I’m feeling both amused and a teensy bit smug to see this on the Guardian website today:

Martin Rowson on Ed Miliband and the Occupy protests – cartoon
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cartoon/2011/nov/06/ed-miliband-occupy-protests-cartoon

However, I have faith that, like their counterparts in the States, political parties and affiliations will not be the order of the day. Even Mayor Bloomberg would be permitted to speak at Liberty Plaza if he got himself on the roster, so comments from the leader of the opposition and the leader of the Green Party might buy them some slight notice, but they won’t be terribly successful in finding a place to hitch on.

Now, we have a lot of people saying that the protesters are just lazy or greedy, that they’re benefits scroungers/welfare recipients that need to shut up and find a job. Actually, science finds that they are probably working on instinct:

When Does Inequality Offend?
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/11/when-does-inequality-offend.html

I’m sure the fact that it uses monkeys will offend creationists, but eh – there’s no pleasing some. The point is that while many of us can accept there will always be some inequality, there is definitely a limit to what is acceptable.

And because I like lists:

The Eight Rules
http://weoccupyamerica.blogspot.com/2011/09/eight-rules.html

The general principle is sound, though I’m not sure how I feel about pinned down messages yet. I know the time is drawing near where such might be required to turn momentum into action, but obviously, prefer to see it fully and carefully considered across all of the general assemblies.

Now this… this is a massive issue/point of contention:

Occupational hazard: Living with the homeless
http://www.salon.com/2011/11/04/occupational_hazard_living_with_the_homeless/

It is my understanding that across the movement, the homeless are encouraged to participate and hang out… as long as they’re contributing. I know that some places like Dallas have problems with criminals and homeless people being sent to their camp instead of shelters, and that even the Child Protective Services had to get involved recently. Obviously, there are always going to be opportunists no matter the situation, but m uch like the police, there is much to be said for opening ones arms and embracing their fellow man and inviting them to take part. It’s an insidious trick, positive outpourings of emotion, but I’m all for their gratuitous use.

I also like this particular piece because it points out quite clearly how close to the edge so many people are. As we know, many choose to ignore the fact that they are significantly closer to poverty than wealth, so it’s telling to see numbers such as these pointed out:

‘Officially there are 46.2 million Americans living in poverty, which is defined as a family of four earning under $22,350 a year. This is an appallingly low level. One detailed calculation of what is actually needed to afford the basics of daily life puts the poverty line at around $49,000 for a family of four and $31,600 for one person.’

We know just how true this is in how many people are supposedly gainfully employed, but are losing. They cannot afford what is supposed to be the baseline, the American Dream. They cannot afford health care; as much as Americans pay in taxes, I still cannot believe that they as a whole do not demand quality health care with the taxes squandered creating fear and wars. My parents worked their asses off, and I can count on one hand how many times I saw a doctor before I joined the Air Force. That shouldn’t be the case, yo, especially considering that the effective tax rate here is less than it is in the US of A. Just a little food for thought!

Anyways, hope your Monday isn’t too manic (har har har), and see y’all again tomorrow.