PUBLIC SECTOR STRIKE OVER PENSIONS COULD SEE LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT, "GRIND TO A HALT"

As plans for a Public Sector Strike continue, it looks like new layers of workers who have not joined walkouts in the past will strike next week. Heathrow Airport is rushing to try to contain problems for the airport that handles the most international travel in the world..

Heathrow is asking airlines to cut in half the number of passengers they carry next week as there could be 12 hour delays when Immigration Officers strike. The BBC reports that Prime Minister Cameron anticipates a huge impact on Ports and Airports. He quickly added, "But our borders will be secure". During last summer's strike Border Agency Managers ran Passport Control, but this time they have voted to join the Strike.

Former Labour Home Secretary, Alan Johnson has stated that he supports the strike. The current Labour Party leadership does not.

Those planning on walking out are saying that they realize there will be inconvenience for the public but they hope this strike will be so large that they will not have to strike again. Unions say proposals which require their members to work longer and contribute more before they can start collecting their pensions are unfair. This will be one to watch for next week.

ADVICE FROM A CONSERVATIVE BLOGGER

I recently saw Andrew Sullivan being interviewed. He is the only "Conservative Blogger" I ever read. Certainly not often. I almost always disagree with him. But watching the interview reminded me of basics.

Personal Courage - Andrew doesn't speak of his own courage. But it is usually brought up. In the 1980's he came out as a Gay man. Then later he came out as a man living with HIV. This was back in the days that this diagnosis was a death sentence. And the enforced silence by liberals and conservatives alike was so great that even Obituaries and death certificates failed to mention it. In those decades there was a drastic increase in "Pneumonia" deaths in the United States. There is no doubt that Andrew lost conservative readership as a result of these blogs. But he has survived. He dismisses these losses by saying that he often, "cuts too close to the bone". That would be uncomfortable but truthful. Not a bad thing for bloggers of any persuasion. Truth seeking both personal and political - By definition blogging is personal. And for this blog also political.

So as we move into the 2012 campaign "season" we will be deluged by myriads of smoke and mirrors. I would know that we will all have the courage to blow away the smoke and smash the mirrors... And continue to challenge and activate our readers to do the same.

Occupy Salem Oregon: Planning next steps

Occupy Salem Oregon invites all people who consider themselves to be part of the Occupy movement, and all people who are interested in finding out about the movement, to attend an educational forum about where Occupy is heading next.

When: Wednesday, December 7th at 7:00 pm
Where: the Anderson Room of the Salem Public Library.

 

Brief presentations will cover both the national movement and the plans underway here in Salem. Open discussion will follow. At the end of the meeting, opportunity will be provided to sign up for various Occupy Salem committees to work on different issues.

 

If you are considering getting involved with Occupy Salem, or are just interested in what's going on, this is your chance to get a "taste of Occupy." Bring your friends and spread the word.

 

Do you have something to present? Help plan the event in our online forum

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More information:    Homepage     Forum      Facebook

Can Cuba’s Sustainable Agriculture Survive the Peace?

For a country that responded to severe energy crisis by switching to organic, localized agriculture, the fruits of the revolution must be protected from the coming peace.

For those trying to imagine life without oil, Cuba has proven the solitary example of a country successfully de-industrializing.

Confronted with the collapse of aid from the Soviet Union and ever-tighter U.S. sanctions in the early 1990s, the Castro regime was forced to scupper its centrally-planned, fossil-fuel-driven agriculture and rediscover sustainable and green farming practices.

Read more at: http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/node/554

Hundreds Join Occupy Portland on Peaceful March for Universal Health Care

Visit the Oregon Single Payer Campaign website for the latest information and press coverage of this event. http://www.singlepayeroregon.org/healthmarch

Travel to DC to participate in Take Back the Capitol!

The Rural Organizing Project has been given the opportunity to send a rural Oregonian Occupier to Washington DC for Take Back the Capitol, an Occupy encampment and 3-day action! Join thousands who will converge on Capitol Hill to set up camp and take part in actions on December 5-9. Airfare to and from DC, sleeping arrangements, and meals will be provided!

Want to go? Contact Jessica@rop.org by noon on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23.

Richard Trumka, American

By John H. Richardson
The American worker has been getting thrashed for thirty years. Jobs leaving the country, wages flat, his boss getting rich. One coal miner from Pennsylvania knows exactly what to do about it.

Richard Trumka

Rainer Hosch

Richard Trumka stands at the podiumlike a man with his foot in the doorway of history, relaxed and confident and grinning at the audience. Wisconsin? The attempted murder of public unions? That was actually a win, he says.

A big beefy guy with a bristling mustache and Blagojevich hair, Trumka started life as a coal miner. His grandfather was a union man. His father was a union man. He became a union man and put himself through college on the midnight shift, leading many bitter strikes in the coal patch where rock-throwing miners confronted guards with machine guns, scenes from an epic American history few people remember.

Two years ago he rose to the top of the American labor movement, president of the AFL-CIO, where he represents twelve million firefighters, teachers, nurses, miners, electricians, and entertainers. He came in with a lifetime's worth of dreams for reviving labor and saving America. 

Detail of mural, AFL-CIO building
Washington DC - Lucy Longtale

So when Governor Scott Walker this year took away the right of collective bargaining for government workers in Wisconsin, the law of the land for seventy-five years, Walker didn't just aim a dagger straight at the heart of American labor, he aimed it at Rich Trumka's heart.

But Trumka is grinning. "We've been trying for three decades to get a national debate on collective bargaining. Scott Walker gave us the national debate we were looking for."

By national debate he means thousands of angry citizens marching in the street. Occupying the state capitol. Mounting recall elections. That's the kind of national debate Trumka thinks America needs.

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/americans-2011/richard-trumka-1211#ixzz1eTBei6k0

'We're barely making it' Home-care workers rally in the face of planned changes to health coverage, minimum hours

By Damian Mann
Mail Tribune
November 22, 2011 2:00 AM

Most people want to avoid the kind of intimate moments Phillip Patton has shared with his home-care worker. Cindy VanCamp, a 55-year-old Medford woman, has taken care of Patton for eight years under a state program, washing him, helping him go to the bathroom and insisting he get rid of old, soiled garments.

Cindy VanCamp, a home-care worker, shares a moment with Phillip Patton, who has cerebral palsy, at his apartment in Medford. VanCamp and thousands of home-care workers across the state are facing pay cuts and the loss of health coverage due to state budget reductions. Mail Tribune Photo / Jamie Lusch

"The only thing we haven't said is, 'I do,' " said Patton, a 46-year-old Medford man with cerebral palsy who has a sense of humor despite his struggles with the simple tasks that most take for granted.

While VanCamp has provided care through a state program to Patton at $10.20 an hour, she has struggled with her own health issues, including wrist and knee problems. So she was thankful that a $27,000 surgery on her collarbone was covered by her insurance.

