NOVEMBER 4, 2014, VOTE FOR MICHAEL BROWN, JR

Not just "vote for Mike" to make changes to St. Louis leadership, and get rid of the Ole White Boy Network.

Not just to flex the only political muscle We The People seem to have in the political process anymore.

Not just to demonstrate what can happen when the African-American population-- or any population-- actually turns out at the polls in numbers higher than the usual 10-20%.

I mean VOTE FOR MICHAEL BROWN, JR. as a write-in candidate against St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch. He's running unopposed.  Again.  And honestly, it's not the kind of job that a human being with a heart wants, so it's no surprise that someone like McCulloch has had the job for 23 years.

(And as I mentioned in my last post about Dooley, it is ironic that McCulloch backed Steve Stenger against Dooley in the primaries, and Stenger ran on the campaign that "10 years is long enough" for Dooley to be County Executive.  HAHAHA.)

John Lennon famously said that those in power "can't handle non-violence and humor."  St. Louis Police have shown time and again that they have no problem gunning down unarmed black men.  St. Louis "Powers That Be" amply demonstrated during the protests that they have no problems tear-gassing their citizens and violating our First Amendment Rights.

Lennon was right.  They are ready for violence.  It's THEIR game.  It's the only thing they really have.  Without guns to shove in our faces, or the threat of guns, they got nothing.  And a pacifist is as willing to die for his/her beliefs as much as an armed soldier, a pacifist is just not willing to KILL for his/her beliefs.  Which of the two is more courageous? 

A massive write-in campaign for Michael Brown, Jr. --- especially if he got more votes than McCulloch-- would be humor, albeit very tragic humor, considering the promise Brown had already shown in his all too brief life.  (As I have said before, for a black kid to graduate from Normandy and get accepted to Vatterott shows more initiative and ambition than any kid from a "nice' neighborhood with good schools getting into Wash. U.)

And it would scare the living daylights out of most elected officials.  They act like they want you to vote.  But what they really want is for only those that truly support the system as it is, and take it seriously, to vote.

NO ONE has made a bigger mockery and sham of voting and the political process than our politicians.
Just two examples:
http://www.oppositionnews.org/articles/2014/q3/ma-green-candidate-kicked-ballot-using-white-paper/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/23/citizens-united-government-shutdown_n_4150614.html

They don't want a lot of voters they have to answer to.  Especially voters that aren't making huge donations to their campaigns.  They don't want to actually have to SERVE the public.  They want you to keep quiet and keep shuffling back and forth from your job to your television or your sports, or ANYTHING.

Just not be out voting, and certainly not mocking them with your vote.

To write in Brown's name you will probably have to ask for paper ballot or vote absentee.  And I will have to check if there is some Draconian rule in place that will nullify the rest of your ballot for writing in the name of a dead man (I don't think they legally can, but I will check).  But for a lot of people, probably MOST people, the majority of the stuff on the ballot is meaningless, anyhow.

And for those who are afraid they may be put on a "government list" or something, newsflash, you are probably already on a list.  And even if you aren't, you are already being spied on.  You are already under surveillance.  And if you are an African American man, you already face "Death by Police" or imprisonment for being black.

And if you are one of those 2nd Amendment supporters that says "I will fight to death to keep my guns against a government dictatorship" why wait?  Why not fight the dictatorship now?  No gun could ever send the message that a massive voter turnout would send, especially with a strong write in response. Guns are not bulletproof, but ideas are.

After voting, I strongly suggest contacting the St. Louis Post Dispatch and St. Louis American, and telling them you wrote in Brown's name, so that if the Board of Election Commissioners doesn't not report it, the media will keep them honest.  Also, on the 5th or 6th, call the Board of Election Commissioners and ask them if your vote was tallied. ( If you are joining the revolution on 5th, make this your first call.)

