Historic Models to Build From

The Limits of History

redslider — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:30:32 -0600

I've found it necessary to keep in mind a limit of history that I'm inclined to forget from time to time. I express this limit by extending Santayana's classic remark so that it now reads: '"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"; those who only remember the past are doomed to repeat it."

T.S. Elliott wrote in "Burnt Norton",

Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.

What I get from that is that 'time future' is made up of both 'time past' and 'time present'. But, if that is the case, then 'time present' must have some part that is not contained in 'time past', something unique to 'time present' alone. To me, the only thing that could be is what 'time present' invents on its own - the product of the human imagination which is ever available in the present to conjure things which the past knows nothing about; in some cases cannot even offer any guidance about. That part is left to each moment of the present, whenever its time comes. This is one of the reasons I believe - except within the walls of its own domain and to create products that serve its own selfish ambitions, the 1% has always waged a fierce and violent oppression of the imagination which Diane DiPrima described when she said, "THE WAR ON THE IMAGINATION IS THE ONLY WAR THAT MATTERS." I call that unique offering which only 'time present' can supply as 'z-axis thinking'.

I do not say this to diminish the importance of this forum on history, in any way. Only that history may not be able to supply some lessons, some solution-sets, that are critically important to the future. It may be left to us and our reawakened imaginations to invent them, sometimes out of whole new cloth. What I find exciting about Occupy is that it both challenges the status quo ('time past' and 'time present') and also presents some of the inadequacies of the tools and solution-sets that have been handed down to us. For example, as I watch the battles over 'lateral' v. 'vertical' organization, or 'issues' (demands) v. 'principles' (say, non-violence or 99% control) I find myself thinking perhaps the problem is that we are framing matters in the same terms which they have always been framed (which, historically, the 1% has controlled and framed for us). I mean, these battles have been going on since Athens and Sparta (a lot longer, actually). Maybe, there is something here that history has yet to say anything about? I find that possibility not only exciting about Occupy, I find it hopeful in that we may be on the verge of solution-sets which do more than just resolve parts of problems and only temporarily; but which may offer solutions which permit us to actually move forward rather than simply replaying the same struggle (the perpetual struggle) over and over again, century after century. I don't know if that is so, but perhaps it is. Just perhaps.

What we need to learn from past revolutions

ira — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:09:48 -0600

While the Occupy Movement grows bigger and bigger, and its waves reach accordingly higher, there is nothing so dangerous and sad as loosing feet and courage because a clear concept of the outcome is missing.

In the history of human societies there have been incredibly interesting revolutions (that are usually concealed from us during school time) before our Occupy Movement, that aimed for a non-hierarchical society, based on common ownership. If we want to succeed with our goal of leaving capitalism behind us, we need to study why these revolutions did not succeed, what dangers we need to be aware of.

One excellent article was written by Peter Kropotkin in 1880 about the Paris Commune in 1871:
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/kropotkin-peter/1880/paris-commune.htm

He describes how the need for this revolution was "born of the collective spirit" and that the goal was to "abolish private property" and to "transform the whole system of production and exchange". He asks the most important question of "what form of political grouping will be most suited to these changes in our economic system?" and then discusses it, weighing the arguments. He acknowledges that "people do not fling themselves into the unknown without some positive and clearly formulated idea to serve them" (which is in my opinion a clear request in our situation to state a goal which we all can agree on).

Kropotkin also describes what made the revolution fail: the people did not "break with the tradition of the state, of representative government." They did not "seek to effect within the Commune that very organization from the simple to the complex". "Minds were undecided. Socialists themselves, having no definitive end in view, did not dare to lay hands upon private property; they deluded themselves with the argument which has lulled the activities of many an age: 'Let us first make sure of victory, and then see what can be done.'"
And he explains why and how this was such a great mistake.

I find this article immensly important for all of us, thinking about its implications.

These insights have been written before today, in this case shocking 130 years ago - we should all acknowledge the urgence of finding and stating a univocal goal for our movement and unite quickly, and resolutely aim for its implementation.

Let us not repeat old mistakes again - great articles by Kropotkin and many others are readily available - let's study them and this time succeed against suppression, violence, power, hierarchies, isolation, misery and poverty which shape our current economic system.

You find similar interesting material, and that plentiful, at the libertarian communists site libcom.org.

Occupy Congress?

Richkid4the99 — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:16:35 -0700

I know that I am new to this, but I remembered about some pictures I saw on my AP US History textbook. Crowds of Vietnam vets and anti-war protestors were standing on the steps of Congress, demanding an end to the Vietnam War. If you really want to get the attention of the government, lets do what they did and
Occupy Congress! We must remind them that we elected them [the politicians] into power, we can vote them out. The government serves us, we aren't supposed to serve them. They serve us, the 99%, not the CEOs! Its our government, not GM's! Lets remind them that we decide their political future!

