OWS has bloomed in more than a dozen major cities all across the country. It stopped being a protest a while ago. It's a movement now. And they're scared.
By William Rivers Pitt, TruthOut.org
Posted on October 10, 2011,
Far be it from me to accuse
Gandhi of missing a note, but in the
case of the
'Occupy Wall Street' protests, the Mahatma's famous quote
appears to be lacking a few essential words. "First they ignore you," he
said, "then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."
That's not quite correct.
Certainly, the OWS protests began with a great whistling silence from
the "mainstream" news media. It is only because of the resources
available to the average person in this marvelous technological age we
live in that word of the protest ever reached beyond its original
location.
Thanks to cell phones, video cameras, digital recorders, and of
course, the internet - all wielded by patriot citizens - reports, images
and video of the protest began to dribble out via
Twitter,
Facebook and
a variety of blogs and alternative news media sites like
Truthout. But
from the "mainstream" news, there was nothing, and nothing, and nothing.
Eventually, however, the OWS protest broke through the "mainstream"
news blackout, thanks in no small part to commentators like
Lawrence
O'Donnell, Rachel Maddow and
Keith Olbermann. Once the "mainstream" news
outlets finally deigned to lower themselves to report on the rabble
down on Wall Street, their tone and tenor fairly oozed contempt.
The New
York Times, bastion of the status quo, published an article describing
each and every participant of the OWS protest as a moonbeam-riding
fuzzbrain, someone reeking of patchouli who couldn't string a coherent
thought together if their life depended on it...which was followed up
immediately by a barrage of reports defending cops who hosed down
defenseless women penned in behind nylon barriers with pepper spray,
because those cops were doing exactly, precisely the right thing. Or
something.
This, as usual, from the same "mainstream" news media that didn't
have any problem with the gun-toting "patriots" of the Tea Party and
their catastrophically-spelled signs. Well, then again,
the Tea Party
has corporate sponsorship, while the OWS protesters are doing this on
their own. It pays - literally - to have friends in high places.
Similar disdain was heaped upon the OWS protest from every corner of
the "mainstream" news realm, most especially from
Fox News and the long
reach of conservative talk radio. These protesters are bums, hippies,
losers, anarchists, idiots, communists and fools, a drumbeat which has
continued to this very day.
So.
First they ignore you: check.
Then they ridicule you: check.
According to Gandhi, the next step comes when they fight you, but
here is the spot where his marvelous wisdom could use a bit of
enhancement.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you...
Then they get scared.
And
they are scared, now. You can smell it. The criticism being
leveled at the OWS movement has gotten far harsher in the last several
days. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney recently deployed the old
chestnut about "class warfare" to describe the protest. Rep. Eric Cantor
doubled down on Romney's rhetoric with
some of his own:
"If you read the newspapers today, I for one am increasingly concerned
about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and the other cities across
the country. Believe it or not, some in this town have actually
condoned the pitting of Americans against Americans."
That's pretty rich right there, don't you think? Fellows like Cantor
have made turning American against American their bread and butter for
the last ten years..."You're with us or against us"...but I digress.
Fact: OWS has bloomed in more than a dozen major cities all across
the country. It stopped being a protest a while ago.
It's a movement
now.
And they're scared.
Know how I know? I know because a friend in San Francisco took the
time to transcribe a document he was given by the major bank he works
for. The document, titled "Protest Safety Handbook," explains what a
bank employee should do when confronted with the horror and terror of an
OWS protest.
I am leaving the name of the bank out of this to protect my friend. Some tidbits:
The
movement in New York has begun to publish a four page news paper titled The Occupied Wall Street Journal. The current edition of the
published document loosely outlines the group's manifesto and
intentions. The group has indicated that they have been inspired by the
results from similar groups involved in the "Arab Spring" in the Middle
East. The group's publication cites an intention to first to protest and
then to march, escalating to civil disobedience when necessary.
These
types of groups are reaching out to the disengaged and disenfranchised
population of the United States for members, often encouraging the
unemployed and homeless to join the movement. Often these marches
and protests are unplanned and result from instant notification on
"Social Networks" that produce "Flash Protest Mobs" in a matter of
minutes. While this group has not yet resorted to violence the possibility exists that they can.
Safety Tips:
- Avoid poorly lit areas and isolated locations that may make you vulnerable to an attack.
- Keep the cars doors locked while driving in the area of a mob or protest march.
-
Project an image of confidence and strength. Walk with a purpose and
avoid hesitation, keep your head up, shoulders back and make eye contact
with people you pass.
- Avoid confrontation and unnecessary contact with protesters.
- Avoid walking or driving alone. There is safety in numbers.
- Carry purses close to the body.
- Wallets and cash are best kept in a front pocket.
- Avoid wearing Bank ID or logo items outside the bank if possible.
- Keep your cell phone charged and close at hand.
- Have emergency contact information pre-programmed into your phone.
- Have your keys out and ready before you need them.
- If you feel that you're in danger or if you observe suspicious or illegal activities, call the police or dial 911.
- If confronted or attacked, try to remain calm and cooperate by following the attacker's instructions.
- Do not attempt to reason or argue with the protesters.
- Cooperate and do not risk your personal safety.
- Be a good witness and try to remember as many details of what occurred as you can.
(Emphasis added)
Makes it sound like you're walking through a war zone, right? Not a
peaceful protest, but some actively dangerous Thunderdome where instant
and horrible death might reach out at any time to cut you down.
The financial powers-that-be are desperate to paint this peaceful,
meaningful movement as some kind of civilization-annihilating upheaval,
populated by rogues, pickpockets, mobs and murderers. They need the OWS
protest to be seen this way by the general public, so they can discredit
it and destroy it. Fear-mongering is an old, old tactic, and they are
deploying it once again.
Note well: the bank that distributed this hyper-paranoid ball of
gibberish is an entire continent away from the nexus of the OWS movement
in New York City.
I guess
San Francisco's OWS chapter has been making some noise. Same with
Boston,
Dallas, and
DC, and a dozen other cities.
First they ignore you.
Then they ridicule you.
Then they get scared.
Then they fight you.
Then you win.
I don't think the Mahatma would mind this small addition to his statement. It fits.
And it's true. They are scared.
You can smell it.
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