Tired of this elitist/globalist cia/fbi/kgb controlled world who use a 'cointelpro' operation and ' play both sides of the fence' with arrests, drug dealing, marches, or even hijacking of planes and etc...what kind of hooty is this for some kind of agenda just to pull in ignorant sheeple, for this global/elitist world and usa. The world and usa is lied to on how this world and usa is run, its run as though as everyone plays a bogus puppet part in this illusional world

"i realized over time that capitalism is terrible, but better than socialism."
You realized very little. Among other things, you didn't realized that unfettered capitalism is soooo terrible that sooner or later it ends in total destruction. Look up European history of the 20th century.
Ah, look up the word "history" too.

This video by Aljazeera, opens a
window, into understanding what
happened, who did it and why.

The Meltdown:
The men that crashed the world.

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/meltdown/2011/09/2011914105518615434.html

@thatgirl from manhattan

No my dear, you misread me. I was more cerebral in the 60s as well. creating chaos wasnt my thing.

I wrote that we now have the internet. no excuse now that radical left ideas cannot sell. so stop complaining.

And you need to read between the lines. i grew up. i realized over time that capitalism is terrible, but better than socialism.

My conversion predated David Mamet's by 25 yrs. give me some credit

I directed a documentary, "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" about a radical environmental group that used arson to attack companies who it accused of destroying the environment. (It played nationally on PBS last week and can be streamed online here: http://www.pbs.org/pov/ifatreefalls/) The film traces the radicalization of the movement, and one of the things that made people give up hope in the democratic process and turn to very serious arsons was the use of pepper spray by police during traditional protests. The film shows some unbelievable uses of teargas-- in some cases being carefully applied to activists' eyes with qtips-- and it's worth asking whether law enforcement is making the same mistakes here: not considering the long term effects on the democratic system of their actions.

Natalie, of course, they are manipulated by Ron Paul crowd.
This single issue you suggest can't be just any single issue, but the most important one (taxing isn't).
Look how manipulated the whole thing is. No mentioning of oil tycoons, no mentioning of military-industrial complex, no mentioning of insurance crooks and liars, no mentioning of all corporate greedy "captains," etc.
Just Wall Street ... Doesn't smell right. Actually there is an odor.

The real killer for demos is the arrests. Even in a good economy it's a screenout tool for employers. People should be working on getting the NYC city council to prohibit the arrest question on job applications (they can still ask it in the interview stage), and establish some means of publicizing the new rules and enforcement to punish companies that continue to ask the question.

I just watched the pepper spray video, and I am viscerally disgusted by the action of the police officer. It was a blatant act of vandalism and cowardice, specifically targeting women. Considering recent abuses by NYPD officers, including rape, I would urge everyone to contact Bloomberg and their local politicians to demand this worthless cowardly thug be identified and removed from his position. This will have a terrible effect on public trust. These women were obviously harmless hippies, so what justification was their for this unprovoked attack. It's infuriating, and it doesn't matter what political background you come from, this should be incredibly disturbing to everyone. It's completely uncivilized, and even if you feel the protestors are just hooligans, does that give the police the right to behave like hooligans too? We will descend into anarchy and barbarism with that logic. I am very very disappointed with Bloomberg.

