Major Unions Join Occupy Wall Street Protest – NYTimes.com

6 Oct

Mr. Appelbaum [union leader in New York City] recalled asking a colleague over the phone to find out who was behind Occupy Wall Street — a bunch of hippies or perhaps troublemakers? — and whether the movement might quickly fade.

So far, at least, it has not, and on Wednesday, several prominent unions, struggling to gain traction on their own, made their first effort to join forces with Occupy Wall Street. Thousands of union members marched with the protesters from Foley Square to their encampment in nearby Zuccotti Park.

via Major Unions Join Occupy Wall Street Protest – NYTimes.com.

Genkai Nuclear Plant Shuts Down in Japan – NYTimes.com

5 Oct

Still, the shutdown came as the government was renewing a push to restart reactors that were idled after the nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi in March. Kyushu Electric said that inspection work had been carried out on a valve of the condenser in question on Tuesday, raising the possibility that human error had triggered the shutdown.

“As we saw in Fukushima, cooling systems are central to the safety of nuclear reactors,” said Chihiro Kamisawa, a researcher at the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center, an antinuclear organization.

via Genkai Nuclear Plant Shuts Down in Japan – NYTimes.com.

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Occupy Wall Street: echoes of the past as protesters grasp the future | Ana Marie Cox | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

5 Oct

A movement propelled by money – as the Tea Party is, gifted with millions from conservative influencers – dies without it. OWS has something more important than money: a marketing plan. Adbusters, who put out the initial call for the occupation, has always been savvy about mixing a healthy amount of “ad” in with its “busting”, borrowing the techniques and strategies of Madison Avenue even as it preaches abstinence from capitalism.

With franchises rolling out in LA, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, and a growing list of celebrity endorsements, OWS has an advantage that even the most successful political campaigns lack: it isn’t even trying to get someone elected. Like Nike, like Coke, like America itself, OWS has the potential to become the most powerful thing an idea can be: background noise.

And let that background noise be a JOYFUL one! Make a joyful noise unto the Nations and dance your @ssets off!

via Occupy Wall Street: echoes of the past as protesters grasp the future | Ana Marie Cox | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk.

Occupy Wall Street: echoes of the past as protesters grasp the future | Ana Marie Cox | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

5 Oct

A movement propelled by money – as the Tea Party is, gifted with millions from conservative influencers – dies without it. OWS has something more important than money: a marketing plan. Adbusters, who put out the initial call for the occupation, has always been savvy about mixing a healthy amount of “ad” in with its “busting”, borrowing the techniques and strategies of Madison Avenue even as it preaches abstinence from capitalism.

With franchises rolling out in LA, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, and a growing list of celebrity endorsements, OWS has an advantage that even the most successful political campaigns lack: it isn’t even trying to get someone elected. Like Nike, like Coke, like America itself, OWS has the potential to become the most powerful thing an idea can be: background noise.

And let that background noise be a JOYFUL one! Make a joyful noise unto the Nations and dance your @ssets off!

via Occupy Wall Street: echoes of the past as protesters grasp the future | Ana Marie Cox | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk.

Top 5 Reasons Why The Occupy Wall Street Protests Embody Values Of The Real Boston Tea Party | ThinkProgress

4 Oct

In recent years, the Boston Tea Party has been associated with a right-wing movement that supports policies favoring powerful corporations and the wealthy. … However, the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations picking up momentum across the country better embody the values of the original Boston Tea Party. …

1.) The Original Boston Tea Party Was A Civil Disobedience Action Against A Private Corporation. …

2.) The Original Boston Tea Party Feared That Corporate Greed Would Destroy America. …

3.) The Original Boston Tea Party Believed Government Necessary To Protect Against Corporate Excess. …

4.) The Original Boston Tea Party Was Sparked By A Corporate Tax Cut For A British Corporation. …

5.) The Original Boston Tea Party Wanted A Stronger Democracy. There is a common misconception that the Boston Tea Party was simply a revolt against taxation. The truth is much more nuanced, and there were many factors behind the opposition to the East India Company and the British government.

