Occupy!!! (Iowa???)

It was great - Christmas 2012, spent with family, away from work, and away from the regular tedium of 'normal' daily life.  Yes, it was pretty much 'all' good. 

It was the best "To Mike / From Santa" gift I've given myself in years.  A free pass to stay offline for almost six whole days! 

Peace on Earth - Goodwill toward Men

I don't know about you, but I didn't turn on a computer for the past six days.  Yes, I've missed the company of the laptop LCD's electric glow, but sometimes you've got to cut the cord (albeit it wireless) and rediscover the things which are lasting. 

• Family,
• Friends,
• Taking dogs for walks,
• Remembering the person you were, and 
• Revisiting the place(s) and people who made you who you are 

I could go on, but you know what I'm saying, right?  Yes, I suppose you do.

Today's post, however, is not about Christmas, not about family, and not about whether we are a 'Christian Nation' or not. 

It's about Nancy Pelosi hijacking Charles Dickens' quote attributed to Tiny Tim:

"God bless them" - Nancy Pelosi, D, CA
(I believe Tim's entire quote is. "God bless us all, every one", but true to form, Minority Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, got THIS wrong too...)

Madame Speaker continued:  "for their spontaneity. It's independent ... it's young, it's spontaneous, and it's focused. And it's going to be effective."  

And now with the support of Democratic (and other - below) leadership, Occupy Wall Street is heading to...

The ONE place on Earth where the richest  1% of Americans go to enjoy their 'one percentage-ness':

IOWA

From the Associated Press Online:    DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Already they have interrupted Michele Bachmann and drawn a withering putdown from Newt Gingrich as "all noise, no thought."

Now, to the dismay of Iowa Republicans, Occupy activists in Des Moines are vowing to expand their protests as GOP presidential hopefuls converge on the state that speaks first in the race for the party's presidential nomination.

"The 99 percent have woken up and we're not going to take it anymore," Occupy activist Stephen Toothman, of Des Moines, said as an advance guard met Tuesday to decide which candidates to target in the coming week.

Hundreds of Occupy activists from at least 10 states were expected to participate in a "People's Caucus" near the Capitol to plot activities between now and the Jan. 3 caucuses. The activists are promising to interrupt candidates at events and camp out at their Iowa campaign offices. They say they want to change the political dialogue, but critics fear their tactics could tarnish Iowa's reputation for civil political discourse ahead of the contest. Activists say mass arrests are possible.
...

Occupy activists, who came from as far away as New York and Seattle, said the caucuses were largely meaningless because the parties and candidates were overly influenced by wealthy, special interests that led them to ignore key issues.

"The caucuses are really a statement as to where the nation is as a whole. I think this occupation is really a statement that they are dissatisfied with all the choices that we've been given," said Ivan Burghart, an activist from St. Louis who mingled with others at the group's Des Moines headquarters.

Occupy Des Moines organizer Jess Mazour, 24, said protesters wanted candidates to address issues ranging from campaign finance reform to college debt to the home foreclosure crisis. She said the weeklong set of actions marked a new phase for the nationwide Occupy movement, and would be a test of whether activists could flex political muscle as one group.
...

Stephany Hoffelt, a member of Occupy Iowa City, said protesters believed the in-your-face tactics were justified because their message hasn't gotten through in the past.

"It's perfectly appropriate if you were listening to what we were saying," Hoffelt said of the group's chant blasting Bachmann's positions on health care and taxes. "She is part of the 1 percent."

Ah, where to begin? 

• The 'Occupy Wherever' group appears to be well-funded (for a bunch of poor folks).  Shoot, I can't afford to take time off from work to visit the Great State of Iowa and stay in hotels for a week (or more?).  Maybe THESE guys are the 1% they keep yakking about?  Perhaps they HATE themselves?  I don't hate anyone, but honestly, I'm getting tired of them myself...
• The OWS folks are upset because they don't believe anyone is listening to their message (whatever IT happens to be 'at the moment' as they're repeat each other as if trapped in some Gregorian Chant nightmare).  The lack of exposure, unfortunately, is NOT their problem.  Their problem is that we HAVE heard them.  And after listening, we stopped listening to them.
• The objective, according to Ms. Hoffelt, is to disrupt the free speech of Republican Presidential Candidates in Iowa.  This, of course, is coming from the OWS group, which again, is upset that no one is a.)  Letting THEM speak, or b.) Listening to THEM
• Here's a heartfelt bit of advice for the mental wheelchairs traveling to Iowa 'just to make a fuss'...  Get your tickets from wherever you are reading this and fly to: Reagan International Airport.  Why?  Because Iowa is NOT the source of your discontentment - Washington, DC is.  AND (BONUS!) the guy who has been fueling your class warfare rhetoric is THERE.  (DISCLAIMER:  Actually, the guy who has been supporting your efforts to destroy Capitalism in the U.S. is currently in Hawaii (again) - but, like the 'bad penny' he'll show up in a couple of weeks rested, relaxed, and ready for more mayhem from the White House.  Maybe you folks could show up at HIS place in Hawaii?  Then follow him back here?  Just think of the Capitalist Riches you'll ring up on your 1%-sponsored credit card!)
• Lastly, in regard to Madame Pelosi's comment that this ongoing debacle is a 'beautiful, spontaneous event'?  The last time I saw a spontaneous movement from the OWS folks, it involved a guy with his butt hunkered down onto the fender of a police car.  It WAS spontaneous, but the 'beautiful' adjective does not seem to apply to the 'movement' itself.

As you look across the Nation do you feel more, or less secure, knowing that the highest elected official in the land supports the efforts of the OWS group.  These are the people who 'occupy' property which does not belong to them, shout down the free speech of others, and use intimidation to garner an audience for their 'needs, wants, and desires'.

Answer the above question honestly.

If you feel pretty good about the OWS folks and their activities, take a moment to follow this link:  A Revolutionary Hope of Christmas.

The above post, 'A Revolutionary Hope for Christmas' is brought to you by the nice folks at Communist Party USA.  Proud sponsors, and supporters of Occupy Wall Street. 

The story of Christmas, as told by Communists, all in the hope of obtaining 'the greater good' for the oppressed in America.   

Ho, ho, ho...