Occupy Iowa moves on Obama's office
Occupy Des Moines was on the march again this morning. Roughly 100 people marched to and protested outside President Obama's 2012 campaign headquarters on Des Moines' near east side. Incidentally, the march overlapped at times, by location, with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for Des Moines and Central Iowa-- which is fitting when we consider the very political implications of medical research and of all women gaining access to medicines and health insurance. When social justice is achieved, charity is no longer needed. Make no mistake about this: a fair national health care policy, and working to empower the politically powerless, are two completely overlapping movements.This protest this morning had particular resonance for me in that it targeted the President. The "too big to fail" banks are terrific targets for demonstration, and will continue to be, but that's only one half of this movement. That first half, it seems to me, is drawing attention to and condemning the casinos on Wall Street, and corporate greed and malfeasance, in general; the other is drawing attention to and condemning the permanent occupation of these big banks and Corporate America over our government. The politicians whose influence the banks and corporations have purchased need to see our faces and hear our voices as well.
I am absolutely thrilled to see this movement evolve into one that is truly a non-partisan one, as I hoped and really expected that it would be. The people of this movement, in Des Moines and elsewhere, are the people of the United States. Nobody should feel excluded from being part of it so long as they are of the 99% that are without meaningful influence over their own government because they are not CEOs or corporate contributors. Everyone rallying this morning seemed to recognize that there has been a wholesale corruption of both major political parties of the United States, not only the Republican. As at least one speaker suggested, it is fundamental and institutional change to our political and financial systems that's ultimately needed.
posted by CM @ 2:14 PM
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