Top 5 Reasons Why The Occupy Wall Street Protests Embody Values Of The Real Boston Tea Party | ThinkProgress.

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On Wall Street, a Protest Matures – NYTimes.com

4 Oct

ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, who gets phone calls from Wall Street CEOs went down to Zuccotti Park to check out the protest.

“Is this Occupy Wall Street thing a big deal?” the C.E.O. asked me. I didn’t have an answer. “We’re trying to figure out how much we should be worried about all of this,” he continued, clearly concerned. “Is this going to turn into a personal safety problem?”

A personal safety issue? No. But . . .

… the underlying message of Occupy Wall Street — which spread to Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles on Monday — is something the big banks and corporate America may finally have to grapple with before it actually does become dangerous.

What’s the message?

At times it can be hard to discern, but, at least to me, the message was clear: the demonstrators are seeking accountability for Wall Street and corporate America for the financial crisis and the growing economic inequality gap.

And that message is a warning shot about the kind of civil unrest that may emerge — as we’ve seen in some European countries — if our economy continues to struggle.

via On Wall Street, a Protest Matures – NYTimes.com.

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The Cronyism Behind a Pipeline for Crude – NYTimes.com

4 Oct

FOB used to mean Friend of Bill (Clinton). Has it now become Friend of Barry (Obama)? Is the federal government run by a circle of friends who are enemies of the environment and thus enemies of their children and grand children and of ours?

But instead of listening to bright people like Mr. Hansen who know what they’re talking about, our government’s staffers are blowing kisses at lobbyists. That’s exactly why cronyism is such a problem. The people writing these e-mails don’t have expertise — they have connections. If this is happening in the State Department, why should we not assume it’s also going on in the Treasury Department’s dealings with the big banks, and just about everywhere else in government?

It really does seem extra shocking in the Obama administration. Dick Cheney’s sitting down with the energy barons was almost expected — he’d just quit as chief executive of the drilling company Halliburton, after all. But Barack Obama said he would “end the tyranny of oil”; he also said he was going to end back-room dealing. His decision about the Keystone pipeline project, which is expected by year’s end, seems like one last chance to show he actually meant it.

via The Cronyism Behind a Pipeline for Crude – NYTimes.com.

“Occupy Wall Street,” today’s Whiskey Rebellion – The Labor Movement – Salon.com

3 Oct

Like it or not, though, it is Occupy Wall Street that has the most in common, ideologically, not with those Boston merchants and their supporters but with the less well-known, less comfortably acknowledged people who, throughout the founding period, cogently proposed and vigorously agitated for an entirely different approach to finance and monetary policy than that carried forward by the famous founders. Amid horrible depressions and foreclosure crises, from the 1750′s through the 1790′s, ordinary people closed debt courts, rescued debt prisoners, waylaid process servers, boycotted foreclosure actions, etc. (More on that here and here.) They were legally barred from voting and holding office, since they didn’t have enough property, so they used their power of intimidation to pressure their legislatures for debt relief and popular monetary policies. Their few leaders in legit politics included the visionary preacher Herman Husband, the weaver William Findley, and the farmer Robert Whitehill.

via “Occupy Wall Street,” today’s Whiskey Rebellion – The Labor Movement – Salon.com.

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George Soros Says He Sympathizes With Occupy Wall Street Protesters

3 Oct

Soros says he understands the frustrations of small business owners, for instance those who have seen credit card charges soar during the current crisis.

via George Soros Says He Sympathizes With Occupy Wall Street Protesters.

Occupy Wall Street — Crooked Timber

2 Oct

Here’s a bunch of interesting comments on Occupy Wall Street from various points of view. Here’s one I like:

Lemuel Pitkin 10.02.11 at 4:16 pm

The protests are great. I hope they continue, and get bigger.

Good for the country—we’ve had far too little anger for too long—but bad for blog threads. Because disagreement is usually what makes these things run.

One thing, tho: I think the lack of concrete demands or positions is fine. There’s a division of labor. Some people need to come up with alternatives, and some people need to establish that the status quo is unacceptable.

via Occupy Crooked Timber — Crooked Timber.

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