Occupy Wall Street

I try to refrain from making political posts but I feel I have to make an exception this time.

The last few days I have seen a few of their spokespeople appear on cable TV (don't look on Fox because you won't see them on the so called "fair and balanced" network) who are very articulate and say just the way I feel.  This country has been screwed by corporate greed run amok and it is only getting worse.  Both political parties are brought and paid for by Corporate America.  They are owned lock, stock and barrel by Corporate America.  No, I'm not a Communist or even a Socialist but I am an American and our freedom has been hijacked by a few corporate vultures and this country is going down the tubes unless we reverse course.  There, I've had my say and tomorrow I will go back to my usual self-involved fluff like my job problems at work, which actually is connected to the Corporate Greed Culture that dominates this country today.  I haven't had a raise in my pay in four years and nor do I expect a raise.  That has to be resolved.  Now I really am done.  Here is their manifesto:

What follows is the first official, collective statement of the protesters in Zuccotti Park: As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies. As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known. They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage. They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses. They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one's skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation. They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization. They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices. They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions. They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right. They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay. They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility. They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance. They have sold our privacy as a commodity. They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit. They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce. They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them. They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil. They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit. They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit. They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media. They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt. They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas. They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government ontracts.* To the people of the world, We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power. Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone. To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal. Join us and make your voices heard!

Moon

Last night I saw “Moon.” This was my latest Netflix movie rental.




The first few scenes of this movie reminded me of “2001 – A Space Odyssey.” A few of the reminders:



1) the space station with its long, pristine, light and shadow corridors

2) the cool talking robot (Hal in “2001”, Gerty in this movie (which is the voice of Kevin Spacey

3) the slightly off balance astronaut

4) the endless star studded black skies of space



But there the similarities ended. Without giving away too much about the story line to spoil the movie for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, I want to say that his was one of the most thought provoking movies I have seen in years.



After watching this movie I felt like I had an “experience.” Remember the movies of old when we left the movie theater with that feeling? Too many movies these days are predictable and not very entertaining. Either they’re movies with excesses of violence and blood or silly romantic comedies in which the principal characters have no chemistry at all.



Not so this movie. Directed by the son of David Bowie (remember “Major Tom?”), this is a movie you won’t forget for a long time after you see it.



I like a movie that I cannot predict and make me think. This is one of those rare movies.