_USDOR 0911-1013 ab_Part34

Emails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.com

profitandtheycontrolourgovernment.Peopledon'thaveavoice-itisdrowned outbycorporatemessaging,lobbyistsontheirbehalf,campaigncontributions. On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:05 AM, wrote:I can get behind this . Can we all agree on a message soon? Our soundbite world is unable to comprehend complexity. Many keep calling us stupid because we think too much . lol

On 09/24/11, Winter Siroco wrote: After a lot of talking and consulting some of us agree with 4 points that everybody may endorse. Of course, everybody should seriously think about specific strategies to accomplish these goals.

On Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 10:59 PM, wrote: +1

On 09/24/11, Winter Siroco wrote: Yes, simple, broad and not demands but goals. Cesar On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: I think if we use demands at all we need to be focused on simple, clear demands that will enlarge our ranks . The house/senate wont pass anything even remotely looking like a change in wealth distribution, the Obama administration bends over backwards to appease the bi -partisan banks, the Supreme Court declares that proof of innocence is insufficient cause for a stay of execution, and the media will always distort and misrepresent, either through malice or incompetence . Thus, any sort of wonky policy demand that speaks only to the already politically active is unproductive and serves to marginalize and entrench the protest into a pre -exiting middle-class protest community. The government will give us nothing, we need to build the numbers to take ... The only positive function of demands is solidarity and recruitment: the simpler, broader and more universal, the better .

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:32 AM, Winter Siroco wrote: ...true, true...so, what would be your positive contribution or rearangement of priorities ? be constructive . Cesar



On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:24 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: And nothing gets the blood of the people stirring like a call to reinstate Glass -Steagall. Yup, I can see it now, the media suddenly exploding with coverage, the ramparts filling with the oppressed and underrepresented: "They've called for the reinstatement of Glass Steagall! Quickly, comrades, to arms! To arms! For Glass Steagall!"

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 8:58 AM, diane sare wrote: Glass -Steagall would bust up the "too big to fail" banks, let the speculators rot, as they should, and protect the small savings and loan banks, which means people's savings, mortgages, there would be hope for pension funds, etc . In other words, Glass -Steagall would bankrupt Wall Street -- it's not the whole recovery, but it IS the first step to protecting the PEOPLE, and making it possible to think long term about radical things we used to do, like water management, rail building etc . On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Snafu wrote: Hi all, I apologize for being off-list and off-the-streets for a few days, but I was lucky enough to become a father on September 17! I personally believe that the obstination of some members of the NYCGA on not having demands has proved disastrous and resulted in a PR debacle. Invariably, almost all mainstream media accounts of the protests note that the demonstrators have confused ideas and are probably motivated by merely ideological motives. Further, this refusal of having demands has nothing to do with the current movements in the Middle East, Spain and Greece all of which have clear and loud demands. In the case of Arab countries and Middle Eastern autocracies the demand cannot be but one (remove the dictator). In Greece and Spain the situation is more complex but the movements there have been able to develop specific analyses and requests. In particular the Joint Economics Working Group of Syntagma Square and Puerta del Sol have drafted a document (http://bit.ly/npCWkg ) that lists a specific set of demands, such as the request of nationalizing the banks, withdrawing the EU/IMF Memorandum imposed on Greece, make the accounting records transparent, and so forth . As I have previously suggested, the three simple demands that the NYCGA should have raised in the call to Occupy Wall Street should have been: 1) Reintroduction of the Glass -Steagall Act,

2) Immediate introduction of a Tobin Tax or Robin Hood Tax on all financial transactions both at a national and international level. On a national level, it would be sufficient for Congress to pass it. On an international level, the IMF could subordinate loans to countries in debt to the introduction of a Tobin Tax instead of requiring massive privatizations as it ordinarily does through the notorious structural adjustment programs. In Europe, Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy have officialized their support to the introduction of such tax in the EU about three weeks ago. Last June over 1,000 economist submitted a letter by 1,000 economists to the G20 last April that explains why the idea of a global Robin Hood Tax has come of age. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/apr/13/robin-hoodtax-economists-letter) Robinhoodtax.org, a web site run by a British NGO that explains in very simple terms how it works and how much revenue it could generate. The NGO also has a Facebook page. 3) Raise taxes on qualified dividends and long-term capital gains by pairing the long-term capital gains tax rate (which

alawregulatingthebanksystemthatseparated investmentbanksfromcommercialbanks.Thislaw,originallyapprovedin1933and signedintolawbyFDRhasbeenrepealedin1999.AsWikipediasimplystatesit,"Most economistsbelievethisrepealdirectlycontributedtotheseverityoftheFinancialcrisis of20072011byallowingWallStreetinvestmentbankingfirmstogamblewiththeir depositors'moneythatwasheldincommercialbanksownedorcreatedbythe investmentfirms."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlassSteagall_Act



applies to financial assets held for more than a year) to the ordinary income tax rates. At the moment, thanks to the Tax Reconciliation Act signed by Bush into law in 2006 and extended by the Obama administration to 2012 and beyond, capital gains cannot be taxed more than 20% whereas income tax is taxed up to 35%. This means that if your wage falls for example in the $35,000-83,000 bracket your income tax is 25% whereas if you make 1, 10, or 100 million dollars on the stock market your pay 20% only. Even Warren Buffett says that this system is openly unjust and that the current taxation system is profoundly unbalanced and skewed towards financial profit. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stopcoddling-the-super-rich.html) These three proposals are far from revolutionary yet they could begin raising specific questions and help bring a variety of subjects into the conversation. The notion that a movement is defined by its demands is ridiculous. A social movementis much more than a set of demands yet demands help those who are not on your side understand who you are and where you come from. Two other critical points that should be discussed in the GA are the public funding of political campaigns and the two-party system. A paramount political objective should be to get corporations to stop funding political candidates . You cannot have real democracy with the current system of fundraising. A truly democratic system would give each citizen a tax bonus of the SAME AMOUNT and enable each one of us to decide how to allocate such money . A truly democratic society should also not rely on forms of political representation based on a majoritarian (first-past-the-post) electoral system. If we are the 99% of the country, then we ought to be able to convince the rest of the nation that the 99% counts in fact nothing. And corporate funding and the two-party system should be the two main targets of a campaign for real democracy. To sum up, the question of the redistribution of wealth and democratic control over the financial system cannot be disconnected from the question of political representation. Organizing a movement that fights "against representative politics" does not mean in my opinion to fight against *any* form of representation, but certainly against the current system of representation. We are over 6 billions on this planet. Thinking that each individual should have the right to decide on every issue in every part of the world at all times may sound fascinating but it is simply unrealistic and unrealizable. Whether we like it or not, we constantly delegate to others the understanding of issues and execution of tasks we simply do not have the time to understand and care about . (The worldwide professionalization of national armies and the advanced specialization of knowledge in scientific and academic research are just two notable cases in point). Thus the question is not how to abolish authority and representation per se but how to produce forms of representation that are truly representative, renewable and non-ossified. The NYCGA could be such a body, once we live behind the rather childish notion that demands define us and by defining us trap us in some blind alley from which we'll be unable to move forward. Cheers, Snafu

-Diane Sare cell: 201 -220 -7731





From: To: Subject: Date:

[email protected] on behalf of grimwomyn [email protected] SPAM-MED: Re: Re: Re: [september17discuss] Five demands from the NYCGA: how to link the struggle for democracy to the struggle for social and economic justice Sunday, September 25, 2011 11:54:27 AM

How about:Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpaybyincreasingcapitalgainstaxes, closingcorporatetaxloopholes,andgettingridoftaxbreaksforBigOil. Creatingarealparticipatorydemocracy,inwhichlobbyistsdonothavethemost prominentvoice. Endingtheoppressionofeconomicinjusticeonallmarginalizedandvulnerablegroups. Promotingpeace,solidarity,andopportunityforall.

