Saturday, October 15, 2011
American Autumn Was An Inside Job
www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20115566-503544.html
After "Arab Spring," liberal groups say it's time for "American Autumn"
By Stephanie Condon
October 4, 2011
A coalition of liberal organizations are planning to push for a liberal agenda and recruit progressive politicians at every level of government -- with or without President Obama.
Taking hold of the momentum generated by the "Occupy Wall Street" protests occurring across the country, the liberal leaders have drafted plans to implement what they call an "American Autumn" -- a realignment of American politics inspired by the pro-democracy protests in the Middle East dubbed the "Arab Spring."
The plan will culminate with demonstrations on November 17 -- just ahead of the deadline for the so-called congressional "super committee" to come up with recommendations for finding at least $1.2 trillion in budget savings.
Justin Ruben of MoveOn.org said the November 17 events will be the "exclamation point on the cry for jobs."
The organizers said they want to see action like those recommendations Mr. Obama has put forward in his $447 billion "American Jobs Act." At this point, Republicans are opposed to passing the bill in its entirety, but they've left the door open for compromise on some of its elements.
While liberal leaders say their movement is independent of the president, not all the activists at this week's conference are convinced. Conference attendee Zelda Bronstein said she saw the conference as "too much of a rally" without enough concrete action. She chided liberal leaders for cheering on the president and lambasted Mr. Obama's health care reforms as a "sell out" piece of legislation.
http://news.yahoo.com/occupy-wall-street-u-version-arab-spring-091800745.html
Occupy Wall Street: A U.S. version of the Arab Spring?
By The Week's Editorial Staff
Oct 3, 2011
"Ever since the Arab Spring, many people here have been pining for an American Autumn," says Charles Blow in The New York Times. Well, "the closest we've gotten so far is Occupy Wall Street." Largely ignored for its first two weeks, the Arab Spring-inspired encampment in Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park actually "reminded me a bit of Tahrir Square in Cairo," says Nicholas Kristof, also in The Times. And now, with the New York Police Department's headline-grabbing arrest of 700 marchers on the Brooklyn Bridge this weekend, and similar protests popping up nationwide, the question seems inevitable: Is this leaderless crusade against the powers that be the start of America's own Arab Spring?
This comparison insults the Arab revolutionaries: "There's a lot of frustration out there, much of it legitimate," says James Joyner at Outside the Beltway. But apart from one obvious similarity — the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street both involve "frustrated youth loosely organized using social media" — "it's simply insulting to compare the two." The small bands of U.S. "hippies and hipsters" aren't at risk of being gunned down by brutal despots — at worst they'll be "detained for a few hours and issued a misdemeanor citation for disturbing the peace or impeding traffic. "
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/occupy-wall-street-not-our-arab-awakening/
Occupy Wall Street Not Our Arab Awakening
James Joyner
October 2, 2011
Mob rule is a poor substitute for democracy. A few hundred–or even a few thousand–angry people in the streets is not representative of 310 million people. The last thing we need in America is to increase the level of rancor and noise.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Steering Committee Running #OccupyWallStreet In Secret
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2011/10/secretive-inner-circle-of-occupy-wall.html
The Secretive Inner Circle of 'Occupy Wall Street'
Robert Wenzel
October 12, 2011
John Carney has an excellent long essay detailing the sights and sounds of "Occupy Wall Street."
Carney's description pretty much falls in line with what I have seen at the two "Occupy DC" locations, one at Freedom Plaza and one at MacPherson Square. There are general assemblies, other meetings, planning and respect for one another.
But, the NYC "Occupy Wall Street" also has a secretive inner circle. Carney describes it this way:
Just a bit west of the library there is what appears to be the inner circle of Occupy Wall Street. Several people, many working on laptops powered by a portable generator, sit in an area closed off by tables.
Most people—including protesters—are kept out by beefy people whose blue arm bands mark them as members of the security group. Exactly what this secretive group is doing is not clear.
“They’re media relations, and outreach and planning,” one person said.
So why are outsiders being kept from the area? No one would answer.
And so, ironically, there’s a no trespassing policy enforced at Occupy Wall Street.
Obviously, a secretive inner circle is not good. The protesters outside the inner circle need to be asking this secretive inner core who they are communicating with and why.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
MAN PLUMMETS TO DEATH AT OCCUPY SAN DIEGO RALLY; TRAGEDY RAISES QUESTIONS
http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/7529
Update October 12: ECM News partner 10 News reports that the victim was Kyle Wyborn Pearson, 42, according to a spokesman with the Imperial County District Attorney's Office. Pearson had missed a pretrial hearing on charges that he killed a Caltrans employee in a hit-and-run car accident. Authorities have not officially released his identity or determined cause of death.
