Correct as always, Mr. Pitt.

I'm into it. I just graduated college, and despite having decided to pursue a work/research opportunity in Indonesia, there is something compelling about going to the Gulf Coast to do...something? Helping. Blogging. Protesting. Anything, really.

It's a better plan than hanging out our windows and shouting out how mad we are and how we are not going to take it anymore!!!

Our souls are sick from what is happening in the Gulf and everywhere else for that matter - this is just the poster child for the !@#$ed up way that the planet is being ruined. But we the people have a voice. If we unite we can get things done. Tipping Points happen alllllll the time.

OR our HIRED and TAX-PAID FOR Public Servant #1 could just(ly) Do the JOB for which We, the People elected him: PLUG the ***HOLES gushing the crude (SUBROC); sucking our servicemen's blood and lives into the Afghanisand, siphoning away our domestic wealth and DEforming the health of US ALL! Otherwise, a simple WRIT OF MANDAMUS will suffice!

We, The People, elected the Congress and the President to do our bidding! We, The People, expect them to do the right thing by us. Why don't they do the right thing? Why do We, the People, now have to force those representatives to do their job by marching, protesting etc.? All this extra effort by We, The People, just takes more of our time and our money! All We, The People should have to do is vote! All the good work should be done by those We, The People, elect and pay to do the work! Thats how Democracy works!!

The problem with crushing those greedy hair balls is if they declare bankruptcy, they won't have to pay the damages will they? You and I can then pick up the tab, in addition to cleaning up after them for decades.

Having masses of angry citizens converging on the gulf is a great idea---it won't happen---but it is a great idea. Public opinion still seems to have some effect on the ruling elite. Unfortunately, it takes a hell of a lot to mobilize people in general, and apparently Americans in particular, to rise up in effective indignation. As the saying goes: "people don't act, they react". Global warming is one example. By the time parts of Florida start to submerge under water and major coastal cities are threatened with massive flooding, THEN enough people will panic and demand that something be done. But by then it will be far too late.

I like this idea William, but I would like to suggest that we take it up a notch. Instead of exposing ourselves to the expense and peril of travel, not to mention the risk of the usual abuse from large men with guns and body armor, I suggest that you call a general strike.

Name the date, and I'll stand with you by not going to work, not driving or buying anything, and connecting with others in my community via internet about proposed positive solutions to our problems. Call it for one day, well in advance for everyone to find out about it, and so we can make necessary arrangements. If one day doesn't accomplish enough change, call it for a week. Continue the call for longer periods if necessary.

I suspect that a successful one day strike would get the attention of those who think they can continue to dominate our access and discourse, to their advantage. "Most people" know the truth, know the change that must happen if we are to survive this amazing time of awakening and growth. I think people would respond to your call and spread the word.

Name the date William, I'll be there, and I'll do my best to get everyone I know on board too.

PISSING IN FACES AND CALLING IT OIL!
How long will American people continue to do this?
How much oil is enough, how much?

...was just down in perdido key for a week and there are hordes of fema paid sweepers on the beach getting up little tar balls by hand...8 to 5...and so i walked up to one and asked him if he had seen or heard of the large silver 'object' [through the lens it looked like some kind of 10' long fish floating on the water about 200 yards out] that a couple of boats had cornered out there. and he said he wasn't allowed to talk about anything but he hadn't seen or heard anything either. fema has bought up all of the leases down there for several months. owners are thrilled, since vacationers have been canceling. sort of a perfect storm--the owners are not interested in talking either since they are laughing all the way to the bank. 'co-opted' is a word that comes to mind...

What proof do we have that BP is keeping anyone away from the beaches and animal cleaning stations? I have an uncomfortable feeling about this claim.

"The public mind, [oppressed by despotism,] is manifestly advancing on the abusive prerogatives of their governors and bearing them down. No force in the government can withstand this in the long run." --Thomas Jefferson to Comte de Moustier, 1788.
If this idea sounds like alien, mumbo-jumbo to you, you're part of the problem.

Well, let's go! Where? When?

It is time for Americans to react in some collaborative way against not just BP and their goons who have now threatened the existence of the Gulf coast, but to all who have put finance and corporate greed beyond the grasp and control of ordinary people just attempting to live without these ever constant barrages of crime against all, including nature herself. We have sat back and allowed too much to pass under our collective bridge and now the dirtied waters have blackened our hopes for a better America and world. I am sickened by the attempts of BP to silence the horror they have created. And please, don't tell me again that if I drive a car I am part of the problem. My small use of the worlds waning resource is but a drop in the bucket compared to the Pentagon and to the corporations which continue to pollute us. Yup, I agree, only the masses going in droves to wallstreet, congress, or to the oil spilled beaches will there come a justice I can live with. Until then, the silence and apathy is tearing me apart and is but a signal to the goons that they are winning and unbeatable.

