Blessings Darlings!
Yesterday a guy left a 13 month old alone in a tent at OccupyDC, wearing very little clothes. In 40 degree temperatures, and a cold rain. Occupiers heard the baby crying, found her neglected, called the police, cared for the baby until the police arrived, and when the guy came back (at least an hour after leaving the baby alone) he was arrested. The baby is okay. The response to the situation was correct.
Apparently the guy had arrived a few days earlier and set up a tent. No word on if he was homeless and just there because he could put up a tent or if he claimed to be part of OccupyDC.
So some folks (NOT campers, BTW) want OccupyDC to 'vet' everyone who stays in the park. As if OccupyDC OWNS the park and can and SHOULD say who can camp there. Because, they say, only folks who are 'totally unimpeachable' should be in the park, or part of the movement, so .... I guess so that no one not a part of it won't have an excuse to dismiss it.
Unimpeachable. Gandhi wouldn't qualify, as he sexually manipulated his female followers (he slept with them - without sex - as 'purity tests'. Just sleeping.)
And, let's see. Gays make some folks uncomfortable. Unwed mothers. Transexuals. Homeless. Undocumented workers. The poor. The handicapped. Ex-cons. Legal immigrants. Blacks. Browns. Asians. Gingers. Old folks. The hearing-impaired. The visually impaired. Pagans. Jews (and, yes, there are a few folks who post on Twitter under the #OccupyDC hashtag who want all Jews out of the OWS movement). Catholics. Mormons. Buddhists. Hindus. Atheists. "Radicals". The list goes on and on and on, if you want to screen out all those who are in some way "impeachable".
But some folks want OTHERS (who, in a leaderless movement, I'm not sure) to vet those who stay in the park and/or are 'part of the movement' for appropriateness. I'd love to hear what criteria they would use. And, since they say that this is to weed out 'bad apples', why they think that 'bad apples' would tell the truth in such a screening?
And how they'd 'prove' to the press if a person was vetted and a 'real part of the movement'. Issue ID cards - official papers? Keep a list of the names (so handy for the govt to round everyone up under NDAA! Good going, do the fascists list making FOR THEM!)?
At least I'd never make it on to their list of "real Occupy Protesters", since I'm totally impeachable. I swear, all the fucking time. I've had tax liens, so clearly I've violated tax regulations. I'm Pagan and say it out loud - and have an electronic trail of that.
Some folks would throw all those who are 'not unimpeachable" under the bus for
political gain. And some of those people CLAIM to be part of OWS. In MY never humble opinion ... they lie about supporting OWS's principles by holding that view.
THOSE people would fail the vetting if *I* was running it. Pack up your tent and leave.
Frondly (sarcastic snort), Fern
Showing posts with label OWS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OWS. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Full Moon in Cancer
Blessings Darlings!
Today's the Full Moon, which makes it a Wiccan Esbat. Many of us will be working magick today, as esbats are good for that. With the full moon in Cancer, it's probably especially good for family/relationship magicks, I'd guess.
I wish that there was going to be an Esbat working at OccupyDC, but none is planned. I'm too far away (and have no car today) so can't make it there to see about organizing one. OTOH, this is as good a time as any for me to start looking into if the DMV (that District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) Pagan community has anything going to support OccupyDC, and if not try to get something going. Nothing based on the coven I'm in or the two Pagan denominations I'm in, but Pagan individuals working to support the protestors, especially the ones sleeping in the Plaza. I'd REALLY like to make sure that, if Occupy wants it, that there an be an Imbolc celebration there.
Frondly, Fern
Today's the Full Moon, which makes it a Wiccan Esbat. Many of us will be working magick today, as esbats are good for that. With the full moon in Cancer, it's probably especially good for family/relationship magicks, I'd guess.
I wish that there was going to be an Esbat working at OccupyDC, but none is planned. I'm too far away (and have no car today) so can't make it there to see about organizing one. OTOH, this is as good a time as any for me to start looking into if the DMV (that District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) Pagan community has anything going to support OccupyDC, and if not try to get something going. Nothing based on the coven I'm in or the two Pagan denominations I'm in, but Pagan individuals working to support the protestors, especially the ones sleeping in the Plaza. I'd REALLY like to make sure that, if Occupy wants it, that there an be an Imbolc celebration there.
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Road Trip!
Blessings Darlings!
My life features a monthly road trip to central Maryland once a month for business stuff. Today was that day. Lovely day for driving (well, after the intense morning fog cleared (both in my head and in the real world)), the leaves had peak fall colors, the sun was shining, the temperature was lovely.
Instead of just my usual stops, I added OccupyDC to the list of places to go.
See, I had cooked a huge batch (75 one-cup servings worth) of Lentil Vegetable soup the night before to bring over there. It's a damn fine thing I spent a semester or two volunteering at the Maryland Food Co-op, helping prepare Vegan Lunch for 350, because I used all of that knife and big-ass cooking skill for this! It WOULD have been easier if I had real restaurant quality and number soup pots, cutting boards, measuring cups (measuring quarts/gallons?), prep bowls, etc. And I gave up cutting veggies at 75 servings, instead of making the 100 had planned, but I admit I'm out of mass-chopping practice!
So this morning I loaded up the car, the soup in re-purposed frosting buckets (Yay for prepping, which meant I had them on hand), printed out directions to McPherson Square, and headed in. Was stopped for a while due to an accident on 270. Okay, no biggie. Then, something was up on Clara Barton Parkway. Lots of police cars at the parking for the C&O Canal. Get to Canal Road - traffic is not moving. Turn on radio. Not only are the police closING Canal Road ... but they've already closed off the freeway the directions want me to take. How was I to know that President Obama was giving some speech at the Georgetown Waterfront? Oh Dear. I do NOT know this part of DC.
Inching my way forward with traffic, I think, okay, I couldn't make a right onto the freeway, I'll make a right here... Oh - I'm on a bridge going over a river. That means I screwed up, and am heading into Virginia and AWAY from my destination. Oh! A sign for the Roosevelt Bridge! Zoom! Back in DC, and on the Mall, where I could find my way easily again.
McPherson was easy to find, parking was not. Ended up parking illegally, just long enough to drop off the buckets of soup (neatly labeled as vegan and gluten-free).
I'd love to go back, catch workshops, work the kitchen or cleanup, take part in an action if one is going on. But for that, I'll need to take Metro in from Montgomery Village or something, with the Spawn dropping me off and picking me up. And even that metro stop CLOSEST to home is 50 miles away, requiring a lot of family help. Not an everyday thing. Maybe once a month? We'll see...
Frondly, Fern
My life features a monthly road trip to central Maryland once a month for business stuff. Today was that day. Lovely day for driving (well, after the intense morning fog cleared (both in my head and in the real world)), the leaves had peak fall colors, the sun was shining, the temperature was lovely.
Instead of just my usual stops, I added OccupyDC to the list of places to go.
See, I had cooked a huge batch (75 one-cup servings worth) of Lentil Vegetable soup the night before to bring over there. It's a damn fine thing I spent a semester or two volunteering at the Maryland Food Co-op, helping prepare Vegan Lunch for 350, because I used all of that knife and big-ass cooking skill for this! It WOULD have been easier if I had real restaurant quality and number soup pots, cutting boards, measuring cups (measuring quarts/gallons?), prep bowls, etc. And I gave up cutting veggies at 75 servings, instead of making the 100 had planned, but I admit I'm out of mass-chopping practice!
