Occupy Wall Street Protests – Is It Déjà Vu All Over Again? Or, Let Them Eat Cake?
Posted: Sunday, October 09, 2011
by Judge Dred
The esteemed United States Representative, Eric Cantor (R- Virginia), made a statement about the Occupy Wall Street protests that have been recently occurring around the nation. Cantor stated, “I am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and other cities across our country”.(1)The House Majority leader, Cantor, was speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. when he made the remarks. This type of statement is just the formula that some conservative Republicans enjoy hearing, for it seems to get their adrenalin flowing.
Apparently, the Republican Party has misgivings about the Occupy Wall Street movement. Are these protesters actually mobs and anti American? I wish to now present a direct comparison. Let us all climb into the way back machine. Are we all seated? We have arrived at our destination, the year….2009!
Yes, but for the good old days. 2009, this was the year that the Tea Party was formed. Take a look around, what do you see? Look, the Tea Party is holding protests around the country. Look at a partial list of American cities in which the protests took place:
Seattle
New York
Chicago
Washington, D.C.
The protests were held due to government spending on the state (New York) and national levels, amongst other reasons. The members of the movement exercised their right to “peaceably assemble and petition the Government for a redress of grievances”. (First Amendment, U.S. Constitution) The demonstrations also included the “Obama is a Muslim, terrorist, Kenyan, we are defending our Second Amendment rights, etc.” rhetorical nonsense. Fox News became the media arm of the Tea Party. Let us not forget, many Republicans, including Rep. Michele Bachmann, became the favorites of the Tea Partiers.
Our time in 2009 has come to an end. We have returned to the present. The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread form the streets of New York City and gone nationwide in 2011. There are people in the streets, peaceably assembling, and not only petitioning the government for redress, but also the capital of the financial world, Wall Street. Though the Occupy Wall Street movement has not claimed any political affiliation, the Democratic Party has started to support the Wall Street demonstrators, which has rankled the GOP.
The Wall Street protesters have struck a nerve within the Republican Party. Cantor, Cain, Boehner and the usual cast of GOP characters who are helping the rich get richer, are in lockstep with the people who were mostly responsible for the economic mess that we are trying to recover from. Hence, they want to reassign blame from the reckless financial sector to the people who have been hurt the most – students, civil servants, the unemployed and the elderly, yes, the protestors. The Occupy Wall Street demonstrators come from all walks of American life, unlike most members of the GOP.
When the Tea Party protestors roamed the streets of America, they wanted to “take back our country”. Those actions were fine with the Republicans, for apparently this blended with their neo conservative ideology. Now that there is a new movement afoot, directly conflicting with the goals of the GOP, the Occupy Wall Streeters are now classified as un-American, anti capitalist mobs. Let’s not forget the words of Mitt Romney, who classified their actions as “class warfare”. Mitt, I agree with you. This is class warfare. The next thing from the GOP will be some sort of reworking of the phrase, “Let them eat cake”.
This situation has turned into the Haves vs. the Have Nots. Wall Street is the new Bastille, and the protesting peasants are not happy. The GOP can play the part of the National Assembly, and everyone’s favorite lobbyist, Grover Norquist is the new Louis XVI. Boehner as Robespierre…well, I’m getting a little ahead of myself. The point is, one Republican’s anti-American, anti-capitalist mob is one unemployed persons’, underserved students’, lack of retirement funds elderly persons hope of protesting their way to salvation from unjust treatment.
The Tea Partiers lay an unjust claim on a direct action undertaken by brave patriots in Boston Harbor in December 1773 against a tyrannical King George, and the English Parliament. The Occupy Wall Street movement has made no such claim to a historical event; the members simply want a fair shot at the “American Dream”. The financial wizards presently inhabiting the American Bastille on Wall Street will have to answer for their tyrannical acts against the American people. It looks like a storm is brewing; the wizards should start to barricade the doors, and their cohorts in Washington are feeling the pressure. The peasants have grown tired of the stale cake. The Haves vs. Have Nots class warfare is peacefully beginning. (At least on the part of the non violent have nots)
As the great American philosopher Yogi Berra once said, "It’s déjà vu all over again”.
The financial wizards should be thankful there aren’t any guillotines hanging around in New York…
Until next time.
JD
News Sources
1 – Yahoo.com News, October 7, 2011
2 - ABC News, October 7, 2011
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Another great one, JD. This should be required reading for those who have erroneously taken the Tea Party label upon themselves.
I think Herman Cain's "blame yourself" statement is the GOP's "let them eat cake" moment. If the wealthy are the job creators, why should the workforce be blamed for there not being enough jobs? The job creators paid off the politicians so they could send the jobs overseas, so it seems that the blame should go to those job creators and those politicians, who are exactly the ones the OWS movement is blaming.
I think Conservatives have mis-calculated who this movement represents. For every protester who has the time to participate in these events, there are thousands of us who wish we were there and consider ourselves part of this movement, but we are working 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet, so we don't have time to participate publicly.
Their other mis-calculation is their thinking that insulting us will make us go away. The reality is quite the contrary.Thank you, Bruce. The people who have done the American people wrong (the money hoarders of Wall Street and their political arm, the GOP) are nervous because their day of reckoning is coming. The OWS movement will gain momentum. As long as these horrible employment and financial conditions persist, the movement is here to stay. Bad news for the GOP in 2012. As always, thanks for reading and commenting.
Troubled times. I've been keeping my nose to the grindstone while the mobs and politicians carry on. What is there to do. Excellent article, as always!2012 will be a pivotal year for all of us. The protests will come to a head as the primaries heat up. Either America goes back to work without the politics of no and stonewalling, or there may actually be chaos in the streets of America. I hope it does not come to that. Thanks again, OGM, for reading and commenting.
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