VanCamp qualifies for health insurance through the state because she logs a minimum 80 hours of work a month. That likely will change Jan. 1, when the state will reduce the number of hours home-care workers can claim each month, meaning many will no longer qualify for health insurance.

Article: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111122/NEWS/111220303/-1/NEWSLETTER100

Measure 67 proves its earning potential

But Measure 66 falls short of estimates

Written by Peter Wong and Queenie Wong

Statesman Journal

Almost two years after Oregon voters upheld them, a new report confirms that state coffers are getting most of the added business taxes approved by lawmakers in mid-2009 to balance the budget.

The increases were contained in Measure 67, which boosted marginal rates for businesses generating more than $250,000 annually. It also raised the corporate minimum tax, which had been $10, and business registry fees. Businesses pay the higher of the corporate tax or the minimum tax, but not both.

According to a report issued last week by the Legislative Revenue Office, based on tax returns processed through Oct. 31 of this year, the corporate-tax increases generated 96 percent of the $261 million projected for the 2009-11 budget cycle that ended June 30.

Article: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20111120/STATE/111200365/Measure-67-proves-its-earning-potential?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home

Maryland, DC AFL-CIO Urge Unions to Treat Occupy DC as Picket Line

From an article in The Washington Post:

At its 28th biannual convention on Saturday, the Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO approved a resolution calling on its members to treat Occupy encampments in the District and Baltimore as they would a formal picket line.

The resolution states the AFL-CIO will support any "unionized or non-unionized worker who refuses to break up, raid or confiscate the belongings of protesters."

It also calls "on unions representing public workers and public safety workers to not participate in such activity as to deny the rights of occupiers."

"Protest movements, like strike lines and organizing campaigns do not have curfews and are not 9 to 5 activities," the resolution states. "And in doing so, we recognize and will work to protect the right for occupiers to protest 24 hours a day, on-site, with proper protection, including food, medical supplies, water and tents."

Despite police raids on numerous Occupy Wall Street encampments around the country, protesters in Baltimore and the District have so far been allowed to pitch tents in high-profile locations, including McPherson Square on K Street Downtown. Though local unions have already been supporting the protesters, including offering them jackets and access to showers, the new AFL-CIO resolution could make it more difficult for local elected leaders to push to break up the camps.

Fred Mason, president of the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO, called it is the "height of hypocrisy" for some business and community leaders to complain about sanitation at the camps when they had previously remained quiet about the conditions facing the homeless.

"We see these trends developing across the country," Mason said. "We see what's happening in New York and California, and all of these things don't happen at once.We want to provide every kind of support we can so they can continue."

The AFL-CIO also voted to give $3,000 each to Occupy DC and Occupy Baltimore.

BREAKING: Super Committee deadlock is a victory for the Superheros of the 99%!

From Jobs with Justice:

Months of organizing, mobilizing, and telling our stories have paid off. Together, the Caring Across Generations movement is celebrating the news that the so called "Super-Committee" (Joint Deficit Reduction) has failed to put forward a proposal to cut $1.2 trillion from our budget over the next 10 years. Our country is facing a serious budget deficit, and we told Congress that any proposal that does not include raising revenue from the 1% will not lead to a solution.

Grassroots leaders from national networks on the Caring Across Generations Leadership Team, including ADAPT, AFSCME, CCC, JwJ, NCIL, NDWA, PICO, SEIU and many others, worked together to organize literally hundreds of actions. These actions included a Medicaid Matters action on Capital Hill, an inspiring day of action and civil disobedience led by ADAPT, and over 300 coordinated actions across the country on November 17th. Everyday superheros who do the work of caring for our loved ones and communities stood up to tell Congress and the Super Committee that we need jobs, not cuts to our care programs. We believe there is work to be done caring for our communities and loved ones, and together we told the stories of the need to create more Care Jobs.

"We believe that the proposals that were on the table for the Super-Committee to consider were unnecessarily harmful to the vast majority of Americans and did not reflect the priorities and values shared by 99% of the nation," stated Ai-Jen Poo, co-director of the Caring Across Generations Campaign. "While some will point fingers and call this a failure, we believe that the lack of a bad agreement gives advocates for a more equitable society the time and space to steer the country in the right direction, working for more sustainable and equitable approaches to fixing our economic crisis in ways that benefit all of us, and that allow us to become a society that takes care of each other."

Even as we celebrate together, we are gearing up for more action. A deadlocked super committee means that there will automatic across-the-board cuts, split 50-50 between defense and non-defense spending while Social Security and Medicaid would be excluded. This deadlock also emphasis that there are many Congressional members committed to reducing the country's debt on the backs of the 99% and giving Wall Street yet another sweet back-room deal. It also means that we’re not any closer to solving this revenue crisis. Our work together continues! Please join us on December 7th in Washington D.C. when Superheros from the 99% will lead a Speak Out for Jobs not Cuts at an action with thousands of people who are going to be camping out in Washington D.C. to demand a fair, caring solution to our revenue crises.

Congratulations! Thank you for your hard work, and for all of the care you give to your loved ones and community.

We are honored to be building this movement with you.

— Sarita, Ai-Jen, Jodeen, Robin, and the rest of the Caring Across Generations Leadership Team

WORKERS OCCUPY ASHLAND (OR) CO-OP BOARD MEETING

This video shows the workers mic checking at the Ashland CO-OP board meeting with the message: "You are a multi million dollar business" and "We Are The Union".

Thanks to Wes Brain for this great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMEyt20jtH0

Hypocrisy 2.0

Students in Debt: 'Can't Pay, Won't Pay, Don't Pay'

Rachel Signer | November 17, 2011

It seems like the right moment to initiate a nationwide campaign against the student lending industry. In a short time, Occupy Wall Street had reinvigorated the left and called the media’s attention back to the financial crisis of 2008. Young people everywhere are underemployed and struggling to repay debt, and many of these same people are now becoming inspired by the radicalism of Occupy.

It began with a teach-in. On Wednesday, October 16, New York University professor Andrew Ross led an open forum titled “Is Student Debt a Form of Indenture?” at the public atrium at 60 Wall Street, which had been transformed into an office of Occupy Wall Street. Each day, the atrium filled with activists who made their way from the park, dodging traders and tourists alike, for afternoon teach-ins and working group meetings.

Around fifty people crowded around Ross as he read from a paper he had written outlining how the student lending industry was predatory by nature. Ross explained that student debt in the United States has topped $1 trillion—more than any other kind of consumer debt. After bankruptcy protection was removed from private student loans in 2005, default—and the ruined credit score it results in—is the only option left for struggling student loan debtors.

Article: http://www.thenation.com/article/164686/students-debt-cant-pay-wont-pay-dont-pay

Portland: Fur Free Friday

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This event is a march organized by the local (Portland, OR) Animal Defense League.

