OCCUPY WALL STREET

[atomiczombie]

Just a bit of Occupy humor for the day. Hehe.

[Cin]

Report: NYPD steers drunks to Occupy Wall Street

Those found drinking in city parks are told by officers to "take it to Zuccotti," the Daily News reports

There’s a bombshell allegation buried in this story from Sunday’s Daily News: The NYPD is reportedly telling drunks to hang out in Zuccotti Park, apparently as a way to undermine the credibility of Occupy Wall Street.

Harry Siegel reports:

But while officers may be in a no-win situation, at the mercy of orders carried on shifting political winds and locked into conflict with a so-far almost entirely non-violent protest movement eager to frame the force as a symbol of the oppressive system they’re fighting, the NYPD seems to have crossed a line in recent days, as the park has taken on a darker tone with unsteady and unstable types suddenly seeming to emerge from the woodwork. Two different drunks I spoke with last week told me they’d been encouraged to “take it to Zuccotti” by officers who’d found them drinking in other parks, and members of the community affairs working group related several similar stories they’d heard while talking with intoxicated or aggressive new arrivals.

…

“He’s got a right to express himself, you’ve got a right to express yourself,” I heard three cops repeat in recent days, using nearly identical language, when asked to intervene with troublemakers inside the park, including a clearly disturbed man screaming and singing wildly at 3 a.m. for the second straight night.

Emphasis mine. Siegel added on Twitter that he has sourcing for the story beyond the two drunks cited above, though he did not elaborate.

The NYPD did not comment to the Daily News. I’ve asked them for a response to the allegations and I will update this post if I hear back.

In other NYPD-related news, hundreds of off-duty officers turned out in the Bronx over the weekend to protest corruption indictments against several of their fellow officers. The scene turned ugly, with the off-duty cops reportedly shoving a cameraman and taunting nearby welfare recipients.

[Cin]

"We Are the 1 Percent. We Stand with the 99 Percent."

Resource Generation and Wealth for Common Good today announced a new website for wealthy people to show their support for the Occupy movement. Already over 100 members of “the 1 percent,” including young entrepreneurs, business owners and wealthy individuals, have posted their support on the new website “We are the 1 percent. We stand with the 99 percent.”

“Those of us with more than we need and who believe in a more just distribution of resources can stand up and tell the truth about how the deck has been stacked in our favor. We need to say that we think it’s wrong too,” said Elspeth Gilmore, co-director of Resource Generation. “Just as the 99 percent has been a powerful rallying cry, the 1 percent has come to represent those who hold the majority of this country’s resources and have created—and benefited from—the financial and economic crises we now face. One hundred percent of us need a different world.”



"College graduate by 19. Masters degree by 22. I own 2 companies, 3 cars and make a quarter million a year on my own, with zero assistance. I have a negligible amount of debt, excellent health insurance and my son has never felt what it’s like to “need” anything. I am the 1%, and I don’t mind paying more in taxes. I stand with the 99%."] "College graduate by 19. Masters degree by 22. I own 2 companies, 3 cars and make a quarter million a year on my own, with zero assistance. I have a negligible amount of debt, excellent health insurance and my son has never felt what it’s like to “need” anything. I am the 1%, and I don’t mind paying more in taxes. I stand with the 99%."
http://resourcegeneration.org/

[atomiczombie]

Bank of America said today it's dropping plans to charge customers a $5-a-month fee to use their debit cards next year.

The second-largest U.S. bank announced the fee in late September, and customers responded with a flood of protests. Some threatened to leave en masse as part of Bank Transfer Day, Nov. 5.

"In response to customer feedback and the changing competitive marketplace, Bank of America no longer intends to implement a debit usage fee," Bank of America announced in a press release on the company website, adding:
"We have listened to our customers very closely over the last few weeks and recognize their concern with our proposed debit usage fee," said David Darnell, co-chief operating officer. "Our customers' voices are most important to us. As a result, we are not currently charging the fee and will not be moving forward with any additional plans to do so."

Competitors JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo said Friday they would not impose monthly debit card fees on their customers, after both tested a $3 monthly fee in some states.

"SunTrust Banks Inc. and Regions Financial Corp. said on Monday they would end monthly charges and reimburse customers," Reuters reported.

LINK: http://money.msn.com/credit-cards/ar...a414&gt1=33045

Too little, too late.

[atomiczombie]

Fourteen Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3


Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

From Liberty Forum

http://www.libertyforum.org/

It sure as hell sounds familiar to me.

[Cin]

Originally Posted by atomiczombie

It sure as hell sounds familiar to me.

Does it sound more familiar than this?

Core Democratic Characteristics

• Democracy is government in which power and civic responsibility are exercised by all adult citizens, directly, or through their freely elected representatives.

• Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies guard against all-powerful central governments and decentralize government to regional and local levels, understanding that all levels of government must be as accessible and responsive to the people as possible.

• Democracies understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human rights as freedom of speech and religion; the right to equal protection under law; and the opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic, and cultural life of society.

• Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age.

• Citizens in a democracy have not only rights, but also the responsibility to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms.

• Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and compromise. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit."

It's really sad, but looking at these one after the other, I can honestly say I see a real fascist bend to our so called democracy.

[Gráinne]

Well, that's it; I'll either be screamed off the board or banned for this.

I've been reading along this thread, as it is a current event, and I wanted to hear all sides. Some points I agree with, others, maybe not. I do hear and understand that there is fear and fed-upness about the economy, banking, and foreign wars, as well as a host of other issues. I understand that. I totally agree that there is a lot of apathy out there, and a lot more that all of us can do to effect change, whether it's OWS or through other means. Gandhi said "Be the change you want to see in the world".

What I need to put out here on the table is that some (if not several) of us on this board came from, know someone who came from, or had family living under fascist or communist systems, or farther back, equally repressive royalty. Some of my family lies under Poland for being the "wrong" religion. Others on the other side of my family came from grinding poverty only to find "No Irish Need Apply" signs. I have a friend who can never go back to her country of origin, as it dissolved into civil war that still periodically breaks out. Make that two, in fact, but different countries of origin. Another friend's parents were exiled thousands of miles out of their homeland to central Asia. Many of my friends are still in the country they were born, or at least the land, but there was a revolution in seemingly five minutes that turned their lives and families upside down. All of them at one time or another have told me about thoughts of going to America.

I surely believe we have large problems and inequalities. I have to believe that we have the solutions, both individually and as a group. I'd be hypocritical if I didn't say that I've considered emigrating out of here. But, compared to a lot of other places, we're a lot freer with more opportunity for women and POC than in the not so distant past.

I also want to say I like and respect all of those on this board and in this thread. With all that said, there's something that gnaws in my gut when we're compared to the Jews (and many other groups) under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, the Yugoslavs under Tito, or the North Koreans today. It just hits me wrong. I just ask out of respect for all of those peoples, and many more, please not to call us "fascist".

If you're angry with me, so be it. I stand by my words.

[atomiczombie]

Originally Posted by Miss Tick

Does it sound more familiar than this?

Core Democratic Characteristics

• Democracy is government in which power and civic responsibility are exercised by all adult citizens, directly, or through their freely elected representatives.

• Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies guard against all-powerful central governments and decentralize government to regional and local levels, understanding that all levels of government must be as accessible and responsive to the people as possible.

• Democracies understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human rights as freedom of speech and religion; the right to equal protection under law; and the opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic, and cultural life of society.

• Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age.

• Citizens in a democracy have not only rights, but also the responsibility to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms.

• Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and compromise. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit."

It's really sad, but looking at these one after the other, I can honestly say I see a real fascist bend to our so called democracy.

Agreed. Although I wouldn't call the U.S. government out and out facism, the elements are coming together more and more. This is what happens when power and money get more and more concentrated to a smaller population, as they have in the last 40 years here in the U.S. It's easy to point to the Republicans as the ones who are pulling the country in this direction, but it has been happening under Democrats too, including Clinton and Obama. That's why I hate the 2 party system. Both parties are owned by the big multi-national corporations who control most of the resources of the planet.

[persiphone]

Originally Posted by Miss Tick

Report: NYPD steers drunks to Occupy Wall Street

Those found drinking in city parks are told by officers to "take it to Zuccotti," the Daily News reports

There’s a bombshell allegation buried in this story from Sunday’s Daily News: The NYPD is reportedly telling drunks to hang out in Zuccotti Park, apparently as a way to undermine the credibility of Occupy Wall Street.

Harry Siegel reports:

But while officers may be in a no-win situation, at the mercy of orders carried on shifting political winds and locked into conflict with a so-far almost entirely non-violent protest movement eager to frame the force as a symbol of the oppressive system they’re fighting, the NYPD seems to have crossed a line in recent days, as the park has taken on a darker tone with unsteady and unstable types suddenly seeming to emerge from the woodwork. Two different drunks I spoke with last week told me they’d been encouraged to “take it to Zuccotti” by officers who’d found them drinking in other parks, and members of the community affairs working group related several similar stories they’d heard while talking with intoxicated or aggressive new arrivals.

…

“He’s got a right to express himself, you’ve got a right to express yourself,” I heard three cops repeat in recent days, using nearly identical language, when asked to intervene with troublemakers inside the park, including a clearly disturbed man screaming and singing wildly at 3 a.m. for the second straight night.

Emphasis mine. Siegel added on Twitter that he has sourcing for the story beyond the two drunks cited above, though he did not elaborate.

The NYPD did not comment to the Daily News. I’ve asked them for a response to the allegations and I will update this post if I hear back.

In other NYPD-related news, hundreds of off-duty officers turned out in the Bronx over the weekend to protest corruption indictments against several of their fellow officers. The scene turned ugly, with the off-duty cops reportedly shoving a cameraman and taunting nearby welfare recipients.

wow. classy.