OWS Inspired Activism... a must read from Glenn Greenwald...

[Luminous Animal]

http://www.salon.com/2011/11/17/ows_inspired_activism/singleton/

I'm at a loss as to which part to quote. The entire article is well worth reading.

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[hifiguy]

2. The whole piece is indeed worth reading, but

here are a couple of money paragraphs:

"The reason the U.S. has para-militarized its police forces is precisely to control this type of domestic unrest, and it’s simply impossible to imagine its not being deployed in full against a growing protest movement aimed at grossly and corruptly unequal resource distribution. As Madeleine Albright said when arguing for U.S. military intervention in the Balkans: “What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about if we can’t use it?” That’s obviously how governors, big-city Mayors and Police Chiefs feel about the stockpiles of assault rifles, SWAT gear, hi-tech helicopters, and the coming-soon drone technology lavished on them in the wake of the post/9-11 Security State explosion, to say nothing of the enormous federal law enforcement apparatus that, more than anything else, resembles a standing army which is increasingly directed inward."

"Most of this militarization has been justified by invoking Scary Foreign Threats — primarily the Terrorist — but its prime purpose is domestic. As civil libertarians endlessly point out, the primary reason to oppose new expansions of government power is because it always — always — vastly expands beyond its original realm."

[Luminous Animal]

3. The section quoting Jaime Omar Yassin is amazing.

I've been to Occupy Oakland several times and Jaime captured #OO accurately.

[Wind Dancer]

4. Great article!

K&R

[meow2u3]

5. Bloomberg is using his fortune and the police as a protection racket

If this isn't an example of a billionaire pig using the cops as a protection racket for himself and the banksters, then what is?

[Bonhomme Richard]

6. A very good read. I put on FB. n/t

[Luminous Animal]

7. Thank you!