Occupy Whatever...Your known by the company you keep

Wow, this "Occupy" movement just keeps getting stranger.....

There is no doubt that many of the protesters and followers of this movement are simply "going with the flow" and jumping on a bandwagon that promises them more for doing less, or preferably doing nothing (the new Mantra of our Nanny state).

Many of the Occupy drones will use the fact that even some American politicians have referred to the movement in a positive way as a sign they are gathering support. In particular they point to former VP (and wannabe President) Al Gore who has openly came out supporting their cause (my guess is he figures this is his best shot at a second Nobel), and hints by the Anointed One, President Obama (he's only hinting support at this time, probably waiting to see which way the wind eventually blows on this one). I would suggest that if this is the case they should refer to all their supporters when making their point. Here are two that tend to get overlooked in articles and interviews conducted with "occupiers"

The American Nazi Party and the Communist Party USA have thrown their support behind the "Occupy Movement"...really I am not making this up. Please by all means confirm this for yourself. I however will not give either of these groups the satisfaction of quoting them in print or providing a link to their websites.

Now don't get me wrong I am not, nor would I ever suggest that all "Occupy" protesters are wannabe Nazis or Communists, I imagine that many sincerely believe in what they are protesting, even if they are not certain what the cause is themselves. Others are simply misinformed or out for a good time.

In fact the reality is that the movement as a whole has no focused cause. Some U.S. protesters, like those in Europe, have their own causes. Unions that have joined forces with the movement have demands of their own, and on Sunday members of the newly formed Occupy Pittsburgh group demanded that Bank of New York Mellon Corp. pay back money they allege it overcharged public pension funds around the country.

The demonstrations worldwide have emboldened those camped out at Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, the epicenter of the movement that began over a month ago. But there is conflict too. Some protesters eventually want the movement to rally around a goal, while others insist that isn't the point. An official statement released online by the protesters is equally flaky.The manifesto relies wholly on blanket statements; all corporations are impugned for discrimination, pollution, and "colonialism" with no effort to separate the innocent from the guilty.

Still, some protesters truly appear to have a justified call to action as they have been "stripped" of so much they are literally left with nothing, such as this group, (funny, for some reason I have an easier time relating to their cause or at the very least watching them protest). All we can hope is that if there is a resolution to all of this that groups such as the one in this video are allowed the freedom of expression to make themselves heard (and seen?)

Repeat after me "I can't afford a shirt, I can't afford ...."

Unfortunately, all kidding aside the end result is the same as it simply lends credence to a bad movement. Just as the celebrities who have recently jumped on the this bandwagon do, Michael Moore, Rosanne Barr, and Susan Sarandon have been spotted in the crowd and been interviewed. Ironically, I would guess that these particular folks fall into the "1%", not the 99% we keep hearing the protesters scream about. I did read that right after her appearance at the rally, Sarandon jetted off to Italy (probably flying on points and staying in a youth hostel I imagine, after all she does empathize with the common man).

Sarandon was quoted by CNBC as stating "I came down here to educate myself. It's been really informative and I'll be back. There's a huge void between the rich and the poor in this country.Greed is widespread all over the world. We have to start making human decisions and put people at the top of the line."

She would know, being fortunate enough to have a view from the top. As for Rosanne Barr and Michael Moore I will save my comments on them for another day.

So lets do a recap, so far we have a movement.......

• Without any a particular cause, and depending on the locale the reason for gathering and the chant is different.
• Groups of protesters that are not sure why they have gathered but they all agree on one point, whatever the reason that brought them out, they support it 99% and something needs to be done, what ever that may be and whenever they can decide who should do it and what it is.
• A movement that amongst its ardent supporters can count the American Nazi Party, the Communist Party USA, a number of well fed and over privileged wealthy celebrities fighting for the common man, a former VP who chases the cause of the moment, a sitting President looking for a boost to his ratings in an attempt at a second term, and last but not least, the topless. At this point I should admit that out of the a fore mentioned groups I have no personally animosity towards the last one.