If your voter registration isn't current or you aren't registered, I hope you will register by September 23, 2014, and I strongly suggest you vote absentee, and get those votes for Mike in early.
http://www.stlouisco.com/yourgovernment/elections/voterregistration

I can't think of a better honor than for Mike Brown, Jr. to get more votes than McCulloch, or even as many votes.  If you think it is disrespectful to vote for Brown for other reasons, than write in Ron Johnson's name.  Or Dorian Johnson.  Or Chris Koster (the MO AG, that along with Antonio French and Jamilah Nasheed, has proven himself during the events in Ferguson to be one of the few "good" political leaders.  Koster is also qualified for McCulloch's job.)  Or vote for Tupac Shakur, or John Lennon, or yourself.

The chance that McCulloch is going to conduct this investigation fairly is a mockery in and of itself.  And if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  Mock them back!

On November 4, 2014 vote for Mike Brown, Jr. (or anyone other than McCulloch) as St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney.

Most importantly, VOTE.

Then, on November 5th, join the revolution.
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/09/remember-fifth-of-november-2014.html

REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, 2014

If you are fan of the movie or graphic novel "V For Vendetta" (or you are in the British Commonwealth) you are probably familiar with the nursery rhyme about Guy Fawkes:

"Remember, remember the Fifth of November..."

Of course, OPTINSTL, and the "Hacktivist" group Anonymous, and protestors worldwide have adopted the Guy Fawkes mask worn by V as their own.

The March Against Corruption, planned for this November 1-8, is specifically about getting money (big money) out of politics.  I daresay if we accomplished that we could regain control of our government (and agencies like Metro and Bi-State) without blowing up any buildings.

http://marchagainstcorruption.com/

On November 5th, there is "Million Mask March" planned, a call for one million people to flood the streets wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.

WHO WE ARE The March Against Corruption is an international campaign to raise awareness about the corrupting influence of money and special interests in governance and public policy making; to provide a forum for people, to organize and speak out against corruption; and to educate the public about the consequences of corruption. “The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” ― Tacitus...

Read more at: marchagainstcorruption.com/

WHO WE ARE The March Against Corruption is an international campaign to raise awareness about the corrupting influence of money and special interests in governance and public policy making; to provide a forum for people, to organize and speak out against corruption; and to educate the public about the consequences of corruption. “The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” ― Tacitus...

Read more at: marchagainstcorruption.com/

WHO WE ARE The March Against Corruption is an international campaign to raise awareness about the corrupting influence of money and special interests in governance and public policy making; to provide a forum for people, to organize and speak out against corruption; and to educate the public about the consequences of corruption. “The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” ― Tacitus...

Read more at: marchagainstcorruption.com/

http://theantimedia.org/support-building-for-2014-million-mask-march-on-november-5th/

OPTINSTL would like to suggest going one (or a few) steps further.  The 5th will be the day AFTER the elections, a day when basically no work gets done in the offices of elected officials (whether lame ducks or winners).

The OPTINSTL "Jam Metro's Phone Lines" leaflet, updated for the November 5th revolution:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/jam-phone-lines-leaflet-for-use-and-to.html

Whether you take to the streets or not DON'T RIDE METRO.  DON'T GO TO WORK OR SCHOOL.  DON'T BUY ANYTHING.  Spend the day "blowing up the phone lines" (or jamming the email and comments servers) of every elected official, every "corruption corporation" and signing as many petitions as you can, on every issue important to you.

Feel free to target locals like Rex Sinquefield,  (hedge fund investors are some of the worst economic predators in our world), or work on preventing anymore "Koch being shoved down our throats."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/koch-brothers-liberal-counterpart_n_5113492.html
http://ourfuture.org/fact_sheet/koch-brothers-exposed-why-we-must-act-and-how
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/05/rachel-maddow-koch-brothers_n_4545202.html

Our country-- our world!-- has been completely hijacked by a few greedy individuals, but the worst part is WE LET THEM DO IT!

They need our labor.  They need us as consumers.  They need our votes.  They need us to not disrupt their "business as usual."

