There is a blatant obvious coverup in the media looking on the internet it is mind blowing the disparity of information. It feels to me like a full blown media blackout. CNN is spending more time with the indy accident that the fact that the entire planet is in a state of revolt.

The Revolution will NOT be televised.

...But it will be Livestreamed!

I must say that this media blackout is mostly an American issue. For the last few days there has been plenty of coverage on the global protests from a few days back on our national television. The march from Spain to Brussels and subsequent protest and camping of the indignados have been covered, just as the police brutality inflicted on a young Greek girl during these protests. Proponents of the movement have been invited to talkshows to explain their idea of participative democracy through the assemblies, and the Greek girl who was also present on that broadcast was permitted say that she was not the only case of police brutality and they even let her accuse the police force of torture on occasion without trying to discredit her, only to let her finish her discourse with an open invitation to the public for a new march to Athens starting in Nice, France on the 5th of november.
On another show a Euro commissar called it a possible new may '68 (although I don't think he thought it something desirable to be honest).

I don't know how the media in other European countries are tackling this issue. But from within the confines of my borders I was pleasantly surprised by the openness of the media regarding this subject.

PotB

In spain, when protests started , there was also a big media blackout about the whole thing. Then the movement started getting more support from all sorts of varied sections of the population, then the media also started giving more coverage. At first the coverage had a doubtful tone, but when the movement matured constructively, most reports started being neutral or positive.

Maybe same will happen in USA? Lets see...

it's been commonly stated that there is far more coverage in Europe than the US. The RUMOR is that the feds are telling the news that this could destabilize the economy etc.. to force their hand. I am sure it's not hard being the 1% own all of the media. There are also a lot pf word about a organized run on banks the first being either BOA or citibank. Anonymous is supposed to organize this as a protest to the blackout. No date or time yet as they do not want to give the 'man' a heads up. If you have a checking account balance your better get it out now. If or when this hits your bank might be in trouble.

I've seen non-stop coverage on the 'Occupy' movement here in the US for the past two weeks now, ad nauseam. Maybe I'm watching the wrong news outlets or we're exaggerating this 'black-out' a bit too much?

Heck, even Bill Maher is cracking jokes:




(Note the 36,100 search results)

it's just fox,cnn etc some of the big stations. It's changin now they can't ignore it at this point.
http://12160.info/video/...t-of-wall-street-occupat

It's never been suppressed on the internet. Just the major news networks who when they do comment on the protests it's only through ridicule which several have been called out for by their own news stream. But yah it is dependent on what resources you use to access the news.

I just went down to my local occupancy movement. I am going to be camping out there starting tonight.
On my way home I made sure to inform anybody that was open about what was going on, and I had many good discussions with random people, many who didn't really understand what was going on at all.

I also have been posting things on local websites with information about the movement and how local people can get involved. I was surprised to not find ANYthing when I looked, and I will be keeping this up in hopes to gather more local support.

Looks like people are censoring this stuff too! A lot of my posts are being flagged for removal and such!

My town totally supports the movement and isn't having a single problem with police at all.

Peace!


PS Does anyone have any tactics/advice to spread the word to the people locally? I would love to do anything I can.

Right on house! I can't camp over night, but I've been down a few times to protest and few other times to make donations. Hoping to get back down this weekend.

As for spreading the word? just talk to as many people as you can. Try not to be overbearing with your idealism and just present the facts....with links if possible. Try to never argue with people who would are more focused on being 'right' than learning about the movement.

Peace

Definitely^

I'm thinking about writing a very humble flier with basic information and what people can do to help and passing this around. Everything I post online is censored immediately.

Is that too overbearing?

Doesn't sound overbearing to me. But, it probably depends on the boards you are posting on. Any random Joe can own an internet forum and filter till his hearts content... unfortunately. Posting on a hard right forum would not likely get much traction.

Cool. I'm going to do this now and exhaust all of my printer ink in the process...

I will be joining my local movement tomorrow afternoon.

I'm stoked to hear about you guys getting involved! This is the first step to a true democracy.

Speaking of, July 4th, 2012 will give a whole new meaning to Independence Day.

The 99 Percent Declaration

An OWS Working Group Committed to Elect a Non-Partisan National General Assembly

WHEREAS THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION PROVIDES:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.



BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

WE, THE NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in order to form a more perfect Union, by, for and of the PEOPLE, shall elect and convene a NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY beginning on July 4, 2012 in the City Of Philadelphia.



I. Election of Delegates:

The People, consisting of all United States citizens who have reached the age of 18, regardless of party affiliation and voter registration status, shall elect Two Delegates, one male and one female, by direct vote, from each of the existing 435 Congressional Districts to represent the People at the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY in Philadelphia. Said Assembly shall convene on July 4, 2012 in the city of Philadelphia.

