Occupier Primer Chapter 2: Why We Occupy

                                     Why We Occupy

The Occupy Movement has its roots in the Arab Spring which swept through the nations of the Middle East and Northern Africa, beginning most notably in Tunisia and Egypt and resulting, most recently in the regime change in Libya and Yemen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring. We are the brothers of the indignados in Spain. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/18/spain-election-indignant-idUSL5E7MH2F020111118

The protests also began in Wisconsin in response to the union-rights stripping attempt by Koch brothers' backed Scott Walker and his threats in bring in the National Guard.
And, unlike the Tea Party movement - we have spawned Occupy Movements all over the world.

The midterm elections of 2010 saw a flood of Republicans elected to Congress, Governorships, and State Offices funded by the legalized money laundering of campaign contributions by the Supreme Court decision of Citizens United, which states that corporations have the same 1st Amendment rights as individual and that money is speech.

The Republican party tapped the pervasive angst of economic discontent fostered by the Great Recession by running on a platform of JOBS!JOBS!JOBS!

In contrast, what they have delivered is anything but. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and other states enacted laws stripping union rights and demonizing public unions. They have pushed laws seeking to impose anti-abortion laws, outlawing Sharia Law (which is odious given the 1st Amendment religious non-establishment clause, unless Christian Dominion theocrats are also included in the exclusion - but I really don't think it was intended that way,) anti-immigrant Az1070 clones which have wreaked all manner of economic and social havoc in the states that they have been passed (Georgia and Alabama especially - at the time of this writing.) In Michigan the fascist law of economic martial law under Emergency Financial Managers who have the authority to strip elected officials of the authority and their offices. Austerity measures are being pushed across the board in states which cut funding for services and public education where the Republicans had gained power while tax cuts are being given to the wealthy.

The Great Recession itself was the product of Bush/Cheney era tax cuts during a time of two foreign wars (one of which was a criminal war of choice) when neither the tax cuts, the wars, or the Medicare expansion were included in the budget because, as Cheney once famously said, "Deficits don't matter." The final trigger for the Recession was the deregulation fueled Enron-style games on Wall Street regarding credit default swaps, predatory sub prime loans and fraudulent mortgage backed securities which continue to wreak havoc on Main Street Americans by robo-signing foreclosures which force millions of Americans out of their home, despite the fact that they are illegal.

In the interest of holding on their their gains in the face of the unpopularity of their policies, massive voter suppression efforts have been instituted all across the country on the state level which disenfranchises those groups which would be inclined to vote Democrat. What this means for the nation when the 2012 presidential election rolls around can only be imagined. President Obama is already heading off what voter suppression efforts he can. But there has already been an arrest of one man registering voters in California, and Florida has gone so far as to all but criminalize voter registration. Voter suppression was not nearly this serious in the election of 2000 with produced Bush v. Gore. The people are already out in the streets and its unlikely they are willing to accept being thwarted from participating politically...which successful voter suppression depends on. Its doubtful they would have the patience for another Bush v Gore. How patient can we expect the cops to be? Expect hi jinks and hilarity to ensue.