Protesting at the White House is a way to very attention, but the President can't legally do anything about it. If we want new laws passed, we can demand that in front of the legislative branch of our government: the Capitol Building.

Single Payer Health Care in Hawaii

skoalbite — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:15:07 -0700

http://singlepayerny.wordpress.com/news-from-other-states-2/hawaii/

Just because all the news you see regards the world and the country; never underestimate the power to affect positive change in your own city, in your own state, or anywhere you are.

It's time for 36 Hour Work Week

JimBJamn — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:29:53 -0600

It's a myth that companies would hire more people if the regulatory climate was easier. The truth is that jobs are created through product demand. The law of supply and demand is fundamental. Demand is down nowadays because overspending funded from home equity loans has ended and is not coming back. But this is a good thing - truly the way it should be. So the problem with unemployment is actually a Supply problem. Since the 1970's supply has increased via advent of two-income families. With the invention of computers and other tools, efficiency for each worker has increased. There is now simply too much labor available. Human labor is a commodity - just like corn, gold and oil. In order to balance the supply-demand of jobs, we each need to work less. In 1935, federal law reduced the standard work week from 48 hours to 40 hours. It's simply time for another reduction. 36 Hours is a good number - 4x9 - three day w/e's, less gas, more time for double income families with kids.

Current Version of Capitalism is NOT working – the evolution of society will continue.

johndoe — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:27:02 -0700

To deny that the current system must evolve and change is to deny the very premise of life – we must improve as humans and we must improve as society. Unfortunately there are too many greedy people who would like to maintain the current status quo. Yet, it is unsustainable. They are unable to defend it any longer.
The 1% is in absolute moral bankruptcy. They cannot claim superiority of the system they have created. The system of greed and corruption where every aspect of human life is commercialized cannot be just before God nor can it be sustained much longer from the natural evolution perspective. Greed is something we SHOULD loose to become more humans!

Why Iceland Should Be in the News, But Is Not

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:24:14 -0600

By Deena Stryker

http://sacsis.org.za/site/article/728.1

Thoughts?

Zapatistas: 18 years of Rebellion & Resistance

MundusVultDecipi — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:42:58 -0700

Source: http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/01/05/zapatistas-18-years-of-rebellion-and-resistance/#.TwYFiw_WDwo.facebook

Democracy Education - It is Not Capitalism

JimBJamn — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:57:02 -0600

Most folks do not understand the difference between capitalism and democracy. In one important way they are confused. When one acts in a capitalistic manner it is self-interest that governs actions. In theory, according to Adam Smith, the society as a whole is benefitted by individual self-interest as supply-demand rules set best prices, etc. In democracy, however, when one votes, one should vote ones conscience - what would be best for the whole, not the individual. People routinely violate this of course, particularly if a referendum has something to do with money. In other words, if the result of the referendum passing causes loss of money to me, I will vote against it. On the other hand, if a referendum was created to charge $50 to everyone with a first name starting with "J", most people would vote against this. There's a sense of fairness at play. I believe that being taught how to vote (that is with one's conscience) in grade school is important. Additionally, the "duty" to vote is not underscored as well. IMO, there should be a penalty - such as a traffic-level fine - imposed on anyone who doesn't vote - with few exceptions to this rule. Democracy depends on voters making choices that are in good conscience for the good of the whole.

Masdar-Zero Pollution City Living

MundusVultDecipi — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:40:27 -0700

July 14th 2008

It isn’t fog that rolls down the hill these days, but smog. Cars spill noxious fumes out their tailpipes and factories send plumes of smoke into the air. It has come to the point where holding your breath is the only solution when wandering across the street or between shops. These problems won’t exist in Masdar, Abu Dhabi the world’s first carbon neutral city.

Launched in 2007, the completion of this highly ambitious plan will occur around 2020. No cars or any other polluting vehicles are allowed in the city, waste and water are recycled, while recyclable plastics and cement will be used during construction. It is estimated that up to 80% of water used during irrigation will be recycled: water seeps through the earth and while some is absorbed by the plants, the rest will flow into a collection area to be reused again later, while fencing used during construction will eventually be resold and recycled.

Foster and Partners, an architectural company focused on design and function, planned Masdar: “Rooted in a carbon neutral ambition, the city itself is car free. With a maximum distance of 200m to the nearest transport link and amenities, the compact network of streets encourages walking and is complemented by a personalized rapid transport system. The shaded walkways and narrow streets will create a pedestrian-friendly environment in the context of Abu Dhabi’s extreme climate. It also articulates the tightly planned, compact nature of traditional walled cities. With expansion carefully planned, the surrounding land will contain wind, photovoltaic farms, research fields and plantations, so that the city will be entirely self-sustaining.”

