Cliff Potts

Games: Obama for the Block

2012-01-19T05:13:00.000-08:00

The movie is pure fiction, but one worth watching. In 1983, David Lightman, looking to download a game, hacks into a Supercomputer, and innocently sets off a chain of events which almost set off a global thermonuclear war. The machine, as it turns out, does not know the difference between a simulation and the real thing. The movie is called WarGames.

This was brought to mind the other day when I was arguing with a troll from the CATO Institute on Twitter. His take is that government is bad, capitalism is good, and he will succeed even if all others fail. It is all a game anyway, and he will win. Nothing else matters as long as he wins. The troll is the offspring of a School Teacher in Minnesota who has raised him under the protection of the Civil Servant’s system and Union Representation, but he is anti-government, anti-union, and anti-Obama. He is also a rabid supporter of Ron Paul. Like many he embraces the lawlessness of the Libertarian ideal until it bumps up against some cherished institution; repealing farm subsidies being one of them.

During this conversation, I was informed that it is all a game; nothing but a game with deep implications. And a game he was going to win.

I use the personal pronoun there because that was the core of his argument. Nothing else mattered as long as he won in life. With a world view like that, we see the core of the 1%ers. He will probably win, and the remaining 308,745,537 U.S. Citizens can go to hell. That was the gist of the budding Gekko-ish “Greed is Good” argument. He is not alone. This is the argument behind Janie Johnson’s “Don't Take My Lemonade Stand – An American Philosophy,” and the ramblings of John Stossel, and George Will.

That brings me back to WarGames: an unwinnable game. If you have not seen the movie this is going to be a spoiler (I figure that talking about the end of a 29 year old movie is not a gross offense of public civility). In WarGames, to stop the WOPR (the supercomputer) from launching its missiles at the Soviet Union, they had it play Tic-Tac-Toe as it frantically sought the launch codes. Computer multitasking, along with Artificial Intelligence which could learn from experience, was a Si-Fi dream in Hollywood in 1983. The WOPR decided, based on Tic-Tac-Toe, that thermonuclear was a pointless, no win game. It did not launch.

Right now, politically, we are pretty much in the same boat. 1%ers, and those who aspire to be 1%ers, think this is all a game. As such they are doing all they can to block the progress of the nation. One might be so bold as to call that a class version of Global Thermonuclear War. However, it is a no win game. If 400 win at the expense of 308,745,137 citizens, that is not a win.

Using the Tic-Tac-Toe, no win, analogy all we can do is block the elite who are bent on destroying the US for the sake of their dream of domination. View it as a political version of Hollywood Squares. If that is the case, we have one choice this coming November (if we stay within the current rules of society).

I choose, Obama for the block.

Your move now ….

A step closer to Civil War?

2011-12-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

This past week the U.S. Senate passed S.1867. The bill is called the National Defense Authorization Act (see full text[1]). While lengthy as many pieces of legislation are (even I have yet to slug through it), sources a divergent as the ACLU[2] and WIRED magazine have decried certain language in the legislation that is currently making its way to the House of Representatives. According to sources, the bill allows, in the words of NewsVoice[3] “the entire USA to be a ”battleground” upon which U.S. military forces can operate with impunity, overriding Posse Comitatus [grants] the military the unchecked power to arrest, detain, interrogate and even assassinate U.S. citizens with impunity.” In other words, the U.S. senate wants to perpetuate the dismal failures in Iraq and Afghanistan here in the U.S. That poses a question: Why would the senate pass such a bill, and why now?

Occupy Wall Street and Support Movements

For the sake of brevity, the Senate is full of lawyers. Part of their training is Criminological Theory. That includes discussions on Merton’s Strain Theory (and deviance), and to a lesser degree Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Merton describes four stages towards revolution. This was not by design, but living in 1938 he took into account what was happening in Germany during that era.

The five stages of deviance[4] according to Merton are:

Conformity
Innovation
Ritualism
Retreatism
Rebellion

To understand the Senate’s response to Occupy Wall Street, one has to understand how they have been taught to view the actions of the movement. The key to that are in the last three steps.

It is pretty much a given that the Western World is in a financial mess. This was caused by unscrupulous lenders writing bad loans[5], bundling those in with good loans and selling off the Dirty Paper (High Risk Financial Instruments passed off as safe investments, a.k.a Toxic Asset[6]) as if it was good. To any sane criminologist, that would be called Innovation. Suffice it to say that the acceptable means to accruing wealth were faltering and certain bankers got “creative.” The creativity was ill conceived and has created suffering upon others for the personal gain of the very few. That tends to be a classic definition of crime, by the way.

In response to this mess members in society have pretty much divided into two camps. One camp goes about their lives as they have, but have little hope of achievement. This is ritualism. This pretty much describes the actions of the police in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, New York, Boston, Chicago and other locations (as of this writing Occupy Boston is the last major Occupy Camp in existence—even if the Boston Police Department arrested their kitchen sink[7]). They will even mimic the American Dream theory as if it a magical mantra warding off the evils of the age.

@DevineJim Jim Devine @cliffpotts @NoAdhominem2 Actually I would think they want them to go look for jobs and live the American dream … #ows[8]

For clarification: the American Dream is a fantasy for most (see other blog entries[9]).

The other camp (no pun intended) is the Occupy Wall Street Movement as a whole. As seen through the criminologist viewfinder, the attempt to create an alternative society within the mainstream society[10] is classic Retreatism. The protestors are seen as rejecting the socially accepted goals, and the socially accepted means to obtain those goals. Everything (housing, clothing, food, participatory government) becomes a challenge, if not condemnation, of the current status quo within Western Society. This perceived move towards retreatism, however, may be a wrong assessment, but to congress it is leading to a mass rebellion.

This is where Maslow’s Hierarchy[11] comes into play. People who are operating at a fear of loss level are not thinking in terms of friendship or respect. They fear the loss of control of the people, and the loss of privilege, and by extrapolation the loss of income. Succinctly put, they fear the consent of the governed. As such they are not acting wisely for the nation. They are acting for themselves (see payroll tax discussion[12]).

The Senate get it Wrong … Again.

Truth is, Congress, and the Ritualist, are wrong about Occupy Wall Street. The protestors who Occupy are not engaged in retreatism. They are engaged in public, social innovation. They have learned to live with their own loss. Accepting that loss they are trying to get the government to accept the responsibility of addressing the criminal behavior, and the criminals who committed the massive fraud. The Occupation is the counter movement rejecting the criminal innovation that created this mess in the first place.

Bully with a Billy Club … or Riot Baton

Congress, and the Ritualist, are using the police to coerce the Occupation into accepting the edicts of the criminal element controlling the nation. This is unlike what happened in the 1930s under FDR. As a nation, we’ve yet to realize that the actions of the past 40[13] years have led to this financial and economic fiasco.

This innovation, which came about after the Nixon Shock (see note 13), has brought us to this point in history. Furthermore, based on the work in 2000 by Mark Colvin in his Crime and coercion: an integrated theory of chronic criminality,[14] beating people into submission will not work. Bullies do that. It does not work in the school yard, and will not work with the constituents in the street.

We Owe Them, They Own Us

The final rub in all this is that Congress knows that it too is in debt to the same financial institutions, and the loan sharks of the nation. It turns out that congress dipped into their till to finance the colonial wars to expand commercial influence in the Middle East. U.S. Bankers hold more than half of the U.S. debt.[15] They are demanding to get paid. And, one doesn’t throw ones banker in jail because he is demanding to get paid. Little things like fraud and usury have to be ignored for the sake of ethical consideration, right? The U.S. Senate seems to think so. In addition to assault, unlawful restraint, torture, trafficking in contraband, sex trade, slavery, and other high crimes, congress seems to think that lawlessness is lawful as long as they put a stamp of approval on it.

[1] http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.1867:

[2] http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/senators-demand-military-lock-american-citizens-battlefield-they-define-being

[3] http://newsvoice.se/2011/12/02/us-senate-declares-the-entire-usa-to-be-a-battleground/

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_K._Merton#Merton.27s_theory_of_deviance

[5] http://mortgage-modification-attorney.com/banker-admits-making-bad-loans/

[6] http://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/toxic-assets.asp#axzz1faqQbMRP

[7] http://m.ibtimes.com/police-raid-occupy-boston-camp-remove-kitchen-260461.html

[8] This morning, December 4, 2011, on Twitter

[9] http://cliffordallenpotts.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-protest.html

[10] http://inthesetimes.com/article/12241/voices_from_the_occupations

[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

[12] http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobsact/calculator

[13] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_Shock

[14] http://books.google.com/books?id=M65wB4qHN5YC&pg=PA115&lpg=PA115&dq=crime+and+coercion+mark+colvin&source=bl&ots=vwr80KgkMW&sig=jt7FO2bUWGPGSRStd1d8QqzKCdI&hl=en&ei=6pPbTqG3I8jm2gXn8r22Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&sqi=2&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

[15] http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/21/who-owns-america-hint-its-not-china/

Checking In

2011-11-13T20:59:00.001-08:00

This is the first Saturday since September 24, 2011 that I was not downtown at OccupyChi. I figured I would take a moment this weekend to check in with my YouTube friends.

This is, as usual, unrehearsed and off the cuff. Even I know that is never a good idea for a broadcast, but it is honest.

The occupation continues pretty much unabated in spite of the interference of the establishment.

On a personal note, I am writing again, and my back is slowly getting stronger. The new blog is http://occupythewhole.blogspot.com/.

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Polished

2011-11-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

The arguments revisited, clean, and polished; media comes to watch, dismiss and abolish.

Connected to the corporate cast, they look down on the working class.

So chained the advertisement dollar, they refuse to admit to any future squalor.

They insist the American dream is fine, sanctioned, upheld and divine.

And this is how the report Wall Street News, rosy stories, and reviews.

Europe in crisis, Greece distressed, the upstanding Socialist state, crumbling due to Capitalist fate.

They bought Wall Street’s Dirty Lies, bought the fraud, bought the carney barker’s cries.

“Come one, come all, step right up, make a trillion, don’t be a chump.”

“Come on here, do it now, pull that trigger, take the vow, the money changers will show you how.”

“Take that first step on the path to magical wealth; make the journey towards financial health.”

Within each promising bundle of commercial paper, hid a filthy fraud, a marketing caper.

So long as most of the bundled notes were fine, the unserviceable debt sold as vintage wine.

“Put your name on the dotted line. Come on; trust us, in riches you will recline”

That is the story they continue to tell, that is the fable they continue to sell.

This is America all is well! No fraud, we promise, come fall under the golden spell.

Yet, on main street homes are lost. People into the gutter are tossed. No one noticed the hidden cost.

Bankers gamble with other’s money. Taking risk upon risk, they sucked up the worker’s honey.

For that is how they saw the masses, drones, surfs, dumb, stupid, assorted asses.

They still hold the real property, to sell again in a swirl of financial anarchy.

And laugh they do on all hollows’ eve, tricks played, treats withheld, as many more get the heave.

Excerpt: Women Rule ....

2011-11-08T05:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (November 7, 2011) 43 Senior Citizens, some as old as 100, were cited by the CPD for disorderly conduct, after being joined by Occupy Chicago, in a protest over the threat to life long earned miniscule benefits of Social Security and medicare/medicade and HUD programs. These are not angry young men rebelling without a cause. It does give one pause to what is rising in the USA today. For that, I turn back to my own research from 2007/2008.

Right now, we are somewhere in the middle of this process. We are already seeing articles written telling people to lower their expectations. We are already seeing women authors coming out with highly detailed warnings about the dual income “trap.” The business community is responding to the cost of super-sized monthly mortgage payments by proposing 50 year mortgages. This sounds good in the short term but clouds the reality of lowered incomes against the higher cost of housing. The standard measure for income status was at one time that the cost of housing was one quarter of one’s monthly income. Today it can be fifty percent or more of one’s monthly income. While these mortgages look good on paper with an “affordable” monthly payment, it is only to secure the bank’s ownership of the property for a longer period of time. This of course allows the corporations to resell the property after the mortgagee’s loss of it.

Women in the United States are opting, with or without a mate, to take on the role of acquiring the primary economic resources. Thus far, in spite of the warnings, they have been relatively successful. Additionally, those who are on the upward climb hold the belief that through a little more effort they will be successful. They have lowered their expectations, they are willing to work within the framework of a 50 year mortgage, they will tolerate prejudice in the workplace, so long as they can keep within the rules of the current society. They are willing to take on short term losses for perceived long term gains. As long as she can chase the illusionary reward, the woman will not directly confront the mismanagement of the corporation. Moreover, she will not endorse anyone else directly confronting the corporations, either.

The concept that the corporation is responsible for providing sustainable income within a community has been successfully hushed. This has been accomplished primarily by the hue and cry of “individual responsibility.” This has been aided with neo-Calvinist rhetoric emitting from various religious institutions within the United States. The message is that faith and loyalty to Jesus, hard work, and thrift will deliver the socioeconomic status sought in conjunction with the expectations of the current era. The definition of status is constantly being driven home by the media telling us all what we need in life to be happy. Happiness, as defined by the corporate media, is the ultimate goal in life. What one has is never sufficient, one must consume more.

The mandate of individual responsibility, work, thrift, and consumption can carry a society only so far. It doesn’t take long for the opposing goals to be come apparent. Work is only available at the whim or need of the corporation. Thrift and consumption are polar opposites of the economic spectrum. Individual responsibility is only as valid as the visible responsible actions of those who control the corporation. The predatory activities of corporations are vast.[1]

The current situation will probably hold until the next presidential term recession cycle. At that time the liberated women will alter their perception of the current capitalistic system. They will concede that no amount of effort on their part, or their sidelined mates – if the men are still in the picture -- will bring about the economic security needed to survive in the capitalistic system.

Capitalism is amoral. While it has a dark side, it also holds the promise of success. It will not be dumped. It will be altered. Even with a lowering of expectations, and an awakened sense of savvy concerning the aims of the corporations, what defines middle class individualism will be a migration towards some form of collective civilization within the framework of capitalism. Social change will be demanded.

Women political leaders are defined as socially acceptable within the construct of the middle class social contract. John Gray, Ph.D. in Men, Women and Relationships explains it thusly:

As her awareness expands out into the future, a woman is naturally concerned for what potentially could happen. She is motivated to prepare for the future. On the other hand, focused awareness makes men more concerned with efficiently achieving their goals. While the men are worried about getting to their destinations, the women are more concerned about what will happen when they get there.[2]

In preparing … however, the [women] tend to be late in arriving, or the may feel the journey is too risky and let their fears hold them back. It is much easier to be courageous when you are unaware of the possible consequences of an action.[3]

Men drool for the opportunity to use socially acceptable means, legal or not, to make the right things happen for themselves and their mates. Based on what is available on the web, in the bookstores, and in the underground press, men are ready for a change, they are just waiting on the go ahead from the women.

To define the typical U.S. approach, the words of General George S. Patton come to mind. "No bastard,” he said, “ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."[4]

Adjusting the capitalist system to be humane and responsive to the citizens within it may not be equal to war, but the General’s principle is still applicable. The corporations will become responsive to the people, or they will cease to exist.

Note: Excerpts from Wealth, Women and War are not from the edited copy, they are from the second draft; there are still errors within. I just thought I should clarify that.

[1] Mokhiber , Russell . Top 100 Corporate Criminals of the Decade. Ed. Russell Mokhiber . 22 Jan. 2008 .

[2] Gray, J. (1993). Men, Women and Relationships: Making Peace with the Opposite Sex. New York: HarperCollins, p. 84.

[3] Gray, J. (1993). Men, Women and Relationships: Making Peace with the Opposite Sex. New York: HarperCollins, p. 85.

[4] General George S. Patton Quotes (2008). Retrieved June 18, 2008, from http://www.military-quotes.com/Patton.htm

Bank Transfer Day

2011-11-06T11:08:00.001-08:00

So, how did Bank Transfer go? We don’t know yet. However, we do have an inkling from information inching around the web. This was tweeted by Mark Cassello, Adjunct English professor and writer for the Chicago version of the Huffington Post:

“The Credit Union National Association said Thursday that since Bank of America's debit fee was announced, credit unions had added 650,000 members - vs. 80,000 in an ordinary month - and $4.5 billion in deposits.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/133311428.html#ixzz1cxUnrOWZ

Now here is a question, if enough people stop doing business with the mega banks will the fail, finally? I doubt if we are going to get a good indication of what is happening until Monday, if not the end of the fiscal quarter. The main stream media may be dismissing us, but this kind of action cannot be ignore if the Wizards of Wall Street start taking losses because they are alienating their customers.

There has been considerable talk about just how smart are the 1%-ers – I am sure there is a grammatical error there. There is some truth to their above average intelligence, along with their sociopathic and narcissistic tendencies. However, right now, there are thousands of people in the street who are unhappy with the way the nation is run. These people are not hippies and addicts, most of them have jobs, and are helping others along the way. As Judi Bryan posted on Face Book:

“These are people who are your neighbors, your family, your friends...people you work with, people who provide services to your homes and your businesses! They are not the "other", as some would have you believe. They are US! And they're fed up!”

And the 1%-ers just want to fight them. The current tactic is excessive force by the local Police Departments, and running down protestors in the street. Such attacks do not testify to the superior collective intelligence of the 1%-ers.

The real kicker to all this is that the 1% ers and the corporate citizens in general were warned about this back in 2007/08. That is when I published “Wealth, Women and War.” It is an instruction guide to human behavior in the face of crisis and how they will respond to that crisis. I don’t promote it anymore, but it was written to the powerful of the nation to keep us from getting to this point. They ignore it. Their media dogs ignore it. Yet, it still exists as fair warning to what is coming. And like Abby Hoffman at Wood Stock, when I do tweet, or post what is coming, I am ignored, and virtually, but not literally, booed off the stage.

Maybe, someday, I will get the courage up to explain what comes next, but in the meantime, if you have not moved your money into a small, responsive bank, or Credit Union, please do so. It does matter. It matters far more than anything else I can tell you.

More to come ….

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A Well Oiled Machine

2011-11-06T08:50:00.001-08:00

Organizational Changes made at the Occupy Chicago General Assembly. For more details see OccupyChi.Org

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Why the protest?

2011-11-05T08:19:00.001-07:00

It is, in the end, an individual choice. While I can state the goal of the Occupation when it stepped off back on September 17, 2011, I cannot speak for every individual who has marched, chanted, held their ground at one location or another, or has taken abuse from police. I can only speak for myself.

I have written much about the hypocrisy in the United States. My fight goes back to the days of Bush’s first term. All of the technicians who brought the web to the desktop were summarily dismissed after the Y2K scare standardized the net. Bill Gates, who owns 91% of the desktop computer OS (Operating System) market, no longer needed us. At one time, Microsoft would be considered a monopoly. Today it is cherished as a corporate success, and backed by the likes of Buffett. In the end those who could not afford the retraining were simply dumped. We went from being heroes to zeros in a matter of months. Tens of thousands of jobs were tossed in the ash can, and no one even blinked.

To work in IT today, it is no longer what you know, or what certifications you have, but who you know and who knows you. As the BBC pointed out in 2002 – no I can’t cite that reference – the U.S. economy has all the appearances of being a Third World economy. If you like, the term “Crony Capitalism” is as appropriate description as any. Moreover, if you have been out of IT for more than six months, the hiring managers will not even look at you seriously.

In 2000, a Level 1 technical support agent could make $25.00 an hour, or more. Today, the same position pays $15.00 an hour, if you can land one. That is a big if. And, requires far more training than it did back at the turn of the century. In 1992, $15.00 an hour could keep a family of four functional with a bit of disposable income to help celebrate life. Today, November 5, 2011, it hardly pays the bills. That wage is the new minimum wage even if the *expletive deleted* bureaucrats in the *explicative deleted* government, and our supposed *explicative deleted* representatives don’t know this. When a staple like Gasoline to fuel the nation has doubled over the course of 10 years, and wages have not, how can these *expletive deleted* elected officials not see what is going on? Yet, even Mr. Hope and Change in the White House has utterly ignored what is going on. Ignoring the problem and sending his goon squads to trample the envoys who try desperately to tell him, and the rest of the world, what is happening in the U.S.A.

That is why I am protesting. It is hard to put all that on a sign when marching. But, I figure if I am there, and recording events for posterity, it is a sufficient statement.

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For the Sake of the Record

2011-11-03T06:41:00.001-07:00

Can’t seem to find the words to describe exactly how it feels. I am proud. I am concerned. I am resolute, and resolved to an “end game” that no one seems to be able to envision.

When Dallas Students for a Democratic Society invited Unions to join us in Solidarity on May 1, 2011, the response was less than specular. They said they passed the invitation to their membership, but on the day of the march, rally, and Bar-B-Que the turnout was less than anticipated. Some blame the rain. Others say it was apathy. Yet, others in high places decried SDS, and the whole idea of street politics. Still, we marched. We were there.

