See for everybody who goes ‘HURRR the occupy Wall Street protesters are dirty and smelly and they need to get job,’ there a few people who know protests willing to recognize the sincerity of the movement.
Peter Seeger is over 90 and an American musical legend, singing protest songs to your granddaddy and your granddaddy’s granddaddy. He probably started the dust bowl, but we have no way of knowing. He’s so on top of protesting, he protested your protest already….I’ll stop. Pete went today to lend a sign of his approval by coming down the occupy Wall Street movement after a performance at Symphony Space, accompanied by Woody Guthrie’s son Arlo, also a noted and established member of the original protest brigades and possible dustbowl refugee.
A lot of people don’t know how to feel about occupy Wall Street yet, some view the occupation of the parks in New York as an annoyance and something that should go away. Realistically the people should be there until our vastly disparate systems are accounted for, to make sure rich people are held accountable for helping this country get back to what it once was.
It must’ve been awesome to hear the stories of people who were there when change WAS affected by protests and the actions of people who cared. Keep riding it out, gents, you’re making the national conversation turn.
THE SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION
(Score: Battle Hymn of the Republic)
In Revolution No. 1 we fought the Bloody Brits.
Georgie taxed us up the tookis and gave not two kingly sh*ts.
He had to keep the Queen in jewels and feed the royal twits.
The fight for justice dawned…
The Bluebloods in America upheld the thieving Crown.
His Majesty sent Redcoats o’er to keep the peasants down.
Deep unrest in the colony evoked a royal frown.
The fight for justice sped…
Enough’s enough our forebears said, of that they had no doubt.
Their audacious rebel spirit sparked the necessary clout –
our pissed-off people rose as one … and kicked the bandits OUT
And justice then prevailed.
Chorus: Glory, glory, Alleluia! Glory, glory, Alleluia!
Glory, glory, Alleluia! Folks mobilized and Won.
In Revolution No. 2, Big Business is The King
with power absolute through politicians on a string.
To their Empire, known as Congress, corporate lobbyists all bring
Campaign donations huge…
Countless millions get the royal shaft from Industry so big –
minor wages, zero health care, part-time, temps, the downsize gig,
layoffs, furloughs — yet, a Congress jumping to the corporate jig.
The fight for justice dawns…
Untold millions have NO health care nor a LIVING wage to boot.
Insolvent grow our working poor while the rich take all the loot.
When government’s don’t listen, insurrectionists recruit.
The fight for justice moves…
March united, risen people as our rebels rose before.
Let corporate Kings, by peasant sweat, give royal shafts no more.
OFF our knees, empowered, dauntless, all oppressors hear us roar –
We’ll Mobilize and WIN!
Repeat Chorus
© 1996, Alice Connally Fisk
e-mail: AFisk10302@aol.com
Alice Connally Fisk, 11 Pineview Place, Melrose, NY 12121
“No Revolutionary Movement is complete without its poetical expression.
If such a movement has caught hold of the imagination of the masses, they will seek a vent in song for the aspirations, the fears and hopes, the loves and hatreds engendered by the struggle.
Until the movement is marked by joyous, defiant singing of revolutionary songs, it lacks one of the distinctive marks of a popular revolutionary movement; it is a dogma of a few, and not the faith of the multitude.” —
James Connolly, Irish Labor Leader and Working Class Hero