I just heard about what happened in Oakland. Rather than threatening lawsuits against the police, the OWS movement should use this moment to make a public appeal to protestors and say that destruction of any kind will not be tolerated by the OWS movement.
For Gandhi, even unduly embarrassing the opponent was considered counter-productive. And inducing fear in them was out of the question. If one of his satyagraha campaigns had gotten out of control like this, he would have called an end to it immediately. And he would have criticized his supporters more than his opponents, because he understood that things like this turn events to the advantage of his opponents: the oppressors.
The OWS movement was a good idea, but it seems to have been their last good idea. Of course, the vandals and flag-burners may have been clandestine agent provocateurs, but all the more reason that their actions should be publicly denounced, otherwise authorities will soon turn events to their advantage.
I can't understand why the OWS movement has such trouble understanding these social dynamics. They are complete pushovers for provocative authoritarian tactics used against them. Gandhi was not so easily fooled. That's why he was able to take on the British Empire, pluck the crown jewel from the crown, and then convince the British to leave voluntarily. No easy feat.
The OWS is not that smart. And because they won't wise up, they are perpetually on the precipice of hurting not only their own cause but the cause of all Americans who want to be free of government tyranny. But I suspect it's because they really want to destroy everything related to the old system. They don't know when enough is enough. The American system of government is like a person with cancer, and the OWS movement was a doctor, they are misjudging the dose of chemotherapy. What they have in mind seems to be the death of the patient not the cure of him. Something is wrong with their minds.
The OWS are like puppets on a string. They will end up doing exactly what authorities want them to do so they can justify a crackdown, not just on the movement, but on all Americans. THIS member of the 99% no longer wants the OWS movement to speak in his name.
