1 00:00:00,003 --> 00:00:25,050 [Musical intro] 2 00:00:25,061 --> 00:00:36,132 I'm Paul Levinson, and welcome to Light On Light Through, episode 87, Occupy Wall Street Chronicles, Part 1. 3 00:00:37,027 --> 00:00:44,009 Well, it's Thanksgiving Day in America, that's November 24th 2011. 4 00:00:44,066 --> 00:00:51,055 And I thought this would be a good time to share with you some of the 15 blog posts 5 00:00:51,055 --> 00:01:00,089 that I've been writing about Occupy Wall Street since the end of September and up until a few days ago. 6 00:01:01,031 --> 00:01:07,015 And because I expect Occupy Wall Street in the United States and all over the world to continue, 7 00:01:07,710 --> 00:01:11,718 that's why I'm calling these chronicles Part One. 8 00:01:12,103 --> 00:01:20,924 But to give you just a tiny bit of background: it was back in February of this year 2011 that I first made the point 9 00:01:20,924 --> 00:01:30,293 that the Arab Spring was really a fulfillment of Marshall McLuhan's idea that we are living in a global village. 10 00:01:30,787 --> 00:01:37,011 McLuhan made that point back in 1962 in the Gutenberg Galaxy, but back then, 11 00:01:37,011 --> 00:01:45,015 it was more of a prediction, a projection, a metaphor, than a description of an actual reality. 12 00:01:46,019 --> 00:01:53,069 But it seemed clear to me, in the Arab spring, that the use of mobile phones 13 00:01:53,069 --> 00:02:00,151 and the various Facebook, Twitter and YouTube connections and apps 14 00:02:00,966 --> 00:02:07,042 allowed people in Cairo and other places in the Middle East 15 00:02:07,042 --> 00:02:12,748 to not only help organize their events out in the street, 16 00:02:12,748 --> 00:02:22,053 but to send videos, YouTube videos of various things that were actually happening at these events,, 17 00:02:22,053 --> 00:02:29,046 including some of the brutality of the government responses to these gatherings. 18 00:02:29,846 --> 00:02:35,986 So, with that in mind, I wasn't surprised at all to see the same sort of thing begin 19 00:02:35,986 --> 00:02:40,044 to happen here in the United States and elsewhere in the world. 20 00:02:40,044 --> 00:02:48,023 Actualy, I was in Barcelona in May of this year and I saw, out on the Rambla, demonstrators 21 00:02:48,033 --> 00:02:53,035 - they called themselves then the May 15th movement - and it was interesting to me, 22 00:02:53,035 --> 00:02:59,744 because Spain is a democracy. Egypt was not, still is not as a matter of fact, 23 00:03:00,532 --> 00:03:04,075 but it was much the same as the Arab Spring. 24 00:03:04,075 --> 00:03:12,050 And so, I decided to take a careful look at what was happening in the Occupy Wall Street movements 25 00:03:12,059 --> 00:03:17,670 here, in the United States, when they began to emerge in September. 26 00:03:18,022 --> 00:03:22,911 And what I am going to read to you are a series of 15 or so blog posts. 27 00:03:22,911 --> 00:03:29,028 I'll mention the date that each of the post was first made, and then I'll read the post to you. 28 00:03:29,683 --> 00:03:39,048 Each post has a headline, and that, I hope, will give you an idea of some of the perspectives 29 00:03:40,019 --> 00:03:47,056 that apply to Occupy Wall Street, or at least, some of my perspectives. 30 00:03:48,028 --> 00:03:49,060 So we'll begin. 31 00:03:49,062 --> 00:03:52,078 Tuesday, September 27, 2011. 32 00:03:53,006 --> 00:04:00,090 New York City Police disgraced themselves in brutal treatment of Wall Street protesters. 33 00:04:01,043 --> 00:04:08,030 I've lived in New York City all of my life, and I've never been a big fan of our police. 34 00:04:08,030 --> 00:04:13,072 As a teenager, I was roughed up by cops in their search for firecrackers. 35 00:04:13,072 --> 00:04:19,032 I saw them point blank attack protesters in the Vietnam War era. 36 00:04:19,042 --> 00:04:27,070 I 've heard first hand, from friends I believe, about NYPD double-standard treatment of African-Americans. 37 00:04:28,019 --> 00:04:35,068 And their shooting to death of Amadou Diallo who was unarmed, and their sodomizing of Abner Louima 38 00:04:35,068 --> 00:04:39,666 (two separate incidents), were beyond horrendous. 39 00:04:40,077 --> 00:04:47,064 But the NYPD have reached a new low in mass, continuing violation of human beings and human rights 40 00:04:47,065 --> 00:04:50,976 in their response to the Occupy Wall Street protesters. 41 00:04:51,637 --> 00:04:55,676 These are not isolated cases of cops gone crazy. 42 00:04:56,060 --> 00:05:04,075 The tear-gassing of people behind barricades, the throwing to the ground of protesters who have no weapons and pose no threat, 43 00:05:04,728 --> 00:05:13,074 is a systematic, widespread attack on human decency, the First Amendment and its guarantee of peaceful assembly, 44 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:20,833 as well as on the bodies and spirits of protesters expressing their non-violent opinion. 45 00:05:21,737 --> 00:05:32,015 Police Commissioner Kelly, in New York City, justifiably takes pride in how well the NYPD have defended New Yorkers from terrorist attacks. 46 00:05:32,623 --> 00:05:42,074 He should also take pride in, or at very least insist upon, the NYPD defending and protecting the rights of New Yorkers 47 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:48,437 and any one who visits our city to express his or her opinion. 48 00:05:49,434 --> 00:05:56,039 Based on what has happened so far, Police Commissioner Kelly obviously does not. 49 00:05:56,790 --> 00:06:05,480 Mayor Bloomberg should replace him with someone who can grasp the difference between a criminal and a peaceful protester, 50 00:06:06,008 --> 00:06:16,032 between throwing a protester violently to the ground versus firmly escorting the protester off any unlawfully occupied premises. 51 00:06:17,039 --> 00:06:27,054 Social media - or, what I call new new media - are empowering people not only in the Middle East, but all over the world, including here in America. 52 00:06:28,019 --> 00:06:33,067 We have a right to express our critique of Wall Street and the sad pass in the economy 53 00:06:33,091 --> 00:06:38,083 - the financial disaster - Wall Street moguls have brought us to. 54 00:06:39,043 --> 00:06:49,005 Mayors would be wise to respect this and restrain out-of-control police, lest the voters boot them out of office in the next election. 55 00:06:49,079 --> 00:06:53,073 And the Federal government would be wise to do something constructive, 56 00:06:53,073 --> 00:07:01,002 and bring any police officer who violates the rights of protesters up on charges. 