Category: IO Deeds of Peace

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Tom Atlee: #Occupy A Dance of Inspiration & Strategy

03 Economy, 11 Society, Blog Wisdom, Civil Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, IO Deeds of Peace, Officers Call
Tom Atlee

#Occupy – a dance of inspiration and strategy

Here are some more good articles and websites about the Occupy Together movement, the global extension of Occupy Wall Street.

In this posting there are a number of pieces about strategy and tactics – appeals to and descriptions of nonviolence (including some tips useful in everyday life as well as demonstrations); what contributed to their success in holding onto their NYC site; the logic of their non-partisan messages that are not tied to specific demands; etc. You'll also find a powerful video highlighting the hypocrisy of US officials condemning crackdowns on Arab Spring protests while condoning crackdowns on domestic Occupy protests.

I've also excerpted an inspiring, sober open letter from long-time Christian activist Jim Wallis. His whole article is worth reading. It was sent to me by my friend and colleague Rosa Zubizarreta who writes:

“I highly recommend that people GO. visit. see for yourself. engage in wonderful conversations. volunteer. contribute…. yes, there are clearly challenges and difficulties (it's certainly not perfect, as Rainbow Gatherings and Peace Camps and Soup Kitchens and all of those various manifestations of “free zones” are not perfect…) AND, it is so very much alive, filled with many wonderful moments and lots of learning and creativity and connection… On Friday morning in Occupy Boston, there were several classrooms visiting… their teachers bringing them in for a field trip… it was awesome!”

Others have written to me about conversations happening among finance professionals about the changes that are needed in their sector – conversations stimulated and energized by the Occupy Wall Street protests. Increasingly, this aspect of nonviolent protest – encouraging urgently needed conversations about change – is becoming the trademark of this movement. And this is an invitation to those of us who know how to make conversations meaningful and productive…

Blessings on this 13.7 billion year old highly interactive Journey.

Coheartedly,
Tom

See all items and links

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Anne Kadet: A Day in the Life of Occupy Wall Street

03 Economy, 11 Society, Articles & Chapters, Budgets & Funding, Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, IO Deeds of Peace, Methods & Process, Uncategorized
Anne Kadet

The Occupy Economy

Anne Kadet

Wall Street Journal, 15 October 2011

Say what you want about the assorted professionals, philosophers, bums, radicals, students and wage slaves comprising Occupy Wall Street, but they've managed to pull off the impossible. In the center of one of the world's most expensive cities, a place where the average tourist family of four spends roughly $3,500 per visit, they've accomplished something even the guidebooks wouldn't dare promise: New York living on less than $10 a day.

. . . . . .

In less than four weeks, Occupy Wall Street managed to erect what looks and functions like a cross between a high-tech folk festival and a Canadian logging camp. At least for now, there's a lending library on one end and a man doling out cigarettes on the other. There are stations for first aid, phone charging and poster-making. There's even a guy who walks around handing out, yes, free money.

. . . . . .

The whole operation runs on donations, of course. More than $5,000 in cash comes in every day through the park's contribution boxes, and supplies flow in from around the country. Kim Heines, a Bensonhurst office manager volunteering on the storage committee, opened her composition notebook to display records of the morning's 90-odd shipments: soap from Winnipeg; rain ponchos from Keller, Texas; sleeping bags from Indiana; gluten-free snack bars from Santa Monica.

Read full article.

Phi Beta Iota:  This is a stellar piece of work, riveting detail, economy of words, just an utterly spectacular communication of the logistical essence of Occupy Wall Street.

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Tom Atlee: #OWS How Do You Make a New World?

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Blog Wisdom, Civil Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, IO Deeds of Peace
Tom Atlee

Occupy Wall Street: What is involved in making a new world?

