Another list of OWS "demands"
This is yet another different group, claiming only to speak for themselves as part of the OWS stuff -- and is much closer to the crazy first stuff that came out.
Quote:
We need to retake the freedom that has been stolen from the people, altogether.
- If you agree that freedom is the right to communicate, to live, to be, to go, to love, to do what you will without the impositions of others, then you might be one of us.
- If you agree that a person is entitled to the sweat of their brows, that being talented at management should not entitle others to act like overseers and overlords, that all workers should have the right to engage in decisions, democratically, then you might be one of us.
- If you agree that freedom for some is not the same as freedom for all, and that freedom for all is the only true freedom, then you might be one of us.
- If you agree that power is not right, that life trumps property, then you might be one of us.
- If you agree that state and corporation are merely two sides of the same oppressive power structure, if you realize how media distorts things to preserve it, how it pits the people against the people to remain in power, then you might be one of us.
1. If you agree that freedom is the right to communicate, to live, to be, to go, to love, to do what you will AS LONG AS IT DOES NOT MATERIALLY HARM ANOTHER ADULT WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT without the impositions of others, then you might be one of us.
2. Absolutely no. I thought Zund was being paranoid saying Ayn Rand was prophetic until I read that. When you force a company to try and operate as a democracy, I'm out. I hear Belize is wonderful this time of year, and I think my Jeep will get me there.
3. If you use my definition of freedom from #1, then yes it should apply to everyone.
4. Uh, power is not right? What? Life trumps property, too vague to say I agree with that.
5. They got one mostly right... corporations or government are not inherently oppressive, only when they're allowed to corrupt each other.
Quote:
And so we call on people to act
- We call for protests to remain active in the cities. Those already there, to grow, to organize, to raise consciousnesses, for those cities where there are no protests, for protests to organize and disrupt the system.
- We call for workers to not only strike, but seize their workplaces collectively, and to organize them democratically. We call for students and teachers to act together, to teach democracy, not merely the teachers to the students, but the students to the teachers. To seize the classrooms and free minds together.
- We call for the unemployed to volunteer, to learn, to teach, to use what skills they have to support themselves as part of the revolting people as a community.
- We call for the organization of people's assemblies in every city, every public square, every township.
- We call for the seizure and use of abandoned buildings, of abandoned land, of every property seized and abandoned by speculators, for the people, for every group that will organize them.
1. They were alright until they got to "disrupt the system". Camping in a park, let the First Amendment trump loitering laws. Materially harming other people by preventing them from working or going about their business? Bzzzzt fail.
2. ABSOLUTELY NO, if this is enforced by the government it's revolution time.
3. Voluntarily? Sounds great.
4. It's a fine line between mob and democracy. If such an assembly feels it should have authority, that is to say power, without operating under the guidelines of the Constitution, then it's a non-starter. All power derives from the end of a barrel of a gun, and if they feel entitled to that power, stuff will get ugly.
5. Ah no, abandoned does not mean someone else doesn't own it.
All in all, I'd say they're right on about 1.5 out of 10 items. This is vastly different than the list calling for things like the return to commercial banks, investment banks, and insurance companies to once again not be allowed as a single entity.
Why is it always the extremists who the spotlight?
H.