Update: Occupy Around the State

From the Rural Organizing Project (www.rop.org), the latest update of small-town and rural Occupations in Oregon:

Occupy Klamath
November 17, Occupy Klamath Falls held a teach-in, a march on downtown of over 100 people, and a general assembly to discuss next steps. During their march they swept and cleaned up downtown! They posted this flyer on closed businesses to highlight the economic downturn in their town and educate on the occupy movement.  Tellers at US Bank even came outside during their lunch breaks and took pictures with protestors (reminding us who potential allies really can be)!


Occupy the Gorge
After Occupy Mosier’s week-long encampment that included music, food, teach-ins, Move Your Money actions, and protests against a WalMart expansion in Hood River, Occupy the Gorge is gearing up to move their camp to Hood River!

Occupy Newport
Occupy Newport is hard at work with their community outreach! They will be volunteering at the American Legion's Thanksgiving Dinner to engage new community members. On November 17, Occupy Newport held a demonstration in Depoe Bay. They were joined by folks who saw it advertised on MoveOn and many who were driving by pulled over and joined them! Residents of Newport gather every Saturday to protest at the local Bank of America from 11:00AM-1:00PM. Their General Assembly is held every Wednesday evening at 6:00PM in Don Davis Park. 

Occupy Roseburg
On November 17, Occupy Roseburg assembled to show solidarity for the two-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. Occupy Roseburg hosts an encampment on BLM land every weekend. Occupy Roseburg and their Feed the ‘Burg Community Potluck coming up this Saturday at Eagles Park starting at noon! Their first Feed the ‘Burg potluck was held last week!

Occupy Prineville
Occupy Prinevilled held a Move Your Money action downtown and distributed this brochure about local banking institutions. They have several next steps already planned and are using their monthly Potluck Politics as a "neighborhood assembly" for Occupy organizing.  From Human Dignity Advocates leadership:While Liberty Square is the home and heart, I believe it will be in “neighborhood assemblies” throughout the country that the progressive movement will find its legs.  True democracy can be resuscitated in earnest gatherings where neighbors meet neighbors to strategize and manifest the power of the people.  


Occupy Halfway
With less than 400 residents, Halfway, OR is giving Mosier a run for its money! “Our first event a few weeks ago was a well-attended silent vigil solemnly taking stock and contemplating the Death of the American Dream. Our second event on 11.11.11 was a talk-and-walk around town, welcome to all. At the end of the walk we put down our signs and joined the local VFW chapter to commemorate and honor our service men and women.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqoL-897UP4

Occupy Corvallis
In addition to their November 17^th Funeral for the American Dream, Occupy Corvallis has protested Bank of America several times. Occupy Corvallis holds General Assemblies every Monday and pick up litter everyday at 10AM while passing out flyers to local residents talking about Occupy Corvallis.

Occupy Oregon State University (Corvallis)
Occupy OSU kicked off with a teach-in held by the Peace Studies Department and a walkout on Halloween that ended with a people’s assembly in the quad. Occupy OSU jointly organized the Funeral for the American Dream with Occupy Corvallis.They hold a weekly General Assembly on Wednesday nights.

Occupy Astoria
On November 17, Occupy Astoria rallied against the Supercommittee’s potential budget cuts outside of the Astoria Post Office and Department of Human Services building. Last week Occupy Astoria has recently held a protest rally outside their local branch of Wells Fargo and stood in solidarity with their peace group.

Occupy Seaside
On November 17, Occupy Seaside convened at the Seaside City Council meeting to bring a voice to the issues they care about. Several people occupied Seaside’s City Hall in protest of Astoria’s Illegal Lodging Ordinance and in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.

Occupy Coos Bay
On November 17, Occupy Coos Bay occupied the Coos Bay Boardwalk to sand in solidarity with the Occupy Movement. These steadfast protesters have been holding rallies to bring attention to the issues they care about for over a month, including a teach-in at the beginning of November.

Occupy SIlverton
Occupy Silverton held a great event attended by over 80 on November 5 that included music, speakers, and a march! Check out the pictures! Occupy Silverton holds weekly vigils and will participate in Silverton's Peace Parade this year, in addition to their teach-in plans for January.

Occupy Albany
Occupy Albany holds weekly vigils in front of the Courthouse. Their first vigil had over 70 people -- more people than Albany has seen in the streets since the 80s!

Occupy Port Orford
Occupy Port Orford held two rallies outside the Driftwood Elementary School Playground on October 15^thand 22nd. We’re looking forward to seeing more from them in the future!

Occupy Bend
After a multi-week camp and many demonstrations and actions, residents of Bend continue planning occupy activities at their General Assemblies Wednesday nights.

Occupy Grants Pass
Occupy Grants Pass holds weekly vigils on Tuesdays which are regularly attended by 20-40 people! Occupy Grants Pass and Veterans for Peace have jointly organized film showings.

Occupy Ashland
From their encampment to Move Your Money work, Occupy Ashland has been busy! With a plethora of events focused on educating Ashland, Occupy Ashland spent November 17 demonstrating and sharing their stories with an open mic. For Occupy Ashland events, calls to action, and information, check out www.occupyashlandoregon.org!

Occupy Medford
People in Medford will be standing together to protest foreclosure auctions (many of which are illegal) at the Medford courthouse steps every Tuesday morning.  You can also catch fellow Occupiers at Alba Park for protest, discussion, and Medford’s General Assembly every Saturday!

Is your community engaged in the Occupy Movement? Tell ROP!
Email jessica@rop.org!

Capitalism vs. the Climate

There is a question from a gentleman in the fourth row.

He introduces himself as Richard Rothschild. He tells the crowd that he ran for county commissioner in Maryland’s Carroll County because he had come to the conclusion that policies to combat global warming were actually “an attack on middle-class American capitalism.” His question for the panelists, gathered in a Washington, DC, Marriott Hotel in late June, is this: “To what extent is this entire movement simply a green Trojan horse, whose belly is full with red Marxist socioeconomic doctrine?”

Here at the Heartland Institute’s Sixth International Conference on Climate Change, the premier gathering for those dedicated to denying the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is warming the planet, this qualifies as a rhetorical question. Like asking a meeting of German central bankers if Greeks are untrustworthy. Still, the panelists aren’t going to pass up an opportunity to tell the questioner just how right he is.

... Read the rest at http://www.thenation.com/article/164497/capitalism-vs-climate

9 PCASC Members Arrested Occupying Wells Fargo, Protesting For-Profit Prisons

Support this action by contributing to the legal funds of the PCASC activists who were arrested. Click here to donate!

Portland, OR – 9 activists with the Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC) were arrested today disrupting business as usual at the Wells Fargo Bank inside the Standard Insurance Building. The group targeted Wells Fargo in response to the bank's funding of private prisons and immigrant detention centers, and their connections with right-wing think tanks that push legislation to criminalize immigrants, such as Arizona’s SB1070 law.

The group also staged a street theatre performance outside the bank, which was supported by the N17 “Occupy the Banks” march of around 1,000 people.

Wells Fargo has a large stake in firms, such as Geo Group and Corrections Corporation of America, which are major players in for-profit incarceration. The investments serve to enrich the banks while the 99 percent are the ones who fill prisons, the activists said.

