Well, yes, certainly, more ideas anyway. And anyone is welcome to have them.

As a matter of fact they are asking us for them.

Email us with your ideas for this declaration and petition at: The99Declaration@gmail.com or join this Working Group by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the99declaration/ and the Working Group Forum at http://the99delegation.forumotion.com/.

Thank you so much, Miss Tick and SmoothButch, for posting these artifacts (documents).

I would love to attend in Philadelphia next summer!
Hopefully I won't have to hitchhike my way to the event. ;)

I think the instrument presented is ambitious also; but I think that with what time constraints and deadlines the members of the WGF were against, I think they did fairly well in putting this instrument together.

At the moment, I can see that maybe no. 7 might need the language tightened a bit or at least review other prior case law tested in the Supreme Court pertaining to how current law is (or has been) applied in the past. The reason I say this is because, do we have access to environmental law with rules and regulations that are useful or are the current rules and regs lacking specificity?

I have a current 2011 edition of Communication Law and I could check to see if there are examples of prior case law tested in the Environmental arena and see if, for myself or anyone else, if what we have existing on the books equals or comes near enough to the language drawn in no. 7.

That's the only flag that comes to my attention at this time in examining the current instrument that has been drawn by the WFG.

Thanks again, Miss Tick and SmoothButch!

Well one of my concerns is 20. I think that the vast majority of our troops need to be home from Iraq and Afghanistan. However, I am afraid of what might happen if we just pull EVERYONE out at the same time. We have made a huge mess there, so to up and leave it without things all put back together sets off alarms for me.

The One Percent
 

This is an excellent documentary. I am just linking part 1 but you folks can find the other parts on youtube if you follow the links.

Great interview and speaker. I have also seen police in riot gear when there was no riot. We had gone down to protest W's second inauguration (and what a dark day that was). Some kids were pulling on one of the fences (there were two high fences between us and the motorcade, as well snippers on roof tops and helicopters overhead). That's all they were doing - pulling a little on a fence.

In came the riot police in double file, and people just fled. Nevertheless, in the fray as the riot police doubled back, some woman decided to take me on about my anti-war stance - interesting timing and context.

This veteran presents some very good challenges and observations on the status quo.

You can get it on Netflix as well... really great documentary...

His father's anguish (and stubbornness) is stunning...

Absolutely, we need local real food. Not GMO crops and not veggies from 2000 miles away.

http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst..._wall_street_/

Yeah, I knew all this anti-semitic stuff was just right wing propaganda and lies.

i was up till the wee hours of the night watching this. then had to pull a 14 hour day right after. i just got home. i blame you :P however excellent flick. loved it :)

i think i was a little taken aback by how uncomfortable people with money are with talking about....money. i think money comes up all the time amongst my circles. we discuss it like we discuss sports, or weekend plans, or any other kind of idle chatter. we wanna know who's got what so we can figure out who's buying coffee on friday. or we bitch about the bills. or how little we get paid (if we even have a job). but these people act like having a conversation is akin to mentioning the name Valdemort in the Harry Potter series. it was almost laughable.

/ramble

food. a topic near and dear to my heart. there are many problems with this direction even though i completely agree with you. i truly wish it were that simple. a few tidbits....

~farmers make up 1% or less (oh the irony) of all occupations in America. the number is so small that the word "farmer" isn't even listed on the census anymore.

~corps have addicted the public to A.) hfcs and B.) absurdly low prices for food (which is part of a whole slew of other hidden agendas that could take days to hash out)

~not all places in America CAN be farmed to supply local cities in towns

~importing. need i say more?

~farming to feed cattle, pork, etc. lots of issues surrounding that.

i mean, it goes on and on and on. i won't even get into farming practices themselves cuz that could take another week right there. the main thing is that the food supply is so severely fucked up on so many levels that it could take decades to clean it up. literally. however, i think gmo's are a good start. incidentally, one of the reason we can't export our food supply is because the rest of the world doesn't want our gmo garbage contaminating their food supply. but we never hear about THAT in the news. getting rid of gmos could help us export crops, which, would mean farmers could actually make a living. and that's just the beginning. that topic is so deep it makes my head spin and keeps me up at night.

This is the craziest shit ever.....
 

Occupy Wall Street's $435,000 In Donations Could Last The Winter
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1019352.html

Yeah I watched a couple of docos about it and read about a bunch of shit that Monsanto did (like trying to put a patent on the pig). :| I didn't even think about places not being able to be farmed on, that's a good point. However, it seems like there is a lot of land outside of cities that can be used. Also there are lots of people doing urban farming for the little neighborhoods that they live in, I know of 3 here in Austin, plus 2 more farmers markets. I know not everyone can afford it but I think that the government should pitch in to help make costs lower for everyone when comes to natural non gmo foods for us to eat.

Naomi Wolf: how I was arrested at Occupy Wall Street

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...?newsfeed=true

Yes, we could, should, and will, and I would encourage anyone to start a garden at home (even a pot with a basil plant is a start) and look into permaculture and food forests and "edible landscaping." "Food forests" are already being created in places like Philadelphia, and permaculture is growing in presence and understanding = permacultures which allowed one California family to create enough food for itself on 1/10th an acre and be able to sustain itself financially selling food to upscale restaurants.

Industrial agriculture is highly problematic. 1) It is dependent on the petro-chemical cycle of propping up lifeless, ruined soil with fertilizers (petroleum based) and maintaining wide swaths of monocultures (like corn and soy) with herbcides/insecticides. It is therefore highly dependent on oil and oil prices, and is a large contributor to C02 emissions. 2) It demands high water use and contaminates water. 3) It promotes heavy soil loss. 4) It creates an unnatural representation of nature that is ripe for all of these conditions.

Permaculture works with the prevailing natural system and embraces, supports and promotes biodiversity, guilds of companion plants working together, and, frankly, a rich, beautiful and sustainable paradise. It also promotes social justice, sharing and planetary care.

Here is a good beginning, but there are many other videos available on You Tube:

he's never had to want for nothing. Also I see a thread of pure ignorance and selfishness. I'm sure its also conditioning.

I don't have a problem with wealthy families. I have a problem with how the government allows them to get away with shit. I have a problem with corruption. If you have that much money rather then funnel it away into bogus tax sheltering charities, allow it to be taxed and help offset some of our surmounting debit or provide tax relief for the 99% that are not quite so fortunate.

Watching the entire documentary you see that his father was once a proud photographer/filmmaker who wanted to do work with exposing poverty on the planet (my memory may not be serving me because I saw this a long time ago). He was actually quite radical and wanted to make a difference. When one of the corporations he was exposing was his own families corporation he was slammed down... HARD. I see a man who is living in fear... shame... someone whose spirit was beaten. His entire attitude in my humble opinion showed deep anguish... Yes, as an adult he has choices... but it almost seemed as though he reacted with a kind of post traumatic reaction to events.

That was my only point....

Great riff and analogy on this. Thank you for posting :-)

i absolutely agree. but the subsidies end up propping up huge gmo monocultures while the average joe farmer gets squeezed out by the gmo creators. and farming ain't easy. it's hard, back breaking work, unless you are mechanized and even then it's not all that easy. to grow food for a populace with out harming the soils and the environment, one needs to have a deep understanding of soils and how they work, the microbiological life it needs to be sustainable, the nutrients/minerals and all of THEIR cycles not to mention have impeccable timing of seasonal pests and diseases to just maintain whatever it is your growing to get it to harvest. i mean, it's not glamorous lol! and it's not profitable, either. farmers are not making millions. in fact, a lot of the average joe farmers left are deeply in debt just to keep the show going. and THEN.....you have to convince that same populace that eating seasonally is the way to go. do you eat only what's in season? i never have, but i've been working on it for the past couple of years. it's really hard! cuz dangit i want a strawberry in january.

in the utopia in my head everyone cooperates and farms pop all over place and farms in places that can grow strawberries in january in America do and send them to places in America where they can't. until then, people will continue to buy strawberries from some foreign country that were picked green and gassed on the way here to make them red enough for grocery stores across America.