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 10:12 AM, Winter Siroco wrote: I agree, perhaps it could be OUR GOALS ARE:To end the Wall Street dictatorship and the aristocratic rights to tax exemption,Creating a real participatory democracy, Ending the oppression of all marginalized groups, and Promoting peace, solidarity, and economic justice.

Cesar On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Jon Good wrote: "Making the banks, corporations and the rich pay" is a bit vengeful and I think too open-ended. Besides, we don't want them just to pay, we want to change the system that allows them to amass such huge wealth and influence in the first place. The way banks work is that ordinary people put their savings into banks*, and the banks take our money and sling it around and invest it in all kinds of corporate and capital projects to help big corporations squeeze out the little guys and leverage their money to invade further facets of our lives (schools, hospitals, prisons, etc). I think the first goal should read something closer to "end the control of government and the economy by banks, corporations, and the rich." or "end the control of our lives by the crony system between big business and big government." I'm aware that the phrase "big government" is a loaded term that conjures up visions of black helicopters and wasteful spending among the Tea Party and Republicans, but the thing is that there are black helicopters and wasteful spending, it's just that the welfare queens and are actually corporations and not poor single women. So I think that's not too bad of a way to bridge the gap.Emails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.com


*It's really sick when you think of it as a co-operative where everybody pools all our wealth in one place, and then the bankers use it to amass huge wealth for themselves and make us powerless There's all kinds of parts of the finance world where the super rich form what are basically co-ops for their exclusive benefit (a good example is the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dtcc). In solidarity, Jon

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 6:26 AM, Jackie DiSalvo wrote: No, no the original is better Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpayFrom: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Winter Siroco Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 1:48 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Re: Re: [september17discuss] Five demands from the NYCGA: how to link the struggle for democracy to the struggle for social and economic justice

Yes, the first needs reworking.

What about:Ourgoalsare:

To end the Wall Street bending of the law, and the aristocratic right to tax exemption,

Creatingarealparticipatorydemocracy,

Endingtheoppressionofallmarginalizedgroups,and Promotingpeace,solidarity,andeconomicjustice.

Cesar



On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:13 AM, gail zawacki wrote:Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpay,soundssostupidandgreedy!DON'Tletthat happen.

Corporationsdonothavechildren,theydonothavesouls,theexistforshorttermprofitandtheycontrolourgovernment.Peopledon'thaveavoice-itis drownedoutbycorporatemessaging,lobbyistsontheirbehalf,campaign contributions. On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:05 AM, wrote:I can get behind this . Can we all agree on a message soon? Our soundbite world is unable to comprehend complexity. Many keep calling us stupid because we think too much . lol



On 09/24/11, Winter Siroco wrote: Yes, simple, broad and not demands but goals. Cesar On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote:


Emails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.comI think if we use demands at all we need to be focused on simple, clear demands that will enlarge our ranks . The house/senate wont pass anything even remotely looking like a change in wealth distribution, the Obama administration bends over backwards to appease the bi -partisan banks, the Supreme Court declares that proof of innocence is insufficient cause for a stay of execution, and the media will always distort and misrepresent, either through malice or incompetence . Thus, any sort of wonky policy demand that speaks only to the already politically active is unproductive and serves to marginalize and entrench the protest into a pre -exiting middle-class protest community. The government will give us nothing, we need to build the numbers to take ... The only positive function of demands is solidarity and recruitment: the simpler, broader and more universal, the better .


On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:24 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: And nothing gets the blood of the people stirring like a call to reinstate Glass -Steagall. Yup, I can see it now, the media suddenly exploding with coverage, the ramparts filling with the oppressed and underrepresented: "They've called for the reinstatement of Glass Steagall! Quickly, comrades, to arms! To arms! For Glass Steagall!"

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 8:58 AM, diane sare wrote: Glass -Steagall would bust up the "too big to fail" banks, let the speculators rot, as they should, and protect the small savings and loan banks, which means people's savings, mortgages, there would be hope for pension funds, etc . In other words, Glass -Steagall would bankrupt Wall Street -- it's not the whole recovery, but it IS the first step to protecting the PEOPLE, and making it possible to think long term about radical things we used to do, like water management, rail building etc . On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Snafu wrote: Hi all, I apologize for being off-list and off-the-streets for a few days, but I was lucky enough to become a father on September 17! I personally believe that the obstination of some members of the NYCGA on not having demands has proved disastrous and resulted in a PR debacle. Invariably, almost all mainstream media accounts of the protests note that the demonstrators have confused ideas and are probably motivated by merely ideological motives. Further, this refusal of having demands has nothing to do with the current movements in the Middle East, Spain and Greece all of which have clear and loud demands. In the case of Arab countries and Middle Eastern autocracies the demand cannot be but one (remove the dictator). In Greece and Spain the situation is more complex but the movements there have been able to develop specific analyses and requests. In particular the Joint Economics Working Group of Syntagma Square and Puerta del Sol have drafted a document (http://bit.ly/npCWkg ) that lists a specific set of demands, such as the request of nationalizing the banks, withdrawing the EU/IMF Memorandum imposed on Greece, make the accounting records transparent, and so forth .

alawregulatingthebanksystemthat separatedinvestmentbanksfromcommercialbanks.Thislaw,originallyapprovedin 1933andsignedintolawbyFDRhasbeenrepealedin1999.AsWikipediasimply statesit,"Mosteconomistsbelievethisrepealdirectlycontributedtotheseverityof theFinancialcrisisof20072011byallowingWallStreetinvestmentbankingfirms togamblewiththeirdepositors'moneythatwasheldincommercialbanksownedor createdbytheinvestmentfirms."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlassSteagall_ActAs I have previously suggested, the three simple demands that the NYCGA should have raised in the call to Occupy Wall Street should have been: 1) Reintroduction of the Glass -Steagall Act,



2) Immediate introduction of a Tobin Tax or Robin Hood Tax on all financial transactions both at a national and international level. On a national level, it would be sufficient for Congress to pass it. On an international level, the IMF could subordinate loans to countries in debt to the introduction of a Tobin Tax instead of requiring massive privatizations as it ordinarily does through the notorious structural adjustment programs. In Europe, Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy have officialized their support to the introduction of such tax in the EU about three weeks ago. Last June over 1,000 economist submitted a letter by 1,000 economists to the G20 last April that explains why the idea of a global Robin Hood Tax has come of age. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/apr/13/robin-hoodtax-economists-letter) Robinhoodtax.org, a web site run by a British NGO that explains in very simple terms how it works and how much revenue it could generate. The NGO also has a Facebook page. 3) Raise taxes on qualified dividends and long-term capital gains by pairing the long-term capital gains tax rate (which applies to financial assets held for more than a year) to the ordinary income tax rates. At the moment, thanks to the Tax Reconciliation Act signed by Bush into law in 2006 and extended by the Obama administration to 2012 and beyond, capital gains cannot be taxed more than 20% whereas income tax is taxed up to 35%. This means that if your wage falls for example in the $35,000-83,000 bracket your income tax is 25% whereas if you make 1, 10, or 100 million dollars on the stock market your pay 20% only. Even Warren Buffett says that this system is openly unjust and that the current taxation system is profoundly unbalanced and skewed towards financial profit. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddlingthe-super-rich.html) These three proposals are far from revolutionary yet they could begin raising specific questions and help bring a variety of subjects into the conversation. The notion that a movement is defined by its demands is ridiculous. A socialmovement is much more than a set of demands yet demands help those who are not on your side understand who you are and where you come from. Two other critical points that should be discussed in the GA are the public funding of political campaigns and the two-party system. A paramount political objective should be to get corporations to stop funding political candidates . You cannot have real democracy with the current system of fundraising. A truly democratic system would give each citizen a tax bonus of the SAME AMOUNT and enable each one of us to decide how to allocate such money . A truly democratic society should also not rely on forms of political representation based on a majoritarian (first-past-the-post) electoral system. If we are the 99% of the country, then we ought to be able to convince the rest of the nation that the 99% counts in fact nothing. And corporate funding and the two-party system should be the two main targets of a campaign for real democracy. To sum up, the question of the redistribution of wealth and democratic control over the financial system cannot be disconnected from the question of political representation. Organizing a movement that fights "against representative politics" does not mean in my opinion to fight against *any* form of representation, but certainly against the current system of representation. We are over 6 billions on this planet. Thinking that each individual should have the right to decide on every issue in every part of the world at all times may sound fascinating but it is simply unrealistic and unrealizable. Whether we like it or not, we constantly delegate to others the understanding of issues and execution of tasks we simply do not have the time to understand and care about . (The worldwide professionalization of national armies and the advanced specialization of knowledge in scientific and academic research are just two notable cases in point). Thus the question is not how to abolish authority and representation per se but how to produce forms of representation that are truly representative, renewable and non-ossified. The NYCGA could be such a body, once we live behind the rather childish notion that demands define us and by defining us trap us in some blind alley from which we'll be unable to move forward. Cheers, Snafu







[email protected] on behalf of Winter Siroco [email protected] SPAM-MED: Re: Re: Re: [september17discuss] Five demands from the NYCGA: how to link the struggle for democracy to the struggle for social and economic justice Sunday, September 25, 2011 12:35:27 PM

I think I like the previous suggestion better:

End control of the government by global banks, corporations, and billionaires and I would keep the others in the shorten version because the extensions are redundant, it is implicit, except for the vulnerable groups so:

End control of the government by global banks, corporations and billionaires, Creating a real participatory democracy Ending the oppression on all marginalized and vulnerable groups. Promoting peace, solidarity, and opportunity for all. On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 11:54 AM, grimwomyn wrote: How about:

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 10:12 AM, Winter Siroco wrote: I agree, perhaps it could be OUR GOALS ARE:To end the Wall Street dictatorship and the aristocratic rights to tax exemption,Creating a real participatory democracy, Ending the oppression of all marginalized groups, and Promoting peace, solidarity, and economic justice.

Cesar On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Jon Good wrote: "Making the banks, corporations and the rich pay" is a bit vengeful and I think too open-ended. Besides, we don't want them just to pay, we want to change the system that allows them to amass such huge wealth and influence in the first place. The way banks work is that ordinary people put their savings into banks*, and the banks take our money and sling it around and invest it in all kinds of corporate and capital projects to help big corporations squeeze out the little guys and leverage their money to invade further facets of our lives (schools, hospitals, prisons, etc). I think the first goal should read something closer to "end the control of government and the economy by banks, corporations, and the rich." or "end the control of our lives by the crony system between big business and big government." I'm aware that the phrase "big government" is a loaded termEmails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.com


that conjures up visions of black helicopters and wasteful spending among the Tea Party and Republicans, but the thing is that there are black helicopters and wasteful spending, it's just that the welfare queens and are actually corporations and not poor single women. So I think that's not too bad of a way to bridge the gap. *It's really sick when you think of it as a co-operative where everybody pools all our wealth in one place, and then the bankers use it to amass huge wealth for themselves and make us powerless There's all kinds of parts of the finance world where the super rich form what are basically co-ops for their exclusive benefit (a good example is the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dtcc). In solidarity, Jon

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 6:26 AM, Jackie DiSalvo wrote: No, no the original is better Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpayFrom: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Winter Siroco Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 1:48 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Re: Re: [september17discuss] Five demands from the NYCGA: how to link the struggle for democracy to the struggle for social and economic justice

Yes, the first needs reworking.

What about:Ourgoalsare:

To end the Wall Street bending of the law, and the aristocratic right to tax exemption,


Creatingarealparticipatorydemocracy,


Cesar

Endingtheoppressionofallmarginalizedgroups,and Promotingpeace,solidarity,andeconomicjustice.

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:13 AM, gail zawacki wrote:Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpay,soundssostupidandgreedy!DON'Tletthat happen.

Corporationsdonothavechildren,theydonothavesouls,theexistforshorttermprofitandtheycontrolourgovernment.Peopledon'thaveavoice-itis drownedoutbycorporatemessaging,lobbyistsontheirbehalf,campaign contributions. On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:05 AM, wrote:I can get behind this . Can we all agree on a message soon? Our soundbite world is unable to comprehend complexity. Many keep calling us stupid because we think too much . lol



On 09/24/11, Winter Siroco wrote:



Yes, simple, broad and not demands but goals. Cesar On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: I think if we use demands at all we need to be focused on simple, clear demands that will enlarge our ranks . The house/senate wont pass anything even remotely looking like a change in wealth distribution, the Obama administration bends over backwards to appease the bi -partisan banks, the Supreme Court declares that proof of innocence is insufficient cause for a stay of execution, and the media will always distort and misrepresent, either through malice or incompetence . Thus, any sort of wonky policy demand that speaks only to the already politically active is unproductive and serves to marginalize and entrench the protest into a pre -exiting middle-class protest community. The government will give us nothing, we need to build the numbers to take ... The only positive function of demands is solidarity and recruitment: the simpler, broader and more universal, the better .


On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:24 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: And nothing gets the blood of the people stirring like a call to reinstate Glass -Steagall. Yup, I can see it now, the media suddenly exploding with coverage, the ramparts filling with the oppressed and underrepresented: "They've called for the reinstatement of Glass -Steagall! Quickly, comrades, to arms! To arms! For Glass Steagall!"

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 8:58 AM, diane sare wrote: Glass -Steagall would bust up the "too big to fail" banks, let the speculators rot, as they should, and protect the small savings and loan banks, which means people's savings, mortgages, there would be hope for pension funds, etc . In other words, Glass -Steagall would bankrupt Wall Street -- it's not the whole recovery, but it IS the first step to protecting the PEOPLE, and making it possible to think long -term about radical things we used to do, like water management, rail building etc . On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Snafu wrote: Hi all, I apologize for being off-list and off-the-streets for a few days, but I was lucky enough to become a father on September 17! I personally believe that the obstination of some members of the NYCGA on not having demands has proved disastrous and resulted in a PR debacle. Invariably, almost all mainstream media accounts of the protests note that the demonstrators have confused ideas and are probably motivated by merely ideological motives. Further, this refusal of having demands has nothing to do with the current movements in the Middle East, Spain and Greece all of which have clear and loud demands. In the case of Arab countries and Middle Eastern autocracies the demand cannot be but one (remove the dictator). In Greece and Spain the situation is more complex but the movements there have been able to develop specific analyses and requests. In particular the Joint Economics Working Group of Syntagma Square and Puerta del Sol have drafted a document (http://bit.ly/npCWkg ) that lists a specific set of demands, such as the request of nationalizing the banks, withdrawing the EU/IMF Memorandum imposed on Greece, make the accounting records transparent, and so forth . As I have previously suggested, the three simple demands that the NYCGA should have raised in the call to Occupy Wall Street should have been: 1) Reintroduction of the Glass -Steagall Act,

alawregulatingthebanksystemthat separatedinvestmentbanksfromcommercialbanks.Thislaw,originallyapproved in1933andsignedintolawbyFDRhasbeenrepealedin1999.AsWikipedia



simplystatesit,"Mosteconomistsbelievethisrepealdirectlycontributedtothe severityoftheFinancialcrisisof20072011byallowingWallStreetinvestment bankingfirmstogamblewiththeirdepositors'moneythatwasheldincommercial banksownedorcreatedbytheinvestmentfirms." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlassSteagall_Act

