Occupy Nashville Helps to Spark a Change

Last night, the police threw out the Occupy Nashville group.  About two dozen were arrested.  This came directly as a result of Bill Haslam and his extremely stupid laws that he has now tried to force on the occupiers.  So stupid, in fact, that the judge released all of those arrested and the ACLU is gearing up for a lawsuit against Tennessee.  Keep it up, police.  Keep it up, government.  Because you are about to see what many, capable and committed individuals can achieve.  The movement is still moving.  It won't be stopped until change is made, and action (though peaceful action) is about to be brought against those opposed to both, the 99% and justice.

The Biblical Meaning Behind Occupy Wall Street and the 99%

Now, I know the 99% movement is not a "segregated" movement.  I do not wish to create any boundaries or upset people of different faiths; however, as an accepting movement, we should all listen to each other's beliefs, both political and religious.  I had a bible study with my dad earlier this week and he pointed out James 5 in Bible.  For those of you who do not have access to it, it is reproduced below:

     Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.  Your gold and silver are corroded.  Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.  You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  Look!  The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you.  The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Almighty.  You have lived on earth in luxury and self indulgence.  You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.  ~James 5 (NIV)

To me, this chapter means a great deal.  It shows that nothing has changed in the last 5,000 years, at least!  We still have terrible injustices in the world, but it also shows that there are still people who are unafraid to stand up against this injustice.

A couple of lines particularly stand out for me.  The first is, "The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you."  Isn't that what's happening, hang on, right......NOW?!  So, there you have it.  After all of these years, the same groups still get together in an attempt to keep the filthy rich "honest."  But is the motive the same?  The second line verse that catches my eye is, "You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you."  To me, this holds a couple of different meanings.  First of all, this could mean any innocent person put to death via the death penalty, but it also means the people who have died fighting a war for oil!  It is absolute insanity to die for this.  Furthermore, it is also in response to the people who have died because they were denied medical insurance despite the fact that they had a condition which would, in time, take them from this world.

It doesn't matter that we have separate beliefs.  For many, the Bible is the Word of God, but for many others, it should be taken as a book of philosophy, much in the same way that the world looks at Thoreau's Walden.  Indeed, all religious texts are, first and foremost, philosophies on life.  Some parts are good; others are bad, but all are important in order to understand that the frustrating times we are all going through right now.

The Police of Wall Street

I can get not agreeing with the protesters of the 99% movement (though not without difficulty).  I can even get being angry with the protesters, but yesterday, when the occupiers of Wall Street were marching, a policeman decided to hit a woman.  Now, why on earth does a policeman need to put his hands on a woman who is participating in a nonviolent protest?  Today, when I participated in a march, they gave us the phone number of an attorney we could call in case we were arrested.  On today’s protest, luckily, the police set an example of what all police departments across the country should be like and protected us.  However, the actions of the police at Wall Street don’t make sense.  The actions shouldn’t make sense.  The policeman at Wall Street was probably just doing what he thought his job was; however, the fact is, he took his job to a terrible extreme that speaks ill of his group.  If it really was okay for him to do what he did, then his “orders” make him no better than any other abusive person and he, too, should be imprisoned with those that his fellow policemen took in yesterday.

The 99%

Throughout time, the world has seen many people and many groups of people walk its lands.  Most of these people generally, although sometimes begrudgingly, accept the policies of government and follow the rules of society.  However, there always seems to be one group at any given point which has challenged the system.  There was Christ, that is when he was preaching, and his followers, as well as the gypsies of Medieval Europe.  Skipping ahead, with the formation of America, the Transcendentalists made their mark early on in the history of America.  Since then, America has hardly been without a group who has challenged “the system.”  Abolitionists, the Knights of Labor, Beatniks, Hippies; all of these groups were speaking, expressing and, in some cases, fighting for freedom.  What’s more is that they have all managed to affect, however significant, change.

Where is this group today?  It has been a half of a century since the Hippies marched for a cause.  These people now look to a different generation.  Indeed, some of their kids look toward a new generation of leaders, of speakers; of people willing to fight for what is right.  These people must make it their mission to make a stand for Americans, as it is Americans who have been taken advantage of.

But what are these people making a stand for?  It is a thoughtful question.  As a group, there must be a set of ideals that we are fighting for.  Unlike in times before, the frustration most prevalent today is not focused on equal rights of a single, disadvantaged group.  Rather, it is directed more toward receiving care and having our voices heard for the purpose of equality for the extensive, disadvantaged majority.

Although it sometimes seems that there is not enough apparent frustration in America at present to start a group, something truly remarkable has come to pass in the last couple of weeks.  It seemed to be in direct response to the thoughts described above.  People have begun to protest.  First, it started on Wall Street in New York City.  Some college students began an occupation of Wall Street to declare their unhappiness with major corporations and the government.  The idea has now grown to become an international response to injustice.  Occupations have now begun in forty-five of the fifty United States.  These protesters call themselves the 99%, a name in response to the wealthiest 1% of America.  As of 2001, the wealthiest 1% of Americans held 38% of the nation’s wealth.

On Saturday, October 08, 2011, I attended a meeting of the “Occupy Nashville” group.  As a group, “Occupy Nashville” has now set up a permanent spot to “occupy.”  Protests are happening and it seems that the spirit of these committed individuals will continue to fight (like those around the country and globe) until reasonable change is made.  It is unacceptable to stand and watch as these corporations and the government take advantage of Americans who cannot afford to live in luxury, like that top 1%.

Currently, there are a lot of people out in the world who are feeling the khakified syndrome.  It is something they would normally dismiss as unfortunate but normal.  This time, a group has embraced this feeling, and has now inspired people to think, as John Steinbeck wrote, “If I’ve missed this, what else have I failed to see?”  This is a movement full of, not people looking for an easy way out, not people who just want to be angry, but people who have a reason to be angry because of the injustice they have had to endure for so long.

Take that, Herman Cain!