Maybe so, but I think it was the WAY that the protestors were peppersprayed that is just &*@#$&*&*(@*&$#(*&^!!. Typically that method is reserved for people who are directly attacking the police; otherwise, SOP is that pepper spray should be sprayed in their general area to disperse them (not directly in their face).

 

 

Exactly.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ie-Xr6NMY]The OWS Will Fail - Here's Why - YouTube[/ame]

It's now illegal to grow your own food in New Zealand. I shit you not.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhKEZauNENs&feature=feedu]# 766 Illegal to Grow Food - YouTube[/ame]

 

Last week I actually made the decision to start growing an indoor garden, and this news only goes to confirm that people's main priority needs to be SELF SUFFICIENCY. Invest in a variety organic seeds from an honest source, and make sure they will produce seed that won't be sterile. If not for immediate use, they can still be stored for the future. But having the know-how as soon as you can about this stuff is becoming more and more essential.

 

There are some great videos on Youtube that can teach you all the required steps you need to take to successfully grow your own food without much hassle. It's actually a lot less daunting than it sounds, and far cheaper than you might think. Hydroponics and solar panels would be the next steps to ensure that you can still grow food independent of electricity if need be.

 

Food is the currency of the future guys. I'm not quite sure most people are quite aware of the gravity of the situation, but investing time in teaching yourself how to do this sort of thing will be absolutely priceless down the road.

^^It's now illegal to grow your own food in New Zealand? That seems absurd, though Bechtel's attempted control of all of the water in Bolivia seemed even more absurd as well, so I suppose this is possible. Please explain more.

 

> What I found compelling today was a quote in Jim Hightower's Lowdown, a quote taken from Thomas Paine's writings:

" It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same."

 

It's now illegal to grow your own food in New Zealand. I shit you not.

 

Why are all Western Democracies moving toward totalitarianism?

 

Maybe regulatory democracy isn't the best form of government...

Why are all Western Democracies moving toward totalitarianism?

 

Maybe regulatory democracy isn't the best form of government...

>>It isn't that having regulations is the problem, it is those who write the regulations and to whom they owe allegiance, for those who have consolidated power and bought off our governments often regulate in a manner that defiles our rights. Case in point: the power of Bechtel to buy Bolivia's water rights wasn't a choice made by the people, indeed it was the tipping point for the citizens to throw off the yoke of oppressive corporate powers. Here, I believe the same has been done to the frequency spectrum, it is absurd to allow any entity to purchase what is clearly in the commons, common not just to us, but to the universe itself. Regaining control of our governments and creating a fair system for candidate speech and press is paramount in order to achieving true democracy.<<

I found this empowering!: Occupy Wall Street | NYC Protest for World Revolution

The following proposal was passed by a massive general assembly today at UC Davis:

The UC Board of Regents, who not only represent but actually are this state’s richest one percent, has repeatedly shown itself to be utterly unfit to manage and represent the interests of the students, faculty, and workers who constitute the University of California.

Following two successive years of sharp tuition increases, accompanied by millions in department and resource cuts, layoffs, and furloughs, the board had the audacity to propose a new 81% fee increase and drastic budget reductions.

Undergraduate student fees have tripled over the past ten years, as we have seen an unprecedented explosion of student debt; and departmental budgets have shrunk, as academic and non-academic workers experience diminishing benefits, swelling workloads, and non-existent job security.

In the midst of the economic crisis, the Regents have intensified their pursuit of the project of privatization and de-funding that diminish the quality of education and quality of life for those across the UC, while consigning students’ futures to greater and greater sums of debt.

The Regents’ theft of an ostensibly public resource to fund “capital projects” such as construction projects and private research initiatives, demonstrate a clear conflict of interests that benefits a narrow administrative elite—both the Regents and their local appointees (chancellors and vice chancellors)—at the expense of the greater faculty, staff, and student body.

The familiar rhetoric of austerity demands our resigned compliance, as our learning and working conditions progressively deteriorate. We have seen recently and in years past that political dissent is met with increasingly violent displays of force and repression by University police.

