I’ve got a pair of long pieces for you guys today, but I think you’ll agree that they make for good reading. Firstly:

If You Are Not Outraged, You Are Not Paying Attention: 5 Major Ways Corporate Elites Are Degrading America
http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/153437/if_you_are_not_outraged%2C_you_are_not_paying_attention%3A_5_major_ways_corporate_elites_are_degrading_america?page=entire

Yes yes, I know the ‘If you are not outraged…’ thing is a bit stale-tasting; it’s been used a lot recently. However, this is a great list of ‘Holy crap, what’s this?’ to flip through and consider. And we’re all to blame – society put its head between its knees and these vacuous and uncaring asses filled it with more scary noise and accusations designed to confuse the average joe into thinking that he was wrong, and those even worse off were even wrongerer. But you know what? We CAN fix it – together. Besides informing ourselves and others, useful actions are as easy to do as calling or e-mailing your government representatives. Oh sure, they’ll likely form letter you (one of my Senators thinks that I’m Mr. X… not sure how, when my first name is not gender neutral!), and you might feel like you’ll never oust incumbents, but if all of us do it together… there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. Which is why:

TIME Person of the Year: The Protester
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2101745_2102132,00.html

Getting noticed – it’s key! This piece contains a lengthy bit of explanation and backstory to the current protest, and some roots of protest across the history of the last few centuries. From 19th century France to Tunisia to now, people power can and does effect change. Everyone has a say as long as we have a free and open Internet (hint hint: keep fighting SOPA), though obviously, Americans now have that scary concern mentioned yesterday with the whole indefinite incarceration thing. Still, I have hopes that 2012 will be the year we see the end. That being, of course, the end of corruption and greed, if only for a generation. As the TIME piece points out, these sort of protests are cyclical in nature. We might manage to score a win, but there is the temptation to cease vigilance and rest on ones’ laurels; after all, mission accomplished… right? Right? Not really, heh…

Anyhoos, enjoy this food for thought, and I’ll see you guys again tomorrow.

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