As Bill Moyers says, “inequality matters”

Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.

Bill Moyers in the first “Moyers & Co.” essay asks, “What’s the common cause behind Occupy protesters?”. Moyers’ analysis, via Truth Out, picks up on the observation of one Occupier, Ronni Terr, who talks about the country “waking up.” Moyers says:

Waking up is right. Waking up to the reality that inequality matters. It matters because what we’re talking about is what it takes to live a decent life. If you get sick without health coverage, inequality matters. If you’re the only breadwinner and out of work, inequality matters. If your local public library closes down and you can’t afford to buy books on your own, inequality matters. If budget cuts mean your child has to pay to play on the school basketball team or to sing in the chorus or march in the band, inequality matters. If you lose your job as you’re about to retire, inequality matters. And if the financial system collapses and knocks the props from beneath your pension, inequality matters.

Moyers describes growing up in a “working class family. We were among the poorest in town, but I was rich in public goods.”

He went to a good public school, used good public parks, libraries, and highways, and attended a good public college,

… all made possible by people I never met. There was an unwritten bargain among the generations – we didn’t all get the same deal, but we did get civilization.

That bargain’s being shredded. The occupiers of Wall Street understand this. … A fellow young enough to be my grandson wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the words: ‘The system’s not broken. It’s fixed.’ That’s right. Rigged. And that’s why so many are so angry. Not at wealth itself, but at the crony capitalists who resorts to tricks, loopholes, and hard, cold cash for politicians to make sure insiders prosper and then pull up the ladder behind them.

I’ve no doubt Moyer’s words will be discounted if not condemned by some who insist no “wake up” call is needed. But to no one’s surprise who has read more than a few sentences of what I’ve been writing, I think Moyer’s has it right. He concludes:

So the collective cry has gone up loud and clear: enough’s enough. We won’t, as I said, know for a while if this is just a momentary cry of pain; or whether it’s a movement that, like the Abolitionists and Suffragettes, the populists and workers of another era, or the Civil Rights movement of our time, gathers force until the powers-that-be can no longer sustain the inequality, the injustice and yes, the immorality of winner-take-all politics.

Those who have joined the “collective cry” have planned multiple actions over the next few days and weeks, with more to follow. Some highlights:

Occupy the Dream, January 16 From OWS News:

Members of the African-American faith community have joined forces with Occupy Wall Street to launch a new campaign for economic justice inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Faithful to its philosophical origin, the ‘Occupy the Dream’ coalition has called for a National Day of Action on Martin Luther King Day – Monday, January 16, 2012 – when they will ‘Occupy the Federal Reserve,’ in multiple cities nationwide, focusing attention on the gross injustice visited upon the 99% by the financial elite. This will be the first of many actions leading up to a mass gathering in Washington D.C., to be held April 4 – 7, when millions will unite in celebration of the life and legacy of Dr King.

Occupy Congress, January 17 From Occupy Congress, with livestreaming here:

If we had a functioning democracy, we could have an honest debate about what’s wrong with our economy and our country and how we can make government and business work for the 99% too. But with Congress bought and paid for by special interests, honest debate is the last thing that occurs in the halls of government.

The Road2Congress west coast group, traveling across country by Greyhound bus, had an interruption in Amarillo, Texas, “because driver Donald Ainsworth ordered ‘all protestors off the bus.’” Read the story here. The last update reads:

We now have our current tickets for our re-boarding. However, greyhound has refused to refund any money or compensate us in any way. We have also been warned concerning the next driver, so we’ll see how that goes.

Occupy the Courts, January 20 From OWS News:

This is a national day of action just one day before the second anniversary of the infamous Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission … . [There are] over 80 rallies at federal courthouses around the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court … .

Occupy Wall Street West, February 29 From OWS News

… in San Francisco, we will Occupy Wall Street West with a day of mass mobilization, nonviolent direct action, and civil disobedience centered around the SF Financial District … long … nicknamed ‘Wall St. West’ because it is also a major center of corporate power and wealth. We have named and mapped these financial institutions so that we can occupy them.

Shut Down the Corporations, February 29 From Shut Down the Corporations:

We … call on people to target corporations that are members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The biggest corporations in America, like ExxonMobil, Bank of America, BP, Monsanto, Pfizer, and Wal-Mart use ALEC to buy off legislators and craft legislation that serves only the interests of corporations and not people.

As Bill Moyers says, “inequality matters.”

(Occupy the Dream poster via Occupy the Dream
Occupy Congress banner via OccupyCongress
Occupy the Courts poster via OWS
Shut Down Corporations poster via Shut Down Corporations)

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