My sleep was cut short last night by waking up worried at 3:30 a.m. PST about NYC Mayor Bloomberg's ultimatum that the Occupy Wall Street protesters leave Zuccotti Park – aka Liberty Square – at 7 a.m. EST so the park could be cleaned. I won't share the nightmare scenarios my mind concocted, but I finally got up and was profoundly relieved to find that the intervention had been “postponed”. The Mayor's office said that park owner Brookfield Properties “believes they can work out an arrangement with the protesters that will ensure the park remains clean, safe, available for public use and that the situation is respectful of residents and businesses downtown, and we will continue to monitor the situation.” When it was announced, the massive crowd of protesters went joyfully wild.
http://bit.ly/oFLevN

Apparently a number of factors made a difference: massive protest from many quarters (including Canadians protesting to Brookfield, which is a Canadian company); the occupiers thoroughly and very visibly scrubbing down their already quite clean site during the night; a LOT of supporters showed up overnight; and they were visibly preparing for a lockdown resistance – explaining on their site how to lock arms, bike lock themselves to things, etc. Many observers (including me) suspect Bloomberg's “clean the park” project was a thinly disguised attempt to end or cripple the occupation, but at least he recognized what a mess it would make – in SO many ways – to proceed. So these determined interesting folks have made it over one more dramatic hurdle in their quest for a better world.

Several days ago I sent free copies of my two books (Priority Mail) to the Occupy Wall Street library. I'm happy they escaped the “cleaning” intervention. I encourage any other authors on this list to consider donating copies of their works. The ideas of people interested in co-intelligence should be made available to the protestors. The address is

The UPS Store
Re: Occupy Wall Street
118A Fulton St. #205
New York, NY 10038

While proceeding with work on my new book on empowered public wisdom, I continue to be fascinated by the ever-expanding Occupy movement. I find myself spending about half my time tracking it and its impact. It is quite a remarkable phenomenon. In this posting, I'm especially interested in their process.

Here's what's in this message:

Continue reading “Tom Atlee: #OWS How Do You Make a New World?”

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Koko: Teacher Burns Herself to Death in Playground

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, IO Deeds of Peace, IO Deeds of War, Officers Call
Koko

Koko Signs:  Koko sad. Governments fiddle, people burn.

Teacher dies in France after setting herself on fire

An apparently depressed maths teacher in southern France has died after setting herself on fire in the playground of her secondary school.

Students and teachers rushed to help the woman, 44, after she doused herself with petrol during morning break and set herself alight.

Read full story.

Phi Beta Iota:  The USA has already had one veteran burn himself to death, while 18 a day are committing suicide (and in Iraq, more die from suicide each month than from combat).  The US Government is very, very sick of mind, lacking soul and heart, completely divorced from reality and integrity.  A couple of soccer moms are next–are you ready?

See Also:

NH MAN BURNS SELF AT COURTHOUSE IN PROTEST

He may be an example of what is to come – people throwing themselves violently up against the system in order to bring it down.

G.I. Wilson: Killer Drones, Moral Disengagement, + War Crimes RECAP

Joseph Stiglitz: The True Cost of 9/11 — Includes 18 Veteran Suicides a Day

2011 Thinking About Revolution in the USA and Elsewhere (Full Text Online for Google Translate)

2008 The Substance of Governance ELECTION 2008 Lipstick on the Pig (Full Text Online for Google Translate)

Review: Shooting the Truth–The Rise of American Political Documentaries

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Robert Steele: Electoral Reform in a Box (DIY Kit)

03 Economy, 11 Society, Blog Wisdom, Civil Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Hacking, InfoOps (IO), IO Deeds of Peace, Methods & Process, Office of Management and Budget, Strategy
Robert David STEELE Vivas

SHORT-CUT

http://tinyurl.com/ER-DIY

I fear that everyone is losing the perfect opportunity to demand electoral reform.  Here is what I have done on this with zero traction.  Based on discussions in NYC I have dropped the Coalition Cabinet for now and am focusing only on Electoral Reform, but if we really are to change this system, an Independent candidate with a Coalition Cabinet has to defeat BOTH Obama AND the Republican challenger.  I don't see that emergent at this point.