Without violence, without doing anything illegal, we can take back our power by withholding our time and our money, and by joining the "Armchair Revolution." 

Start with elected officials.  Yes, get out and vote, and then call them, write them, give them your feedback and suggestions, make demands and inquiries, monitor what they are doing.  Demand that people's petitions become their primary source of legislative action.

There are more of us than there are of them.  Without us, the wealthy have no workers, no products, and no consumers.  One day of a nationwide strike and boycott would display that much more than any protest in the streets.  Think of it-- the police would have no tickets to write, the courts would hear no cases (get a continuance as soon as you can if the 5th is a court day for you), the businesses would have no profits.
 
Yes, yes, a nationwide total strike is unrealistic, but even 3.5% of us withdrawing from "business as usual" would be very threatening.

And if we demand that politicians work for us instead of the wealthy, that public policy protect us instead of shareholder profits and corporate interests, then until they are able to make this country a corporate dictatorship (which is looming ever closer), they will have to make changes, beginning with answering the calls of their constituents.... And this might be a good time to remind them that their constituents are NOT just the people that voted for them!  They work for all of us, and we pay for them whether we vote or not.

Remember, this Fifth of November, that "Ideas are bulletproof."

REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE (ARMCHAIR) REVOLUTION. 
REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE THE ONE WITH THE REAL POWER: WORDS. THE ENUNCIATION OF TRUTH.

"THERE IS SOMETHING TERRIBLY WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY..."

November 5, 2014, the day everything changed.

FAST FOOD THURSDAY! FIGHT FOR $15! SHOW ME $15!

September 4th EDIT/UPDATE: Ferguson, representin':
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/business/economy/fast-food-workers-seeking-higher-wages-are-arrested-during-sit-ins.html?_r=0


With only 318,000 people in Saint Louis, and 49.5% African-American, an a big chunk of small business owners living in the county, a $15 minimum wage in the city should be fairly easy to institute.  Yes, it will take more than protests.  It will take massive campaigning and petitioning.  But it is within reach.

In the meantime, don't eat at a fast food restaurant this Thursday, and call the corporate offices of McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, etc, and tell them you stand with their striking workers.

More importantly, call Mayor Slay and Governor Nixon, and your local Mayor and representatives, and tell them you demand a $15 an hour minimum wage.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/02/more-fast-food-strikes-are-coming_n_5751630.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

OCCUPY THE POLICE STATE!

TIME TO END THE “POLICE STATE”!!!

Their is a violent and dangerous gang terrorizing poor and “minority” communities. Michael Brown is just the most recent fatality. This gang is armed with guns and billy clubs. They have the right to detain citizens and to seize private property (“asset seizure”). That is too much power for any individual to possess without public accountability. Gang Police too often confuses enforcing the law with being the law itself. Crime has been decreasing, but police brutality has increased. Gang Police is becoming increasingly militarized.

Gang “Police” serves and protects private property to such an extent that unarmed thieves in the possession of a stolen $1 cigarillo can be shot dead. Or children walking in the street that contest an order to “Get the F**k on the sidewalk.”

We, The People, pay the salaries of Gang Police. We pay for their cars, their weapons, their jails. We pay for the lawyers and judges. The more crime a city has, the wealthier the people that work in and benefit from the legal system.

TIME FOR CHANGE. Real change. When people get angry enough they will loot and riot. Too many men have died in the street from the actions of this gang. Looting is not the answer, but it is the only reason this case is getting national attention. Without the riot, there would not be an FBI investigation. Al Sharpton would not be at the Old Courthouse. Looting is not the answer, but it is the only threat that Gang Police and their Overlords take seriously. They are a violent Gang, and the only respond to violence and upheaval.

What we really need, though, is to become angry enough to demand real change, and to continue working for it after the fires have been put out, the protest marches and press conferences have ended, and the investigations are over. Something good can come of this tragedy, if We, The People demand it, and keep demanding it, long after our tempers have cooled.

