Photo from the Gothamist. Can you espy Ken? Solution below…
Ken called from New York yesterday, from Occupy Wall Street. I could barely hear him for the noise in the background, but he wanted to let me know where he was, because he understands how much I’d like to be there myself. He flew to New York from Alaska a few days ago. He was getting ready to go with the group that was to march on Harlem to draw attention to racial profiling. Cornel West was arrested later in the day, but as far as I know, Ken was not among those who were arrested.
I knew that if I searched for photos from the Harlem march long enough this morning, I’d eventually find one with Ken in it. And sure enough I did.
I hardly need to add my commentary to the national hubbub around Occupy Wall Street. I’m glad for that hubbub. It was a long time coming. The New York Times has a predictably lukewarm piece today about how Tea Party sympathizers and Occupy Wall Street sympathizers are angered by comparisons between the two movements, because the two movements see completely different causes for the world’s problems. To Tea Partiers, government is the problem. To OWS’ers, out-of-control banks and corporate capture of government are the problem.
A gazillion words have been written trying to describe the line that separates this polarized country. In my opinion, almost everyone is overlooking the clearest dividing line, which also is the largest part of the cause of the polarization. It’s this: There are those upon whom the corporate and right-wing propaganda works, and there are those who see through it. And that, as I see it, is the real reason that Fox News and other propaganda empires are working overtime to demonize Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy Wall Street movement threatens the fragile system of lies and anti-government, pro-greed, pro-rich propaganda that the right wing has so carefully built over the last 30 years. They thought they could buy the government and make the government serve wealth and corporate power rather than the people, and they thought they could get away with it if they saturated the country with anti-government propaganda. They were wrong.
Update: Ken put up a short post on his blog on Occupy Wall Street.
2 Comments
I am of the opinion that without regulations, corporations would see no need to such things as control emissions, and would be letting toxins pollute both the air and water. There is an ad currently running on radio here saying that stringent EPA regulations are going to cost midwesterners their jobs – write your congressman. I have never understood how the right can be so shortsited regarding the environment. Of course it is always right wing politicians who dismiss global warming – Rick Perry, and the frighteningly adamant James Inhoff , senator from Oklahoma.
Just wanted to say I am pleased for Ken, the world traveling gadfly, and I know you must be very proud of him. After a year of living in a van he can handle life on the streets in NYC. But if he needs something, post it here and let’s find a way to get it there to him and the rest of these brave souls. How I hope this will change the text of our economy and society.
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