Occupy Wall Street's a diverse bunch

Photo by a c o r n/Flickr

I hung around Zuccotti Park again on Thursday afternoon trying to get a handle on the direction  of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

I met so many people, there for so many different reasons.

Tracy Postert is a 40-something bio-chemist with a PhD from New York City. A former high school teacher and university professor who is well published in peer review journals. Tracy is unemployed. She was busy handing out resumes, hoping that someone might know someone who might be able to give her a job.

Postert is willing to relocate anywhere for that job, by the way. You can reach her at tracyposert@yahoo.com.

I also met a man who is an unemployed banker. He says he was let go because the bank he worked for made cutbacks. Occupy Wall Street is a place where he feels he can vent his frustrations and get a sympathetic ear.

Among the others hoping to get sympathetic ears for their causes was Carl Dix, from the Revolutionary Communist Party. His group is marching on the New York State office building in Harlem Friday and he was busy imploring some of the occupyers to join him.

Dix wasn't the only representative of  an organized group attracted to the concentration of frustrated Americans in lower Manhattan. Anti-capital punishment organizations, pro-green energy groups and the Black Panthers were there too.

I also met a very articulate, interesting and engaging couple protesting the Federal Reserve, which they blame, at least in part, for the nation's current economic situation. Their low-key argument is that the Fed's policy of just printing new money whenever the government or the banks need it is counter-productive. The Fed, they say, should be eliminated.

It wasn't until we were parting company and exchanging email addresses that I learned that these two Brooklynites just recently left New York City's shelter program for the homeless.

Finally I chatted for some time with Anthony Adams, a recent college graduate from San Fransisco with two Masters degrees, one in city regional planning, the other in transportation engineering. He is - you guessed it - unemployed.

Pepper spraying NYPD commander disciplined

Cops passively keeping an eye on Wall Street demonstrators. Photo by David Shankbone

It's interesting how one's point of view can color one's perceptions of entire groups of people. The Occupy Wall Street movement is a case in point.

While there is generally a culture of accommodation most of the time right now between the occupiers and the police, in the beginning, while they were feeling one another out so to speak, things were more tenuous. And it may have been that lack of comfort that led to a police commander pepper spraying some women during a march. The commander has now been disciplined.

This essay, though, is more about the human nature of those who voice their opinions about the incident and less about the incident itself.

Some people tend to grab one or two anecdotal events, color them with a little bias, and cite those events as "evidence" or "proof" that their point of view is the correct one.

There are those who have been pointing to this confrontation as affirmation of their view that the 99 percenters are a mob. Others say it underscores their contention that the cops are out-of-control and not letting protesters exercise their First Amendment rights. Both views, in my opinion, suffer the flaw that they are so myopic as to ignore the whole.

Just as the infamous photo of a Wall Street protester defecating on a police car is representative only of that person's disgusting actions, so too are the YouTube videos of Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna pepper spraying peaceful demonstrators reflective of his decisions and actions - not the NYPD as a whole.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is in a constant state of flux. Many Americans express their inability to understand its focus. My sense is that, as time goes on, either things will become clearer or, as some have suggested, the movement will peter out.

In the meantime, we should make the small effort to not judge the whole by the few. Whether we're talking about the protesters. Or the NYPD.

Occupy Wall Street's greatest weakness may be its greatest strength

Non-stop organizing at Zuccotti Park. Photo by Paul Hodara

There is no identifiable leadership. There is are no stated goals. Detractors remind us of this constantly. Facts that prove the Occupy Wall Street movement is doomed to failure. That the lack of focus is its greatest weakness.

Perhaps so. But today, after spending hours here at Zuccotti Park, Ground Zero of the movement, I'm left with the impression that this weakness is the movement's strength.

No leaders means no personalities and no clashes for power.

No stated goals means that none of those participating feel left out - for fear that their goals will be deemed unimportant.

Another point. This is not a mob. This is not an unruly bunch. There are sections set up in the park where different "departments" are headquartered to keep things orderly. For example, there's a Sanitation Department, where one can get a trash bag to keep one's claimed space clean.

Many points of view are being expressed here. All are welcome - save attacks on others.

Which brings us to the issue of antisemitism. First, there are many people identifiably Jewish participating. It's highly unlikely they would if there were an undercurrent of antisemitism. Secondly, a Jewish woman who has been down here nearly everyday says that yesterday, a guy holding an anti-Jewish sign was surrounded by a large group chanting, "He's not with us!" He didn't stick around long after that. she said.

Finally, some critics have suggested that the people here ought to get jobs and do something useful with their lives. Yes, there are a lot of unemployed people here. That's the point, they argue. They're out of work and want jobs. But the economy isn't working for them. The economy that's controlled, they say, on nearby Wall Street.

But not everyone here is young, or unemployed. Some come after work or even on their lunch breaks. Others  are retired, and have the time to contribute to the cause.

Heck, I even met a retired banker who runs a whistleblower site for those in the game who want to report financial impropriety and SEC violations - which - she says from first hand experience - is common in the banking industry.

