We Are The 99%

Peace officers all over the country continue to show who they “protect & serve”—and it isn’t the people of this fine nation; rather, it is the 1% grifter class. Last night, at least 100 protesters were arrested in Boston for simply refusing to disperse when night fell. Perhaps the Boston PD doesn’t realize what an occupation is.

Right here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, authorities have been trying their damnedest to make sure that people are so uncomfortable that they just give up and go home. Their tactics include shutting off electricity and water; banning tents, canopies, or other structures; and even making it illegal to cook food or smoke cigarettes outdoors.

Land of the free, huh? You bet. But even with all of this going on, the movement continues to grow, attracting new supporters every day. Next month, people are being urged to close their accounts with all major banks and take their business to local credit unions. If enough people do this, we’ll see that these greedy hustlers are not too big to fail … but then again, we already know that, don’t we? They failed miserably in 2008—and when they did, they looted the national treasury and left us, the 99%, holding the check.

Some people are missing the point of this revolution, dismissing it as nothing more than bad noise from a bunch of dirty, drum-beating hippies; however, if you look at the footage from these protests, you will see people of every race, gender, age group, religion, and social class attending. There are some people sitting around in drum circles; there are also veterans, people dressed in business attire, and seniors tottering around with walkers.

We Are The 99%

Recently, I’ve been seeing a picture circulating on Facebook that paints the Occupy protesters as hypocrites, all because they participate in corporate America every time they buy something. This is what I mean when I say that some folks out there are missing the point. This revolution is not about corporations, per se, so much as it is about the vast wealth inequality that exists today in the United States. People are upset because they can’t find work; those who can are forced to toil for minimum wage, which isn’t enough for a kid’s pocket money. People are outraged because they have gone to college and racked up enormous amounts of debt—and now they’re either unemployed or working at Burger King. People are literally dying because they can’t afford health insurance—or what’s worse, they have insurance and their providers are refusing coverage when they get sick. Today, Americans are forced to work longer hours at multiple jobs for less money—and at the end of the day, they don’t have enough money to even live in squalor. People are being evicted from their homes; others have lost their life savings; the lucky ones exist paycheck to paycheck, always an inch or two from disaster.

We Are The 99%

That is the underlying theme of this revolution. Specific demands, such as ending the Fed, doing away with fractional reserve banking, outlawing compound interest, putting a stop to our multitude of foreign wars and occupations … these things are just symptoms of a larger problem.

The fact is, the people are pissed. As Howard Beale once said, we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore.

This is not about Democrats and Republicans; it isn’t about Fox News or Alex Jones. We don’t have a choice. Every couple of years, the people running this puppet theater put on a dog and pony show just so the American people think that they are the ones who decide who gets to sit in the Oval Office and fill the halls of Congress.

The 1%—the grifters—don’t give a shit if our next president is Barack Obama or Michele Bachmann. Every single GOP candidate is worth at least $1 million and is totally beholden to the banks. Obama campaigned on a platform of change; thus far, he hasn’t changed a fucking thing.

We Are The 99%

The DFL and the GOP spend all of their time arguing about meaningless issues and spewing out empty rhetoric while those waiting in the wings continue to chip away at this country’s economy. Real change is possible, but not if we continue to vote red and blue while we dismiss everyone else as losers and helpless cranks. I have endorsed Roseanne Barr—quite seriously—and I believe that if she (or anyone like her) was actually elected, the American political system might actually start working for the people again.

Hunter S. Thompson ran for sheriff in Pitkin County, Colorado back in 1970. At first, Thompson’s campaign was a ludicrous joke, full of talk about ripping up the streets and eating mescaline … and then it became apparent that people liked what they were hearing. On election night, Thompson lost by a gnat’s eyebrow—and the only reason that he did was because he never intended to win. By the time Thompson began to take his own efforts seriously, it was too late. Once it was over, the laws were rewritten just to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again.

What I’m trying to say is that this isn’t a joke. If not Roseanne Barr, then Peter Joseph … or Jacque Fresco … or someone else. As this revolution continues, it will become necessary to have a focus and some clear-cut goals. For one thing, we need to figure out who our candidate is going to be in 2012. The people down in the street already elected Obama once and he hasn’t held up his end of the bargain. The time has come to jettison the old guard completely and bring in some new blood. Personally, I’d like to see Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) in the White House.

Throughout this column I have posted pictures of various individuals, all of whom are members of the 99%—just like you (since I doubt very much that any millionaires are reading this). On the side of this page you will find a permanent link: We Are The 99%. Here you will find hundreds of real people and their stories—why they have chosen to take part in this revolution, and it isn’t because they like to play the drums or because they hate Apple and Sony.

Here’s your wisdom: