Occupy The Rose Parade Fund Raiser Final Push!
On Tuesday we announced our fund raiser for banners and t-shirts at Occupy the Rose Parade. You guys stepped up immediately and gave just over $2,000! Amazing! Small donations too. Thank you everyone who donated.
Our goal is $3,000 total. Organizers have told us that's what they need to do their float at this year's Rose Parade right. We are very, very close.
Occupy the Rose parade has coordinated with Pasadena police. They have a First Amendment right to march in the parade. They are float number 44 (as in Obama the 44th president). The Rose Parade is viewed by 50 million Americans and 200 million people world wide. The organizers are expecting anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 protesters to participate. Not only are there plenty of eyeballs to reach, five floats in the parade are sponsored by (wait for it) banks. Read all about their plans here.
So we are running this fund raiser one more day - this is last minute to give to allow time for the banners and t-shirts made in time for the event. Any amount you can give will make a difference.
Thank you so much for your donations!
I hope y'all get the TV coverage you hope for.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
Recent months have seen the eruption of popular anger throughout the United States at the staggering levels of social inequality, with the Occupy Wall Street protests gathering broad popular sympathy and support.
/em>
The obscene level of wealth concentration in the United States is the malignant expression of the protracted decay of American capitalism. The super-rich investment bankers, Wall Street traders, and hedge fund operators are nothing more than the personification of the rampant economic parasitism that arose out of this decay. The essence of this parasitism is the ever-greater separation of personal wealth accumulation from the process of production and the creation of real value.
/em>
In the era of the explosive development of American capitalism, which began in the aftermath of the Civil War, the great fortunes accumulated by the “robber barons” were associated with a massive growth in the industrial and social infrastructure of the United States. Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan and others were rapacious and ruthless; but they could at least claim that there was some progressive social purpose connected to their pursuit of private wealth.
/em>
That age is long past. The wealth of today’s super-rich is bound up with the destruction, not the development, of the productive forces. The riches of these few depend on the impoverishment of hundreds of millions. In fact, the Financial Times reported last week that “the share of US national income that goes to workers as wages rather than to investors as profits and interest” has fallen to its lowest level since the end of World War II. The precipitous fall of the workers’ share of the national income below the post-war average translates into an annual collective wage loss in 2011 of $740 billion—approximately $5,000 per worker. That staggering amount has been funneled into the salaries and investment accounts of the super-rich...
/em>
http://wsws.org/articles/2011/dec2011/pers-d2...
What to you wish to accomplish? Is it the media attention or is there something else?
Yeah. Just what are they protesting?
The snark is uncalled for. This really does seem like a strange thing to be doing. Getting a float in a cheesy New Year's Parade? I'm sorry, but as publicity moves go, this is definitely low rent.
I second the question - what is this supposed to accomplish? How does this help the movement? I can't see that it's relevant at all.
There's always free cheddar in the mousetrap, baby. - Tom Waits
In case you hadn't noticed, the entire success of the OWS movement has come from "publicity." It is raising awareness. Sorry if it interrupts your precious parade.
Oh, and I'll be sure to check with you first the next time I intend to use some snark.
the OWS movement hasn't had any success at all. No laws changed. No policies changed. Nothing,nada,zip. If you'll note, however, they aren't interrupting the parade, they're participating in it. Oh noes! Captured by the system. Time of death for OWS....Call it doctor.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
in the 60s and early 70s??
I saw how long it took for the nation to come to terms with civil rights.
And they had a choice, Martin Luther King or Malcomb X.
decades earlier they had a choice, the unions or the communists.
when people have had enough of being crapped on they change things.
we actually need the radical and the rational to make this happen.
Wall Street is just a parasite on the actual labor and investments of average Americans.
Banks play with futures, debt paper, complex financial instruments, and other peoples incomes.
Sell 'em short & help 'em crash - Tear 'em apart & sell the pieces
obviously, this 'coming to terms with civil rights' of which you speak is still to come.
me-oww!
I know I am a geezer, but do you know how bad it was 50 years ago?
'come to terms with civil rights' was used in the context of populist recognition and the amount of change I have seen. I should have phrased it 'coming to terms'.
Some will never lose the prejudices of their grandparents, it's a family thing.
progress is stalled right now, so we push back again.
Wall Street is just a parasite on the actual labor and investments of average Americans.
Banks play with futures, debt paper, complex financial instruments, and other peoples incomes.
Sell 'em short & help 'em crash - Tear 'em apart & sell the pieces
on account of him being Canadian and stuff.
CTHULHU 2012 "Why vote for a lesser evil?"
and things changed substantially. They still are changing. Sometimes the change occurs because people come to their senses and question their own beliefs. Hence equality for gays and lesbians. It wasn't just that they were fighting effectively for their rights but that enough of everyone else decided to question why it should be otherwise. The rise of feminism and the battles over race were fought and won despite the existence of minorities who do not accept equality on that basis to this day. Not that there isn't more to do but I beg you to note that such progress as has been were the result of political action and legislation. Unless OWS finds a way to do this it will be a pointless exercise. If you want to change the system you must interact with it.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
Perhaps on paper (in Canada), but in the real world there is tons of discrimination.
I was one of the very vocal "freedom fighters". People didn't change their minds without being educated first. I educated scores and shamed scores. I was very much on the front lines and now we have gay marriage in Canada.
That's exactly what #OWS is doing and it's working. That's how you start things rolling.
far left loon >.<
That's pretty funny, Peter.
The Dems can't even change anything and they have the presidency and the Senate. And you expect a bunch of bongo players with no representation is DC can change the system in three short months?????
far left loon >.<
if you exchange "the Obama administration" for "OWS" the truthiness in your post increases.
CTHULHU 2012 "Why vote for a lesser evil?"
PS they also have to do their job while being pepper sprayed, tear gassed, evicted, handcuffed, and being hit over the head with batons. Yet. they're still showing up for work.
far left loon >.<
they will change nothing.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
I see you're a real comic.
far left loon >.<
So you're saying don't even try? Pack up? Go home?
Low rent? Got any high rent ideas (and a cheque)?
far left loon >.<
To teach some basic geography to those who need it most, like how New York, NY and Pasadena, CA are two different places 3000 miles apart. Perhaps?
CTHULHU 2012 "Why vote for a lesser evil?"
yah, If they don't see it on TV it isn't real you know.
And it has to be repeated many times for it to sink in.
Few are paying attention to much more than what effects them today, (insert date here)
Wall Street is just a parasite on the actual labor and investments of average Americans.
Banks play with futures, debt paper, complex financial instruments, and other peoples incomes.
Sell 'em short & help 'em crash - Tear 'em apart & sell the pieces
Chump change for pizza, fine. But police sanctioned protests? C'mon.
“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder
The float should be a giant shark over which the protesters could jump continuously!
Gosh, Francine. ... You're the most drinking-est gal I've ever seen
.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
I might even watch this thing for a change. Despite it being the flora destroying, pointless gas guzzling, retrogressive paean of praise to the gods of conspicuous consumption.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
The American way.
(Canada isn't much better. We burn up resources just as much.)
far left loon >.<
to help in this effort.
Awareness is still not high enough on the meaning and goals of OWS.
Google OWS.. space.. and the 3rd hit is 'OWS is over'. Not good.
PLEASE use whatever influence you have to make sure the float and message are on point.
I really don't want to see Zucotti Park on wheels. The media will focus on WHO is on that float.
You need Veterans and average Americans on that float, with their children.
I hope that whoever is putting this together does it correctly and the MESSAGE is clear.
Too much of the coverage of OWS has been about the pesonality and behavior of the protesters, instead of the issues. The media will be looking for ANYTHING to help them dismiss the message on that float.
The Rose Parade is an old and venerated ICON of civic and community America.
The Rose Bowl is the Grand-Daddy of all the bowl games and the Rose Parade IS Grandma to all the parades.
The wrong type of float and message would be like finding out Grandma put habanero peppers and sushi in the stuffing for the Christmas turkey this year.
Wall Street is just a parasite on the actual labor and investments of average Americans.
Banks play with futures, debt paper, complex financial instruments, and other peoples incomes.
Sell 'em short & help 'em crash - Tear 'em apart & sell the pieces
as promised in the first post on this topic?
And how come they didn't save all those pizza boxes for recycling into floats and banners? Guess the pigs confiscated them as a health hazard.
“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder
I too am of the opinion we can't have enough of them.
CTHULHU 2012 "Why vote for a lesser evil?"
they are going to march in the parade? they actually have a float?
oh of bad ideas to lament in real time
Comments are closed on this entry