I ran into the protesters as they were coming up Broadway on Saturday afternoon and followed the march through Washington Square Park and to Union Square. While the energy was exciting and compelling enough that I joined in and marched for part of the way, it soon became clear to me that there was not any single issue, or even much unity at all. When the gathering reached Union Square, after passing over an attempted police net, there was no single leader to make a speech. One speaker used the crowd in what was called "the people's mic"--basically a call and response loudspeaker--and called for "free education, free health care, and free housing." The next 'speaker' used his minute on the people's mic to insist that "no revolution can happen without dance" and led an energized crowd into...THE HOKEY POKEY.
That was when I left and realized that there is no hope for reform, or for revolution in the least. Everyone was so excited to see the police unsure of what they were going to do, to see the helicopters overhead, to feel the fervor of text messages and tweets and imagine that we're having our own Arab Spring. In fact, this movement is all over the place. The leaders appeared to be non-hierarchical anarchists, though I was later told that a lot of the organizers were avid Ron Paul supporters. If this movement wants to go anywhere, there needs to be a single issue (e.g. taxation of the top 1%) that brings everyone together, and it needs to be a movement that unites protesters who are not just the usual G8 anarchists and socialists. The final thing I want to mention that was upsetting to see was that several of the protesters--most notably those who were armed with video cameras and who took their job to be to stand at the police line, filming every second--were verbally harassing the police officers. Rather than standing there and filming, they were actively provoking the police and waiting to be able to capture some off-handed and inappropriate response that presumably could then be edited and shown out of context. This was really frustrating to see--these protesters were actively inciting antagonism, aggravating the cops with personal attacks, and behaving like a bunch of cocky teens. These people are the face of the movement to the police. They need to do better than that if they expect to be treated with respect. I was so glad at first to see that people were making noise and calling attention to the need for reform, but too many people in this group need to grow up, and as a whole there needs to be more unity and clear issues--not just recycled 'stop war' and 'stop poverty' slogan signs and chants of 'no justice, no peace.' God bless 'em, but I've seen enough of the same showcasing to know that that kind of noise will always fall on deaf ears.

this stuff cuts both ways. when all the people sitting in their armchairs (and climate-controlled offices on wall street) get old, don't expect the younger generation to take care of you--politically and otherwise--when you need an advocate, because you've dismissed them out of hand (and far away from reason). we've already seen how america likes to throw its elderly under the bus; all of you will be the next lot. this includes abusive police powers, who think they'll be enjoying retirement by the time this generation comes to power. it's sooner than you think.

"speaking well for his cause"
And what exactly is his cause, John A? Or this doesn't matter. As long as he can complete his sentence in his only language ....
dr anna writing in her 7th language

Hi, I think the protesters do what they are doing because obviously they are fed up with the way things have been going for a long time. Nobody likes to be unemployed or to be foreclosed. Wall Street helped cause these problems and the bailout money that Wall Street received is not the solution. I, like many others, am one of those affected by the subprime crisis. Eugenia Renskoff

"Who exactly had difficulty figuring out the message of the protest? It's called outrageous greed and it has been the ruination of every long held genuine value in this country. The corruption of Wall Street"
As you can see, some of us don't have any trouble figuring that out .... and much more, such as the fact the protesters are muppets/puppets. Pull the string and they "Greed, Wall Street, etc." Sure, greed doesn't exist elsewhere.

The newsreport I saw was of a polite, well educated NY artist looking person speaking well for his cause. They exist and I support them. I probably should go spend a day.

Jessica, you are the one who is manipulated.
"Walls street embodies the dysfunction, corruption and self dealing that has taken over our politics"
Why don't you check what's happening in wonderful American workplace and ask someone foreign born/educated for an explanation what's wrong there.

gary from queens - your outrage and lies about "creating chaos" is completely disintegrated by your "when i was a 60s radical" statement. so help us understand--it was warranted and imperative when you were a "60s radical", but now it's simply a labor-fueled disruption? not buying it, old man.

Jessica, you are the one who is manipulated.
"Walls street embodies the dysfunction, corruption and self dealing that has taken over our politics"
Why don't you check what's happening in wonderful American workplace and ask someone foreign born/educated for an explanation what's wrong there.

what a sea change that you're actually taking a few minutes to cover this. i noted last week, six days into the occupation, a WNYC female reporter describe the protestors as "young people with concert t-shirts and flannel pajama bottoms" during an evening broadcast on the hour. it's a good thing i didn't expect WNYC to be covering this with any seriousness by that point, but the fact that it was such a direct and dismissive way of characterizing people there was one of the most unprofessional things i've heard out of your news department.

perhaps you will give it some better consideration when organized labor joins in larger numbers, but in the meantime, try to keep the editorializing to a minimum--for your own sake.