Through Facebook, I met @Anon_pinko. In July of 2011, after an eleven month stint of unemployment, I got a “tweet” from @AnonymousIRC. An invitation to support something called Occupy Wall Street. It was dedicated to the goal of getting corporate money out of U.S. politics. The slogan, according to @USDOR was, “One Citizen, One Vote, One Dollar.”

As I was training for my new temporary job, @OccupyWallStreet began tweeting. Around New York City, General Assemblies were being formed. Decisions were made based on a 90% approval vote. A test sleep-in was attempted by the art’s committee. They were all arrested, needless to say. Yet, the arrests were thrown out when it came before the judge.

As the date of the September 17, 2011 “step off” drew closer I explained my situation and limitations to @OccupyWallStreet and @USDOR. People depend on my income, and could not risk my employment. I would keep passing the information through Facebook and Twitter.

When the Occupation started, I was glued to my Computer. Moving information. Replying to questions. Defending the movement ever as it was forming. Before training, and after work, I stayed up to keep track of what was happening. That week, on September 23, 2011 (the first day of Autumn), @OccupyChi (for Occupy Chicago) popped up on twitter. A new front was forming. It was here in Chicago.

More and more occupations were formed. Despite the nay-sayers and the experts, politics were again on the street and out in the open. Yet, so few knew about it. Even WGN in Chicago was ignoring the Occupation. It was not until the NY Police Department decided to riot against the peaceful occupiers that the media began paying attention. It was as if the media wanted to ignore the thousands around the nation protesting the Greed of Corporate America. The decision makes a certain amount of sense when you consider that the media is paid to keep up consumerism (the fancy word for greed). Over the short time the movement grew.

Twice in October, #OccupyChi attempted to camp over night at Congress Square (the Northern plaza at the entrance to Grant Park at Michigan and Congress). Twice the Chicago Police Department made mass arrest. The ordnance violation usually carries a citation. Rahm Emmanuel ordered otherwise. On October 15, 2011 the #Solidarity March and Occupation ended with 175 arrests. The following weekend, on October 22, 2011 the Occupation ended with 150 arrests.

Events transpired. Over the course of the end of October, #OccupyOakland was raided, at night as always, by the Oakland P.D. They ran the Occupation off using Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets, and Ballistic Bean Bags. A two tour Iraqi war veteran, Scott Olsen, was hit in the head by an OPD projectile. The movement grew again. Now police and Veterans joined the movement in force. And so did the population of Oakland, and San Francisco. People who, weeks before, cussed out Anon for #OpBART protesting BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Police Brutality, now cheered the Occupation.

Yesterday, November 2, 2011, , at approximately 8:00 PM CDT, Occupy Oakland shut down the port of Oakland, the fourth largest container port in the U.S. in the largest General Strike in Oakland since 1946.

Most of this remains unnoticed by the establishment, as it still strives to sweep the Occupation into the dust bin, and blame the movement for any police violence. I write this because I have been here on the streets of Chicago, and I have witnessed events.

More to come ….

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Her Name is Sarah

2011-10-29T23:32:00.001-07:00

On Friday, October 28, 2011 while riding the "L" back from Occupy Chicago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah from Occupy Chicago.

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Friday night GA

2011-10-29T21:24:00.001-07:00

Attended the General Assembly on Friday, October 28, 2011. Arrived a bit after it began. The discussion at Congress Square on Michigan at Congress were already under way. During the General Assembly "Critical Mass" joined the General Assembly later in the evening.

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Unto the Breach

2011-10-28T04:08:00.000-07:00

Interesting phrase there, huh? “Unto the breach.” Push through the gap in the line of defense that separates you from the opposition.

"Unto the breach, Brothers"? Only brothers? What of the sisters? Can they stay home, and wait for the men to return covered in glory, in ribbons, or covered in
a flag?

Or shall they, too, stand the line, awaiting this call, to " o'er The Top, Lads!" To charge the guns of the enemy, and race, pumped with fear, stampede with adrenalin, through the gap in the wire laid open by the night's mortar fall?

Do we, who stand the night in the trenches of our defenses, have the luxury of know that our sisters are home safe, or shall we know that they stand shoulder to shoulder with us, to rise and fall with our fate, and calmer for the victory of the 'marrow? I think they do.

