Susan, Ktron, and Berd with Kenny on YDHWM

Come from everywhere in the state and converge in Olympia. Bring tent, pallets, pads, blankets, bags. Converge! check out http://www.occupyolympia.org/ for more information!

Today is Thursday the First of December Two Thousand Eleven. I have been talking with Kenny about Occupy Olympia and Occupy Wall Street every so often on his daily television show, Your Daily Hour With Me, so stay tuned if you want to hear more about what's going on that way.

Senate Ways and Means Committee Hearing Comments

LINK
During the meeting testimony/comment period, I encouraged the Senators to spend some time each day meeting with people under the dome in the rotunda — to validate the experiences of the people who gather there, the unpaid lobbyists, the non-monied people, who really feel that they are not being listened to and not being represented.

Wednesday 30 November 2011, 3:30pm, Olympia Global Occupy Wall Street Solidarity——I was just under the dome in the Legislative Building rotunda. About an hour and a half ago a Representative was talking with a few of the gathered. He was asking them what the 99% movement means/is about.

Yesterday, I attended the Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing. My understanding is that the agenda was changed before the meeting. Instead of a hearing directly about the budget situation, it was an emergency proposal to develop a finance plan to help a struggling municipality.

Lots of people attended the meeting anyway. During the meeting people used the People's Microphone to override regular meeting business. People were able to be heard when otherwise their concerns might have been relegated to working within the present-day system —which many of are coming to realize very well might be systemically corrupt —rotten to the core.

I was #7 on stack for the People's Mic. But the public speak out was ended by the Committee. Thus I was forced to wait until the very very very end of the meeting in order to speak to the Committee.

TVW did not publish the People's Mic portion of the meeting. Many people were taking video. Some is uploaded to the OO YouTube Account, you can find that here: http://occupyolympia.org/day-two-videos-and-photos-whatta-day/

There is also a url link to the TVW program where I commented next to the very end of the meeting here, you can find that in the comments section of the blog, here: http://occupyolympia.org/day-two-videos-and-photos-whatta-day/#comment-161

Here are some re-pasted words I wrote earlier in the day:

I am sitting in the rotunda right now. About an hour ago, a Representative stopped by to meet with the people who are gathered here now.

We have been having a great seminar here about how the system is basically corrupt. And the system older than the USA. The corruption goes way back.

In the beginning, this continent represented a refuge from persecution and oppression. Then things changed, and it turned into a place to be conquered.

The State of this nation was founded by owning class, and the function of the system is born to maintain that corrupt owning class establishment.

The whole election system is corrupt, because campaign finance contribution limits are EASILY circumvented ( and have been easily circumvented for a long long long long long long time.)

This is what we are finding here in the rotunda.

So here we are. Rising up from the ashes of this inane and criminally inhumane culture of disease.

Grace Lee Boggs' Message to Occupy Wall Street

Grace Lee Boggs' message to Occupy Wall Street - 10/9/11 from American Revolutionary on Vimeo.

More YDHWM

Dear Governor Gregoire, Join us in solidarity!

Dear Governor Gregoire,

I am discouraged. I am looking at the prospect of the emergency special session. According to your office, the special session will focus on cutting programs in order to balance the budget.

I want to ask you to think about whether this is the correct approach. I want to ask why are we pushing for cuts, before seeking new revenue.

Maybe there is a better way.

Maybe, just maybe, instead of a "first cuts" approach, your office could call for a special emergency session to RAISE REVENUE.

For example, the Boeing and Microsoft corporations have tons of money. Tax exemptions that these corporations enjoy could be allowed to expire, instead of making cuts that will result in death and further suffering for so many. Look at this. The Boeing and Microsoft corporations have outsourced jobs to exploit cheap labor overseas. The government, by granting them indefinite tax exemptions, enables, encourages, promotes and rewards these, and other, harmful behaviors.

There is an appearance of betrayal. After all, we cannot abide policies that enable cash profits at the expense of the well-being of so many people (and planet.) We cannot abide cash for killing!

Please consider this: Instead of a special "cuts first" legislative session, how about an emergency session to raise revenue. To save lives.

You could even say to the people and the legislature something like this:

"If at the end of this special session to raise revenue the legislature has failed, then I as Governor of the State of Washington, will leave the luxurious abode of the Governor's Mansion, and move into Solidarity Village, in solidarity with those whom are most afflicted as a result of the systemic injustice and corruption that plagues this society."

Please join us. Please protect us. We call on you.

I hope that you will seriously and sincerely consider this message.

Thank you,
Robert Whitlock

beautiful morning!

YDHWM (Your Daily Hour With Me) Appearance

http://youtu.be/0ZL42i5-Log

Yay Kenny, that was fun. Thanks for having me on the program!
Berd

The following is in response to a letter I received from someone in the local Olympia Occupy Wall Street solidarity encampment/ village:

I am sorry you think I am a confusing person. I hope that our in person chat helped a little bit in terms of understanding where we are, each of us, coming from.

I am sorry that my behavior frustrates you. Please believe me that I do not intend to frustrate you in any way.

I care very deeply about humanity, and truly want to see the world changed so it works best for everyone. I want to see an end to all violence.

