I never gave Americans enough credit to actually get together and "fight back" like this, but I am clearly proven wrong.
This movement is gathering energy and is sweeping the country. I am thoroughly impressed.
At first I wondered if it was going to be beneficial, if it would in fact change anything. But as I am slowly seeing more and more people in each city across the United States stand up in protest, I get just that much more hopeful that change can come from this. I'm not convinced it can yet, but I am remaining hopeful that it's possible.
There's very little a determined, unified, force of people who stand for a cause, can't achieve.
This is the Statement as read by Keith Olberman from the Occupy Wall Street protestors. It's a wonderful delivery. I'll drop an excerpt from the Official Written Statement here as well.
More can be found in the link above.
As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
Also check out what Republican Congressman Peter King thought about this.
What an idiot. Even if you don't support the Hyperbolic Occupancy over Wall Street, the fact that he labeled the 1960's Civil Rights movement as a "left-wing movement" that got "glorified" by the media is a bit of a joke and clearly shows he's missing the big picture.
"We have to be careful not to allow this to get any legitimacy,…
I'm taking this seriously in that I'm old enough to remember what happened in the 1960's when the Left-Wing took to the streets and somehow the media glorified them and it ended up shaping policy,... We can't allow that to happen."
LET'S GET SOME CHANGE UP IN HEYAH!
[Edited on 8/10/11 by Ult_Sm86]