I'm Back + Comics As Pop Lit

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Before anything else, I want to say, it really feels good to be blogging again, after so many listless weeks.  The trouble started when I began the year on a weight loss diet, while simultaneously trying to maintain my low sodium regimen, in order to reduce my mid-life ponch.  It didn't work.   Well OK, I MAY have lost a pound, but my energy level pretty much bottomed out.  I spent days playing online SCRABBLE and drawing fictional characters, but my "step" certainly didn't have enough "pep" for me to write, or be productive in any meaningful way.

I didn't really begin to snap to 'til I got a double cheeseburger & fries into my belly a few weeks ago.  I'm not going to claim the burger delivered key nutrients, I'd been denied by the diet, or anything like that.  Such a claim would be scientifically unsupportable, and I don't want to sway anyone from following the advice of their doctor/dietician/personal trainer.

Diets and eating plans may be similar to religions, in a way.  Each carries with it its own wisdom and set of good ideas, but what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else.  All I know for sure is that over the last two weeks, as I've weened myself from the diet, I personally have had more energy and I finally feel productive again.  I'M BACK!

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Now for something you'll really like.

If you ever want to watch a bunch of nerds turn spastic and beet red, all you need to do is go to your nearest comic shop and state, "Comic books are not literature."  Mouths, rich with foamy spit, will spout phrases such as, "Sequential art," "Paleolithic age's cave paintings," "Hieroglyphics," and "Renaissance churches' pictorial narratives," in an attempt to put the illustrated tales into a larger historical context.  While it's true that mankind has told stories through pictorial representations for thousands of years, I'm not sure this fact, by itself, is enough to classify comic books as literature.

It IS undeniable that comics do enjoy a mass readership.  According to a *May, 2011 Facebook poll, 1,209,800 Americans identified themselves as "comic book readers."  These weren't all just little boys, with baseball cards and slingshots protruding from their back pockets, either.  304,700 (%25) of polled readers were women, and half the readers reported to be; married (186,700), engaged (42,740), or in a relationship (256,580).   Of course, these numbers don't include American readers who aren't on Facebook (there are a few, believe it or not), readers not willing to identify themselves as comic book readers, nor non-American readers. 

Fiscally speaking, the **North American Comic Book Market (including sales of newsstand comics and graphic novels from bookstores) earned an estimated $660-690 million in 2011 alone, which is more than twice what the market reported in 1997.  By comparison, ***sales of non-comic books of fiction; novels, novellas, and short story collections; saw a 10.2% dip in sales, to $307.1 million, during the first half of 2011.   While E-Reader sales are undoubtedly a big part of the decline in sales of traditional books, the fact remains that the sales of comic books have begun to outpace the sales of traditional books.  Yet, just like their roots in history, sales numbers alone can't  define comics as a form of literature.

Surely though, we can't apply a single literary label to comic books, across the spectrum. When Marjane Satrapi wanted to chronicle her experiences growing up in Iran, during the Islamic Revolution, she chose to write the, now critically acclaimed, graphic novel, Persepolis.   Harvey Pekar, released his gritty no-holds-barred autobiography as a series of comic books called American Splendor.  The crime based father/son tale, Road to Perdition, had originally been published as a graphic novel.  These, and other thought provoking works, have been written for adults, and would unquestionably be considered literature if they'd been published within the standard book format.

Additionally, comic books come in a variety of genres.   We have funny comic books such as Archie, Goofy, Looney Tues, and Uncle Scrooge.  Horror comics, including Tomb Of Terror and Tales From Crypt, have been written to deliver chills to readers wielding flash lights beneath blankets.  Space fantasies, along the lines of; Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Star Wars; tease imaginations with tales of the final frontier, while crime comics satisfy more hard boiled appetites.  There are also war comics, western comics, educational comics (usually about historical figures or key battles in history), and we've seen a brief experiment with teen romance comics in order to attract a larger female readership.  On a, in my opinion, darker note, underground comics, which depict tales of; heavy drug use, binge drinking, and X-Rated content; have gained a small, but steady, following.

Be that as it may, when someone says, "I read comic books," more often than not, they're referring to colorfully illustrated stories of tight wearing do-gooders, who protect the innocent from the forces of evil. Put more simply, they're talking about superheroes.

In 1938, Action Comics No. 1 first showed America a cape clad hero who ****"came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Superman ... who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!"

