11.20.2011

Wind of Repression Fanning the Flames of Change

There is a fire burning in the forest of capitialism and it has plenty of fuel. When it's a well fueled fire burning in a real forest the firefighters work towards containment. They try to use up the available fuel so that when the winds blow the resulting embers will have no chance of kindling a new breakout. The Empire seems not to have learned from this example.

Instead of attempting to contain the worldwide anti-capitialist movement by removing the fuel of inequity that feeds it they've adopted violence and repression in response. Every day the wind fans the flames from a new direction. Today in the US it's the UC Davis pepper spray blowing, in Egypt it's Tahrir Square exploding, riots in Athen's and Rome, the winds of repression are stiff, the fire is spreading quickly. Tomorow more evictions in more cities will spread the flames of change further still.

Evicting the occupiers is doing the movement a huge favor, i'd personally like to thank them. Before the evictions their very name 'occupy' had them somewhat contained. The movement's flame is small when the bits of mud they camped on framed the discussion. Now it's the moral high ground they seek to occupy. The glowing embers set aloft by the evictions will hopefuly land in neighborhoods and back yards where new General Assemblies will convene, where the new horizontal awareness could lead to real communication among the, until now, divided 99%.

Until then, until the fire burns in every community, we can take heart in the new flames large and small quickly fanning out in all directions. The batman like beaming of slogans at the Brooklyn Bridge march was perfect. OWS has a great sense of theater, today they've organized a a 24-hour "Occupy Bloomberg's Mansion Drum Circle and Love-In Art Show" outside the mayor's townhouse at 17 East 79th Street. Free drum lessons!