57 00:07:01,071 --> 00:07:11,034 And mainstream news media - I'm talking to you, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC 58 00:07:11,626 --> 00:07:16,071 - what is taking you so long to catch up with the sustained coverage 59 00:07:16,071 --> 00:07:25,034 Keith Olbermann has been giving this spectacle of police misconduct on his Countdown show on Current TV? 60 00:07:25,292 --> 00:07:28,485 Thursday, October 6, 2011 61 00:07:28,623 --> 00:07:33,202 Advice to President Obama: Join Occupy Wall Street 62 00:07:33,202 --> 00:07:36,485 Some well-meaning advice to President Obama - 63 00:07:36,562 --> 00:07:41,746 Come down to Wall Street, grab a bull horn, and tell the Occupy Wall Street people 64 00:07:41,792 --> 00:07:46,140 excersing their democratic rights that you're with them. 65 00:07:46,248 --> 00:07:50,361 You have much more in common with students, workers, and people concerned about 66 00:07:50,361 --> 00:07:54,931 the abuses of Wall Street bankers and kindred millionaires 67 00:07:54,931 --> 00:07:59,331 than you do with that upper one-percent of the nation's earners. 68 00:07:59,331 --> 00:08:02,300 You've said so yourself already, many times. 69 00:08:03,038 --> 00:08:10,264 The rich and the Republicans who are their friends - that is friends of the 1% - are not your friends. 70 00:08:10,264 --> 00:08:12,479 You won't get their votes anyway. 71 00:08:12,971 --> 00:08:21,679 You won in 2008 because you got a majority of votes of the 99% of Americans who are not fabulously wealthy, 72 00:08:21,679 --> 00:08:28,244 who do not make it difficult for so many to earn a living or support their families. 73 00:08:28,244 --> 00:08:32,356 And when you come to New York, bring along a contingent of Secret Service, 74 00:08:32,356 --> 00:08:39,213 FBI, or whatever it takes to keep New York's out of control police at bay. 75 00:08:39,782 --> 00:08:46,558 Did you see those white-shirted NYPD commanders clubbing protestors on the news today? 76 00:08:47,620 --> 00:08:53,218 President Obama, is this the America you want? 77 00:08:53,818 --> 00:09:00,013 You have a chance now to reclaim the momentum, to go with the tide of the future, not the past. 78 00:09:00,398 --> 00:09:06,515 Go for it. Go with the tide of direct democracy, not the regressive reins 79 00:09:06,515 --> 00:09:14,798 which have tied up our government for so long, and are starving our people of their future. 80 00:09:17,213 --> 00:09:20,144 Sunday, October 16, 2011 81 00:09:20,652 --> 00:09:24,625 Occupy Wall Street, Direct Democracy, and Social Media: 82 00:09:24,717 --> 00:09:30,063 A Thumbnail History of Media and Politics Since Ancient Athens 83 00:09:30,063 --> 00:09:37,963 The role of social media in triggering and facilitating the now world-wide Occupy Wall Street protests 84 00:09:38,025 --> 00:09:43,155 - the role of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and kindred systems 85 00:09:43,155 --> 00:09:49,425 in getting word out about Occupations, and documenting them for the world to see and join - 86 00:09:49,471 --> 00:09:54,740 has been remarked upon so often as to almost seem a cliche. 87 00:09:55,202 --> 00:10:01,486 But the link between social media and direct democracy is true and profound, 88 00:10:01,486 --> 00:10:10,202 and is the current culmination of an evolution of media and political expression that began in ancient times. 89 00:10:10,540 --> 00:10:13,840 Back in the city of Athens, in the time of Pericles, 90 00:10:13,871 --> 00:10:19,186 direct democracy arose, in part because of the new literacy 91 00:10:19,186 --> 00:10:26,148 that allowed citizens to be informed of public events and the views and actions of their leaders. 92 00:10:26,409 --> 00:10:30,063 The words that these people read were handwritten, 93 00:10:30,063 --> 00:10:34,471 which meant that anyone who wanted to write and be read could do so. 94 00:10:35,086 --> 00:10:40,232 Writing and publishing were just as about as easy, in other words, as reading. 95 00:10:41,617 --> 00:10:46,271 All of that changed dramatically with the invention of the printing press, 96 00:10:46,271 --> 00:10:50,925 which had the wonderful result of spreading the written word to millions, 97 00:10:50,925 --> 00:10:58,948 but the anti-democratic effect of greatly reducing the ratio of published writers to readers. 98 00:10:59,009 --> 00:11:05,417 Millions of people became accustomed to reading words written by a handful of others. 99 00:11:05,417 --> 00:11:11,994 Unsurprisingly, when democracy slowly re-emerged in the Renaissance and the Age of Reason, 100 00:11:12,009 --> 00:11:16,202 it was not the direct democracy of Ancient Athens. 101 00:11:16,202 --> 00:11:24,225 It was instead, a representative kind of democracy, in which elected officials made all the decisions, 102 00:11:24,225 --> 00:11:30,202 and all the people could do was vote the representatives up or down. 103 00:11:30,217 --> 00:11:36,255 This was almost exactly parallel to the transformation in information production and reception 104 00:11:36,255 --> 00:11:41,079 brought about by the printing press, in which all the people could do is read 105 00:11:41,079 --> 00:11:46,025 and agree or disagree with a book or manifesto or pamphlet. 106 00:11:46,025 --> 00:11:49,125 The people in no way write or produce it, 107 00:11:49,125 --> 00:11:54,394 unless they were in the less than one-percent of the population 108 00:11:54,394 --> 00:12:00,494 fortunate to have a monarch's or a printer's (later a publisher's) favor. 109 00:12:01,217 --> 00:12:07,963 This inequality of producer and consumer – of few producers and legion consumers - 110 00:12:07,963 --> 00:12:13,709 was not only continued but exacerbated by the advent of broadcast media, 111 00:12:13,709 --> 00:12:19,840 which reduced the number of producers (it was much harder to get your views on radio and television 112 00:12:19,855 --> 00:12:24,063 than in newspapers, which at least has letters to the editor) 113 00:12:24,940 --> 00:12:33,902 and while the number of prducers were being reduced, the number of consumers were being greatly increased, 114 00:12:33,902 --> 00:12:42,432 because it was far easier to listen to the radio than even go out and buy a newspaper or have one delivered to your door. 115 00:12:43,909 --> 00:12:47,994 People in representative democracies became better informed, 116 00:12:47,994 --> 00:12:52,571 but the information was created by fewer and fewer people. 117 00:12:53,494 --> 00:12:57,179 In some countries, such as the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, 118 00:12:57,179 --> 00:13:04,502 this inequality was masterfully mined to do away with democracy altogether. 119 00:13:05,286 --> 00:13:10,833 The introduction of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in the first decade of the 21st century 120 00:13:10,833 --> 00:13:17,613 has shifted that ratio back to a more even distribution of producer and consumer 121 00:13:17,613 --> 00:13:26,398 for the first time since the handwritten manuscript held sway so long ago in Ancient Athens. 122 00:13:27,290 --> 00:13:33,198 These new media live online, but they were unlike other new media like Amazon and iTunes, 123 00:13:33,198 --> 00:13:41,792 which still run for the most part like traditional publishing media, with few producers and many consumers. 124 00:13:42,438 --> 00:13:52,331 In contrast, any one can Tweet, post a status on Facebook, upload a video to YouTube - any consumer can become a producer. 125 00:13:52,331 --> 00:13:59,633 That's why I say these new social media are not just new but "new new media". 