2) Immediate introduction of a Tobin Tax or Robin Hood Tax on all financial transactions both at a national and international level. On a national level, it would be sufficient for Congress to pass it. On an international level, the IMF could subordinate loans to countries in debt to the introduction of a Tobin Tax instead of requiring massive privatizations as it ordinarily does through the notorious structural adjustment programs. In Europe, Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy have officialized their support to the introduction of such tax in the EU about three weeks ago. Last June over 1,000 economist submitted a letter by 1,000 economists to the G20 last April that explains why the idea of a global Robin Hood Tax has come of age. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/apr/13/robin-hoodtax-economists-letter) Robinhoodtax.org, a web site run by a British NGO that explains in very simple terms how it works and how much revenue it could generate. The NGO also has a Facebook page. 3) Raise taxes on qualified dividends and long-term capital gains by pairing the long-term capital gains tax rate (which applies to financial assets held for more than a year) to the ordinary income tax rates. At the moment, thanks to the Tax Reconciliation Act signed by Bush into law in 2006 and extended by the Obama administration to 2012 and beyond, capital gains cannot be taxed more than 20% whereas income tax is taxed up to 35%. This means that if your wage falls for example in the $35,000-83,000 bracket your income tax is 25% whereas if you make 1, 10, or 100 million dollars on the stock market your pay 20% only. Even Warren Buffett says that this system is openly unjust and that the current taxation system is profoundly unbalanced and skewed towards financial profit. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddlingthe-super-rich.html) These three proposals are far from revolutionary yet they could begin raising specific questions and help bring a variety of subjects into the conversation. The notion that a movement is defined by its demands is ridiculous. A socialmovement is much more than a set of demands yet demands help those who are not on your side understand who you are and where you come from. Two other critical points that should be discussed in the GA are the public funding of political campaigns and the two-party system. A paramount political objective should be to get corporations to stop funding political candidates . You cannot have real democracy with the current system of fundraising. A truly democratic system would give each citizen a tax bonus of the SAME AMOUNT and enable each one of us to decide how to allocate such money . A truly democratic society should also not rely on forms of political representation based on a majoritarian (first-past-the-post) electoral system. If we are the 99% of the country, then we ought to be able to convince the rest of the nation that the 99% counts in fact nothing. And corporate funding and the two-party system should be the two main targets of a campaign for real democracy. To sum up, the question of the redistribution of wealth and democratic control over the financial system cannot be disconnected from the question of political representation. Organizing a movement that fights "against representative politics" does not mean in my opinion to fight against *any* form of representation, but certainly against the current system of representation. We are over 6 billions on this planet. Thinking that each individual should have the right to decide on every issue in every part of the world at all times may sound fascinating but it is simply unrealistic and unrealizable. Whether we like it or not, we constantly delegate to others the understanding of


Emails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.comissues and execution of tasks we simply do not have the time to understand and care about . (The worldwide professionalization of national armies and the advanced specialization of knowledge in scientific and academic research are just two notable cases in point). Thus the question is not how to abolish authority and representation per se but how to produce forms of representation that are truly representative, renewable and non-ossified. The NYCGA could be such a body, once we live behind the rather childish notion that demands define us and by defining us trap us in some blind alley from which we'll be unable to move forward. Cheers, Snafu





[email protected] on behalf of Winter Siroco [email protected] SPAM-MED: Re: Re: Re: [september17discuss] Five demands from the NYCGA: how to link the struggle for democracy to the struggle for social and economic justice Sunday, September 25, 2011 1:48:10 AM

Yes, the first needs reworking. What about: Ourgoalsare:

Cesar

To end the Wall Street bending of the law, and the aristocratic right to tax exemption, Creatingarealparticipatorydemocracy, Endingtheoppressionofallmarginalizedgroups,and Promotingpeace,solidarity,andeconomicjustice.

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:13 AM, gail zawacki wrote: Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpay,soundssostupidandgreedy! DON'Tletthathappen.

Corporationsdonothavechildren,theydonothavesouls,theexistforshort-term profitandtheycontrolourgovernment.Peopledon'thaveavoice-itisdrownedout bycorporatemessaging,lobbyistsontheirbehalf,campaigncontributions. On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:05 AM, wrote:I can get behind this. Can we all agree on a message soon? Our soundbite world is unable to comprehend complexity. Many keep calling us stupid because we think too much. lol



On 09/24/11, Winter Siroco wrote: Yes, simple, broad and not demands but goals. Cesar



On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: I think if we use demands at all we need to be focused on simple, clear demands that will enlarge our ranks. The house/senate wont pass anything even remotely looking like a change in wealth distribution, the Obama administration bends over backwards to appease the bi-partisan banks, the Supreme Court declares that proof of innocence is insufficient cause for a stay of execution, and the media will always distort and misrepresent, either through malice or incompetence. Thus, any sort of wonky policy demand that speaks only to the already politically active is unproductive and serves to marginalize and entrench the protest into a pre-exiting middle-class protest community. The government will give us nothing, we need to build the numbers to take... The only positive function of demands is solidarity and recruitment: the simpler, broader and more universal, the better.

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:32 AM, Winter Siroco wrote: ...true, true...so, what would be your positive contribution or rearangement of priorities? be constructive. Cesar

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:24 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: And nothing gets the blood of the people stirring like a call to reinstate Glass-Steagall. Yup, I can see it now, the media suddenly exploding with coverage, the ramparts filling with the oppressed and underrepresented: "They've called for the reinstatement of Glass-Steagall! Quickly, comrades, to arms! To arms! For Glass Steagall!"

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 8:58 AM, diane sare wrote: Glass-Steagall would bust up the "too big to fail" banks, let the speculators rot, as they should, and protect the small savings and loan banks, which means people's savings, mortgages, there would be hope for pension funds, etc. In other words, Glass-Steagall would bankrupt Wall Street -- it's not the whole recovery, but it IS the first step to protecting the PEOPLE, and making it possible to think long-term about radical things we used to do, like water management, rail building etc. On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Snafu wrote: Hi all, I apologize for being off-list and off-the-streets for a few days, but I was lucky enough to become a father on September 17! I personally believe that the obstination of some members of the NYCGA on not having demands has proved disastrous and resulted in a PR debacle. Invariably, almost all mainstream media accounts of the protests note that the demonstrators have confused ideas and are probably motivated by merely ideological motives. Further, this refusal of having demands has nothing to do with the current movements in the Middle East, Spain and Greece all of which have clear and loud demands. In the case of Arab countries and Middle Eastern autocracies the demand cannot be but one (remove the dictator). In Greece and Spain the situation is more complex but the movements there have been able to develop specific analyses and requests. In particular the Joint Economics Working Group of Syntagma Square and Puerta del Sol have drafted a document (http://bit.ly/npCWkg) that lists a specific set of demands, such as the request of nationalizing the banks, withdrawing the EU/IMF Memorandum imposed on Greece, make the accounting records transparent, and so forth. As I have previously suggested, the three simple demands that the NYCGA should have raised in the call to Occupy Wall Street should have been:



2) Immediate introduction of a Tobin Tax or Robin Hood Tax on all financial transactions both at a national and international level. On a national level, it would be sufficient for Congress to pass it. On an international level, the IMF could subordinate loans to countries in debt to the introduction of a Tobin Tax instead of requiring massive privatizations as it ordinarily does through the notorious structural adjustment programs. In Europe, Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy have officialized their support to the introduction of such tax in the EU about three weeks ago. Last June over 1,000 economist submitted a letter by 1,000 economists to the G20 last April that explains why the idea of a global Robin Hood Tax has come of age. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/apr/13/robinhood-tax-economists-letter) Robinhoodtax.org, a web site run by a British NGO that explains in very simple terms how it works and how much revenue it could generate. The NGO also has a Facebook page. 3) Raise taxes on qualified dividends and long-term capital gains by pairing the long-term capital gains tax rate (which applies to financial assets held for more than a year) to the ordinary income tax rates. At the moment, thanks to the Tax Reconciliation Act signed by Bush into law in 2006 and extended by the Obama administration to 2012 and beyond, capital gains cannot be taxed more than 20% whereas income tax is taxed up to 35%. This means that if your wage falls for example in the $35,000-83,000 bracket your income tax is 25% whereas if you make 1, 10, or 100 million dollars on the stock market your pay 20% only. Even Warren Buffett says that this system is openly unjust and that the current taxation system is profoundly unbalanced and skewed towards financial profit. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stopcoddling-the-super-rich.html) These three proposals are far from revolutionary yet they could begin raising specific questions and help bring a variety of subjects into the conversation. The notion that a movement is defined by its demands is ridiculous. A social movement is much more than a set of demandsyet demands help those who are not on your side understand who you are and where you come from. Two other critical points that should be discussed in the GA are the public funding of political campaigns and the two-party system. A paramount political objective should be to get corporations to stop funding political candidates. You cannot have real democracy with the current system of fundraising. A truly democratic system would giveEmails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.com

alawregulatingthebank systemthatseparatedinvestmentbanksfromcommercialbanks.Thislaw, originallyapprovedin1933andsignedintolawbyFDRhasbeenrepealedin 1999.AsWikipediasimplystatesit,"Mosteconomistsbelievethisrepeal directlycontributedtotheseverityoftheFinancialcrisisof20072011by allowingWallStreetinvestmentbankingfirmstogamblewiththeirdepositors' moneythatwasheldincommercialbanksownedorcreatedbytheinvestment firms."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlassSteagall_Act1) Reintroduction of the Glass-Steagall Act,


each citizen a tax bonus of the SAME AMOUNT and enable each one of us to decide how to allocate such money. A truly democratic society should also not rely on forms of political representation based on a majoritarian (first-past-the-post) electoral system. If we are the 99% of the country, then we ought to be able to convince the rest of the nation that the 99% counts in fact nothing. And corporate funding and the two-party system should be the two main targets of a campaign for real democracy. To sum up, the question of the redistribution of wealth and democratic control over the financial system cannot be disconnected from the question of political representation. Organizing a movement that fights "against representative politics" does not mean in my opinion to fight against *any* form of representation, but certainly against the current system of representation. We are over 6 billions on this planet. Thinking that each individual should have the right to decide on every issue in every part of the world at all times may sound fascinating but it is simply unrealistic and unrealizable. Whether we like it or not, we constantly delegate to others the understanding of issues and execution of tasks we simply do not have the time to understand and care about. (The worldwide professionalization of national armies and the advanced specialization of knowledge in scientific and academic research are just two notable cases in point). Thus the question is not how to abolish authority and representation per se but how to produce forms of representation that are truly representative, renewable and non-ossified. The NYCGA could be such a body, once we live behind the rather childish notion that demands define us and by defining us trap us in some blind alley from which we'll be unable to move forward. Cheers, Snafu

-Diane Sare cell: 201-220-7731




[email protected] on behalf of Jackie DiSalvo [email protected] SPAM-MED: RE: Re: Re: [september17discuss] Five demands from the NYCGA: how to link the struggle for democracy to the struggle for social and economic justice Sunday, September 25, 2011 6:26:29 AM

No, no the original is better

Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpayFrom: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Winter Siroco Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 1:48 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Re: Re: [september17discuss] Five demands from the NYCGA: how to link the struggle for democracy to the struggle for social and economic justice

Yes, the first needs reworking. What about:Ourgoalsare: To end

Cesar

the Wall Street bending of the law, and the aristocratic right to tax exemption, Creatingarealparticipatorydemocracy, Endingtheoppressionofallmarginalizedgroups,and Promotingpeace,solidarity,andeconomicjustice.

Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpay,soundssostupidandgreedy!DON'Tletthathappen.

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:13 AM, gail zawacki wrote:

Corporationsdonothavechildren,theydonothavesouls,theexistforshort-term profitandtheycontrolourgovernment.Peopledon'thaveavoice-itisdrownedout bycorporatemessaging,lobbyistsontheirbehalf,campaigncontributions. On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:05 AM, wrote:I can get behind this . Can we all agree on a message soon? Our soundbite world is unable to comprehend complexity. Many keep calling us stupid because we think too much . lol On 09/24/11, Winter Siroco wrote: After a lot of talking and consulting some of us agree with 4 points that everybody may endorse. Of course, everybody should seriously think about specific strategies to accomplish these goals.

On Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 10:59 PM, wrote: +1 On 09/24/11, Winter Siroco wrote: Yes, simple, broad and not demands but goals.


Emails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.comCesar On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: I think if we use demands at all we need to be focused on simple, clear demands that will enlarge our ranks . The house/senate wont pass anything even remotely looking like a change in wealth distribution, the Obama administration bends over backwards to appease the bi -partisan banks, the Supreme Court declares that proof of innocence is insufficient cause for a stay of execution, and the media will always distort and misrepresent, either through malice or incompetence . Thus, any sort of wonky policy demand that speaks only to the already politically active is unproductive and serves to marginalize and entrench the protest into a pre -exiting middle-class protest community. The government will give us nothing, we need to build the numbers to take ... The only positive function of demands is solidarity and recruitment: the simpler, broader and more universal, the better .


On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 9:24 AM, Willie Osterweil wrote: And nothing gets the blood of the people stirring like a call to reinstate Glass -Steagall. Yup, I can see it now, the media suddenly exploding with coverage, the ramparts filling with the oppressed and underrepresented: "They've called for the reinstatement of Glass -Steagall! Quickly, comrades, to arms! To arms! For Glass Steagall!"

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 8:58 AM, diane sare wrote: Glass -Steagall would bust up the "too big to fail" banks, let the speculators rot, as they should, and protect the small savings and loan banks, which means people's savings, mortgages, there would be hope for pension funds, etc . In other words, Glass -Steagall would bankrupt Wall Street -- it's not the whole recovery, but it IS the first step to protecting the PEOPLE, and making it possible to think long -term about radical things we used to do, like water management, rail building etc . On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Snafu wrote: Hi all, I apologize for being off-list and off-the-streets for a few days, but I was lucky enough to become a father on September 17! I personally believe that the obstination of some members of the NYCGA on not having demands has proved disastrous and resulted in a PR debacle. Invariably, almost all mainstream media accounts of the protests note that the demonstrators have confused ideas and are probably motivated by merely ideological motives. Further, this refusal of having demands has nothing to do with the current movements in the Middle East, Spain and Greece all of which have clear and loud demands. In the case of Arab countries and Middle Eastern autocracies the demand cannot be but one (remove the dictator). In Greece and Spain the situation is more complex but the movements there have been able to develop specific analyses and requests. In particular the Joint Economics Working Group of Syntagma Square and Puerta del Sol have drafted a document (http://bit.ly/npCWkg ) that lists a specific set of demands, such as the request of nationalizing the banks, withdrawing the EU/IMF Memorandum imposed on Greece, make the accounting records transparent, and so forth . As I have previously suggested, the three simple demands that the NYCGA should have raised in the call to Occupy Wall Street should have been: 1) Reintroduction of the Glass -Steagall Act,