The office of Delegate shall be open to all United States citizens who have reached the age of 18. Election Committees, elected by local General Assemblies from all over the United States, shall coordinate with the 99 Percent Declaration Working Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the99declaration/) to organize, coordinate and fund this national election by direct democratic voting. The Election Committees shall operate similarly to the original Committees of Correspondence during the first American Revolution.

II. Meeting of the National General Assembly and Deliberation:

At the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, the 870 Delegates shall set forth, consider and vote upon a PETITION OF GRIEVANCES to be submitted to all members of Congress, The Supreme Court and President and each of the political candidates running in the nationwide Congressional and Presidential election in November 2012. The Delegates of the National General Assembly shall vote upon and implement their own agenda, propagate their own rules and elect or appoint committee members as the Delegates see fit to accomplish their goal of presenting a PETITION OF GRIEVANCES from the 99% of Americans before the 2012 elections.

III. Proposed Petition for the Redress of Grievances:

The PETITION OF GRIEVANCES shall be non-partisan and address the critical issues now confronting the People of the United States. The Delegates shall deliberate and vote upon proposals for the PETITION OF GRIEVANCES in consultation with the 99% similarly to the first two Continental Congresses.



Below is a suggested list of grievances respectfully submitted by the OWS Working Group on the 99% Declaration. The final version of the PETITION OF GRIEVANCES voted upon by the Delegates of the National General Assembly MAY or MAY NOT include the following suggested issues:



1. Implementing an immediate ban on all private contributions of money and gifts, to all politicians in federal office, from Individuals, Corporations, Political Action Committees, Super Political Action Committees, Lobbyists, Unions and all other private sources of money to be replaced by the fair and equal public financing of all federal political campaigns. We categorically REJECT the concept that money is equal to free speech because if that were so, then only the wealthiest would have a voice. These actions must be taken because it has become clear that politicians in the United States cannot regulate themselves and have become the exclusive representatives of corporations, unions and the very wealthy who spend vast sums of money on political campaigns to influence the candidates’ decisions and ensure their reelection year after year.



2. The immediate reversal, even if it requires a Constitutional Amendment, of the outrageous and anti-democratic holding in the "Citizens United" case by the Supreme Court, which equates the payment of money by corporations, wealthy individuals and unions to politicians with free speech. We, the People, demand that institutional bribery and corruption not be deemed protected speech.



3. Prohibiting all federal public officials and their immediate family members, whether elected or appointed, from EVER being employed by any corporation they regulate while in office and/or holding any stock or shares in any corporation they regulate while in office until a full 5 years after their term is completed.



4. A complete lifetime ban on accepting all gifts, services, money, directly or indirectly, to any elected or appointed federal officials or their immediate family members, from any person, corporation, union or other entity that the public official was charged to regulate while in office.



5. A complete reformation of the United States Tax Code to require ALL citizens to pay a fair share of a progressive, graduated income tax by eliminating loopholes, unfair tax breaks, exemptions and deductions, subsidies (e.g. oil, gas and farm) and ending all other methods of evading taxes. The current system of taxation favors the wealthiest Americans, many of whom, pay fewer taxes to the United States Treasury than citizens who earn much less and pay a much higher percentage of income in taxes to the United States Treasury. We, like Warren Buffet, find this income tax disparity to be fundamentally unjust.



6. Medicare for all American citizens or another single-payer healthcare system, adjusted by a means test (i.e. citizens who can afford it may opt-out and pay their own health insurance or opt-in and pay a means tested premium). The Medicaid program, fraught with corruption and fraud, will be eliminated except for the purpose of providing emergency room care to indigent non-citizens who will not be covered by the single-payer program.



7. New comprehensive regulations to give the Environmental Protection Agency expanded powers to shut down corporations, businesses or any entities that intentionally or recklessly damage the environment and/or criminally prosecute individuals who intentionally damage the environment. We also demand the immediate adoption of the most recent international protocols, including the "Washington Declaration" to cap carbon emissions and implement new and existing programs to transition away from fossil fuels to reusable or carbon neutral sources of power.



8. Adoption of an immediate plan to reduce the national debt to a sustainable percentage of GDP by 2020. Reduction of the national debt to be achieved by BOTH a cut in spending to corporations engaged in perpetual war for profit, the "healthcare" industry, the pharmaceutical industry and all other sectors that use the federal budget as their income stream AND a truly progressive income tax code that does not allow the wealthy and corporations to evade taxes through excessive deductions, subsidies and loopholes. We agree that spending cuts are necessary but those cuts must be made to facilitate what is best for the People of the United States of America, not multinational and domestic corporations.



9. Passage of a comprehensive job and job-training act like the American Jobs Act to employ our citizens in jobs that are available with specialized training and by putting People to work now by repairing America's crumbling infrastructure. We also recommend the establishment of an online international job exchange to match employers with skilled workers or employers willing to train workers in 21st century skills.



10. Student loan debt relief. Our young People and students are more than $830 billion in debt from education loans alone. Payment and interest on these debts should be deferred for periods of unemployment and the principal on these loans reduced using a corporate tax surcharge.



