In the John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath", Tom Joad fought against injustice in Depression era time. Nearly eighty years later, in real life, the modern-day Tom Joads of both genders in the Occupy Wall Street/America (OWS) fight against economic injustice. Risking their health, safety and freedom, they face ridicule from clueless conservatives, arrests by overzealous cops, and indifference by the elite in politics and big business. Although their message is lost on "the 1%" they demonstrate against, for the have-nots, the beleaguered middle-class, the working class, and many others, their message very much resonates. Although in Boston and many other cities their campsites have been cleared, as people in the movement say, "You can't evict an idea."
I recently read an opinion column in which the columnist wrote off the OWS/America movement as "lawless", "mobs". With the way things are now, with the economy in the toilet, and the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party gumming things up by preferring to cut necessary services over taxing millionaires, billionaires, and corporations; the growing canyon between the haves and have-nots; the Citizens United decision which opens the floodgates for unchecked political donations by the well-to-do and corporations; bad political decisions and inactions, etc,. necessitated a response. The OWS, took to the streets in Wall Street and many cities across the country. Although their message is lost to those who are conservative, the Occupiers want a fairer economic climate, a Living Wage rather than a minimum wage, more affordable health care, less student loan debt, to minimize the corrupting influence of money in politics among other things. The OWS movement is a peaceful protest. If the OWS supports a candidate or party, there is potentially thousands of votes to undo the bad decisions and inactions which led to our economic meltdown. (tbc?)
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