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Published on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 by Common Dreams
'Occupy Congress' Converges on Capitol Hill
Group aims to highlight "broken system," corporate control of elections
UPDATE: OakFoSho is streaming live video here.
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UPDATE: The Atlantic Wire now reports arrests have begun.
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Thousands of protesters under the banner of "Occupy Congress" are expected to converge on Capitol Hill today in what they hope will be the largest Occupy gathering.
From WMAL:
"This is going to be the biggest coming together of the most diverse group of occupiers from around the country," said Ben Zucker, a member of the Occupy D.C. media team, told WMAL.com.
MSNBC reports:
The congressional protest – which falls on the movement's four-month mark and the beginning of a new session of Congress – appears to represent a strategic shift aimed at winning support of the many Americans disillusioned with the legislative branch.
Highlighting the corporate control of politics, one occupier explains to WMAL:
"One of the big grievances ... is the corporate money in politics and corporate influence on politic elections," said Lucas Thayer, 26, a Los Angeles resident who travelled to D.C. for the events. "We feel that corporations own our country now and the people don't actually control it, so it is not a true democracy."
Thayer admitted that Congress has not paid much attention to the protesters but that he was determined to get Americans' attention focused on their message. "Congress doesn't intend to listen to us because we don't have money to give them," he said.
Explaining the motivation behind the day of action, the group says on the Occupy Wall Street website:
Our nation, and our world, is in crisis and our “elected” officials have failed us. They refused to hold their bankrollers—Wall Street—responsible for the financial crimes that bankrupted our nation and destroyed the global economy. This last legislative cycle was the least productive in recorded U.S. history; 90% of the country disapproves of these “elected” officials.
We refuse to accept the grim future that Wall Street’s cronies have designed. We refuse to be the 1%’s captive citizenry. We stand together to show that the 99% are creating a better world.
The 99% will no longer be complacent. Our many voices will be amplified on the steps of Capitol Hill. We shall have a nation by, for, and powered by the people once again. We are building it.
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27 Comments so far
Show AllKate was just giving an example of how to crap on another's posted comments... Some people hoard cats and take good care of them but they get evicted anyway.
"Blessed are the peacemakers"-Jesus said that.
Up the 99.9%! Off the 0.1%
If three or four high profile leaders, (no politicians) would lead,, like a Keith Olbermann, a Kate Shepard or Julia Whitty, a Lee Iacocca or others and about 6 or 7 million of us 99%ers, would stage a (continual) and (*peaceful*) protest in DC, walk the streets and (demand) change "we could blieve in", we might see some changes.... We might get shot? __ Probably not.
Demands for some examples >>>> Outlaw lobbying,,,, limited terms of pblic office,,,, a $.005 payroll tax to be used only for campaign finacncing, no other funds allowed,,,, limit terms for Supreme Court Justices,,,, outlaw campaign TV ads....... Immediately initiate a WPA style work program to put the millions of unemployed and underemployed back to work repairing our infastructures and plant billions of trees,,,, allow growing hemp for it's 5,000 commercial uses, such as safe and totally biodegradable plastics, cloth and papre profucts,,,, outlaw fracking,,,, outlaw deep water oil driling,,,, outlaw oil drilling in the Arctic,,,, build clean energy power plants and replace the coal and uranium fired power plants ASAP,,,, force big business to pay fair taxes,,,, outlaw outsourcing of our jobs,,,, have a two page tax code and banish the IRS,,,, put books back in our schools and outlaw Bush's "No child left behind" scam,,,, bring the troops home and put them to work on repairing infatructures and fighting forest fires,,,, make peace with Cuba,,,, (*restore Demcracy*),,,, etc.... Just a few demands from 5, 6, or 7 million American citizens who have forgotten how to vote for the past 65 years. .
This is the kind of vibe they want to instill everywhere. This is the feeling that the ONePercent adore. The forced atmosphere of total domination and complete indifference to people at every level. They have plans to control us like animals in a factory farm. We must fight this and never give up.
Just say NO F'ing WAY to WAR with IRAN. War Profiteering should be a War Crime.
Direct democracy
This is our new necessity. If we do not grow our own food or have an attachment to a local farm that grows our food (CSA), then Monsanto and other industrialized "food" and chemical producers have us at their mercy.
If your food supply can be cut off at any time - at their whim - you are a slave to them. You cannot go against the system if you are not prepared to be self-sufficient and independent.
All else pales besides this fact.
EVery one of these people needs to go except maybe Kucinich and Sanders. The rest have proven themselves to be liars to the people and whores to money. The same donors backing Romney, back Obama. It's, by design, a lose / lose for the people. We have to get off this Merry go Round.. They ALL MOST GO. THEY ABSOLUTELY MUST AND THEN BANKERS SHOULD BE PROSECUTED EN MASSE, "their" money and assets confiscated, and turned over to higher education for socialized higher education for all, old and young, and the school system at large.
Then we need a complete overhaul of the mortgage finance industry and a whole branch of government to take over the foreclosure mess like we did for Black Lung in the seventies.