I am surprised that the protesters are still at it.

Has to say something to the SELF CENTERED MORANS at the top who manipulate this country.

But, I will bet that they will not hear it.

Walls street embodies the dysfunction, corruption and self dealing that has taken over our politics.

SO I SAY GO PROTESTERS, DON"T GIVE UP.

I can`t understand why the police would want to interfere. Why do they think so many of them are being layed off. What happend to all the money that would be for all thier overtime, and wait until the teaparty wants to take back half of thier pensions.
Why is president Obama all alone in this? Where is the vice president or the secretary of state Cliton in all this? Bush had Rumsford and Cheney having alot to say about everything and anything.

The democrats have`nt shown any backbone. The Afrcan Americans are too busy questioning Mr.Obama`s leadership qualities. He cannot do it all alone and can`t trust half the people he looks to for information.

An electrician in Gdansk knew what to occupy. Graduates of American remedial schools (called for promotional reasons universities) don't know.
Occupy Microsoft and Columbia, morons.

If I weren't 66 and on medications, I wold've been there and would go there NOW, but cops take meds away, which could kill me. Several reasons why they haven't been covered, though they've been going on for ten days. one is that the media rarely hear about, or if they do don't cover demos. The NYTimes didn't cover an anti Afghanistan/ Iraq war protest where one of their ex? war correspondents chained himself, along with a hundred others, to the White House fence. Did NPR? Did NPR cover usuncut.org, based on uk.uncut. in which folks went and sat in at banks or stood outside, had teachins asking people if they knew Banks of A paid 1% taxes. GE owes U.S. money. The disappearing, Poof! of Bill Moyers and Now, not to mention World Focus, all purged on one night from PBS, only Moyers, theoretically retiring, was mentioned. Another is head counts are crucial. The first two covered numerous protests country wide. Gone. Wisconsin's pro union demos in the state house, and outside didn't have enormous crowds but crammed in the building, thankfully, they looked impressive. Yet another is the internet. I put my ass on the line in the Civil Rights Movement, as did many other white Southerners. Here I am, what I call clicktivizing. Get tons of emails from leftish organizations. I urge Moveon.org to move on, force their heads away from screens, get up, and hit the DC mall. Glenn Beck did it, and we can't? Colbert/Stewart's was lame. Anyone remember what they said? No need to choose one issue, there're so many. Pick a date far enough in advance to organize. Organize transportation. We can't blame Obama when he told us FDR's line, "Make me do it." We didn't. Waited for The One to do it for U.S, and we still are. I get emails saying to meet in small groups and talk. I email back, "enough preaching to the choir, gazing at our navels. GET UP AND GO".

Two chants that the protestors use are "We are the 99%" and "This is what democracy looks like".

What motivated these kids to come out is their belief that this country is not a democracy but an ARISTOCRACY - or corporatocracy as it's sometimes called. And the effects are all around us - on-going unemployment - especially among the young, bailouts and bonuses for companies that caused the problems, millions of home foreclosures, impending 'double-dip recession' while everyone is still supposed to wait for 'Trickle Down'.

What the protestors are saying is the Emperor has no Clothes - look and see for yourselves (-you are the 99%).

I didn't use the word "diversion" in my first comment, so I am back.
This Wall Street focus is a DIVERSION.

The NYPD does not get paid by some poor protesters, god damn it, who is the boss here.

Stupid protesters want to be treated like human beings or something. They need to hire their own police, this one is spoken for by Wall Street, where do you think Bloomberg come from?

@jawbone

Don't try to figure-out ol' Chizzelwitz. Martin also supports the abuse and murder of innocent Palestinian families!

My Gistapo (nypd) for hire force takes charge.. You go Biatches.

