OWS, You’ve Made Your Point, Now Go Home

http://www.truth-out.org/ten-ways-occup ... 1321111931
Ten Ways the Occupy Movement Changes Everything
Thursday 10 November 2011
by: Sarah van Gelder, David Korten and Steve Piersanti

Before the Occupy Wall Street movement, there was little discussion of the outsized power of Wall Street and the diminishing fortunes of the middle class. The media blackout was especially remarkable given that issues like jobs and corporate influence on elections topped the list of concerns for most Americans.

Occupy Wall Street changed that. In fact, it may represent the best hope in years that “we the people” will step up to take on the critical challenges of our time. Here’s how the Occupy movement is already changing everything: (my favorites only listed, see article for more)

1. It names the source of the crisis.
7. It is a movement, not a list of demands.
8. It combines the local and the global.
9. It offers an ethic and practice of deep democracy and community.

Like all human endeavors, Occupy Wall Street and its thousands of variations and spin-offs will be imperfect. There have already been setbacks and divisions, hardships and injury. But as our world faces extraordinary challenges—from climate change to soaring inequality—our best hope is the ordinary people, gathered in imperfect democracies, who are finding ways to fix a broken world.

This article is adapted from the book, This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement edited by Sarah van Gelder and the staff of YES! Magazine and published November 2011 by Berrett-Koehler Publishers .

This highlights how well they are planning and thinking ahead, and the depths of their convictions, if they are comparing their hopes for this movement to the Civil Rights Movement. Winter will be tough, but foreclosures are rising again, job creation is nil and does not seem to be picking up for the immediate future, and all we're getting from politicians is more of the same crappy leadership, so I see no lessening of interest in this movement myself. But see what they have to say directly, rather than the media's interpretation of their goals. The Occupy Wall St Website , Facebook page , #OccupyWallSt Twitter , #OWS Twitter , reddit page , and their newsletter The Occupied Wall Street Journal
http://www.truth-out.org/voices-occupations/1321195032
Voices From the Occupations
Sunday 13 November 2011
by: Jeremy Gantz, In These Times

Occupy Wall Street, Zuccotti Park, November 5th. (Photo: David Shankbone)

The Occupy protesters have been ridiculed by the press, celebrated by the left, and reviled by the right—but rarely allowed to speak for themselves. After the initial New York protest morphed into a national movement in October, reporters struggled to understand the spectacle and pundits stepped in to pontificate and prognosticate.

In late October, In These Times held a conference call with protesters around the country, hoping to illuminate their intentions, ideals and ultimate goals. They spoke about why they think electoral politics is a waste of time, how winter will impact the movement and what they’ve learned from the homeless.

How will winter impact this movement?
see article for responses

How do you each imagine yourself connecting to the major political parties? Could or should this movement try to shift the Democratic Party left?
NATALIE: The Democratic Party has shown itself to be broken and that’s one of the reasons the Occupy Movement started. We have no voice; we have no representation. In general, there’s no way to make power respond to the will of the people without showing that we’re independent of it. We can’t be held hostage by this lesser-of-two-evils way of thinking about elections, because then our votes can be taken for granted.