=============Ideas, Thoughts, Analysis===========

Image via Wikipedia

While I will flesh out this very easy and practical action later this is the guts of it.

• Banks are dependent on their Wall Street partnerships.
• Wall Street has a big stake in Bank created products
• Taking away the bank dependency and end, or at least drastically change, the Bank created products will bring massive, immediate change.
• Creating massive change is largely what #Occupy, #OccupyWallStree and #OWS is all about.

The one way to make that immediate, practical and massive change for both the Banks and Wall Street is to get the #OWS momentum behind an already growing sentiment that the historic Glass-Steagall Act. Glass Steagall breaks the blending of Banking and Wall Street.

The repeal of provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. (via Glass-Steagall Act Wiki)

Imagine the change, which has gown over 11 years between banks and Wall Street institutions. That repeal set the stage of the disaster we are experiencing today. Take that stage away and #OWS will have created Practical Political and economic change. The movement that is growing today can be used effectively to create financial institution changes that will impact America for the foreseeable future.

There is more to say about how to broaden the movement to reinstate Glass-Steagall and validate forever the effectiveness of citizen action exemplified by #OWS. It wouldn’t be that hard to create both obvious and unlikely alliances.

Image via Wikipedia

I have personal experience with this topic. I’ve marched with Caesar Chavez, been beaten down in an LA demonstration and filmed a local Southern California National Moratorium march and more. The peace movement was modeled after the civil rights marchers. They taught us that non-violence and persistence could work if the cause was just.

Was the non-violence perfect? No.  There are wacko’s and provocateurs in any crowd. Others must watch for them and somehow defuse them. But wholesale violence was never part of the larger movement. Look at the 1968 Democratic Convention’s violent horrors in and outside the hall. Yet did the massive demonstrations start with the intent to go to war with the cops? No. Who was more discredited by those images on network television? We chanted “The whole world is watching!” It was. Our efforts, mostly in self defense when it seemed lives at stake, worked because we were not seen as a violent army come to occupy the seats of power.

Today we, the people that support #OWC, have media coverage, good or bad, growing. Any politician will tell you that publicity, good or bad within limits, is good publicity. #OWS must aim for name identification, push the 1% meme, push for the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act ( an act supported by a majority) and push the fact that this movement is truly grassroots and driven by economic inequity.

If there are days of trying to fight, however non-passively, the Capitol Police they will damage the #OWS cause. If , however, the ‘Occupy__’ is in a park and the cops come with the intent to clear and arrest then true passive resistance, laying down to be taken away, will be seen worldwide by thousands of cel phone videos posted to YouTube and emailed to all media in a constant stream of images. If the #OWS protestors are taught the most effective of non-violent techniques they will eventually drive the police to a level of frustration where one or more of then will make a mistake. Someone will have it on video. That’s the headline for the next day. It’s the 24/7 news cycle on cable. That sight, those images, will discredit those in power.

Politicians will be driven, if it happens more than once, or if it happens in a really large, ugly way, to denounce the beating of people that are completely passive, that don’t talk, don’t shout and don’t even look at the officer. They simply lie there, silent, eyes closed and get carried or dragged away. Do you think the police on scene are going to be frustrated? Sure.  Eventually the worldwide impact video will show up. Lots of cops will lose their cool no matter what their commanders instructions.

The protestors that adopt this tactic will have to courage and a willingness to expose themselves to danger as #OWS seeks to expose and change the wholesale inequity that has swept the nation in to a depression

I define the #OWS cause as a movement driven by inequity. That inequity must be calmly expressed but in a way that gets the media attention. Invading Congressional offices will not get the free publicity that #OWS needs. That is bad, probably violent, publicity most will see as an attack on the Capitol itself. #OWS doesn’t seek to overthrow the government but to push, as did the civil rights workers of decades past, to address inequities.

Non-violence, and persistence, will work. It won’t take months but years to change a system so thoroughly intrenched. The most obvious move that is widely supported is to create effective pressure to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act. That one item will dramatically change the financial structure of most large institutions. If you are not familiar with it jump into Glass-Steagall Wikipedia. It will be worth your while and give you an achievable target to show results to the supporters of #OWS and the media.

The more widespread the positive impact of these initial, non-violent and well thought out steps, the more people will become supportive. They won’t sleep in the parks or march in a street but the talk around the office, coffeshop and bars will begin to change.That’s when change becomes effective. There has to be a foundation of quiet support that grew over time.

#OWS can do it if the group and some natural leaders use their minds to plan effective messaging, and events, that are verbal, tactical and visual. We must not own the violence that will likely come. Let the authorities own the violence. 1968 ruined Mayor Richard Daily of Chicago, got Walter Cronkite to burst out on air, “Dan, I think this convention is being run by a bunch of thugs!”

That moment began a serious change in American Politics.  We can make the same change without that horrific event.

This was the first of the famous Dave Brubeck time signature pieces. It was followed by two more albums dedicated to the same concept. He broke new ground. Brubeck on piano, Paul Desmond on sax, Gene Wright on acoustic bass and Joe Morello on drums. What a band!