@Martin Chuzzlewit from manhattan, 10:12am --

Please be more specific: Exactly how are the protesters behaving "like animals"?

And, do you seriously advocate police violence against people exercising their Constitutionl rights? What parts of the First Amendment would you like to see removed or "abridged"?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Get out your metaphorical red pen -- or black censorship Sharpie -- and start editing for us..

Or are the Bill of Rights just sooooo late 18th Century we no longer need to pay attention to them?

By this message I want to show my protest against NYPD brutality during Saturday 9/24 “Occupy Wall Street” manifestation. I was a witness how police arrested dozens of people close to Union Square. I was a bystander, but almost immediately I joined the protesters because I consider their cause right and because the police was very brutal. The protesters were relatively peaceful. Perhaps the protesters were too young and lacked experience. But they were not oriented to smash stores and banks as in some violent anti-system protests. Police was brutal and very aggressive and their overreaction will encourage me to look to take part in future “Occupy Wall Street” rallies. Police officers spotted the most active demonstrators, isolated and arrested them. Police wanted to cut the heads of the manifestation. Police wanted to intimidate, but they provoked more solidarity with this rising movement. It did not appear as happening in a civilized country. Police officers, on our tax money, appeared as a dictatorship hit force.

I have many questions regarding “Occupy Wall Street”: why so few human rights “grass roots” organizations of NYC stayed apart; why trade unions of NYC do not support “Occupy Wall Street”; why so little coverage of the manifestations in local and national mass media;
It looks like big trade unions, Democratic Party, many consolidated human rights organizations became “establishment”, tacit friends of corporation takeover.

Who exactly had difficulty figuring out the message of the protest? It's called outrageous greed and it has been the ruination of every long held genuine value in this country. The corruption of Wall Street and the tacit approval of their indifference to the suffering created by their losses and the bailout are an outstandingly valid reason to protest the continuation of business as usual. As for those who are so pejorative towards the youthful participants, tell me how and why any parent of a teen should be encouraging higher education at this point in time? For further debt and poverty into another generation? Is anything else out there for our children? Who but Wall Street do we have to thank for the destructive economy as their corporate leaders consume billions in luxurious salaries? The President would not be in office today if it were not for the cash from this industry and that will change and soon indeed. Here is a small scale rehearsal for the Arab spring soon to come here in the US- even if it is just from the middle aged unemployed alone, a shift is forming.

@John from office

... enjoy your "free" show in the meantime!

@John from office

... hope you continue to have a job and an "office" to go to and food for your family and a doctor to go to, going forward!!

All the best!

Seth H -- there should be protests about the massive economic inequality everywhere. And lots of people can't afford to travel to DC.

Also, it was the Wall Street Gang Banksters who well and truly messed up our economy, with the Uberwealthy and Corporatists setting up the conditions allowing them to do so.

The right wing has been working against unionization, SocSec, the social econ safety nets since the Progressive Era, went into high gear against FDR but failed. But since Reagan, they've been buying our government and changing tax laws to allow wealth to flow to the Top One Percent, especially the Tippy Top of the Top One Percent.

It's past time to have taken action and bless these people. If I could afford to just get into the city, and didn't have some health problems, I'd be there in a...New York minute.

... glad to be of service, john from office!!

Those who can't afford bail may also not be able to afford the carfare to the demonstration.

Overbearing PD doesn't help. Are they on post-9/11 hyper-adrenaline?

Has the NYPD forgotten to coordinate with the demonstration groups?

Do they remember that demonstrations/marches are part of free speech?

Marc, you are sooo on point. Dboy, you made me laugh! LOL

Great. Another bunch of no-loads who would have been unemployable during the boom times is angling for media attention, and getting it from a line-up of morons. Bravo, bravo.

@Martin Chuzzlewit from manhattan

That's right... everything is just fine, here.

Go back to sleep!!

Keep it up Protestors!!
I'll be stopping by during lunch!