This is the one-month anniversary of the start of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. Some who have been here from the start aren't as frustrated as critics who keep pointing out it's unfocused. It'll find its own equilibrium, they predict. Naturally.

For now, they are just looking forward to what month two may bring.

Occupy critics, supporters find common ground

Occupy Wall Street protesters disappointed equally in Democrats and Republicans. Photo by Paul Hodora

I was participating on the C2C computer show on the Paltalk News Network this morning.

After the show "officially" ends at noon on Sunday (it starts at 9 AM New York time) there's usually a general discussion. Today's was about the Occupy Wall Street movement. What do they really want? What's their goal?

But as the conversation progressed, it turns out that those who are critical of the Occupy movement for not having a focus and those who are supportive of those involved because, at least they are using the public square to bring directly to the American people their frustrations with the system, found common ground.

Here's my synopsis, influenced, I will admit, by my own bias.

There is a need for a non-partisan approach to the problems of our nation and - given yesterday's solidarity demonstrations worldwide - problems that extend beyond the borders of the United States.

No longer can we embrace one party or another. The folks on Wall Street and those demonstrating elsewhere are frustrated with a political system influenced by forces other than constituents.

It's time to run candidates who are not only non-partisan - but anti-partisan. Who go to Congress with one goal. To be citizen - not career - politicians. Representing - as this great Republic was designed to do - their various constituencies.

No goal at Occupy Wall Street? Maybe not. But if nothing beyond this message gets out and resonates - no other goal will be necessary.

Undocumented immigrants won't be kicked out of school in Alabama just yet

Undocumented immigrants are still permitted to fill seats at this Birmingham, Alabama high school - at least for now

Provisions of a controversial immigration law in Alabama have been struck down by a federal court.

The ruling puts on hold implementation of the law until the broader constitutional issues can be resolved.

That means that undocumented immigrants can still go to school and get driver’s licenses in Alabama.

The ruling also puts on hold a provision which would authorize the state to hold illegal immigrants without bond.

Airplanes too close for comfort

2 planes coming in for a landing at San Francisco International Airport. Photo by Jose P Isern Comas

WASHINGTON – The Government Accountability Office is sounding an alarm about planes – not just the air but also on the ground – that have come close to hitting one another.

The GAO acknowledges that the nation’s aviation system is arguably the safest in the world. But says close calls involving aircraft or other vehicles at or near airports are common, occurring almost daily.

The Federal Aviation Administration provides oversight of the terminal area and has taken action to improve safety. But, the GAO notes, the FAA is still being pressured by the National Transportation Safety Board and to take additional steps to improve its oversight. The GAO report concurs.

The report recommends that the FAA extend oversight of terminal area safety to include runway overruns and ramp areas and that it develop risk-based measures for runway safety incidents. It also suggests that the FAA improve information sharing about incidents.

Cheers erupt at Zuccotti Park

Protesters cleaned the park, averting a confrontation Friday morning. Photo by Neil Girling

By JACK BROWN

The cheers were audible from a couple of blocks away. There were people coming by foot and bike and train. There was network media and numerous independent documentors among and at the perimeter of the crowds numbering thousands.

The people’s mic was relaying the speaker’s words with sporadic results.

The occupiers had spent a hard rain night before it broke around 4 a.m.  Some sought shelter in neighboring establishments until the NYPD ushered them out.

Plea for international intervention as Syria death toll tops 3,000

Killings haven't quelled anti-government demonstrations in Syria

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay is expressing deep dismay at the worsening human rights situation in Syria, including the “remorseless toll of human lives,” and urged the international community to take immediate measures to protect the Syrian people.

“In August, I drew attention to credible allegations of crimes against humanity in Syria,” Pillay said. “At that time, I encouraged the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.”

Violence on Wall Street

Just after a confrontation was averted at Zuccotti Park, violence erupted between police and Occupy Wall Street protesters near the New York Stock Exchange.

The confrontation took place as some of those who were permitted to stay at the park after cleaning it up all night long, broke from the main group and marched up Broadway toward Wall Street.

Police barricaded the entrance to Wall Street so they would be denied access and a pushing and shoving match occurred. One person was reportedly run over by a police motorcycle – prompting even more violence.

Baton wielding police officers waded into the crowd and several people, including at least one reporter, were shoved by police who made several arrests.

The demonstrations then circled back around and returned to the park.

No confrontation at Occupy Wall Street

A night of cleaning averted a confrontation

Correspondent Jack Brown reports from Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan that a feared confrontation between cops and occupiers was averted Friday morning when the owners of the park decided to not force the protesters to move in order to clean it up.

The clean-up had been scheduled for 7 AM. But everyone stood down after demonstrators spent the night scrubbing and otherwise cleaning the park themselves.

Brown reports a Day of Rage march is scheduled for Saturday from New York’s Washington Square Park to Times Square.

Seems almost anyone the Republicans nominate could beat Obama

More bad political news for Obama. By Dan Bennett

U.S. registered voters say they are more likely to vote for “the Republican Party’s candidate” than for Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election, by 46% to 38%, a new Gallup poll finds.

