So they want to “Occupy Richmond”
By Norman Leahy | Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 | Central Virginia, VirginiaThe ongoing circus that is Occupy Wall Street may be getting a Richmond sideshow:
Organizers in Richmond have set up an Occupy Richmond Facebook page that has more than 1,700 followers. They plan to hold a rally Oct. 15, to be held somewhere near the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond.
It will be interesting to see if they manage to garner the same sort of crowds as the tea party rallies did in a similar spot. I suspect not, given the bleatings recorded in Reed Williams’ piece:
“Let’s try to focus on what’s important and not try to fight a war on too many fronts,” [disaffected youth Cullen Montgomery] said. “I think we need to have health care, food, shelter, education – a chance for everyone to work.”
And a chicken in every pot, too (with apologies to Herbert Hoover).
But let’s give these earnest folks a chance to air their grievances, which are many and sometimes contradictory. Looking over their Facebook page, one sees calls for revolution, ending the Fed, angry dismissals of Thomas Jefferson (though his likeness is used on posters), the occasional anarchist, anti-tea partiers and a few trying mightily to keep a lid on the crazy.
In other words, it’s not mildly different from a VCU faculty meeting.
I’ve no idea whether Richmond’s restless proles will be able to muster in front of the Fed building. But I can’t help thinking the entire proposed exercise bears a strong resemblance to this:
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About the author
Norm Leahy has written about Virginia and national politics online since 2002, beginning with One Man's Trash (OMT), and continuing through Bacon's Rebellion (both the blog and the e-zine), Sic Semper Tyrannis, NBC12's Decision Virginia, Richmond.com and Tertium Quids. He is the chief blogger at "The Score" and a producer of "The Score" radio show as well as being a Washington Post contributor.
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36 Responses to "So they want to “Occupy Richmond”"
Quoting from the piece: Let’s try to focus on what’s important and not try to fight a war on too many fronts,” [disaffected youth Cullen Montgomery] said. “I think we need to have health care, food, shelter, education – a chance for everyone to work.”
Noble sentiments, however it is not Government’s (read taxpayer) responsibility to provide it every “underprivileged” person in this country. 1) We don’t have enough money to do so, and 2) it is outside the purview of the Constitution.
Now, Government provides for a public education of all citizens, up to grade 12. If the citizenry avails itself of that education (as poor quality as it may be), it should be able to find employment, which will then lead to attaining shelter, food, and health care. Granted, a bit of effort is required, which sadly, the Occupy crowd seems to loathe to expend. If they would put as much effort into doing something useful and productive, as they do into protesting [something or other], they could have a job, housing, food, and health care. All without Government intervention.
But let’s give these earnest folks a chance to air their grievances, which are many and sometimes contradictory. Looking over their Facebook page, one sees calls for revolution, ending the Fed, angry dismissals of Thomas Jefferson (though his likeness is used on posters), the occasional anarchist, anti-tea partiers and a few trying mightily to keep a lid on the crazy.
In other words, it’s not mildly different from a VCU faculty meeting.
Or a Tea Party meeting.
Anyone here read their Virginia Constitution? Go through that and list everything you’re constitutionally required to “provide” to the underprivileged.
If the Tea Party in Virginia were serious… they’d be calling for a Virginia Constitutional Convention.
Correct Shaun, lord knows that the republican party wouldn’t do it. Of course, the tea party has been organized for less than 3 years, while the GOP has been around for…..
…that doesn’t stop someone from calling for a convention.
A couple of cold and frosty rain soaked nights will drain the heat from their “passion” for whatever sound bite grievances these anarchists have been indoctrinated with, but can’t describe. The basic needs and comfort of warmth, food and shelter always trumps the luxury of protesting or revolting when it gets uncomfortable.
Or they just come and take it where they can. See: French Revolution; 1789, 1801, 1848, etc. or Russian Revolution 1917, 1921…
Years and years of neglect have bred both an underclass used to handouts and an overclass of Baby Boomers who expect their “entitlements” — all on the backs of Generation X.