2) Immediate introduction of a Tobin Tax or Robin Hood Tax on all financial transactions both at a national and international level. On a national level, it would be sufficient for Congress to pass it. On an international level, the IMF could subordinate loans to countries in debt to the introduction of a Tobin Tax instead of requiring massive privatizations as it ordinarily does through the notorious structural adjustment programs. In Europe, Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy have officialized their support to the introduction of such tax in the EU about three weeks ago. Last June over 1,000 economist submitted aEmails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.com

alawregulatingthebanksystemthatseparated investmentbanksfromcommercialbanks.Thislaw,originallyapprovedin1933andsigned intolawbyFDRhasbeenrepealedin1999.AsWikipediasimplystatesit,"Mosteconomists believethisrepealdirectlycontributedtotheseverityoftheFinancialcrisisof20072011 byallowingWallStreetinvestmentbankingfirmstogamblewiththeirdepositors'money thatwasheldincommercialbanksownedorcreatedbytheinvestmentfirms." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlassSteagall_Act


letter by 1,000 economists to the G20 last April that explains why the idea of a global Robin Hood Tax has come of age. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/apr/13/robin-hood-taxeconomists-letter) Robinhoodtax.org, a web site run by a British NGO that explains in very simple terms how it works and how much revenue it could generate. The NGO also has a Facebook page. 3) Raise taxes on qualified dividends and long-term capital gains by pairing the long-term capital gains tax rate (which applies to financial assets held for more than a year) to the ordinary income tax rates. At the moment, thanks to the Tax Reconciliation Act signed by Bush into law in 2006 and extended by the Obama administration to 2012 and beyond, capital gains cannot be taxed more than 20% whereas income tax is taxed up to 35%. This means that if your wage falls for example in the $35,000-83,000 bracket your income tax is 25% whereas if you make 1, 10, or 100 million dollars on the stock market your pay 20% only. Even Warren Buffett says that this system is openly unjust and that the current taxation system is profoundly unbalanced and skewed towards financial profit. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-thesuper-rich.html) These three proposals are far from revolutionary yet they could begin raising specific questions and help bring a variety of subjects into the conversation. The notion that a movement is defined by its demands is ridiculous. A social movement is much more than a set ofdemands yet demands help those who are not on your side understand who you are and where you come from. Two other critical points that should be discussed in the GA are the public funding of political campaigns and the two-party system. A paramount political objective should be to get corporations to stop funding political candidates . You cannot have real democracy with the current system of fundraising. A truly democratic system would give each citizen a tax bonus of the SAME AMOUNT and enable each one of us to decide how to allocate such money . A truly democratic society should also not rely on forms of political representation based on a majoritarian (first-past-the-post) electoral system. If we are the 99% of the country, then we ought to be able to convince the rest of the nation that the 99% counts in fact nothing. And corporate funding and the two-party system should be the two main targets of a campaign for real democracy. To sum up, the question of the redistribution of wealth and democratic control over the financial system cannot be disconnected from the question of political representation. Organizing a movement that fights "against representative politics" does not mean in my opinion to fight against *any* form of representation, but certainly against the current system of representation. We are over 6 billions on this planet. Thinking that each individual should have the right to decide on every issue in every part of the world at all times may sound fascinating but it is simply unrealistic and unrealizable. Whether we like it or not, we constantly delegate to others the understanding of issues and execution of tasks we simply do not have the time to understand and care about . (The worldwide professionalization of national armies and the advanced specialization of knowledge in scientific and academic research are just two notable cases in point). Thus the question is not how to abolish authority and representation per se but how to produce forms of representation that are truly representative, renewable and non-ossified. The NYCGA could be such a body, once we live behind the rather childish notion that demands define us and by defining us trap us in some blind alley from which we'll be unable to move forward. Cheers, Snafu





[email protected] on behalf of Doug Singsen [email protected] SPAM-MED: Re: Re: Re: Re: [september17discuss] dangers of not having a clear message, NY Times article Sept 24, Metropolitan section, pg 1 Sunday, September 25, 2011 1:54:24 PM

Right, we need to specify what the money is to be used for. The specific wording can be tweaked, and it can be expressed in several demands - it doesn't have to be a single demand/slogan - for instance: Tax Wall Street, Big Corporations and the Rich Create Jobs, Stop Layoffs No Cuts to Social Services On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 10:31 AM, wrote:

"an incredibly popular position" is exactly what we need, and taxes and budget cuts are interwined (as I know you are fully aware). But I agree that "making wall st pay" is too easily manipulated and doesn't make that connection. We need a simple way to demand both things together that all of those people that say "tax the rich to pay for jobs" can get behind.

On 09/25/11, Doug Singsen wrote: I think that demanding to "make Wall Street pay" does need to be part of our demands. First, this is an incredibly popular position. A majority of Americans support raising taxes on banks, corporations and the rich, although you wouldn't know it by listening to the mainstream media. Second, budget cuts are causing huge numbers of layoffs (the Post Office intends to lay off 120,000 workers!) and cuts to vital social services (public hospitals in NYC have been decimated, for instance - the system is on the verge of a total breakdown). Raising demands around these issues is key to attracting support from workers, the labor movement and those who rely on public services. Doug On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 10:12 AM, wrote: Sorry I'm off thread, but Obama is being accused of trying to cut a deal with the big banks to avoid law suits and prosecution. http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=FE43106F-4CE8-42D7-B0B8-65C32DD91E48 It seems relative to our message. On 09/25/11, [email protected] wrote: I like this one better than any of the others I have seen!

On 09/25/11, Jon Good wrote: These are great, but I think they can be tightened up so they are immediately accessible to anyone who reads them regardless of their age, education, or first language.

OUR GOALS ARE 1) Stop the special laws that let banks and corporations take our money and resources 2) Create a real democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people



3) End oppression of all groups 4) Promote peace, solidarity, and economic justice NOTES on why I put them this way: 1) This is a simple statement of how crony capitalism works. 2) Most Americans still do believe in the promise America we learned in grade school, and so referencing Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, while somewhat corny, will totally work. 3) "Marginalized" is a nice word for educated people to use, but it is totally meaningless (or inspires indignation) to people who don't know what it means, or have misconceptions about what it means. No groups should be oppressed. Seriously 4) Is fine the way it is On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 11:35 AM, Winter Siroco wrote:

I agree, perhaps it could be OUR GOALS ARE:

To end the Wall Street dictatorship and the aristocratic rights to tax exemption,Creating a real participatory democracy, Ending the oppression of all marginalized groups, and Promoting peace, solidarity, and economic justice.Cesar On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 11:32 AM, gail zawacki wrote: I'mafraidthiswilljustplayintothenotionthatweareabunchoflazybums!Atleastadd"pay...theirfair share." IngeneralthoughIthinkit'ssaferandtruetoemphasizethatcorporatemoneyiscontrollingour government,whichisnolongerdemocratic.

"Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpay"

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 10:12 AM, Doug Singsen wrote: Andy Warhol was a great artist, but he is not necessarily the best guide to political strategy. He saw fame as an end in itself, which is not what we are trying to achieve here, so I think that his perspective is actually not something we want to follow. Many people may see the Times article and not look for any further information because of what they read there. Doug

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 7:49 AM, grimwomyn wrote: Absolutely- but remember that Andy Warhol said of press coverage, don't read what they write about you, but measure it in inches. The actual information is a google away for people who are supportive. I am so happy with all the coverage, negative or not, pieces of our motives are getting out there. Well done everyone.