“The profit motive compels Geo Group and others to fill these prisons, which in turn creates lobbying pressure on politicians, which leads to racist drug and immigration laws and the largest prison population in the world,” said Allen Hines, who participated in the action.

Please donate to the legal funds of those who were arrested for taking this action!
Click here and make a contribution.

The number of beds in private detention centers used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement alone has increased 400% since 1994, according to the North American Congress on Latin America. Meanwhile, people of color continue to make up a much higher proportion of the ballooning prison population than is representative of broader society.

The activists’ demands were:  

• Wells Fargo must divest from the prison industry.
• The private prison industry – which creates financial incentives for putting people in jail – must be dismantled.
• Politicians must refuse money from prison lobbyists.

As part of the 99 percent, the group says they have several reasons to be angry with the policies of Wells Fargo. In addition to the bank's funding of prisons, its acquisition of Wachovia, which engaged in money laundering on behalf of Mexican drug cartels, puts Wells Fargo at odds with advocates for peace and freedom.

The people involved in today's action said they want Wells Fargo and its shareholders to better understand the negative consequences of its drive for profits. While the bank may have some work to do to become a people-friendly business, they said, another world is possible.

To support this action and help the activists who were arrested, click here to contribute to their legal funds.

High-res photos available at: http://www.pcasc.net/2011/11/17/occupywellsfargo/

Portland---The Struggle Continues!

OCCUPY HEALTH CARE NOW!!!

TAKE WALL ST. OUT OF HEALTH CARE
Rally and March

Tomorrow, Saturday, November 19th, 12:00 noon, meet on Waterfront Park at SW Salmon & SW Naito Parkway in Portland.

44,840 unnecessary deaths occur each year in the US due to inability to pay.

HEALTH CARE FOR PEOPLE - NOT FOR PROFIT.
Everybody’s in, nobody’s out, Health care for all!


Occupy Portland is inviting us to continue participating and/or organizing a number of events for this weekend:

Saturday Night: 10PM - 12:01: Vigil at City Hall with Silent March around Parks. One week after the eviction took effect. Bring candles if you wish.

Sunday all day:
- Sunday morning: Occupy Your Block; Resources for this event are available at www.occupytomorrow.org; Meet your neighbors and community, and occupy your own block with a block party
- 12:00 Noon: Host a Community potluck brunch style with your community and neighbors as part of occupying your block.
- 3PM: Rally at Ankeny Plaza, on Naito Parkway underneath the Burnside Bridge. March at 3:45PM. Will be a fun, inclusive, community march focused on the message of inequality and the solidarity of sticking together and with the message of Occupy.
- 5PM: March ends and speakers from Occupy Portland will offer brief updates to the community about recent activities as well as plans for the future.
- 5:30PM-7:00PM: Meet the Occupation. While enjoying live local music, meet members from all of Occupy Portland's committees, working groups, and affinity groups face-to-face, to learn what they do and how the various groups operate. We invite new faces and ideas, and we need you in order to succeed! Come if you want to get involved.
- 7PM: Occupy Your Block. Return to your neighborhood and exchange ideas with your neighbors and community about Occupy Portland.
-For more info contact: Kate McNulty, Occupy Volunteer 503 312 6788-

SEIU CHIEF SENDS MIXED MESSAGES

On Wednesday Mary Kay Henry, Head of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) sent out a video of the International Executive Board decision to endorse Barack Obama for re election in 2012. This made SEIU the first Union to make such an early endorsement. I found her message uncharacteristically uninspiring and confusing as she tried to mesh support of the Occupy Movement with the endorsement. The Occupy movement is a huge outpouring of rage against the 1% who control both political parties. What makes this movement larger and stronger than those in the past is that it does not steer people into the electoral arena but focuses on the puppet masters.

My immediate take on the endorsement video was that there was no unanimous vote on the International Executive Board (IEB) for the endorsement. Indeed it may have even been a close vote. I felt even more vindicated in my belief on Thursday when it was reported that Mary Kay (kudos) was arrested at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge...with George Gresham, President of SEIU 1199 (SEIU's largest local). In addition the opening page of the International's web page has changed over the last 24 hours. The video is no longer there. In its place is a picture of Obama and numerous articles about Occupy Actions and SEIU involvement. Maybe schizophrenia can be a good thing in this case.

Of course ultimately what matters is not the decision of the IEB or even if the process was contentious or unanimous. It is all about the rank and file. When they are deciding how to spend their time this next year, will it be to enthusiastically hit the pavement to re-elect this President or will it be to join a movement which is taking on the 1% who will be calling the shots regardless of the result in 2012? We know that the "lesser evil" mantra will be everywhere. But will that worn out motivator to get the working class to vote against their interests also work to get them out there to actually spend their precious non working hours working for that candidate when there is an alternative approach at the nearest park or street corner? It will be interesting to watch.

We Are the 99% Rally & March in Salem TOMORROW

When: Thursday, November 17 @ 4:00 PM
Where: Salem Capitol Steps; a march to the Marion Street bridge to follow

Jobs, Not Cuts! Invest in America and the American People!

On Thursday, members of the American Dream Movement will join a nationwide day of action called “We Are the 99%” and rally at the Capitol to demand that the politicians in Washington invest in job creation, and make the corporations and millionaires on Wall Street pay their fair share. The “We Are the 99%” day of action is being organized in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protests taking place across the country.

Events are being held at crumbling bridges, understaffed schools, and other sites that show the local symptoms of a failed economy. Protesters are also targeting members of the Congressional Super Committee to increase pressure on the committee to focus on jobs, not cuts. The protests are being held just days before the Congressional Super Committee’s deadline to submit a debt reduction proposal to Congress.

"Politicians in Washington must stand up for us - the 99% - and help save the American Dream," said Bobbie Cade, a local MoveOn member. "Big banks and corporations are controlling the economy, and reaping the benefits for only the 1% while the rest of us struggle more and more. It's past time Congress started representing us, making certain that the economy works for all of us, and not just the millionaire CEOs of large corporations and Wall Street."

The rally will take place on Thursday, November 17th at 4:00PM at the Capitol. A march to Marion Street bridge will follow.

The event is being organized by the new American Dream Movement. The American Dream Movement is a growing movement inspired by protests in Wisconsin and fueled by the brutal right-wing attacks on the middle class and the poor. The American Dream Movement is made up of millions of ordinary Americans, along with dozens of leading grassroots organizations, fighting together for good jobs for all Americans, securing a future for our children and our communities, and finally making corporations and the super-rich pay their fair share in taxes. 


More information about the American Dream Movement and the 80+ national organizations who are partners is available at http://rebuildthedream.com/.

November 17 And 19---Days Of Action In Portland

Thursday, November 17th, at 8am we meet up on East side of the Steel Bridge to GET ON THE BRIDGE and declare an Economic Emergency for the 99%. There are 25 million Americans looking for work, Congress won’t pass a jobs bill and the Super-Committee budget cuts could kill millions of more jobs. The Steel Bridge needs to be repaired and could create jobs for unemployed Portlanders if politicians really want to support the 99% and create jobs.

