Friday, October 28, 2011

The Occupations Continue

-
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.
-

Friday, October 14, 2011

I Don't Care If He's Mormon

-
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.

    -

    Saturday, October 8, 2011

    The Occupation Of America

    -
    On September 17th, 1,000 people gathered to "occupy Wall Street" in order to protest perceived political and corporate corruption. Soon, people began to flock to Wall Street to add to the growing collective voice. One week later, a second occupation arose in Chicago. A week after that, OWS inspired protests were active in Washington, D.C., and L.A., soon to be followed by Boston, Memphis, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Hawaii, and Portland, Maine. Most recently, such movements have formed in Houston, Austin, Tampa, San Francisco, and here in Portland, OR.

    I'm a diehard liberal, to be sure. 999 out 1,000 times though, I see such protests as a grouping of hippie wannabes looking for an excuse to mimic the 60s and smoke some pot. That being said, this string of urban occupations is different. We're seeing tens of thousands of citizens, from multiple backgrounds, crying, "WE'VE HAD ENOUGH!" They're frustrated by a 9.1% rate of nationwide unemployment, which keeps growing. They're frustrated by banks, which accepted tax payer funded bailouts, curtailing the number of loans they approve. They're frustrated by candidates for president who claim, "Corporations are people, because all the money a corporation makes goes into the pockets of people." They're frustrated by a staggering number of residential foreclosures; in August of this year alone, 1 out every 570 household received foreclosure filings. Essentially, they're frustrated by the perceived domination of America by the corporate elite, and the grossly unequal distribution of wealth.

    The issues they are raising ARE definitely overdue to be addressed, there's no doubt about it. The question is, will these protests spawn change? I doubt it. Don't get me wrong, for the most part these are determined people advocating for noble ideals. The problem is, they're advocating for too many noble ideals at once.

    Organizers have published the following list of demands on the OWS website:

    Demand one: Restoration of the living wage. This demand can only be met by ending "Freetrade" by re-imposing trade tariffs on all imported goods entering the American market to level the playing field for domestic family farming and domestic manufacturing as most nations that are dumping cheap products onto the American market have radical wage and environmental regulation advantages. Another policy that must be instituted is raise the minimum wage to twenty dollars an hr.

    Demand two: Institute a universal single payer healthcare system. To do this all private insurers must be banned from the healthcare market as their only effect on the health of patients is to take money away from doctors, nurses and hospitals preventing them from doing their jobs and hand that money to wall st. investors.

    Demand three: Guaranteed living wage income regardless of employment.

    Demand four: Free college education.

    Demand five: Begin a fast track process to bring the fossil fuel economy to an end while at the same bringing the alternative energy economy up to energy demand.

    Demand six: One trillion dollars in infrastructure (Water, Sewer, Rail, Roads and Bridges and Electrical Grid) spending now.

    Demand seven: One trillion dollars in ecological restoration planting forests, reestablishing wetlands and the natural flow of river systems and decommissioning of all of America's nuclear power plants.

    Demand eight: Racial and gender equal rights amendment.

    Demand nine: Open borders migration. anyone can travel anywhere to work and live.

    Demand ten: Bring American elections up to international standards of a paper ballot precinct counted and recounted in front of an independent and party observers system.

    Demand eleven: Immediate across the board debt forgiveness for all. Debt forgiveness of sovereign debt, commercial loans, home mortgages, home equity loans, credit card debt, student loans and personal loans now! All debt must be stricken from the "Books." World Bank Loans to all Nations, Bank to Bank Debt and all Bonds and Margin Call Debt in the stock market including all Derivatives or Credit Default Swaps, all 65 trillion dollars of them must also be stricken from the "Books." And I don't mean debt that is in default, I mean all debt on the entire planet period.

    Demand twelve: Outlaw all credit reporting agencies.

    Demand thirteen: Allow all workers to sign a ballot at any time during a union organizing campaign or at any time that represents their yeah or nay to having a union represent them in collective bargaining or to form a union.