The continued destruction of higher education in California, and the repressive forms of police violence that sustain it, cannot be viewed apart from larger economic and political systems that concentrate wealth and political power in the hands of the few.

Since the university has long served as one of the few means of social mobility and for the proliferation of knowledge critical to and outside of existing structures of power, the vital role it plays as one of the few truly public resources is beyond question.

The necessity of reclaiming the UC has never demanded such urgency, as it continues to shift towards the corporate model, pursues dubious fiscal partnerships (such as those with the defense department and international agribusiness), and engages in disturbing collusion with financial institutions like US Bank (which is one of the largest profiteers from student loans).

As such, I propose that in light of the upcoming Regents’ vote on Monday the 28th, (which will be occurring on four campuses simultaneously, one of which being UC Davis), that we call for a general strike this same day, with the aim of shutting down campuses across the state and preventing the Regents from holding their vote.

In response to the intolerable effects privatization and austerity and the horrific repression of student dissent that has occurred throughout the last month, the GA, as a governing body of all concerned UC Davis students, will prevent the Board of Regents from continuing its unbridled assault upon higher education in the state of California.

This will entail total campus participation in shutting down the operations of the university on the 28th, including teaching, working, learning, and transportation, as we will collectively divert our efforts to blocking their vote

. In doing so students, faculty and workers assert the power—and the will—to effectively represent and manage ourselves.

Quote from Mohamed El-Erian, of bond fund Pimco:

 

"Let me tell you what I find most terrifying: we’re having this discussion about a risk of recession at a time when unemployment is already too high, at a time when a quarter of homeowners are underwater on their mortgages, at a time when the fiscal deficit is 9%, a time when interest rates are at zero. These are all conditions coming out of a recession, not going into a recession."

 

Think about the increase in the national debt: what took this nation the first 200 years of its existence to accumulate was doubled in the last five years. What do we have to show for it?

 

If government spending really is the magic bullet to fight poverty and recession, why doesn't it seem to be getting us out of this one? In fact, it seems to be drawing us into another, deeper recession...

 

It isn't that having regulations is the problem, it is those who write the regulations and to whom they owe allegiance, for those who have consolidated power and bought off our governments often regulate in a manner that defiles our rights

 

Right, and this is a fundamental problem with regulatory democracy as a form of government. There is no "solution" to be found in government itself, because government is corruptible.

 

The solutions offered by OWS are similar to religious people saying "pray harder".

 

As a mechanism for bringing prosperity and honesty to society, government is a circular argument.

Quote from Mohamed El-Erian, of bond fund Pimco:

 

 

 

Think about the increase in the national debt: what took this nation the first 200 years of its existence to accumulate was doubled in the last five years. What do we have to show for it?

 

If government spending really is the magic bullet to fight poverty and recession, why doesn't it seem to be getting us out of this one? In fact, it seems to be drawing us into another, deeper recession...

.

That's a good point, but to my knowledge, we had zero national debt under President Clinton, and when Bush took office, I believe his policy of drastically dropping the taxation rate for the wealthy and super-wealthy, combined with increased government spending skyrocketed the US government's debt. Now it seems that, given the recession and advice our current President is getting, along with the conservative's unwillingness to pass new spending measures, the ability to adequately stimulate the economy seems to be unattainable. If noted economist Richard Wolff's opinion is considered, even if we stimulate the economy, we've lost so much of our manufacturing infrastructure, the wages and value added would go elsewhere. And since the debt was wrung up by giving lavish tax breaks mainly to the upper part of the 1%, and if it is true they invested in the banking sector and in creating mortgage backed securities instead of revamping plants and employing more workers, then all that which would have otherwise stimulated the economy went into mechanisms which further immersed the working classes into debt. So more spending hasn't materialized because the money isn't in the hands of workers to buy goods and services, and we may have lost so much of our manufacturing base, the value added and income has gone elsewhere. Insofar as I see it, a government controlled by the upper tip of the 1% probably won't see things in terms of helping the working classes economically or otherwise, unless some think long-term and broaden their views to see how general prosperity requires greater economic equity in society.