November 17 is National day of action, come to one or all:

· 8:00 am at he East side of the Steel bridge
· 10:00 am Occupy the Banks Rally at McCall Waterfront Park
(SW Ankeny and Naito Parkway)
· 11:00 am March on the banks.


Saturday, November 19th, 12:00 noon, we meet on Waterfront Park at SW Salmon & SW Naito Parkway. TAKE WALL ST. OUT OF HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT. 44,840 unnecessary deaths occur each year in the US due to inability to pay. OCCUPY HEALTH CARE NOW, Everybody’s in, nobody’s out, Health care for all!

Open Letter to Mayor Sam Adams from Occupy Portland Liaison Team

November 15th, 2011 · occupypdxer · VIA Ms Beech

An Open Letter to Mayor Sam Adams:
We, as members of the Occupy Portland Liaison Team, are officially resigning from our roles as city and police liaisons for the Occupy Portland movement. This is in direct response to the deplorable police actions of this past weekend and your refusal to communicate clearly with us during that time.
We were specifically asked by City Hall to create this Liaison Team, for the purpose of facilitating clear communication between city government, police and the Occupy Portland movement. We worked hard to assemble a capable team of activists to act as a conduit of information as agreed upon by our General Assembly.


Initial meetings were amiable and seemingly productive, as your staff was able to express concerns, some of which we shared, about conditions within the encampment. We facilitated communication and followed up by working closely with city employees and our own volunteers to address issues relevant to camp safety.

Despite our efforts, over the weekend, you decided to cave to pressure from your friends at the Portland Business Alliance, the Police Association and other groups interested in maintaining the status quo of economic injustice and issued us an eviction notice. Instead of allowing us to address conditions within our encampment in a transparent and democratic way you chose to enlist the full apparatus of police repression to destroy our encampment.

There were no efforts made by the Portland Police Bureau to communicate to Occupy Portland Police Liaisons or members of our Liaison Team during the events that transpired over the course of Saturday November 12th through Sunday November 13th. We find this highly disturbing since we were asked by your office to be the conduit of information to and from Occupy Portland.

It seems that when City Hall wants something from us you make every effort to reach out, but when you plan to do something to us, communication is halted and you let the police do the talking with their batons. Our trust in City Hall was apparently misplaced.

Thousands of Portland residents of all ages came out over the weekend to support us and help defend our constitutional right to peaceful assembly. They were greeted by hundreds of militarized riot police armed with tasers, stun batons, beanbag weapons, tear gas, pepper spray and live ammunition. This was shocking to many of us who did not expect you to respond to unarmed, peaceful and joyful protest with potentially deadly force. The next day we observed police officers clubbing our fellow citizens and friends with batons, throwing people to the ground and making many unnecessary arrests in the process of destroying our encampment.

An example of this blatant police brutality is the violent attack on Justin James Bridges, the sign language interpreter for Occupy Portland. After repeatedly communicating to Portland Police officers that he had a broken back, police officers responded by beating him and putting a knee into his back. He was hospitalized and lost feeling and control of movement in one arm and one leg due to the unreasonable and excessive physical aggression inflicted by these police officers. Justin was released from the hospital yesterday after spending the night in the hospital. Justin is now in a wheelchair.

You told us on the first day of our protest that you were sympathetic to the goals of our movement and wanted to help find a solution that works for everybody. The behavior over the weekend of police officers under your command has clearly indicated otherwise. Yours is the latest in a string of aggressive, dangerous crackdowns by city and state governments across the nation attempting to silence the Occupy movement.

You claim to support us and yet you tell your police force to destroy us. Peaceful citizens are being injured in the process.

This is not democratic; it is autocratic. Portland expects more from its City Government.

Signing on to ending corporate personhood and changing campaign finance laws amounts to a conveniently timed attempt to restore your declining reputation among members of the progressive left. While we agree with these goals, offering piecemeal crumbs of liberal reform is not acceptable as an olive branch to our movement.

We have said from day one that our fight is not with you, but rather with banks, irresponsible corporations and a corrupt federal government. By camping outside of City Hall we gave you a choice to decide to stand with us and with working class Americans. Instead you made the choice to protect unjust social and economic policies that are leading our nation into a state of financial ruin and institutionalized oppression. The actions of the Portland Police have made it clear where you stand and no amount of political grandstanding will justify your creation of a police state in downtown Portland.

We at Occupy Portland will continue to make our message heard and to stand firmly in opposition to policies and decisions that perpetuate oppression and injustice.

We are open to working with City Hall on many issues but our trust in you and in the Portland Police Bureau has been severely broken. This trust can be somewhat repaired if you choose to apologize for the actions of those under your command this weekend and hold all officers fully accountable for their use of excessive physical violence against unarmed peaceful protesters. Please address your apology to those injured, to Occupy Portland, the Liaison Team and to the Occupy Movement.

In response to your “offer” of support yesterday, we ask that you make public all raw unedited police footage related to Occupy Portland. We await your apology and delivery of this footage with an open mind because we believe there is potential for collaboration with city government in the future.

Despite acting in the interests of corporate elites, you, Sam Adams, are also part of the 99 percent. There will always be a place for you in our movement, should you honestly choose to join us.

Sincerely,

Adriane Ackerman – City Liaison
Alaina Melville – Police Liaison POC
Jim Oliver – City Liaison POC
Kip Silverman – Media Liaison
Micaiah Dutt – Police Liaison
Trip Jennings – Police Liaison

Endorsed by:

Katherine Sherman POC Kids’ Village
Jay Dragon POC Kid Village
Kid Village
Illona Trogub Media & Communications
William Daniel Showalter
Engineer Sam
Mike Blue hair POC Occupy Portland Video Collective
Vargus Pike- Citizen of the state
Ivy Seaburg, RN Medic
Rochelle
Chase Wilson
Tony Zilka Union Liaison

*** Endorsements were received between the few hours that this open letter to Occupy Portland was released and the press conference occurring at 7:14am on Tuesday, November 15th. We welcome all additional endorsements in the comment section. We ask that non-endorsement comments be directed to the forum.***

Peace Caravan to Cuba from Corvallis, Oregon: how you can help

Partnering with allies in Ashland, the Corvallis Chapter of Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS)  has set the goal of sponsoring an "Oregon  Bus" in next summer's caravan to Cuba.

 

This means that together we will raise the funds to purchase a used bus, insure it, and provide funds for fuel to Tampico, Mexico where it will be put on a cargo ship and transported to Cuba. It also means that we will have the opportunity to appoint a group of artists, or a class, to paint the bus.

So instead of raising funds in July when the caravan comes through Corvallis, we are asking for your support NOW, during the month of November, to allow ample time to locate, purchase and work on the bus. Both cities are making the goal of raising $1500 (for a total of $3000) for this project. CCDS members have already generously committed to this project, but we still need lots of donors at the $25. or $50 level (or more!) to step forward. 