    It's a case of over reaching. Granted, most of these are fantastic goals; some are so fantastic though that they are unrealistically Utopian. Free college education is a great idea if those making $18,218.00 and below want to pay a 33.45% income tax, like they do in Holland, to pay for it. 100% debt forgiveness is a nice idea, unless Sallie Mae wants to pay her employees. I'm all for a guaranteed living wage income regardless of employment, if we can still motivate recipients to contribute to society. Plus, I must admit to being foggy on how opening our borders to migrants is going to help unemployed Americans.

    During any session of bargaining, there is a wisdom to demanding more than you'll settle for, to give yourself room to maneuver. Yet, with so many protesters involved, I'm not sure there's a consensus on what a win looks like. I'm also not clear what protesters are willing to do if the powers that be don't choose to come to the negotiating table. Is,"Do it our way, or we'll stay out here and suffer a frigid winter," the only bargaining chip they have? As long as they're willing to allow marathons, and other events, to proceed as planned, I can see officials growing accustom to their presence.
    -

    Monday, October 3, 2011

    Deborah Lawrenson's "The Lantern" and Other Reviews

    -
    For the past month, I've been promising to review Deborah Lawrenson's The Lantern. Before you read my review though, you should be made aware of the existence of a casual online friendship between Deborah Lawrenson and myself. We'll never share feelings over cups of coffee at two in the morning, or anything like that. However, I read her blog, she reads mine, and we've given each other words of encouragement from time to time. With that in mind, this is what I thought of her book. Following, my review of The Lantern, you'll find some of my other opinions on recent movies and TV.
    -
    The Lantern, is a book which tells two stories at the same time. In what most readers will consider to be the main story, we see Eve, as an adult, fall in love with an older man named Dom. It's not until they buy home together in the south of France, that Eve begins to realize how extremely secretive Dom is about his past, most notably regarding his former, not necessarily ex, wife. Her curiosity prompts Eve to investigate Dom's past while trying not to ignite his volatile temper. The second story shows us Eve's childhood and the lengths she'd go to to placate her sadistic brother.

    As much as I love & admire Deborah, I have to say, the Godfather Part II style back and forth between the two stories makes each story a bit hard to get into. Once the reader DOES get into the narrative though, the purpose for the alternating chapters becomes clear. Like James Fenimore Cooper's The Leatherstocking Tales, The Lantern is as much about sensory descriptions of the setting as it is about the plot or characters. Deborah Lawrenson does a brilliant job of describing the floral hills, ripening fruits, and cloud dotted skies of the French countryside as they are perceived by all five human senses. As each story unfolds, Eve is repeatedly exposed to the same mysterious scent, which ties the stories together in an interesting way.

    This wasn't a casual afternoon read for me,The Lantern requires some work to get through. Yet, Henry David Thoreau once said, "Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written." Thus, if a reader puts in the time & effort, they'll find themselves amply rewarded by the beauty of The Lantern. 4 out of 5 stars

    -

    Recent Movies:
    If To Live & Die In LA met one of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns at a bar, and they hit it off, the product of their union would be Drive. Even though it's set in modern times, a horde of "me" oriented characters, the gritty downtown style of story telling, hip but dark background music, and neon style lettering in the credits, work together to produce the feel of an 80s crime drama, reminding movie goers of when Agent Richard Chance avenged the death of his partner and Crockett and Tubbs fought to stem the flow of drugs in Miami. Yet, almost channeling Clint Eastwood, Ryan Gosling plays The Driver as a quiet man with no name who's guided by a quasi-moral code. He's willing to drive getaway for a heist, but he'll risk his life to right a wrong and protect those he perceives to be innocent. 4.5 out of 5 stars
    -
    What happens when a lie becomes not only a matter of record, but a piece of history? How far would you go to protect that lie and perpetuate widely accepted illusions? These are the questions Director John Madden asks in this gritty gripping espionage thriller, The Debt.

