"I'm with the people in Madison, I'm with the people who are occupying Wall Street. That's what my music's about...When progressive, radical or even revolutionary changes happen, it's always come from below. When women got the right to vote, when lunch counters were desegregated, it was people you do not read about in history books who stood up in their place and time for what they believe in." - Tom Morello, of Rage Against The Machine on Real Time With Bill Maher, Friday, September 23, 2011
As a longtime fan of both Michael Moore and Tom Morello, this past Friday I was fortunate to be a part of the studio audience for Real Time With Bill Maher, which featured them both as guests. However, as an admirer of Bill Maher's also, I was disappointed that he didn't table a specific question with regards to the #OCUPPYWALLSTREET protesters, who had notably made it through their first week on the streets of New York City as the show aired. Fortunately, Tom Morello brought the topic up and gave those in Liberty Plaza some much needed moral support (see quote above).
Indeed support -- or even acknowledgement -- from the mainstream media, politicians and celebs has been slow to come - even from those who have previously publicly stated their outrage at the havoc Wall Street types have wrought. The silence has been deafening press-wise (though thankfully that's changing), and few politicians and famous folks have had the balls to come forward to stand metaphorically or literally shoulder to shoulder with those who are sacrificing their comfort and risking injury and arrest on a daily basis to fight for a better deal on behalf of us all. (Immortal Technique, Roseanne Barr, Chris Hedges, Susan Sarandon and Michael Moore are exceptions, and deserve huge props for their in-person visits downtown.)
As evidenced by the general tone of opinion from the mixed but surprisingly united panelists on Real Time (which also included Jane Harman and the independent-to-right-leaning John Avalon) - and some of my own interviews here on SG - in light of the outrages perpetrated by those in control of our financial systems and in the wake of the Citizens United ruling which only serves to grease the wheels of the runaway train, there's increasingly a sense of consensus that revolutionary change needs to occur if we are to halt and turnaround the rapidly accelerating decay of our democracy. Seemingly, more and more brilliant and respected minds are coming to the conclusion that the electoral and government systems that are supposed to support and serve our democracy are so far beyond broken that, as with civil rights and the vote for women, reform in favor of the underdog working and would-like-to-be working masses will only happen with action that falls outside of the voting system.
So why aren't we seeing more prominent people coming out in support of #OCUPPYWALLSTREET? Personally, I think that many who share the protestors' agenda -- which contrary to what the Faux News media mafia is saying is pretty fucking clear from here* - would love to embrace what those encamped in Liberty Plaza are doing, but are terrified by the potential power of what's being unleashed on the streets. Already we're seeing the movement spread to other cities like Chicago (where, unlike NY, it should be noted the police are being surprisingly supportive and accommodating of those who are fighting for what, at the end of the day, should be the inalienable rights of all Americans - including those who earn a living in uniform). As with Egypt, this could well be the beginning of a new chapter for America. But change is a scary thing, and only the brave embrace it at first.
Also, it's easy for those in authority and the press (which by and large is owned and controlled by the ruling class the protesters are fighting), to dismiss organizers as criminal "hactivists" and those on the ground as trouble-seeking yobs. But neither is true.**
The real criminals are the ones that have cynically, clinically, and systematically robbed us of our jobs, our pensions, our homes, and our children's futures, and the real yobs are the ones wearing suits who have vandalized the very fabric of our society and our democracy. Conversely, the protesters online, in Liberty Plaza, and beyond should be celebrated as the American heroes they truly are -- for they are the ones attempting to rescue our country from the clutches of a greedy minority, and uphold the democratic process and principals of the Founding Fathers that made this nation great. The real injustice at this juncture would be if we the people were too scared or apathetic to participate.
"They are thieves. They are gangsters. They're kleptomaniacs. They have tried to take our democracy, and turn it into a kleptocracy - their kleptocracy. The 400 richest Americans own more wealth than 150 million combined. And they make think they're going to get away with this because they have so much more than everyone else, but they're afraid of one basic thing: There's only 400 of them and there's at least 150 million, 200 million, 250 million of us. Now what happens when 250 million are pitted against 400 people? You don't have to be into sport to understand the outcome of that game. All Americans have to do...is realize just how much more power we have than they have." - Michael Moore, Liberty Plaza, Monday September 26, 2011
* It's far clearer than any Republican "recovery" plan!
** Tellingly in Germany, which today is one of the world's most financially successful democracies, DDoS attacks aren't even considered illegal since the courts there view them as tantamount to a digital sit-in and protect them as the tool of expression that they mostly are. It should also be noted that the US recording industry allegedly outsourced DDoS attacks against file sharing sites, yet no one in government is suggesting we arrest the head of the RIAA - so we're clearly being selective about who we choose to call criminal and prosecute for such activities. And anyone who spent any time monitoring events via the Livestream feed, can attest to the lengths organizers have gone to to keep things peaceful - even in the face of extreme provocation.