Occupy Wall Street ..... pass it on .... and on ..... and on!

I know I already posted a blog today but I had to write again because I am appalled at the US media coverage of the protests in New York.

What protests you might ask? That was my question when my step-daughter posted this link on her Facebook page this evening: Livestream: Global Revolution. I shook my head and thought what the heck is this. In case people hadn't noticed, current events and politics are kind of my hobby. I subscribe to several newsfeeds on Facebook, listen to NPR daily on the radio, follow CNN and BBC blogs so the fact that I didn't know anything about this made me think it probably was a hoax. So, like most people who have no idea what is happening, I Googled it.

The first thing that popped up was an article from the Wall Street Journal - Social Media March on Wall Street, which was posted about 3 hours ago and in essence calls the protests an epic fail. But then I searched further.

occupywallst.org

The protests started on September 17th  and according to the Occupy Wall St. webpage consist of the 99% tired of being led by the 1%. I have read that it is being referred to as the nonviolent American Fall. They have protests in New York planned through 2012 everyday from 1-3 and 7-9 at Zuccotti Square (AKA now Liberty Square). It also says they will be planning protests in other places, including the protests planned for October 6, 2011 in Washington D.C.

When I searched news coverage for the events that have taken place I got 4 pages of American mainstream media, with no real coverage until September 23, 2011. I did find this one article from September 6, 2011 at Market Watch. But I really wouldn't call this mainstream. The earliest mainstream American coverage was from September 23rd, 6 days after the protests started.

I have been reading for a couple of hours now and have found some interesting articles that I had missed from the Huffington Post and The Guardian:

Occupy Wall Street Enters Its Fourth Day

"Occupy Wall Street" Protesters Vow to Camp Near Wall Street Indefinitely

Keith Olbermann, Michael Moore Criticize Media for Ignoring "Occupy Wall Street"

Occupy Wall Street Rediscovers the Radical Imagination

Occupy Wall Street: Protesters Speak

The Call to Occupy Wall Street Resonates Around the World

Al Jazeera was covering the protests before ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN - US Protesters Rally to Occupy Wall Street.

This is insane to me! Unlike London, these protests are nonviolent. People are not looting stores or roughing people up. I liked the point in the Keith Olbermann piece about the fact that if this were 100 tea party members supporting Wall Street it would be everywhere. It took a week, but now it is everywhere and people are angrier - not only about the mess this country is in, but about the lack of respect people who want to change things get.

Now the videos are everywhere - a search for news about it has gone from 4 pages to 10 in the past hour! Protesters Broadcast Arrests on Social Media. The number of those arrested have been anywhere from 80 on NPR to as many as 200. Reports of tear gas have been retracted, but the video of a woman being sprayed with pepper spray is all over the Internet.

Someone on the group's Facebook page is suggesting a national "don't go to work" day on October 5th. The idea is for noone to  go to work, or purchases anything for one day. I think it is a great idea if they can get organized and get enough people to do it to make a point! The problem is, all the people who work on Wall Street won't participate in a protest like this ..... but maybe, just maybe you could still get enough people to do it to make it work!!!

http://www.thetechherald.com/

I guess the point of this blog is to spread the word!! If the media isn't going to get the message out than we need to. If the Teaparty can take control of Washington in less than a year ..... we need to let Washington know that there is another voice! If Facebook can be covered with useless rumors about it starting to charge a fee - this should spread like wildfire!!!

As they said in Tienaman Square in 1989 .... take pictures, take video, let the world know what is happening here!!! The 1st Amendment is our strongest weapon ..... it is time it is used!!!!

Good Luck Wall Street ..... I think you are going to need it!