By Miriam Raftery
October 11, 2011 (San Diego)—The sound of a man plummeting to his death will likely haunt the hundreds who heard it yesterday afternoon at the Civic Center Plaza. I was interviewing protesters at the Occupy San Diego encampment when I heard what sounded like a small explosion, followed by a thunderous crash. Looking up, I saw a parking garage wall spattered with blood and brains.
“Someone jumped,” a voice nearby shouted as gasps of horror rippled through the crowd. But was it really a suicide? Troubling details and eyewitness accounts suggest the man who plunged to his death may have been the victim of a tragic accident, or possibly even foul play.
A loudspeaker voice urged someone to call 911. I fumbled with my new smart phone, but couldn’t read the screen in the sunlight to dial; fortunately others did. Police on scene for security at the rally reached the victim within moments and San Diego Firefighters arrived swiftly as well. The victim was prounounced dead due to the obvious trauma.
The victim was a white middle-aged man with a slight paunch, wearing shorts and a white short-sleeved casual shirt. A cast-off shoe lay nearby. He reminded me of a favorite uncle, possibly a tourist. He certainly wasn’t dressed for business downtown, nor did he look like a vagrant. Lying in a crumpled heap, legs bent at unnatural angles, he looked both small and vulnerable as officers covered him with a yellow tarp.
How, I wondered, had his life come to end this way? That thought, and the horrific images, have played over and over in my mind.
He has not yet been identified, according to the Medical Examiner. I questioned numerous protesters and media representatives for Occupy San Diego, but none recognized the victim.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, flyers reading “Important message to intelligent earthlings from your creators” were found near his body. However police indicated yesterday that they did not believe he was connected to the Occupy San Diego rally. There were also conflicting reports that someone had been hanging a banner a short time earlier, and that perhaps the man had fallen while trying to secure it to a railing.
San Diego Police officers at the scene declined to comment on the
cause of death. I spoke with dozens of protesters and others who were present. Not one that I interviewed had seen the man actually jump. Nor, oddly, did any of those I spoke with recall seeing a man standing or sitting on the railing, something many suicidal people will do as they contemplate whether to jump or not. Possibly police have other witnesses, but if so they have not released the information.
One woman did, however, swear that she heard a gunshot and then looked up to see the man fall to his death. “I used to own a gun store,” she told ECM, “and this was no suicide.” The witness, a protester who asked that her name not be published, also spoke to a police officer at the scene. She told ECM that she saw a man leaning over a railing around the fifth story just as the victim fell to his death; she claimed the man in the parking structure was a white man with long hair, wearing a plaid shirt. Other media reported that the victim was believed to have jumped or fallen from the seventh, not fifth, story.
A police helicopter searched the surrounding area for an extended period following the tragedy; officers also searched the parking garage while others combed the scene for evidence and interviewed potential witnesses.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune and other media, police initially indicated the death was a suicide late yesterday.
But early this morning, the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office posted a report stating the man fell to his death accidentally while attempting to post a banner. Yet when ECM called San Diego Police to ask for an explanation of the discrepancy, SDPD spokesman Gary Hassen said the department was looking into it. A call to the Medical Examiner’s office elicited news that the report was based on a preliminary police report and would be updated. Soon after, it was. The reference to the banner was removed and the Medical Examiner’s site now states merely that the man was found dead after apparently falling. An autopsy is pending.
Other media reported that police confirmed there was no suicide note. With the man’s identity still unknown and next of kin not contacted, his mental state is presumably unknown. So what led police to conclude that the man killed himself? A finding of suicide can have serious consequences for the victim’s survivors, since insurance companies won’t pay off on a policy if a person is found to have taken his or her own life.
ECM has asked Hassen what led police to conclude the death was a suicide so quickly, before an autopsy has been performed. In an e-mail sent today, we also asked for confirmation on reports that there was no suicide note. We inquired whether there is any evidence that would point to a suicide rather than an accident or even being pushed or assaulted prior to the decedent falling from the parking garage. in addition, we asked what story in the parking garage police believe the man jumped or fell from, and what led to that conclusion.
