General News

An Important Occupy Wall Street Victory: Shifting the Conversation from "National Deficit" to "Personal Debt"

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Media outlets have steadily increased their Occupy Wall Street coverage in recent weeks – a victory in and of itself for the movement. However, most dramatic is the sudden narrative shift that has occurred at the national level as a result of this increased media coverage. No longer are our pundits and reporters obsessed with “the deficit” and “ceilings” and incomprehensible numbers with zeros that go on ad infinitum. Instead, they are talking about popular disaffection with big banks, about personal financial struggles, about personal debt. It’s a point Sarah Jaffe correctly noted, in passing, in a recent article on the possibility of debt strikes (a topic to which I will return):
One of the fascinating things about the media dominance of Occupy Wall Street has been how the conversation has shifted away from the deficit-obsession of the last few years.

General News

New Survey on Income Gap Shows Interesting Results

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According to an article in the Washington Post, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll reveals some interesting data on what people think about changes in wealth distribution. As most readers probably know, “income disparities between the highest earners and other Americans have reached levels not seen since the Great Depression.” The good news is that 61% of all adults know that the income gap is larger than in the past, and 60% want the federal government to enact policies that will lessen that disparity – and consequently, help rebuild the middle class. Now if we can only figure out a way to hold politicians accountable to the people – which is, you know, one of the key principles of self-government. It will come as no surprise that almost 75% of liberals recognize the growing income gap and favor government policies to shrink it.

General News

Audio Slideshow: Perspectives on Occupy Oakland

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What life experiences brought people to join the Occupy Oakland general strike on November 2? And what do they hope Occupy Oakland will accomplish? A sampling of sights and sounds form the day reveals that participants came from a wide range of backgrounds and had different goals for the movement. Brenda Reed of Richmond joined Occupy Oakland because her home was put into foreclosure by Chase bank. She hopes Occupy Oakland will lead to financial reform and an equitable restructuring of our current system.

Empathy

CIA Targeted Killings: Constitutional Concerns and the Need For Oversight

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Anwar Al-Awlaki in Yemen, October 2008. wikimedia commons / Muhammad ud-Deen
On September 30, 2011 a U.S. drone in Yemen assassinated Anwar Al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen accused of participation in terrorist activities against the United States. Until there is transparency and oversight, the policy of executive authorization of CIA targeted killings should not be tolerated.

General News

Beyond Consensus or Majority: Notes about Decision-Making in a Leaderless Movement

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On October 18th I participated in the general assembly meeting in OccupyOakland. On October 22nd I posted a piece about that experience, which I named In Search of Dialogue. Even before writing that piece I have been engaging in my mind with the large question of decision-making in this movement. Since I posted this piece, I have received many comments and have read much that others have written, all of which have taken my thinking forward. I remain deeply humble as I reflect on this movement.

Environment

Is Chuck Norris Right? The Fight Against Genetically Engineered Corn

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I am not someone who usually agrees with Chuck Norris, who is a staunch Christian conservative activist, in addition to being a martial arts star. Consequently, I was shocked when I came across his recent column on the American Family Association website and found that I agree with it 100%! “President Obama and the Children of the Corn” — with a title like that I had to check it out — begins as follows:
Want to know something almost as scary as an Obama re-election? Many news sources reported over the last couple months how Monsanto, the world’s biggest vegetable seed maker, will begin selling biotech or genetically engineered (GE) sweet corn this fall for U.S. consumers. Norris goes on to make three points.

Education

Anonymous' Attack on Drug Cartel Benefits Youth in my Community

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The Houston Chronicle reports that the ubiquitous hacktivist (dis)organization Anonymous is celebrating Halloween by threatening to expose the members of Zetas, one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico. My little county, Rio Arriba, in northern New Mexico, has long been overrun by drugs because of this cartel. The guys on the left are not drug kingpins. They are ranchers. And they are seriously put out with the cartels.