The tightly packed city will resemble stereotypical Arabian style fused with modern technology-almost comparable to scenes from the jetsons. Visitors and inhabitants will need to get around on foot, bikes, segways or use the underground personal transit system to get around within Masdar’s walls. This isn’t as restricting as it sounds. For example, the solar powered personal rapid transit system (PRT) doesn’t follow a fixed route, but rather takes its load of passengers (up to 6) to any of the 1500 proposed stations throughout the area.

Trees planted throughout the city will provide the 50,000-100,000 inhabitants relief from the desert’s bright rays while numerous fountains add aesthetic appeal and humidify the dry air.

Building planners are taking task of building a zero-emission city seriously, and it seems feasible with the help of partners such as
Europlasma-a company that provides a technology that turns toxic ashes to glass and garbage to fuel;
Solyndra-a company providing one of the world’s most efficient solar panels;
Segway-company of the famous single passenger standing scooter; and
Bioregional-an independant environmental organization hired to calculate the carbon footprint left by Masdar’s various stages of development.

Skeptics claim that no city could ever be completely carbon neutral and that an exorbitant amount of energy is wasted making products like solar panels and personal transportation vehicles. This may be the case, but one should look at the bigger picture: Masdar is an experiment and improvements will always be made with technology.

The many years of waste-free living provided by the city will eventually offset the energy consumed during its production, as well. Costa Rica, Norway and Libya have also shown an interest in developing their own zero-carbon cities. It is nice to hear that some people aren’t just wasting their breath when it comes to discussing pollution, but actually trying to do something about it.

Source: http://www.ecoworld.com/home-buildings/masdar-zero-pollution-living.html

TAKE THE LAND BACK!!

XavierOT — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:23:08 -0700

HUMAN!!!
IT ALWAYS BEEN AND IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE ABOUT TERRITORY!!
LAND!!!!
THINK ABOUT IT; WHO REALLY OWN THE LAND, WHO IS REALLY GAINING LAND WITH ALL THIS ECONOMIC CRISIS BULLSHIT!!!
THE MORE WE KNOW, THE MORE WE UNDERSTAND.... THE MORE WE WAKE UP!!!

Homestead Strike of 1892

MundusVultDecipi — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:01:26 -0700

Source: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Homestead_Strike

I didn't read the entire account of the strike but I did think it was an interesting example. I mostly stumbled upon this due to the reference of the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

Everythings Alright.. Stevie Wonder...

SaferHealthcare — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:34:33 -0700

A staple of the civil rights movement:

"Out of sight because my heart is true." We must continue to remain positive and hopeful, we will prevail, we will overcome....

7 Occupations That Changed US History

MundusVultDecipi — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:51:40 -0700

Political occupations have a storied history starting with the first recorded labor strike. Some 3,176 years ago in Ancient Egypt royal tomb builders from the desert village of Deir el-Medina repeatedly occupied temples following the failure of Pharaoh Ramses III to provide wages consisting of wheat, fish, beer, clothing and other provisions.

In the centuries since, other movements have stamped their mark on history by occupying spaces, such as the Diggers who formed a utopian agrarian community on common land in 17th century England, and the workers, soldiers and citizens who established the ill-fated Paris Commune in 1871.

American history is rich with examples of political occupations that left a lasting impact. Sometimes the 99% pushed progress forward, as with Rosa Park’s occupation of a bus seat that propelled the Montgomery Bus Boycott and ended with Alabama’s bus segregation being declared unconstitutional. Often the 1% of the time – slaveholders, robber barons and merchants of war – re-asserted control with new methods of domination such as after the Great Upheaval of 1877. But each event proved that true democracy lies in collective act of taking space public and private, while corporations and the state are just two arms of the same beast.

With the spread of political occupations to all 50 states today, the most dynamic democratic movement since the 1960s, lessons can be gleaned from past occupations for a movement that shows no signs of going away. Here are seven of the most important occupations that changed American history.

Source: http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/153072

Back it Up to Before the Industrial Revolution - Go Agrarian!

rob555 — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:41:11 -0700

We probably need to seriously revisit pre-industrial era ways of life in order to move ahead. Our consumerism is the key to the problem. Overconsumption is coming back around to bite us as we struggle to stay even given trends resulting from globalization. This probably raises more questions than answers keeping an overarching idea to back it up fifty or a hundred years. Of course we will keep advancing technologically but consumption should be reconsidered in light of our rapidly declining natural planet.
What is one solution I can think of now? Well, can we return to a more natural, organic agrarian way of life? If we all start supporting local farmers markets we will succeed at that immediately. We have to put into it. Fewer laptops and smart phones and more organic food. If you are able, buy and/or ask for organic. I attended an interview of water rights activist Maude Barlow and she noted the biggest destroyer of fresh water is chemical farming. We all need fresh water and corporations are quickly co-opting that too for profit. I know I am preaching to the choir when I say Monsanto and their ilk are just nasty m-f-ers. Start today! Buy organic at your nearest farmers market and/or grow your own food with organic fertilizers. To qualify - I am not a farmer or even know any personally. I live in the middle of San Francisco and unfortunately I cannot grow good tomatoes. If we ever move north to Sebastapol the first thing I am going to do is set up a composter and dig out a vegetable garden. Its a ton of hard work but why not if I am saving my earth?

