Occupy Ashland...November rain

It was rainy and in the 50s-60s today, and we were out on the picket line from about 11:20am till 2:15pm, and then helped to serve dinner at the Community Kitchen from 4-5pm. My mood is as good as can be expected, since there are so few of us actually walking the picket line. We supposedly have vast support, with followers on the internet and Facebook (so I've heard), but that's certainly not evident on site, where we need boots on the ground, holding signs, and interfacing with the public. We have a half a dozen or so (at best), who like me, are part timers, have jobs and/or other commitments too. So, for all the talk (and “support”), there's little to show for it. There are a couple of us on site during the lunch hours, roughly 11am to 2pm every day, plus the dinner hr 5-8 a couple of days a week, and one who spends about 10hrs a day, three times a week. Once in awhile there's one or two others. Some days we have a couple of people there during the dinner, evening "rush," but not every day. We just need more people, willing to walk the picket line. They are few and hard to come by. Don't know why... May have something to do with commitment, or maybe just "stamina." Most people I know can't even commit to an exercise class... they'll go once or twice, or for a week or two, then they're done... no staying power since, what, no instant gratification?... As far as I'm concerned, anything worth achieving takes time and effort! It doesn't happen over night.

And even though there seems to be a lot of support for us, there is still a huge number of (I don't know how else to put it) plainly apathetic or outright stupid people, who know nothing about the influences in their lives, or their own self interests, and could care less... It's mind boggling, the absolutely stupid, knee jerk responses we get. And oh so many can't seem to get up off their bar stools longer than it takes to flip us the bird and order another Bud Light.

I think too many may be taking FOX News and the like, their dismissive propaganda campaigns, more seriously than they deserve to be taken. They claim that Occupy has no agenda... which is the main argument from all those opponents of Occupy. The occupy movement has had and continues to have a clear agenda: get big money out of politics; prosecute Wall Street and corporate criminals; make the 1% pay their fair share; and bring good manufacturing jobs back to the US! There are many who would also like to see the Federal Reserve Bank abolished, one of the main cause of our financial problems, along with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund – all making the worlds economies worse.

I stand by my indictment, that people in general either don't have the commitment or stamina to walk a picket line, or they're just too stupid to stand up for their own self interests, for all of our interests... sad but true. And actually, that's undoubtedly why this country and the rest of the world are in this situation in the first place.

Is the media the problem? Certainly, many of the media with their own agendas (very conservative, i.e. FOX) are huge obstacles to enlightened discussion over the direction we as a people and nation should take, what our national values are, or ought to be. Be assured that all conservatism is based in FEAR. And the "no agenda" argument is definitely a fear based argument. (Be afraid of the Occupy Movement; they don't know what they want, all those commies, fascists, Nazis, hippies, and drug fiends - every red flag, negative image they can think of, relevant or not)... yeh, right... blow it out their asses...

And when it comes to the voluntary, willing blindness of huge portions of our population to the realities of the absolute decline and moral corruption (especially) at the highest levels of our society, it is certainly another huge obstacle to that enlightened discussion.

The powers that be have EVERYTHING to LOSE, so they will pull out all the stops to ensure the status quo, or to increase their shares of everything... that's capitalism (greed-ism); and they will not give it up. Unfortunately, it will probably have to be taken from them by force. And since they have it all to lose, you can be assured that they will fight to the death, because without their lauded positions, power, and wealth, life just isn't worth living. I say good riddance... (oops, did I say that out loud?...;-)~ And, oh yes, I'm just getting started, 'cause now I'm really getting pissed! And sometimes it takes getting really pissed off to make yourself do the kinds of things that need doing.

Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!--Friedrich Nietzsche 

Courageous, untroubled, mocking and violent-that is what Wisdom wants us to be. Wisdom is a woman, and loves only a warrior.--Friedrich Nietzsche

Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?--Chico Marx