People from Main to mississippi to North Carolina to Ohio to Arizona just shouted a big FUCK YOU to the teabags!

My brother Sheet Metal Workers have stepped up to the plate.



SMWIA ENDORSES NON-VIOLENT GOALS OF OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT

Oct 20, 2011 (11:13:00)
Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association (SMWIA) was born in an era that saw America dominated by wealthy big money interests. It was a time when not a single banker or corporate executive was punished for behavior that saw families destroyed, thrown out of their homes and penniless while workers were arrested for the simple act of standing up for their First Amendment rights.

Because of the efforts of the working people who founded the Labor Movement and our Union, later generations saw a country that included social and economic reform that created the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world while opening doors to economic opportunity for millions of Americans families.

Unfortunately, the days that spurned working people to take to the streets are back. And this Union, like previous generations of sheet metal workers and today’s Wall Street occupiers, will rise up to the challenge.  (read full article here)

 
edited to add link to full statement below
http://www.smwia.org/News/NewsOverview/tab...
 

I have been fighting social injustice in this country since before Bobby Kennedy and I continue today. As time passed, I noticed with increasing alarm, the same thing. Everywhere I went, every demonstration, voter registration drives, Move on meetings, drinking liberally get togethers, everywhere it was the same. A bunch of us old boomer aging Hippies and not much else, until now! For the first time since Vietnam, I am seeing the kids, in great numbers, engaged.

The kids are beginning to realize that our corporate overlords have stolen their future. They've seen the jobs they hoped for shipped overseas, commodities gamed to the point where food, fuel and energy are becoming un-affordable. Unions that insured that you could actually get a job that paid enough to live are being crushed, the public education system is being systematically dismantled the media has been co-opted, the safety nets are being cut to ribbons, and the list goes on and on.

These kids are coming into a world where the top 400 are pulling out all the stops to return us to a feudal society. Those lucky enough to go to college exit saddled with debt and college or not, "would you like fries with that?" is not a viable career path. They look at the future and what they see is bleak at best.

Sun Tzu said something to the effect that you should always leave your enemy with an escape route. If you leave them no choice but to fight to the death, they will and you will not like it. The kids now have their backs to the wall. They are literally fighting for their survival and they are not going to peaceably lie down and get rolled over. They are fighting for their future and so am I.

We are the 99%. We will no longer remain silent!

Occupy Tucson

Today I went to the first organizational meeting of Occupy Tucson. At its height, I don't think there were more than about 100 people there but I also don't think Occupy Tucson even existed more than about a week ago and what we didn't have in numbers was more than made up for in enthusiasm!










The meeting started at 9:A.M. and this pic was taken about 9:30


The meeting was called for the fountain on the corner of Congress and Stone which is private property and we knew in advance that we might be asked to leave. Sure enough, about an hour into it, the building security guard showed up, followed shortly by Tucson's finest.



They were nice but told us that the building management would prefer that go elsewhere so we moved on to Viente de Agosto (Pancho Villa) park, about a block away. Several folks stayed behind to police the area, making sure that there was no trash left behind. In fact, it was resolved that at this and future events, one of our goals was to leave no trace. Not so much as a cigarette butt.



This whole thing has a very short fuse as the actual occupation will begin on October 15 and a lot of planning needs to be done in a very short amount of time. It was decided that a number of issues needed to be dealt with including everything from legal issues (we already have a legal team in place) to food, art, medical, PR, IT, cleanup and even Yoga and meditation. Committees were later formed to address each of these and people joined the committee they felt most comfortable with.

The whole process was quite cumbersome, in fact, it was often like herding cats. Anyone who wanted to speak, on any issue, was allowed floor time with the talking stick and people often got off topic but in the end, everything that needed to get done, got done and it looked an awful lot like Democracy to me.

The next planning meeting, with reports on what we all got done this week, and what remains to be done, will be at Pancho Villa Park on Sunday, October 9, starting at noon.

The actual occupation will start in Pancho Villa Park on October 15. It may migrate as events dictate.

As soon as web sites, facebook info, u-tube links, etc come on line, I will be updating this info. (I joined the PR group.)

If you can get involved, even just by spreading the word, we welcome your help. If you are one of the 99%, please come to the next meeting. As someone else posted at DU recently, either be a rebel or be a slave.

If you would like more info, PM me. I don't know a lot yet but I'm learning fast.

Peace
Bud

If you all have been following tridem's brave battle with the foreclosure assholes
Link here in case you missed it on the greatest page
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...