My Interpretation of the Emerging Message:

CORRUPTION is the common enemy, both in government and in the private sector.

ELECTORAL REFORM is the singular demand.

SUNSHINE CABINET is the method.

INTEGRITY is the core value.

COMMONWEALTH RESTORED is the outcome.

Pertinent Documents for Consideration (Links Repaired 2011-10-25)

#OWS #ElectoralReform Strategy Memorandum

#ElectoralReform #OWS Two-Sided Demand Hand-Out

Electoral Reform Working Group Preliminary 2 Pages (Full Text Online for Google Translate)

lectoral Reform Statement of Demand 3.2 (Full Text Online for Google Translate)

Electoral Reform Act of 2012 3.2 (Full Text Online for Google Translate)

Graphic: Preconditions of Revolution in the USA Today

Robert Steele: Working Papers for NYC 6-7 Oct 2011

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John Robb: Permanent Global Protest #ows

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 11 Society, Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Hacking, IO Deeds of Peace
John Robb

JOURNAL: Permanent Protest #ows

One of the most interesting aspects of Occupy Wall Street (#ows) is the work it is doing to set up permanent occupations in EVERY city (over 1,000 locations globally, and growing) of note.

Here's a quick overview:

Navigation of the complex legalities of sleeping/living in an urban, public space (park, square).   Every major city has a thicket of regulations in place to prevent people from congregating, let alone sleep overnight.

Defusing provocations from police to prevent more aggressive action. The police made a couple of attempts at provocations already (lots of pepper spray, lots of beatings with batons, and lots of arrests) in NYC. So far, the protesters just took it and didn't fight back.

Acquiring provisions. On-line support has helped the protest acquire many of the food, water, and other items it needs (although its unclear how many locations get anything approaching the level of support seen in NYC).

Food preparation. By keeping the permanent group small, the need for food/food prep stays manageable.
Shelter. Most locations selected prohibit tents. Lots of variants (cardboard, tarps, etc.) have emerged. This is going to be tougher in winter in the northern climes, but not undoable with small numbers of overnight residents.

Defense. Currently, the occupy movement is strictly adhering to the regulations and non-violence to avoid being ejected from their locations. The best medium term defense is a flashmob.

Media. 24x7x365

Local Governance. Open source. Consensus needed. Leaderless (pitch in if something needs doing, but don't assume you are running the show).

A permanent camp in each location means that there is a gathering point for HUGE protests in the future (quick response to shocks/events/etc.). Also, protests that span hundreds or thousands of cities simultaneously.

Pretty cool dynamic developing: a protest Horde?

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Robert Steele: Trip Report – Occupy Wall Street 6 October 2011 – Second American Revolution is Real

11 Society, Blog Wisdom, Budgets & Funding, Civil Society, Commerce, Corporations, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Hacking, InfoOps (IO), IO Deeds of Peace, IO Deeds of War, Methods & Process, Misinformation & Propaganda, Mobile, Money, Banks & Concentrated Wealth, Officers Call, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests, Secrecy & Politics of Secrecy, Strategy, Threats
Robert David STEELE Vivas

I visited New York City 6-7 October 2011.

First I met with Alexa O'Brien, one of the brilliant minds behind U.S. Day of Rage and its focus on Electoral Reform and non-violence as an absolute.  [My memo that Fox news still has not read is here.]

Although they are also focused on a Constitutional Convention, as Lawrence Lessig has been, I reiterated the point that Electoral Reform is the one thing that can be demanded today (no later than 6 November, one year prior to Election Day), with severe consequences for every elected person if Congress fails to pass Electoral Reform by President's Day (February 2012), to include recall or impeachment, and camp-outs at their offices and in public spaces near their homes through to Election Day 2012.

Photos and Additional Comments Below the Line

Continue reading “Robert Steele: Trip Report – Occupy Wall Street 6 October 2011 – Second American Revolution is Real”