We all need to be here; be ready when the cannon roar, and the unseen rounds whistle over head, disturbed in the sleepless night. We all need to rise with the first rays of Ra, the life giver, to charge across the broken land, and fight, fire, and stab, bringing to an end the tyranny of the Usurper’s reign.

So, tiz now the cry, "Into the breach! O'er the Top! And drive the Bastards down to the pits from which they rose!"

True, in all it is true, send them back into the pits of darkness where they chose demonic forces to do their bidding on the land once so free, the land which so embraced liberty, and now is shrouded in darkness, fear, cynicism, distrust, and deceit.

The dark one has covered the land with clouds thicker, more choking, than the white gas that burns the lungs. Into the Breach! Into the Breach! By God's own decree, humanity must be free ... Unto the Breach!

Ready now your will, be sure your soul, be ready with your determined skill, for Ra, the life giver of old does rise!

With dawn comes to the smoking and shattered landscape. As does the Old One rise, so to shall we rise, and charge the breach, with cries, and shouts, that will chill those beyond barricades.

Let them hear our voices barking as the hounds coming upon them to take their souls and send them back to the darkest pits which gave them birth ... Unto the Breach, I say, Unto the Breach!

And then Ra does die again, and the day is ours, and the enemy of liberty is vanquished, let us morn our brothers and sisters who have fallen at their hands. Lt us swear vengeance to the Gods we walk with, and intern our past comrades. Let them be honored as fallen heroes, and let them rise to meet their creator, and find sup with them, and let them commune with the heroes that will this day give their all. Let them find rest from the carnage that is come. Having found rest, let them once again make way to the womb to be born again of woman, and find in the free future that is to come, the long life that was robbed of them by the dark deeds of this Usurper ... Unto the Breach.

Then, finally, knowing that we have won the day, securing liberty for the land, let us put to death this thing called war. Let us, by the final blow of the will, bend our hearts to the peace taken from us by dark deeds done. Let us embrace what is light, and right, and good, and fight our brothers and sisters no more. So now, cry I...

Unto The Breach!

(c) 2006 Well Past Midnight; 2011 version for the Occupy Movement

Holding the Horse

2011-10-25T20:01:00.001-07:00

After the CDP (Chicago Pilice Department) makes their announcements, Occupy Chicago splits into teams per personal decision and conviction to hold the horse as long as possible. Tense stand-off from 11:01 PM, Saturday, October 22, 2011 to 1:00 AM, Sunday, October 23, 2011.

The GA voted to "Take the Horse." Directaction Committee saw that the number of supports did not meet promised attendence or expectation. They brought it to the People. Occupy Chicago held the Horse for two hours. The struggle continues.

In all fairness to the CPD,they must be commended for not responding like the OPD (Oakland Police Department) did in the wee hours of the Morning of Tuesday, October 25, 2011, and after sunset the same day.

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Emergency Discussion

2011-10-24T18:37:00.001-07:00

As the hour approaches, and the number of people staying is woefully insufficient, discussions get heated, and it is brought to the people.

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Party at the Horse

2011-10-23T15:49:00.001-07:00

A Celebration of Freedom at Congress Square at the corners of Congress and Michigan before the Chicago Police cracked down. This is what the Officials are so afraid of?

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Take The Horse: Open Letter to Rahm Emanuel

2011-10-23T10:55:00.001-07:00

Dear Mr. Mayor:

I respect you as a person. I respect your office. I also respect your Police Officers. And I love Chicago. Having laid that as groundwork, I do have to ask one question. What in the hell are you afraid of?

Occupy Chicago is not communist. It is not Republican. It is not an anarchist group. They are Citizens who want to build community, and share their stories, and their lives with their fellow citizens of Chicago, Illinois. Why do you keep harassing them?

The Chicago Park curfew is a remnant of the past that is so seldom enforced that is all but forgotten. You only use it when you need to bludgeon someone. So, why do you see these people, many young, many middle aged, and a few of us grey haired folks, as any kind of political threat?

Mr. Mayor, as good a man as you are, you don't get talked about save for your relationship to #OccupyChi and Congress Square. You have a petition with over 9,000 signatures about that. Can you, please, do something to allow the group to camp there? Is there something in your power you can do?