Insights from Thomas Jefferson: Showing Solidarity with the OWS Movement

featherfletching — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 04:13:45 -0700

As Michael Kranish, explains in _Flight From Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at war_, following the Boston Tea Party, “[t]he British believed that Virginia was its bulwark against revolution” due to the colony’s economic dependence on trade with Britain (46). Similarly, those citizens not present at OWS demonstrations are seen as the US government’s bulwark against forced change. We are perceived as too indentured into servitude to dissent, and it’s true. I am. I work every day, and I’m in debt. I can’t afford to stop and participate in a movement despite that fact that I find it integral to a necessary redirection of our out of control system. I support what the protesters are doing, and I see my responsibility as a citizen to support steps away from the direction of corporate-fascism and toward representational democracy and community-interest, interest in the benefit of the nation, which is necessarily a collective benefit of every citizen. Most recently, polls indicate that between 44% (see note 1) and 46% (see note 2) of respondents support the OWS movement. However, our voices are not heard in our absence at OWS demonstrations.

Integral to the success of the colonial revolution “was whether Virginia would lend its support to Massachusetts” despite its economic dependence on trade with Britain (46). In Virginia’s demonstration of solidarity with Massachusetts, Jefferson offered a very real method of making widespread solidarity with the OWS movement visible and present in a powerful way. “[I]n May 1774,” some five months after the Boston Tea Party, “Jefferson, [Patrick] Henry, and some other legislators met in the book-lined council chamber of the Capitol. Jefferson wrote later that he and Henry were in agreement ‘that we must boldly take an unequivocal stand in the line with Massachusetts.’ They ‘cooked up’ a resolution, as Jefferson put it, and on May 24 the House of Burgesses approved a ‘Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer’ to be held in solidarity with Massachusetts” (47).

Following the steps of early revolutionaries, I propose a similar day of prayer/meditation and fasting to demonstrate solidarity with OWS on November 17, 2011. In response to the recent acts of violence against protesters, solidarity must urgently be made manifest among the citizens of the US and among those across borders if we are to indeed speak truth to power.

Please see the event page on facebook.com: http://www.facebook.com/Gilded.Age#!/event.php?eid=127321990709969

Thank you.

Notes:

1. Nov 9, 2011: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/six-in-10-support-policies-addressing-income-inequality/

2. Nov 11, 2011: http://www.rbj.net/article.asp?aID=189411

Kranish, Michael. Flight From Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at war. New York: Oxford U Press, 2010.

Oakland's General Strike (11-02-11)

MundusVultDecipi — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:16:35 -0600

This was an incredibly inspiring day of action. I keep finding all these great little stories surfacing and wanted to sort them out chronologically and recap and analyze what took place.

Add links to any specific events that led up to and followed the general strike and I will edit this original post with estimated timestmaps.

At 11:30pm, the anarchist black bloc moves in and taunts the barricade of riot police. They roll the dumpsters into the street, light em up, and jeer. The police begin marching in and firing tear gas/flashbang canisters. It looks like everyone pretty much disperses. I just found it amusing to see the kid behind the bandana playing the mandolin in the streets at the end of the video.
Source: http://youtu.be/r5RyEp_eFa4

11-03-11
At 2:35am, an anti-climactic standoff continues in a abandon building occupied by a large mob that lingered into the night. "The crowd's energy [appeared to be] waning." It was reported they were much more 'militant,' than most of the participants. The protesters were running out of energy and lost their momentum. After spending an entire day going wild, the innate mechanisms of humanity kicked in. They became sleepy. As police had the building surrounded a lone punker with his mandolin sits on the window sill serenading "Blitzkreig Bop" over the streets. By 3:30am people went home to pass out.
Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/11/03/141970482/occupy-oakland-strike-turns-chaotic

2000 Democratic National Convention

MundusVultDecipi — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:56:38 -0600

Rage Against the Machine was headlining this protest against the two-party system when an orchestrated police riot took place. There are many aspects of this to analyze and take caution for future demonstrations.

A few things off the top of my head.
1. Don't concentrate masses into cages!
2. A main vulnerability in demonstrating in a designated zone is you are where they want you.

Spread out... wander around with a sign. Reach out. That's how it gets bigger.

One of the phoenix' from the fire is that indymedia.org was formed because of the people that met each-other there.

