Friday, September 30, 2011

An Open Letter to #OccupyWallStreet & #Anonymous


An Open Letter to #OccupyWallStreet and #Anonymous,

If you have been paying attention to alternative news sources other than the so called mainstream media then you have heard of the growing movement to “Occupy America,” which has grown from blessed beings that currently Occupy Wall Street. In August I saw a post concerning Occupy Wall Street, which was posted on Evolver.net as “#OccupyWallStreet.”

This post linked to this adbusters.org campaign calling for 20,000 people to Occupy Wall Street. http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet.html

I found it intriguing and marked the story as as favorite on Evolver.net, the home of the Evolver Social Movement, where my wife and I are new subscribers/contributors and volunteers. I highly suggest that if you support and/or are taking part in the Occupy protests that you check them out.

Since first seeing this post on Evolver.net I have worked an immense amount of hours over the summer to provide for my wife and home. I am grateful to be working, as many people in worse situations than I are not. I worked for four and a half years as a Park Ranger for the New York City, it paid decently and provided healthcare. It helped us save some money, take care of our living expenses and see to our health needs. Then the economy went into the crapper and shortly thereafter in October 2009 I was laid off. We all know why the economy went into the crapper, we are now protesting on Wall Street to oppose what has been done to our country.

I was out of work for a year and half, our only income was my unemployment and my wife's salary from the college. Firstly I hated relying on unemployment as I sought for a job. They suspended it several times to “investigate” my claim and to “review” my employment at a temp job, which lasted less than a month. The only silver lining was that I was able to fully take on the editorial work of our first book, The Mythological Dimensions of Doctor Who, which was published in May 2010 by Kitsune Books. One may say, so what are you complaining about you published a book and are getting paid. We only see our small royalties twice a year and that so far has gone to living expenses because I did not go back to work til February of this year. I am grateful to now be amongst the employed but feel that I am hugely underemployed, making just slightly above minimum wage. I have sought greater employment but have been thus far unsuccessful. When my wife's Spring Semester salary ended in May I was working 60-70 hours a week over the summer, grabbing as much overtime as I could when coworkers took vacation or called out sick. My paychecks with 120 hours biweekly barely came close to what I made with the Parks Department with no overtime.

My wife sought employment all summer as she was between semesters as an adjunct lecturer at our local college unfortunately to no avail. And, as an out of work teacher, she wasn't eligible for unemployment-- even though the possibility of working in the fall term wasn't solid until barely 2 weeks before fall classes began.

My disgust with our system has been brewing for a long time. We are in debt, unable to get our student loans excused as some new government programs claim to do, unable to get beyond living pay check to paycheck, unable to find work that would provide us with the means to achieve our goals in life.

All I want is to live a simple life of providing for my wife and home, to have our own little patch of ground somewhere upstate. To grow our own food and live off the land and off the grid as best as we are able. This simple life would include care for our two lovely cats, and writing our books. While we have struggled to achieve this for ourselves, to get back on our feet, we have witnessed, we have recorded in memory, we have written down, and we have taken part in activism against the corporate machines that pollute our system of government and impeded the so called American Dream for us all


For numerous years our eyes have been open in seeing how our food system has been polluted by uncaring companies like Monsanto, and how former Monsanto advocates, lawyers and lobbyists sit in government offices poisoning the mechanics of our supposed free society. We have sat by while farmers lose their land to Monsanto. We have witnessed the rise of food costs. We have witnessed as our meat and food industry is exposed by enlightening documentaries like FOOD, INC.

We have seen how Big Oil and Big Gas seek to continue to rape our planet and how our federal and local governments do nothing about it as covered in the documentary GASLAND.

We have seen how Big Pharma sides with the FDA to dictate how we medicate ourselves, intent on stripping us of our right to choose natural supplements versus detrimental pharmaceuticals. The cruelty of our healthcare system was clearly and decisively brought to light by Michael Moore in his film SICKO. Why is it that 9/11 first responders cannot get the care they need after being exposed to harmful chemicals at Ground Zero? Why won't the City of New York include cancer in its list of treatments?

We have all witnessed the crash of the financial system as bubble after bubble is created to line the pockets of Wall Street execs who in turn fund political campaigns so when elected they look the other way.

All of this at the cost of human lives: from poisoned water and food, to the cost of creating more homelessness in this country as people lose their homes, to the very natural world around us that provides our clean air, water and food , which is being decimated so much our descendents will never know the abundance it has provided. I am also an advocate for the rights of indigenous people across our planet who have had their rights trampled upon. Whether it is the use of their sacramental plants being deemed “illegal” or their tribal lands stolen out from under their feet from Corporations, WE THE PEOPLE need to be a voice for not only ourselves but for all oppressed people.

Now if you have been paying attention to the abundant “alternative” news sites out there that report on these issues, then I need not cite individual cases. But if you have been affected by any of these issues I have generalized then I need not provide the gory details. If you do not know then I suggest you begin your research now.