Container gardening at home is a really good way to have some fresh, organically grown produce and keep costs minimal. I am amazed at the amount of veggies I have been able to kick out with this. And you can plant winter veggies in containers, too. No way could I do in ground gardening with my arthritis (unless I had raised beds). I do live where there is a 2 x/week local farmers market closeby and that helps a lot.

I do understand that for some, their work hours and commute time might make it very difficult to do this- or any gardening. Some people just don't like gardening. But buying in season is helpful and buying from stores that do bring in local produce. Very small changes can make a big difference.

Since agriculture is my passion I stay tuned to the issues. Since this thread is not specifically about that I will not go into all the details. But I will say that there is a LARGE % of the population who just care not to think about it. If they did we wouldn't supporting the food markets we do. The reality is they will turn a blind eye and people will feed their kids and pets processed foods without even reading the label or researching to see the effects of certain ingredients and GMO's.

But these same people rely on the government and agencies such as the FDA to allow it into our food systems. Are you kidding me? We have a huge fucking financial crisis due to political corruption. Do you think these same people give a rats ass if the FDA is honest or not? Do most people know that in a HUGE part of processed food is after growth of the weed killer Round-up? Corn, soy beans, canola, wheat, just to name a food. All genetically modified seed to to control weeds. its growing in the freaking plant and YOU are consuming it. If they are giving it to cattle as feed its in the beef and in milk.

But the good news is that there has a been a HUGE increase in farmers markets the past ten years. That people are becoming more conscious and wise about choices, HOWEVER we need to act fast. Do something about it. Stop dreaming and giving lip service. (this is people in general) Stop shopping at Walmart or at least not so much. Find your local farms ( www.localharvest.org ) go visit, talk, help, support. Support organics. Yes it cost more because of supply and demand. Shop wisely and eat less if you have to. Stop making excuses. Get together with a few friends one day a week and plants an organic garden together. If you can raise some hens. Find local food coalitions in your area and see how you can help and support. Shop local and stop spending money on unnecessary things. Trade stuff, barter, shop at good will. Be proactive and conscious.

Talk, talk talk, go to an occupy with a group of friends.

We can change the world if we all get on board and stop the fucking insanity.

There's lots of great documentaries that have facts


Deconstructing Supper - On a personal quest to understand our food choices, acclaimed chef John Bishop travels around the world exploring where genetically modified crops come from, whether they may be harmful and what alternative options currently exist. Through interviews with farmers, scientists and activists, this thought-provoking documentary offers substantial insight into the nuts and bolts of global food production.

The Future of Food - Before compiling your next grocery list, you might want to watch filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia's eye-opening documentary, which sheds light on a shadowy relationship between agriculture, big business and government. By examining the effects of biotechnology on the nation's smallest farmers, the film reveals the unappetizing truth about genetically modified foods: You could unknowingly be serving them for dinner.

Food Matters (one of my favs)- With a staggering number of Americans suffering from obesity and other food-related maladies, this film takes a timely and hard-hitting look at how the food we eat is helping or hurting our health, and what we can do to live (and eat) better. Nutritionists, naturopaths, scientists, doctors, medical journalists and more weigh in on everything from using food as medicine to the value of organic food and the safety of the food we consume.

Ingredients - Narrated by actress Bebe Neuwirth, this engaging documentary weighs the shortcomings of America's industrialized food system against a rising local-growth movement, whose proponents are shrinking the gap between farmland and dinner table. With chefs Alice Waters and Greg Higgins as guiding lights, growers, restaurateurs and consumers around the country, from Oregon to Harlem, New York, discuss their methods for bringing food production back home.

All of the above films are available on Netflix instant play. They are inspiring and they will also piss you off when you learn what big corporations and pharmaceutical companies are allowed to get away with. As you continue your research, that is any of this really matters to you, you'll see the hand our government has and how elections are really won or supported.