Please make checks out to 

IFCO/P4P

and write "Oregon Bus" in memo

then mail it to me:

Juanita Rodriguez

6355 NE Pettibone Drive

Corvallis, OR 97330

I will bundle the checks received and send them off to P4P. As you know, the bus is a necessary part of the success of the caravan. It will carry humanitarian aid and caravanistas down the West Coast, educating people as it goes, and finally crossing the border into Mexico and ultimately be a gift to the people of Cuba. The vehicles also bring attention to our act of civil disobedience as we claim our right to travel to Cuba, and bust the blockade against taking anything into Cuba.

Please be as generous as your situation allows to support this project,  and get a check in the mail ..... we will be making follow up phone calls, and keep you posted on our progress.

With deep appreciation and "Hasta la Victoria Siempre",

Juanita Rodriguez

What is it really like to claim Jobseekers Allowance?

This is an excellent posting. One of the best features is the comments.

Posted on November 5, 2011 by exfashionista

Prior to my redundancy I had been in consistent employment since leaving University.  Therefore, I had no personal experience of our Welfare system or claiming benefits of any kind.  I would consider myself relatively left-wing in my political views and I have always felt that the British Welfare System was something to be proud of.  I think it’s fair to say that, that is no longer the case.  For the majority of my career to date, I paid tax in the highest tax band and had 40% of my bonus taken on several occasions.  I can honestly say I have never felt resentful about that.  I choose to believe that the majority of those who have no choice but to claim benefits are decent and honest people.  I have never subscribed to “Daily Mail” stereotypes about who benefit claimants are.

That said, I was quite apprehensive the first time I had to attend the Job Centre to “sign on”.  I was made redundant relatively early on in terms of the recession timescale (in May 2008) and honestly believed that it wouldn’t be long before I found a job.  In actual fact I was job hunting for the best part of two years.  I can honestly say I have never filled in so many un-necessarily complicated, repetitive and intensive forms.  Now I consider myself a competent person, I have a degree in Law for goodness sake but I had to read the forms several times to ensure that I was filling them in correctly.  

Complete article: http://www.exfashionista.co.uk/2011/11/05/what-is-it-really-like-to-claim-jobseekers-allowance/

Thursday: Decalare An Economic Emergency For The 99%!

Thursday, November 17th, at 8am we meet up on East side of the Steel Bridge in Portland to get on it and Declare an Economic Emergency for the 99%. There are 25 million Americans looking for work, congress won’t pass a jobs bill and the Super-Committee budget cuts could kill millions of more jobs. The Steel Bridge needs to be repaired and could create jobs for unemployed Portlanders if politicians really want to support the 99% and create jobs.

Health Care Is A Human Right!

Saturday, December 17th, 1 to 4 pm. Members of the Vermont Workers Center will share with us how their 3 year campaign convinced the Vermont legislature to declare “Health Care is a Human Right” gather in the Moriarty Arts & Humanities Auditorium at PCC Cascade, 705 N Killingsworth, Portland

Solidarity With Dosha Salon Workers

Tuesday, November 15th, All day, show support for Dosha Union Workers at 4 Salon Locations on a “Union Unity Salon Day”, call Madelyn at 503 238-666 for more info.

White privilege is .....

DEMOCRATS TAKE THE PLEDGE: MAKE THE TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH PERMANENT

According to a document (authenticated by a Democratic Party Aide) the Democrats on the Super Committee (sic) have pledged not to pursue letting the Bush/Obama tax cuts for millionaires expire. They do this by enacting tax reform where no one pays more than 35% tax on income. Problem solved!!

While the problems that really need to be solved are:

The 25 million people who are unemployed or under employed.

Stopping the Wall Street looters

Ensuring economic security for everyone, especially Seniors and the poor

Guaranteed access to health care for all.

No, these things are not on the table. Obama is cracking the whip when it comes to cuts to the most vulnerable. More details are revealed in this new document:

$250 Billion in reimbursement rate cuts to Medicare Providers, which will exacerbate the problems Seniors already have with access to doctors. There is some problem with Medicare fraud which comes from some Doctor's billing processes. But the problems are not in Medicare reimbursements being too high. This is just an attack on Seniors.

$100 Billion in cuts to benefits for Seniors. This affects every person who reaches retirement age and also the disabled. Not only will Medicare benefits be reduced but the plan is to end the tax deduction for out of pocket medical costs.

Also cuts to Medicaid's Prevention and Public Health Trust Fund. This is a cut to programs that were created to prevent more costly care in the future. Go figure.

The Democrats also want to cut $5 Billion from Medicaid's "DME". This is everything from crutches to wheelchairs to catheter bags to the hospital beds that are often used by Hospice so patients can remain in their home for the last 6 months of their life. This equipment often keeps people out of Nursing Homes.

This is who Obama and the Democrats believe should pay for the deficit caused by 2,3,4... unnecessary wars and their tax cuts for the rich.

So, there are some organizations that call themselves Progressive Democrats who think this might not be the best way to get Democrats elected. So they have a plan to pressure their Senators to find another way. You guessed it, phone calls and e-mails. After all, it has worked so well in the past. They will make it easy for you to use their web site to beg and plead "don't do this". You would think they might think of another way. Haven't they noticed that thousands of people are trying to find creative ways to pressure the 1% who control both parties? Haven't they noticed that e-mails and phone calls are not on the agenda these days?

Marilyn Sewell On Occupy Portland

The real problem with Occupy Portland is that the movement has attracted the poor, the homeless, the addicted, the mentally ill -- all of whom were in our city previously, but now are ever more visible.

Those of us who are more privileged and more comfortable would prefer that these people be less visible. The protesters have tried valiantly to provide services to those in need, but have been overwhelmed.

The salient question is not how do we get rid of Occupy Portland, but how do we address the human need that has been made all too clear? And in a larger sense, how do we address the economic inequity at the root of this nation's suffering?

MARILYN SEWELL
Southwest Portland

TODAY In Portland---Support Occupy!

From Portland Jobs with Justice

Dear JwJ Activists,

As you are probably aware, Mayor Adams is threatening to shut down the
Occupy Portland encampment at midnight on Saturday. JwJ has signed on to
the following statement, and encourages everyone to show your support by
heading downtown on Saturday. For the full schedule of the day's events, go
to
http://occupyportland.org/2011/11/11/open-invitation-occu-fest/


Labor groups will meet at 6:45pm for a Labor and Community Support Rally
at the Labor Tent (SW 3rd and Main). Hope to see you there!

-----------------------------------------
Statement in Support of Occupy Portland

We support the Occupy Wall Street movement in Portland and around the world. It is a commendable and much-needed response to the corporate greed and government corruption that negatively affects so many people in our communities and beyond.

