A Note to a Refrigerator

By Phil Polizatto,WWH – After more than 40 years, we are finally getting our hippie mojo in gear again and it is in full throttle forward! The Occupy Movement is getting stronger everyday. The mainstream media and the corporatist lunatics call the Occupiers, the 99%ers, a bunch of hippies, and as usual in the disparaging way they have always denigrated and dismissed hippies and their values that, had they been embraced by the majority, and represented accurately in the press and in Congress, would certainly not have put the country in the situation it is today nor jeopardized the rights of WE THE PEOPLE.

When I hear a conservative use the word “hippie” with the tell-tale smirk in his/her voice and face, I say, “Damn right I’m a hippie and totally unapologetic about it. I hear “hippie” and my heart fills with pride. But brothers and sisters please tell me you are doing your part. Please tell me you are involved in some kind of activism. There can be no excuses, because you can be an activist from your armchair, for cripes sake.

If you have the ability to get out of your armchair, there are many other ways to be an activist. There are so many ways and so many examples to be found from Tunisia to Wisconsin, it would take up volumes. And the many ways to be an activist keeps on growing as the collective creativity spills forth with new and effective methods. But I ask you to consider just a few, a checklist if you will, of things you can do right now:

Get your money out! Withdraw all your money from any big bank and put it in a not-for profit Credit Union or a small Community Bank. I prefer credit unions. The Directors of the Board of a not-for-profit credit union are all volunteers! Every depositor is a shareholder, an equal owner of the credit union, and gets to vote for the Directors. If a credit union does make a profit, it must go back to the shareholders or invested in services like greater availability and access to no-fee ATM’s. The average salary of the CEO of a credit union is $350,000. That is a pittance to what the CEO of Bank of America gets! Credit unions recognize each other so anyone can use a different credit union’s ATM to deposit or withdraw money with no fees. Your money is insured as it is in banks. Their credit cards have the best rates and debit cards are fee free. Banks are corporations. They are beholden to their stockholders. Therefore profit always takes precedence over people. In a credit union, the members come first! You can probably transfer your money without ever leaving home. So what are you waiting for? Money is the only thing these corporations understand. Vote with your money and get it out now!

Are you bombarded with emails asking that you sign a petition? Do it! Some people say that petitions and protests are ineffective and a waste of time. I say let’s use every means at our disposal. Add your name to those petitions which attempt to right the wrongs the ruling class has done and is doing to us. It’s so easy to ignore them, delete them. But it only takes a couple of minutes to add your name to a good cause. Those petitions do eventually reach the intended recipient. The longer the list of names, the more clout those petitions have. Do it!

Write a letter or call your representatives, local, state, and federal. Tell them how you feel. Letters pack more punch than a petition. Phone calls, most likely fielded by some staff member, nevertheless get tallied and passed on to the representative. Need their phone numbers or addresses? http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Boycott the products and services of corporations who give money to right wing candidates or incumbents and corporations who disrespect our environment. Once again, some say this is ineffective. It is if only a few do it, but a mass boycott of a product can be very effective. You are an environmentalist. You only buy biodegradable detergents. Yet perhaps you unwittingly buy products from Monsanto, ConAgra Foods, Coors, Heinz, Kraft, General Mills, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Dean, Anheuser Busch (phew) to name a few, and the most egregious offenders… companies owned by the despicable Koch brothers. The list is too long to name them all here. Click this link to find out just how many products produced by the Koch brothers are probably sitting on one of your closet shelves. Pick one, godammit, and refuse to purchase it any longer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Industries#Subsidiaries

Talk, talk, and talk some more… to your friends, relatives, strangers. Bring them up to date. If they are not part of the corporate elite, then they are “the rest of us,” the 99%! Explain to them the ways in which they are, despite perhaps having a good-paying job and living in comfort. They fail to realize that you needn’t be homeless or in foreclosure to be one of the 99%. You know the truth. You can’t keep it to yourself and expect any movement to grow!

Support citizen journalists and especially sites like Worldwide Hippies. We all work for free here. We bring you the news, if covered at all, weeks before the mainstream media provides any coverage. In fact, you can boycott TV completely and be more quickly and thoroughly informed about what is really going on in the world than you would through any other medium. Need to buy a gift for someone? Why go to a corporate chain store when you can buy a nice t-shirt, amulet, or other item from Worldwide Hippies. Or just donate ten dollars or more. Anything! We accept no advertising; we operate on a shoe string. If you want to keep us going, you need to show your support! The few items in our store make great gifts and you can call your purchase or donation your “act of kindness” for the day. Do it, please!

Skywriting and Earthwriting! Ok… not everyone has a biplane that can skywrite, but that and Earthwriting are two means of expression that are not considered graffiti by law, though I am all for graffiti of any kind that has a powerful message. Got kids? Do they have any chalk? Are you ready to leave your armchair? On every corner of your block, write on the sidewalk a message of protest. Maybe just “OCCUPY!” or “DOWN WITH CORPORATE PERSONHOOD!”…“I AM ONE OF THE 99%!” Be creative, colorful. This is a time for VISIBLE SOLIDARITY. Imagine, everyone who walks down your street will read it. Whether they agree or not, you are making yourself VISIBLE!

Yard Signs! Got the guts? Make a sign. Make many. Put them in your yard or on your fence. If you need some inspiration, Google “Occupy” or type “occupy” in the search box on Facebook. You will be amazed. Look at the photos. Study the signs people are holding. You will be sure to find many slogans perfect for a yard sign or two. Once again, VISIBILITY right now is paramount!

Humor, Sarcasm, and Pranks! Check out this video of the infamous Love Police. These people have talent! You can get a lot of ideas for sidewalk chalk “art” and yard signs just from listening to them. Humor can win over lots of people because it is non-threatening to them and very, very effective. Even the police get a kick out of it. Are you part of a theater group? Create a skit, something entertaining, but with an explosive message. Here’s an idea for a harmless prank. Go into a bookstore or library and find Cheney’s new book, or books by Bush, Rove, etc. Calmly take the book and put it in the Criminology section. Take books by Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin and put them in the Psychology section under Personality or Psychological Disorders. Be an upstart! Be creative! Use your imagination.

Attend a meeting regarding an issue close to your heart. Whether it is about homelessness, Rebuilding the American Dream, or supporting a progressive candidate, get involved. Run for office!

If you have the wherewithal, join those 99ers; occupy the “Wall Street” of your town, whether it be small or large, whether you can spend a week or just an afternoon. VISIBLE SOLIDARITY is the key!

And lastly, OCCUPY your heart with love, non-violence and meditation. Vibrational activism, though subtle, is a powerful force. Be a hippie. We may be the only sane and rational force left!

(Now get out that Grateful Dead magnet and put this on your refrigerator! Don’t talk to me unless you have checked off at least three of these! Namaste, Phil)

MY TO DO LIST