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 9:41 AM, Jackie DiSalvo wrote:

The NY Times, which had previously published mainly a large picture ofEmails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.com


women dancing bare breasted, now printed a Sunday article by Gina Bellafante which trivializes our movement. One problem with not having demands (or goals? messages?) or spokespersons is that journalists who want to put down our movement and discourage people from joining will get away with quoting only people who make us look unserious. (There is another Times article by Colin Moynihan almost entirely about the arrests which, however, does sum up the purpose of Occupy Wall Street in 1 sentence which says we are against a financial system that participants say favors the rich and powerful over ordinary citizens.) I know the bourgeois media will always attack us, but are we doing enough to inhibit their distortions? Here she quotes a half naked woman dancing on Bway who is said to be time traveling back to 1968 and says Ive been waiting for this all my life, but the context makes dubious what shes been waiting for; someone else says she just came to create spectacles, another wants to get rid of the combustion engine (not a bad idea, but hardly our critique of the domination by the 1%); another is a right wing supporter of Milton Friedman and Ron Paul who just wants to get rid of the Federal Reserve. Similarly the only sign quoted says Even if the world were to end tomorrow, Id still plant a tree and in this context underlines its unconcern for real political change (clamoring for nothing in particular to happen,), not its positive commitment. . With only such messages as evidence, she gets away with implying that we are ignorant about the economy, and mocks our having no demands and our wish to pantomime progressivism rather than practice it knowledgably. We need to make incontestably clear what our message is.

From: [email protected] On Behalf Of Winter Siroco Five demands from the NYCGA: how to link the struggle for democracy to the struggle for social and economic justice

After a lot of talking and consulting some of us agree with 4 points that everybody may endorse. Of course, everybody should seriously think about specific strategies to accomplish these goals.



Ourgoalsare:

Makingthebanks,corporations,andtherichpay, Creatingarealparticipatorydemocracy,

Endingtheoppressionofallmarginalizedgroups,and

Cesar

Promotingpeace,solidarity,andeconomicjustice.




[email protected] on behalf of jason ahmadi [email protected] useless Monday, September 26, 2011 10:57:48 AM

Hey all, Thanks for adding me as an editor of the livestream channel but I am proving to be useless. Every time I try and access the studio page, the browser crashed on me. I think it is a combination of an older computer and a slow internet connection. My staph is healing, but just not fast enough. Soon I will be back on the front lines with all of you, but in the meantime I suppose all I can do is rest. Peace and Love, Jason



From: To: Cc: Subject: Date:

[email protected] on behalf of Luis Moreno-Caballud [email protected] Begonia Santa-Cecilia; Winter Siroco; Vicente Rubio; Angel Luis Lara [september17discuss] #OccupyWallStreet stays alive by becoming #WeAreThe99% Monday, September 19, 2011 11:47:56 PM

Dear friends, It looks like #OccupyWallStreet is in urgent need of a massive and targeted outreach operation to stay alive. The key to the success of the movement is to be inclusive. Right now the movement is too homogeneous, due to the "activist" imaginary and language identified with it (example: the word "occupy", the images of stereotypical activists used by Adbusters, etc). If we really want to start a massive movement like the ones in Egypt, Iceland, Spain, Greece, etc, we should change those referents. If we don't act quickly the movement will vanish, and it would have been just another activist movement. I propose that we start today a fast and massive outreach campaign with this idea: #WeAreThe99%. This is the plan: we put all our energy and resources in outreaching for the #WeAreThe99% Day which will happen next Saturday 23rd, at our space in Zucotti/Liberty Park. We propose tomorrow at the assembly: everyone form groups and march right now to different spots in the city (squares, neighborhoods, universities, labor unions) with signs, fliers, and a clear message: "Political parties govern in the name of the 1% that control almost all financial wealth. We are the 99%." "We have taken a space at the heart of Wall Street to start changing this situation. Join us at Zucotti/Liberty Park on Saturday September 23rd for the We Are The 99% Day. Stay with us." What do you think? We have a lot of attention in the internet and even mainstream media, let's use it now before it's gone! Let's create a really inclusive and massive movement, let's go beyond traditional identities, let's become a real multitude!




[email protected] on behalf of pirijod [email protected] [september17discuss] #TroyDavis and #OccupyWallStreet Thursday, September 22, 2011 1:32:29 AM

Hi everyone! There are people organizing an Outreach Day for #TroyDavis in Union Square at 5pm. The call is really spreading out in Twitter. Don't you think we should go there and try to take the people to #OccupyWallStreet? I think we should bond #TroyDavis and #OccupyWallStreet in Twitter as much as we can. ruso.




[email protected] on behalf of Alexa D. O"Brien [email protected] [september17discuss] [Strategic Suggestion and Test] Friday, September 23, 2011 6:58:01 PM

Suggestion for #occupywallstreet Political discourse in the US has devolved into three rhetorical devices: demagoguery, false hope, and parody. Symptoms of a broken nation. When our elections are owned by citizens, my hunch is every other important organization and institution just might (most definitely will) follow suit. Obtain a permit from the Mayor's Office for Film and Television to film a reality show of #occupywallstreet. Approach Teamsters for transp and IATSE Local 52 for Grip, Electric, and Set building to run temp entertainment power and build structures that would not require building permits. It is legal to#takewallstreet in the United States of America and New York City when you are a spectacle and parody, but not if you are the real deal. The scenario would test the power structure of the unions (do they belong to rank and file), the independence of the NYC GA, and the very notion of the first amendment and local, state, and federal government. Ideology will not save us, just and stable institutions will. -Alexa O'Brien




[email protected] on behalf of grimwomyn september17 [september17discuss] A word about outreach Wednesday, September 21, 2011 7:26:18 AM

Just seconding the thought about watching out for "riot porn." I wrote to a journalist from WIRED on Twitter inviting him to spend the night in the park and his response is as follows: "@grimwomyn The second post down makes that seem pretty scary. I hope everyone is (and stays) okay." Support, but fear of coming to the park. :(



From: To: Subject: Date: Attachments:

[email protected] on behalf of Luis Moreno-Caballud Micah White; [email protected] [september17discuss] about you conversation with Harrison - clarification about "activist" imagery Wednesday, September 21, 2011 4:22:33 PM ATT00335.htm flyer.pdf

Dear Micah, Please allow me to take a minute of your time in this exciting days. I'm a member of Democracia Real Ya-NYC and participant in the NYC-GA. Adbusters has done a great job and I'm so thankful for you guys starting #OccupyWallStreet. It is true though that for some of us the activist imagery you sometimes use (such us in the background of the ballerina poster) seems in risk of somewhat closing the movement to other people. From our experience in May 15th movement in Spain, one of the most important things was that people who had never been involved in politics or activism joined. This, I think is actually the distinctive feature of tha Arab Spring and European assembly movements: they are inclusive in their discourse, their imagery, and their materiality. This is why some of us in the movement are trying to push for a more open direction, and we actually are putting out a call for next Saturday that we think would be more attractive for people outside our still too homogeneous crowd right now. It would be really great if Adbusters agrees with this analysis and help us distributing this flyers, or making your own. Thanks a lot and solidarity!