WE, THE PEOPLE, MUST BEGIN TO “POLICE THE POLICE”! They have the power to monitor us, to investigate us, and we must demand the right to monitor and investigate them! We have the right to full accountability for everything that they do! We must demand complete police transparency!

1) We must require all police to wear helmet cameras (or special glasses with cameras) at all times. Not dashboard cameras. Not just recording traffic stops and dispatch responses, their entire shift must be recorded. We are paying their salaries. We have the right to know what and how they are doing their jobs.

2) Photographs, bio's, and badge numbers must be posted on Police Department websites, along with regularly update schedules. We should be able to go to the Ferguson P.D. website and look up exactly who was on duty when Michael Brown was shot. The department should not be able to hide this Gang member behind the fear of death threats. Gang Police poses a potential death threat for every citizen they encounter. Maybe if the Gang Police Member (“officer”) that shot Michael Brown had known that his picture and name was posted for all citizens to see, he would have behaved differently. Maybe Michael Brown would be at college instead of the morgue.

3) Every citizen should have the right to have a civilian witness present at ANY interaction with a Gang Police member. Every community should have paid Legal Observers standing by at all times.

4) Police should be required to hold “meet and greets” at least once a month, along with Town Hall type meetings for people make suggestions, air grievances, and give feedback on officer's performances in their communities.

Occupy Public Transportation in St. Louis (OPTINSTL) is researching how to create a petition for the above demands, but we can start by calling or writing all of our local representatives and police departments and demanding the changes listed above. And anyone can start a petition. We need a lot of petitions and signatures to make our voices heard and get the changes we need. Two sites OPTINSTL has found:

http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/pubs/makeyourvoiceheard/MakingYourVoiceHeard.pdf

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/

Please print and share this leaflet if you agree. OPTINSTL@GMAIL.COM optinstl.blogspot.com

OCCUPY SAINT LOUIS COUNTY EXECUTIVE CHARLIE DOOLEY

In the course of investigating Metro, Charlie Dooley's name has come up a lot. 

He is Metro's "checkbook".  He is the man behind the big lie told to voter's in 2010, that Prop A's half a cent sales tax would go to Metro bus and Metrolink.

And if there is a vein of corruption in St. Louis, Dooley is the pulse.  Below is just the tip of the iceberg.  I am crossed eyed from reading all this.  I will add more links as I find them.

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2011/03/charlie_dooley_mike_temporiti_john_temporiti.php

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/dooley-erupts-as-st-louis-county-council-rejects-police-board/article_b27a94f5-d106-530c-a125-be5f8f5fb4ce.html

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/01/15/mcculloch-stenger-call-for-accountability-in-health-department-scandal/

http://www.globetrotterstl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/page-4A-10-22-13.pdf

http://www.24thstate.com/st-louis-1/

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/morning_call/2013/12/dooley-gets-angry-as-council-rejects.html

None of these articles really trace the Dooley "Ole Boy Network" or link the corrupt officials and businessmen.  But it's a start.

OCCUPY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE!

OCCUPY YOUR GROCERY STORE

The Schnucks supermarket on Grand at Kossuth is closing.

For those that don't know St. Louis, that is one tough area.  There are a lot of drugs and crime.

There are also a lot of people just trying to live their lives.

If I had the funding I would do this right now:

A community owned grocery store, like co-op, that everyone in the neighborhood could order what they needed.

Yes, it would be off-brands, probably, but poor people already buy off-brands.  And being able to get things even cheaper than Wal-mart would be a big draw.

And to be able to buy things cheaper, or even at the same price as Wal-Mart or Family Dollar, but the people would also be able to work there to pay for part of the price of their purchases.  And it would build equity in the community.

As it expanded day care could be added, or a co-op shuttle that did deliveries to shut-ins and the elderly, or just to get people home with their groceries without struggling on the city buses.

And a community garden could be established, both growing to sell, or just to allow people to have a space and the support to grow their own veg.

A coffee house that could also double as a community center.

Yes, there would be difficulties.  But I believe it would grow and flourish, and it would create tremendous community pride.

