What to do with ourselves now: A sardonic account

I'm not advocating mobilization for nonviolent activism, I'm mobilizing for nonviolent activism. To all,

The occupying ought to be a disciplined movement. By this I mean that if some agent provocateurs are planted within the group of occupiers, or even if some lose their temper and start throwing things at the police, the rest of the protesters should immediately tightly surround those types and restrict their actions since their behavior gives the movement a bad name, and violates the nonviolence spirit of the protest.

That tends to get everyone arrested. Better to push them out as protecting that person(in the eye of the authorities) is a danger to the movement.

I agree with how the 99%-ers reach their decisions ...they do it by consensus. [You can study up on this at the Occupy Wall Street web sites.]

This is alright, I suggest just going out and participating in the consciousness.

How pay for it? Have congress transfer some of the funding now allocated for military purposes into funding of this project; and in addition lobby for legislation to increase the sales tax on luxury items and designate the money for the payment of the expense of this project of supplying the basic necessities of life to all citizens of the nation. Congress will do this if enough people insist on it, and back it up with their nonviolent active protests.

There is a long process before congress is just going to change there ways.

We will all be better off once this goal is widely adopted and we do all we can to publicize it in every way, via every known media. It is an ethical goal. We ought to back it to the fullest extent. We can do it. It is laudable and attainable. It is visionary but that's what the world need ...some vision. It can be summarized as working for a Resource-Based-Economy. (An RBE.) {Search tools can tell readers more about it, and what is implied by it.} And it is a priceless concept - in every sense of the word !!!

All I can really say is thanks for agreeing.

I agree with you both. And Wanabe you are right, I am inexperienced with occupy. But what I can offer is what I offered above, the perspective of one who is ignorant to the situation, one represents many others who see it as exactly as I stated above. For the record, I respect the movement, and I am searching for an opportunity to get involved, and when it arises, I'm in. I have an influence over a small group, teach me to get involved (for I am asking you to help me understand it better) and you will have more behind me, with more behind them.

I like what is being said here, and my proposal would be to approach it from many different small groups. Allow local levels to understand how they are being harmed as a community, then they will have the courage to build together. Once again, one more person here ready to join in- and I say this because you both clearly must be doing such and who better to offer loyalty to?

Find out who your state legislators are and form a mob and paprazi to harass them to pass this amendment to the constitution. See link for further details.

The best general advice is to disrupt the dealings of a corporate headquarters near you. We have to get them to respect us before we can make any demands.

Alright I will begin. In the mean time everybody keep expressing your thoughts!

Here is a suggestion for Amakatura or anyone else. Type in google: rebuild the dream. Then click on About. Then click on Join.

Too main stream prof, it's more of the same throw money at the problem solution. We need protest mass protest even bigger than before and in key places. Nothing will change if we just join organizations and give them money. We need to change the government it self, this is not their stated purpose.

I agree, it needs to be a more direct approach. Quick thought: In the past, couldn't the citizens of the United States attend congress freely? Or has that changed?

The common people can attend congress but there are miles of red tape in oder to do so unless your a lobbyist from from big agra or big oil or big etc.

The common people can attend congress but there are miles of red tape in oder to do so unless your a lobbyist from from big agra or big oil or big etc.

That seems very... not-democratic- or at least "free"

I believe that both the problem and the solution can be expressed by what is called the "Five Pillars of Culture." I got this from the book: "Dark Age Ahead" by Jane Jacobs. 1. Community and Family 2. Higher Education 3. The effective practice of science and science-based technology 4. Taxes and governmental powers directly in touch with needs and possibilities. 5. Self-policing by the learned professions. We cannot depend exclusively on the "Helping hand" of government because it naturally becomes the controlling hand and is destructive of self-reliance. Self-reliance was a major theme of the American Philosopher R.W. Emerson. The fact that we live in a "Culture of Narcissism" in which there is a decline in values associated with a decline in Religion and what Max Weber called the "Iron Cage of Bureaucracy" has the effect of handcuffing those in the populace who have the character and competence to do what is right. I see this as the root of our crisis and it is at the root that we must do something.

-- Updated May 10th, 2012, 2:42 pm to add the following --

I could give numerous examples of the decline of the five pillars of culture. We are aware of the Enron scandal and the factors that caused it. Enron was cannibalizing the state of California, having their accounting books cooked, etc. The fact they were the "smartest guys in the room" and were trusted cleared the way for their nefarious activities. As an example of Science and Science-based Technology: The Fox Theater in Atlanta, Ga. which was built back in the 1920's, if I remember it correctly is said to have almost perfect acoustics, but the Atlanta Civic center built in the 1960's had the worst acoustics imaginable. On the matter of taxes and governmental powers: The working poor are sometimes surprised when they find out that if they get a raise in pay at work that their government subsidy is decreased more than the increase in their work income; they cannot win for losing.

-- Updated May 10th, 2012, 3:12 pm to add the following --

The Spanish Philosopher Jose Ortega Y Gasset made the enigmatic statement that: "Specialization is neo -barbarianism." Of course specialists are necessary for society, but specialists have blind spots and must depend on other specialists who have their own blind spots or areas where they are not competent. This does turn into situations in which the blind are following the blind and of course they naturally fall into the ditch. People have the tendency to trust specialists in the world of abstractions rather than to follow their own natural inclinations. This is especially true in the matter of raising children. The intellectuals and specialists are not there were the action is.

Those people who want a Resource Based Economy in Vancouver know what to do with themselves now. They get active, as shown in this video how it's done:

http://youtu.be/iGu-TyD2dbY

It helps if you live in a sane society, doesn't it? But excuses begone !

I think the grey area will come to us...the picture, one that will decide for us, and will deliver a blow. That we are not at the top of everything, but rather the bottom end, just sitting it out on a planet that was never ours in the first place to fight over..