The other day we spoke to RT Television about our search for the #OccupyWallStreet demonstrations in a lower Manhattan that almost felt as if it were under military siege. That led to a conversation about the protests — what they're protesting, the importance of these protests, Wall Street's role in the crash, and Mayor Bloomberg's police-state tactics in the heart of our country's financial and cultural capital.
We also talked about the GOP in Congress and their ongoing acts of economic terrorism — holding the government hostage for their radical and unpopular demands. We talked about the President's past mistakes, capitulations, and repetition of Republican rhetoric. We also gave the President moving toward a more popular, progressive, and common-sense approach – and credited progressive institutions with moving him in the right direction.
But about those protests:
Wall Street's fear is understandable. If the public is ever given a voice to express its outrage, their party train will have to stop and some people will pay for their crimes. But when Americans can only express their right to free speech after they've been coralled into a “free speech zone,” one that's far from the subject of the protests, that's not free speech at all.
And it's not America.
(Video is below and here.)
We’re resisting Trump’s authoritarian pressure.
As the Trump administration moves a mile-a-minute to implement right-wing policies and sow confusion, reliable news is an absolute must.
Truthout is working diligently to combat the fear and chaos that pervades the political moment. We’re requesting your support at this moment because we need it – your monthly gift allows us to publish uncensored, nonprofit news that speaks with clarity and truth in a moment when confusion and misinformation are rampant. As well, we’re looking with hope at the material action community activists are taking. We’re uplifting mutual aid projects, the life-sustaining work of immigrant and labor organizers, and other shows of solidarity that resist the authoritarian pressure of the Trump administration.
As we work to dispel the atmosphere of political despair, we ask that you contribute to our journalism. Over 80 percent of Truthout’s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.