I have deep sympathy for people who are triggered by the presence of police. I am also triggered by the presence of some police officers. It is interesting to note that I have not been triggered by the State Patrol, but I was triggered today when an Olympia PD officer showed up.

I disagree with you that a cop's job is to bully people.

I also understand that there are a lot of people in the 99% who have committed violent crimes.

I think what will make this movement most successful - and lead toward the kind of cultural transformation that will result in the eradication of all unnecessary suffering - is to create a space of inclusion and healing —where people who have committed violence can feel safe to participate in processes of restorative justice and reconciliation.

Signs and messages that target a specific group (like the police, or even bankers,) no matter the behavior of the group, are not productive toward the goal of inclusion and maintaining an open, welcoming, accepting place. (*note that the 99% movement against Wall Street, at least in how I think it should be best applied, is not directed so much at individuals, as it is targeted at unjust, abusive, predatory economic systems. —i.e. the Wall Street system forces harmful competition.)

People should be free to express themselves. And people should also be encouraged toward conscious awareness about the effect of their expressions on others.

No one is perfect. And that's not the point. We all make mistakes, and that's okay. What's important, is that we seek a supportive environment, that encourages productive risk-taking in the interests of mutual betterment for all. And that we don't get bogged down in petty disagreements, and speculation about others' motivations.

Also important to note, in terms of psychological analysis, is that violent and criminal behavior does not occur in a vacuum. People who act out in ways that are harmful toward others, have almost always experienced some prior violence directed toward themselves. The perpetrator is nearly always suffering from an earlier wound.

So abuse/violence is cyclic. And if the cycle is going to be stopped, then who is going to stop it? Maybe we can. How can we stop it?

By choosing to acknowledge how we are all interconnected, interdependent on each other for creating the kind of world where people do not experience unnecessary suffering (that results from cyclic violence.)

That's why I want to see the Olympia solidarity movement against predatory economics, and against abusive policing, etc. be a place of restoration, and reconciliation, of reclamation - of justice, and of our mutual health and humanity.

Maybe the controversial tent messages can be restated in ways that are productive— instead of ways that are inflammatory, exclusive, and can be interpreted as abusive in and of themselves...

I remember when I was 18 and 20 years old. I was angry. Including at the cops. I resented them. They were bullying. They were reacting. I was reacting. And it was a degenerative process. I have learned, in the 10 or 15 years since then, that there is a better way, a more effective way, a way that is mutually uplifting. This way is not perfect. But this way is less aggravating, less anxiety producing, and more prone to being accepted and respected by a large audience - more prone to mass appeal. The way is behaving honorably—this includes refraining from killing, stealing, lying, and other manners of abusive behavior. The way is to contrast honorable behavior against shameful behavior —the kind of violence and abusive behaviors we see resulting from SYSTEMIC economic and political corruption.

It maybe nearly always better to have these conversations in person, and be open and honest and forthright about our experiences, in the interest of mutual validation and individual empowerment.

Thank you for your correspondence.

With respect for all. Sincerely,
Berd

Draft thoughts/ideas, feelings/opinions re: Occupy Wall Street (Wall Street is Everywhere)

This is mostly intended for the audience of Olympia protest, but can certainly be applied elsewhere as appropriate.

((I kind of got a little wordy perhaps. But here's some of what I think. The most important stuff is probably in the first couple paragraphs or so. Also I write "we" alot, syntax can be changed. anyway. i'm hopeful about this effort to enforce accountability against our predatory economic system. yay.)) I am also including a few more tid-bits at the end (I had previously posted this on Facebook.)

more information attached to the photo, linked


Bully Free Zone...

Some say labor unions act like a bully. Some say owners act like a bully. Some say the USA acts like a bully in the world.

What should be clear, is that bullying is wrong. Hopefully humanity is evolving toward the elimination of bullying.

Against Oppression, Against Bullying

Some people have so much more wealth than others. (The wealthiest one percent control 90% of the nation's wealth!)

What is required in order to amass such wealth? Is this wealth the result of merit and hard work, or is it possible that some of this extreme wealth actually requires some form or another of oppression? Does some (or maybe even much) of this wealth depend on some form of putting others down?

Is there bullying? If so, why.

Why does bullying go on?

Is wealth a measure of success?

Are wealthy people superior to other (less wealthy) people?

Is it possible that wealth is not so often based in merit, but instead in pure ambition, maybe even a certain amount of ruthlessness?

Is it possible that in the drive to get ahead, some others are forced behind?

Survival of the fittest? Or survival of the meanest?

Why is ambition, even when it verges on ruthlessness toward others, rewarded with wealth?

After all, we teach children that bullying is not okay.

If bullying is not okay for children, then why should it be okay for adults?

Why don't we have policies in order to regulate against economic oppression and bullying? (e.g. Wall Street, war profiteering, exploitative labor practices, companies that have extreme discrepancies in pay between highest and lowest, hoarding and destruction of natural resources [which ought to belong to all of us or to none of us at all.])



People destroy each other with war. People destroy the environment. These activities, which are detrimental to all of us, should not lead to wealth for some few. We need to regulate against harmful economic activities—in the interest of the common well-being of all.