Occupy the Air & Space Museum? (Washington: houses, unemployment, income)
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The National Air and Space Museum in Washington re-opened today after being closed yesterday because of an anti-war demonstration. I'm not completely sure if this was part of the Occupy DC group or some other protest group--sounds like this was more of an anti-war group since one report said they swarmed the building to protest a drone exhibit. (Or maybe they just wanted to be inside a building with lots of restrooms? I'm not really sure why they picked that particular museum.)
So... any opinions/comments on all of this? I wish they would come up with a specific action that they want taken, something a little more concrete than "we're angry, pay attention." I'm happy to listen but I can't quite grasp what action they want taken.
I cant speak for them but I am going to go out on a limb here and say that they are tired of these decade long wars that are costing billions every week. Many soldiers have spent the better half of the past decade in a hot sandbox. Just a guess.
It could also be the trillion $ of tax payer money given to wall street a few years ago. It could be the high unemployment among young people, over 15% for veterans.
Maybe its because corporations like Halliburton received billions from the government then packed up ship and moved their headquarters to Dubai in 2006, exempting them from many taxes.
Maybe their just dirty hippies who like to shutdown museums. Who knows it boggles the mind.
If they want to cause so much change, then vote these people out of office. Why waste your time on these stupid meaningless protests? People are not going to remember these things in a month from now. If they want to get people out of office, then why don't they use their power to do so. I just don't see how all these efforts that they are taking will change anything. Seems like a very irrational and overly emotional thinking.
If they want to cause so much change, then vote these people out of office. Why waste your time on these stupid meaningless protests? People are not going to remember these things in a month from now. If they want to get people out of office, then why don't they use their power to do so. I just don't see how all these efforts that they are taking will change anything. Seems like a very irrational and overly emotional thinking.
So I completely agree that, by and large, its a waste of time.... but the one unexpected thing that seems to be materializing is that dems are aligning themselves (at arms length for now) with the OWS movement. That could be a sufficient catalyst to motivate and get people out to vote.
That said, I dont know it really solves much. Whether you agree with OWS or not, many of their issues cross party lines: corporations have exerted meaningful influence across both isles, bush may have started the war machine, but obama hasn't stopped it, laws passed with corporate interests over public interests, ridiculously stupid debates, incapable leadership, budget plans that "cut" spending by doing nothing more than cutting the rate at which the budget deficit expands, etc.... Certainly, some administrations have been more at fault than others, but I think the OWS view is that both sides of the isle are fundamentally broken.
What OWS hasn't figured out is that by asking for everything from the potentially reasonable to the politically impossible (free healthcare, jail all bankers) they can't possibly ever get anywhere. Not just because the requests are far too broad but because any candidate that aligns with them must also align on a slew of politically charged impossibilities.
I admire their desire to change things for the better (setting aside their armchair economics talking points) and certainly can't fault people for wanting a better life for themselves or their kids - but I think their substantial efforts are unlikely to yield any material changes.
If they want to cause so much change, then vote these people out of office. Why waste your time on these stupid meaningless protests? People are not going to remember these things in a month from now. .
The tea party started by protests. It then impacted elections. Activists impact elections by being heard by the mass of non activist voters. To be heard, you need to grab the media's attention. The media pays more attention to what folks like the tea party, and these occupy folks do, than to quieter things.
That said, I dont know it really solves much. Whether you agree with OWS or not, many of their issues cross party lines: corporations have exerted meaningful influence across both isles, bush may have started the war machine, but obama hasn't stopped it, laws passed with corporate interests over public interests, ridiculously stupid debates, incapable leadership, budget plans that "cut" spending by doing nothing more than cutting the rate at which the budget deficit expands, etc.... Certainly, some administrations have been more at fault than others, but I think the OWS view is that both sides of the isle are fundamentally broken.
those cross party objections are either things where the OWS is out of touch with the mainstream (like expecting Obama to have walked away from Afghanistan while OBL was alive and with no effort to build up afghan security forces) is economically naive (like not realizing the importnce of cutting the rate of increase of spending) politically naive (expecting short of dropping the first amendment to eliminate all corporare influence on legislation) etc. Pretty much every plausible, mainstream thing that COULD change to lessen unemployment, reduce excess corporate influence, toughen bank regulation, reduce income inequality, etc is associated with ONE major political party, and I dont need to spell out which that one is. The "plague on both your houses" approach is EXACTLY what folks like this did in 2000, and thus they GAVE us an unfunded and mismanaged war, growing income inequality, a failure to address urgent global environmental problems, and, to SOME extent the housing crisis and associated economic crisis. It may make people feel more morally pure than voting for someone who has advisors who once worked for Goldman, but its NOT a real way to change.
The only way for the OWS protests to have an impact is they have to grow. The only way they can grow is by getting the attention of the media. The only way one is going to get the attention of the media is by causing a scene.
The main protests have been going on for 5+ weeks. It didn't start spreading though until 2 weeks ago when 700+ protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn bridge. The received news media because of it and now the movement has grown. Before that it was just a group of a few hundred in NYC for 3 weeks.
I wasn't surprised to see SEIU organizing an occupy dc event in Farragut Park earlier today. Unions will give the movement a big boost, although I don't necessarily think they need it. Quite frankly, with all of the factors at play right now, I would be surprised if we didn't go through a period of civil unrest in the near future.
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Hmmmm
