Know Your Protesters!!!

Occupy Wall Street is looking to expand across the country.  The anti-corporation protest movement that started in New York City has announced three rallies in Wisconsin next week--including one in Appleton.  I know the "professional protesters" will be out there--you know, the folks that seem to have a grievance with everything in society today and who seem to get a deluded pleasure out of making everyone aware of that.  But should you--the "Average American"--consider joining the movement?  Well before you go to Hobby Lobby to get your cardboard and magic markers to make your "GREED" and "SHAME" signs, you should probably know what Occupy Wall Street actually stands for.

There are multiple outlets on the internet listing the "Official Demands" of OWS--many of which have absolutely nothing to do with the way business or the economy operate here in the US.  Take for instance demand #2--Repeal the Patriot Act.  I guess I don't see how warrant-less wiretaps on suspected terrorists resulted in higher unemployment--but Occupy Wall Street believes that is the second most important thing that must happen in our country.

And then you have demand #6--End the War on Drugs.  Are the protesters saying we should create jobs by legallizing the sale of marijuana and other recreational drugs?  I know we had 48-people right here in Oshkosh pulling in a total of $2.4 million dollars selling cocaine and heroin over the last two years--so obviously there is demand for the product.  And will we become a more productive country if employers can no longer test employees for drug use?  The folks at OWS apparently believe it will.

Demand #8--National Repeal of Capital Punishment--has me scratching my head.  Is my Roth IRA down 12-percent this year because people who killed others in cold blood were put to death?  Do we have that many potential job creators on death row across the US?

Here's a real scary one--demand #10--Office of the Citizen.  This demand calls for the creation of a non-elected "Citizen Representative" in the federal government that would have Ombudsman-type powers to strike down legislation deemed "unfair to the people".  I'm not sure where in the Constitution such a position is allowed in our democratic-republic style of government.  The rambling explanation of this demand includes references to selection of "experts" to fill out this office who would somehow "know" how to act on behalf of "the people".  Apparently electing our leaders isn't the "fair" way to do things anymore.

Demand #11--the US Must Comply With International Human Rights Law.  I guess this rules out waterboarding businessowners until they hire people.

And then you have demand #13--Prosecutions of the Guilty.  Here again, we have people calling for "fairness" for everyone in the system already handing down decisions on who is "guilty" and who is "innocent".  So much for due process and the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

So if these demands are what you believe in as well--then I encourage you to join the "struggle" and Occupy Wall Street.  But if you recognize this as just the same old far-left, quasi-Socialist garbage packaged in a new wrapper, then follow the advice of Sir Winston Churchill during the Blitz of World War Two:  "Keep Calm and Carry On."