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Throughout history and into the future there will be a constant struggle of beauty and pain. Look around you with wide eyed wonderment. Our world is an amazing place filled with oddities and atrocities. We are under no illusion that we can end all suffering. We are, however, stricken with the moral outrage that compels us to try. With compassion for our fellow humans and a deep awareness of our place in the ecosystem, we seek to build a better world. There is no such thing as a clean slate. No revolution can wipe the past clear and start fresh. All that have tried have failed. We must understand that our task is to do what we can, encourage others to do so as well, and not loose sight of what is still beautiful in our lives. Good Morning Revolution is a progressive and evolving group formed in late 2008 to work towards this imperative. We are just a small part of this big world and on our own, we’ll never be enough. We need each other! You are a valuable part of your community. And it is this community which GMR is focused on. Encouraging and creating social change, mutual aid, and individual empowerment in the Grand Rapids and Michigan. We want to create discussion. We want to echo the voices of the community. We want to be your microphone. So, really, anything you want to share. We want to know what you love and what you want to change in this city. Please submit essays, drawings, poems, photos, comics, quotes, etc. to:
zine@GoodMorningRevolution.org Created by the people in the interest of the people to energize our community in a more sustainable way from the bottom up.
“The New Energy Future” by Scott Warren
“To gain that worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.”
―Bernadette Devlin
“Communist Corpse” by Scott Warren
There is nowhere to run. There is nowhere to hide. The more we ignore it, the more time it has time to grow. The more it grows, the more it wants. So it’s only a matter of time before it wants you. Americans are in the top 5% wealthiest people on the world. If everyone lived like us, we’d need five earths to sustain everyone’s needs, wants, and whims. We are a part of the machine that’s eating itself. By the time it starts chewing on us, the system will have already started to digest the other 95%.
If you’ve been paying attention, you already know about the plastic in the ocean, the extinction of species, the starving children, the wars for resources, the last stitch efforts to get the last of the oil from the earth, and the efforts to keep all that troubling stuff off the news. You’ve been overwhelmed by the inevitability of climate change, economic collapse, endless wars. That, or our own mortality. Whichever comes first, I guess.
With the end of the world just around the corner, it’s hard not to give into dec adence. Escape this terrestrial pain with temporal pleasures. Wrapped in the simple com fort of distraction, we are fooling ourselv es. The destroyer of worlds does not rest.
You must resist! I know it's hard but... If you’ve been paying attention, you already know that you are not alone.
#NYC http://is.gd/ZmbCtz [OR] http://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/6199719210/ #OCCUPYWALLSTREET is a people powered movement for democracy that began in America on September 17 with an encampment in the financial district of New York City. Inspired by the Egyptian Tahrir Square uprising and the Spanish acampadas, we vow to end the monied corruption of our democracy ‌ join us!
www.OccupyWallStreet.org
Photo by Miranda Wieck, a Rapidian visiting NYC.
http://is.gd/X9Fmli
Occupy Wall Street: by Naomi Klein (October 6, 2011) The Most Important Thing in the World Now
I was honored to be invited to speak at Occupy Wall Street on Thursday night. Since amplification is (disgracefully) banned, and everything I say will have to be repeated by hundreds of people so others can hear (a.k.a. “the human microphone”), what I actually say at Liberty Plaza will have to be very short. With that in mind, here is the longer, uncut version of the speech.
I love you. And I didn’t just say that so that hundreds of you would shout “I love you” back, though that is obviously a bonus feature of the human microphone. Say unto others what you would have them say unto you, only way louder. Yesterday, one of the speakers at the labor rally said: “We found each other.” That sentiment captures the beauty of what is being created here. A wide-open space (as well as an idea so big it can’t be contained by any space) for all the people who want a better world to find each other. We are so grateful. If there is one thing I know, it is that the 1 percent loves a crisis. When people are panicked and desperate and no one seems to know what to do, that is the ideal time to push through their wish list of procorporate policies: privatizing education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over. And there is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it’s a very big thing: the 99 percent. And that 99 percent is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say “No. We will not pay for your crisis.” That slogan began in Italy in 2008. It ricocheted to Greece and France and Ireland and finally it has made its way to the square mile where the crisis began. “Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?” “We’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” And most of all: “Welcome.”
