The Occupy Movement: A Report from Occupy Seattle, Part 2
War veterans – both served in Iraq / Afghanistan
What does Occupy Wall Street want? Last week GOP Presidential candidate, Herman Cain stated, “nobody knows what their cause is. How are you going to assist them with a cause when you don’t know what the cause is?”
Well, I’m not sure about the representativeness of the signs carried at camp-outs and marches during Occupy Seattle. And to what extent can placards speak for a movement? In any case, here is my report on well over 100 signs that I transcribed for the record. Hopefully the reader will at least get an idea of what is on Occupiers’ minds.
At Occupy Seattle this last weekend, a number of signs reflected indignation and outrage at the violence by police against Occupy Oakland, including serious injuries inflicted on a decorated veteran of the Iraq War, Scott Olson.
A host of snide remarks about OWS suggest that the participants are ignoramuses. But many of the signs I saw did reflect intellectual qualities – including six with quotes from respectively, Albert Einstein, Kurt Vonnegut, Horace Mann, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, William Gladstone, and Virginia Wolfe. An elderly man handed out a statement by Nobel economist, Joseph Stiglitz, including the observation, “You have a right to be indignant.”
Many people are incensed by a Supreme Court ruling in 2010 (Citizens United), to the effect that for political purposes corporations have the same rights as citizens. This produced quite a number of placards, including these:
- Corporate Personhood
- Repeal Citizens United
- Dump Obama: Restore Glass Steagall
- The Constitution was written for People, not corporations
- If corporations are people, why aren’t they in jail?
- People are people too.
- I will believe corporations are people when they give a sh-t.
- Corporations are not people; and money is not speech.
- A person has a conscience; a corporation has a bottom line.
- Separation of Corporation & State
I have grouped the remainder of the signs I observed into three categories political, economic and cultural. Judge for yourself what they say about OWS protestors:
Political
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free — Goethe- You started this expect us till its finished.
- It can be done — Kurt Vonnigut.
- You are the 99% — Wake up.
- United the Many, 99%, — defeat the few, 1%
- Organizations are not we the people.
- We R the 99%
- We are the 99%. We can do it all without them
- Bail out the People
- Feedom or Freedom?
- A thousand points of light have burned out
- The Military-Industrial complex = Public Enemy #1.
- Cost of War $30 million/hour
- Support the soldiers & Veterans, cut the wars, not benefits
- 5 US soldiers’ suicides at one base in one month
- I did not spend 8 years in the army to defend the 1%
- Republicans, the Party’s Over
- Obama is Bought.
- Submit or Starve
- Smash the control machine
- Close Prisons not Post Offices
- End the Fed
- The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything — Albert Einstein
- The Revolution is Here [carried by lady in Rev. War era costume]
- Global Revolution — hello 2012
- Iya Basta (Enough already)
- If you’re not outraged, you haven’t been paying attention.
- Have you noticed the global uprising?
- Direct Action Gets the Goods
- Where is Thomas Paine when you need him?
- Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
- This is what democracy looks like. [Frequent chants and signs using this slogan]
Democracy Back by Popular Demand- Give me democracy, or give me death
- Democracy is in Danger.
- I’m recovering from battered voter syndrome [shows man between head-butting donkey & elephant]
- Take back democracy
- Democracy Needs You [from Occupy Albany, NY]
- One term limit or campaign finance
- The real terrorists are at the top
- Take $ out of politics
- We are not pawns.
- Replace Plutocracy with Democracy
- Get big money out of law-making.
- Rise above the system
- Restore the balance of power; give the people a voice
- Plutocracy Sucks
- I don’t need a handout, just freedom
- In a true democracy, money is voiceless
- My one demand, true democracy
- I’m here because I can’t afford a politician.
- I brought tea bags, now will you take us seriously?
- Occupy Seattle not Afghanistan [printed signs on sale for $10]
- The Constitution is our permit
- Stop the War on Dissent
- Shame, there’s no honor in macing a child
- Activism is not a crime
- Occupy Seattle: No sleep Until Justice
Economic
What Would John Maynard Keynes Do?- Mr. Obama, tear down that Wall Street
- Wall Street, we will defeat
- Rape Street
- Tax Wall Street; heal America.
- For Sale America.
- A shrinking middle class a shrinking America
- Its not a free market its a fixed market.
- Bank of Screw America [posted on Bank.of America building]
- Bank of Whose America?
- People substituted for Bank, in Bank of America door sign.
- Hungry? Eat a Banker
- State Banks now.
- Cutting Education is Class Warfare
- Bail out Schools not the Banks
- Skills over Debt and Bills
- Student loans = indentured servitude
- Don’t Chase us out of our homes
- Bail out homeowners
- Abolish Austerity: Make the Bosses Pay for their Crisis
- Stop attacking the middle class
- Unions make us strong
- United We Bargain Divided we Beg.
- People Before Profit: End corporate Greed
When the Poor are Less Poor, Everyone Gets Richer. - Privatization is Profitization
- Promote the General Welfare (on side of tent); End corporate tyranny (other side of tent)
- Cut corporate Welfare.
- Corporate greed is wrecking the American Dream
- Our money our planet our future
- We want jobs — tired of eating cake.
- No jobs hurts more than no agenda. Speak up.
- To the woman who yelled to us out her car window, get a job. I’ve had two jobs for five years and no benefits
- Living Wage jobs; moratorium on foreclosures; stop the endless wars; tax the rich corporations; indict the thieves on Wall St. and Financial Industry
- America wants to work good jobs now
- WA teachers stand with OWS
- We got sold out
- Kick some ass for the working class
- Cops are a tool of the Rich Man’s rule
- One tent for every foreclosed home
- The Cops Took my Tent [on tarp]
- Legalize homelessness
Cultural
We are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. [Many signs using this slogan]- When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace — .Gladstone
- Down with Apathy
- A different world cannot be built by indifferent people — Horace Mann
- I am my brother’s keeper
- Life isnt a zero-sum gain.
- Dont Sacrifice your Morals for Corporate Convenience
- Destroy the American Caste system
- Unf–k the world. [carried by attractive middle aged woman]
- Greedy f–kers, you should be ashamed. (Carried by a pretty girl, college age)
- Korporate Kapitalist Kulture — Dont buy it.
- Corporations are not people
- Make a living, not a killing.
- One Nation Under Greed
- Put greed to bed
- Make Love not Loot
(© 2011 Bob Struble and Catholic Lane, may not be reproduced without permission.)
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