I hope someone that can do this is reading this.  I think this should happen in low income neighborhoods especially, but it would be good in all communities.

The shorter the distance money has to travel, the stronger it is and the more worth it has.

A community grocery co-op needs to be Occupied! in North Grand!

EDIT: It also occurred to me that a community kitchen, where co-op members could bring or buy their own food and use the stove and microwave and even pots and pans and dishes, and eat there.   That would help a lot of people out.

OCCUPY RIGHT TO WORK!

Right to work makes it sound like you can get a job without paying union dues.

What that means is that employers will have the ability to hire non-union workers.

Employers in this state (Missouri) can already fire you for any reason, including going to the bathroom.

They can record you-- despite federal wiretapping laws that would prohibit this kind of spying in any other context- they can check your background, refuse to pay your unemployment, and with the ACA, knock your hours back so that you have to pay health premiums.

WORKERS HAVE NO RIGHTS IN RIGHT TO WORK STATES.

And workers in this country don't have that many rights to begin with.

There is ENOUGH WORK.  But there are NOT ENOUGH JOBS.

Everyone should be able to get a job.  Work should be divided as equitably as wealth.

There is NO executive, no matter how many hours they put in, that works as hard as a factory worker, or farmer, or ditch digger.  And the employers are the ones that are truly dispensable!

If the CEO doesn't show up, the company keeps running.  But if the workers don't show up, production stops.

All those people that support "Right To Work" and say they made it on their own, without any help, please ask them to demonstrate this BY DOING THE WORK THEMSELVES.

Those people that say "you poor and unemployed, you need to try harder."  Let's see those people demonstrate that.  Since it should be so easy to "try a little harder" and go from $200 a week earnings to $1000 a week, please show us how you can go from $1000 a week to $5000.

It's easy, right?  Prove it.

Employers and business owners and CEO's DO NOT DESERVE THE WEALTH FROM OUR LABOR.

EVERY JOB DESERVES A UNION! EVERY PERSON DESERVES A LIVEABLE WAGE, MANDATORY BREAK TIME, HEALTH CARE,  AND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE!

OCCUPY YOUR JOB!

OCCUPY RIGHT TO WORK!

(Look at how they word this--it 's not "impartial reporting", it's a marketing scheme to sell Right To Work to the public: http://www.kmov.com/news/politics/Missouri-House-endorses-right-to-work-bill-254659421.html)

WORLDWIDE WAVE OF ACTION: EVERY DAY IS THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER

V for Vendetta is a great movie.  (And the reason Occupy and Anonymous (and OPT INSTL's profile have Guy Fawkes' masks!)

The movie is about what one person, raising their voice and speaking out, can do.

We don't have to blow up Big Ben and government buildings to change things, but we do need to be "V strong."

Be strong in courage and conviction that millions and millions of people around this world are sick of wealth inequality.

Be strong in the knowledge that there are far more of us than there of "them"-- those that control us through threat of violence, through keeping us divided and fighting each other over the scraps they throw us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUkgNvvF7Vk&list=PLE98EB7BA50FB3468

The "New Age" is not coming, it is already here.

There is enough food, enough housing, enough of everything, for everyone.  It just isn't being distributed properly.

That can change.

The Worldwide Wave of Action is just getting started.  From now through July 4th, TAKE ACTION!

Make every day a "Fifth of November"!

http://youtu.be/chqi8m4CEEY

WHAT OCCUPIERS CAN LEARN FROM FIGHT CLUB (HINT: NOT VIOLENCE)

The first rule of Fight Club...

http://youtu.be/i2lmFCqbJcI
"Don't talk about Fight Club."  That's the second rule, too.

If you work at some company like Monsanto, or the government, or any part of the 1%'s infrastructure, the best thing you can do is keep your mouth shut at work.

But keep your eyes open.

You don't have to be Edward Snowden or Julian Assaunge.  In fact, in many ways whistle-blowing action is better on the downlow.

