Submitted by wuming on Mon, 12/24/2012 - 1:08am
Submitted by wuming on Wed, 12/19/2012 - 6:35pm
People sometimes ask me, if I was in charge, what would I want done with the bank that have broken the law and carried out epic levels of fraud in the United States. And it's not just the banks, it's the finance, insurance and real estate industry as a whole, commonly called the FIRE sector.
Specifically, people often ask, what should be done about the executives who masterminded the various frauds? Some people expect me to say life in prison, brutal punishment etc. People expect me to say, that's what these people deserve, so screw them, they have to pay.
Submitted by wuming on Wed, 12/05/2012 - 1:47am
Guy gets injured. Docs tell him he won't be able to walk again without canes.
15 years later, takes up yoga, loses 140 pounds, and can walk again unassisted.
Video Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 8:00am
I originally wrote the following essay in late 2009, almost three years ago. I never got it published, though I did circulate it privately. At the time I theorized that debt was the common element of oppression in American life across ages, ethnic groups, geography, etc.. Debtors were the largest oppressed group in the US if only they would recognize it. Therefore teachingpeople to recognize that fact would be a way of organizing people against the current system. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 5:30am
Submitted by wuming on Wed, 05/02/2012 - 9:09pm
Originally Posted at Hella Occupy Oakland
Last week I discussed the meaning of the term comrade, and this week's blog post was supposed to be, and is, about the limits to power. When I was writing the outline for the post, I realized that the only way to talk about limits to power was to use a case study, since talking about these things in the abstract is not as meaningful as pointing to real life examples. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Wed, 04/18/2012 - 6:30am
Originally Posted at Occupy Oakland Media
Last week, I wrote about the tension between personal and institutional loyalty. This week’s blogpost will discuss the term comrade, and why I think it’s outgrown its usefulness. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Thu, 04/05/2012 - 10:00pm
Crossposted from Occupy Oakland Media
Last week I wrote about the importance of seizing the American identity.
This week, I want to talk about the necessary tension between personal loyalty and institutional loyalty in oppositional politics. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 2:40pm
Originally posted atOccupy Oakland Media
Last week I wrote about the continued relevance of the nation state. This week's piece is on seizing the American identity.
As leftists, we should seize the American identity from the moribund hands of dying bigots and refashion it into something that centers on economic well being for the majority of Americans. Ultimately a nation state depends on its citizens embracing a common orientation, or a common identity if you will. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 12:41am
Originally posted at Occupy Oakland Media
First in a series on building a new consensus.
The nation-state still matters.
Although I have met and talked with many people in OO who believe that the nation-state is obsolete, evil and must be abolished, I do not agree. There are quite a few things that the nation-state does that I have not seen as possible otherwise. Among other things, this includes the maintenance of the physical infrastructure of civilization, such as water/sewage distribution and telecom, as well as the monopoly on violence. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 3:57am
Sorry for the lateness on this report, it was filed via carrier pigeon from my erstwhile Pacific Northwest Correspondent, Lazlo: Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 3:39am
Hundreds of people showed up for the first day. I estimate that at least 50 were planning on staying in tents. The space in front of city hall actually has an amphitheater and it's perfect for general assemblies.
A lot of people worked hard to make it happen, and it was an amazing and positive event. As far as I can tell from Twitter, people are still there, and a city council member is staying the night.
This is the largest "first day" I've seen yet. Not bad for a Monday in the rain. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 6:00am
I attended the Occupy SF General Assembly this weekend in Union Square. The General Assembly there was full of thoughtful people discussing how to best protest the increasingly dire economic/political situation in the United States. There were approximately 40 to 50 people gathered. I arrived relatively late in the day and by then the police had asked them to take down their tents. What follows is my impressions of the situation on the ground. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Mon, 09/12/2011 - 1:11am
September 11th revealed that our leadership no longer believes in the idea of a nation state that promotes the general welfare and protects the common good. They pantomime their beliefs, they talk of bravery and patriotism supporting the troops, but in the end, their actions betray them. Read below the fold...
Submitted by wuming on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 4:24pm
In honor of Labor Day, an account of the Oakland General Strike of 1946:
"In the post-war recession year of 1946, labor organizing was at an apex. A wave of rail, mining, auto, electrical and city-wide general strikes had debilitated industry across the country, motivated by demands for full employment, universal medical care and civil rights."
Although sympathy/general strikes are illegal today, in 1946 it was still a legal labor action. Read below the fold...
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