This is why I support and am very proud of my brothers and sisters on the ground Occupying Wall Street, which has now grown to Occupy the Planet, thanks to supporters globally and the group Anonymous.

It is time for my beloved wife and I to act. We have sat by the sidelines for so long as we see our society and personal freedoms abused and trampled on by corporate greed.

Unfortunately since the occupation of Wall Street began on September 17, 2011 Jessie and I have not been able to physically join the protestors at Liberty Plaza in lower Manhattan. This is primarily due to our need to address numerous health concerns that has debilitated personal energy and time. However not being able to be there in person has not taken away from our desire to participate. I have been very active on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook helping word and news circulate as our our mainstream media has failed to do.

I have read and viewed a majority of the videos and statements by Anonymous via social networks and have seen the comments for and against their actions. As a supposed free and open society we are not going always see eye to eye with one another, or agree 110% with every choice the other makes. But I can say that I do agree with the idea that Anonymous is, and has advocated and why so many citizens have swelled their ranks. They support the change I seek in our world, in our society and in our governments. This does not mean I have the capability they do in exposing the wrongs of the oppressors but am able to circulate and blog about the issues we share.

As a veteran of the United States Navy, having served in the 1st Gulf War in the early 1990s, I do not support exposing soldiers, sailors and pilots to risk. They are on the ground fighting for this country for a variety of reasons, most of them basically kids seeking financial assistance for education in exchange for their service as I once was. I know a twice wounded, two time Purple Heart recipient Iraq War combat Veteran who now suffers from PTSD and a number of other traumas due to his service. Said Soldier had to fight the very government he served for several years in order to receive the separation pay owed . I have not minded much else that WikiLeaks has done, nor Anonymous, I just want our soldiers to remain unscathed in this fight to fix our broken government.

What has inspired me to now write and dedicate a portion of our blog to the Occupy the Planet cause is what the protestors on the ground has suffered for the cause. The inhumane brutality they have suffered at the hands of those sworn to “Serve and Protect” is heartwrenching. The raw videos surfacing all over the internet show the dishonor of their uniform and those who have broken their vows to “Serve and Protect” with senseless use of pepper spray, batons or another form of violence, with no provocation, should be stripped of their station.

From the abundant Calls to Action out there from Anonymous I have chosen this one in particular to cite. It is clear and concise, it is inspiring and states exactly how I feel, and what has caused me to share my story with you all today.

Below is the text from their video

"Greetings, people of the world. We are Anonymous.



As many of you are aware, over the past several days, significant demonstrations have been held in protest of the corrupt financial system that favors the richest 1% of our nation; while the remaining 99% have to deal with things such as abuse of our civil rights, overseas outsourcing of our jobs, and living off minimum wage while gas hovers around $3.50 a gallon. The minimal attention given to these demonstrations has caused growing concern, with rumors of media blackouts and repealed news coverage becoming increasingly harder to deny.



We would like to thank those in our national media that chose to cover the truth about the events of the wall street occupation. Your contribution to society will not go unrecognized.

Unfortunately, this coverage has not been sufficient, we must now take efforts to spread the truth into our own hands. It is now up to us, the people of this great nation, to act for ourselves. We must share the truth through our social networks, by texting, instant/private messaging, posting, and blogging to our friends and relatives. We must take to the streets and speak of the truth in our coffee shops and mall outlets.

Our voices will be heard.



Bloggers, dedicate your blogs to Occupy Wall Street,
Website owners, Write an article about Occupy Wall Street,

People in urban areas, Pass out and post up flyers about Occupy Wall Street,

Social network users, Flood your twitter accounts with OccupyWallStreet hashtags, post videos, articles, and any news about Occupy Wall Street.

Share this call to action, and encourage others to do the same.



To those currently occupying, stay strong, always know that you have our support.


We will not allow tyrannical police to oppress and bully you. Stay peaceful, stay vigilant, and know that you are making our nation proud.


To the police who wish to remain tyrannical, we will continue to show our support for the peaceful protesters. You will be exposed for the inhumane offences you commit, and everyone will know just who you are and what you have done. Your information will be posted everywhere and mirrored everywhere.


If you strip the freedom away from our peaceful protestors, then we shall strip your privacy away from you.

To the people of the world:



You are Anonymous.

You are Legion.

You are the media.

You are the voice of truth.

You can not forgive.

You can not forget.

They should expect us.
"


We have heard the chants “WE THE PEOPLE HAVE FOUND OUR VOICE” and my dear brothers and sisters you have inspired me to find my own. This blog post is the 1st in many to come. We will be joining you all tomorrow at 12 noon for the Meditation Flash Mob NYC - Saturday 10/1 @ Occupy Wall St. (Liberty Plaza) with our friends from the Evolver. We look forward to standing alongside you all as we seek to be the change we wish to see in the world.


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