Disappeared News: Viral email igniting protests against Wall Street handout

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Viral email igniting protests against Wall Street handout

by Larry Geller

I see Hawaii’s parks and streets crowded with people who were not bailed out, who have no place to live. Yet millionaires, through their CEO buddies who are embedded at the top of the Bush administration (with more lurking to take over when either Obama or McCain is elected), expect to be able to use our tax money to make sure their yachts stay afloat.

This week the White House is going to try to push through the biggest robbery in world history with nary a stitch of debate to bail out the Wall Street bastards who created this economic apocalypse in the first place.
-- Arun Gupta

The fundamental (fundamentalist?) unfairness of this is beginning to sink in, and protests are developing.

One email has gone viral on the Internet. Sent out Monday, it calls for a demonstration on Wall Street today. The email was written by Arun Gupta, an editor and reporter at New York’s The Indypendent newspaper.

People are supposed to bring their own personal junk, things that have lost value, and dump them in front of the bronze bull sculpture near Wall Street. Protests are forming in other cities and towns around the country.

PROTEST WALL STREET!
September 22, 2008, 5:09 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized
Forward widely…
Everyone,
This week the White House is going to try to push through the biggest robbery in world history with nary a stitch of debate to bail out the Wall Street bastards who created this economic apocalypse in the first place.
This is the financial equivalent of September 11. They think, just like with the Patriot Act, they can use the shock to force through the “therapy,” and we’ll just roll over!
Think about it: They said providing healthcare for 9 million children, perhaps costing $6 billion a year, was too expensive, but there’s evidently no sum of money large enough that will sate the Wall Street pigs. If this passes, forget about any money for environmental protection, to counter global warming, for education, for national healthcare, to rebuild our decaying infrastructure, for alternative energy.
This is a historic moment. We need to act now while we can influence the debate. Let’s demonstrate this Thursday at 4pm in Wall Street (see below).
We know the congressional Democrats will peep meekly before caving in like they have on everything else, from FISA to the Iraq War.
With Bear Stearns, Fannie and Freddie, AIG, the money markets and now this omnibus bailout, well in excess of $1 trillion will be distributed from the poor, workers and middle class to the scum floating on top.
This whole mess gives lie to the free market. The Feds are propping up stock prices, directing buyouts, subsidizing crooks and swindlers who already made a killing off the mortgage bubble.
Worst of all, even before any details have been hashed out, The New York Times admits that “Wall Street began looking for ways to profit from it,” and its chief financial correspondent writes that the Bush administration wants “Congress to give them a blank check to do whatever they want, whatever the cost, with no one able to watch them closely.”
It’s socialism for the rich and dog-eat-dog capitalism for the rest of us.
Let’s take it to the heart of the financial district! Gather at 4pm, this Thursday, Sept. 25 in the plaza at the southern end of Bowling Green Park, which is the small triangular park that has the Wall Street bull at the northern tip.
By having it later in the day we can show these thieves, as they leave work, we’re not their suckers. Plus, anyone who can’t get off work can still join us downtown as soon as they are able.
There is no agenda, no leaders, no organizing group, nothing to endorse other than we’re not going to pay! Let the bondholders pay, let the banks pay, let those who brought the “toxic” mortgage-backed securities pay!
On this list are many key organizers and activists. We have a huge amount of connections – we all know many other organizations, activists and community groups. We know P.R. folk who can quickly write up and distribute press releases, those who can contact legal observers, media activists who can spread the word, the videographers who can film the event, etc.
Do whatever you can – make and distribute your own flyers, contact all your groups and friends. This crime is without precedence and we can’t be silent! What’s the point of waiting for someone else to organize a protest two months from now, long after the crime has been perpetrated?
We have everything we need to create a large, peaceful, loud demonstration. Millions of others must feel the same way; they just don’t know what to do. Let’s take the lead and make this the start!
AGAIN:
When: 4pm – ? Thursday, September 25.
Where: Southern end of Bowling Green Park, in the plaza area
What to bring: Banners, noisemakers, signs, leaflets, etc.
Why: To say we won’t pay for the Wall Street bailout
Who: Everyone!

The email has ignited interest in every corner of the blogosphere. Example:

The Bush Administration has angered thousands of Americans with its vague $700 billion bailout proposal.
. . .
"People are going to bring their own personal junk that they think is worth as much as the junk financial instruments that the government is proposing to buy from the Wall Street banks," says Andrew Boyd, an activist and freelance online-video artist for nonprofit groups in Manhattan. "We're hoping that people show up with their 8-track cassette collections, their old Spice Girl CDs, their surf boards that got bit by sharks and old Enron stock certificates."
Boyd is just one of thousands of Americans from all over the political spectrum who the Bush Administration has angered with its vague proposal to hand $700 billion over to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to restore U.S. financial markets' health. That anger has manifested itself online through e-mail, web sites and other online chatter, with one site, BuyMyShitPile.com, going rapidly viral this week. The site, a parody of the dire financial situation, is what is inspiring the self-organizing group of activists to show up in downtown Manhattan Thursday evening with all their junk. They hope to make their simmering fury palpable to Wall Streeters getting off work.

(over at that website, they’re demanding a bailout so far of: Current Value
Of Our Shit: $558,385,530,841.63)

I don’t know of any protests in Hawaii, or what particular spot could be the focal point here. The most obvious symbol of the Bush administration we have is the governor herself, who is about to desert Hawaii’s own economic problems and go off to campaign for McCain (who, at this writing, is claiming to call off his own campaign due to the economic “crisis”. Go figure.)

For anyone moved by this controversy one way or the other, you might call the local offices of our Congressional delegation and urge them to act responsibly. Here’s a list of phone numbers.

Sen. Daniel Inouye:

Honolulu Office:
300 Ala Moana Boulevard, #7-212
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850
Phone: (808) 541-2542
Fax: (808) 541-2549

Hilo Office:
101 Aupuni Street, #205
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone: (808) 935-0844
Fax: (808) 961-5163

Wailuku Office:
24 North Church Street, #407
Wailuku, Hawaii 96793
Phone: (808) 242-9702
Fax: (808) 242-7233

Kaunakakai Office:
PO Box 573
Kaunakakai, Hawaii 96748
Phone: (808) 642-0203
Fax: (808) 560-3385

Lihue Office:
1840 A Leleiona Street
Lihue, Hawaii 96766
Phone: (808) 245-4611
Fax: (808) 246-9515

Kealakekua Office:
PO Box 4l
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
Phone: (808) 935-0844
Fax: (808) 961-5163

Mililani Office:
94-403 Punono Street
Mililani, Hawaii 96789
Phone: (808) 623-8334
Fax:

Sen. Daniel Akaka

Honolulu Office:
300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-106
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850
Phone: (808) 522-8970
Fax: (808) 545-4683

Hilo Office:
101 Aupuni Street, #213
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone: (808) 935-1114
Fax: (808) 935-9064