126 00:14:00,387 --> 00:14:05,429 People in the streets, demanding freedom and justice in the Arab Spring, 127 00:14:05,429 --> 00:14:10,104 and redress of economic grievances in the United States, Europe, and Asia, 128 00:14:10,104 --> 00:14:19,146 are the healthy and long-overdue political expression of the revolution in social or new new media. 129 00:14:19,623 --> 00:14:26,659 The Occupy movements are expressing a dissatisfaction with others making decisions for us 130 00:14:26,659 --> 00:14:33,736 - with our elected representatives doing the bidding of banks rather than the people who elected them. 131 00:14:35,059 --> 00:14:40,582 With means of expressing one's political views in almost everyone's pockets and hands, 132 00:14:40,582 --> 00:14:47,510 the age of mass media and representative democracy may well be in irreversible decline, 133 00:14:47,802 --> 00:14:56,264 replaced by the more equitable system of direct democracy in which the majority not only truly rules, 134 00:14:56,264 --> 00:15:05,133 but in which everyone's views can get a public hearing, and everyone can vote at any and all times. 135 00:15:07,079 --> 00:15:10,656 I talked about all of this a bit more and led a discussion 136 00:15:10,656 --> 00:15:18,946 after the 7 o'clock screening of Tiffany Shlain's new movie Connected, which was at the Angelika Film Center 137 00:15:18,946 --> 00:15:22,341 in New York City this Wednesday, October 19. 138 00:15:22,341 --> 00:15:28,471 I also discussed many of these issues on Good Day Street Talk, on Fox New York 5, 139 00:15:28,518 --> 00:15:36,190 on a panel discussion taped Thursday October 20. It was broadcast the Saturday of that week. 140 00:15:36,744 --> 00:15:42,133 And on Light On Light Through, I'll have links to these videos. 141 00:15:48,942 --> 00:15:55,518 That's LIGHTONLIGHTTHROUGHdotCom, lightonlightthrough.com. 142 00:15:56,587 --> 00:15:59,164 Let's get on to the next post. 143 00:15:59,887 --> 00:16:03,479 Friday, Oct 21, 2011 144 00:16:03,941 --> 00:16:12,118 Obama Should Call in National Guard to Restrain the NYPD in Occupy Wall Street 145 00:16:12,671 --> 00:16:13,618 Consider the following - 146 00:16:13,618 --> 00:16:19,252 - Professor and author Cornel West was just hauled off in a police paddy wagon 147 00:16:19,252 --> 00:16:24,337 up in an Occupy Harlem protest in Mew York City. 148 00:16:24,383 --> 00:16:29,221 - Professor and author Naomi Wolf was led off in hand cuffs earlier this week 149 00:16:29,252 --> 00:16:36,460 when she was walking on a street deemed off-limits - a public street - by the NYPD 150 00:16:36,518 --> 00:16:44,925 - and a woman seeking to close her Citibank account as part of the Occupy Wall Street protest was arrested 151 00:16:45,987 --> 00:16:51,410 President Obama finally announced the end of the US occupation of Iraq today. 152 00:16:52,195 --> 00:17:00,571 Now he should send some of our National Guard to New York City to restrain our out-of-control NYPD, 153 00:17:00,587 --> 00:17:09,364 because clearly Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly either can't or don't want to restrain the NYPD. 154 00:17:10,241 --> 00:17:18,202 Earlier this week, we also saw the inspiring lecture that former Marine Shamar Thomas delivered to the NYPD 155 00:17:19,618 --> 00:17:28,302 Quote: "you're supposed to protect us, not attack us," unquote, he said. There are videos of that all over the web. 156 00:17:29,148 --> 00:17:34,048 (He was not arrested, by the way - Bloomberg still has a clever sense of public relations - 157 00:17:34,279 --> 00:17:39,395 he doesn't want a video of the NYPD taking into custody a former Marine. 158 00:17:39,918 --> 00:17:50,664 But professors and authors and other law-abiding citizens - well hey! They and we are apparently fair game to arrest on camera.) 159 00:17:51,079 --> 00:17:53,164 It is becoming more clear, every day, 160 00:17:53,271 --> 00:18:00,571 that what we most in New York City need protection from is our own police. 161 00:18:02,464 --> 00:18:05,556 October 26, 2011 162 00:18:05,648 --> 00:18:08,382 No Expiration Date on First Amendment 163 00:18:09,167 --> 00:18:14,959 I'm in Brussels, Belgium, to give a Keynote Address about Marshall McLuhan tomorrow. 164 00:18:14,959 --> 00:18:18,562 I've been enjoying the conference on the Philosophy of McLuhan, 165 00:18:18,562 --> 00:18:21,264 as well as this wonderful city. 166 00:18:21,910 --> 00:18:26,879 But I've been following with grave concern the police aggression 167 00:18:26,879 --> 00:18:32,545 against Occupy protesters in Oakland, California, and Atlanta, Georgia. 168 00:18:32,545 --> 00:18:34,260 And I wanted to offer 169 00:18:34,260 --> 00:18:40,982 - to police everywhere in the United States - the following point, which is: 170 00:18:40,982 --> 00:18:48,095 There's no limit in the First Amendment on the amount of time people can peaceably assemble 171 00:18:48,095 --> 00:18:52,162 - no time after which the First Amendment doesn't apply. 172 00:18:52,162 --> 00:18:56,315 An assemblage can be an hour, a day, a year. 173 00:18:56,685 --> 00:19:03,177 So when right-wingers tell you, the Occupy protesters have made their point, they should go home, 174 00:19:03,177 --> 00:19:06,382 and the police should make them do that, by force, 175 00:19:06,382 --> 00:19:12,229 those right-wingers are only displaying their ignorance of the law. 176 00:19:12,952 --> 00:19:20,044 And that's ok. People are entitled to be ignorant of the law. But police and law-enforcement are not. 177 00:19:20,044 --> 00:19:26,454 And when police break the law, or based on ignorance of the law deprive citizens of their rights, 178 00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:31,051 that is a serious form of crime. 179 00:19:31,790 --> 00:19:35,848 It's a crime that we the taxpayers are paying for. 180 00:19:36,464 --> 00:19:44,648 No person with a conservative philosophy, no American, should be OK, let alone happy about that. 181 00:19:45,541 --> 00:19:53,848 I call upon police everywhere to respect the law. Don't follow an illegal order by your commander. 182 00:19:53,864 --> 00:19:57,767 You know what the First Amendment says and doesn't say. 183 00:19:57,767 --> 00:20:05,013 And I again urge Obama to considering calling in the National Guard to protect Americans 184 00:20:05,013 --> 00:20:14,362 being forcibly deprived of their rights, just as Dwight David Eisenhower did bravely for people in the South 185 00:20:14,362 --> 00:20:21,190 being deprived of their rights by local authorities in the 1950s. 186 00:20:22,909 --> 00:20:26,725 Saturday, October 29 2011 187 00:20:26,725 --> 00:20:29,782 Into the Mind of a Conservative Bully 188 00:20:30,613 --> 00:20:33,490 Here’s an insight into the mind of a conservative bully 189 00:20:33,490 --> 00:20:40,900 – or maybe a glimpse of an oft-used game plan favored by unprincipled conservatives in their debates, 190 00:20:40,900 --> 00:20:45,300 online and otherwise, with the progressives at hand. 191 00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:56,264 A Facebook quote “friend” unquote – I but that in quotes, because this guy is not really a friend, not even online let alone in person – 192 00:20:56,956 --> 00:21:02,716 takes issue with one of my many comments decrying the out-of-control police attack 193 00:21:02,716 --> 00:21:07,613 on peaceful Occupy demonstrators out in Oakland, California. 