Are those places privately owned by bp? Another question is if the beaches and surrounding area are privately by someone who hired bp to police everyone away?

Perhaps if people could organize hundreds of people to show up on those beaches and showed bp who has the right to be there.

How about it?

If I lived in that area of this country I'd be there.

Duh! CLeANiNG uP The CRiME SCENE!!!
all TheY "WanT" to DO!
SLeePers, in GOVeRNMenT, Put There fOr JUST SUCH ReASON!
duh.
DO NOT GO DOWN There! LeST YOU WANT CanCer/Birth Defects?a
& suCh! ThaT is What Has Been LOOSED, On The WORLD!
SiCk BasTards, WANT the PopulaTion More "Manageable"...
This iS Going to acCOMPLiSH ThaT!
Sorry to Say...
b.

The irony of everyone going to the gulf to protest is of course how much oil and gas it would take to get everyone there.... then how much oil and gas to bring in supplies to feed everyone and make sure they had clean water...

Your best bet is to organize everyone via the internet for activities where they already are. Otherwise we stress an already stressed out region.

July 2 (Friday) would be good for the first nationwide General Strike. It is close to July 4 when independence was declared but this year July 4 falls on a Sunday so has less effect. Maybe subsequent monthly General Strikes until real change starts to occur. Those of us in the anti-war movement have talked about a General Strike but not much support so far. This BP/ARCO blowout maybe the trigger needed to wake people up.

Your call to action sounds and feels exactly right. It also helps us understand why so many Iraqis and Afghans are motivated to risk or lose their lives just to get us out of their countries.

Go up against an army of mercenaries led by a bunch of corporate and congressional millionaire sociopaths? Maybe the American people aren't as stupid as the rest of the world thinks. You can bet your ass if we ever had a home team advantage, it was lost when the home team went on the road to play sandlot slaughter ball. The time for action was back when we could and should have tarred and feathered all three branches of government. Too late now. Plenty of tar, no feathers!

And I suppose all of you will drive to the general strike. Better if you all MARCHED. On Foot. Just change your way of life to use as little oil as you can. Now THAT might actually have a real effect.

Don't buy from ARCO. BP sells to the Pentagon. If BP experiences less demand, they might move to careful operation. The EPA has been ineffective with BP because BP supplies the military. It now makes sense why the British government supported the wars, right? Getting mowed down by mercenaries does not affect this and could be disastrous for Main Street, which appears to be what the oiligarchs want. Your life energy is your vote. Riding a bike and eating clean food is more of a vote for good. What happens to your home place if you leave to become a Glock or Caterpillar target far away where your corpse is easier to dispose of?

It annoys me that you feel compelled to put "Sounds crazy?" into your call to action. What sounds crazy is your need to apologize or back off of CIVIL ACTION, as if it might be a crazy notion.

What Sounds Crazy is to do nothing. To take no action against those destroying the earth and everything in it is REALLY CRAZY.

While I think that a general strike would be great, a word of warning about converging on the Gulf with the Blackwater-types around: Bush's White House National Security Directive #51 is still in effect, and it allows the President to declare martial law to restore order in cases of any action that adversely affects a population. Unless you are prepared to commit an act of self-defense against the goons which would lead to all out violence, you might be asking for trouble and create a catalyst that will cause a declaration of martial law in the Gulf States at which time BP will be able to do anything they want unobstructed and unobserved by anyone who could actually do anything.

We have seen in the past that demonstrations are no longer covered by the media unless it is a Tea Party, perhaps it is time to try something more direct than just a march or demonstration. Perhaps it is time for that general strike, but not for one day - try a week or more!

Make a real impact on the bottom line of many of these companies - then tell your local governments that you want them to develop strategies that will make your communities virtually autonomous through the use of localized transportation, energy, food, education, money.

We take back our communities first locally then move up the political chain as quickly as possible by creating the kind of environment where any candidate that takes or allows corporate money to used on their behalf is immediately voted out of office or prevented from taking office at the ballot box. Make the pols hurt in the pocketbook where they all live, not just the corporations. We put up local candidates that refuse corporate money and run only on locally raised campaign funds, and if a candidate uses personal wealth to run, then they are not voted in. We can defang the corporations without waiting for Congress or state legislatures if we want to - it just takes effort.