By 1940, Superman had his own radio series and newspaper strip.   This success paved the way for the 1941 debut of Batman, followed shortly by the unveilings of The Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Hawkman, who all became icons for DC COMICS in their own right.  In response, smaller publishers began publishing their own superhero titles such as Captain Marvel, The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Phantom Lay, and The Spirit.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, heroes such as Captain America an Wonder Woman were created to fight fictional Nazis and increase public support for the war.

Yet, it wasn't until the 1960s, when Marvel began publishing; The Fantastic Four, Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, and The X-Men; that the superhero genre began to dominate the pages of comic books.  One possible reason, which is often sited for the surge in the genre's popularity, is the fact that Stan Lee, and other Marvel writers, made a point to have their superheroes deal with real issues.  Peter Parker/Spiderman  was raised by a single guardian, Aunt May, and struggled with financial worries as well as typical teen dilemmas.  The X-Men fought the good fight against race prejudice, bigotry, and fanaticism, centered around the fictional mutant race "homo-superior."

Whether due to the increased quality, and relevance, of the content, or not, the fact remains that by 1970 superheroes ruled the comic book world.  While I can't find the specific ratio of superhero to non-superhero comic books, which defines today's market, *****American cartoonist, Scott McCloud has made the observation that the terms "comic book" and "superhero" are practically synonyms, due to the saturation of the genre within the medium.  This being the case, we're left with question, "Are illustrated superhero stories forms of literature?"

Perhaps the most persuasive argument in their favor is the impact comics have had on society and pop culture.  Via their wide circulation, as well as the multitude of; radio shows, movie serials, TV shows, feature length movies, toys, games, and clothes; these characters have been heavily woven into the fabric of everyday life.  Think about it.  

• Wen we get an uneasy feeling, don't we say, "Our Spider-sense is tingling?"  

• When a specific substance causes an intense allergic reaction, many sufferers think of the substance as "their Kryptonite."  

• The commonly used term cliff-hanger stems from the nail biting chapter endings to movie serials, which were spawned from comics.  Dale Arden or Lois Lane would end a chapter hanging from a cliff, or embroiled in some other mortal danger, and movie goers had to return the following weekend to find out IF they were rescued.  

• During the recent Occupy Portland protest, protesters fashioned their own version of the Bat Signal in order to call like minded activists to action.

• ******VH-1's 2004 list of the 200 greatest pop culture icons listed Superman as #2, only being beat by the remarkably philanthropic Oprah Winfrey.  Perhaps he'd have made the #1 spot if he'd ever purchased new cars for a studio full of people.  Eh, go figure.

Yet, even given their impact on pop culture and our vocabulary, I personally consider comic books to be pieces of pop lit, rather than literature.  While the stories may occasionally address social issues, I'd wager good money that's not why most readers read comic books.  I think most readers, including me, read comic books to take a temporary break from reality.

We're not looking for War & Peace, or anything deep.  We want to see imaginative colorfully illustrated stories, in which our favorite good guys thwart (beat the poo poo out of) our favorite bad guys.  We just want to have some fun, and in the end, comic books ARE fun.
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*Source = http://www.themarysue.com/comic-book-demographic/
**Source = http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales.html
***Source = http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry
****Source = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Superman
*****Source = http://books.google.com/books
******Source = http://www.bluecorncomics.com/popicons.htm

Literary Traditiions Have To Begin Somewhere

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When one thinks of traditions & observances, one typically thinks of religion based holidays; Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Easter, etc...; or a national observance; Independence Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, and so on. One usually doesn't think of the literary realm as a source of inspiration for annual traditions. Yet, there are many traditions centered around honoring significant authors and their works.

Readers of The Bard flock to the Annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations in Stratford-upon-Avon each April. Mark Twain enthusiasts from around the world congregate at the Mark Twain Saloon, in Comstock, every 30th of November to celebrate the birthday of the classic American author. Inspired by the novel Ulysses, Joyceans in Dublin, and many other cities, celebrate Bloomsday every June 16th. The Old Man and The Sea inspired the formation of the Hemingway Fishing Tournament, which has been held at Marina Hemingway, 9 miles west of Havana, for over 60 years.

For the last few years, I've observed my own tradition in memory of my favorite mystery writer, Robert B. Parker. On January 18th, 2010, Parker and his wife, Joan, had breakfast together. She went out to do her running and when she came back, about an hour later, he was dead at his desk.

