OWS DOA or Simply Misdirected?

Oh those rascally communists. They come in all shapes and sizes. I have had my reservations about lending any support to this group, because of some of the things I have heard them spouting off as the OP pointed out. That type of rhetoric ought to be a red flag for those who value property rights, honest capitalism, and a true Republican Democracy. Calls for eating the rich, taking everything that is not planted down, or distributing the wealth get no play with me and I will tune it out. I can understand why they are upset, because I am as well. However, I don't think advocating socialism or communism is the way to go either. History is a fine example of the pitfalls that the two ideologies are fraught with when the ideas are put in practice. Millions dead, authoritarian regimes, and a populace practically brain washed to like it or face imprisonment or death.

Now, barring communism and socialism from the equation, I do believe those who have stolen, committed fraud, or are actively corrupt whether in the private or public sector should be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law. What this country needs is not violent revolution, or radical ideologies but a little honesty, integrity, and valuing the merits of hard work and discipline. If one is unwilling to go and get a piece of the pie for themselves then they deserve not to have it. The lone individual decides how much they want in this life, and not some collective. The blame needs to be placed on the doorstep of the Capital, because they have forgotten their place as duly elected stewards of this fine Republican Democracy. They would rather be comped or wine and dined by lobbyists instead of doing what is right regardless of the consequences to their political career. Republicans and Democrats are equally guilty of it.

As for this wealthy one percent that is being scapegoated by politicians and more or less these Wall Street occupiers? They should be prosecuted if it is found that the law was broken in their pursuits of business and wealth. However, just because they have more than I or the next guy, the government or the people have no right to summarily confiscate their assets and property because of having encountered a twist of bad luck. That one percent is not all guilty as some have pointed out. Some are where they are through honest, and legitimate business dealings. Now, there are some who belong to that group who have partaken in fraud, corruption, and deception and those who are found out should be prosecuted. Enough with the insanity already!

For those kids and the misinformed gathering in protests? If they should have any questions about socialism and communism? It would be a credit for them to seek out those who have lived under it from the former Soviet Union, Eastern Bloc countries, and other regions where it has presented itself in practice. They will tell them the true ins and outs of it by experience. It is not all peaches and cream, and far from utopia. Well, I can go on and on about this, that, and everything else. Like others, I too am skeptical about the Wall Street demonstrations, and their true intent. One thing I can agree with them on is that our economy, and country is in dire straights.

I firmly believe this country needs to have a renaissance in accordance to our preexisting principles and ideals, and not a radical change to anything else. We need to remember the values of honesty, integrity, work ethic, reason, and logic. The mob rhetoric has never solved anything but led to insanity and chaos. Just my two cents.

Fantastic job Slayer, yet it is no surprise.

I do not trust the organization of OWS at all. They seem reckless, dangerous, and have a sinister plan which would not be in compliance with our heritage and constitution. The ordinary protesters, ignorant to the sinister undertones of many others protesters there, are actually trying to have their voice heard. Nothing wrong with anyone vocally expressing support for a cause or opposition to a perceived injustice, it is the American way.

This just seems like a movement for the hard-left in America much like the Tea Party became a movement for America’s right-wing. This is the grassroots representation of the frustrated Liberals within the Democratic Party who feel like their voices are not being heard by a Democratic President. Any wonder why the TPM targeted Washington and OWS targets Wall Street. Each, respectively, are the number one enemy of the movement.

Either OWS will just dissipate or it will continue on like the TPM did, not anywhere near a revolution but definitely able to change the politics in this country. I feel like OWS is the grassroots representation of disgruntled Liberals, perhaps they are the more radicalized of the bunch much like the TPM were disgruntled Conservatives/Libertarians. They feel the pinch of austerity beginning so now they take to the streets. Unfortunately for them they are trying to keep alive, or create, a dream which is a failure outside of academic circles.

Awesome replies everybody both Pro and Con.
Just a reminder to keep things civil while debating, arguing and discussing why the other guy is wrong

Originally posted by SirMike
Drudge had a caption with one of the OWS protesters titled "HANDOUT AMERICA".