    Like The Lantern, crucial parts of this story are revealed as a series of flashbacks, first showing us the accepted myth, then the truth behind the reported events. As we witness both versions, as well as the aftermath of the lie, we begin to sympathize with the liers, played by Helen Mirren, Rome's Ciarán Hinds, and Tom Wilkinson. With knowledge of the harm the truth could do, if made public, audience members find themselves routing for the continuation of the cover up. 5 out of 5 stars.
    -
    After a 27 year absence from the big screen, Robert E. Howard's mythic hero has found his way back into theaters. This version of Conan the Barbarian had way more action and colorful villains than Arnie's version. While the fight scenes were amazing, including a swash buckling sword fight aboard a pirate ship, the Conan character had been substantially altered. This version was never raised as a slave, nor did he worship the warrior God, Crom, stating several times that he worshiped no God. If Arnie's version was based on Robert E. Howard's novels, this movie felt more like an adaptation of one of the comic book versions. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

    -

    The New Fall TV Season:
    Initially, I was excited about this year's new TV line-up. I, of course, haven't seen every offering this year, nor do I intend to make the effort. However, I've seen enough to be really disappointed.
    -
    In the original British version of Prime Suspect Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Jane Tennison, played by Helen Mirren, lead a major case unit of the Metropolitan Police. The show was centered around the character trying to solve murders while confronting DS Bill Otley (Tom Bell) and other sexist officers on her squad who attempted to have her replaced as team leader. In NBC's version of the series, Maria Bello plays Detective Jane Timoney, a younger, more action oriented sleuth with a mentoring ex-cop for a father.

    While Bello's character still faces a staggeringly blatant brand of sexism from her co-workers, especially Detective Reg Duffy played by Brían F. O'Byrne, that's where the similarities end. Timoney is more masculine, and in some ways less seasoned, than her English counterpart, Tennison. While her increased willingness to draw her gun, or participate in a fist fight, makes for a more visually exciting program, it takes Prime Suspect from the realm of thought provoking mysteries such as Perry Mason and Inspector Morse, and plops it into a category along side Charlies Angels and Hunter.
    -
    "Up All Night" and "Whitney" whetted our appetites all summer with outrageously funny clips about raising babies and dating. Unfortunately, Up All Night proved to revolve around the quest to be 30-something and cool, rather than a comedy about embarking upon the adventure of parenting. Likewise, Whitney has proved to be just another "boy likes girl" sitcom with mediocre jokes, maybe one big laugh per show, and tender Cunningham-esc moments to end each episode.
    -
    The one new show I think has potential is, oddly enough Pan-Am. In order to enjoy the show, viewers need to suspend disbelief, more than usual, and accept the ideas that in 1963 stewardesses were actually CIA agents and commercial airliners were sent on missions to rescue Cuban refugees. If you can put reality to one side though, the unique formula makes a wide variety of stories possible. If ABC utilizes what they have, audiences may be treated to love stories, inflight murder mysteries, spy thrillers, and other tales of intrigue, danger, and romance.
    -
    As a final note, I must confess to being majorly disappointed by the return of a show I loved last year. In January of 2011, viewers were introduced to Harriot Korn, played by Kathy Bates. She was a recently fired lawyer who did things her way. Harry's Law was a fun show about Harriot's shoe store front law office. Featuring a different quirky case each week, we were treated to her display of off the cuff antics as she dealt with her colorful staff, gang members, and downtown neighbors.

    This year however, her practice is part of a larger contemporary law office, and she's been involved in a single ongoing murder trial. OK, I get that NBC may have been contractually obligated to give Alfred Molina a certain number of episodes to round out his Law & Order. L.A. contract, but the case they have him involved with is just plain boring. It's gone from being a uniquely fun show, to being a hum-drum clone of Ally McBeal or Boston Legal. If not for the overly Machiavellian prosecutor, played by Jean Smart, and the occasional screwball remark from Tommy "Big Boy" Jefferson, played by Christopher McDonald, Harry's Law wouldn't have ANY energy at all this year.

    To paraphrase the wives of Dogpatch, "Put it back, the way it wuz. Oh, put it back the way it wuz. It was smart, it was funny, she helped with clients with no money. So whatever else you does, put it back the way it wuz! Put it back [put em back] the way it wuz [the way it wuz] oh, put it back the way it wuz!"
    -