As organizations advocating for economic and social justice, we owe the men, women and youth of this movement a great deal of gratitude for the tremendous shift they have created in the national debate. After years of effort, the nation is finally beginning to consider the root causes of the nation's economic woes rather than seek out scapegoats. This positive momentum must be continued.

Obviously, the movement's successes have made it a target for those who prefer the status quo. We acknowledge that the Occupy Portland encampment is not without problems. That said, it would be wrong to suggest that the homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse and violence so often highlighted by the corporate media and certain public officials was created by the encampment. Putting the many hardships associated with poverty on public display should be a step towards addressing them, not an excuse for political repression. Volunteers within Occupy Portland have done an amazing job trying to address these issues and they deserve far more help and credit than has been given them thus far.

We urge the City to reconsider plans to forcibly remove demonstrators from Lownsdale and Chapman Squares, and to instead work with Occupy Portland to address whatever legitimate concerns exist regarding health and public safety. There is no shortage of peaceable and respectful actions the City could take to achieve those goals, while also protecting demonstrators' First Amendment rights.

We put the City on notice that we will not tolerate violence in any form against peaceful protestors.

(if your organization would like to sign on to this, please email
karikochs@gmail.com )

Communist Party USA Interviewed about Occupy Wall St Movement

VETERAN'S DAY MESSAGE FROM ROSA LUXEMBURG

Militarism in both its forms — as war and as armed peace — is a legitimate child, a logical result of capitalism, which can only be overcome with the destruction of capitalism, and that hence whoever honestly desires world peace and liberation from the tremendous burden of armaments must also desire Socialism. Only in this way can real Social Democratic enlightenment and recruiting be carried on in connection with the armaments debate.

A day of mass action on Thursday November 17th in Portland

Occupy Portland and the Occupy Wall Street movement worldwide has called for a day of mass action on Thursday November 17th.

This is a once in a generation opportunity to take bold action with a critical mass of activists willing and ready to confront corporate greed. Seize the moment. Plan to take the day off work (because banks are open 9-5pm). Spread the word. Gather your friends. Plan your action. Be Creative. Occupy the Banks.

N17 Schedule

8am support an organized labor civil disobedience with We Are Oregon on the East Side of Steel Bridge.
10am Rally at Waterfront Park @ SW Ankeny
11-1pm we march to visit civil disobedience actions in progress!
Get Involved

Workshops for anyone wanting help planning actions and organizing new affinity groups are happening! Schedule at n17pdx.org/training, or contact training@n17pdx.org. You can RSVP on facebook for trainings too!
Thursday 11/10: Security/Blockades @ FIELD WORK, 1101 SW Jefferson 6-9pm
Friday 11/11: Nonviolent Direct Action @ Laughing Horse, 12 NE 10th Ave 6-9pm.
Sunday 11/13: Nonviolent Direct Action @ FIELD WORK, 1101 SW Jefferson 4:30-7:30pm
Sunday 11/13: Legal Observer & Street Medic Training @ Backspace 115 NW 5th Ave 4pm
Monday 11/14: Blockades/Police Liaison Training @ Laughing Horse, 12 NE 10th Ave 6-9pm
Tuesday 11/15: Nonviolent Direct Action@ FIELD WORK, 1101 SW Jefferson 6-9pm
Tuesday 11/15: Street Medic Training for medical professionals Location TBA 6-9pm
Wednesday 11/16: Legal Briefing for action participants @ FIELD WORK 6-9pm 1101 SW Jefferson
To coordinate with other actions or join support teams for them, come to the action Spokescouncil planning meetings. Every other day at 6pm: Thursday 11/10, Saturday 11/12, Monday 11/14, and Wednesday 11/16 at the First Unitarian Church (1011 SW 13th).
Help it go viral! Share this video on your social media sites

Visit www.n17pdx.org for more details

With decentralized-yet-coordinated nonviolent civil disobedience, we will target the big banks, rejecting their direction of the economic system that divides us all. Let’s reclaim our democracy, stop the foreclosures, and recreate the society we want to see. Together, on Thursday November 17, let’s shut the banks down!

Raise the bucket from the ground

Another great post from Kasama:

There is an old communist saying “We have to raise the bucket from the ground” — meaning that we can’t control where things start from. People enter into radical activity and struggle (as Lenin once said) “with all their prejudices” and then we (together) “raise the bucket” from there. And this is not just a matter of the middle classes and their prejudices. Anyone who doesn’t think the most oppressed enter struggle with very mixed ideas and baggage…. well they don’t know very much about the oppressed in real life.

This means (obviously) that many people in the U.S. come into political life with patriotic misconceptions (about history but also about the current U.S. role in the world). Even the very oppressed often arrive with non-rational, mystical or semi-religious notions about how society works (which helps underscore non-rational conspiracy theories).

They are sometimes only thinking about how to better THEIR personal position (or the position of people like them) — and so we get notions of “buy American” or “energy independence as a security issue” or “maintain U.S. dominance in the world.” Or “speaking as [fill in the section of people]” — as if our struggle is not global and universal, or as if our view of reality can’t be held in common.

People sometimes arrive thinking that things are now terrible and worsening — but still believing that somewhere (in the recent past, or some distant past) “things” were somehow better — and so we get slogans like “take America back” (as if “we” every had it!), and as if there is some previous ideal that we want to return to, or as if the “founding fathers” had the right idea that has since been perverted (and so on).

Read more here.

Can a progressive support Occupy Salem Oregon?

While I generally support occupy movements around the globe, I have concerns about supporting Salem's own “Occupy”.

Reason: It appears to have been infiltrated to a significant degree by the Libertarian Party and Ron Paul political supporters, who have been able to give preference to their own views in ways that exclude others, while giving the impression that their opinions are that of all of Occupy Salem. I find this extremely offensive and damaging to the Occupy movement.

For example, OSO is picking and choosing who can engage in the public forum that is Facebook. Whoever is operating the FB page has censored people not in favor of Ron Paul and has “liked” other pages such as:

1. “End the Fed” and “Occupy the Federal Reserve” --- both blatantly in favor of Ron Paul's race for president in 2012.
2. Various other persons and pages that are blatantly Ron Paul supporters.

When I commented on FB, offering a critique of Ron Paul's political views, the persons acting as Occupy Salem Oregon “liked” a comment by a person defending Ron Paul, but did not “like” mine. I asked why OSO as FB would like one person's political view over another, OSO wrote back:

"Because we are all entitled to our own opinion and i liked his so i clicked the "like" button."

I posted links* on OSO FB to three articles by progressive publications, which contained valuable and thoughtful critiques and analysis of Ron Paul's political positions. One of the most ardent Ron Paul supporters called these critiques “hit pieces”.

My comments and article links have been deleted, and someone at OSO FB has blocked me from further posting.

The comments and the content of the articles I offered links to were not personal attacks, nor did they contain offensive language, etc. However, they were condemned as “spam” by the operator of OSO Facebook, who addressed me with this comment:

"Please don't spam, you are more than welcome to your opinion (as am I) but it is not ok to shove it down someone's throat. This site is for things pertaning to the OCCUPATIONS not your persenal political views. We are PEOPLE here, not objects to be labeled. And it is not up to you to make a choice for everyone, we are all entitled to "like" whatever we want."