11. Immediate passage of the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration and border security reform including offering visas, lawful permanent resident status and citizenship to the world’s brightest People to stay and work in our industries and schools after they obtain their education and training in the United States.



12. Recalling all military personnel at all non-essential bases and refocusing national defense goals to address threats posed by the geopolitics of the 21st century, including terrorism and limiting the large scale deployment of military forces to instances where Congressional approval has been granted to counter the Military Industrial Complex's goal of perpetual war for profit.



13. Mandating new educational goals to train the American public to perform jobs in a 21st Century economy, particularly in the areas of technology and green energy, taking into consideration the redundancy caused by technology and the inexpensive cost of labor in China, India and other countries and paying our teachers a competitive salary commensurate with the salaries of employees in the private sector with similar skills.



14. Subject to the elimination of corporate tax loopholes and exploited exemptions and deductions stated above, offering tax incentives to businesses to remain in the United States and hire its citizens rather than outsource jobs and reconstruct the manufacturing capacity of the United States. In conjunction with a new jobs act, reinstitution of the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps and a similar emergency governmental agency tasked with creating new public works projects to provide jobs to the 46 million People living in poverty, the 9.1% unemployed and 10% underemployed.



15. Implementing of immediate legislation to encourage China and our other trading partners to end currency manipulation and reduce the trade deficit.



16. Immediate reenactment of the Glass-Steagall Act and increased regulation of Wall Street and the financial industry by the SEC, FINRA and the other financial regulators, and the commencement of a Justice Department criminal investigations into the Securities and Banking industries practices that led to the collapse of markets, $700 billion bail-out, and financial firm failures in 2007-2008.



17. Adoption of a plan similar to President Clinton’s proposal to end the mortgage crisis and instead of the Federal Reserve continuing to lower interest rates for loans to banks who are refusing to loan to small businesses and consumers, the Federal Reserve shall buy all underwater or foreclosed mortgages and refinance these debts at 1% or less to be managed by the newly established Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (and foreclosure task force described below) because 1% or less is the interest rate the Federal Reserve loans to the banks directly who hoard the cash rather than loan it to the People and small businesses.



18. An immediate one year freeze on all foreclosures to be reviewed by an independent foreclosure task force appointed by Congress and the Executive Branch to (in conjunction with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ) determine, on a case by case basis, whether foreclosure proceedings should continue based on the circumstances of each homeowner and propriety of the financial institution's conduct.



19. Subject to the above ban on all private money and gifts in politics, to enact additional campaign finance reform requiring free air time and public campaign finances to all candidates who obtain sufficient petition signatures and/or votes to participate in the primaries and/or electoral process, to shorten the campaign season and to allow voting on weekends and holidays.



20. An immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and a substantial increase in the amount of funding needed for veteran job placement and the treatment of the physical and emotional injuries sustained by veterans in these wars. Our veterans are committing suicide at an unprecedented rate and we must help now.



BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that IF the PETITION OF GRIEVANCES approved by the 870 Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY in consultation with the PEOPLE, is not acted upon by Congress, the President, and Supreme Court, to the satisfaction of the Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, said Delegates shall organize a THIRD, COMPLETELY NON-PARTISAN, INDEPENDENT POLITICAL PARTY to run candidates for every available Congressional seat in the mid-term election of 2014 and again in 2016 until all vestiges of the existing corrupt corporatocracy have been removed by the ballot box.



★THE NINETY-NINE PERCENT★

amen, like that declaration

I just discovered that's not an official statement (Meaning OWS hasn't officially said anything about it as far as I'm aware) but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if OWS adopts it here soon. It's a great idea and I would most certainly participate in that kind of democracy.

Initially posted this here...

The Nexus should add to the declaration. Something on cognitive liberty (some ideas at http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/mission.html) or ending the insane war on drugs.


Here is a 2008 thread on how to change the war on drugs.


Is this all a sign that complacency is wearing off as we now see what has been taken away?


Can the Nexus collaboratively formulate items for the declaration that are in line with the focus of this community. If so, I'd recommend we focus on the top 2 or 3 that are clearly related to the values of the Nexus. Cognitive Liberty or War on Drugs just for examples.

Which one? I've seen four or five floating around now - and none with practical goals. The list of demands just keeps growing and growing like some kind of free-for-all.

Adding 'cognitive liberty' or 'end the war on drugs' to some list does not mean it will be taken seriously by anyone.

The first step would be deciding what this community would like to add. Having that, attempt to add to all of them or the one(s) that seem to have the most momentum.

The bill of rights may have also been a free-for-all at one point. And many still do not take it seriously.

How about something like this: (Adapted from petition.)

20. End the war on drugs and the prohibition regime, and move towards a system based on decriminalisation, regulation, public health and education. This 50 year old policy has failed, fuels violent organised crime, devastates lives and is costing billions. It is time for a humane and effective approach.