Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is an ongoing series of demonstrations in New York City based in Zuccotti Park in the Wall Street financial district. [Wikipedia]. Since then we have seen Occupy protests pop up everywhere including small towns and Europe. The protesters who consider themselves the 99%, being not of the top 1% of income earners in the United States. It has come to be understand that they are frustrated with:

• The way the current system works
• Their inability to be able to succeed in the current system
• The widening gap between the rich and the poor
• Corporate Finance of Political Campaigns

Now do not get me wrong, I agree we have issues and the need for reform. I personally am frustrated with

• The amount of land that is owned by Banks (I read an article last year that I think said 70%, but I am not sure and I can’t find it)
• The waist-full spending done in charities for unnecessary “administrative” and “legal” work. [ Susan G. Komen Foundation suing other charities]
• The waist-full spending in government.
• T.S.A.( See Lady Liberty post)
• [more to be listed later]

The difference between me and the protesters, which is also the difference between me and those who stand on the sidewalk at the University of Texas at Austin preaching we are all going to hell if we do not repent, is the method. Do I think that setting up a camp in the middle of a city is going to do anything but annoy the other members of the 99% group that you claim to be fighting for? No. Do I know what is a good method? No. You can sum up my frustration with occupy movements with the following quote:

“I walked in supportive and left unsupportive,” said 69-year-old Mary Ann, who declined to provide her last name. “I’m turned off by the negative shouts, repetition, and all I can think about is a cult. And I believe in every one of their damn principles.” [http://s.rj9.us/jiqqs]

What I do know is that when Occupy Oakland, a group that has been plagued with violent encounters with law enforcement, takes their money and opens a Wells Fargo bank account, they really do not seem to have the commitment, or the priorities straight, to affect change.

So I have asked myself, since people in our society need motivation to change, what would motivate the “Top 1%” to join the rest of us? A threat to their way of life. I have realized that all great revolutions have been violent. I have been praying every time I see a news piece about “Occupy [LOCATION],” I pray that a violent revolution doesn’t come. I do fear that unless there is an effort buy the general population to demand that the government bureaucracy is changed, we may have an ugly 2012 on our hands.

I have seen many news articles lately concerning the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security. I reminded of a famous quote from the start of our country:

“Give me Liberty, or Give me Death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Virginia Convention. It was given on March 23, 1775, at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, and is credited with having swung the balance in convincing the VirginiaHouse of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War. [Wikipedia]

This also reminds me of a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin:

“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” This was written by Franklin, with quotation marks but almost certainly his original thought, sometime shortly before February 17, 1775 as part of his notes for a proposition at the Pennsylvania Assembly, as published in Memoirs of the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin(1818). A variant of this was published as: “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” This was used as a motto on the title page of An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania. (1759); the book was published by Franklin; its author was Richard Jackson, but Franklin did claim responsibility for some small excerpts that were used in it. [Wikiquote]

When you look at the legislation and the enforcement of those laws since September 11th, 2001, it causes me to wonder in these words of our founding fathers were taken into consideration by our congress and executive officials. I am reminded of a quote I heard in a YouTube video that I have been trying to find for the past couple of months:

“Our founding fathers said: ‘give me liberty or give me death!’ And now when we are faced with the slightest possibility of death, we are so willing to sell out Lady Liberty!” [Unknown]

I am also reminded of our decleration of independence which states:

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

What most people do not realize that this is not talking about security in the sense from criminals or terrorists. This is talking about security from government abuses. Protection from government abuses is the whole reason the Bill of Rights exist! Should we take steps to protect ourselves? Absolutely! But, should we impede on our citizens by exposing them to back-scatter x-rays and other such intrusions  for the sake of ‘safety’ and ‘security’?