Burgeoning revolution is peaceful -- for now

The “Occupy” movement, as it is being called, is neither a cause nor an illness, but a symptom. It appears, however, to be indicative of a virus which has, for many years, seemed dormant.

Protests have always been common threads in the fabric of America. The country began with one, and they have continued is greater or lesser degrees throughout history. Our constitution allows for peaceful protests, because wise men understood that people must be allowed some way to vent frustration, seek lawful change and address wrongs. Ask the Tea Party if they agree.

There is a great and growing move to characterize the present protests as “radicals,” “socialists,” “unmannered, destructive, thrill seekers,” and worse. Soundbites and snapshots of rambling or angry protesters are frequently shown as proof of the wanton nature of these gatherings. and, truth be told, there are, as always, fleas on this dog, too. One should not make the mistake, though, of mistaking the fleas for the dog. Attempting to simplify or stifle what is obviously a growing fever among common folks only addresses the fever for a short term. The virus is unmoved, and the fever gets worse.

Mostly, these folks are seeking something – anything offering relief from an increasing sense of hopelessness. The economy is in the worst condition since the Great Depression and congress is unwilling to find even one small thing they can agree upon. Bankers, oil company executives, pharmaceutical execs and many other “fat cats” are seemingly protected by a right wing-oriented contingent who make an empty claim that these folks must be protected at all costs lest the economy “gets bad.” Nothing personal to any executive, but how did the economy slip from their grasp in the last four years?

Ronald Reagan’s idea was to help the rich so their money would “trickle down” to the poor. That only works in theory, and when the rich stop spending on things which could help the U.S. economy, it doesn’t work at all.

The claim is made that some twenty percent of wealthy Americans are actually small family businesses who would be “hurt” by paying a bit more in taxes. These small businesses haven’t added a significant number of jobs in the last four years, anyway, and most of them claim to be hurt by a bad economy, so they can’t (and won’t) expand. Money has been “trickling down” for a long time now. Where’s the beef?

Anyway, even though the devil is mostly in the details, “Occupy’ers” only see that nothing is happening that offers a slim ray of hope in their dark world. They aren’t necessarily singling anyone or any one thing for being the culprit, although there are some targets more identifiable than others. They are mostly just mad as hell and not willing to take it quietly anymore.

Perhaps these protest gatherings will run out of energy. Maybe they are like dust devils which whirl around for a while, stirring up debris. They have no real footholds to use to climb their mountain and no ropes for belay – at least for the present.

Things have not gotten nearly as bad (yet) as the shanty towns built in Washingto n D.C and elsewhere by men demanding jobs back in the Great Depression. Not one building has been damaged – no cars overturned or burned -- no one killed. The crowds are occupying, not rioting. They are hopeful of getting the attention of some entity which can address their plight with something more than empty words. They represent a large majority of Americans who only quietly protest to each other, attempting to find solace in neighbors and friends.

It’s bad enough to be out of work, out of money, out of a place to live, etc. It becomes intolerable when one is out of hope.

Where is a leader or leaders who will at least make a legitimate effort to recognize what is building in American society and work to find something real for people to grasp? This movement is not limited to the few who gather to protest publicly. A revolution of sorts is beginning – peaceful for now and counting on a country which has always found a way to address its problems. All they are seeing is the traditional place from which help has come now shutting out time honored assistance, with claims of any assistance doing damage to a perilously damaged economy.

This actually, apparently, makes sense to some. It won’t matter though if enough people shout loudly enough to see some improvement in their lives.

This is, in no way, attempting to justify largesse or profligate spending. Let’s be clear. The government is limited in what it can and should do.There are consequences, however to either doing nothing or too much. I don’t hear the protests asking for “too much.” Only some hope.