Category: Essays & Letters

Why I Occupy – Jess Hadden

Every person has a story to tell about what is important to them. A story about decisions they have made and the motivating factors for those decisions, whether it be family, friends, economics, ethics, or some other reason. Every person has a story to tell about an event that changed their life. A turning point…

Beneath the Pavement – The Historical Struggle of the Commons

by Robin Banks On the one hand, there are the forces of control. There are commercial interests which see the commons as theirs – to transport their goods, to advertise and sell their products, to facilitate the functional operation of the machine. Acting on their behalf are the police and politicians, who enforce this relationship…

Perception Management

by David Glenn Cox There is no top to this and no bottom. There are no sides to this and no way to contain it. It can only be held in place temporarily, only with makeshift propaganda and truckloads of hubris. This involves us all, every last mother-loving son or daughter of us and it…

Occupy May Day: Not Your Usual General Strike

by Jeremy Brecher Based on a talk by Jeremy Brecher to Occupy University, Zuccotti Park. Last December, Occupy Los Angeles proposed a General Strike on May 1 “for migrant rights, jobs for all, a moratorium on foreclosures, and peace – and to recognize housing, education and health care as human rights.”  The idea has spread…

The Case for Voting

This story is from the Occupied News Wire. It was originally published by The Boston Occupier. By Josh Sager The voting booth is the means by which average Americans can directly affect their federal, state, and local governments. Voting allows Americans to select politicians who represent the views and ideologies that they would like represented in…

The Four Legs of Activism

By Michael Schultz The first leg of activism is knowledge. It is important to look squarely at the issues of the day without illusion. As a good friend of mine is fond of saying, the core of activism is “between your ears”. Critical analysis of the world is the first step toward understanding what is…

Democracy: Now or Later?

by Eric Reygers de·moc·ra·cy noun \di-ˈmä-krə-sē\ plural de·moc·ra·cies Definition of DEMOCRACY a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority The ideology of our country–America, that is–is an integrated system of democracy aimed towards “freedom” but failing by governmental succession from the majority. Unfortunately, the current American governmental idea of democracy is…

Why I Occupy: A Call for Essays

Every person has a story to tell about what is important to them. A story about decisions they have made and the motivating factors for those decisions, whether it be family, friends, economics, ethics, or some other reason. Every person has a story to tell about an event that changed their life. A turning point…

Practicing the Politics of the Impossible

This story is from the Occupied News Wire. It was originally published in the Boston Occupier. by Doug Enaa Greene The U.S. electoral system is all about what the system deems possible. During each election season we are given the choice between a few politicians who promise change; we vote and then things remain the…

The Trayvon Martin Case – A Call to Action!

by Ahjamu Umi A seventeen year old youth has been gunned down. It’s a tragedy that’s all too familiar to African people around the world. Whether it’s in Sierra Leone, Somalia, Haiti, or Sanford, Florida, African life has no value, regardless of who’s pulling the trigger. This is the reason you won’t see me engaging…