This is *not* going to be an easy fix. What they can’t get… they’ll take. And what they take, you’ll be forced to pay for… I truly wish people (Tea Party, self-styled constitutionalists, conservatives, etc.) would get this simple, salient point. To us it’s a philosophical roundtable — to them, it really is “warmth, food and shelter” as Tim J says.
Who do you think will win when it’s people fighting for bread vs. people fighting for a way of life? Consumers vs. producers? History says the hungry beat the breadwinners… and the only way to “fight back” is to create more breadwinners.
One important difference between the Tea Party movement and these folks is that the Tea Party movement helped make the Republicans a majority party across the country for the first time since the 1920s. These angry leftists are going o make the Dems smaller than the America Obama wants to see.
Val- not sure I agree. While it might not be a sophisticated message “F… Wall Street” is likely to be a pretty politically popular one. As a matter of fact, “F… Wall Street” was no small part of the Tea Party’s appeal, so there’s some overlap there.
I think that you give them too much credit. This reminds me so much of the protests of the 60′s. Disorganized, random agendas and sets of demands, and, most of all, an excuse to cut class and just raise a little Hell while, if you’re lucky, scoring a hot protestess. Like the protesters of the 60′s, their demands are shockingly simplistic and naive. “No interest on loans.” “All national debt held by corporations and the wealthy to be cancelled without repayment.” “Corporations only allowed to invest in green technology.” “End profits.” “The top 10% not allowed to control more than 30% of the wealth.” I couldn’t find their demands for free beer and weed, but I’m sure that it is in there somewhere.
This is not a movement, at least its not one that is going anywhere. Valentinus is right. The best these kids can do will be to scare moderate voters into moving to the right next year, thereby off-setting some of the negative effects of the Tea Party.
HR-the list of demands would have been improved 100% with the inclusion of free beer and weed. Don’t know how they missed that.
Steve,
And it certainly would be by far the most practical of their demands. Back in my college days in the mid-20th Century, we had tee-shirts that said, “Draft beer, not students.”
My first thought was that they could have Richmond. My second thought was that everyone knows what happened the last time Richmond was occupied.
Jerry: well, they probably won’t burn it down, they forgot to ask for free weed.
HisRoc: In all of the pictures I have seen of the Occupy Wall Street crowd, I have yet to see a “hot protestess” among them.
Jason: did some research, this link http://cryptome.org/info/occupy-wall-st/occupy-wall-st.htm
has 83 photos, I managed to locate about three “hot protestesses” among them.
Jason,
I can’t account for the taste of kids today. I was referring to the hotties in my college days:
http://cf.ltkcdn.net/womens-fashion/images/std/46497-212×318-Hippie_blouses.jpg
Stop with your Left and Right worries …what it comes down too is No one has enuff money to live the Dream without a fear of being set up by the feds for some bullshit charges of Scam or fraud … stopping playing washingtons game of Sign on with the right …or sign on with the left.. its a trapped that has kept us down for YEARS … the only way we mgiht might get anything done with this is to DROP the dam politics and stop arguing with each other …and look at the problem that the world is facing ..its all about money and its money that controls US ALL >… Left or right … lets all show up and clean washington out with Loud noises of our 1st amnd or the Force of our Second … our founding fathers all agreed that there will come times in this country when we the people will neeed to stand up and take our goverenment Back … capitalism is FINE….the system is not Broken …it is simply controlled …. Stand up and stop allowing the TREAD!
CitizenlyfeVa,
I have to ask: are you drunk or just stupid and uneducated? Please tell me that the former is the case or that you never got past the sixth grade…
U retarded ass Guppies … haha bash bash bash …. The left may be uninformed ..but the rights got there heads in there asses and seem to be just pissed that the TeaBaggers never got to see these kind of numbers
PLEASE TELL ME what about my comment makes you think im drunk or stupid ? Ohhh when all else fails just BASH !!!!! i gotcha! good luck with Perry Btw…
Yep, I’m thinking both drunk and stupid.
yeah ? no quotes? from my comment ? that didnt make any since? maybe something that you couldnt relate to ? hmmm ?
