Jumping head first

posted by Melissa Baumgart

Who wouldn't want to jump into the blue waters?

On again, Off again
Yesterday I did not run.  Amy and I spent the day making a flier and handout to support the Occupy Wall Street movement that is spreading in our country.  We printed out the document drafted by occupy Wall Street called the 99 Percent Declaration, in which they propose creating a National General Assembly.  The NGA will be comprised of 870 delegates, one woman and one man from each of our 435 congressional  districts across the country.  These delegates will compile a list of grievances from their constituents and present hem to the President, Congress and the Supreme Court before the 21012 election.

We also prepared ourselves for a night of sitting with those at Occupy Seattle, at Westlake park downtown.  Unfortunately, we did not spend the entire evening.  I completely support this movement, but I did not want to support the behaviors of those camping out last night at Westlake.  They were provoking and calling the cops names, and quite frankly I did not think they were upholding the proposals voted on during the 3 hour General Assembly just prior.

I hesitate to post this.  Because, one, I don't really feel this blog is a political platform.  And, two, I don't want to bad mouth this Occupy movement.  I believe in it.  I am inspired by its potential.  I just do not see how the actions of those protesters at Westlake last night are going to propel this movement positively into the future for our country.

I read a post by Naomi Wolf this morning about her recent arrest in NYC, surrounding the Occupy Wall Street protests.  She is very well versed in US history as well as our rights to protest and have our voices be heard.  I would suggest and strongly urge anyone who is interested in affecting some positive change to educate yourself.

I am going to be reading Wolf's book, Give Me Liberty - A Handbook for American Revolutionaries.  In it she sites historical references and gives tactical plans for things like staging a protest, direct-action activism, and organizing a town hall meeting.  Things we should know, as Americans that want to actively engage with our country and government.

I know, I jump head first into everything.  I bet if you look at the pattern of this blog, you would see an interesting graph line distributing the time spent toward the blog clumping together in excited magnetic propulsion.  And then, of course, the lull of doubt and contemplation about life and where I am heading with it all.

So, yes...On again, off again.  With the blog (sometimes it's all I think about!), with the Occupy Seattle protest (now doubting, thinking I just don't support what appears to be a radical anarchist takeover of the Wall Street protest), and likely, with the Kardashians (hey, I miss them, and yes, sometimes I would rather be them, swimming in the clear blue waters near the Hilton in Bora Bora)...if I am to be completely honest.  Which I tend to be.

-Melissa