I didn't have the means to travel to Boston to attend his funeral. Since many fans call his books "Beer & Bullets Books," I spent the day of his funeral drinking beer and enjoying one of his novels. I spent the first anniversary of his death the same way, and plan on repeating the tradition on the upcoming second anniversary.

Some, who consider "genre fiction" to be a lesser literary form, may find it odd to center a tradition around the memory of a mystery writer. I'd remind such scoffers that he wasn't just any mystery writer. I'd remind them that in 1973, Robert B. Parker’s first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript, breathed new life into the hard-boiled mystery genre, which had essentially been dead for a number of years. I'd remind them that his career spanned over 50 novels, some of which were the first such books to feature gays, blacks, and other minorities as heroic characters.

Even the Novmber 17 issue of Publisher's Weekly recognized Robert B. Parker's work as having influenced many current writers of detective fiction. In fact, the article by Lenny Picker begins, "Thriller author Harlan Coben, who read Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels in college, once observed, 'When it comes to detective novels, 90% of us admit he’s an influence, and the rest of us lie about it.'"

I don't know if my particular tradition will catch on, on any kind of larger scale. I tend to doubt it. Nevertheless, out of respect for the enjoyment his works have given me, and out of gratitude for inspiring me as writer, I plan to honor the tradition for years to come.
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'Tis The Season

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Unemployment is at 8.8% nationally, and is at a sadly higher 9.5% here in Oregon, according to Google's latest statistics. This is hardly news in a day when reports of evictions, robo-signing scandals, and protests against the struggling economic state of the union run rampant across our TV screens. As families struggle to keep their fiscal heads above water, donations to many charities, including food banks, have dropped sharply this year, enabling them to help fewer people, as requests for help have hit record highs. Many of us, who are too old and creaky to camp in the park, have thrown up our hands in frustrated gestures of helplessness in response to the newest accounts of families being expelled from their homes, while bank executives rake in multi-million dollar bonuses.

As we cluck our collective tongues and agree. "It sure is a shame the way things are these days," there are those among us who have been moved, by the spirit of the season, to help others. Outside the Macy's store, in downtown Portland, someone dropped a rare gold coin, worth $1,600, into the shiny red Salvation Army kettle.

Similarly, a $2,000 wedding ring was found in the Salvation Army kettle outside the Pinecrest, FL Kmart. The ring was wrapped in a $50 bill and a touching note, which read, "They need it more than I. Do good!" and was signed "A friend."

Meanwhile, "layaway angels" have been paying off layaway bills for childrens' holiday presents at stores across the country. These angels have paid bills ranging from $50 to $1,000, and have made it possible for multiple struggling families to put presents under trees this year.

When I first heard about the layaway angels, I assumed some eccentric billionaire had sent "agents" across America to execute the program of generosity. This doesn't appear to be the case. Apparently, average citizens have been inspired; by a trend, which reportedly began in Michigan; to perpetuate the charitable practice. Perhaps the most emotive aspect to this fad of good-will is the fact that everything is given anonymously. There's no motive to improve one's status by appearing generous, no tripping over one's tongue to try to thank someone, it's simply about giving during the holidays.

A bit less holiday oriented, but impressive nonetheless, local 13 year old, Julien Leitner, has begun the Archimedes Alliance. The goal of the alliance is to use social media to encourage one million people to contribute $2 each toward making the world a better place. Before you roll your eyes and mutter, "Pfft," you should understand this kid has arranged for the the Charitable Partnership Fund to hold the money until all one million contributors have voted on where to send the full $2,000,000. As I write this, $6,321 have been raised, and Outreach International is winning with 108 votes.

Forget the fact that he has a long row to hoe to reach $2,000,000. Putting that aside fr a moment, the investment in time and dedication, Julien has made, is inspiring. When I was thirteen, I was thinking about; girls, comic books, and pro wrestling; and this kid's actively trying to improve4the world.

Finally, NBC Nightly News has reported that in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Miss Anette Dove left a lucrative job and used her own money to begin a non-profit organization. TOPPS (Targeting Our People’s Priorities With Service) is dedicated to feeding the hungry children in Jefferson County. If feeding countless children since 2002 wasn't note worthy enough, this year, at the request of an over committed branch of the Salvation Army, Miss Dove networked with a local church to provide Christmas packages (meals & toys) to 167 families who would have otherwise gone without this year.