194 00:21:07,613 --> 00:21:11,638 They got just what they deserved, he says, appropriate for anyone 195 00:21:11,638 --> 00:21:14,715 who defies the authorities and breaks the law. 196 00:21:15,762 --> 00:21:23,088 Well, that's interesting, I replied. So how is it that the Mayor of Oakland – Jean Quan – issued this statement 197 00:21:23,088 --> 00:21:30,198 in the aftermath of the police vicious attack on the Occupy Oakland people: 198 00:21:30,952 --> 00:21:33,159 And here is Jean Quan's statement: 199 00:21:33,190 --> 00:21:40,079 "October 27th, 9pm -- I am deeply saddened about the outcome on Tuesday., Quan writes 200 00:21:40,079 --> 00:21:47,125 It was not what anyone hoped for, ultimately it was my responsibility, and I apologize for what happened. 201 00:21:47,125 --> 00:21:55,518 Today I, Mayor Quan, visited Scott Olsen [this is the former Marine who bravely served in Iraq, 202 00:21:55,518 --> 00:22:01,725 shot in the head by the cops with a rubber bullet that landed him in hospital in critical condition] 203 00:22:02,356 --> 00:22:06,933 But back to Quan's statement: "Today I visited Scott Olsen and his parents 204 00:22:06,933 --> 00:22:10,059 because I was deeply concerned about his recovery. 205 00:22:10,059 --> 00:22:13,482 And I hope we will keep them all in our prayers. 206 00:22:14,113 --> 00:22:20,675 We have started an investigation into the use of force," Quan continues, "including tear gas, on Tuesday. 207 00:22:20,705 --> 00:22:28,398 I cannot change the past, but I want to work with you to ensure that this remains peaceful moving forward." 208 00:22:29,459 --> 00:22:32,199 That's the end of Mayor Quan's statement. 209 00:22:33,199 --> 00:22:46,495 And what was the response of my “friend”, in quotes, quote friend unquote? The response was: nothing. Nada. Zilch. 210 00:22:46,987 --> 00:22:53,177 After two reminders from me and three days. He’s disappeared from the argument, 211 00:22:53,177 --> 00:22:56,808 slunk back into the shadows from which he first emerged. 212 00:22:57,454 --> 00:23:03,398 How many times have you seen this hit-and-run behavior, or been treated to it yourself? 213 00:23:03,752 --> 00:23:06,736 A conservative makes a point that’s flagrantly wrong; 214 00:23:06,782 --> 00:23:10,746 someone calls him or her on it, and presents the fact; 215 00:23:10,746 --> 00:23:14,859 the conservative exits right, with no further word. 216 00:23:15,382 --> 00:23:21,698 The modus operandi of the conservative bully - I guess there may be some progressive bullies like this too 217 00:23:21,744 --> 00:23:24,305 but truthfully, I haven't run into them - 218 00:23:25,059 --> 00:23:29,467 So, as far as I know, this is the modus operandi of the conservative bully: 219 00:23:30,036 --> 00:23:35,310 puncturing rational dialog, bringing down a discussion, whenever possible. 220 00:23:35,925 --> 00:23:39,146 It would almost be funny, if it wasn’t so sad. 221 00:23:39,146 --> 00:23:43,096 And it shows, if ever we needed a reason, 222 00:23:43,696 --> 00:23:52,062 that comments emanating from these kinds of partisans are probably best ignored. 223 00:23:53,202 --> 00:23:56,582 Wednesday, November 2, 2011 224 00:23:56,613 --> 00:23:59,767 Bank of America Bends to Will of the People 225 00:24:00,213 --> 00:24:03,987 Bank of America yesterday bowed to the will of its customers, 226 00:24:03,987 --> 00:24:10,715 withdrawing its plan to charge 5 bucks a month for use of its precious debit cards. 227 00:24:11,285 --> 00:24:17,633 I see this as being just one of many reversals of corporate rapaciousness and insensitivity 228 00:24:17,633 --> 00:24:20,064 in the new world in which we live. 229 00:24:20,602 --> 00:24:26,362 This is a world very different from the old one, which is still in the process of ending, 230 00:24:26,362 --> 00:24:31,629 in which corporations dealt out whatever they pleased to consumers. 231 00:24:32,413 --> 00:24:36,798 In that old world, now being set back on its hind quarters, 232 00:24:36,798 --> 00:24:43,182 people mistreated by corporations had no one to complain to other than their families and friends, 233 00:24:43,890 --> 00:24:50,621 and governments which did little or nothing, and the corporations did far less. 234 00:24:51,159 --> 00:24:58,531 Now, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube - social media - allow people to instantly and effectively communicate 235 00:24:58,531 --> 00:25:04,506 to millions about the bad treatment they are receiving from their banks and corporate monoliths. 236 00:25:04,891 --> 00:25:12,454 Abused customers no longer have to wait for a mass medium - a TV or newspaper reporter - 237 00:25:12,454 --> 00:25:15,315 to deign to give their grievance coverage. 238 00:25:15,746 --> 00:25:23,541 The consumers can get their own coverage via YouTube videos and Tweets that cost nothing to produce 239 00:25:23,541 --> 00:25:29,946 and can be seen and read everywhere, on any smart phone or old-fashioned laptop. 240 00:25:30,931 --> 00:25:35,342 Bank of America isn't the first corporation to feel this cleansing power. 241 00:25:36,403 --> 00:25:42,731 Netflix earlier reversed its new, regressive polices after a torrent online complaints. 242 00:25:42,731 --> 00:25:49,582 Netflix learned that online media can be used for more than selling movies and TV shows. 243 00:25:50,152 --> 00:25:54,479 Some big corporations think that by hiring a cool PR firm, 244 00:25:54,479 --> 00:25:58,731 they can develop an effective presence in the realms of social media. 245 00:25:59,331 --> 00:26:02,746 But such con jobs can be seen a mile away. 246 00:26:03,377 --> 00:26:06,469 Other companies have learned that online presence 247 00:26:06,469 --> 00:26:10,016 must be accompanied by real benefits to the consumer. 248 00:26:10,016 --> 00:26:15,515 Panera Bread, for example, not only offers free wi-fi in its cafes, 249 00:26:15,515 --> 00:26:21,182 but gives free refills for coffee and tea, and other perks to its loyal customers. 250 00:26:21,798 --> 00:26:28,213 Contrast that to Bank of America's attempt to squeeze five more dollars out of its customers. 251 00:26:28,875 --> 00:26:34,931 The resurgence of direct democracy ongoing in Occupy Wall Street all over the world 252 00:26:34,931 --> 00:26:39,664 is now beginning to have tangible economic consequences. 253 00:26:40,187 --> 00:26:48,329 This is very likely just the start of an economic revolution that will go hand-in-hand with the political. 254 00:26:48,341 --> 00:26:51,433 Thursday, November 10, 2011 255 00:26:52,033 --> 00:26:55,613 Open Letter to Governor Jerry Brown 256 00:26:55,721 --> 00:26:57,652 Dear Jerry - 257 00:26:57,652 --> 00:27:03,464 We met several years ago, when the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University 258 00:27:03,464 --> 00:27:05,533 - of which I was then Chair - 259 00:27:05,533 --> 00:27:10,382 invited you to give one of our annual lectures about Marshall McLuhan. 