Be the unseen leak.

Find your "25".  25 people (or as many as you can) that you know and trust, that you can count on to keep their source and connection with you secret.

Meet in the park with your cell phone off and in the car while you walk and talk.  Find out as much as you can about the company that you work for and what they are doing and tell your fellow Occupiers.

Let those of us out in the open do our work.

We don't need violence.  We have more strength than they do.

Can you imagine if there was a city-wide, or nation-wide strike, even for one day?  No one goes to work, no one buys anything, no one watches television or goes on the internet?

Can you imagine how badly the rich and powerful would fare without their maids and bus boys and factory workers? If we the people stopped the wheels of production for one day?

If we all met in the park and exchanged their secrets?

If even 3.5% of the population went on strike this country would shut down.

The NSA, the cops, the data-metrics counters, social media-- all of them are watching us, but they can't watch all of us, all the time.

And we can watch them.

Easily.  Without any inconvenience on our part.

You know where the weakest links are in the part of the machinery you occupy.  Start sharing that information.

This world should not be a "for profit" endeavor of a few people.  EVERYONE has the right to decent work for decent pay, housing and shelter, food, medical care, clean water and air.

This is your life, and its ending one minute at a time: http://youtu.be/0zGeS8OFjEs

 

LAY SIEGE TO THE EMPIRE

OCCUPY CORPORATIONS

OCCUPY WORK

WHY OCCUPY?

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is a non-violent people's movement for change, centered around Wall Street and the culture of greed that is running our country, and the world, into the ground.

OWS is credited with coining the terms "1%" and "99%".  The 1% of the world's wealthiest, that live on the backs of the rest of us, the 99%.

I started the Occupy Public Transportation in St. Louis action because I saw that NOTHING was going to change without someone standing up and demanding it.

There are a lot of things I want to change, but Public Transit is an immediate need for many people.  And few public entities are as entwined with the 1% and the politicians they manipulate as public transit.

The whole world needs change.  There are more of us than there of them -- and we don't have to resort to violence to get the changes we need.

WE JUST HAVE TO START OCCUPYING OUR OWN LIVES!

For some of us that may mean camping out in Zuccotti Park and protesting Wall Street greed.  But for a lot more of us, what it means is investigating the structure of society that we take for granted.

Changes can be made, but WE will have to do the changing!

Join the WORLDWIDE WAVE OF ACTION, THE MOVEMENT OF MOVEMENTS, NOW! APRIL 4TH THROUGH JULY 4TH, BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD!

Please keep checking back! 

How to change the world: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-anyone-can-change-world-outlined-in.html

From the Worldwide Wave of Action website: 


Here’s a basic list of tactics… 

> Mass gatherings, demonstrations;
> Marches, parades;
> Flash mobs, swarms;

> Shutdown harmful corporate and governmental operations;

> Worker Strikes;

> Hunger strikes;

> Sit-ins;

> Strategic defaults, debt strikes;

> Foreclosure prevention;

> Boycotting corrupt corporations;

> Move your money out of the big banks and the stock market;

> Use alternative currencies and economic systems;

> Cancel your cable television and support independent media;

> Use independent online tools that don’t sell your info / protect privacy;

> Online civil disobedience, Anonymous operations;

> Leak information on corruption;

> Use alternative energy;

> Build urban and hydroponic farms, or get your food from them;

> Support local businesses;

> Join local community organizations;

> Take part in food banks and help develop community support systems;
> Start or join intentional and autonomous communities;

> Experiment with new governing systems, Liquid Democracy;

> Host teach-ins;

> Organize socially conscious events;

> Make conscious media;
> Guerrilla postering, messages on money;

> Help inspiring groups and organizations spread their message;

> Random acts of kindness and compassion;

> Mass meditations, prayer sessions and spiritual actions.

You know what you can do to play a part. Do whatever you feel inspired to do. Amplify what you are already doing. Think about what you are willing to do to be the change we urgently need to see in the world, and then do it.