Say what you will about banking, the economy, politics, foreign relations, etc... Yes, we have problems to overcome and battles to fight. Be that as it may, this time of year seems to spark the generosity of the human spirit to life. Some acts of kindness flood the media, while others, such as cookies left on doorsteps, go unnoticed by all but the recipient. Some givers are well known, while others perform their deed and disappear into the shadows, never to be thanked. In all cases, these doers of good serve as examples to society, reminding us of what the world could be all year.
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Below are links to charities you can donate to this holiday season.


| The Salvation Army | Goodwill |
| Meals On Wheels | Loaves & Fishes | Portland's Sunshine Division |
| Archimedes Alliance | TOPPS (Targeting Our People’s Priorities With Service) |

A Yo-Yo In A Hurricane

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I haven't blogged about the Occupy Portland Movement for quite a while. It's not that I haven't been watching it intently, I have two entire Tweetdeck columns devoted to movement related Tweets and I've been religiously following breaking news via Portland Mercury's Blogtown PDX. The problem is, my opinion keeps changing. The movement will make a gain, I'll feel good about their direction, then they'll do something bone headed, which will make it hard to justify backing them.

Occupiers staged a City Hall sit in to protest the eviction of a family, and I was excited to see the movement taking positive action on a solid issue. Next thing I knew, $3,000.00 of the movement's money was wasted on 500 ugly T-shirts, from an out of state manufacturer, and I found myself questioning their fiscal savvy.

Occupiers shut down the docks to stick it to the 1%, but in doing so they cost a day's pay to hard working members of the 99% just before Christmas. They also failed to make allowances for shipments of donated food on their way to feed the pour, which are the people the movement's theoretically fighting for.

I feel like a yo-yo. Only instead of merely moving up & down the opinion spectrum, the rapidity of events pummels me like a gale force wind, sending my opinion of the movement in every conceivable direction. I can't find a comfortable stance to take for any length of time. Well, that's not quite true.

I DO BELIEVE the core of the movement is made up of dedicated people who genuinely want to make the world a better place. That much is worthy of respect, and I'll rip the proverbial lips off anyone who classifies occupiers, as a whole, as a group of ignorant pot heads. I think a few such people have signed on board after the fact, but the movement's core have their hearts in the right place.

Their problems are a result of their extreme idealism. They want to keep the movement a leaderless organization while maintaining a policy of 100% inclusion. Yet, if anyone can join a group with no designated leader, or spokesperson, then anyone can speak/act on behalf of the group. Thus, you get: members trashing corporate America on the news, while holding Starbuck's coffee cups to stay warm; random members ordering shirts on behalf of the movement, nobody to make exceptions for charitable deliveries to barricaded docks, and nobody to deliver a consistent message to the media.

I understand the concept behind a total democracy and an all inclusive form of participatory decision making. I really do. But, unless the occupation forms some kind of clear and stable hierarchy, they'll continue to make mistakes and trip over themselves. Thus, their message, noble though it is, will be lost.
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J. Edgar: Review

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In “J. Edgar,” we see an aging Hoover, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, dictating a memoir of his early career, beginning with the bombing of 1919 and progressing through the Lindbergh Baby Trial. Between depictions of dictated chapters, the audience watches a weathered version of Hoover try to hold onto power and polish his legacy during the; Kennedy, Johnson, and early Nixon; administrations.

This film humanized the historic power monger, by showing him at his most vulnerable. While Hoover was commandingly dominant in the professional realm, DiCaprio played him as being submissive toward his domineering mother, played by Judi Dench. We also see him as being awkward around women, as he constantly wrestles with his sexuality.

What I found interesting, were the plot points Director Clint Eastwood chose to gloss over. While much was made of the homosexual relationship with Agent Clyde Tolson, played by Arnie Hammer, almost no mention of Hoover’s propensity to cross-dress was made, except for a scene which was more about him saying goodbye to his mother than his sexual proclivities. Likewise, while the movie documented the prosecution’s physical evidence in the Lindbergh case, the film failed to mention the fact that Charles Lindbergh was an Eugenicist and Nazi sympathizer who may have killed his own birth defected child.

