My Hopes For The Occupy Movement

I would like to say that I am proud of everyone that has made it to the streets with Occupy Wall Street. For quite a while now, Cindy Sheehan, myself, and others, through our organization “Peace of the Action,” have been trying to get people to put their bodies on the “gears of the machine.” To see this amount of people finally doing that, it’s a thrill, and I am very proud of all of you.

When OWS first started, I didn’t pay as much attention to it as I do now. It wasn’t until the confrontation on the Brooklyn Bridge that I finally started to really look at what they’re doing. My interpretation of why they are doing what they’re doing is as follows. In a nutshell, they are tired of the bought and paid for politicians making decisions that do not benefit the people, and instead, benefit the corporations.

There might be more to it, but to me, that is it. After seeing how Obama is Bush’s third term and then some, people finally “woke up.”

Finally. As an advocate for 9/11 Justice for the last 9+ years, I have seen spurts of people protest this and that, but for the most part, people have acted as though they just didn’t care. Call it apathy, ignorance, whatever. It seemed like they just didn’t care. For years, people in the 9/11 Truth Movement, and the anti-war movement used to say that people will finally wake up when they start to lose their homes, when they start to lose their jobs, their TVs, their pensions, their cars, etc… and so on. From the majority of signs I see, it seems that we were right. Ok. Whatever works.

I would like to address those signs. Jobs, health care, money out of politics, holding bankers accountable, etc… are all legitimate issues. However, so is the killing and dying we are responsible for around the world. There must be a strong anti-war message (which includes 9/11 Justice) included in the Occupy movements. It is the moral thing to do. It must not be just about material wealth and needs. Unless, of course, you want to be seen as greedy people who want a slice of the pie.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of going to Occupy Wall Street with my 9/11 sign. Between 500-1000 people took my picture or gave me a “thumbs up.” About 5 people wanted their picture taken with my sign. It was nice to know that people still care.

It has been absolutely fascinating for me to watch the media’s response to OWS. I have seen every “trick of the trade” used against OWS that I have seen used against the 9/11 Truth Movement. It was like watching a re-run. On 10/13/2011, the LATimes ran an article that said, “how do you know when a protest movement is starting to scare the pants off the establishment? One clue is when the protesters are casually dismissed as hippies or rabble, or their principles redefined as class envy or as (that all-purpose insult) “un-American.” If that is the case, then the “establishment” must be SCARED SHITLESS of what advocates for 9/11 Justice have to say. Just look at the different things the media has said over the years. It is because of the media’s campaign that no one wants to associate with anyone that questions the official account of 9/11.

That is what the media seems to be doing now. In fact, I’m seeing the “anti-semitism” card being played a lot now. The 9/11 Truth Movement can relate. They will look for the 5, 10, even 20 people (out of millions) ignorantly saying things about Zionism or Israel, and they will paint EVERYONE with the same brush.

There are also efforts by MoveOn.org, and unions to “co-opt” OWS. The 9/11 Truth Movement was “co-opted” by people in the “Conspiracy Theory Industry,” so again, we can relate. Do not let that happen OWS. The Democrats and the Republicans are two sides of the same exact coin. Also, Fox News can be horrid, but so can MSNBC, CNN, and the rest of the corporate media.

I fully support the efforts of OWS. Last week, I brought $120 worth of supplies to “Occupy Philly.”

Here is what I’m hoping happens. I hope the end result of their effort brings us a system that works for the people, and not the corporations (in Government, media, courts, etc…). I hope the end result of their efforts gives us a system that holds people accountable for their crimes, no matter HOW powerful or rich a person may be. I hope the end result of their effort puts an end to the murder we are taking part in around the world.

Basically, I’m hoping for a Revolution.

So stand your ground OWS, and the rest of the Occupy Movements. Now is the time.