Where are the big protests?

[Zalatix]

I live near a fairly big city full of women and their husbands, fathers, sisters and sons, who ostensibly care about the women in their lives.

I know the media has a total blackout on Occupy, but if people REALLY understood what Paul Ryan, Todd Akin and their ilk have in store for women - and at this point there's no reason not to know quite clearly what their agenda is - they should be out in the streets in every major city.


Why is that not happening? I've talked to plenty of people in grocery store lines and Todd Akin is NOT an obscure subject. Everyone, from my perspective, knows what this guy is up to. A surprisingly high number of people know he's tied to Paul Ryan. But none of them are fired up to seriously dislike this bunch, much less driven to protest.

What does it take to get women and the men who care about them, to go on strike, get out and protest, and jam the streets so the media has NOTHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT?

Is it that we're utterly domesticated?

[Webster Green]

1. Maybe a lot of people aren't into getting the shit stomped out of them by the cops.

Or getting struck with a tear gas cannister at close range.

It would seem that protesting has now been deemed to be illegal in the US. The response by the crazed and militarized police riot squads is usually swift and vicious.

[NOLALady]

2. Evidently,

we have been pacified.

[IcyPeas]

3. there will be protests at the convention next week: see here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/range-of-groups-planning-protests-at-the-republican-national-convention/2012/08/24/51f7858a-ee39-11e1-b624-99dee49d8d67_story.html

[Zalatix]

7. I wish they'd have something that big over here on the Left coast!

[madamesilverspurs]

4. Many of those who protest

are also active in other ways. These days, I'm doing phone banking for a number of candidates, and I'm joined in that by lots of folks with whom I've protested (or marched for) a number of issues. Fellow protesters are also canvassing neighborhoods and knocking on doors. Still more are registering voters at tables set up in libraries and parks and shopping malls. Many are also involved with Occupy, and around here that means speaking up at city council meetings and other public venues; we're still bringing more people into the public conversation about fracking.

And some of us will be picketing our congressman, but we'll be doing that between all our other commitments.

We're activists. We're out there. And we are really, really busy these days.

Join us!

-

[tama]

5. From protesting to organizing

and getting organized and organic. Protesting is inherently reactionary action, reacting to this or that great wrong done by others and the system as whole, and because of that it is often quite often defeatist and frustrating and counterproductive from the set go. Certainly not always so, with the power to remind us that we are not alone. The biggest threat (to TPTB) and greatest promise about OWS was not the protests and the succesfull violent suffocation of them, but that it took initiative and opened spaces - in cities and parks, hearts and minds - for more initiatives towards creating alternative ways of living, free from capitalistic oppression and chains.

[Zalatix]

6. Already joined!

I've already started phone banking and will be ramping up this next month. Right now I contribute money to various leftist causes, more than anything else, although the Koch brothers are far ahead of everyone in doing that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Just got home from an event in my city.

Well attended. Great signs. Still waiting for media coverage.