All in all, this was a balanced, superbly acted, look at J. Edgar Hoover’s life, which neither glorified or vilified the founder of the F.B.I. I give “J. Edgar” 4 out of 5 stars.
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Well Rounded Readers and Watchers

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I was partaking of my New York Times last Friday, when I came across the op-ed "The Inequality Map" by, op-ed columnist, David Brooks. The column attempted to define which types of inequality people can legitimately feel superior about (fitness, Ivy League education, technological prowess, etc...) and types which are unacceptable to brag about (religious differences, ancestors' accomplishments, mass spending...).

About half way through the piece, I came across the passage, "Cultural inequality is unacceptable. If you are the sort of person who attends opera or enjoys Ibsen plays, it is not acceptable to believe that you have a more refined sensibility than people who like Lady Gaga, Ke$ha or graffiti."

The simply stated idea gave me pause, because it's an issue I find myself wrestling with, not so much with music as with movies and books. When it comes to movies, I sometimes find myself frustrated by friends who seek out, what I consider to be, high school caliber comedies such as Superbad and The School of Rock, but who are bored by The Godfather, The Bridge Over The River Kwai, and Casablanca. I snobbishly look at these people and think, "when will you grow up?"

Yet, I find I'm exactly the opposite when it comes to books. This year, I gave myself the goal to read one book from an "important author" each month. I've done so, because I feel it's important to expose myself to schools of thought which have shaped our world. While I've enjoyed; A Tale of Two Cities, In The Garden of Beasts, and a few others; I must confess that I'd rather read an exciting genre piece from Robert B. Parker than a story about the religious feast of Epiphany, at the home of Julia and Kate Morkan (James Joyce's "The Dead").

According to, literary critic, Maureen Corrigan, the newest notable literary work, Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner, is a work of "spinning-one's-wheels-in-the-sand fiction," without a plot and, "too ironic and intellectual to be the kind of novel that really moves readers." While she was able to appreciate, "the fluidity of Lerner's words and the wit of his musings," I need a plot to hold my interest.

Truth be told, just as I favor genre novels to serious literature, I have to admit to a level of hypocrisy regarding my movie snobbery. While I got a lot out of The Weather Man, and I really want to see J. Edgar, I also own every 007 movie and I'm the first one in the theater when a new comic book or Star Trek movie comes out.

I think Brooks' original statement holds up, but only partially. There's nothing particularly low-brow about enjoying genre fiction or seeing blockbusters. However, limiting yourself to ONLY those offerings is analogous to limiting oneself to a diet of desserts. For example, Parker's most frequently penned hero, Spenser, often spouts the quote, "Death is the mother of beauty." Unless a reader is motivated to partake of offerings other than the currently popular ones, the reader isn't going to know the quote comes from Wallace Stevens' "Sunday Morning, and won't understand what's being said.

Of course, limiting oneself to ONLY "important works," is also a form of limiting oneself. Personally, I don't find much value in watching a ninety minute depiction of teeny boppers trying to score beer and get laid. Nevertheless, I find people who can discuss Shakespeare, and who know the origin of, "Live long and prosper," to be much more well rounded than those are well versed in ONLY one style of fiction OR the other.
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Occupy Stand Off - Micro Blog

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As I watch the stand off between occupiers & police, on 3rd & Main, I can hear the following West Side Story-esc back & forth going on in my head.
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Occupiers: The occupiers are gonna have their day, Tonight. The occupiers are gonna have their way, Tonight. The city officials grumble, 'obey us,' but if they start to move in, we'll put up a fuss.

Cops: We're gonna hand'em a surprise, Tonight. We're gonna cut'em down to size, Tonight. We said 'OK no rumpus, no tricks,' but just in case they jump us, we're ready to mix, Tonight.

Occupiers: We're gonna rock it tonight. We're gonna jazz it up, and have us a ball.

Cops: They're gonna get it tonight. The more they turn it on, the harder they'll fall.

Occupiers: Well they began it.

Cops: Well they began it.

Occupiers & Cops: And we're the ones to stop'em once and for all, Tonight.
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Whether, or not, the movement will disband peacefully, remains to be seen.