So this morning I loaded up the car, the soup in re-purposed frosting buckets (Yay for prepping, which meant I had them on hand), printed out directions to McPherson Square, and headed in. Was stopped for a while due to an accident on 270. Okay, no biggie. Then, something was up on Clara Barton Parkway. Lots of police cars at the parking for the C&O Canal. Get to Canal Road - traffic is not moving. Turn on radio. Not only are the police closING Canal Road ... but they've already closed off the freeway the directions want me to take. How was I to know that President Obama was giving some speech at the Georgetown Waterfront? Oh Dear. I do NOT know this part of DC.
Inching my way forward with traffic, I think, okay, I couldn't make a right onto the freeway, I'll make a right here... Oh - I'm on a bridge going over a river. That means I screwed up, and am heading into Virginia and AWAY from my destination. Oh! A sign for the Roosevelt Bridge! Zoom! Back in DC, and on the Mall, where I could find my way easily again.
McPherson was easy to find, parking was not. Ended up parking illegally, just long enough to drop off the buckets of soup (neatly labeled as vegan and gluten-free).
I'd love to go back, catch workshops, work the kitchen or cleanup, take part in an action if one is going on. But for that, I'll need to take Metro in from Montgomery Village or something, with the Spawn dropping me off and picking me up. And even that metro stop CLOSEST to home is 50 miles away, requiring a lot of family help. Not an everyday thing. Maybe once a month? We'll see...
Frondly, Fern
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Washington DC & Occupy
Blessings Darlings!
I moved out of the DC suburbs under a year ago, so I feel qualified to comment on why the government of Washington DC and the OccupyDC occupation are getting along so well. So I'm going to share my unique insights with all y'all.
There are two major reasons, IMNHO. The first is the unique relationship that DC and it's residents have with the Federal Govenment, the second has to do with .... the reality of the type of folks who so often get elected in the US.
I'll start with the fact that Washington DC and its residents do not have any federal political representation ... and that the Occupy movement is focused on the relationship that corporate money has on ... the federal government. DC government can't even make their own laws without 'review' by Congress. Washington DC is a not-represented US colony. As a result, most of the city government is more than happy to help folks pressure the Federal govt about ANYTHING. Poke them! Harass them! DC Govt will stay out of your way as long as you don't cause any more problems than the constant federal motorcades cause. DC is used to protests. They've been thru' calm ones, mild ones, and everything in between. After the WTO ones, OccupyDC is a bunch of scouts camping out in a park. The police like protests, in my view. They justify keeping lot of police hired, and dealing with them is FAR safer for the police than dealing with criminals and far FAR safer than going on a domestic violence call. Back under Police Chief Ramsey the size of protests were routinely overestimated, the better, IMO, for the police to ask for more money from the city.
Sidebar - for some protests under Ramsey I'd go into DC and watch them, taking the Spawn and teaching him to estimate crowd sizes. I'm pretty good at crowd size estimation, in my opinion.
The other major reason that OccupyDC and the Washington DC city council are getting along is .... Sigh. We once again have a mayor who is under investigation of possible criminal wrongdoing. Having protestors in town and having the press give THEM attention takes media attention off of him. Personal political power is at stake, but only if the residents follow the story (and care about the story). Even if there is enough evidence to prosecute him, even if he's convicted, none of that matters. What matters is voter memory. The less the press carries the story, the shorter the memory of voters.
So, those are, in my view, the major reasons why OccupyDC is smiled upon by the DC city council. They see it as something that can only help the status of the city and/or their careers.
Frondly, Fern
I moved out of the DC suburbs under a year ago, so I feel qualified to comment on why the government of Washington DC and the OccupyDC occupation are getting along so well. So I'm going to share my unique insights with all y'all.
There are two major reasons, IMNHO. The first is the unique relationship that DC and it's residents have with the Federal Govenment, the second has to do with .... the reality of the type of folks who so often get elected in the US.
