I'm torn on the issue. I think it's important to send a message to politicians that there is this intense anger over the inequities of our economy and the abuses of the financial sector. And as an American, I believe in the First Amendment and the right to peacefully assemble to petition the government for redress of grievances. And of course, if there is a court order giving OccupyDC 24 hours, that must be respected.
Still, Chip does have a point, and it's this: at some point the Occupy movement has to actually develop a real political network and engage in political action within the system. Protest has its place, but it is only useful for gaining attention. Absent actual leadership and political action, it is unlikely to accomplish much
on it's own. Incidentally, this situation does remind me of the incident in the 30s when the military forcibly evicted a "hoovertown" from DC. The anger felt then was very powerful, but it took real action and a real plan from FDR to begin to get the economy back (and he faced opposition from Congress and the courts in implementing many New Deal policies as well).
The thing is, as much as I sympathize with the Occupy protestors, I kinds feel sometimes that they come off a bit like this:
College Know it all Hippies (Season 9, Episode 2) - Video Clips - South Park Studios
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