 

Right, and this is a fundamental problem with regulatory democracy as a form of government. There is no "solution" to be found in government itself, because government is corruptible.

 

The solutions offered by OWS are similar to religious people saying "pray harder".

 

As a mechanism for bringing prosperity and honesty to society, government is a circular argument.

 

> So I think we have a different ideological assumption about which path is better. I believe it is possible to attain a system of effective checks and balances, to produce a robust Democracy once again, responsive to a well educated citizenry and thus capable of better regulation on behalf of our collective best interests. I feel you may see that it is impossible to achieve honest government, so the answer is to shrink it as much as possible, as transactions between individuals and groups beats the use of government as a tool for unscrupulous types who use government as a hammer and fist to squash competition.

And at present, things don't look so wonderful in many ways with how the regulatory body is used, or who controls the government, I have to say. But I put faith in the belief that we can achieve a more honest government, a more fair and enlightened system.

 

Occupy Seattle Occupies Wal-Mart

 

Posted 7 hours ago on Nov. 23, 2011, 1:46 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

On Friday, November 25th, Occupy Seattle will join Occupy Tacoma, Occupy Bellingham and Occupy Everett in a statewide protest at Wal-Mart in Renton at 2:00pm.

With its long history of mistreating workers and suppliers, its recent announcement of significant cutbacks on employee health care, and its obscene profits, Wal-Mart is a prime example of how the 99% are suffering at the hands of the 1%.

Occupy Wall Street | NYC Protest for World Revolution

If workers in America and Europe think they're mistreated now, wait til labor fully arbitrages between the developing nations and the first-world countries!

 

There are 7 billion people on this earth, and I guarantee you there's almost always someone out there who's willing to do the same thing you do for half the price.

If workers in America and Europe think they're mistreated now, wait til labor fully arbitrages between the developing nations and the first-world countries!

 

There are 7 billion people on this earth, and I guarantee you there's almost always someone out there who's willing to do the same thing you do for half the price.

> I think workers in America and Europe won't settle for letting their wages slip further, instead we need to promote better wages globally for all. The mantra of free trade fails to account for the desire to maintain & raise descent standards of living in the northern hemisphere, while raising the standards of living in all parts of the world.

> True, but then protecting higher wages is becoming a priority for many today, as allowing wages to decline further endangers our democracies, and the wellness of all citizens. Yes, it is possible to have both rising wages in developed countries, and rising wages in developing countries.

If workers in America and Europe think they're mistreated now, wait til labor fully arbitrages between the developing nations and the first-world countries!

 

LOL I cant wait either high five bro!!

LOL I cant wait either high five bro!!

 

I know, imagine how cheap everything will be! Let's get some competition up in heauh.

Imagine loosing our democracy as we loose the middle class. ^^. I think our founding fathers in the U.S. wisely chose to bolster the growth of the middle class as a way to increase the strength of our democracy, something we don't want to just let slide backwards anymore, instead we ought to be promoting an increase in the number of middle class families, and promote the same upward mobility and wage increases everywhere.

On track with our higher values, Occupy Wall Street's activists are sharing a meal this Thanksgiving, something more akin to what togetherness and thankfulness is all about.

 

After Feeding Thousands, OWS Sits Down in Liberty Square

 

Posted 7 hours ago on Nov. 24, 2011, 6:09 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Today, Occupations across the U.S. have shown that the 99% Movement can do more than protest—we can also take care of one another. Across the world, people still reeling from homelessness, poverty, foreclosures, and economic inequality have a lot less to be thankful for. But today, we reminded ourselves -- and the world -- that we can still be thankful for our mutual solidarity. From D.C. to Oakland and everywhere in between, Occupiers sat down for communal meals. Others marked Thanksgiving by honoring indigenous Native communities and First Nations who continue to fight for their land and sovereignty against colonialism and corporate greed.