Really? If so, then why so much content allowed that is pro-Ron Paul and Libertarian Party?

The three article links I tried to post explain the issues that progressives have with Ron Paul.   (Links listed at end of this post.)

Just a few of problematic issues with Ron Paul are:

• He believes that climate change is no big deal and the Environmental Protection Agency is unnecessary.
  
• He would not have voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because it was a "massive violation of private property and contract, which are the bedrocks of a free society."
  
• He believes that the Americans with Disabilities Act should have never been passed. Paul says, “The treatment of the handicapped should be determined by the free market.”
  
• He believes that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are unconstitutional.
  
• He holds to the view that America is a Christian, rather than secular, nation. He opposes the concept of the separation of church and state. Instead, he claims that "the notion of a rigid separation between church and state has no basis in either the text of the Constitution or the writings of our Founding Fathers." He argued that, "the Founding Fathers envisioned a robustly Christian" nation.

NOTE: The articles mentioned on FB that were deleted are at the Socialist Worker, Mother Jones, and People's World:

• http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/26/libertarians-ideas-dont-belong
• http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/05/extreme-ron-paul-president-2012
• http://peoplesworld.org/why-progressives-should-not-support-ron-paul/

Why I'm Here at Occupy Salem

THE GREATEST OCCUPY OF THEM ALL - 94TH ANNIVERSARY

The Greatest ‘Occupy’ of Them All

Today, November 7, 2011, is the 94th anniversary of the November 1917 insurrection that gave all power to the workers’ councils in Russia. (The Russian for “council” is soviet.) That was probably the greatest “Occupy movement” of them all—at least to date. Imagine what the U.S. version will look like!

Below, on this anniversary, we reproduce some scenes from what we now can call “Occupy Petrograd.” 

And for those who have pointed to the very welcome entry of veterans (and some active-duty troops) into the U.S. Occupy movement, notice the descriptions of the soldiers and sailors in Russia almost a century ago.

The excerpts below are from Max Eastman's translation of History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky. (Our thanks to Labor Standard editorial board member Andy Pollack for sending out these excerpts from

www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1930/hrr/index.htm — and also for his comments, which we have paraphrased. Note that we made some small editorial insertions in Eastman’s translation. ) — George Saunders, co-managing editor, Labor Standard

CHAPTER 10

THE CONGRESS OF THE SOVIET DICTATORSHIP

In Smolny on the 25th of October the most democratic of all parliaments in the world’s history was to meet. Who knows—perhaps also the most important. Having got free of the influence of compromisist intellectuals, the local soviets had sent up for the most part workers and soldiers. The majority of them were people without big names, but who had proved themselves in action and won lasting confidence in their own localities. From the active army it was almost exclusively rank-and-file soldiers who had run the blockade of army committees and headquarters and come here as delegates. A majority of them had begun to live a political life with the revolution [of February-March 1917]. They had been formed by an experience of eight months. They knew little, but knew it well. The outward appearance of the Congress proclaimed its make-up. The officers’ chevrons, the eyeglasses and neckties of intellectuals to be seen at the first Congress had almost completely disappeared.

A gray color prevailed uninterruptedly, in costumes and in faces. All had worn out their clothes during the war. Many of the city workers had provided themselves with soldiers’ coats. The trench delegates were by no means a pretty picture: long since unshaven, in old torn trench-coats, with heavy papakhi [tall fur hats] on their disheveled hair, often with cotton sticking out through a hole, with coarse weather-beaten faces, heavy cracked hands, fingers yellowed with tobacco, buttons torn off, belts hanging loose, and long unoiled boots wrinkled and rusty. The plebeian nation had for the first time sent up an honest representation made in its own image and not retouched…

An influx of confidence had come with the news of the capture of the Winter Palace, and afterward with the coming over of the bicycle men to the insurrection. But both these facts still had to do with the mechanics of insurrection. Only now was its historic meaning becoming clear in action. The victorious insurrection had built under this congress of workers and soldiers an indestructible foundation of power.

The delegates were voting this time not for a resolution, not for a proclamation, but for a governmental act of immeasurable significance [the decree on peace, drafted and submitted by Lenin]. Listen, nations! The revolution offers you peace. It will be accused of violating treaties. But of this it is proud. To break up the leagues of bloody predation is the greatest historic service. The Bolsheviks have dared to do it. They alone have dared. Pride surges up of its own accord. Eyes shine. All are on their feet. No one is smoking now. It seems as though no one breathes. The presidium, the delegates, the guests, the sentries, join in a hymn of insurrection and brotherhood. “Suddenly, by common impulse,” – the story will soon be told by John Reed, observer and participant, chronicler and poet of the insurrection – “we found ourselves on our feet, mumbling together into the smooth lifting unison of the ‘Internationale.’ A grizzled old soldier was sobbing like a child. Alexandra Kollontai rapidly winked the tears back. The immense sound rolled through the hall, burst windows and doors and soared into the quiet sky.”

Did it go altogether into the sky? Did it not go also to the autumn trenches, that hatch-work upon unhappy, crucified Europe, to her devastated cities and villages, to her mothers and wives in mourning? “Arise ye prisoners of starvation! Arise ye wretched of the earth!” The words of the song were freed of all qualifications. They fused with the decree of the government, and hence resounded with the force of a direct act. Everyone felt greater and more important in that hour. The heart of the revolution enlarged to the width of the whole world. “We will achieve emancipation...” [Eastman is translating from the Russian wording of “The Internationale.”—G.S.] The spirit of independence, of initiative, of daring, those joyous feelings of which the oppressed in ordinary conditions are deprived—the revolution had brought them now “…with our own hands!” The omnipotent hands of those millions who had overthrown the monarchy and the bourgeoisie would now strangle the war. The Red Guardsman from the Vyborg district, the gray soldier with his scar, the old revolutionist who had served his years at hard labor, the young black-bearded sailor from the Aurora—all vowed to carry through to the end this ”last and deciding fight.” [In Russian: Eto yest nash poslednii i reshitelny boi.] “We will build our own new world!” We will build! In that word eagerly spoken from the heart was included already the future years of the civil war and the coming five-year plans with all their hard work and privation. “We have been naught. We shall be all!” If the actualities of the past have often been turned into song, why shall not a song be turned into the actuality of the future?

Those trench-coats no longer seemed the costumes of galley-slaves. The papakhi with their holes and torn cotton took on a new aspect above those gleaming eyes. “The race of man shall rise again!” Is it possible to believe that it will not rise from the misery and humiliation, the blood and filth of this war?

The whole presiding body, with Lenin at its head, stood and sang with excited enraptured faces and shining eyes. The last sound of the anthem died away, but the Congress remained standing, a fused human mass enchanted by the greatness of what they had experienced and accomplished.