The Republican has led Obama on this measure in three of the last four months.

Occupy Wall Street confrontation looms

Will they move if asked? Photo by erin m/Flickr

By GARY BAUMGARTEN

Will the Occupy Wall Street movement be moved?

And if so, will it be a peaceful transition?

These questions come to mind as it appears the NYPD may be preparing to ask the protesters to abandon the park nestled between Ground Zero and Wall Street that they’ve been occupying for weeks now on Friday.

Death penalty support slipping

Protest against recent execution of Troy Davis. Photo by Steve Rhodes

Sixty-one percent of Americans approve of using the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, down from 64% last year, and the lowest level of support since 1972, a new Gallup poll finds.

Republicans, men, whites, and those living in the Midwest and the South are most likely to support its use.

Growing concerns over NYPD counterterrorism efforts

Cops outside the NYSE. Photo by mindfieldz/Flickr

By SCOTT STEWART

In response to the 9/11 attacks, the New York Police Department established its own Counterterrorism Bureau and revamped its Intelligence Division. Since that time, its methods have gone largely unchallenged and have been generally popular with New Yorkers, who expect the department to take measures to prevent future attacks.

Preventing terrorist attacks requires a much different operational model than arresting individuals responsible for such attacks, and the NYPD has served as a leader in developing new, proactive approaches to police counterterrorism. However, it has been more than 10 years since the 9/11 attacks, and the NYPD is now facing growing concern over its counterterrorism activities. There is always an uneasy equilibrium between security and civil rights, and while the balance tilted toward security in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, it now appears to be shifting back.

Domestic violence no longer a crime in Topeka

Ironic, isn't it? Photo by Xoe Craft

By JONATHAN WOLFMAN

Kansas has always had three resonances for me:

• The old saw, Kansas Is Flat As A Pancake (flatter, really – university topographers proved it in ’03),
• Dorothy (“and your little dog, too”), and for
• Arguably the most defining civil rights case of my lifetime, the landmark 1954 Topeka school integration case, Brown v. Board of Education.

Now Kansas has one more claim on me. Perhaps on you, too.

Why the Occupy Wall Street movement is doomed to failure

Occupy Wall Streeters have tents to sleep in but it's not home. Photo by a c o r n/Flickr

By DANIEL BAUMGARTEN

I would like to say something about the occupy movement. Namely, I suspect that it is doomed to fail, and moreover, it is something well lost. The reason for my suspicion is simple: like a number of other arguably failed movements, it lacks purpose and leadership.

The occupy movement has been called a new paradigm in activism, but that isn’t true. In a Common Dreams article [http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/10/11-12], Heather Gautney shows that Occupy Wall Street is based on the same organizational principles as the feminist, anti-globalization and gay rights movements. These movements all have two things in common. First, they are “leaderless” movements “without an official set of demands. There are no projected outcomes, no bottom lines and no talking heads.” Second, none of them have achieved their objectives. The second point should be obvious, since none of them ever had any clear objectives to achieve.

8 dead in Southern California hair salon shooting

Eight people are dead, a ninth in critical condition following a shooting at a Seal Beach, California hair salon.

Sources say the suspect, who is in police custody, wore body armor

Weapons being smuggled from Libya into Egypt and then into the Gaza

Libyan border with Egypt

Large caches of weapons are making their way from Libya into Egypt, the Washington Post reports.

Some of the weapons are then being smuggled through tunnels into the Gaza strip, the paper reports.

Underwear bomber pleads guilty

Abdulmutallab changes plea

By BENNY MARTINEZ
Talk Radio News Service

DETROIT – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, best known as the Underwear Bomber, pleaded guilty to attempting to blow up a Detroit-bound international flight on Christmas Day, 2009.

The Nigerian man told a federal court in Detroit the bomb was a “blessed weapon to save the lives of innocent Muslims.”

The guilty plea comes on the second day of his trial. Abdulmatallab was facing eight charges, including conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, attemped use of weapons of mass destruction and attempted murder.

Despite Senate defeat Obama continues to stump for jobs bill

Obama pushing forward promoting his jobs bill. White House photo by Samantha Appleton

By JANIE AMAYA
Talk Radio News Service

WASHINGTON – President Obama continues to tout his administration’s jobs bill despite seeing it fail to pass a key procedural vote in the Senate Tuesday night.

“I sent Congress a jobs bill made up of the kinds of proposals that, traditionally, Democrats and Republicans have supported,” Obama said during an American Latino heritage forum Wednesday.

“Independent economists who do this for a living have said the American Jobs Act would lead to more growth and nearly 2 million jobs next year,.But apparently, none of this matters to Republicans in the Senate. Because last night, even though a majority of senators voted in favor of the American Jobs Act, a Republican minority got together as a group and blocked this jobs bill from passing the Senate.”

The president added that he refuses to take no for an answer and will continue to pressure Congress to meet its responsibility to put Americans back to work.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the White House will now focus on passing individual portions of the larger jobs package.