July 4, 2012

[filkertom]

siliconshaman notes that the 99% seem to have a Constitutional Convention planned... and a declaration.

Comments

[zellion.livejournal.com]

But will there be an awesome musical about it in 200 years time?

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

But do they have any specific demands?

Seriously speaking, I have quibbles with several of the suggestions, but it looks like a good start.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Changing the laws that led to the decision on Citizens United is a big suggestion, and would be concrete in its impact.
The current administration could try to do that, it would be interesting to see who first starts the screaming/propaganda to keep things as they are.

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

The only laws cited in Citizens United are a 19th Century Supreme Court ruling on the 14th Amendment, and subsequent cases that followed that precedent.

There are only two ways to overcome that ruling: a fresh Supreme Court ruling overriding that 19th Century case mentioned above, or a Constitutional amendment. Either will be a very heavy lift, alas.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

That's why we have groups like Move to Amend: because groups can lift very heavy things. It's not going to be easy, but I would like to believe it's possible to redefine corporations as not people.

[holzman.livejournal.com]

The 99percentdeclaration is not an official statement from the Occupy Wall Street General Assembly.

https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/home/who-are-we

"This project began as a collaboration between college students and the pro bono lawyers who went to represent the students when they got arrested in NYC during an Occupy Wall Street demonstration.

"Since then, we have established an Occupy Wall Street "Working Group" to prepare a proposal to elect a National General Assembly to vote on a formal petition of grievances."

Also note that you can find the 99 Percent Declaration published everywhere except the official Occupy Wall Street website.

These are people who are putting together a proposal that will have to go before the OWSGA and achieve consensus before it becomes an official position.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Meh... Go for it, kids... Who knows, you might win!

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

It looks like a good idea, particularly the last bit (the new party). Personally I'd have gone straight to that, given the choice, but this is probably the better way.

And if it all comes together, we'll find out how many of the American people actually think they aren't part of the ninety-nine per cent. I'm guessing slightly over half.

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

Likely unworkable feature of the proposal #1: their convention is scheduled to go from July 4... clear through into OCTOBER.

Apparently they propose to cover transportation and housing costs for these not-quite-900 representatives... SOMEHOW.

But that's not the thing. The thing is: how many Occupiers can seriously afford to drop everything and effectively move to Philadelphia for four months?

(Bear in mind that the 1787 Constitutional Convention included the richest men in the United States at the time- men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, etc. They COULD afford to leave home and do nothing (though Franklin in fact WAS home), and they had a mostly rich person's view of how things should be run. Would a convention made up of people rich enough to drop everything for four months really represent the bulk of the Occupiers- three-quarters of whom CAN'T afford to go to the current sit-ins?)

[pandoradeloeste.livejournal.com]

A lot of the occupiers that I talked to in San Francisco are living off the grid - homeless or near enough to it, and living full-time in one or more of the Occupy $PLACE camps, which provide most of the day-to-day needs for their campers. Transportation is going to be difficult, but housing and food and whatnot? So not a concern.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Awesome: democracy in action. (Sure, it's a republican form, just as we have now. It is, however, rooted in actual, factual democratic groups that are, so far, holding their own.)

There will be some logistical issues. Aren't there with any convention? The goals, however, are important, and I suspect that means will be found to make it happen.

[jamesnorcross.livejournal.com]

From what I have read, 74 delegates from 12 states were chosen to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787 (Rhode Island refused to participate). Of those 74, only 55 attended at one point or another. And by all accounts, it was a rather contentious gathering.

Now, what this group is suggesting conducting something that will be at least as contentious, if not more so, with a group that is nearly 16 times the size of the delegates that attended the Constitutional Convention. Do they seriously think that they will be able to accomplish anything? I strongly suspect that this gathering will degenerate into massive squabbling.