Fitting, no?

I wonder if that's real of photoshopped

Originally posted by SLAYER69
I wonder if that's real of photoshopped

It appears to be real. Here is a link to a slideshow on CNN that contains that image in high resolution (they have thumbnails, so you don't have to view the entire slideshow waiting for it).

www.cnn.com...

reply to post by Aggie Man



Awesome, thanks for the link.

too funny

The tea party has 3 things the ows protesters dont

a job
a shower
a point.

and sorry watching lou dobbs just now when i see signs like :

each the rich
tax the rich
free education

and union members being bused in has zero credibility with me.

ows has been mainstreamed which means they just been lame streamed.

reply to post by Aggie Man


I like this Zombies better than the one I used in the OP

reply to post by ColCurious


Each in their own way contributes.

As it stands now the way some or contributing I'll lend my support but I wont march with them. Not until they shake certain activists and agendas by those who are either in the process or may have already hijacked the movement for ulterior motives.

Originally posted by orbitbaby
Special interests are trying to hijack these protests. Since a lot
of people know something is wrong but don't know exactly how
they got there, it's easy to do.

Rather than b*tch and moan about it, why not get out there and
educate them on the FED? There are others out there who are
doing it.

Excellent points!
If I could I would. I'm all the way across the country and broke. But rest assured I'll use what means are available to get the message across.

Great thread as always. I was especially impressed with the kid in the Youtube video; that's passion.

You know what I've noticed? No matter what particular ideology the protesters and posters on ATS espouse, it seems to me that the one common link we all have is ending the Fed. Focus the demonstration around that one objective, and the movement will grow by leaps and bounds. One day soon we could be free of them, IF we fight one front at a time as a unified voice.

I see a very simple solution to a LOT of problems: Elect Ron Paul. He will do two things automatically; end the Fed and end the wars. These two events would cause a paradigm shift in the way the world looks at us, not to mention clamping off a real bleeder. We're hemorrhaging cash from the wars alone. Simply cutting the budget and instituting a fair tax would inspire confidence in the dollar again, but add to that no more Fed sucking us dry and no more war... fuggedaboutit, we would soar out of this near-depression.

I'm not a financial wizard by any stretch of the imagination, but I know things are bad, and that most of the problems stem from waste, fraud and greed. People who own banks are bailed out by the government (with the bank officers getting millions in bonuses for doing such a bang up job! ) when they drive their business into the ground, but ordinary people are having a hard time filling their gas tanks, getting medical care, and even keeping their homes. If the "Stimulus Package" had been distributed equally among American citizens, each one would have received a check for more than $17,000 dollars. For a family of four, that's $68,000, or a sweet down payment on a house. I don't know about you, but MY economy would have been stimulated; but the money went to the bankers didn't it? We got what, $400.00 apiece?

We're spending a billion dollars a month on foreign wars and incursions into places where we have no business being. The Pentagon is a fiscal black hole, where missing money is counted in the Trillions of dollars. Then they're like, "Whoops. Can't find it... might as well just write it off." I think they've "lost" more than 10 Trillion dollars in the last decade, not counting what they allocate for black budgets. Something should be done about that. Heads should roll.

Common sense accounting can get us out of this mess. Forget about theoretical macroeconomic models by Nobel Prize winning economists - I think we've seen just how idiotic their criteria for awarding a prize is - and stick to home economics 101: Don't spend more than you earn.

Thank you sir.
Great job!

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by SLAYER69

 

I agree with many of your points, but is some others that I do not agree, but at the end, I have lost so much faith on my fellow Americans and our political system that I am just sitting in my home waiting to see where the OWS will take us.

That's a very scary proposition. I'd hate to just be along for the ride without any input on where and how things may go...

I did have a lot of faith on Obama in the beginning and on the Tea party but hell what disappointment they have prove to be.

