As the “Occupy Wall Street” and other “Occupy” movements throughout the United States take hold, we see and hear bitter denunciations by the Tea Party Movement in the most wretched and venal manner!
This Tea Party Movement, which brought guns to gatherings, spit on members of Congress, and used racist language against President Barack Obama, and has no concern about the future of millions of middle class and poor families, has the gall and nerve to set out to destroy the reputation of ordinary citizens, who are having their homes taken away from them, their jobs lost, their children’s college education debts soar beyond ability to pay, their health care being denied, and their pensions being decimated, and seem to think this should be reacted to in silence, while the top one percent control 40 percent of the income, and continue through Wall Street to victimize America daily with their greed and selfishness!
The “Occupy” movement is in the best tradition of other reform movements, including the abolitionist crusade against slavery; the populist movement against the rich and powerful a century ago; the labor union movement; the civil rights movement after World War II; the woman’s rights movement in the 1960s and after; the anti Vietnam war movement in the 1960s and 1970s; and the gay rights movement since 1969.
Without public participation in the form of protest movements, nothing can be done to overcome injustice and unfairness! All those involved in protest movements will be bitterly attacked, but the answer is to deflect the criticism, and focus on the job at hand, and it does not look as if the “Occupy” movement is going away anytime soon!