Many people have drawn parallels between Occupy Wall Street and the so-called anti-globalization protests that came to world attention in Seattle in 1999. That was the last time a global, youth-led, decentralized movement took direct aim at corporate power. And I am proud to have been part of what we called “the movement of movements.” But there are important differences too. For instance, we chose summits as our targets: the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the G8. Summits are transient by their nature, they only last a week. That made us transient too. We’d appear, grab world headlines, then disappear. And in the frenzy of hyper patriotism and militarism that followed the 9/11 attacks, it was easy to sweep us away completely, at least in North America. Occupy Wall Street, on the other hand, has chosen a fixed target. And you have put no end date on your presence here. This is wise. Only when you stay put can you grow roots. This is crucial. It is a fact of the information age that too many movements spring up like beautiful flowers but quickly die off. It’s because they don’t have roots. And they don’t have long term plans for how they are going to sustain themselves. So when storms come, they get washed away.
“Basically, shit's fucked up and we have to figure out how to fix it.”
―Unknown.
Being horizontal and deeply democratic is wonderful. But these principles are compatible with the hard work of building structures and institutions that are sturdy enough to weather the storms ahead. I have great faith that this will happen. Something else this movement is doing right: You have committed yourselves to non-violence. You have refused to give the media the images of broken windows and street fights it craves so desperately. And that tremendous discipline has meant that, again and again, the story has been the disgraceful and unprovoked police brutality. Which we saw more of just last night. Meanwhile, support for this movement grows and grows. More wisdom.
But the biggest difference a decade makes is that in 1999, we were taking on capitalism at the peak of a frenzied economic boom. Unemployment was low, stock portfolios were bulging. The media was drunk on easy money. Back then it was all about start-ups, not shutdowns. We pointed out that the deregulation behind the frenzy came at a price. It was damaging to labor standards. It was damaging to environmental standards. Corporations were becoming more powerful than governments and that was damaging to our democracies. But to be honest with you, while the good times rolled, taking on an economic system based on greed was a tough sell, at least in rich countries.
#NYC (Day 14) http://is.gdnmlSr [OR] http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcpaterson/6249916491/ Ten years later, it seems as if there aren’t any more rich countries. Just a whole lot of rich people. People who got rich looting the public wealth and exhausting natural resources around the world. The point is, today everyone can see that the system is deeply unjust and careening out of control. Unfettered greed has trashed the global economy. And it is trashing the natural world as well. We are overfishing our oceans, polluting our water with fracking and deepwater drilling, turning to the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet, like the Alberta tar sands. And the atmosphere cannot absorb the amount of carbon we are putting into it, creating dangerous warming. The new normal is serial disasters: economic and ecological. pg. 8 or whatever.
These are the facts on the ground. They are so blatant, so obvious, that it is a lot easier to connect with the public than it was in 1999, and to build the movement quickly. We all know, or at least sense, that the world is upside down: we act as if there is no end to what is actually finite—fossil fuels and the atmospheric space to absorb their emissions. And we act as if there are strict and immovable limits to what is actually bountiful—the financial resources to build the kind of society we need. The task of our time is to turn this around: to challenge this false scarcity. To insist that we can afford to build a decent, inclusive society—while at the same time, respect the real limits to what the earth can take. What climate change means is that we have to do this on a deadline. This time our movement cannot get distracted, divided, burned out or swept away by events. This time we have to succeed. And I’m not talking about regulating the banks and increasing taxes on the rich, though that’s important. I am talking about changing the underlying values that govern our society. That is hard to fit into a single media-friendly demand, and it’s also hard to figure out how to do it. But it is no less urgent for being difficult. That is what I see happening in this square. In the way you are feeding each other, keeping each other warm, sharing information freely and proving health care, meditation classes and empowerment training.
My favorite sign here says, “I care about you.” In a culture that trains people to avoid each other’s gaze, to say, “Let them die,” that is a deeply radical statement. A few final thoughts. In this great struggle, here are some things that DON'T matter: # What we wear. # Whether we shake our fists or make peace signs. # Whether we can fit our dreams for a better world into a media soundbite. And here are a few things that DO matter: # Our courage. # Our moral compass. # How we treat each other. We have picked a fight with the most powerful economic and political forces on the planet. That’s frightening. And as this movement grows from strength to strength, it will get more frightening. Always be aware that there will be a temptation to shift to smaller targets—like, say, the person sitting next to you at this meeting. After all, that is a battle that’s easier to win. Don’t give in to the temptation. I’m not saying don’t call each other on shit. But this time, let’s treat each other as if we plan to work side by side in struggle for many, many years to come. Because the task before will demand nothing less. Let’s treat this beautiful movement as if it is most important thing in the world. Because it is. It really is.
“The Future of the City, a potrait of Grand Rapids” by Scott Warren
Notes on Leadership in a Revolutionary Movement from a friend occupying in New Mexico
“ A s k n o t w ha t y o u r m o v em en t c a n d o f or y ou b ut w ha t y o u c a n d o f o r y o ur m o vement.” ―I'm pretty su re John F. Ken n
edy said that.
