I Did Not Plan This To Be Political

2011-10-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did delete a lot of earlier posts, including posts that link to the videos I made. I've also removed access to the videos on youtube, although I can see that Occupy St Louis has taken (STOLEN) the first one I made and is using it (WITHOUT ASKING) in a loop that runs every 15 or 20 minutes ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT on their livestream when they can't be bothered to actually put on a real livestream. That video, prior to me taking it down, had a huge number of hits showing their occupation in a good light, and they apparently like it enough to keep running it WITHOUT MY PERMISSION and even though I don't agree with those sentiments any longer. So apparently my video skill is not too bad if it was worth them misappropriating the video for "the cause." See previous post.

I didn't start this blog to be political. Then I got wrapped up with the Occupy movement, and quickly disillusioned with it. Just to clarify things, I'm not republican or democrat. I don't think there's a nickel's worth of difference between the two parties. I believe the only people in power now are people who got there by taking money from big corporations, and know how to get what benefits they can for themselves while skewing the votes in favor of the groups who put them in power. I don't think this country is democratic, it's a corporatocracy. Corporations decide who is in government, and corporations decide what your life will be like.

I do my best not to buy into their system. As much as possible, I try to stay away from buying things just because it's popular. I shop generic. I'm trying to avoid the traps of conspicuous consumption. I have "just basic" cable tv (and depending on my financial situation that may go away too). I rarely eat out, and most food is cooked at home from scratch. I work at an unsatisfying job for a big corporation, but in these days any job is a good job, so I'm going to do my best to keep it. I hope to someday retire to a little place in the country where I can have a big garden and a few chickens and cook over a wood stove. I don't think I'm expecting too much from life.

This blog is retiring from political life. So let's move on.

Why I Am Withdrawing My Support of Occupy St Louis

2011-10-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sure some of you have noticed that my videos in support of Occupy St Louis have been withdrawn from Youtube. To be more precise, I am withdrawing my support. I've been an avid supporter from the beginning, from before the beginning, because the issues the occupy movement protests are the same issues that effect my life every day. I'm against corporate greed. I'm against 1% of the population controlling a huge disparity of wealth. I'm against ALL politicians that have been bought and paid for by corporate dollars, in exchange for favorable votes to help corporations get more of our hard-earned money. I'm against the dishonesty that is rampant in our financial sector. (Note to all, just because it's legal doesn't make it right.)

The thing that get to me the most about the Occupy St Louis people is their lack of planning. This was touted at the start as a group of people who were going down to Keiner Plaza in St Louis with the intention of staying and not leaving until the end of the year. Great! You have a mission, now go for it!But there was no planning. Not even on a personal-responsibility level. Some people showed up, and expected others to supply their needs. This is Missouri, not Florida. If you are thinking about staying outside until the end of December, wouldn't you come up with an idea of how you are going to stay warm? Obviously these are not people with basic survival skills. Here's a post on the Occupy St Louis facebook page from last night:

It is really cold for those sleeping outside at Kiener Plaza--please help with supplies=tarps, tarps, tarps, blankets, sleeping bags, socks, gloves and hats. Please drop off all donations to the people at the food tent for distribution. Thank you for all of your support STL!!!

And this was for a night that just barely got down into the upper 40's. The cold weather hasn't even started yet. Also from yesterday:

After the nearly-Biblical storm we had hit the camp last night and earlier today, free lunch - courtesy of a local food truck was just what we all needed to turn the day around. Thanks, StL!

It wasn't a near-biblical storm. It was just rain, like we get here all the time. Perhaps some lessons in pitching your tent with the intention of staying dry might have helped. Just for a start, any former scouts would have known that you don't pitch a tent at the bottom of an amphitheater where all the rain water will drain down. That would be just plain common sense. When you get wet, go dry things off. Don't beg for replacements. There are plenty of examples of begging posted regularly throughout the previous weeks.

OCCUPY calling for donations of tents, canvass structures and tarps; as well as blankets, nylon rope and sleeping bags to help us prepare the camp for winter :)

we need coffee asap

Needed: creamer and sugar for coffee.

Can you please post that we need sleeping bags, tents, tarps, coats, shoes, sweaters, etc? It's about to get really cold and we need to prepare. Thanks!

The request for shoes seems a bit odd, considering that most of the people there leave at some point during the day and come back. I know some things got wet but couldn't you take it to a large tumble dryer at a laundrymat? An awful lot of those "there's no one in charge" people who are actually in charge appear to be students from at least solidly middle class families. Can't their families afford shoes? They may want to talk to some of the survivalists in this country who have managed to stash away food and necessities for an emergency, just to get an idea how things are done. Maybe, just maybe, learn how to manage on basic necessities and quit expecting people to provide luxuries. If you don't have any food at all, you will be grateful for rice and beans. You wouldn't tell people you'd rather they sent something tastier.

There were requests earlier for individual bags of snacks, cookies, and requests to have pizzas and chinese food delivered to the group.More begging on their official website include requests for salad dressing, hot food including vegetarian dishes, 5 quart saucepans, and quarters for the parking meters. If they'd used their mystery donation money to cook up rice and beans, they wouldn't need to ask for special vegetarian dishes. Everyone could eat the same.Also , a former administrator of the Occupy St Louis facebook page talks about some of her reasons for withdrawing as admin:

I was an admin and I gave up. It's disgusting. The entire thing is horrible. I couldn't support it any longer, couldn't continue to pour my energy into it. I'm crushed as well. :( People sit around on the steps smoking their fun stuff, chilling to music. That is not going to accomplish jack shit.