260 00:27:11,198 --> 00:27:19,782 You and I had the opportunity to have an excellent, wide-ranging talk about media and society, prior to your lecture. 261 00:27:20,429 --> 00:27:26,387 I was already an admirer of your perceptive vision and understanding of our society. 262 00:27:26,741 --> 00:27:32,169 I consider our conversation one of the best I've had with anyone. 263 00:27:32,169 --> 00:27:36,248 I was, therefore, delighted with your re-entry into politics, 264 00:27:36,248 --> 00:27:40,331 and cheered when you were again elected Governor of California, 265 00:27:40,331 --> 00:27:44,398 even though I'm a New Yorker, through and through. 266 00:27:45,382 --> 00:27:51,352 But with this in mind, I've been stunned to see what your police have doing in your state. 267 00:27:51,382 --> 00:27:57,680 And I find your lack of public response incomprehensible. 268 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:03,213 What on Earth is going on with you and the state of California? 269 00:28:03,213 --> 00:28:10,095 A former Marine - an Iraq War veteran - was shot point blank in the head by a rubber bullet, 270 00:28:10,095 --> 00:28:13,121 landing him in the hospital in critical condition. 271 00:28:13,598 --> 00:28:18,137 A person who dared to point a video camera at police in another protest 272 00:28:18,137 --> 00:28:22,045 was shot at point blank range in the body with a rubber bullet. 273 00:28:22,045 --> 00:28:28,018 Just last night, I saw a video on YouTube of your police beating students 274 00:28:28,018 --> 00:28:32,782 who dared to stand up for their First Amendment rights at Berkeley. 275 00:28:33,675 --> 00:28:40,528 What on Earth is going on in California, and why are you doing nothing about it? 276 00:28:40,528 --> 00:28:47,110 As you must know, none of the Occupy protesters in these incidents were the least bit violent. 277 00:28:47,110 --> 00:28:50,381 In some cases, a few raised their voices a little. 278 00:28:50,381 --> 00:28:56,382 All of this is their right under the First Amendment, to "peaceably assemble". 279 00:28:57,044 --> 00:29:03,393 I am surprised and deeply disturbed and saddened that you seem unwilling or unable 280 00:29:03,393 --> 00:29:07,546 to use the power of your office to curb your police. 281 00:29:08,162 --> 00:29:13,725 Do you think rubber bullets which send citizens to the hospital in critical condition 282 00:29:13,725 --> 00:29:18,777 are a proper response to people who are assembling and raising their voices 283 00:29:18,777 --> 00:29:23,598 in protest of the economic and other inequalities in this country? 284 00:29:24,275 --> 00:29:29,915 Whether the police are local, or even security forces at a private institution, 285 00:29:29,946 --> 00:29:38,823 this brutality is happening in your state, and, as Governor, it is your responsibility to stop that. 286 00:29:39,654 --> 00:29:44,115 I know you were once in a seminary, and thought of joining the priesthood. 287 00:29:44,592 --> 00:29:47,613 I was always glad that you brought that sensitivity, 288 00:29:47,613 --> 00:29:52,564 that awareness of the human condition, to your important work in government. 289 00:29:53,118 --> 00:29:57,413 Our nation, your state, stand at a crossroads now. 290 00:29:57,890 --> 00:30:00,985 You can make s decisive difference in the outcome, 291 00:30:00,985 --> 00:30:05,669 and help our nation continue on its path to a better democracy. 292 00:30:06,285 --> 00:30:13,582 You can become a national leader on the side of the angels and the Constitution in this. 293 00:30:14,398 --> 00:30:22,582 Please stop your out of control police, before lives are lost, and you miss your chance. 294 00:30:23,213 --> 00:30:35,073 And I aigned this: -Paul Levinson, PhD Professor of Communication and Media Studies [Chair of Department, 2002-2008] Fordham University. 295 00:30:37,146 --> 00:30:40,402 Sunday, November 13, 2011 296 00:30:40,402 --> 00:30:46,133 Lame CBS Broadcasts Only First Hour of Republican Foreign Policy Debate 297 00:30:47,141 --> 00:30:52,712 So if you were watching the Republican Presidential debate on foreign policy on CBS last night, 298 00:30:52,712 --> 00:30:55,606 you were treated to its ending after the first hour, 299 00:30:55,606 --> 00:31:00,700 with an announcement that the remaining half hour would be available online. 300 00:31:01,500 --> 00:31:06,403 Now, I'm all in favor of television being available online, but - 301 00:31:06,834 --> 00:31:10,148 What about viewers who may not have been near their computers, 302 00:31:10,148 --> 00:31:15,753 or would rather watch the debate on a screen a little larger than their smartphones? 303 00:31:16,446 --> 00:31:22,023 I'm not a Republican, and I enjoy the jokes about Republicans not having a foreign policy 304 00:31:22,023 --> 00:31:24,077 as much as any non-Republican, 305 00:31:24,523 --> 00:31:29,632 but CBS's decision not to broadcast the entire 90-minute debate 306 00:31:29,647 --> 00:31:35,142 strikes me as a profound disservice to our electoral process. 307 00:31:35,142 --> 00:31:43,213 The truth is, Democrats, Independents, not only Republicans, were disadvantaged by CBS's decision. 308 00:31:43,782 --> 00:31:48,131 It's good for anyone or any political persuasion to see what the person 309 00:31:48,162 --> 00:31:57,331 who will likely face Barack Obama in the 2012 election thinks about major foreign policy issues. 310 00:31:57,715 --> 00:32:06,664 As Walter Lippmann pointed out way back in the 1920s, democracy is a sham when voters are uninformed. 311 00:32:07,464 --> 00:32:16,198 That's certainly not what William Paley thought when he took command of the fledgeling CBS radio network in the 1920s. 312 00:32:16,198 --> 00:32:21,731 Coverage of all aspects of elections remained first and foremost in his network 313 00:32:21,731 --> 00:32:25,464 when it added television to its roster in the 1940s. 314 00:32:26,187 --> 00:32:30,631 I guess it's not surprising that CBS shows so little understanding 315 00:32:30,631 --> 00:32:33,746 of current elections and what they require. 316 00:32:34,269 --> 00:32:39,977 Like all the mass media, CBS has shown little understanding of Occupy Wall Street, 317 00:32:39,977 --> 00:32:44,275 and the resurgence of direct democracy that it embodies. 318 00:32:44,967 --> 00:32:52,679 CBS is an equal opportunity abuser of representative as well as direct democracy. 319 00:32:53,418 --> 00:32:58,469 And what was so important that CBS had to cut short its debate coverage? 320 00:32:59,038 --> 00:33:03,613 It was a rerun of NCIS - one of my favorite shows on television 321 00:33:03,613 --> 00:33:13,355 - but I bet Gibbs, even Gibbs, would have given the president of CBS a head-slap on Saturday night if he could. 