Good luck to us all if we do not act now.

By blaming BP we get off the hook for our oil addicted society.Its the ancient scapegoat ritual. Were all responsible. Yes they're lame and so are we! Yes they ought be brought to justice but so ought the whole of guzzling America!

We should not be blaming ourselves (02:50) for using gas vehicles. We are enslaved to hydrocarbons via the deal between oil companies/car companies/government whores. Who would not prefer to drive an electric vehicle powered by our rooftop solar panels (got $100K for a Tesla and $10-30K for the solar system?). Use this opportunity to go green like Jimmy Carter tried to accomplish more than 3 decades ago.

"I agree with amy moore that all the extra effort takes more of our time and money. Time and money that most of us simply do not have the luxury of donating to this cause... we're also all wage slaves, and to give up even one day of our wages would break so many of us... The corporate oligarchy is extremely powerful."

You're right. There's nothing you can do about it at all. Accept it. Make your peace with that idea. Just sit there and take the beating.

Go for the General Strike! Turn everything OFF...!!!
We'll do it. Obviously, those in power have forgotten that we are not machines: WE ARE PEOPLE...let them know that we have had enough.
Not in anger-or violence-revenge-or desperation we have just had enough and we are smart enough to just turn it off...turn it all off. Give it (3) days for the first start...then extend to (5) days ...then to (7) days. Be with your friends, family, pets, burn candles, read, THEY CANNOT RAID EVERY HOUSE EVERYDAY. Let them hear our silence, let them feel our contempt, let them know that we are people, maybe even the Supreme Court- will understand that the CORPORATIONS ARE NOT "we the people!
We used to call it "Blue Flu"...it is contagious. Let's catch it now.

I think perhaps "regina" should be aware that BP (The company is NOT called British Petroleum - its registered name is BP and has been so since it took over AMOCO about 10 years ago) is an Anglo American company with equal numbers of British and American Directors and pretty much equal numbers of British and American shareholders. It also has far more American employees than it does British ones.

The blowout is a catastrophe. But all of this self righteousness about carpet baggers and "over here" etc. is plain nonsense.

FREE AMERICA

DIRECT DEMOCRACY

Obama like religion is the new "opium of the masses"

William, you hit it right on the nose (as did Marx).

And what that opium is hiding is a disguised global EMPIRE, much more dangerous than the 19th century European national Empires!

Here's my comment explaining Obama's real sedating impact on America in my reply to today's (6/16) NY Times front-page supposed 'news analysis' story, "Obama Seeks to Shift Arc of Oil Crisis":

Obama hasn't "Shift(ed) Arc of Oil Crisis", but rather kept the 'Ark of History on Course' ---- to EMPIRE.

The US is today, like the 'Titanic', on a course controlled by an arrogant and mindless ruling-elite Empire.

'Our' former country, 'our' former democratic Republic, is now fully under the control of a ruling-elite corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE at the helm --- which has already hit several existential icebergs; imperialist wars abroad, financial manipulation / looting, environmental self-destruction, and democracy euthanasia --- and continues to steer an insane course and "arc of history" toward ultimate self-destruction; reflective of the fictional Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick" and the very real Captain of the 'Titanic'.

This is the holed and sinking Arc/Ark of American history that Captain Obama so publicly promised to "bend" and correct.

"But Captain, our Captain, Why are you holding the course to Empire and extinction --- and why are you not saying anything, nor even whispering, about the Empire that has your icy hands lashed to the wheel?"

Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine

""I agree with amy moore that all the extra effort takes more of our time and money. Time and money that most of us simply do not have the luxury of donating to this cause... we're also all wage slaves, and to give up even one day of our wages would break so many of us... The corporate oligarchy is extremely powerful."

You're right. There's nothing you can do about it at all. Accept it. Make your peace with that idea. Just sit there and take the beating."

Look here, buddy, I never said there's nothing I can do about it at all and that I'm just going to accept it. I'm just saying that showing up to the gulf coast in droves isn't necessarily the most executable plan. Nor is it necessarily going to make a difference.

A general strike, however, is much more doable and can have tremendous effect.

In the meanwhile, my car runs on vegetable oil and I grow my own garden. So yeah. I'm doing something about it. What are you doing, besides making sweeping assumptions?

Interesting letter in our Daily Telegraph on 15 June saying:
"Who gave BP licence to drill in the Gulf? Americans! Who taxes BP on the oil it recovers? Americans! Who uses the oil it recovers? Americans! Who made the equipment which failed? Americans! Who owns 40% of BP? Americans! Yet somehow it's all our fault!"

