The big question for Occupy is how it can build a dual system of power, as Egyptian activists did over years with revitalised labour organising, a national anti-police brutality movement and politicised youth and women in micro-enterprises that populate urban areas. This requires organisation, but it also gets back to the question of space.
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Some thoughts. Egyptians are more social at least in urban areas. They have stronger unions, near universal distain for police, stronger religious associations, stronger family ties, and seem to have a more elevated political concieousness. We'll see in a few more months whether that is enough to get a political system that matches their society.
Space is a problem. But there are plenty of spaces in NYC, Chicago, SF Bay Area...LA too if you count some of the larger parks and recreation areas. The problem is these are highly regulated by city and state governments. So you have to violate these ordinances to meet and have rallies, etc.
I think there is a race going on between the feds in DHS to coordinate local ordinances and police tactics as part of the mechanism of class war on the people and our ability to be politically effective. And let's not forget media self-censorship. Assange had an interesting interview with Rafael Correa that covers some of the media problems. In Ecuador, big banks own the media.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvUwC5JTAJY
Corporate control of media, like out right government control forecloses the use of the virual space to exercise speech and organization. But Egypt and Ecuador figured out ways.
I think as the cuts deepen, public employee unions will start to become more heavily involved, since a lot of those jobs have no private alternative or no acceptible alternative. As poverty deepens, then the more liberal religious associations will get more involved...
I don't think time is really the issue, as in taking years of organizing work. The issue is conditions and conditions are getting worse pretty fast.
Maybe it's just spring, nice day, warm with a light cool breeze, birds around the garden down stairs...
CG