The corporate media ignores it, but America is in revolt.
On all the big issues of the day, Americans are standing up and saying “NO.”
As we write this, our friends and allies are preparing to protest at the confirmation hearing of John Brennan to head the CIA. He is deeply involved in the drone killing program, was heavily involved in torture and rendition and was too controversial for Bush to appoint. We'll report on their efforts as soon as we can.
The big battle that affects all of us is the Second Circuit Court of Appeals argument on the NDAA provisions that allow the arrest and detention of Americans. Yesterday the court room, overflow room and the street outside were flooded with people opposed to military detention without trial.
Climate change continues to be a top issue for many. We're coming up on the largest climate protest in history on February 17, and our friends at the Tar Sands Blockade continue to work every day to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Support them here.
Efforts to stop housing foreclosures continue with a million Americans at risk of foreclosure. In Atlanta, Occupiers went to the courthouse steps to protest foreclosures. The leader of the effort was knocked to the ground.
In New York, activists with Occupy the Pipelines protested fracking, trying to prevent Governor Andrew Cuomo from putting water supplies at risk.
Students continue to organize for debt-free education under the banner, “Student Debt Kills Dreams: Got Debt, Make Noise.
As businesses take advantage of a lousy labor market with more and more unpaid internships, Occupiers are protesting the work of businesses that offer no pay internships.
Evidence is mounting that GMO foods are bad for our health. People are saying “no to GMO's.” Here's a protest at Monsanto's headquarters during their annual shareholders meeting.
Not only do we have lousy food, but we also have polluted air in much of the country. In Utah protesters went to the capitol to demand clean air and an end to coal-based energy.
The government's fear of revolt becomes more evident as more documents are released showing officials spying on Occupy. This week, a report on how they spied on the Occupy Philadelphia National Gathering and how the Canadian Mounties did the same up North.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES: The effort to get our money off of Wall Street and into our communities continues with the Switch Your Bank campaign. Move your money from the big banks to community banks and credit unions.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES: The revolt continues to grow as activists plan a month of actions against corporations this May as part of Occupy the Economy. Get involved. Join actions or plan them yourself. What would happen if the economy was democratized? Imagine what the 99% could do when we bring the entire financial, commercial, and industrial system under democratic control.
There is so much going on that we need to coordinate better. OWS has an idea that is worth considering, “Movement Mondays”, where people from different movements come together and share their plans to coordinate better and work together.
THANK YOU. Last week we asked for ideas about how to bring this movement to the next level, how to unite movements in solidarity and how to build the movement. We got some great ideas. Please share your thoughts at info@October2011.org.
In peace and solidarity,
Kevin, Margaret and October2011/OccupyWashingtonDC
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