I am pessimistic. This is yet another proof that we are dealing with utterly illiterate population which can be easily manipulated.
American problem is systemic (yes, the problem is unfettered capitalism), but nobody is familiar with this concept like nobody is familiar with the fact that jobs can be actually protected, individuals can have access to health care etc. and CEOs don't have to "make" billions. Wall Street movement is clearly manipulated by ... Ron Paul? La Rouche?
Similarly, all this babbling about jobs is just babbling if two interconnected facts are not addressed - outsourcing and EXPLOITATION.

This is outrageous:

We Are Heroes, Who Need to Create a Crisis: SEIU's Stephen Lerner at Progressive Summit Tells Unions, Community Organizers and Students They Need to Escalate Protests, Break Laws, Occupy Abandoned Houses and Spread the Crisis All Over U.S.

Video here: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/we-are-heroes-who-need-to-create-a-crisis-seiu-stephen-lerner-at-progressive-summit-tells-unions-community-organizers-and-students-they-need-to-escalate-protests-break-laws-occupy-abandon-houses/

Labor organizer Learner is even more ambitious and ruthless than Vladimir Lenin when he urges his leftie friends on this video (below) that they have to CREATE a crisis!

In pre-revolutionary Russia, Vladimir Lenin authored a famous pamphlet in which he referred favorably to Nikolai Chernyshevsky's appallingly cynical comment: "The worse, the better." It was the idea that the worse the social conditions for the poor became, the more motivated they would be to join a revolution. Ironically, even history's greatest communist didn't discount the power of acting in one's self-interest!

As a strategy, I have no problem with waiting for things to go bad before mounting a political offensive. But to CREATE one where it wouldn't ordinarily occur?! That's Obamunmism.

Worse still, Learner is advocating this during the digital age. When I was a 60s radical, we used to justify public demonstrations because we didn't have the media megaphone. The corporations did. But TODAY, we have the internet. Look at the internet. Which website receives more readers? Huffington Post, or Exxon?

The NYPD has been proved to be spying extensively on New Yorkers (especially Arabs and Muslims). We have the record of NYPD abuses during the 2004 RNC.

Why would we _doubt_ charges of NYPD crimes?

These entitled young slackers in these photos should "protest" by going out and getting a job.

....and, yes, McDonalds would be a good place to start.

We'll see what this amounts to.
Hope it gains form and more coherence and enough traction to compete with the many, many empty addictive distractions -- gadgets, Internet, 500+ TV channels, etc. -- that still have most of us in a daze...

@john from office

This Kountry™ has turned into a Korporate® freak show!!!

When a young twenty-something guy with a ring through his nose complains that he can't find a job, I'll restrict my critique to mere laughter.

If young people fear poor employment prospects, then they should make themselves employable. I've lost count of recent college grads who can't perform the most basic duties. Looking around at the pickings, I'm not hiring, either.

the reason why labor unions and other groups are not joining the protesters is that they all support democratic politicians and do not want to do anything to embarass Obama -- who has been the best friend of Wall Street. They do not want to mobilize there members and take to the streets, they want to "make change" thru electing democrats. They do not realize that the only way to fight the right wing is to organize like the tea party, and form a labor "tea party" of unions and their supporters.

Thankyou,only venue media lately talking about issues being protested over.Many wall street misdeeds were criminal.we need real prison time for Wall street criminals not protesters.If it was not criminal change the laws.these wall street cheaters will not typically risk jail.wall street has much institutional "conflicts of interests"that are unethical and should be criminal.

Thank you for bringing this topic on the radio.
Occupywall Street is a very interesting movement by ppl who know what it means to be in debt i.e. because of student loans.

There is (and was) wide mainstream all-media (expect social) suppression of ANY INFORMATION about this.... Two weeks ago Mr. Bloomberg warned about possible widespread protests and then I in New Jersey learned about this peaceful gathering from.... Polish media in Poland. Why?? THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT IT AND GIVING THIS BRAVE PEOPLE A MUCH NEEDED VOICE!