If you dare, watch them all and let's get a thread going on what we can do to help put an end to it. You wanna grow some food? I'll tell you how. In fact we have a thread on sustainability and growing. I can't think of the name right now but if you're interested hit me up.

For those of you still supporting Obama:
 

Obama Tops GOP Candidates in Wall Street Donations

New figures show President Obama continues to pull in huge donations from the financial sector, with more money from Wall Street this year than all other Republican presidential candidates combined. According to the Washington Post, Obama has raised a total of $15.6 million from banks and other financial firms, with nearly $12 million of that going to the Democratic National Committee. Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney has raised less than half that much from Wall Street, around $7.5 million. A top banking executive and Obama fundraiser told the Washington Post that reports of Wall Street antagonism toward Obama "are exaggerated and overblown ... [but] it probably helps from a political perspective if he’s not seen as a Wall Street guy."

Link:

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/10/20/headlines#4

The only one of those I haven't seen is deconstructing supper. I'll check it out tomorrow if it's on Netflix along with that 1% doco.

From the time he wanted Tim Guitner (sp?)as Sec of Treasury, I knew he had a close relationship with Wall Street. Never have liked that "wiz kid." No way can I see him having one ounce of real understanding of the average wage-earner in the US. Yet, I also get that any candidate for president will have some strings with Wall Street.

Shit.... just had a pretty big earthquake jolt here in SF Bay Area! Whoa!!! Going to listen to news and see what is going on. Net not off, so I think I am safe. But WOW- big bang and shake. Today is the 20 yr anniversary of the Oakland Hills fires. And close to San Bruno gas pipe fires. Shit. Weird.

so............lets talk about the great goddess Hilary who would have been different......

So go do some research on Canadian pipelines and some nasty ass oil containing sludge found in Alberta. The enviormental impact statement given by TransCanadia......something about a top Clinton aid involved in pipelines and disaster with leaks.....

folks

occupy wall street
look for the truth

Hilary is no different than Obama

Like spoken word on OWS. There's some real highs in this, particularly when it gets rolling about 'America getting extracted while we focus on celebrity nonsense.' Spot on.

Thank you for this, AZ. Seriously.
But I gotta sit tight on my feelings about what I have to say because I want to make sure that I'm not filtering through some fucked up anger I already have about O'Bama (checking my bias for hidden prejudices, etc.)(whole other thread, maybe RZ it).

*Thank you*

~D

Russell Brand's blog post today:

Russell Brand rocks. Just sayin'.

Ya know, Obama has been a huge disappointment to a lot of people. It is really starting to sink in just how conservative he is, which is why his poll numbers are so low among his voting base. Noam Chomsky says he is worse than Bush in terms of foreign policy. And he has been in the pockets of Wall Street all along, don't doubt that. This is why I am a member of the Green Party. I lost my respect for the Democrats 20 years ago.

I just want to say that I am learning so much from all of you.
Thank you for your thoughtful posts,
your ability to offer criticism in ways that is productive
and keeps to its own organic process - which- to me,
is highly characteristic of what successful campaigns for
social change is all about.

I liked Theo's post - I've been watching this guy for awhile on Youtube.
He's got such a way with illustrating priniciple in action and the thought process behind certain agenda and messages we get from them (those who facilitate and aspects of gatekeeping and the forms these particular strategies take).

Miss Tick expressed the idea that if certain politics monopolize (could we say it's oligarchy? yes, maybe, no?) and materialize we will all be sharing in the sorrow of what seats of entitlement, consumer based behaviors have wrought upon the environment (literally and metaphorically).
The perfect storm, the trifecta.

Are people listening?

I propose the other side (any side, really) is listening.

The hyper-acuteness of the OWS message is something worth more than just advocating massive change in our fiscal and financial sectors. It's about a change of heart toward ourselves, others and sentient beings who have no voice, but depend on us to be and act mercifully in our use and touch upon each and every aspect of relationships we have, personally and communally, socially. And that's just it. Being socially responsible. Reduce our global footprint in terms of improving the natural resources we have by being faithful stewards of our environment.

I'm inspired by the participation in this thread and the many various perspective and informed people in our membership.

