OCCUPIED

By now, I'm sure that you've all seen the protesters at the NATO Summit this past weekend. Like most of you, I'm not totally sure what they were protesting, but they sure made a spectacle of themselves. We actually began seeing some of these folks last summer, calling themselves the 99%. Perhaps they brought in the A-team for this event. Maybe they're the 1% of the 99%.

Now, I'm not against public demonstrations. Throughout the history of this country, we've seen some terrible things ended because of public protest. Let's not forget, this country was started with a protest. Up until about 50 years ago, racism and sexism were not only condoned, in some ways, they was mandated.

Thanks to Dr. King and the brave men and women who marched with him, an ugly chapter in our history was changed. Around the same time, we saw anti-war protesters against the war in Viet Nam. More recently, we saw an election heavily influenced by the Tea Party movement.

Looking back, it's easy to see why African Americans were fed up with being treated as second class citizens. You can understand why women felt the same way.  We can sympathize with young people who got tired of seeing their friends get drafted and sent to Viet Nam; some never to be seen again. It's not hard to understand how these causes became mainstream. Even the Tea Party evolved from people fed up with out of control government spending.

What I'm still trying to figure out is what are the "Occupy" people protesting against? Economic equality? What does that really mean? Does it mean that everyone gets the same income? Should an entry level mail room clerk get the same pay as a CEO? The one thing that I do understand is the frustration that many of those young people feel having come out of college with no employment prospects. I can see why someone would be upset about going a hundred thousand dollars in debt for a degree and not being able to find a job in the field they studied for. Yes, I know, McDonalds is hiring, and they should be glad to get a job there. But isn't that like having someone pay for a Cadillac and telling them they should be happy with a Yugo? It seems as if they are angry at the 1%, but didn't they go to college with the expectation of being the 1%?

I don't know how running around on TV with greasey hair and dirty clothes will improve their job prospects. Eventually, the recession will be over but those images will last forever. I also understand the protests against the war in Afghanistan. But what do they want there? A return of the Taliban? Unlike in the 60's, there is no military draft. There is no chance that any of these people will be sent there unless they volunteer.

Usually demonstrators protest "the Man"; those who are in power. I always wonder how many of them voted for McCain. You don't generally see people protesting the guy they voted for. I think that protesters have more credibility when they offer up a solution. If you don't like the status quo, what do you propose to make it better? 

I wholeheartedly support the right of anyone to peacefully protest on any issue they chose. Note, I said "peacefully". For the most part, we saw that downtown, but we didn't see it in Tinley Park. If we can silence the Occupiers, we can silence anyone else, too. If racists can be beat up in a restaurant, what about groups that support the causes you or I support? The beauty of America is that we have a voice and a vote. The Tea Party proved it, so have other movements.

Occupiers, get a message that makes sense, use your voices to convince the rest of us ( or at least half of us) and use those votes to make the changes you seek. Sometimes you win, other times you don't. But that's what makes this a great country.