Reply #219: Yes. And that's a useful historical fact.

[jtuck004]

So what is a "strike" expected to gain? Just wondering how they would measure success, what they might be hoping to gain? It's not an unreasonable question if people are going to be hurt or sacrifice their living. What should they expect to win? What's the prize they keep their eye on? And how do they know they are on the right road?

If 10,000 people sit down at their job with their 99% signs, leaving aside all the other ramifications, that is an action. How do you evaluate whether it is a success? How does it advance your cause? We get public recognition" is too vague. "It shows support" is just as vague. Or did you just gave business 10,000 targets?

We now have an American citizen, who happens to be a veteran, in the hospital, perhaps as the result of a quasi-military police force being unleashed on unarmed civilians that may have thrown some rocks and bottles. I hope they get more than this lousy park for that.

I think there are tens of millions of Americans that would stand beside them if they believed they were owned by corporations. That would end all this missile-throwing and take this to a whole 'nother level. (There is nothing honorable about thowing rocks or firing rubber bullets on either side, at least nothing that jumps out at me). But the oppressed may not know they are oppressed, and most likely don't, if Paulo Freire was correct). They must be reached out to (which may involve a pitched battle in itself) and helped to identify their oppressor and find their own answer. They can be victorious. Civil rights went throught 40+ years of lawsuits and learning before they moved to direct action as a tactic, a deliberate result result of what they studied and learned. They EXPECTED the outcome to be legislation in their favor, and they were proven correct. This current effort, the outgrowth of an Internet posting, is interesting, but it remains to be seen if it leads to votes or legislation, or ?. It might also get people hurt for no good reason, and that would be a real tragedy.

The future of this country is at stake and I would like to believe this "think tank" is part of the answer. They are so amorphous, however, that they can be a lot of things to a lot of people. People can hear what they want but wind up disappointed, maybe even harmed, by the planning and execution, though amorphous isn't necessarily bad.

I've seen that before, so I'm a little leery. (Think of how many George Bush got killed. That's not over by a long ways). I respect what they are doing. I have been to our local occupy site. I talk about it when I can, and I will support them where I can, especially if some outreach program starts up. And still ask questions.