I couldn't help but think of the Arlo Guthrie song Alice's Restaurant so here is my slightly modified version of the relevant part dedicated to our hero, tridem;

And the only reason I'm
singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar
situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a
situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into
the bank wherever you are ,just walk in say "Bank, SHOW ME THE NOTE!.". And walk out. You know, if
one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and
they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,
they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in
singin a bar of SHOW ME THE NOTE! and walking out. They may think it's an
organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said
fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of SHOW ME THE NOTE! and
walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

And that's what it is , the Alice's Restaurant, SHOW ME THE NOTE!, Anti-banker-Massacre Movement, and
all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come's around on the
guitar.

YOU GO TRIDEM!!!!!!!!!!!!

The wife and I are going to take a very slow trip across the country in mid October.
I have driven across country more times than I can count but in every instance, the object was to get to where I was going as fast as possible. I never had time to stop and enjoy what each state had to offer, . For the first time in my life, I will be just cruzin, We will be leaving from San Jose, Ca. and our goal will be South haven Mississippi and back. We would like to see anything of interest in between. If you live in any of the states we might be passing through, I would really appreciate your input on what we might pay attention to.

Of particular interest to me would be historical points of interest, any cuisine items I may miss due to my ignorance (ie: I spent few weeks in upstate New York and they have the best cheese I have ever tasted) Which I would have totally missed if it hadn't been brought to my attention.). Things like the Museum of natural history in Arizona that showed us that even though you think it's a desert, lots of stuff lives there, I mean really lots of stuff.

So, If you live somewhere between San Jose, California and South haven (Nashville Tenn)Mississippi and you have something you think I should see, I would like to hear about it as I will probably never get a chance to do this again.

P.S. everything is game! I want to see Taos, area 51, Roswell, the whole nine yards. If I don't do it now, I will never do it! So, here we we go!

I'm a little teapot




Short and stout



This is my handler



This is my spout



When I get all steamed up hear me shout



Waaaaa! Waaaaa! DEATH PANELS, SOCIALISM, NO,NO, NO, NO NO! END OF MERCA AS WE KNOW IT! Speke Enlgishe Morans!

Tip me over and vote me out!

Lots of folks from Move on. Not one representative from the tea klux klan which was good for them because I went fully prepared to get in their faces.

The following is MY TAKE ON THE MEETING IN MY WORDS, NOT HERS. She was very careful not to directly call out the Repukes or the asshole, corporate Dems for the lying pieces of fetid, runny, dog shit that they are but I have no such qualms.

The meeting was supposed to run for an hour but actually ran for about an hour and a half. Zoe spoke for about seven minutes to open the meeting and then opened the floor for questions. EVERYBODY that got in line to speak was given the opportunity. The questions from the audience were intelligent and respectful. The entire audience was respectful. There was not one outburst. There were a few speakers who did receive applause. The guy that said we could fund single payer for a year with what we are paying for war for a month received the biggest applause. Most of the speakers talked about health care. A few talked about what a waste defense spending is. One talked about immigration from the point of view that so many people who do the work in this country have to live in the shadows with no health care, no unemployment insurance, no social security, etc. You know, the ones who do Glenn Beck's yard work and housework.

The bottom line according to Zoe; The House has passed over THREE HUNDRED PIECES OF LEGISLATION for banking reform, insurance reform, defense spending reform, etc. and almost 100% of it is stalled in the Senate because Harry Reid and Nancy Polosi have not got the balls to do what is necessary. (Again, my words, not hers). She pointed out repeatedly that the rules that the Senate are operating under that are creating this gridlock are NOT IN THE CONSTITUTION! They are decided upon by the Senate and can be changed at anytime by the Senate. If Nancy and Harry weren't such pussies they could put a stop to the bullshit and actually effect the change we so desperately need.

In the end, she told us how grateful she was to represent a district with so many educated, enlightened and informed people and how she felt sorry for some of her fellow Congress critters who had to go back to bumfuck Texas and deal with ignorant hillbillies. (my words again).

As an afterthought, there was maybe one tea klux klan member in the audience. Before the meeting started, someone remarked that they thought they smelled gas. (the meeting was held in a cafeteria and maybe one of the pilot lights was out). This scraggly looking guy opined loudly that that was the smell of government. I think he was the only one because he kept his mouth shut for the entire presentation which was a good thing because his nose was about as far from me as my elbow was to his nose and my elbow seems to have a mind of it's own sometimes.