The End Approaches

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First of all, it's nice to be back home and back online. Living in a motel, which reeked of tobacco smoke and Lord knows what else, as part of my house was being remodeled, was an exhausting experience. Returning home, after a week of; fast food take-out, nukable meals, mystery odors from Hell, limited TV, nausea, and no internet (I use a desktop PC); only to discover 1/3 of my computer's keys no longer functioned was positively disheartening. Two weeks after the slay ride began, I'm pleased to say I have a new bathroom, complete with a heated floor; I'm adjusting to a new keyboard, I'm consistently holding food down, and I'm ready to write again.
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If you've ever stayed in a motel, you've found the laminated card which tells the occupant which TV channels are received and where they are on the "dial." I found the card quickly enough, but it in no way reflected reality. As I spent the week hunting and pecking, with a remote that had no battery cover, I found 4 local channels, TBS, and Encore. That's it, pbbbth... Thus, I watched more than my usual helping of local news. Of course, local broadcasts were ripe with stories of Occupy Portland.

I didn't mind the domination in coverage, since I find the movement to be of major interest and significance. Think about it. In the beginning, tens of thousands of average people put their lives on hold to try to change society for the better. The fact that change didn't occur is sad, but in my mind it's largely irrelevant. What's significant is the fact that so many people made an attempt beyond merely clicking to sign an online petition.

The beginning of the inevitable end occurred as I watched reports on the motel's low-definition TV. A police officer being pushed against a moving bus during an unruly march over Hawthorne Bridge inspired original movement organizers, AKA “The Real Occupy Portland and the 99%” to distance themselves from the actions of current campers, many of whom don't share the non-violent values the movement was originally based on. Founding members distanced themselves even further from occupiers after a branch of Chase Bank was vandalized on Saturday.

In light of the founders' statement, it became clear that Occupy Portland had become a homeless camp, and had ceased being a legitimate protest demonstration. This realization, coupled with threats made the park's maintenance workers, led Mayor Adams to order the park's restrooms to be locked on Monday. Yet, he didn't set a deadline for the camp's removal until David J. Hodson threw a Molotov cocktail at the Portland Trade Center on Tuesday.

The deadline for occupiers to be out of the park has been set for 12:01 AM Sunday morning. Police Chief Mike Reese has promised to enforce the mayor's order and arrest anyone who remains after the deadline. While some protesters have packed their bags, a determined core has vowed stay past the deadline. As promos for the stage production of West Side Story are being broadcast on Portland's airwaves, both occupiers and police are practically singing a countdown to a confrontation nobody wants, but which neither side seems willing to back away from.

For a little over a month, Occupy Portland existed as a micro-society right smack in the middle of the city. During that time, we got to see people come together, form a self governing body, write and post laws, create an infrastructure in the form of; a medical center, a soup line, a library, an economic system (via PayPal),and a website; thrive briefly, become corrupt, and now we're seeing its collapse.
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The Occupations Continue

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I'm sure that a few Vegas odds makers have taken it in the shorts lately. A few weeks ago, good money said The Occupation Movement would be history by now. With only a few days before Halloween, many people, including me, expected America's parks and city blocks to be back to normal. I thought former occupiers would be back at their customary espresso bars sipping lattes and blogging about their most recent stand against "the man" and his corporate system. WHOOPS, I called that about as wrong as the newspaper man who wrote the headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman," in 1948. I got it wrong, partly because I under estimated the frustration level of the masses.

Background:
Of course they're frustrated. According to the latest U.S. Census Data:

• The official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent — up from 14.3 percent in 2009. This was the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate. Since 2007, the poverty rate has increased by 2.6 percentage points, from 12.5 percent to 15.1 percent.
• In 2010, 46.2 million people were in poverty, up from 43.6 million in 2009—the fourth consecutive annual increase in the number of people in poverty.
• Between 2009 and 2010, the poverty rate increased for non-Hispanic Whites (from 9.4 percent to 9.9 percent), for Blacks (from 25.8 percent to 27.4 percent), and for Hispanics (from 25.3 percent to 26.6 percent).
• The poverty rate in 2010 (15.1 percent) was the highest poverty rate since 1993.
• The number of people in poverty in 2010 (46.2 million) is the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published.
• Between 2009 and 2010, the poverty rate increased for children under age 18 (from 20.7 percent to 22.0 percent) and people aged 18 to 64 (from 12.9 percent to 13.7 percent).