322 00:33:15,011 --> 00:33:18,382 Tuesday, November 15, 2011 323 00:33:18,398 --> 00:33:22,883 Mayor Bloomberg's Poor Understanding of the First Amendment 324 00:33:23,514 --> 00:33:28,598 This is from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's statement about his clearing of Zuccotti Park 325 00:33:28,598 --> 00:33:31,528 under cover of darkness early this morning - 326 00:33:32,251 --> 00:33:37,868 Quote "No right is absolute and with every right comes responsibilities. 327 00:33:37,868 --> 00:33:42,062 The First Amendment gives every New Yorker the right to speak out 328 00:33:42,062 --> 00:33:49,495 – but it does not give anyone the right to sleep in a park or otherwise take it over to the exclusion of others 329 00:33:49,510 --> 00:33:58,079 – nor does it permit anyone in our society to live outside the law. There is no ambiguity in the law here 330 00:33:58,079 --> 00:34:01,575 – the First Amendment protects speech 331 00:34:01,575 --> 00:34:09,802 – it does not protect the use of tents and sleeping bags to take over a public space." Unquote. 332 00:34:10,756 --> 00:34:14,613 Well, here is where and why that is wrong - 333 00:34:14,613 --> 00:34:18,048 1. The First Amendment reads, in full, 334 00:34:18,048 --> 00:34:23,392 Quote:"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, 335 00:34:23,392 --> 00:34:26,448 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; 336 00:34:26,448 --> 00:34:29,495 or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; 337 00:34:29,495 --> 00:34:32,829 or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, 338 00:34:32,829 --> 00:34:39,915 and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." End quote - conclusion of the First Amendment. 339 00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:47,582 Now, clearly, the right to, quote, "peaceaby to assemble," unquote, a right which is distinct from free speech, 340 00:34:47,582 --> 00:34:54,632 is listed in the First Amendment as a separate right, co-equal with speech and press. 341 00:34:55,417 --> 00:34:59,618 Bloomberg's statement unsurprisingly misses that. 342 00:35:00,110 --> 00:35:05,081 2. The rights in the First Amendment are indeed absolute 343 00:35:05,081 --> 00:35:12,300 - "no law" - that's a quote from the First Amendment - "no law" means just that, "no law". 344 00:35:12,346 --> 00:35:15,933 A law about tents not allowed in parks would be precisely 345 00:35:15,933 --> 00:35:23,182 the kind of law not allowed by the First Amendment, if it gets in the way of people peaceably assembling. 346 00:35:23,782 --> 00:35:27,198 3. Although Bloomberg doesn't address this, 347 00:35:27,198 --> 00:35:33,264 the 14th Amendment to our Constitution extends the restriction on Congress in the 1st Amendment 348 00:35:33,264 --> 00:35:37,331 to all forms of local government in the United States. 349 00:35:37,931 --> 00:35:46,829 New York City, Oakland, California, Portland, Oregon, all the cities which have been Occupied are no exception. 350 00:35:46,829 --> 00:35:51,576 4. Bloomberg's contempt for the First Amendment is also obvious 351 00:35:51,576 --> 00:35:55,422 in the way the clearing of Zuccotti Park was conducted - 352 00:35:55,422 --> 00:36:00,617 with media deliberately prevented from covering that news. 353 00:36:01,094 --> 00:36:06,493 In that very action, Bloomberg is also flagrantly violating the First Amendment, 354 00:36:06,493 --> 00:36:11,577 in this case, the freedom of press provision of the First Amendment. 355 00:36:12,192 --> 00:36:17,848 In sum, Mayor Bloomberg's expressed comprehension of the First Amendment is less 356 00:36:17,848 --> 00:36:24,829 than I would expect from an introductory class of students at Fordham University where I teach. 357 00:36:24,829 --> 00:36:32,998 I look forward to the courts setting this misguided and dangerous billionaire Mayor straight. 358 00:36:32,998 --> 00:36:41,121 For Bloomberg's complete statement, see AlterNet.org, which is a very good site. 359 00:36:41,121 --> 00:36:49,608 And I add this note on Nov 15, 2011: The first Judge to hear case just sided with Bloomberg, 360 00:36:49,608 --> 00:36:53,813 ruling protesters have a right to speech but not to assemble in tents. 361 00:36:54,521 --> 00:36:59,062 I expect this ruling to be overturned by higher courts. 362 00:37:00,341 --> 00:37:03,075 Wednesday, November 16, 2011 363 00:37:03,075 --> 00:37:07,648 Violation of First Amendment to Cover Up Violation of First Amendment 364 00:37:08,233 --> 00:37:11,582 More on what happened yesterday at Zuccotti Park - 365 00:37:11,582 --> 00:37:19,248 The muzzling of media coverage, which we now know, went as far as arresting and literally pushing around reporters, 366 00:37:19,248 --> 00:37:23,362 amounts to a violation of the First Amendment (freedom of press) 367 00:37:23,362 --> 00:37:28,571 to cover up a violation of the First Amendment (the right to peaceably assemble). 368 00:37:29,079 --> 00:37:35,168 It's not surprising that Bloomberg missed this, as he appallingly indicated in his public statement 369 00:37:35,168 --> 00:37:39,285 that he thinks for First Amendment protects only freedom of speech. 370 00:37:39,285 --> 00:37:45,996 But, as I pointed out in my last blog post, the First Amendment also quite obviously protects 371 00:37:45,996 --> 00:37:49,115 freedoms of press and peaceable assemblage 372 00:37:49,115 --> 00:37:56,414 (for which, by the way, no expiration date or limitation of duration of assembly is given). 373 00:37:56,767 --> 00:38:02,879 Further, since Oakland Mayor Quan admitted that the clearings of Occupy sites across the country 374 00:38:02,879 --> 00:38:07,095 were coordinated in a conference call with 18 mayors, 375 00:38:07,710 --> 00:38:12,079 there may be good evidence of a conspiracy, here in the United States, 376 00:38:12,079 --> 00:38:17,157 among mayors and government officials, to violate the First Amendment. 377 00:38:18,249 --> 00:38:22,587 I once again call upon the Federal government to finally do something 378 00:38:22,587 --> 00:38:26,998 to stop this coordinated attack on American democracy. 379 00:38:27,629 --> 00:38:32,654 How about the US Attorney General investigating what those mayors did? 380 00:38:32,654 --> 00:38:38,064 How about charging them with conspiracy to undermine our Constitution? 381 00:38:38,925 --> 00:38:41,213 Do we live in a nation of laws, 382 00:38:41,213 --> 00:38:48,115 or a nation in which government officials and police can do whatever they choose? 383 00:38:48,629 --> 00:38:51,690 Sunday, November 20, 2011 384 00:38:52,198 --> 00:38:58,885 What OWS Has Shown Us about Bloomberg, Jerry Brown and Obama 385 00:38:59,515 --> 00:39:03,479 About Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City: 386 00:39:03,479 --> 00:39:07,705 Trampled on the First Amendment freedom of peaceable assembly rights 387 00:39:07,705 --> 00:39:11,644 of Occupy Wall Street protesters in Zuccotti Park; 388 00:39:12,429 --> 00:39:16,982 trampled on First Amendment freedom of press rights of all New Yorkers and Americans 389 00:39:16,982 --> 00:39:22,613 by banning media from his forced eviction of Zuccotti Park protesters; 390 00:39:22,613 --> 00:39:30,146 has supported police beating of protesters, roughing up of journalists, arrest of protesters and journalists; 391 00:39:30,146 --> 00:39:39,798 conspired with 17 other mayors to launch nation-wide clearing of Occupy Wall Street sites in cities across America. 