 

In New York, Occupy The Hood dropped off hundreds of meals at shelters across Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The OWS kitchen cooked enough warm meals for 4000 people and handed them out at Liberty Square. Meals were also delivered to churches that have sheltered displaced residents from Liberty Square and to the Occupations at New School and Rockaway. Following dinner, there was a spontaneous sit-in in solidarity with the many people who lost their place of rest when OWS was raided on November 15th.

Occupy Wall Street | NYC Protest for World Revolution

 

And to get things to change, tackling the 800-pound gorilla in the room will be the biggest challenge, but the most crucial thing we must do. :elephant:

Campaign Finance Reform, and the amendments being put forth, are critical to setting up and making possible legislation to regulate the money flowing into politics, and prevent a legal challenge from again undermining our rights to fair elections and fair campaigns.

Linktv coverage of Occupy Wall Street and Tahrir Square Uprising: Occupy: From Tahrir Square to Wall Street to... | Link TV

It's now illegal to grow your own food in New Zealand. I shit you not.

 

I'm from New Zealand and haven't heard a single word about this

I haven't followed the matter, but it could be buried in a bill someone introduced, it's possible if your government in NZ is anything as good as ours is at passing bills without reading them!

 

News of Promise and Hope for Humanity:

This Black Friday, as millions of Americans scramble to find the "best deals" on consumer goods, thousands of Chinese manufacturing workers are striking to demand livable wages, job security, and other basic rights. In Huangjiang alone, 8,000 striking shoe factory workers took the streets Thursday, blocking roads and standing down lines of riot police. Their factory, owned Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings, is a major provider to the sportswear company New Balance.

 

It seems fair to say these workers are striking for a "new balance" with their management, and the system of global exploitation that management serves. Facing police repression and media censorship, striking Chinese workers are standing up against the same unfair economic system we are fighting on Wall Street and across the world. Today, Occupiers everywhere are standing up to Boycott Black Friday in an effort to raise awareness about the exploitation and inequalities that produce the goods Americans purchase.

Occupy Wall Street | NYC Protest for World Revolution

Can you say "Conflict of Interest" :rolleyes::laugh3: Naah, it just can't be so! However, that overlap neglects the Republicans, who are at least as complicit with corporate America.

It's not a party thing, it's an anti-corruption thing, this Occupy Wall Street Movement thing.

I found it informative that the practice of using child labor indentured to plantations in Africa to grow produce the raw cocoa beans is still very much the case. From a consumer point-of-view, buying fair-trade chocolate is one option, but from a political point-of-view, ending the buying of our governments restores the ability of government legislatively to set trade policies that can penalize bad actors who employ child slave labor in their products, and promote good actors who treat their employees fairly.

A call to all who care: Chocolate Isn't Worth Child Slavery - The Petition Site

Occupy Wall Street | NYC Protest for World Revolution

I found it interesting and reaffirming of faith in humanity to see someone from the 1% protesting with the 99%, recognizing that the economic inequities are unjust and must change.

 

The place to get organized at is: Occupy Together | Home

The Occupied Amendment, lets put an end to the corporate buying of elections, an end to corporate personhood!

Latest News | The OCCUPIED Amendment

The Occupied Amendment, lets put an end to the corporate buying of elections, an end to corporate personhood!

Latest News | The OCCUPIED Amendment

as great as that would be to make elections fair you know that will never be passed.

 

Kyle Bass, hedge fund manager

 

Discussing gold and the upcoming "apocalypse". (His word, not mine.)

 

"The bottom line is, we either take a lot of pain now, or apocalyptic pain later."

 

"I think [the government will] just continue to print money, actually."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8932687/Portugal-raids-pension-funds-to-meet-deficit-targets.html

 

"Portugal has raided €5.6bn (£4.8bn) of pension fund assets in a controversial scramble to meet its deficit targets."

 

There goes the Portuguese retirements!