And yes I know I'm going to catch hell for this response, but at this point I don't care because I'm done.Having thousands of dollars in donations, and they're begging for cream/sugar.. against big corporations and asking for cases and cases of bottled water... the list goes on.

The main reason I stepped down as admin is because I got my head bitten off when questioning where all the $$ is, and where it is going. Whoever is in charge of the $$ needs to be held accountable. The info needs to be posted online just like everything else. Where's the $$ going? Why are we being asked to donate shoes, cream/sugar, and more and more coffee and cookies when there are thousands of dollars that have been donated...?

Same facebook page, another man speaks of his experience recently bringing his son downtown to see this movement in action. Keep in mind, this person WAS a supporter until he saw it for himself:

I've been following and supporting the Occupy movement for a bit and learning as much as I can. Tonight I took my 17 year old son down to Kiener to take part and show him what it was about. The experience was HORRIBLE and if I'd never heard anything about Occupy my interest would've ended there. The place looked like, smelled like and acted like a homeless camp. There were homeless people fighting with each other....I was told there was a march on the Fed so I waited with my son (while even more homeless fought with each other) til they returned in case we were just missing the droves of diverse people who were on the march. When they returned sadly to say this was not the case. When I asked about the presence of the organizers or any kind of committee a couple folks pointed at some closed off tent/tarp and said that they were huddled in there using computers but no one was allowed inside except the select few and they didn't really come out. If this is STL's representation of Occupy I have to say that it is negligible and just a waste of time/energy of everyone constantly posting in this group. I see so much activity in this group on a daily basis but there was absolutely NO SIGN of this kind of involvement on the front lines. In fact, the place was mess and there was an American flag rolled up on tossed to the side and was laying on the ground. Speaking as a relative outsider I can say with absolute certainty that nothing going on at the frontlines of the Occupy STL site tonight mattered worth a damn. It was a shame that I wasted the time to bring my son down there when all he ended up experiencing was...nothing.

I'm an American. I'm pretty sure I stand for the 99% who would not wad up an American flag and throw it on the ground.

Then there are issues that although Occupy St Louis claims it has no leaders, someone down there is accepting cash donations without being open about how much they have received and how the money is being spent. There are reports of thousands of dollars in cash under the control of a handful of people. The livestreams of their general assembly meeting don't show any action. They show college aged people bickering about the wording of an insignificant phrase. They show people "not in charge" telling the group assembled that they should not vote to against any item presented unless their negative vote means they are willing to quit the movement entirely over the issue.

Apparently a large segment of people who are out there overnight are homeless people who would have been sleeping on the streets anyway, but it's convenient to join up with the Occupy movement because that ensures plenty of food, snacks, free entertainment, and a certain amount of security they would not otherwise have. But the Occupy "not leaders" don't want to be sleeping next to the homeless, so they've organized the tents into "communities". Now those middle class college kids won't have to sleep next to the homeless, they can use their "communities" idea to keep the riff-raff where they belong and perpetuate class discrimination. So those homeless people can be part of the movement, but a fringe part, not the inner circle that belongs to the "not leaders".

So here's my vote. I'm out. The videos I made in support of Occupy St Louis, and the thousands of hits they've received, have been removed from public viewing.

Missouri Lawmakers Sucking at the Corporate Teat

2011-10-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

I've been sitting on this story for a few days, wanting to post it, but due to computer problems I wasn't online for a while. So here I am and glad to have the opportunity to share this.

A story online on STLToday gives the sordid details of a group of Missouri state senators having a grand time being wined and dined on the corporate nickel. Lots of fun was had by all, which included trips to New Orleans French Quarter, Rams games, Cardinals baseball tickets, and a river of free-flowing libations. I guess, like a cheap date, these senators are expected to "put out" for their corporate sponsors in return for the fun.

You can read the whole story at STLToday.Com.

Beverly Perdue (D-NC) Wants to Suspend Elections

2011-10-06T04:46:00.000-07:00

Why, after a lifetime of non-involvement in politics, am I starting to speak out now? It's because people like Beverly Perdue are in charge of the country. Last week, North Carolina governor Beverly Perdue suggested Congress suspend elections for two years so lawmakers can get to work stimulating the economy unencumbered by anxiety about what voters think.

Here's a link to the audio:

http://media2.newsobserver.com/smedia/2011/09/28/10/28/11veHD.So.156.mp3

After that was posted, and negative reaction started pouring in, her office entered a statement saying it was a joke. No, this wasn't a joke. Listen to her. She slipped up and said what she really thought. My suspicions are that she's not the only one in power who thinks that.

How long before they suspend our rights to vote, in the guise of getting things done quickly? How long before they suspend our right to free speech, in the guise of keeping our country free from agitators? How long before we lose any ability to control our destinies, in the guise of keeping us safe from outsiders?

It's time to speak out. I would have prefered a quieter life, sitting with my knitting, but things have changed.

Chicken Fried Life

I Did Not Plan This To Be Political

Why I Am Withdrawing My Support of Occupy St Louis

Missouri Lawmakers Sucking at the Corporate Teat

Beverly Perdue (D-NC) Wants to Suspend Elections