Source: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2000/08/1173.php
Source: https://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/aug2000/la-a17.shtml
Source: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/2000_DNC_protest_activity
Video of the Concert: http://youtu.be/L5CpJhipcPs
Source: http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=473

Every movement has their idiots

wams — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 11:00:30 -0600

They say they don't want to be co-oped by unions, but unions have been fighting this battle with corporations for over 50 years. They've lived and died for a better America. Corporations have attacked the unions power since the Reagan years. No one has done anything to help the unions better life in America. People go and take a union man's job for half the pay. You say you don't want union because you say they support a political party, but the democratic party gave us medicare, social security and health care to make a better America. All you kids better rethink on who you want to help you. P.S. Stop buying products made in China.

History is on our side!

marchelo — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:59:41 -0600

Some historical perspective from our past Presidents:

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong it's reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”
-Abraham Lincoln

"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism—ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power."
 -Franklin D. Roosevelt

Peaceful exploration of Space

kbcool1213 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:33:54 -0600

Back in 1961, President John Kennedy issued a challenge-to boldly go to the moon, with'materials and alloys not yet invented'. That's where this movement comes in. You see around you a wealth of talent and abilities-enough to help a small startup rocketeering company go to Mars. Many potential jobs and skill sets would be needed, and the talents lie all around you. Can you imaging a rocket with "We are the 99%" on its side? Good honest jobs would be created, and we would not be beholden to the Plutocracy.
This would be a good way to unite the vast mass of us who have lost the way forward. Finally, the push to Mars would be a worldwide, peaceful endeavor that would provide inspiration and hope for the finest among us-our children. I happily volunteer my talent as education/outreach director.
Peace Be the Journey!

Occupy Art: Rage Against the Machine

skinny — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:57:13 -0600

“And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her,” stated Delacroix while painting Liberty Leading the People which helped the diverse groups involved in the French Revolution see themselves as a people united in their efforts against their own 1%.

http://notetoanon.com/2011/10/20/occupy-art-rage-against-the-machine/

Reason for Occupy Wall Street

barbarabrooks — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:22:24 -0600

On October 20, 1987 according to the New York Times after the Dow Jones
Industrial Average fell 508 points. President Reagan had a secret
meeting with, the president of New York Stock Exchange John Phelan Jr.,
Nicholas Brady Secretary of the Treasury and last but not least Chairman
of Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan. The meeting was to stop another
blood bath on Wall Street the next week.

This meeting has changed the whole global financial market exchange.
What they agreed upon were Trading curbs, also known as "circuit
breakers", are also trading halts triggered movements in a broad
market indicator.

The decision was the invention of Treasury Nicholas Brady to put
temporary “circuit breakers” onto all the major stock markets on Wall
Street. Dow Jones Industrial Average would now be halted if stocks
decline by approximately 10% depend on the time of day. If the trigger
occurs before 2pm Eastern Time, trading is halted for 1 hour. If the
trigger occurs between 2 and 2:30pm Eastern, trading is halted for 30
minutes. If the trigger occurs after 2:30pm Eastern time, no
restrictions are put into place. This was first used during the
afternoon of the second curb is triggered if the Dow Jones Industrial
Average declines by approximately 20%. The restrictions that are put
into place again depend on the time of day when the circuit breaker is
triggered. If the trigger occurs before 1pm, trading is halted for 2
hours. If the trigger occurs between 1 and 2pm, trading is halted for 1
hour. If the trigger occurs after 2pm, the NYSE ends trading for the
day. 30% decline (2650 DJIA points for 3Q98) a third circuit breaker is
triggered if the Dow Jones Industrial Average declines by approximately
30% the New York Stock Exchange closes early that day.

The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Tim Metz, wrote in an
article on October 21, 1987 wrote, "It will seem a decision has been
made at the highest levels that, even in America, some questions are
best not asked."

October 23, 1987 the temporary circuit breakers were placed on the
Major Market the Index of twenty of the best blue chip stocks that make
up the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged up 126 points. I could not
help but notice the increase of liquidity put back into the market.
The next day the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 186 points, and by
September 1989, the Dow Jones had retrieved all the value it had lost in
1987 crash.

Then in 1989 "circuit breakers" became United States overnment
Regulations called Collar Rule 80A and 80B Rule. Also the Arbitrage
rule and Tick Test Rule known as uptick downtick all were placed on The
New York Stock Exchange and The Chicago Mercantile Exchange giving
investors a chance to pause and wait for the market to cool down.

Throughout American history, there have been only three interventions in
the stock market. Once due to 1981 a power failure for 24 minutes,
the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan and the assassination
of President Kennedy in 1963. Even President Franklin Roosevelt who
was vexed with years of economic depression, instability from the
turmoil sparked by the 1929 stock market crash closed the nations' banks
for several days in 1933 to restore calm but never the stock markets
Instead, Roosevelt pressured Congress to insure the depositors up to
5000 dollars.

Today government intevention into the stock market have caused the
worst form of cronyism, stocks disconnect rather than coordinate
markets. “Circuit Breakers” violate the most basic free market.