[email protected] on behalf of Lisa Fithian [email protected] [september17discuss] action resources Monday, September 19, 2011 1:32:44 PM

Glad to share! I have lots of action, legal, medical, art, training, consensus etc materials on my website: www.organizingforpower.org Look on column to left to organizing and action resources Also lots under Link section Peace, Lisa

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Conor Toms Reed Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 11:29 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [september17discuss] Industry player sites

Thank you for sending this info out, Lisa!! This is exactly what a few people were suggesting yesterday in mapping out "pressure points" in the financial district to target this week. Any chance we can have another CD discussion/training this week in anticipation of Friday? What about getting in touch with USUncut folks who held teach-ins/parties in bank locations around NYC? How about we try to "adopt" a few bank lobbies on Wednesday? We can record flashmobs to boost online pizazz. see y'all tonight, -Conor On Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 12:12 PM, Lisa Fithian wrote: Again Attached are some maps of industry players in Wall St and Mid-Town If you need other sites to visit. (Goldman is no longer at 85 Broad) The Partnership for New York City is an industry association of all the wealthy players in NY - just off of Broadway not far from Staten Island Ferry is a great place too! http://www.pfnyc.org/partners-list.html The Downtown Association rich peoples club just down the street from JP Chase Plaza http://www.thedta.com/Default.aspx? p=DynamicModule&PageId=255381&ssid=115062&vnf=1



Great Lobbies in WS area Duetche Bank on Wall Street multiple entrances including subway Winter Garden in the World Financial Center on the west side JP Morgan Chase Plaza subway accessible Partnership Building ATT&T on Water Street One Financial Plaza Wells Fargo & Morgan Stanley




[email protected] on behalf of Lauren september17 [september17discuss] Another press opening Tuesday, September 20, 2011 9:01:03 PM

From RayDipesto on twitter, "any chance of getting a phone number of someone for a radio interview who has been involved there? Australian community radio""




[email protected] on behalf of [email protected] [email protected] [september17discuss] Any word on who"s coming? Friday, September 23, 2011 6:34:35 AM

Any word on what colleges or other organized groups are coming this weekend, and when? As someone who'll be here through the weekend (with short breaks), I'd love to know who I'm welcoming. --glj Sent on the Sprint Now Network from my BlackBerry




[email protected] on behalf of Yoni Golijov [email protected] [september17discuss] Arrest - Critical Condition Saturday, September 24, 2011 6:30:56 PM

Hello Friends and Family! I heard there were 96 arrests today at union square and that one was in critical condition, a friend of mine called me and we thought it was a mutual friend Danny so I called the police switchboard, they told me one person has been transferred to beth israel, I called Beth Israel and they didnt have my friend on record neither in the ER, but I believe someone May still Be at beth israel since the police told me one was taken. Any info or possible names? Maybe someone can go to beth israel and find out who it is? Love and Solidarity! -yOni



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[email protected] on behalf of grimwomyn september17 [email protected] [september17discuss] Blonde woman who has arrested today at #occupywallstreet: video Saturday, September 24, 2011 8:24:15 PM

http://youtu.be/QDyrQpccfgw I don't know who she is, but she keeps repeatedly saying "i asked not to be touched" Hope she is safe and that this video helps her out.




[email protected] on behalf of NicolasMoselleAllen [email protected] [september17discuss] Boots Riley of the Coup at Wall Street Saturday, September 24, 2011 1:49:28 AM

Hey All, Scanning the twitter feed, I saw that Boots Riley of Oakland Hip-hop crew the Coup is going to be present at the march tomorrow. Those that are more technically adept than I (most everyone,) can we get in touch with Boots through twitter and get him with us tomorrow? And if you don't know who the Coup are, do yourself a favor! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsUDGxdeICw Best, Nico




[email protected] on behalf of NicolasMoselleAllen [email protected] [september17discuss] Brecht Forum and Occupy Wall Street Synergy Friday, September 23, 2011 11:56:25 PM

Hi All, I'm talking these days with Kazembe, one of the main guys behind the Brecht Forum, about organizing speakers to give presentations in Zuccotti Park. The Forum has a considerable rolodex of lefties to draw upon, everyone from Slavoj Zizek to David Harvey to Richard Wolff, and the fact that he is open to working with us is fantastic. I'm contacting the list about the matter because 1) Kazembe has asked me to draw up a list of speakers we might like to see appear 2) I was personally wondering if we could make a donation to the Brecht Forum at some future time, if we find we have the funds for it. That's it! Thanks! Nico




[email protected] on behalf of Drew Hornbein september17; 917-arts-and-culture [september17discuss] Came across this, good place for some direct action Tuesday, September 20, 2011 2:07:36 PM

Wednesday, September 21, 2011 New York Philharmonic Opening Night Celebration of the 170th Season 6:00 pm. Cocktail reception, and concert, followed by dinner. Black tie attire. Co-chaired by Daria L. Foster, Kiara Silverstein,Larry Silverstein. Tickets from $1,500.00. Tables from $15,000.00. Lincoln Center-Avery Fisher Hall. New York. Contact: Courtney K. Ford. (212) 875-5757. Event address: 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York. Sponsored by Breguet Credit Suisse. Fax: (212) 875-5929. Event web address: nyphil.org/support/openingnight2011_gala.cfm. Tags: Concert Gala Opening Arts Performing Arts. Sponsors and Chairs: BNY Mellon Credit Suisse J. Christopher Flowers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Christopher_Flowers (I have done a lot of research on him, and though he is one of the people who has profited so much from the recent turn of financial system, having this so close to him, ie: on his off time at an event, may bring his sympathies to become an ally of sorts as he and his wife are both completely self made) Daria L. Foster Didi and Oscar Schafer Klara and Larry A. Silverstein: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Silverstein (he is the developer building the "freedom tower" for the benefit of corporate entities) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 New York City Ballet Fall Gala Performance, cocktails and dinner. Lincoln Center-David H. Koch Theater. New York. (212) 870-5585. Event address: 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York. Event web address: nycballet.com. *FYI: the Theater is named after David Koch, head tea partier: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer FALL GALA David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center GALA CHAIRMEN Alec Baldwin Jodie and John Eastman Marlene Hess (Hess Oil Heiress: http://nyti.ms/owkzR7 ) and Jim Zirin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_D._Zirin ) Alice and Lorne Michaels VICE CHAIRSEmails come from PST files that were linked to a post on biggovernment.com by Thomas Ryan. PDF by www.teapartycheer.com


Fiona Druckenmiller, married to the "149th richest person in America" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Druckenmiller Carol Mack Charlotte Moss PAUL MCCARTNEYS OCEANS KINGDOM Choreography by Peter Martins Costumes by Stella McCartney Projections by S. Katy Tucker Scenic Design by Perry Silvey Lighting by Mark Stanley 6:00pm Cocktails 7:30pm Performance 9:00pm Supper Ball Black Tie Gala Tables of 10: $150,000, $100,000, $50,000, $25,000 (limited availability) Gala Tickets: $10,000, $5,000, $2,500, $1,500 (limited availability) Cocktail and Performance Tickets: $750, $350 Please call 212-870-5585 or email [email protected] to purchase tickets.




[email protected] on behalf of Jackie DiSalvo [email protected] [september17discuss] campaign to end corporate rule Tuesday, September 20, 2011 8:23:39 AM

Campaign to End Corporate Rule conference callFeaturing Rep. John Conyers' legislative director Michael Darner Thursday, September 22 | 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM PT Click here for details and to register.




[email protected] on behalf of Mary Clinton [email protected] [september17discuss] Christopher Thomas Kelleher Friday, September 23, 2011 1:34:23 AM

Does anyone know of the whereabouts of Christopher Thomas Kelleher? His family sent an email to us asking if he's around; they haven't heard from him. I don't know a lot of people here, so if anyone knows him or if he's on this email group and can confirm that he's alive and well, I will let them know! Thanks ya'll. Mary




[email protected] on behalf of Drew Hornbein september17 [september17discuss] credit unions Monday, September 19, 2011 5:21:51 AM

Documents

_USDOR 0911-1013 ab_Part34