As for whether a gunshot wound has been ruled out, Hassen advised ECM to contact the medical examiner’s office. We did but have not received a reply. An autopsy was to have been done today, but results are not yet posted. We have also asked the medical examiner whether a fall from five to seven stories would cause blood to spatter upwards of 20 feet or more, as was evident on the building.
A second death downtown occurred today in the Columbia Center vicinity, just blocks away. A man was found in a dumpster, having apparently slid head-first down a trash chute. According to early news reports, police indicated the death could have been a suicide or accident. In comment sections on media sites, some have questioned why foul play was not also listed as a possibility and speculation also arose as to why the Civic Center death was so hastily deemed a suicide.
The Civic Center tragedy cast a pall over a previously upbeat mood among hundreds gathered at the Occupy San Diego rally, where the number of those camping out grew from 78 to 97 by last night, with many more turning out for marches and speeches. A march on Friday drew some 1,500 to 3,000 people, depending whose estimates one believes.
Yesterday, however, a 4 p.m. march was cancelled due to the tragedy only about a half hour before the scheduled march. Instead, some demonstrators formed an impromptu prayer circle. All seemed deeply moved by the death. Later in the evening, a candlelight vigil was held in the man's memory.
If the unknown man truly did leap to his death, perhaps distraught from loss of a job or home in the current economy, then his death carries a deeper meaning. Occupy San Diego, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street national movement, has been encamped in the plaza where the anonymous man died in order to protest bailouts of big banks and undue corporate influence on Congress when millions of Americans are suffering economic hardships.
Was the anonymous man who plummeted to his death yesterday a victim of those very forces that Occupy San Diego is protesting? Or was his demise an unrelated tragedy?
Questions remain, and thus far, answers remain elusive.
Update October 12: ECM News partner 10 News reports that the victim was Kyle Wyborn Pearson, 42, according to a spokesman with the Imperial County District Attorney's Office. Pearson had missed a pretrial hearing on charges that he killed a Caltrans employee in a hit-and-run car accident. Authorities have not officially released his identity or determined cause of death.
By Miriam Raftery
October 11, 2011 (San Diego)—The sound of a man plummeting to his death will likely haunt the hundreds who heard it yesterday afternoon at the Civic Center Plaza. I was interviewing protesters at the Occupy San Diego encampment when I heard what sounded like a small explosion, followed by a thunderous crash. Looking up, I saw a parking garage wall spattered with blood and brains.
“Someone jumped,” a voice nearby shouted as gasps of horror rippled through the crowd. But was it really a suicide? Troubling details and eyewitness accounts suggest the man who plunged to his death may have been the victim of a tragic accident, or possibly even foul play.
A loudspeaker voice urged someone to call 911. I fumbled with my new smart phone, but couldn’t read the screen in the sunlight to dial; fortunately others did. Police on scene for security at the rally reached the victim within moments and San Diego Firefighters arrived swiftly as well. The victim was prounounced dead due to the obvious trauma.
The victim was a white middle-aged man with a slight paunch, wearing shorts and a white short-sleeved casual shirt. A cast-off shoe lay nearby. He reminded me of a favorite uncle, possibly a tourist. He certainly wasn’t dressed for business downtown, nor did he look like a vagrant. Lying in a crumpled heap, legs bent at unnatural angles, he looked both small and vulnerable as officers covered him with a yellow tarp.
How, I wondered, had his life come to end this way? That thought, and the horrific images, have played over and over in my mind.
He has not yet been identified, according to the Medical Examiner. I questioned numerous protesters and media representatives for Occupy San Diego, but none recognized the victim.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, flyers reading “Important message to intelligent earthlings from your creators” were found near his body. However police indicated yesterday that they did not believe he was connected to the Occupy San Diego rally. There were also conflicting reports that someone had been hanging a banner a short time earlier, and that perhaps the man had fallen while trying to secure it to a railing.
San Diego Police officers at the scene declined to comment on the
cause of death. I spoke with dozens of protesters and others who were present. Not one that I interviewed had seen the man actually jump. Nor, oddly, did any of those I spoke with recall seeing a man standing or sitting on the railing, something many suicidal people will do as they contemplate whether to jump or not. Possibly police have other witnesses, but if so they have not released the information.One woman did, however, swear that she heard a gunshot and then looked up to see the man fall to his death. “I used to own a gun store,” she told ECM, “and this was no suicide.” The witness, a protester who asked that her name not be published, also spoke to a police officer at the scene. She told ECM that she saw a man leaning over a railing around the fifth story just as the victim fell to his death; she claimed the man in the parking structure was a white man with long hair, wearing a plaid shirt. Other media reported that the victim was believed to have jumped or fallen from the seventh, not fifth, story.
