More Occupy Philadelphia Photos

Occupy Philadelphia Day 54

Occupy Philadelphia was supposed to be evicted from Dilworth Plaza Sunday at 5 PM...at least that was the deadline given to us by the city. So I went down to the occupation to proivde medic support. Hundreds of protesters were there at 5 PM. Some delicious squash soup was served, many signs were created and displayed, and the people's mic was busy with protesters each telling their vision for a better society. The city should help the occupation, not evict us. The photo above is of me with a logn time friend Larry taken at the occupation Sunday evening.

Porter, The Cat

Here's a photo that our friends Mark and Richard sent to us of their orange tabby Porter. Loki wants to meet6 him!

Visit To The Wharton Esherick House

Yesterday Dan and I joined our friends Richard and Mark for a most enjoyable visit to the beautiful and unique home of sculptor Wharton Esherick (1887-1970.) The house is nestled on a hilltop near Phoenixville, PA. The house looks small from the outside but it is remarkably spacious inside. It is full of the beautiful works in wood that this remarkable man created during his lifetime. We had a rather long tour that lasted almost two hours!

OP Day 52: The Federal War Against Occupy

Philadelphia Mayor Nutter has joined the list of U.S. mayors who have evicted peaceful occupiers fronm their encampments under the direct supervision of the federal government. Nutter told Occupy Philadelphia that they have to leave Dilworth Plaza by Sunday afternoon. So we have a federal police state mobilizing the local Gestapo to disperse the occupation. And you thought we live in a democracy? Naomi Wolf writing in The Guardian:

..."when you connect the dots, properly understood, what happened this week is the first battle in a civil war; a civil war in which, for now, only one side is choosing violence. It is a battle in which members of Congress, with the collusion of the American president, sent violent, organised suppression against the people they are supposed to represent. Occupy has touched the third rail: personal congressional profits streams. Even though they are, as yet, unaware of what the implications of their movement are, those threatened by the stirrings of their dreams of reform are not. Sadly, Americans this week have come one step closer to being true brothers and sisters of the protesters in Tahrir Square. Like them, our own national leaders, who likely see their own personal wealth under threat from transparency and reform, are now making war upon us."

Get Your Rainbow Delegation Wristband

Everyone deserves to be loved and accepted. Rainbow Wristbands say "I am safe & supportive" It is a visible statement that LGBTQ youth are not alone.

Desk Friend

Loki likes to hop up on my desk and look cute!

Thanksgiving Fact Check

Photo: Occupy Philadelphia Market Street Bridge Action Top 5 FOX myths to debunk this Thanksgiving (from MoveOn.org) MYTH #1: The congressional Super Committee failed because both sides refuse to compromise. REALITY: The Super Committee failed because Republicans' number one, non-negotiable priority is to protect millionaires and billionaires from paying even one more penny in taxes. Democrats repeatedly offered to make deep spending cuts—far deeper than most progressives would like—in exchange for raising taxes on the wealthy and closing corporate loopholes, only to be refused again and again. So even though the vast majority of Americans say they want to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits, and raise taxes on the rich and corporations, that won't happen until Republicans put aside their extremist stance. MYTH #2: Nobody knows what Occupy Wall Street is about. REALITY: Occupy Wall Street may not have a formal list of demands, but anyone who's been paying attention understands the core problems that occupiers are protesting—that corporations have far too much power in our political system, that Wall Street banks crashed our economy but were never held accountable, and that the richest 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans—156 million people—combined. MYTH #3: Occupiers should stop protesting and just get a job. REALITY: As anybody who's looked for a job in the last few years knows, there just aren't jobs out there. That's a big part of why occupiers are protesting. In September, there were four times as many unemployed people as job openings. And for those who are lucky enough to find a job, median wages today are lower than they were a decade ago. MYTH #4: Occupy Wall Street is intent on provoking violence, especially against banks and the police. REALITY: Occupations across the country have committed themselves to nonviolent protest, in the greatest traditions of protest movements. Some of their protests have been met with acts of police violence—tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets—but in many cases, protesters have reminded police that the police officers are part of the 99%, too. And in the few cases when people have shown up at Occupy demonstrations and committed acts of vandalism, other protesters have even repaired their acts of vandalism. MYTH #5: The biggest crisis facing our country is out of control government spending. REALITY: The two biggest drivers of our deficit—by far—are the economic crash and the Bush tax cuts. We have millions of people out of work, corporations hoarding cash, and factories sitting idle. If we put all those people back to work—rebuilding infrastructure, educating our children, and researching new technologies—it'll shrink the deficit and make our economy stronger for the long haul. And we can easily afford it if we make sure the rich—who are taking home a larger percentage of income than any time since 1917—pay their fair share.

Occupy Mic Check On Obama

Yesterday some occupiers interrupted an appearance by Obama, who has kept his distance from the Occupy movement. One protester handed Obama a note chastizing him for his silence on the police brutality against occupy protesters in recent days. This is yet another way that Obanma disappoints those who used to be his enthusiastic supporters.

Occupy Philadelphia Day 47

Sunday was National Transgender Remembrance Day. Queer Occupy Philadelphia members held their very first direct action Sunday evening...a march through the gayborhood during which they signed up new members for Philadelphia Rage, and organization dedicated to ending violence against transgendered people. The Occupation site in Philadelphia now has fewer tents. Some people have left to avoid having their tents and psssessions confiscated should the city conduct a raid. Dilworth Plaza has the feeling of something coming to an end. Hopefully what ends will only be the encampment, and the movement will continue on and strengthen. There is an excellent article from Forbes available on line today that makes the point that the Bush tax cuts especially capital gains rates is the reason for the expolsion in economic inequality in this country.

Capital gains are the key ingredient of income disparity in the US-- and the force behind the winner takes all mantra of our economic system. If you want to even out earning power in the U.S, you have to raise the 15% capital gains tax...It's crystal clear that the Bush tax reduction on capital gains and dividend income in 2003 was the cutting edge policy that has created the immense increase in net worth of corporate executives, Wall St. professionals and other entrepreneurs...The facts are clear according to the Congressional Budget Office more than 80% of the increase in income inequality was the result of an increase in the share of household income from capital gains...I commend you to the late Justice Louis Brandeis warning to the nation that " We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." We have to make up our minds to restore a higher, fairer capital gains tax to the wealthiest investor class-- or ultimately face increased social unrest.