Tag: we the people

Two Updates and a MIC CHECK

With spring fast approaching and a lot of plans to be made, much of what I’ve been doing here over the winter has been to forge connections with my fellow occupiers-in-arms, the folks on the street, the citizen media and other writers and activists who have made this movement such a joy to witness…even when there is sadness and setback…they are there to help keep discussion alive and well and focused. 

That is what community is about. And that’s what democracy looks like…in case anyone has forgotten.

I’m still working on the documentary film from the December Occupy Fear and Loathing Media Tour, which has been an interesting leap into the unknown territory of editing, not to mention a lot of writing to go along with it.  The news feeds are fast and furious and sometimes draining and breaks must be taken to recharge the soul.

One great recharge was a recent re-release of the online report that started the amazing occupy journey, and which coined the meme, the 99%, has been made available in book form with added information since Sept. 17th to now.  I was honored to be asked to contribute to this book as a commentator, along with many others who have long been admired by this writer/activist and mother.

Mama is just getting warmed up…

Yesterday, I was interviewed by a wonderful woman who works on a news show specifically for Occupy, which airs in many countries [not much here in the US, since we’re only supposed to hear the spin] but this show reaches millions of viewers who watch with great anticipation what the occupy movement will accomplish here.  The world is looking to us to be that bright light.  Not our government – but the people!  You’ll be hearing more about this show going into March.

So much of American culture is loved by many [not particularly our current culture – oh no, that bar is too low] but the gritty westerns, the soulful music and the rock ‘n roll, the incredible artistry of telling stories of determination, humor, creative genius, honorable journalism and hard truth delivered with care.

Do you remember?  It’s the America I know and love, too – and miss like hell.  I visit it a lot online because it doesn’t exist on the television or the radio anymore.  And it’s exactly why I do what I do and why my blog reflects a different time…full of ingenuity.  The current corporate culture bores me silly because it kills creativity – so I want to be part of helping to create a new one.

There are people not unlike you or me in other countries who love our country’s creative spirit, too.  Many are struggling far more than we are – but not for long unless we DO SOMETHING CREATIVE.  The people of the world want Democracy because they have never tasted it.  Here we are the supposed beacon of it, so we better shine – we damn well better flame – if we don’t want to lose that precious thing that the world needs.

NOT what our government is selling.

It is time to dust our cowboy boots, get up off the couch and let’s rock some Democracy like an encore.  Intermission is over and we may not have another shot at this.

In order to embrace opportunities and continue to manifest more of them, I need your help to sustain The Refreshment Center.

I have had numerous offers of assistance, talent and suggestions, as well as space provided to me – only to see work waylaid by personal [or political] agendas, negativity and short-sightedness.  As much as we all complain about our government, we are still relatively free to speak, write, create and push back.  Maybe you feel you can’t because of your family, employer, spouse or even your church – but I CAN.

I want to do that for you because I am in a unique position to do so.

I do not work for a party, a candidate, the status quo or the 9-to-5 matrix – I am giving this my last, best shot.  Sponsor a strong voice and keep it steady moving forward.

Opportunity is knocking and so let’s all swing that door wide open together.  I’m not ready to close the blinds, are you?  I’ve got boots for hire and they are ready to kick some ass for democracy and freedom.

The Chip-In is open-ended as far as an amount.  I’m not going to put a cap on my worth or your generosity.  Give what you can until the deadline.  [May 1st – I found it appropriate since it is globally recognized as ‘International Worker’s Day’ – which IS the 99%].

Spring is on it’s way…let’s make it one the world will never forget.

Rockin’ for a free world ~ Gabrielle


First Collective Statement Of Occupy Wall Street

Please share, repost, G+ and tweet for democracy!
Follow #occupywallstreet #OWS #ourwallstreet #sept17
and get out and occupy your city!
WE THE PEOPLE.
EXPECT US.
Official Collective Statement :
As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.
As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.
They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.
They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.
To the people of the world,
We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.
Join us and make your voices heard!

Your government is willfully stupid

You are smarter than they are. BLOG, connect, engage others, share, TEACH what you know – create the new system because the old one is broken.

Rethink it.
Reclaim it.