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| A declaration from the Occupation of New York; Putting the cause to writiien form | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 1 2011, 01:28 AM (154 Views) | |
| Mike | Nov 1 2011, 01:28 AM Post #1 |
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A great nephew of mine sent me this in an e-mail. James is 22 and is a great thinker at his young age. He's also completing his Master of Education program from a top University years ahead of most. I have always enjoyed our conversations and will be having another surrounding this e-mail. Some of my initial thoughts. To begin with, with every list of grievances comes the other side of the story. What is perceived as being unjust, may have a logical excuse coming from the other side. In the case of the ever expanding protest movement, the perception has been that despite all the excuses, people are still suffering and changes must be made. Corporations large and small, along with people from all walks of life must adjust expectations. We now have seven billion folks on this planet and the needs of these people must be considered by those in power in both industry and world governments. From lists such as this one a dialog can and must begin. The world cannot afford a global revolution. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Declaration of the Occupation of New York This document was accepted by the NYC General Assembly on September 29, 2011 Translations: French, Slovak, Spanish, German, Italian As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies. 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. * They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices. * They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions. * They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right. * They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay. * They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility. * They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance. * They have sold our privacy as a commodity. * They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. * They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit. * They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce. * They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them. * They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil. * They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit. * They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit. * They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media. * They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt. * They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. * They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas. * They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.* To the people of the world, We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power. Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone. To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal. Join us and make your voices heard! *These grievances are not all-inclusive. |
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| tomdrobin | Nov 1 2011, 01:28 PM Post #2 |
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Fire & Ice Senior Diplomat
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It seems the OWS protestors have a list of everything in the world that is unfair. Life isn't fair and probably never will be, so many of their complaints are the result of an overidealized view of the world. It's a common misperception in very liberal circles. That said, there are some legitimate complaints that they would be better served to focus on. Globalization has created tremendous opportunity and wealth for the investor class, while at the same time, has created worldwide competition for the worker class, with the results being fewer jobs, and lower pay. Those are just the facts of life. Government by and for the people though, should adopt legislation, regulation and tax policy to address the problems created. Currently it is hampered in it's ability to do so by a message that government intervention is some destructive socialist plot. The money promoting that message is working in purely self interest and does not have the general welfare of the citizens as a goal. OWS needs to get that message out. |
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| Deleted User | Nov 1 2011, 07:39 PM Post #3 |
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Makes many valid points. While some are far reaching, it must begin somewhere |
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| Mike | Nov 1 2011, 11:03 PM Post #4 |
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People entrust the markets and banks and economic systems to be somewhat impartial and efficient in rewarding and withholding in a natural interaction among themselves and those around them. These same people can withdraw thier support from the system and it collapses around them. It does appear that the trust has been broken and the power is entering the withholding stage. |
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10:45 PM Jul 11