A police helicopter searched the surrounding area for an extended period following the tragedy; officers also searched the parking garage while others combed the scene for evidence and interviewed potential witnesses.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune and other media, police initially indicated the death was a suicide late yesterday.
But early this morning, the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office posted a report stating the man fell to his death accidentally while attempting to post a banner. Yet when ECM called San Diego Police to ask for an explanation of the discrepancy, SDPD spokesman Gary Hassen said the department was looking into it. A call to the Medical Examiner’s office elicited news that the report was based on a preliminary police report and would be updated. Soon after, it was. The reference to the banner was removed and the Medical Examiner’s site now states merely that the man was found dead after apparently falling. An autopsy is pending.
Other media reported that police confirmed there was no suicide note. With the man’s identity still unknown and next of kin not contacted, his mental state is presumably unknown. So what led police to conclude that the man killed himself? A finding of suicide can have serious consequences for the victim’s survivors, since insurance companies won’t pay off on a policy if a person is found to have taken his or her own life.
ECM has asked Hassen what led police to conclude the death was a suicide so quickly, before an autopsy has been performed. In an e-mail sent today, we also asked for confirmation on reports that there was no suicide note. We inquired whether there is any evidence that would point to a suicide rather than an accident or even being pushed or assaulted prior to the decedent falling from the parking garage. in addition, we asked what story in the parking garage police believe the man jumped or fell from, and what led to that conclusion.
As for whether a gunshot wound has been ruled out, Hassen advised ECM to contact the medical examiner’s office. We did but have not received a reply. An autopsy was to have been done today, but results are not yet posted. We have also asked the medical examiner whether a fall from five to seven stories would cause blood to spatter upwards of 20 feet or more, as was evident on the building.
A second death downtown occurred today in the Columbia Center vicinity, just blocks away. A man was found in a dumpster, having apparently slid head-first down a trash chute. According to early news reports, police indicated the death could have been a suicide or accident. In comment sections on media sites, some have questioned why foul play was not also listed as a possibility and speculation also arose as to why the Civic Center death was so hastily deemed a suicide.
The Civic Center tragedy cast a pall over a previously upbeat mood among hundreds gathered at the Occupy San Diego rally, where the number of those camping out grew from 78 to 97 by last night, with many more turning out for marches and speeches. A march on Friday drew some 1,500 to 3,000 people, depending whose estimates one believes.
Yesterday, however, a 4 p.m. march was cancelled due to the tragedy only about a half hour before the scheduled march. Instead, some demonstrators formed an impromptu prayer circle. All seemed deeply moved by the death. Later in the evening, a candlelight vigil was held in the man's memory.
If the unknown man truly did leap to his death, perhaps distraught from loss of a job or home in the current economy, then his death carries a deeper meaning. Occupy San Diego, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street national movement, has been encamped in the plaza where the anonymous man died in order to protest bailouts of big banks and undue corporate influence on Congress when millions of Americans are suffering economic hardships.
Was the anonymous man who plummeted to his death yesterday a victim of those very forces that Occupy San Diego is protesting? Or was his demise an unrelated tragedy?
Questions remain, and thus far, answers remain elusive.
Obama Officially Embraces OccupyWallStreet
http://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-ties-obama-to-occupy-wall-street-2011-10
It's Official: Obama Has Embraced Occupy Wall Street
Zeke Miller
Oct. 11, 2011
White House Senior Adviser David Plouffe embraced the Occupy Wall Street protests on behalf of President Barack Obama in an interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday.
“The protests you’re seeing are the same conversations people are having in living rooms and kitchens all across America,” Plouffe told George Stephanopoulos. “People are very frustrated by an economy that does not reward hard work and responsibility, where Wall Street and Main Street don’t seem to play by the same set of rules. The question is, on Wall Street reform, which the president passed, for instance most of the Republicans in Congress, and I believe all the Republicans on the stage tonight in New Hampshire, they want to unwind Wall Street reform.”
“If you’re concerned about Wall Street and our financial system, the president is standing on the side of consumers and the middle class and a lot of these Republicans are basically saying, you know what, let’s go back to the same policies that led us to the great recession in the first place,” he added.
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