What’s Your Next Move?

By Phil Polizatto,WWH - The way I see it, the frustrations and anger of the Occupy Movement are succinctly and comprehensively expressed in this statement from Occupy Wall Street

“You control our world. You’ve poisoned the air we breath, contaminated the water we drink, and copyrighted the food we eat. We fight in your wars, die for your causes, and sacrifice our freedoms to protect you. You’ve liquidated our savings, destroyed our middle class, and used our tax dollars to bailout your unending greed. We are slaves to your corporations, zombies to your airwaves, and servants to your decadence. You’ve stolen our elections, assassinated our leaders, and abolished our basic rights as human beings. You own our property, shipped away our jobs, and shredded our unions. You’ve profited off of disaster, destabilized our currencies, and raised our cost of living. You’ve monopolized our freedom, stripped away our education, and have almost extinguished our flame. We are hit, we are bleeding… but we don’t have time to bleed. We will bring the giants to their knees and you will witness our revolution. Now get out of the way!”

I like it! Very strong. Within it are the implied demands for which the mainstream media have been haranguing them. Is it no wonder then that the Occupy Movement has targeted Wall Street, symbol of the excesses and onerous behavior of multi-national corporations, big banks, and investment firms? Is it no wonder Occupy movements throughout this country and around the world, occupy the financial districts of their cities, which symbolize corporate greed and the atrocity of profits over a suffering people and a suffering planet?

Yes, it is a wonder… if the Occupy Movement thinks that merely occupying a space will bring about the changes they want, they are mistaken. The key to the success of the Occupy Movement has been the scope and extent of its visible solidarity. Let me stress those two words, “visible” and “solidarity.” And where better to show visible solidarity than in the heart of a downtown financial district. Vicariously, a majority of the rest of the nation expresses their anger and frustration in solidarity with you. May the anger and frustration continue to be voiced loudly and repeatedly, but it is time to employ other tactics. It is time to evolve into something even more potent.

In reality, no matter how “inconvenient” a protest may try to be; no matter how many protesters there are, simply yelling at a building to “get your money out of our government and politics” is not going to work. It’s easy to direct one’s anger and frustration at a place like Wall Street and the Big Banks who buggered us good and gave themselves pats on the shoulder worth billions in bonuses. But that list of grievances perpetrated against the 99% is like crying over spilt milk.

It’s time to turn an equal amount of that anger toward our elected officials who make corporate greed possible. Unfortunately, like a python eating its own tail and can’t stop once it starts, it is the greed of corporations that make politicians possible who in turn make corporate greed possible who make politicians possible who make corporate greed possible…. And I am fucking dizzy! This never ending cycle of corruption which is destroying our democracy is a malignancy which has metastasized. The Occupy Movement calls for a peaceful revolution that will kill the diseases that flow through the bloodstream of our body politic. Maybe the python will consume itself. I think many of us are waiting for that to happen. But how and what will take its place?

As in a game of chess, the Occupy Movement should be thinking 20 moves ahead, especially when the future seems to be unfolding at a geometric rate. Corporations are not going to voluntarily suspend lobbying on their own. There is no incentive to do so. But the Occupy Movement has made many politicians nervous. And we of the 99% should be like a dog, who when it senses fear, attacks. I don’t sense any fear among the global corporations, but I do among politicians running for election or re-election. How they must be squirming. How conflicted they must be.

On one hand, they are addicted to the corporate money that guarantees them a political life and the fine lifestyle to which they seem so quickly to become accustomed. On the other hand, only they can pass the laws which would reign in the greed of a corporate plutocracy and return the government to the people. It’s like asking a junkie to squeal on his pusher. It’s the consummate catch-22.

Only when there is an absolutely level playing field for all candidates, can we elect representatives of the people who will begin to dismantle or regulate the institutions that are destroying 99% of us. We will be able to elect people who truly come from the “the rest of us.” It will require massive campaign finance reform, best done in my opinion, through publicly funded and time-limited campaigns.