K, I'm gonna go back to reading,
~D

PS/ AZ, any person who uses a corollary involving Clint Eastwood has my attention.

I am just excited that the national conversation is getting moved in a different direction. I am excited that people are re-thinking their assumptions about the ways that big money banks and corporations are influencing every aspect of our lives, and that there is a readiness and hope for actually doing something about it. I haven't felt excited about political change in a long time. I have been cynical and discouraged for 20 years. Today I am not.

Language and movements
 

Some good points

http://www.indigenouspolitics.com/

What’s in a Name? Critical Indigenous Engagement with “Occupy” Wall Street
Join your host, J. Kehaulani Kauanui for an episode that focuses on critical indigenous engagements and participation with the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) demonstrations. Listen to the show and learn about the indigenous history of Wall Street, which was built on Lenape tribal territory, and the terms of domination and potentials for decolonization. The program include interviews with: Joanne Barker (Lenape nation of eastern Oklahoma); Farrett (Cree) and Charles Whalen (Oglala Lakota) direct from OWS;Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Cheyenne River Lakota); and Steven Newcomb (Lenape and Shawnee). Native activists have questioned how successful OWS can be given the problematic language of “occupation” and absence of meaningful acknowledgment and redress of the issue of the continued occupation of native lands. As John Paul Montano (Nishnaabe) asserted in, “An Open Letter to the Occupy Wall Street Activists” from September 22, 2011, he read the OWS statement hoping and believing that “enlightened folks fighting for justice and equality and an end to imperialism…” would make mention of the fact that the very land upon which they are protesting does not belong to them—that they are guests upon that stolen indigenous land. And, as Jessica Yee (Mohawk) put it in her column, “OCCUPY WALL STREET: The Game of Colonialism and further nationalism to be decolonized from the ‘Left’”, published on racialicious.com, “Colonialism also leads to capitalism, globalization, and industrialization. How can we truly end capitalism without ending colonialism?” Original air-date: 10-18-11.

I would imagine they are all in Wall St.'s pocket, but the way the numbers were interpreted is a tad off.

Romney's Raised More Than Twice the Wall St. Cash as Obama... Why Does the WaPo Say the Opposite?

Compare and contrast. Here, via Open Secrets, are the top recipients of campaign cash from the finance, insurance and real estate sector, according to FEC filings:

Top Recipients, 2011-2012

Candidate Office Amount
Romney, Mitt (R) $5,047,797
Obama, Barack (D) $2,464,605
Gillibrand, Kirsten (D-NY) Senate $1,398,945
Corker, Bob (R-TN) Senate $1,195,864
Boehner, John (R-OH) House $1,159,137

And here is the lede from a Washington Post story that's been getting a lot of play:

Despite frosty relations with the titans of Wall Street, President Obama has still managed to raise far more money this year from the financial and banking sector than Mitt Romney or any other Republican presidential candidate, according to new fundraising data.

What's going on? Well, the WaPo included not only cash that Obama has raised on Wall Street for his campaign, but also for the Democratic National Committee, which, it notes, "will aid in his reelection effort."

That's not an entirely inappropriate analysis -- Obama raised that cash, which is news-worthy if for no other reason than we have a lot of Wall Street execs taking to various opinion pages to whine about how mean Obama has been to them and promising to take their balls and go home if he's not nicer. And of course Obama was the Darling of Wall Street in 2008. But there are a few problems with it.

First, this is simply an advantage of being an incumbent at this point in the cycle. Eventually the GOP will have a nominee and he (it won't be Bachmann) will go to Wall Street and raise money for the RNC.

So, it's an apples to oranges comparison. The RNC has already raised about $3.3 million from finance and real estate, according to OpenSecrets.

The other problem is that while the DNC will "aid in his re-election effort," it will also spend some of that cash on party infrastructure and for the campaigns of other Democratic candidates.

I note this mainly because we use contributions to the campaigns themselves in our report on Wall Street's influence in Washington, merely noting in parentheses that the figures don't include money raised for the two parties' national committees. So, a clarification seemed to be in order.