On Sep 18, 2011, at 11:33 AM, Jim Farmelant wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Sep 2011 22:27:28 -0400 Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
> writes:
>>
>> On Sep 17, 2011, at 10:23 PM, 123hop at comcast.net wrote:
>>
>>> NYT made light of them? What do the feet on the ground say?
>>
>> We were going to but then it looked like rain.
>
> And with that level of determination, the Bolsheviks stormed
> the Winter Palace.
Well that was kind of my point. The call for the demo was a marvel of anarcho-vaguerie:
> http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144937025580428
>
> On September 17, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months. Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand in a plurality of voices.
> ***
> Schedule for Saturday, Sept. 17:
> 1) At Noon, meet at Bowling Green Park: http://on.fb.me/oshKZG
> 2) At 3pm, meet at One Chase Manhattan Plaza for a people's assembly:http://on.fb.me/qi5lp1
> ***
> CAMPAIGN TIP:
> First, invite all of your friends to this event, then weigh in on what our "one demand" should be at https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=question&id=10150311631011963&qa_ref=qd
> ***
>
> Alright you redeemers, rebels, radicals and utopian dreamers out there,
>
> A worldwide shift in revolutionary tactics is underway right now that bodes well for the future. The spirit of this fresh tactic, a fusion of Tahrir with the acampadas of Spain, is captured in this quote:
>
> The antiglobalization movement was the first step on the road. Back then our model was to attack the system like a pack of wolves. There was an alpha male, a wolf who led the pack, and those who followed behind. Now the model has evolved. Today we are one big swarm of people.
> — Raimundo Viejo, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
>
> The beauty of this new formula, and what makes this novel tactic exciting, is its pragmatic simplicity: we talk to each other in various physical gatherings and virtual people's assemblies … we zero in on what our one demand will be, a demand that awakens the imagination and, if achieved, would propel us toward the radical democracy of the future … and then we go out and seize a square of singular symbolic significance and put our asses on the line to make it happen.
>
> On September 17, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months. Once there, we shall incessantly repeat our one simple demand until Barack Obama capitulates.
>
> for the wild,
> Culture Jammers HQ
> www.occupywallstreet.org
This is all very charming, but it's understandable why it fell about 95% short of its goal of 20,000: no goals, no organization, no analysis.
The Daily Mail has some pix.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2038700/US-Day-Rage-Protestors-try-Wall-Street.html
I mean, the kids are all right, but this sort of thing isn't going to interrupt Lloyd Blankfein's train of thought for a nanosecond.
Doug