"Circuit breakers" promise high yield and large losses, just by using
daily volume, and simple charts to help pick stocks effectively, traders
can manage which times are the best to buy or sell, understand
indicators that identify support and resistance zones.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange Chairperson Scott Gordon said at Senate
subcommittee hearing on Jan. 29, 1998 said about circuit breakers,
“Instead of adjusting the levels at which circuit breaker trading halts
should be eliminated.”

On the Chicago Mercantile Exchange circuit breakers were in the
S&P500 futures contract is halted just for a few minutes if the
prices drops 2.5%, 5%, or 10% from the previous close. An example of
such stock volatility caused by circuit breakers on September 10 and 11
1998 was Merc’s second and third best days in history with volume on
both days surpassing two million contracts. Half the nation had
invested in the stock market directly or through mutual funds, and which
now hold three trillion dollars of the American public's money since
world war two. During the twenty-one business days of that month, on
September 2, 1998 Chicago Mercantile Exchange volume totaled more than
one million in seventeen days. Product groups that set new all-time
records included total futures (21,974,554), total options (5,814,968),
interest rate products, (18,686,134) and equity index products
(5,084,599). S&P 500 futures traded an all-time record 519,054
contracts in October, an increase of 83.8 percent above year-ago levels.

Half the nation had invested in the stock market directly or through
mutual funds, and which now hold three trillion dollars of the American
public's money since world war two. During the twenty-one business days
of that month, on September 2, 1998 Chicago Mercantile Exchange volume
totaled more than one million in seventeen days. Product groups that
set new all-time records included total futures (21,974,554), total
options (5,814,968), interest rate products (18,686,134) and equity
index products (5,084,599), S&P 500 futures traded an all-time
record 519,054 contracts in October 1998, which is an increase of 83.8
percent above year-ago levels.

Circuit breakers on Dow Jones Industrial Average happened when it moved
up or down by 50 points or when New York Stock Exchange Collar Rule 80A
circuit breaker are triggered the main computer system is turned off,
and program trading is performed by hand. This is called index
arbitrage this rule is also known as the "uptick downtick rule" uptick
restricts sells and downtick buys.

As the Dow Jones Industrial Average retraces it's gain or loss to within
25 points of the previous day close the collar is removed. New York
Stock Exchange Sidecar Rule restriction is triggered if the S&P 500
futures contract moves more than 12 points, which corresponds to about
100 Dow Jones Industrial Average points. What happens is that program
trades are held for no less than 5 minutes. You might say they were
sidetracked or held on a sideline when the futures contract retraces
to within 12 points. Chicago Mercantile Exchange restriction trading in
the S&P500 futures contract is halted just for a few minutes if the
prices drop 2.5%, 5%, or 10% from the previous close. Rule 80B was in
1988, set triggers at 250 Dow Jones Industrial Average points and 400
DJIA points. Now, curtail the heights to which the Dow Jones Industrial
Average has climbed.

Rule 80B was in 1988, set triggers at 250 Dow Jones Industrial Average
points and 400 DJIA points. Now, curtail the heights to which the Dow
Jones Industrial Average has climbed.

In the final three months of 1998, the U.S. economy annual rate of
growth was a blistering 6.1 per cent. If I bought or sold quickly before
the 50-point move triggers the halting of the automated trading and shuts off the computer. When Dow
Jones Industrial Average moves up fifty points New York Stock Exchange
sidecar rule S&P500 futures moves twelve points Chicago Mercantile
Exchange restriction one S&P500 futures contract drops two and half
percent CME restriction two S&P500 futures contract drops five
percent Chicago Mercantile Exchange restriction three S&P500 futures
contract drops ten percent New York Stock Exchange circuit breaker nr.
One, if Dow Jones Industrial Average drops ten percent New York Stock
Exchange circuit breaker nr. two. If Dow Jones Industrial Average drops
twenty percent New York Stock Exchange Circuit breaker nr. 3, when Dow
Jones Industrial Average drops 30%.

Now whole Nations are now investing in our financial markets directly or
through mutual funds market who hold trillions dollars of the American
public's money.

This is even though United States corporate earnings are not keeping up
with stock prices. The proportion between the different rates both of
wages and profit in the different employments of labor and stock, seems
not to be much affected by the riches or poverty, the advancing,
stationary or declining state of the society though they affect the
general rates both of wages and profit, must in the end affect them
equally in all different employments.

The stock market is not gambling casino it has a process of
production, a distribution and consumption of merchandise. All
merchandise is stocks made up of wages of labor and profits and secures
the well being of the country and functions best without manipulation.

The Dow Jones Industrial has recorded spectacular increases since
October 1987 t at on point he DJIA has grown at peaked
311%
Governments should have nothing in common with the public economy except
the obligations to make them sound. Circuit breakers cruelly oppress
corporative expansion and cause so much corruption.