As I excitedly walked up to Camp Coyote for the first time, I approached the first person I saw who looked like they might be in charge. She was running around, picking up trash, organizing gear, being in charge. “Are you in charge here?” I asked her. “Everyone's in charge here. It might get a bit messy at times, but...that's what we're doing.” She responded, instantly hooking me into what might be the most important thing I do in my life. This movement is not leaderless, it is leaderfull. Every individual who leads an event, a committee, a group, every individual who does a trash sweep, every individual who grabs a pile of fliers and spreads the good word, every individual who shows up and does something, is indeed a leader in this movement. Every person has a role to fill, and it is up to you to decide which role that will be. How many days a week will you show up to engage in productive, intelligent discourse with your fellow human beings? How many hours in a day will you spend telling the unaware, the unawakened about the world going on around them? How many times will you relieve the person in the kitchen and make some sandwiches? How many nights will you spend at Camp Coyote, and how many of those will you spend awake all night? How many fliers will you design and that sends a message to someone who doesn't know? How many events will you plan?
What role will you play in this movement? What interests, infuriates, invigorates, involves you? How do you see room for improvement in this world? What are you going to do today to make progress in your topic? How many people will you engage in meaningful conversation regarding your topic today? This movement is not about waiting for someone to tell you what to do. This movement is about active and intentional presence and about the courage to go out and do the things that are so easy to talk about doing. Leadership begins in the individual. Every day in this movement will be different. In fact sometimes, within the day the movement evolves a couple of times. Every day there will be a new challenge or opportunity that arises, and we must as individuals attack the challenges and rise to the opportunities as they happen. The more people who rise up, the less opportunities fall by the wayside. We must have patience in the long-run, and vigor in the short-run. It is up to every person to create the energy surrounding this movement. It is up to every single one of us to hold loving, humanitarian, involved ideals so that as a group we may never be brought down. It is up to an individual to remain active and present in what they do so that as a group we may not lose our steam. It is up to an individual to take action so that as a group we may continue to progress. As a friend of mine is saying in Michigan...
“ People don't want to be lead. They want to be inspired. Inspire the inspire others and you'l m to l have changed the wo rld. Lead them to your cause and you'll have jus t checked one thing off the to-do list.� ―JFK? IDK.
How important is your time, and where is it being spent?
How do you SHOW UP? Well, you were born. You’re already here. Showing up means you show up to the party, you show up to the game, you show up to the revolution. Where is the revolution? It’s anywhere you want it to be! Anytime you act in accordance with the values of the revolution, you have brought it to where you are. But it’s important to note the higher the concentration of revolutionaries, the more the revolution grows. So show up to the party, the game, the occupation. But this brings us to the next step, you’ve got to BE AWARE. You need to be aware of who you are, where you are, what are all these people doing here? Are they good people, bad people, stupid people, smart people? Can you trust them? Can you trust them enough to let them just do their thing? More importantly--and I stress this--can you trust yourself? Your perception of them? Are you aware enough to trust yourself. I’ve never met someone who truly is. So you need to listen. Shut up. Listen. We all have good ideas. We all have bad ideas. Don’t let your big ego make you do your bad idea instead of someone else’s good one. But shouldn’t I be doing my thing? Yes! DO YOUR THING! But your thing isn’t all your ideas. Your thing is your passions. Your thing is the things you do well and enjoy the fuck out of doing. You do whatever you do for the revolution. I know what I do. I can’t tell you what you do. You have to figure it out for yourself. There’s a lot to be done. Find you place in this big, beautiful mess, occupation, revolution, world, life. There is no one here to tell you what you must do. All we know are things you can do. But we have no idea what greatness you are capable of until you show us! ―Zachariah Malachi
Brian C. Setzler from Portland, Oregon, United States posted to his blog...
Main Street Businesses Should Join With Occupy Wall Street Excerpt from post:
“ When I attend the events, I see the need for far more people to be involved in the discussions than are currently present. While those of us with businesses probably find it hard to get down to the occupation and be involved, it is imperative that we get involved in what I believe is likely to be the biggest social change movement in my lifetime. Business as usual cannot continue.”
“Business as usual cannot continue.”
“ Here are some sobering facts: # 1 in 4 US children in poverty # A corrupt political system controlled by money # 20%+ unemployment or underemployment # Multiple wars for resources and control # 50 million Americans without health insurance # The largest prison population in the world # A security state second to none # Wealth disparity that rivals third world nations # The daily destruction of biological necessities like clean air, water, land, diversity, and a stable atmosphere
We have an economic system that works amazingly well for the 1%, and pretty darn good for another 10-15% while leaving vast amounts of people in desperate poverty or surviving pay check to pay check. We can do better.”
