I am watching the events of the Occupy movement -- by now, you know that I am watching with a certain amount of skepticism, and hope for its success. It's important. It has great potential. I hope to attend a General Assembly here in DC to further understand the inner workings on a personal level. A friend of mine (Shoq) wrote of them here. It includes a video of how they work, but more importantly, he wrote this:
I am also watching what is happening with the American Jobs Act which I find equally important. Yesterday, during the President's weekly address, he said this: Among the many things the Occupy movement is concerned with, issues like the ones the President spoke of are a large part of of the discussion. They should be. America must start investing not just in it's infrastructure, but also in people to carry out these jobs. We must invest in the services our public sector provides. We must invest in ourselves.

With that said, I heard a disturbing story from the state of Georgia this morning, one that should give pause to everyone on the Occupy movement: We must start electing officials not just on the Federal levels. It must change in towns, counties and state levels. The American Jobs Act will help people get back to work, but until people realize that we must regain control of our republic again, we will all be inmates to a broken system. Protesting is critical, but organizing and voting is even more important.

Someone in a Georgia county thinks saving money is more important than its citizens' safety. They believe that firefighters should also serve as corrections officers just to save a few dollars. I've nothing against inmate rehabilitation, nor do I not believe in redemption for those that have served time. All across the nation, elected officials are asking teachers and public sector workers to take pay cuts. In the meantime, our President is pushing for a real jobs act that will help these very people, and instead, in every level of government occupid by the GOP, they are asking the poorer among us, the unemployed, the middle class to shoulder the sacrifice that the top 1% can easily make.

If they believed in a true democratic republic, the top 1% would help to shoulder the burden the 99% is currently being crushed under. Our nation's history has proved time and time again, when the richest among us have given just a little bit more for the greater good of our democracy, the country thrived. In order for the Occupy movement to work, Americans must deliver elected officials all over the nation that will enact the policies they want changed. Easy it will not be, not with the likes of the Koch brothers and the Art Pope's of this world; Not with Citizens United; Not with REDMAP -- these people and strategies and real, and exist solely for the top 1%. They will fight every step of the way on every level of government. It's not hopeless; if we can get people back to work, see the Occupy movement organize beyond, as Shoq put it, 'pre-democracy' we still have a fighting chance to see the country improve. This will take working together in many arenas.

Otherwise, we'll all end up like those inmates. In my opinion, that just a step above slavery. Anger and frustration are good and righteous, but it will take more than that to change this nation. It takes organization, focus and willingness. This is why I will go to see a general assembly this week.

We must make sure Congress (and any legislative body across nation) is occupied with people that truly care about the 99% of America who I suspect, the founding fathers were most concerned with. If Americans can occupy streets all across the country, they can occupy the vote come election day.

and
Raine