Meanwhile, banks & insurance companies, including Bank of America Corporation, Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, Citigroup Inc., The Goldman Sachs Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, State Street Corporation, Wells Fargo & Company........, were bailed out by The Troubled Asset Relief Program or "TARP" to the tune of 700 billion tax payer dollars. Theoretically, once the financial companies used the public funds to stabilize their books, money was supposed to "trickle down" in the form of an increased number of refinancing plans and small business loans, which would be used to prevent foreclosures and create jobs. However, loan activity has declined and foreclosure rates have sharply increased, since the bailouts occurred. Yet, bailout recipients are still awarding multimillion dollar bonuses to top executives. The increase in poverty and lost homes while such bonuses are being handed out, is reminiscent of people filling their bowls with wine from a broken cask in the street as Marquis Evrémonde attends lavish parties.

When the top 1 percent of earners in the United States saw their average household incomes grow a whopping 279 percent from 1979 to 2007, as the number of working poor rose dramatically, it's easy to see how, "I am part of the 99%," has become such a battle cry. When that same 1% owns 38% of the nation's wealth, and that wealth fails to "trickle down" in the form of an increased number of refinancing plans and small business loans, which could be used to prevent foreclosures and create jobs, it's easy to see why thousands of people are crying for change in our economic and banking system.

The Movement's Message:
What began as a rally for change in our economic and banking system, has become a bully pulpit for everyone with a liberal cause. In my blog, The Occupation Of America, I outlined the 13 demands listed on OWS' website, some of which contradict each other. One can't claim to be advocating for the working poor of America while demanding that borders be opened to foreign workers. Can anyone say, "cognitive dissonance?"

Since that posting, a number of other causes from veterans rights to Democratic campaigns have attached their banners to the Occupy Movement. Just today, I was listening to Anne Saxelby's "Cutting the Curd" Podcast, and her guests were arguing the Occupy Movement should also be rallying, on behalf of small dairy farmers, against "Big Food."

This, "everybody's welcome, bring your issues with you & hop aboard," attitude has its benefits. A policy of inclusion makes it difficult for critics to paint occupiers as "bad guys." Occupiers will welcome and accept anyone who wants to support the movement, regardless of; age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin; which is a value many Americans struggle to instill within their children. The policy also makes it easier to boost its numbers. Since its inception, we've not only seen the movement spring into being in multiple cities across the country, but we've seen the movement grow within each city. An estimated 10,000 people occupy Portland alone, giving the impression that the populace at large supports the cause. 10,000 Oregonians can't be wrong, can they?

The policy of inclusion has its drawbacks too though. The policy necessarily excludes the possibility of weeding out undesirables. Since the formation of Portland's camp, reports of vandalism, drug dealing, and hindering traffic have been rampant. According to KPTV, "Portland police released crime statistics for the area of downtown Portland that includes the Occupy Portland encampment and the numbers showed an 81 percent spike in crime compared to the two weeks before the protest started." Plus, with 10,000 people camped in one tight knit area, provisions must be made for food distribution, medical care, and waste disposal. To their credit, Portland's occupiers have formed governing bodies, which have established and maintained a soup line, founded a camp library, dealt with local businesses to secure the use of toilet facilities, and scheduled a number of protests & events. Of course, there's some conjecture as to whether the camp's governing body has "misplaced" 20,000 donated dollars.

Aside from management & law enforcement issues, there exists the more fundamental problem of the movement's message and goals being blurred. As the core members rally for banking reform, individual protesters are making their way in front of news crews to advocate for the causes they've brought to the party. When such a wide variety of liberal causes is being fought for, a clear vision of a victory becomes impossible. Even if movement organizers obtain their picture perfect idea of banking reform, odds are that many newcomers to the movement won't see their issues addressed.

Reactions To The Movement:
As confusion over a single unified message plagues the movement, confusion about how to react to the movement plagues government officials and law enforcement. Many mayors and town councils want their parks and streets back, but don't want to compared to Governor Rhodes during the Kent State protests, which saw 13 protesters shot by the Ohio National Guard. In order to avoid such comparisons, many mayors have remained lenient with protesters by allowing their camps to exist. At one point Mayor Bloomberg, of New York City, announced that Zuccotti Park would be cleared of protesters on the morning of October 14th to facilitate maintenance. Yet, when it became clear that protesters wouldn't leave without being physically forced to do so, Mayor Bloomberg allowed the deadline to expire without a confrontation.

