THE "OCCUPYING" LIFE OF OCCUPY SASKATOON

Hello. My name is Bear. Rob-Bear. I used to inhabit this blog.

Lately, thought, I've been out trying to help save [our little corner of] the world. It has been an interesting experience. Very interesting.

We've been working on both a theoretical level and a practical level.

We discuss the problems our society is facing.
• The growing disparity for the rich, who are making a lot more these days, largely through paying less taxes, and the rest, who are actually making less. (You've seen the statistics.)
• Our new Canadian political model, based on 1 dollar = 1 vote (instead of 1 person = 1 vote).
• The real needs of our community, including "the other 1%" — as in the 1.39% of our community with "no visible means of support."

At first, things were cool. We worked on out some of the principles that guide us, and some possible actions. The main one being a "teach-in" on social and economic issues plaguing average Canadians. "Education in the Park" happens tomorrow (as in Saturday, Oct. 29th).

Second, some the homeless (the other 1.39 per cent) joined us, in the process. They participated in our conversations (including our General Assembly) as much as they wanted to and were able. And, since they were part of our community, they ate some of our food. And that was cool.

Third, the "party-people" joined us. They are part of the 1.39% too. They show up about midnight, and look for a place to crash.

Only they tend to be inebriated. As in drunk. Drink of choice: Listerine. Yes, the mouthwash. It has a lot of alcohol in it, it's cheap, and you don't have to go to the liquor store to get it.

And the party-people began to intimidate the other homeless. One came with a fairly big knife, and a bad attitude.  Fortunately, he passed out before he could cause any serious problems. Police and paramedics took a couple of them away. That was not cool at all!

Now, we have a fairly major challenge. Several actually.
• Where to find some meeting space for the winter.
• Which kinds of activities do we want to pursue.
• And what can we do with (not "for") our homeless friends, when the freezing weather comes.

None of this is easy. But we're working on it.

BEAR, MISSING IN ACTION

Bear is going to be blog-invisible for a little while. No, I'm not going to be going on a holiday. I'll be right at home. 

But I'll be busy.

I don't know if all you have heard about the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. Basically, thousands of people are saying, "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take this any more." (That line is from the 1976 movie Network; the script by Paddy Chayefsky and direction by Sidney Lumet.)

There are many situations to which people are objecting. They're mad about the collapse of civil society, and the banks messing with the government "bail-out" money (taxpayers money that went, apparently, into profits and handouts, rather than helping the people who had put money into banks and were supposed to be helped.) There are a lot of other issues as well, including the misuse of power by police, and the failure of government to effectively handle problems facing the nation.

In North America, this process began on Wall Street the same day as my birthday. Slowly alternative media picked up the story, then mainstream media were embarrassed into following the events.

Here is one of my favourite pictures on the event.

Responses to the "occupation" have been very different.

In New York, billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has sicced the police on the protesters.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa handed out 150 ponchos to protesters in the rain. Yesterday, seven of 15 members on that city council voted in favour of a motion calling the protest "A peaceful and vibrant exercise of First Amendment rights." The motion goes to final vote next week.

Which in a way, is making the protesters point. If there is difficulty, maybe its being caused by the politicians.

So far, the event has spread to 147 cities. In Barcelona, the activity has been going on since May 15, with major demonstrations almost every day.

And now, even to Canada, that quiet little backwater best known for it's chronic politeness.

Saturday, October 15, is going to be a nation-wide solidarity protest in Canada, supporting the Occupation of New York. It will be happening in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. And it will be happening in smaller cities, too, like River City.

So, Bear is going to be busy helping get things ready. Our first planning meeting was Wednesday night. Hastily called, primarily through Facebook, 52 people met in a church basement to consider options. Bear is helping with communications (which probably won't surprise any of you who are regular readers).

As I said, I'm going to be busy. If we do it right, it will convey a powerful message, and be a good time.

See you when the "fun" is over. Or we take a break.

Blessings and Bear hugs until then.

BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE ME A JOB?

Bear was sniffing around and found some unhappy statistics about employment, unemployment, and poverty.
• About two-thirds of people in poverty are working full time.
• Over a third of poor families are headed by people in their 30s, or younger — a huge social shift from America's past.

If you want to know more, check the story on my Bears Noting blog. And check the comments, too; they are very insightful.