FINALLY AMERICANS ARE PROTESTING !!!WALL STREETS PROTESTS ARE LONG OVERDUE !! GREED IS WHAT RULES IT !!THE REPUBLICANS WANT THE ECONOMY TO COLLAPSE TO BLAME PRESIDENT OBAMA, HOORAY FOR WARREN BUFFET !!

I work around the corner from the "protest". Problem is there is no message, they are off message. The Issue is Jobs, but every progressive issue is being put out there, turning off the average guy.

Sorry, I dont understand how parading around topless, by the pretty young ladies, helps their cause. It is degrading into a freak show.

These kinds of protests don't get any real change, critical mass is lacking and thus they are more for a group of people to checkoff on the list of things they can say they did in their resume building since many are also out of work.
Until you have a organized movement that is willing to get truly involved you will just see these things as nothing worth even mentioning beyond WNYC and NY papers.
We have a long ways to go before we get serious general civil strikes like elsewhere.
America still lot of fat to melt.

UKA®!

God Bless The United Korporations of Amerika®!!

Brian,

For a brief moment I was thinking this sounds like the mayor that used nets and force against protesters during the Republican National Convention. Then, of course, I remembered that that mayor was the same mayor, Bloomberg. I feel like it's very hard to protest in this city - Bloomberg acts like he's for the people, but he's really for business and shut everything down he doesn't agree with.

Young people showing up to protest the evils of the world??? You mean those who have little or no responsibilities (such as supporting a family) and little work experience -- if any. And whose most visible representatives are tattooed & pierced all over their bodies (I guess they have an excess of disposable income to spend on that stuff.) That's novel????

Far more impressive if OLDER people, people who've worked for years and had their life savings slashed or lost, and who will have a difficult time finding work for the remainder of their working lives.

THAT would make an impression. The young people are too easily dismissed by the viewing public.

I was down there yesterday and talked to the protesters about what they need. If listeners would like to support the protest and live far away, they can call a local restaurant and send them food, (they said they're getting tired of pizza!), and if they live nearby, they can bring over a bunch of water, some fruit, etc. The location is Zuccotti Park, 10006. (Fresh Direct told me they need an actual address).

The question of a clear message is precisely what leaves me luke warm about this action. I am an activist and often attend rallies and protests, but have to not joined this one because I just didn't see a focused message with a clearly defined goal.

Bravo, NYPD !!!!!

These protesters behaved like animals.
They police should have broken a few more noses to send a message.

the protestors are at the wrong people-the National Govt runs tax policy, minimum wage, wars etc-not wall street
theya re just a bunch of bankers
protest the people in washington

I hope it does happen here but Americans are too complacent and accepting, they have bought the bill of sales of the corporate/governmental world and feel that someone will do something for them. Instead of getting up off their bumms and doing something for themselves they believe, sincerely believe, that the those who screwed them reeeealll gooood will bail them out. Folks, get off your butts and get down to Wall Street and take back your lives.

Wha!?!?!?

The Wall Street Protests!!!!???

It only took Brian over a week to cover this important story!!

they should be protesting in washington
not wall street
minimum wage, tax the rich is washington policy not wall street

Bloomberg was correct, in coming years, there will be riots by the 20 - somethings.

They have done everything they were asked to by society, yet they are stuck with irremovable student loans, entry-level or no jobs and little prospect of affording to start a family and live the American dream.

I marched with the protestors on Saturday. It felt good to shout-- I felt like finally someone might finally hear me.

I like that they aren't affiliated with Democrats or Republicans or the usual suspects. They are talking and listening to each other-- since the government has stopped listening to them.

And you know what? The "them" is *US*... I am a mother of two, and I brought my son along because if I don't support civil disobedience now, he is going to grow up in a world of uncivil, violent protest.

That is not my American Dream.

alia