The image of that 4-year-old boy is tragic. It really hits on the fact that children - the most vulnerable in our society - have been hit the hardest by the policies of our cruel, neoliberal state. The dismantling of the welfare state is destroying opportunities for them, and they aren't even out of diapers yet! Then you have those who are 18-29, and they are drowning in student loan debt and are jobless. But they are fighting back, and doing it in a very, very savvy way. (Read this amazing letter from someone who used to be part of the Tea Party Movement - it's very supportive). We also have the older who, in the twilight of their lives, have been robbed of things. When did we stop taking caring of one another in this way? When did we decide to turn our backs on community? All of us - the 99% - are paying dearly so a tiny percentage of people can maintain overwhelming power over our politics and over the global economy.
On another note, I'll be posting and writing about my time in Austin, Texas soon (I'm collecting my notes). I was there this past weekend, and I met some of the crew at Occupy Austin (@OccupyAustin) - solid, open, friendly group of people. There was a lot of lively debate, and observing the General Assembly was great. As one speaker said, "we are witnessing a living, organic form of democracy." Very true. Very true indeed.
I am heading to Tulsa on Tuesday to meet with the Occupy crew there, and I am really looking forward to it.
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