392 00:39:40,244 --> 00:39:45,798 I would not vote for Michael Bloomberg if I lived in New York City (where I work); 393 00:39:45,798 --> 00:39:49,648 I will never vote for him for any other offices; 394 00:39:49,648 --> 00:39:56,936 I would like to see a Federal investigation into his Occupy Wall Street conduct. 395 00:39:56,936 --> 00:40:00,598 About Governor Jerry Brown of California: 396 00:40:00,613 --> 00:40:07,213 Has remained silent as police in cities and campuses in California have shot rubber bullets at protesters 397 00:40:07,213 --> 00:40:13,915 (one point blank at the head on an Iraq War veteran that put him in the hospital in critical condition) 398 00:40:13,915 --> 00:40:23,346 and also at people with camera phones, and who used pepper spray, wantonly, with no provocation, at UC-Davis, 399 00:40:23,762 --> 00:40:28,833 and has remained silent as police beat students at Berkeley. 400 00:40:30,187 --> 00:40:37,187 I once admired Jerry Brown's vision and had an impressive, hour-long conversation with him at Fordham University 401 00:40:37,187 --> 00:40:42,522 when I was Chair of the Department of Communication and Media Studies several years ago. 402 00:40:43,337 --> 00:40:49,900 I no longer admire him, to say the least, and unless he moves very quickly now 403 00:40:49,900 --> 00:40:54,146 to protect the people in his state from police brutality 404 00:40:54,146 --> 00:40:59,998 I will speak out against him if he runs for any office again. 405 00:41:01,413 --> 00:41:05,715 About President Barack Obama of the United States: 406 00:41:05,715 --> 00:41:09,479 He has also been silent about all of the above. 407 00:41:09,479 --> 00:41:15,248 I voted for him in 2008, and I wrote and spoke out in his favor many times. 408 00:41:15,679 --> 00:41:19,085 Just search for Paul Levinson and Barack Obama on Google, 409 00:41:19,085 --> 00:41:22,248 and you'll see the dozens and dozens of blog posts. 410 00:41:23,110 --> 00:41:29,248 President Obama's silence about the above attacks on Americans exercising their First Amendment rights 411 00:41:30,110 --> 00:41:39,077 is making me begin to wonder if I will ever be able to vote for him again. 412 00:41:40,613 --> 00:41:43,546 Sunday, November 20, 2011 413 00:41:43,546 --> 00:41:50,527 Jay Carney (and Obama) Have It All Wrong about Police and Occupy Wall Street 414 00:41:50,527 --> 00:41:56,611 Did you catch this statement the other day from White House Press Secretary Jay Carney? 415 00:41:58,303 --> 00:42:02,973 And this is a quote from an online source: 416 00:42:03,603 --> 00:42:09,598 Speaking November 15 aboard Air Force One, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said: 417 00:42:09,598 --> 00:42:14,596 quote: “The president’s position is that obviously every municipality 418 00:42:14,596 --> 00:42:20,281 has to make its own decisions about how to handle these issues.” Unquote - 419 00:42:20,296 --> 00:42:22,504 "these issues" being Occupy Wall Street" 420 00:42:23,166 --> 00:42:27,115 Carney was seeking, in that statement, to debunk questions about 421 00:42:27,115 --> 00:42:31,076 whether the Federal government is in some way coordinating 422 00:42:31,076 --> 00:42:37,917 the police crackdowns on Occupy Wall Street protests across the country this past week. 423 00:42:37,933 --> 00:42:43,319 (We already know that the Mayors of New York, Oakland, and 16 other American cities 424 00:42:43,319 --> 00:42:48,479 coordinated their unconstitutional attacks on the protesters.) 425 00:42:49,187 --> 00:42:56,685 But Carney's statement also says something quite important - crucial - that he likely did not intend to say. 426 00:42:56,685 --> 00:43:03,648 And that is: allowing municipalities to make their own decisions regarding the protesters 427 00:43:03,648 --> 00:43:10,762 is not an expression of innocence, but an admission of guilt, when what the cities are doing 428 00:43:10,762 --> 00:43:16,671 is pepper-spraying the protesters, arresting and beating protesters as well as reporters, 429 00:43:16,671 --> 00:43:24,485 and (in the case of New York City) deliberately shutting off the eviction of Zuccotti Park from press coverage. 430 00:43:25,069 --> 00:43:30,084 The First Amendment guarantees citizens the right to peaceably assemble. 431 00:43:30,084 --> 00:43:31,969 The First Amendment says: 432 00:43:31,969 --> 00:43:37,152 quote: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; 433 00:43:37,152 --> 00:43:41,008 or the right of the people peaceably to assemble," Unquote. 434 00:43:41,008 --> 00:43:49,479 and the Fourteenth Amendment extends that restriction to all levels of government, including municipalities. 435 00:43:49,895 --> 00:43:57,664 So in leaving decisions about how to respond to Occupy Wall Street protests to municipalities, 436 00:43:57,664 --> 00:44:04,864 the Obama administration is plainly shirking its responsibility to make sure 437 00:44:04,864 --> 00:44:10,648 no local government violates the First Amendment rights of citizens - 438 00:44:11,371 --> 00:44:16,754 by allowing them to be viciously attacked by police, pepper-sprayed 439 00:44:16,754 --> 00:44:22,531 and by preventing the media from fully reporting these violations to the people. 440 00:44:22,531 --> 00:44:28,662 Thank goodness that someone was there with a video app on a cellphone 441 00:44:28,662 --> 00:44:37,347 and was able to show the world what those criminal police out at the UC-Davis were doing to the protesters. 442 00:44:39,285 --> 00:44:49,862 The Obama's administration and its inability or not wanting to do anything about this is shameful 443 00:44:50,462 --> 00:44:56,121 And Jay Carney's statement is not only shameful, 444 00:44:56,121 --> 00:45:04,199 but an admission of an inability to govern by the Obama administration. 445 00:45:04,860 --> 00:45:14,277 I hope President Obama and his advisers wake up to this disgrace and outrage before he's voted out of office. 446 00:45:15,612 --> 00:45:18,464 Sunday, November 20, 2011 447 00:45:18,464 --> 00:45:25,736 Failure of Budget Super-Committee Shows Further Decay of Representative Democracy 448 00:45:27,090 --> 00:45:30,362 The bipartisan bozos in Washington 449 00:45:30,362 --> 00:45:34,000 - the super-committee tasked this summer with working out a new budget 450 00:45:34,046 --> 00:45:38,587 by the day before Thanksgiving (that was yesterday - 451 00:45:38,587 --> 00:45:43,810 I'm now saying, as I'm recording this podcast, but I wrote this blog on the 20th). 452 00:45:43,810 --> 00:45:51,095 So, back on the 20th, just a few days to go, the bi-partisan bozos in Washington are reported 453 00:45:51,095 --> 00:45:56,710 to be on the verge of announcing failure to reach agreement on a new budget. 454 00:45:56,710 --> 00:46:02,531 This is after Congress and the President failed to reach agreement on a new budget this summer, 455 00:46:02,531 --> 00:46:07,447 and instead created the super-committee to come up with a budget, 456 00:46:07,447 --> 00:46:12,423 with a back-up of draconian cuts to major arteries of government, 457 00:46:12,423 --> 00:46:15,429 ranging from the military to human services, 458 00:46:16,029 --> 00:46:20,233 if a new budget was not agreed upon and approved by Congress. 