Similarly, while Portland's Commissioner of Parks, Nick Fish, wants to evict occupiers in order to address the $19,000 worth of damage which has already been done to Chapman and Lownsdale Squares, Mayor Adams has adopted a "day by day" approach to dealing with the occupation. Even though, Adams is content to allow occupiers remain, as long as they behave, he's made it clear they won't be allowed to expand into the trendy Pearl District.

Not all officials have been as congenial as Adams & Bloomberg however. Police in Oakland have fired tear gas and beanbag rounds to clear camps, going so far as to hit 24 year old war veteran, Scott Olsen, in the head with a mortar propelled gas grenade. Likewise, police in Atlanta, supported by hovering choppers, have arrested dozens of camping protesters.


Federally speaking, President Obama has expressed acknowledgement of the goals of the movement. Yet, as far as I can tell, little has been done to address the movement's issues. The President HAS unveiled a plan to reduce the debt burden of student loan borrowers. Yet, the plan only addresses the debt of future borrowers of federal loans without relieving the debt of current graduates or reforming the structure of the overall student loan system.

Predictably, the private sector has responded to protesters with an array of merchandise. Amazon's shoppers can order an inventory of; T-shirts, posters, decals, phone covers, bumper stickers, and books; which all celebrate the protests against corporate America. Someone is even marketing an "Occupy Wall Street: I'm Getting Arrested" app for the Android phone, which has sold over 9,000 copies.

Closing Thoughts:
I don't know how this will all end. I do know that children in history class will be reading about the fall of 2011 sixty years from now. Whether those lessons will be about the months that changed society, or a historically long venting of mass frustration, remains to be seen. The romantic in me hopes they'll be learning about the former. It would be nice to think they'll be learning about the catalyst which led to the equalization of wealth in America. The skeptic in me though, reminds me that the primary function of "the system" is the perpetuation of itself; when the tents are finally gone, and headlines broadcast the newest celebrity tryst, the rich will still be rich and the working poor will still be poorer.
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I Don't Care If He's Mormon

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Recently, Dr. Robert Jeffress publicly made the statement. "Mitt Romney's a good moral person but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity. So it's the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian." The implication being that "mainstream Christians" should vote for, fellow Christian, Rick Perry simply because Romney's a Mormon. While I'm no fan of Mitt, this type of reasoning bothers me for the simple reason that it shouldn't matter.

Before I dismiss the statement, it's important to address the basic premise, "Mormonism is not Christianity." Most "mainstream Christians" believe that God The Father, Christ, and The Holy Spirit are three parts of one collective being, God. Mormons, or members The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, believe The Holy Trinity is made up of three separate beings, God The Father, his only begotten son Christ, and The Holy Spirit. If you accept the idea that being a Christian means accepting the definition of God as the three in one being, then Dr. Jeffress's statement holds water. Yet, both groups believe that coming to Christ is the only way to be absolved of sin. Once you factor in the belief in Christ's payment for sin, it becomes hard, at least for me, not to see Mormons as Christians. One doesn't have to buy in to all their beliefs to respect them as an honestly devout sect who are trying to live wholesome lives.

All that being said, it shouldn't matter one way or the other where a candidate does, or doesn't, go to church. Keep in mind, fifty-one years ago people were equally freaked about Kennedy's Catholicism. Opponents were positive that if Kennedy was elected, the Pope would be running the White House. It didn't happen, largely because JFK recognized the fact that he'd been elected to serve Americans, not just Catholics. What matters are a candidate's character and ideas. With that in mind, there's NO WAY I'D VOTE FOR MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT.

According to his own site's "issues" section, at http://www.mittromney.com/issues, if elected he would:

Repeal Obamacare and replace it with market-based reforms (Which means nixing universal health care and letting the insurance industry regulate itself),

Reduce corporate taxes to create jobs (Does anyone in post bail-out America really believe that corporations which receive tax cuts will invest the savings in job creation?),

Reduce spending on government programs (This sounds good unless you depend on such programs to buy food, pay rent, or cover prescription costs)

While his positions on gay marriage and a woman's right to choose aren't listed on his site, for obvious reasons, his stances on those issues are well known and deplorable.

I won't not vote for him, because he's Mormon. I'm going to not vote him, because he's bass ackwards wrong on every conceivable issue. Well, there's that plus the fact the I can't vote in the GOP's primary. Nevertheless, my point still stands. In fact, if conservative voters can look past their religious intolerance during the primaries, I think they'll discover Romney to be kind of narrow thinking candidate they're often eager to embrace.

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