I remember posting my opinions on Obama right before he took office and I explained that there would be much change because on his first day he would sit behind the BIG desk and he would be briefed on whats really going in the world.

Sure enough outside of a few minor things we are pretty much worse off IMO.

reply to post by SLAYER69


I must say It's sad that the guy with the real message at the end of your OP didn't get much reaction from the crowd. (I just watched the whole thing) I have some very liberal friends, and I've tried very hard to share the message of ending the Federal Reserve to them. They refuse to listen. They hear "Ron Paul" get mentioned and all of a sudden we have a political fiasco. It brings me back to my original point. This is a case where the left is refusing to even *try* to understand common sense just because a libertarian said it.

I really think a lot of the protesters have no clear idea of why they are there. This protest should not be a "fad" to follow the guys in the Guy Fawkes mask, but I'm afraid a large number of them might just be doing that very thing.

The clown faced Bozo, (Anon) gets no respect from me first off because they don't "show" themselves. What? I'm supposed to be afraid of some mask making threats? Try again. Show yourself, state your case, your cause, your objective; put it all out there. Be a grownup for crying out loud, all the vagueness just turns me off, I like it straightforward. So, say it like it is and enough with the vague threats and innuendos....like threatening to take out the NYSE. To what end? Don't forget there's working class Americans out there who have their retirements, their kids' college funds invested and We Are Not The Enemy....its not okay to wipe out all the good with the bad you perceive. I'm calling it as "Misdirected" at this point.

Here comes the takeover.

Wall Street protest grows as unions swell ranks

NEW YORK, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Anti-Wall Street demonstrations swelled on Wednesday, as nurses, transit workers and other union members joined a rally at the heart of New York's financial district to complain about unfairness in the U.S. economy.

College students walked out of classes in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has grown in less than three weeks from a ragged group in downtown Manhattan to protesters of all ages demonstrating from Seattle to Tampa.

The protesters object to the Wall Street bailout in 2008, which they say left banks enjoying huge profits while average Americans suffered under high unemployment and job insecurity with little help from the federal government.

By late afternoon the crowd in New York numbered at least 5,000 and was growing. Union members made up a good portion of the demonstration, which was more than twice as large as the largest previous crowd last weekend of about 2,000.

To me the bottom line is that for the last few years i have been hearing how tptb want to destroy americe around this time has been predicted. Along comes this movement i'm calling the weather vane movement that has no solutions or alternatives other than a system with no currency from the forth dimision.They are happy to align with the problems and not offer anything even similar to the constitution

Originally posted by JiggyPotamus
I agree with a lot of your points, but I am ignorant of the supposed cry to shred the Constitution. Most of what I hear involves upholding the Constitution. IMO the document has been shredded, in part, long ago. I think the problem lies in any society who would stand by and allow the government to create and give the Fed all of the power they have today. Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing.

I'm assuming many are like myself and have been reading along watching while some here are point blank advocating overthrowing the Government and the Constitution along with it.

I find that quite disturbing if you asked me.
+

Well here we go...
Occupy Wall Street has company in Washington, D.C.

Another fall day in Washington, D.C., another protest. First there was Occupy Wall Street. Beginning Thursday, there will also be Stop the Machine.

The capital's version of the Occupy Wall Street demonstration has been held in Washington’s McPherson Square since Oct. 1. Known as Occupy DC, the event has drawn about 10 to 50 people a day, with protesters attending a 6 p.m. meeting and waving signs at people as they leave their K Street offices.

Lacy MacAuley, who has been participating in the Occupy DC demonstration, said she thinks many of the protesters in that group will move to the Stop the Machine demonstration.

The goals of the protests are similar. Occupy Wall Street has been decrying corporate greed and various social ills; Stop the Machine will push for a drastic reduction in corporate influence in the nation and, according to the group’s website, support “peace and social, economic and environmental justice.”

reply to post by havok


I don't think it would be that dire of circumstances. I'm not a financial wizard but in the long term it seems it would be better not to be hemorrhaging money hand over fist in debt.