459 00:46:21,664 --> 00:46:28,801 Here is the upshot: at a time when our and the world's economy are in serious crisis 460 00:46:28,801 --> 00:46:32,864 - at a time, in other words, in which government is more needed than ever - 461 00:46:32,864 --> 00:46:38,813 our representative government in the United States is incapable of performing. 462 00:46:39,521 --> 00:46:41,915 Part of it is their own fault. 463 00:46:41,915 --> 00:46:48,848 The Senate is tied up because it has imposed upon itself a de facto requirement of 60 votes 464 00:46:48,848 --> 00:46:51,905 to pass controversial legislation. 465 00:46:52,551 --> 00:47:00,731 Constitutional scholar Lyle Denniston quotes Senator Jeff Merkley (Democrat from Oregon, not on the super-committee) 466 00:47:00,731 --> 00:47:10,613 as noting that the Constitution, quote: "only specifies a, quote, 'supermajority', unquote, for a limited list of Senate actions. 467 00:47:10,613 --> 00:47:17,228 Some of them are: ratification of treaties, conviction of a President in an impeachment trial, 468 00:47:17,228 --> 00:47:22,251 overriding presidential vetoes, approving constitutional amendments ..." 469 00:47:22,774 --> 00:47:25,536 End of Lyle Denniston's quote. 470 00:47:26,074 --> 00:47:33,182 Nowhere does the Constitution say that 60 votes are required for difficult or controversial legislation 471 00:47:33,829 --> 00:47:38,910 - indeed, I would argue that, the more pressing the need for some kind of legislation, 472 00:47:38,910 --> 00:47:44,582 the more illogical and counterproductive it is to require 60 votes. 473 00:47:45,305 --> 00:47:50,105 That's in addition to that requirement being extra-Constitutional. 474 00:47:51,182 --> 00:47:53,870 But there is a deeper factor at work here, 475 00:47:53,870 --> 00:47:59,513 one that goes beyond our elected representatives shooting themselves in their own feet. 476 00:47:59,513 --> 00:48:07,695 Representative democracy may well be floundering because we finally have the means, in our digital age, 477 00:48:07,695 --> 00:48:14,121 to govern ourselves, to discuss and vote upon pressing issues, directly. 478 00:48:14,983 --> 00:48:20,582 If budgets were put to a direct majority up-or-down vote of the American people, 479 00:48:20,629 --> 00:48:26,214 surely one would soon get 50% of the vote plus one. 480 00:48:26,214 --> 00:48:30,162 Surely, in other words, a new budget would soon be adopted. 481 00:48:31,192 --> 00:48:36,382 The digital revolution - social media, or what I call "new new media" - 482 00:48:36,398 --> 00:48:38,829 have given us the means to do this. 483 00:48:39,521 --> 00:48:45,213 Occupy Wall Street and the the Arab Spring are the leading expression of this. 484 00:48:45,213 --> 00:48:48,895 Unsurprisingly, representative governments and dictatorships 485 00:48:48,895 --> 00:48:52,982 are alike in opposing these developments. 486 00:48:53,567 --> 00:48:57,029 But the tide of history is turning. 487 00:48:57,029 --> 00:49:03,633 The representative governments and the dictatorships will both continue to decay, 488 00:49:03,648 --> 00:49:06,921 and the people will emerge triumphant, 489 00:49:06,921 --> 00:49:14,992 one hopes will less bloodshed overseas and less brutality in the United States, 490 00:49:14,992 --> 00:49:17,631 than we've seen so far. 491 00:49:18,662 --> 00:49:24,946 And that blog post from November 20th is the last one that I will present to you here 492 00:49:24,946 --> 00:49:29,000 in Part 1 of the Occupy Wall Street Chronicles. 493 00:49:29,877 --> 00:49:37,397 Obviously. events are still going on. I think we are in the most significant revolution in many ways 494 00:49:38,074 --> 00:49:41,867 since in the United States, the American Revolution itself, 495 00:49:41,952 --> 00:49:46,252 certainly since the protest against the Vietnam War in the 1960's. 496 00:49:46,252 --> 00:49:52,029 And when you add into this the new media that I've been talking about, 497 00:49:52,044 --> 00:49:57,775 media which the protesters can hold up in the face of police brutality, 498 00:49:57,775 --> 00:50:07,752 and maybe not stop that brutality at that instant, because a cell phone can be beaten down by a club. 499 00:50:07,752 --> 00:50:13,513 But if that cell phone can convey to the rest of the world what's going on, 500 00:50:13,513 --> 00:50:21,121 for the first time in history, police can't get away with their brutal response to protesters. 501 00:50:22,044 --> 00:50:28,759 This actually began with the beating of Rodney King, really the first time in our recent history, 502 00:50:28,759 --> 00:50:36,275 that a police beating was seen by more people than those that happened to be there as it was happening. 503 00:50:37,029 --> 00:50:41,882 So I'm optimistic indeed that the tide of history is beginning to turn. 504 00:50:42,467 --> 00:50:46,213 In the meantime, those of you in America, I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving 505 00:50:46,213 --> 00:50:50,129 and those around the world, I hope you enjoy your Thursday. 506 00:50:50,129 --> 00:50:57,275 And I'll be back here soon with additional thoughts on Occupy Wall Street. 507 00:50:57,275 --> 00:50:58,882 Thanks for listening. 508 00:50:58,944 --> 00:51:04,044 Hey, I'm back with you. I just came across this after I recorded the podcast. 509 00:51:04,044 --> 00:51:16,021 It seems that on Wednesday, November 23, the NYPD has been ordered to let the press do its job. 510 00:51:16,021 --> 00:51:22,967 And this obviously pertains directly to the NYPD - New York City cops - 511 00:51:23,013 --> 00:51:30,636 not letting the media cover the story of the evacuation of Zuccotti Park. 512 00:51:30,636 --> 00:51:32,875 This was reported in the New York Times. 513 00:51:32,875 --> 00:51:35,144 So that's progress, that's good news. 514 00:51:35,975 --> 00:51:43,613 As far as Mayor Bloomberg is concerned, however - he apparently ordered this change in police policy - 515 00:51:44,321 --> 00:51:46,867 I still think he should be impeached. 516 00:51:47,452 --> 00:51:52,767 We need a Mayor who gets the First Amendment right the first time. 517 00:51:53,377 --> 00:51:59,375 A lot of damage was done when the police arrested and roughed up reporters. 518 00:52:00,275 --> 00:52:05,564 But I'll have more to say about this and ongoing developments in Occupy Wall Street, 519 00:52:05,564 --> 00:52:12,449 and how all this relates to Facebook, Twitter, and the resurgence of the direct democracy, 520 00:52:13,203 --> 00:52:20,295 in my next podcast, in which I'll continue the Occupy Wall Street Chronicles. 521 00:52:20,895 --> 00:52:28,621 I'm Paul Levinson. You can listen to this and any other episode on Light On Light Through anytime. 522 00:52:29,098 --> 00:52:38,734 at LIGHTONLIGHTTHROUGHdotCom. 523 00:52:39,781 --> 00:52:41,892 [woman] The Light On Light Through podcast. 524 00:52:41,946 --> 00:53:08,526 [music]