An Exercise in Fatality: What is the biggest thing you can think of? Okay, what’s bigger than that? What does that mean? A: the better you get at this game, the better you get at the game.
Try until you fail and then try again ...and fail again and so on and again. When you fail be sure to learn that is the silver lining of our pain that is what it is that builds character Breaks are okay but come back if you can.
Yes, this really is all about ending the collusion between corporations and government. Yes, we plan to save the world with twinkle fingers. It’s not as silly as 40% of the wealth being owned by 1% of The people.
“ One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’” ―Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail “ One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.”
“I said I was a pacifist. I never said I wouldn’t
Quote: Unkown Essay: Zachariah Right now, things are pretty peaceful at Occupy Grand Rapids but let us not forget that what the Occupy Movement is about is taking power back from the powerful. It is rare that those accustom to control will yield their tyranny to our liberty willingly.
fight.”
The Occupy movement is a non-violent movement. We, like MLK and the civil rights movement and Gandhi and the Indian independence movement, will not be the ones to raise are fists for blows. We raise our fists in solidarity.
Photo: http://is.gd/8WA8xX #OccupyGrandRapids
Like Doug Funny's dad said, "Show me a man who resorts to violence and you've shown me a man that has run out of good ideas." And they powers that be are running out of good ideas. Enough people have woken up from their TV comas and their high-fructose-corn-syrup malaise to see that the world is burning, the system is broken, and it's our responsibility to fix it. It's important to remember what Gandhi said:
“ First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. Then they fight you. Then you win.” Right now, we are being ridiculed if not simply ignored. They have not begun to fight. But if we hope to bring about real, substantial, meaningful change, they will. They already have in New York, Maine, Oakland, and elsewhere. They are running out of good ideas. The Occupy GR City Liaisons are working with the Mayor and the City Commissioners to try and effect the change we seek from within the system. And our cause is seeing acceptance and aide. Why wouldn't it be? We fight for justice and have righteousness on our side. But don't be fooled to think that because this is an easy battle now, it will remain so. The more we grow—and we will grow—the more we demand—and we will demand more—the more we become a threat to those who tell us to “go home”, “nothing to see here”, and “ignore the man behind the curtain.” Our unity strikes fear into the hearts who's power relies on our ignorance, our cynicism, our belief that we are weak. But united as the 99% we are strong. United, we educate each other. United, we will win back our rights to life and liberty. You may wonder why we want to occupy a park. What does the crimes of the financial industry have to do with urban camping? As the saying goes, "If I'm not pissing someone off, then I'm doing something wrong." #Occupy #BeFree #Disobey
Really, Really Free Market for Buy Nothing Day November 25th 12 PM–4 PM the Bloom Collective Located in the Steepletown Center, corner of Davis and Fifth St. Showing the film What Would Jesus Buy at 2:30 PM
“ Buy Nothing Day is your special day to unshop, unspend and unwind. Relax and do nothing for the economy and for yourself—at least for a single day. Can you really buy absolutely nothing for just one day? You might say ‘Sure!’ but can you ACTUALLY go one whole day without transacting ANY business? Are you totally debt free so that you can go a whole day without accruing interest on your mortgage? Are you off the grid so that you can go a whole day without paying the power company? Do you have ANY utilities? Water, Sewer etc? Do you have a cell phone? Do you have stocks or other investments that transact business in your name every day without your input? Do you have other debts, such as credit cards that accrue interest? Can you really go one whole day without buying anything? Try it! Of course, we say this not to push you to attempt the impossible or go to extremes. We just want everyone to think about how integrated these transactions are into our daily routines.” http://www.buynothingday.org/
FB Event:
http://is.gd/6Nve3a
When you get here and ask who’s in charge, the people that get it will say, “you are.” Anyone who says they’re in charge is trying to sell you something.
Your revolution will be re-packaged in plastic and sold back to you as a more authentic version of yourself. Don’t buy in.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/6199282895/ [OR] http://is.gd/0vIO73 #NYC
How's that saying go? Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Let him use your fishing pole, he'll catch a bunch of fish for you. You then give him some of those fish and he'll keep coming back to get you a bunch of fish because working for a living is the only way he knows how to get a fish. If only he had his own fishing pole, though, man, that'd be great.
#Seattle March on Chase http://is.gd/sZKnX3 [OR] http://www.flickr.com/photos/59798777@N05/6249469769/