[Vision2020] Occupy <insert placename here> musings

[Paul Rumelhart]

I know that certain people already predisposed to hate on my posts will 
do so, but just remember that in my own way I'm trying to help.

The biggest reason the Occupy movement irks me at the moment is this:  
the gods have handed them a prime opportunity to actually effect some 
change and they are (imo) fumbling the ball.  If I didn't agree with 
them, I'd just ignore them and move on.  But I do agree with them at a 
very basic level on a lot of issues, and it saddens me that they are 
falling on their collective faces.

FWIW, here's my advice.

Drop the occupy portion (I know - that's hard for the Occupy movement to 
do).  Failing that, at least prepare better.  Think about things like 
sanitation, restroom availability, food preparation, and so on.  Don't 
piss off members of the 99% that you are trying to get interested in 
your plight by pissing in their doorways or whatever.  Police yourselves 
and throw out the trouble makers.  I would recommend maybe keeping a 
presence there for political reasons, but move on to organized protests.

Get everyone on the same message.  Make use of the Internet better - get 
all the Occupy movements on the same web site and choose a topic to 
protest about for the next day or the next week or whatever.  Choose 
something like reinstating Glass-Steagal or amending the 14th amendment 
to specifically exclude corporations from equal protection under the 
law.  Pick something concise and practical.  Do your research.  Get 
information together that everyone can look at, and agree on.  Have 
protesters study talking points.  Give them suggestions for what to put 
on signs.  Make little Word files they can print out on colored paper 
and handout to passersby.  Have people prepared to tell the press in 
quick easy-to-understand snippets what you are protesting about.  Send 
them out there all on the same day with the same message, from 
OccupyParis to OccupyHoboken.

Ignore the unconstitutional legal fiction called "free speech zones".  
If the police try to get you to go somewhere else, ignore them.  If they 
try to physically move you, plant your ass on the sidewalk and make them 
move you like so much dead weight.  Do not strike back, even when they 
are pepper spraying you.  You've got the moral high ground.  Don't lose 
it.  Expect to be arrested, and plan accordingly.  Have a few people at 
each event there with video cameras just to document things.  Most 
important of all, don't get violent.  Be polite.  Be Gandhi.  Plan your 
protests for a given time range.  Be out there from 7am to 7pm or 
something.  It's much easier to get people to show up to protest if they 
can take a vacation day and join in rather than having to be able to 
take an extended period off of work.

I think this would be far more effective.  Take the issue of Congressmen 
and insider trading for example.  There's a bit of buzz about it right 
now, but if history is any indication it will just die down and life 
will meander slowly forward.  People will lose track of it amongst all 
the other issues and the media coverage of protester violence or 
whatever.  Even the police handing the movement the pepper spray card 
will likely not be enough.  However, I guarantee you that if every city 
had people out there specifically protesting that one issue in a clear 
and concise way, with more and more people getting out there and jumping 
on the bandwagon as the week progressed, some Congressmen would be 
pissing themselves right now knowing that everyone out there involved 
with this issue will be looking for someone to throw under the bus.  And 
it's not going to be the SEC or the CEO of Halliburton that goes down 
for the count.  These Congressmen will become the most pious bastards 
you've ever seen, and they will be leading the charge to put through 
legislation to "remove this injustice".

So, what do you think?  Is this the way for the Occupy movement to be 
more effective?  If not, then how?

Paul