I havnt been on either side of the Party line in years … but its comments like yours that make me remember why I hated being Red ;/
When Richmond was given an enema, this is the result.
I guarantee that the average IQ of a Occupy Wall Street protest is higher average IQ of a Tea Party protest.
Guaranteed. Not a doubt in my mind.
It’s kinda like the level of education of the people who watch Fox News and those that watch Comedy Central.
There’s nobody stupider than a person who is certain that people they don’t know are stupid. Except for the person who thinks only people who agree with them have high IQs.
BTW this is not a grammatically correct sentence. “I guarantee that the average IQ of a [sic] Occupy Wall Street protest is higher average IQ of a Tea Party protest.”
What’s the IQ level of people who habitually write in faux working class “It’s kinda like ,,,”
Well you know, it kinda like this, protest all you want gang. A lot of people are less then pleased with those “Wall Street democrats”.
I am reading about the situation in Europe myself since I figure that will have a much larger effect on my life then what happens in Richmond..
Steve: This is why you are one of my favorite Democrats! Still, though…only three of out “99 percent”?
Citizen: The grammatical errors in your comments might be one reason HisRoc thinks you’re undereducated–unless, of course, you’re also revolting against the grammatical patriarchy of spelling and punctuation conventions.
Jason,
That possibility did cross my mind. However, the texting generation needs to understand the significance of grammar and punctuation. Capitalization, for example, makes the difference between “helping your Uncle Jack off a horse” and “helping your uncle jack off a horse.”
How have the rich gotten so rich that the top 400 now make more than the bottom 60% of All Americans?
How can we ignore that America is losing it’s Middle Class?
Wall Street got bailed out and they have shamelessly stiffed Main Street. The rich were given big tax cuts by Bush because they are claimed the job creators. They still enjoy these tax breaks to this day but we are stilling waiting for those jobs!
Mike, your “big tax cuts by Bush” gave you away.
There is an ever growing Income Inequality occurring in this country. It is the truth. Just check it out for yourself. The statistics stand. Remember the working class works and produces something from their hard work. Billionaires just make money by investment. Their money makes money based on business trends. They don’t sweat and break their backs for this stuff. And if they make a bad investment, they still have tons of money. They will never end up in the street asking for hand outs. When the rest of us lose our job, the street is our ultimate destination unless we find new work fast. Health insurance becomes a luxury we can’t afford (or eat). It’s our reality not theirs. We pay with our blood. They pay with “with my numbers aren’t adding up”. We have suffered long enough. It time those rich start paying for those roads and bridges they drive on. And the employees they hire who were educated in our public schools.
CitizenlyfeVa,
While I usually withold the urge to address ghetto slime such as yourself, I coulnd’t control myself after perusing your meandering ravings. I can assure you that with just a small investment of time doing research, you’d find that the Tea Party has enjoyed far greater numbers than this supposed “Occupy” trend that is the new 15-minute craze. And by the way, it may not be Perry but rather Herman Caine who gets the GOP nomination, seeing as he is ahead 20 points in the polls.
Oh, and P.S….rich people create jobs. Taxing them into oblivion prevents them from spending money, starting businesses, investing, donating, etc. How do you think Reagan saved the U.S. from Jimmy Carter’s liberal nightmare? He cut taxes on the richest Americans. But saying all of this probably can’t change a mind made up. In the end, the Have-Nots always want more, not realizing that they have the power to change their situation by using their time wisely instead of spending it doing 12 oz. curls in some seedy Shockoe Bottom bar.
So, where was their website or facebook or whatever they have?
Expect US… : )
http://www.occupytogether.org/
Who AM I ?
You’re terribly underinformed, Norman.
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