October 19, 1987 it is like a passing, memory the day the day the Dow
Jones Industry lost 508 points to close at 1,738.40. That was almost
twice as much a percentage drop as on October 29, 1929 608 million
shares were transacted that day on the New York Stock Exchange. Markets
all over the world took a tumble the Dow dropped by 22.6 percent; in
1929, the decline was 12.82 percent but never was there put in by
government circuit breakers.

Circuit breakers serve only to introduce abuses. Adam Smith believed,
”The more laws are multiplied, the more they are despised and all the
new officials appointed to supervise them are only so many more people
to break them, and either to share the plunder with their predecessors,
or to plunder apart on their own. Leaders are obliged to trick their
citizens. In this situation they are compelled to have recourse to all
the petty and despicable shifts, which they call, rules.”

Sit for DEBT!

skinny — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:39:53 -0600

"A related tactic of civil disobedience is the Sit-in, which Wikipedia says Mohandas Gandhi may have borrowed from the Indian principle of Dharma where a person fasted outside the home of someone who owed them a debt."

http://notetoanon.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/take-a-seat/

.01% Tax on All Wall Street Trades

JimBJamn — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:40:14 -0600

The main current problem with Wall Street is its evolution away from its original intent. The original good intent was to provide a marketplace for companies to raise capital by selling shares/small percent of their company to investors. With the advent of daytraders and speculators using their automated computer algorithms to buy/sell thousands of times per day, Wall Street has devolved to become Vegas - that is, nothing more than a gambling arena. By placing a very small tax on each trade, the Vegas-style behavior will be discouraged in favor of real investments being made.

A Marxist Perspective on OWS (or wherever): Its significance, its potential, & its problems

RossWolfe — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:24:06 -0600

I am not sure whether to post this in the "Method, Strategy, & Tactics" section or the "Historical Models" section, so I will probably post it in both.

Having visited and participated in the Occupy Wall Street protests for several days now, I found myself asking such questions as: What does Occupy Wall Street represent? What are its possibilities? What are its main deficiencies? In attempting to provide answers to these questions, I arrived at the following (Marxist) perspective:

"Reflections on Occupy Wall Street: What it Represents, Its Prospects, and Its Deficiencies"

http://wp.me/pgGDG-K4

279 data-mined hashtags for download

saltypdx — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:30:36 -0600

Master CSV with 279 hashtags:
http://www.r-shief.org/csv/master.csv.tar.gz

Live Stats @ http://twitterminer.r-shief.org/hq/

Images: http://occupyportland.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26

Billionaires Who Would Pick Our President

panto8 — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:02:25 -0600

Uber-Vultures: The Billionaires Who Would Pick Our President
Thursday 6 October 2011
by: Greg Palast, Truthout | Investigative Report
at
http://bz9.com/BuyDemoc

Thanks to Kemet (Bill) for calling our attention to this. It was worth posting again for others' notice. Greg Palast does a lot of great work in this vein.

Here is Some Wall St History That No One Knows About!

kemet — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:13:18 -0600

Congratulations in zeroing on Wall St as the enemy. It exemplifies the corpocracy as well as the International Bankers who finance and thereby control it.

Wall Sts aim is and has always been to crush and impoverish the Middle Class http://bz9.com/BankersExposed
Wall St supports America's enemies, like Haliburton and Koch Industries violating the trade embargo with Iran. They have NO allegience to America, they even supported the Nazis in WW2: http://bz9.com/Amnaz
Here are the names of Wall Sters who supported the Nazis http://bz9.com/BushNaz
Wall St tried to oust the Roosevelt administration by Force to stop the New Deal! http://bz9.com/3CouCongratulatip
Now they are trying to take over the Gov with Cash! Read this frightening expose by Greg Palast on Wall Sts Billionaires plans to take over the US, its already happening! http://bz9.com/BuyDemoc

Good luck, let me know if you want more info.
Bill

Egypt: Media and Organizing Strategies

Eli — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:39:24 -0600

There are some great resources on how the Egyptians organized and succeeded in their revolution available from The School of Authentic Journalism.

Their media strategy, which developed over years before the Jan. 25th Day of Rage, is here: http://bit.ly/lDd0zG

As for organizing tactics, listen to the activists here describe how they outwitted the police and managed to get tens of thousands of people in the streets in Cairo: http://bit.ly/oF8WZM

Finally, the occupiers in Tahrir Square had some truly brilliant tactics. Through clever planning and non-violence, they even managed to outwit and shame the Army: http://bit.ly/fYN4U9

Seattle Shutting Down the WTO Meeting in 1999

MundusVultDecipi — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:16:09 -0600