But who in Congress is going to fight for publicly financed campaigns when it means so many will have to give up their lives of comfort and privilege which have been made possible by the corporations. It’s not going to happen… not without a little nudge and shove… not without a little pushy intervention that finally weans once and for all the addict from his pusher.

As much as I like seeing the numbers of the Occupy Movement grow and spread across the land, I think it’s time to take aim at other targets. It’s time to occupy every office of every legislator and candidate, at every level of politics, from local to state to national. It’s time to give up the “leaderless” jargon. Perhaps at the very beginning it was an “organic” movement. Time will tell. But from what I can tell, it was never leaderless for very long.

Someone had to arrange for permits. Someone had to know the law. Someone had to build the stage and set up state-of-the-art lighting and sound boards. Someone had to schedule speakers and find entertainment. Someone had to know about setting up medical field tents and where to find supplies. Someone had to arrange for security and to find media savvy spokespeople, videographers, graphic designers, etc. You are not anarchists. Your General Assemblies may be exercises in direct democracy, and through this process leaders have emerged. But you are not leaderless. And you are not penniless. Time will also tell where the money came from and how it was spent.

Perhaps you have modeled your decision-making processes on the communes of the 60’s and 70’s. Anyone could call a family meeting. Anyone could put an issue on the agenda. All decisions were by consensus. If something needed to be done, anyone could volunteer to be in charge of making it happen and invite other members of the family to be on that “committee.” And if someone were needed to represent the commune to the outside world, we would “elect” the person we thought would be most effective. But if someone asked us who the “leader” of our commune was, we could honestly say, “no one,” or “all of us.” When necessary, we would allow a “leader” to arise to the occasion. But if ever we thought that person began to think of him or herself as the “leader” we knew it was time to take them down a notch. They only remained a leader if the rest of us allowed it to be so. But the fact is that leaders do emerge and leaders are necessary.

You have made it clear that you worry a great deal about being “co-opted” by a political organization or party. That is a legitimate concern, but do not turn it into paranoia. There are many progressive groups that are part of the 99%. They wish to help. Some are well-established. It does not mean the goals differ. I receive at least a dozen emails daily from progressive groups and all of them support the Occupy Movement. But this is a much divided country and it is unlikely you will ever galvanize the entire population. This is not Tunisia where an entire populace was galvanized against a dictatorship, which once overthrown left a vacuum in which a new government and constitution could be created. Remember, “Visible solidarity” is the key. This is a time for coalition-building. This is a time to welcome all who share your goals, from MoveOn to AARP! This is the time to stop being squatters and make your next big move.

A million people on the Mall in D.C.! A political party! It might take a few years. I know you say your time is “now,” but you are young. You can multitask. You can occupy Wall Street and every office of a candidate or incumbent at the same time. While you put pressure on both, you can slowly be building a third party… or a fourth… or a fifth. One day you may be in a position to do away with all parties. Look at all you’ve accomplished already. You have the attention of the nation. Many of us have been waiting decades for a generation with some spunk. And though, admittedly, you do the grunt work and the hardship of the physical “occupying,” do not let the Occupy Movement be perceived as a youth movement. The disgruntlement factor transcends all ages. Which reminds me, by all means, avail yourselves of some old-time hippies. They might be of some help.

Or perhaps you of the Occupy Movement who provide the solidarity that is visible to us every day are way ahead of me. Perhaps there is a generational gap that eludes me and I am just an old hippie fart. Perhaps you already have your next 20 moves prepared. I certainly hope so. I worry for you, but want you to know I have my tent pitched on my front lawn with a sign that says, “I am one of the 99%! Occupy your ballot!”

To contact Phil or find out more: check out his website and blog For a copy of HUNGA DUNGA
Phil Polizatto – Worldwide Hippies Bureau Chief – West Coast USA, is a graduate of The School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. He was a feature writer for the overseas division of UPI, a copywriter for CBS, and an award-winning corporate film producer. Mr. Polizatto is a published poet and a regular contributor to Worldwide Hippies as well as a variety of other arts and literary journals. Hunga Dunga is his first published novel. He resides in the Pacific Northwest.