patriots and ask why the rest are so eager to abandon their nation when it is truly in need.
Eat The Rich
The real question, and massive over-generalization, that is spreading around by the uninformed is whether or not the Occupy Wall Street patriots actually want to dismantle the rich en-mass and put an end to being wealthy.
The unequivocal answer to this absurdity is No.
We don’t hate the rich. If you’ve earned your fortune and aspired to the American Dream, and worked to achieve it then we applaud you. However, that success comes with a social contract and agreement to pay it forward. I hear constant cries of “Class Warfare” whenever increased taxes for the rich are proposed, and to be honest, those cries are intentionally deceitful. It is class warfare, but those waging class warfare are not the lower 99%, it has always been the upper echelons of wealth against everyone else. Right now, we’re simply fighting back.
Take into account that the current tax rate for that bracket doesn’t even break 40% (it’s closer to 34%), which seems pretty high until you realize that number is roughly half (or 1/3 if you want to go back historically) of what those exorbitantly rich were paying before they began systematically witling away and lowering their taxes through lobbying and other not so lawful means. Not only that, but the idea of Corporate Gains Tax is a farce as it stands today, with Warren Buffet (one of the richest men in this nation) stating that even he thinks it’s unfair that his own secretary pays more in taxes than he ever will.
That tells you something right there. It should tell you that despite legal obligations to pay what little taxes (in comparison to the time when they were taxed at 94%) they owe, there are benefits and countless loopholes to bring down what is already a tax rate of around 34% (when it’s been as high as 94%) to an effective tax rate of just 17%. And somehow we’re complacent when they award themselves record bonuses and profits while not generating job growth. For the record, the job growth for August was absolutely zero, and unemployment in September rose 126% – a number not seen since April 2009.
“The way you get rich in this world is not by working hard,” said Marty Sullivan, an economist and a contributing editor to Tax Analysts. “It’s by owning large amounts of assets and having those things appreciate in value.” - Washington Post, Sept 11, 2011
Class warfare indeed. They have the terminology correct, but are apparently good at convincing you that they are truly the victim as they continue to squeeze you for everything you have. They’ve convinced you that you have no right to protest, and even to the extent that you’re willing to repeat their message even if it’s hurting you. It’s class warfare alright, but we’re the ones they’re fighting against on every front, taking increasingly all they can get their hands on and convincing you with slick ads and lies that you’re oppressing them. Telling you that if you want change, all you have to do is vote – knowing full well both parties are deeply in their pockets and answer to them and not us.
Michael Moore said it best – we’ve developed into a Kleptocracy.
The people who stand in solidarity across the Occupy Wall Street movement, and in 164+ cities around the world are fighting back. Being patriots now didn’t get us into this mess – it’s the inaction all along from us to fight back that got us in this mess. It is the complacency and ignorance against our fellow Americans acting as true patriots that got us into this mess – because the 53% are too cowardly to earn their right to be called American Patriots.
We’ll continue to stand and fight for you, the 53%, even when you are not brave enough or smart enough to stand with us. In the meantime, educate yourself. Your country needs you, and now is not the time to act like a coward.
Cowards don’t deserve the freedoms of this country. They deserve the poverty and slavery they will be crushed under because of their ignorance and apathy. Patriots fought to give you this country, and Patriots are fighting to get it back.
Support Occupy Wall Street – it is clearly your Patriotic Duty.
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