This protest is legendary in my memory. Watching this on TV as a kid implanted fear and confusion in my mind. I forgot about it time went on and rediscovered what it was all about within the last 2 years. First off the media gravely jaded the perspective of this massive protest. They would ad lib their motives for being there, and feature the least representative speaker for the groups on national TV. They blamed the protesters for being "violent" and evidence of this was the massive coverage of a few broken windows. The window video-bites were so repetitive it made you think there wasn't a window left in downtown Seattle. Truth of the matter out of the 50,000 people that assembled there a small anarchist black bloc crashed the party. Once the vandalism at McDonald's took place others in the demonstration tried to stop them but it was too late, they started smashing Starbucks window and the stormtroopers had their excuse to ramp up the aggression. These weren't just police officers in the street's barricading marches, and enacting ridiculous curfews. There were many security contractors there that were arresting people and placing them in private detention facilities with out charges! This event was absolutely insane. The protesters managed to surround the hotel that the diplomats were staying in, and let them know that they wouldn't allow the imperialistic agenda dominate trade negotiations this week. This was the greatest demonstration of anti-globalization that I can remember. People from all walks of life joined that fight.

This was the key to their success: "the powers of decentralized organization in forming coalitions with a common focus."

The Teamsters, the Sierra Club (nicknamed "the Turtles" for so many dressing up as the animal), Rainforest Action Network, Direct Action Network, Korean Farmers, Local Farmers, International Activist Celebrities, Students, Policy Wonks, Churches and, yes, Anarchists.

If you are interested in learning more about this watch the documentaries: "This What Democracy Looks Like!" & "30 Frames a Second: The WTO in Seattle"

I loved the book "Globalize This!" It analyzes the events that took place, offers improvements and encourages the anti-globalization movement.

Links:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/sarah-van-gelder/one-more-thing-seattles-wto-shut-down-taught-the-world

Solidarity Statement on Grassroots Internationalism and

Sha — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:48:28 -0600

Excerpt from Grassroots Global Justice Solidarity Statement: http://ggjalliance.org/octoberoffensive
Declaración en Español: http://ggjalliance.org/ofensivadeoctubre

The Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (GGJ) stands in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Together and the Social Movements around the world taking action in the month of October. We are communities of color, indigenous peoples, and poor and working class communities who are at the frontlines of the crises of economy, ecology and empire. For years we have been struggling against joblessness, low wages, foreclosures, displacement, and criminalization. We have been carrying the weight of a broken economy on our backs for far too long.

Meanwhile the 1% of the rich and powerful across the world have gotten richer due to the wild and dangerous practices of global capitalism. They have earned mega-profits by exploiting workers, the poor and the planet. They have kept their mega-profits thanks to the billion dollar bailout from our tax dollars. It is about time we poured into the streets to shout “Enough is Enough!”.

We welcome the “October Offensive” that is giving collective voice to our anger and to our hunger for change. We affirm the courage of the people who are putting their bodies on the line, who are reclaiming space in defiance of the greed that is impoverishing the majority of the U.S., and the vast majority of the world. We condemn the police violence and mass arrests as violations of our basic rights to democratic dissent.

As a mass-based alliance whose mission is to build grassroots internationalism, the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance connects U.S. base-building groups with international social movements to build a popular movement for a peaceful, just and sustainable world. Many of us are here today, others of us are organizing and joining actions in other parts of the country. All of us are struggling day to day in different sites of struggle – in the workplace, in our homes, in our neighborhoods, across borders.

The Anti-corporate, Pro-democracy movement is breaking the myth of U.S. exceptionalism, and is bringing “the 99%” of us onto an international stage of global uprisings for another world. By pouring into the streets to demand systemic change, we are aligned with our fellow justice-seekers, from Tunisia to Egypt , from Greece to Spain, who paved the way with the Arab Spring, the U.K. uprisings, and the movement of the Indignad@s, to name a few.

The movements of our international counterparts show us that this October Offensive can be more than a collective expression of our rage. Together we can also turn this into an expression of the evolving visions, directions and demands of existing social movements. Together we can turn this anger into transformational and lasting change. As Josep Maria Antentas and Esther Vivas of the Indignad@s have said, “The challenge is to know how to manage our success, to go on to the next stage and use the energy of the protest camps to move forward.” For the Indignad@s, the next stage included strengthening ties with militant trade unions and connecting the general encampment movement with “concrete struggles against the cuts and the policies that seek to shift the cost of the crisis onto the workers.” ...

Read full statement: http://ggjalliance.org/octoberoffensive
Download Free Posters: http://ggjalliance.org/posters
Declaración en Español: http://ggjalliance.org/ofensivadeoctubre

A copious amout of information to work with.

Garuda718 — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:40:56 -0600

I’ve been watching documentaries from Bill Still on YouTube (listed below), I decided to take notes of what I saw and ended up with 21 pages of quotes and notes. It would be awesome if someone can help me fact check this massive document before this Saturday.

If you can devote a few moments to perusing the truth, you can save yourself a life time of suffering. If you know and if you understand how can you be mislead? Knowledge, truth, understanding and will are some of the most important tools of liberty.

The Money Masters, 4hrs:

The Secret of OZ, 2hrs:

So many quotes and notes.

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