Can I also ask: how much money was paid by Union Carbide in compensation to the families of the estimated 20,000 who died as a result of the leaking gas from the US-owned plant at Bhopal, India?

For Christ's sake, let's have some balance!

I agree with the idea of participating in a one-day national strike! The idea of wildcat strikes has recently come back to me as what is needed now.\ Someone closer to the Disaster must organize this for the country, chose the date, explain the reasoning. I don't know how it could be done, but I would join it such efforts.

About the oil spill, we just can't pay for another long trip to LA, but we could bring this country to a standstill. I know people wouldn't dare do it, and the numbers would not be large enough. But just maybe they would get some attention so that another day could happen that would get more participants.

Strike, strike! Stop shopping, working, stop all money exchanges for one day, stop serving the public for one day.

Behind the General Strike idea, you need something like the old One Big Union concept of the IWW--an organization of organizations, if you like, to coordinate and strategize many actions (great and small) on behalf of working people--above all, to legitimize the idea of working class interests and fighting back against the warfare being waged against the workers by the ruling class.

I'm including a lot of what you might call the fungible petty bourgeoisie in the working class--for example "professionals" like me, who work as consultants without benefits for a variety of customers in the public and private sectors.

If I want to play the bourgeois, I can go to Whole Foods and swan about with a snarl on my lips like the rest of them--or I can take a good look at my insufficient Net Worth and throw in my lot with the workers. If I can make that decision, so can others. What we need is organization and leadership--a place to go and a strategy.

Direct action can be the leading edge of a revolutionary wave that will challenge the power structure in toto. Only when such a movement has the bastards really scared will the people get any concessions out of them (as happened in the New Deal). And only when people see that revolutionary heresy is viable in post-Reagan America will we stop worrying about blasphemy against the Invisible Hand of the Marketplace and whether it is Truly Moral to use Coercive Force in agitating for a desired outcome.

So glad to see this here and I sincerely hope that this march does happen! I am too far away to make it as I am in oregon, but I am hosting a community meeting to discuss this event and figure out how we can prepare our coast for when the oil gets here. And it WILL spread. Lets not keep our eyes closed here, every coastal state should be severely concerned about this issue and prepare themselves for when the oil arives. I've been too overwhelmed by the magnitude of this event up until yesterday. At which point I started reading about it and talking to my friends and family. Please at least continue the conversation. Thank you for your strong words. Please stir up your community as much as you can, because seeing this is giving me hope that we can get through this. But it wont happen if we just stay on our couches watching the news. We need to be pressuring the oil tycoons to take responsibility for their actions, and we need to ourselves take back control of our lives, our land, and our water.

Actually, what's needed are three things, including the big stick. The other two are a fulcrum and a place to stand (was it Archimedes who said that?).

A fulcrum, natch, is a pivot point. Maybe the oil spill is sufficiently horrible and ongoing and local enough to finally result in an uprising of some sort, a point all can agree on because it's so obvious.

I tend to be really skeptical of the notion of people being shown the truth and everything being made right as a result. In the movies, all too often, but in real life, well, again maybe it has to be something truly horrible, ongoing and local to do the trick.

A place to stand - right here and now would do nicely.

I think the reason it doesn't happen is that people like myself are pretty sure the police would start beating us, shooting us and imprisoning us.

There's one sure-fire way to get people involved, pissed off, in the streets: reinstate the draft.

1500 students with camera cell-phones all dialed up to the White House is what is needed, in a big line on the beach, at sunrise--oil, goons, loons. The kids integrated the South now it's time to call for Corporations to get responsible.

A call to local newsroom assignment desks at 4am. let the video tell the story.

Where are you Saul Alinsky?

You cannot photograph ideas. You gotta have an event.

Melvin

bwahahhahaha... don't forget your granola bars!

If progressives like William Rivers Pitt want direct action from Americans, they will have to give up their agenda of disarming the citizenry. Otherwise they are going to get people killed for nothing while the rest become Big Brother’s obedient servants, accepting a bare subsistence from “a caring government” in exchange for docility.

I am driving to Washington and parking. Leaving tonight. I'm SICK of this. I'll rise up even if I'm the only one to do it. Fuck it!

I'm all for the good, old fashioned boycott; time-honored Irish tradition, yo . . . I do worry however, that the smelly slug hedge fund mgrs. are now betting on BP's failure the way they did on John Paulson's less-than-honest stuff . . . Congress, being owned completely by the criminal oligarchy isn't going to make such things illegal any time soon, so we're screwed multiple times by the same creeps.

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