Sincerely,
Cliff Potts

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The Occupation Continues

2011-10-22T13:54:00.001-07:00

Sunday, October 16, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois at the corner of Jackson and LaSalle. Even after arresting 175 Occupiers at Congress Square, the protest still goes on. The 1% did not give an inch over the past 30 years, the 99% have to take the street for the past 30 days. Be aware, it is not going to let up anytime soon. Tonight, October 22, 2011 Occupy Chi will attempt to stay at Congress Square again. This time lets hope we can stay.

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The Illusive Goal

2011-10-21T22:03:00.001-07:00

By now this may be old news to some but ....

Last Saturday, October 15, 2011, the Occupy Chicago group, protesting for their own grievances, and supporting the Occupy Wall Street Protest, attempted to take the small area at the entrance of Chicago's Grant park called Congress Square at the corner of Congress and Michigan Avenue.

The police were there in force. When the park closed at 11:00 PM, the police told the Occupy Chicago group to disperse.

This curfew, a violation of any adult's rights in the City of Chicago, is a remnant of the Days of Rage in 1968 with the Yippies, SDS, and others took over the park during the Democratic Convention.

At approximately 1:30 AM on Sunday Morning, October 16, 2011. The police, finally reinforced, arrested 175 protestors.

This, of course, in Obama's adopted home town, and only yards from where he celebrated hope and change of his victory in November 2008. What Hope, and Change?

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"Let it be Enough!"

2011-10-21T05:48:00.001-07:00

Inspiring messages from the hearts of speakers at the Rally in Support of Global Occupation on October 15, 2011.

Coming Events

Today, October 21, 2011, there will be a march to Mayor Rahm's Office to deliver a petition containing thousands of signatures calling for Chicago to let Occupy Chicago stay at Congress Square (The Horse -- as seen in the video) at the entrance to Grant Park.

Tomorrow, October 22, 2011, Occupy Chicago will march to Congress and Michigan to once again Occupy Congress Square. The march is scheduled to step off at 7:00 PM. I will be there, of course. This is our city, and our Occupation.

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October 15, 2011: Stepping off in Solidarity

2011-10-20T05:48:00.001-07:00

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) read a "study" that assured him that we, the Occupiers, are living at home. He "hopes" that we are not "protesting our parents." Bet that plays well to the people who voted him into office. Maybe he needs to take a look at the Citizens stepping off in Chicago in Solidarity with all Occupiers around the globe on October 15, 2011.

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Another elected official harps in: Louie, gotta go?

10/15/2011 Not the Tea Party!

2011-10-19T05:53:00.001-07:00

On an interview posted on ABC News, President Obama (still better than Bush) proves how disconnected he is by comparing the Citizens Occupation Movement with Koch's Tea Party (link to be posted). Since Obama does not know the difference, I thought I would take this opportunity to show him (and the world) the Citizens amassed at LaSalle and Jackson just before the Solidarity march for the Worldwide Occupation Movements on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

Obama: Occupy Wall Street ‘Not That Different’ From Tea Party Protest (ABC News)

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10/16/11 Effective Police State

2011-10-17T01:29:00.001-07:00

#OccupyChi marched to the Congress Square with the intent of camping out in solidarity with the Occupy Wold Wide Movement.

At 1:25 AM, having given the Occupiers 90 minutes warning, the Chicago Police Department cleared the square. They arrested 175 Citizens of the United States for being bold enough to air their grievances in public.

I went pack to Congress Square the next day (October 16, 2011) to see what remained.

This video shows the democratic process in action, and the remnants of the end game of the City of Chicago.

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10/8/11 Turth about War

2011-10-16T09:58:00.001-07:00

At the October 8, 2011 joint demonstration between #OccupyChi and the Anti-War coalition, Sgt. B takes the podium to denounce the War against Iraq, and question our involvement in Afghanistan. Maybe this is what all the police activity is really about; someone does not what you to know the truth.

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10/12/11 #OccupyChi Spirit

2011-10-16T08:28:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday I attended my first #OccupyChi General Assembly. The detailed videos are on my YouTube Channel (AmericasMaji). This video is presented to share the sights and sounds of the citizens who have stood up against Corporate Greed in these early days of the 21st Century.

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#OccupyChi Day 16 Oct 8, 2011 - 2

2011-10-09T01:07:00.001-07:00

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