I'll start with the fact that Washington DC and its residents do not have any federal political representation ... and that the Occupy movement is focused on the relationship that corporate money has on ... the federal government. DC government can't even make their own laws without 'review' by Congress. Washington DC is a not-represented US colony. As a result, most of the city government is more than happy to help folks pressure the Federal govt about ANYTHING. Poke them! Harass them! DC Govt will stay out of your way as long as you don't cause any more problems than the constant federal motorcades cause. DC is used to protests. They've been thru' calm ones, mild ones, and everything in between. After the WTO ones, OccupyDC is a bunch of scouts camping out in a park. The police like protests, in my view. They justify keeping lot of police hired, and dealing with them is FAR safer for the police than dealing with criminals and far FAR safer than going on a domestic violence call. Back under Police Chief Ramsey the size of protests were routinely overestimated, the better, IMO, for the police to ask for more money from the city.
Sidebar - for some protests under Ramsey I'd go into DC and watch them, taking the Spawn and teaching him to estimate crowd sizes. I'm pretty good at crowd size estimation, in my opinion.
The other major reason that OccupyDC and the Washington DC city council are getting along is .... Sigh. We once again have a mayor who is under investigation of possible criminal wrongdoing. Having protestors in town and having the press give THEM attention takes media attention off of him. Personal political power is at stake, but only if the residents follow the story (and care about the story). Even if there is enough evidence to prosecute him, even if he's convicted, none of that matters. What matters is voter memory. The less the press carries the story, the shorter the memory of voters.
So, those are, in my view, the major reasons why OccupyDC is smiled upon by the DC city council. They see it as something that can only help the status of the city and/or their careers.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, October 24, 2011
Life, The Universe, and Everything
Blessings Darlings!
It's been REALLY busy around here lately, but nothing worth blogging about! Switching the garden from summer to fall/winter. Switching my COOKING from summer to fall/winter (stews, soups, baking again now that I don't have to worry about heating the house in summer). Working out transportation issues now that the Spawn works and we still only have 1 car that we are sharing among the 3 of us. Trying to find time and money to visit my mother in the nursing home in Chicago. The hard work of feeding a family on what we'd get if we were on food stamps (which I can only do because I work at home and can make damn near everything from scratch while still working).
In fact, I'm going to go throw some bones into the oven, because roasted bones make better soup stock. Then I can bring them and saved carrot scrapings, etc, and water to a boil, and make more soup stock. I've been going thru' GALLONS of that this month, and am trying to get every particle of flavor out of every bone.
Business has been busy, but as you hardware and software geeks know - all development takes longer than you think it will. Which means we are behind on several client's projects, which means we haven't been paid for several client's projects.
And I'd prefer to be at OccupyDC than here. Partly because I'm still having hot flashes and camping in the cold sounds REALLY nice, but mostly because I'm fully behind forcing our congresscritters into making real campaign finance reform.
Frondly, Fern
It's been REALLY busy around here lately, but nothing worth blogging about! Switching the garden from summer to fall/winter. Switching my COOKING from summer to fall/winter (stews, soups, baking again now that I don't have to worry about heating the house in summer). Working out transportation issues now that the Spawn works and we still only have 1 car that we are sharing among the 3 of us. Trying to find time and money to visit my mother in the nursing home in Chicago. The hard work of feeding a family on what we'd get if we were on food stamps (which I can only do because I work at home and can make damn near everything from scratch while still working).
In fact, I'm going to go throw some bones into the oven, because roasted bones make better soup stock. Then I can bring them and saved carrot scrapings, etc, and water to a boil, and make more soup stock. I've been going thru' GALLONS of that this month, and am trying to get every particle of flavor out of every bone.
Business has been busy, but as you hardware and software geeks know - all development takes longer than you think it will. Which means we are behind on several client's projects, which means we haven't been paid for several client's projects.
And I'd prefer to be at OccupyDC than here. Partly because I'm still having hot flashes and camping in the cold sounds REALLY nice, but mostly because I'm fully behind forcing our congresscritters into making real campaign finance reform.
Frondly, Fern
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