Brawner: Yelling At Buildings
by October 21, 2011 7:00 pm 62 views
Stephens Media columnist Steve Brawner observed the protesters from last weekend’s Occupy Little Rock rally.
He has some interesting insights on the group, their composition and their efforts. He also thinks that their message i Not Getting Paid Your Deposit Back On Time Legality Indiana s not far off other protest movements past and present, even though more clarity is needed.
I’m struck by the symbolism of 300 people expressing their frustration with signs and bullhorns at the base of silent, towering edifices with no one inside on a Saturday morning.
At each stop, two or three speakers shout into a bullhorn a list of grievances about government corruption, crony capitalism and the systems that have hardened to protect them both. I find myself agreeing with a lot of what they are saying while hoping that they don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
You betcha, some corporations are corrupting the system, cold-heartedly trimming their payrolls while enriching their officers, accepting bailout dollars they don’t deserve, and polluting the environment. They can do these things because they can afford to lobby elected officials who are supposed to act only in the national interest.
Occupy Little Rock is right to bring up these concerns, which are shared by a lot of Americans of all political persuasions who will never march in the street.
Brawner contends that, for now, the Occupy protesters need goals if they are to become a more powerful political force. In short: "Occupy Little Rock is a legitimate voice, like the Tea Party is, but it must have a real mission and work within the system, like the Tea Party does. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of people yelling at empty buildings and soon to disperse," he writes.
Read Brawner’s full take here.