The Protest of Wall St.

Questions:   What is the purpose of the “Wall St.” protests?

                   What is the message of the “Wall St.” protestors?

                   What do the “Wall St.” protests stand for?

                   Does the “Wall St.” protest have a leader?

                   Is the “Wall St.” protest a new left-wing Tea Party?

                   What did the “Wall St.” protest know and when did it know it?

                   Is this movement a destination, or a journey?

How about we start at the beginning, and have a serious discussion about just what is possible?

Assume, for the sake of this argument, that the “99%” are experiencing an economic depression. Something like this was foreseeable, predictable, and inevitable. The major dynamic here is class warfare. The owners of the Nation’s wealth have made it known that they no longer want to entertain a middle class. The owners of this wealth want to have and control everything they can get their hands on, and a middle class that has some education and means simply stands in their way. Let us call this “Neo-Feudalism”.

What is happening now is the middle class’ last-ditch effort to stem the tide. The “99%” are not going down without a fight. The message is not very clear, yet, but I think it will go something like this: We want our government back. We want our Country back. We want our lives back. Stop stealing our money. Stop stealing our jobs. Stop stealing our Liberty.

How do the “99%” do this? First comes the relatively peaceful protesting in the streets of our cities. Then there will be isolated incidents of active civil disobedience. This will be followed by outright rioting in the streets; massive general strikes; and violent occupation of financial institutions. At any time time during this process, the Federal Government can choose to wake up and fix that which is currently broken (a pretty tall order, at this point).

There will soon be leaders who emerge. The Independence Party, led by Bernie Sanders, will get a third party involved as a political driving force. He seems to be an obvious choice right now. The Party platform must be crafted to reflect our need for the return of the “citizen” politician. Being a politician is not meant to be a career. The “99%” must demand that their choices of representatives deny corporations, big business interests, special interest groups, and the like. They must demand that their representatives actually represent their constituency; otherwise, no votes come their way.

Our current economic situation makes this all a possibility. A simple look back at History will lead you to that conclusion. That same “look” back also indicates the the normal way out of a depression is war. We are already doing that, and it does not seem to be working too well. Perhaps the direction I am going in seems left wing and radical. Perhaps it is simply a knee-jerk reaction to being driven down into the ground for the last twenty-five years. I look at it as a desire to regain a certain sense of dignity, individualism, and purpose. One picture from the protest on Wall St. has etched itself in my mind. The placard of what appears to be a “Viet Nam Era” protestor reading;  “I have fought for my Country twice. This time I know my enemy.”

‘Nough said?