Open Letter from a Marine Tea Partier to All Occupiers

First of all, I’m surprised you’re reading this. Thanks to the corrupt media, many of you might be clueless to the fact we share quite a bit of commonground.

Let me clarify: By “Tea Party,” I am in no way referring to the hijacked movement we know and love today. By “Tea Party,” I don’t mean Iran warmongers, bailout lovers, the “extreme right,” and people who think what happens in your bedroom affects them in any way. No, what I mean is the Tea Party as it started in 2007 as opposition to Bush policies.

The media loves to paint a picture of OWS vs. TP, “right” vs. “left,” etc. It’s an old tactic called divide and conquer. If we fight amongst ourselves, no one looks at the true criminals at work in society.

Of course, Fox loves to make corporations out to be our “capitalist saviors.” They’ll cover every corrupt government action they can find (if there’s a Democrat in the White House), but they won’t admit the greed of the mega banks and corporations. They rarely talk about the private Federal Reserve system and how it robs the lower and middle classes of their wealth via inflation. MSNBC is no better. They do point out how the corporations literally stole trillions of dollars from the American people through the bailouts and the Fed. However, for some reason they’re hard-pressed to admit these actions are carried out by government guns. CNN is STILL no better. In their effort to be “right down the middle” they don’t point out any of the criminals! Whether in the corporate world or the government.

And by the way, we do need to start calling actions like the bailouts what they are: Theft. The corporations, through their rental politicians, used government force to take from the people trillions of dollars. If we refuse to pay the taxes to pay this “debt” off we face risk of government guns carrying us off to jail. That is the very definition of theft.

This brings us back to the commonground we share. The original Tea Party (not counting the historical Boston Tea Party) was focused on ending the corporatist (fascist?) model ourselves. The original Tea Party was for ending the wars and against policing the world. We are against legislation that invades privacy of citizens here and abroad. Think unPatriot Act and the recently passed NDAA bill. The NDAA gives the military the authority to raid homes without warrants and imprison citizens indefinitely without trial.

If we actually want to change this country, we have to unite on issues like these and others. General Assemblies: invite Tea Party groups to participate. If you can find shared values organize joint protests. If you can find local Tea Parties that want to occupy with you, encourage it.

The system we live under is a corporatist model rapidly deteriorating into a fascist police state. The reason I added “Marine” to the heading of this letter was to (hopefully) attract active duty servicemembers, veterans, and law enforcement. We took an oath to the Constitution in order to join. The oath clearly gives us not only the option, but the responsibility to disobey ALL illegal orders. The police attacking peaceful protesters in the streets are in direct violation of that oath. If you are attacking peaceful people you are already on the wrong side of history.

Remember, focus on commonground. Just don’t look to government to be our saviors. Our politicians (yes, including our President) are bought and paid for by corporations and the mega banks. In fact, Obama’s biggest campaign donor is Goldman Sachs. His Treasury Secretary worked at Goldman Sachs himself. Why do you think some Europeans call us the United States of Goldman Sachs?

Semper Fi and Semper Occupare. Because nothing would terrify the establishment more than a united Occupy Tea Party movement.

– Cpl. Stephen Mark Allen, USMC

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  12. #15 by malena teves on 08/19/2013 - 12:48 am

    Very well spoken truths! I’m a big loud and proud gun toten american tea party member… in LA!! There are far more of us than anyone thinks! I’m with you.

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  15. #18 by rhytonen on 10/23/2012 - 10:33 am

    “That is the very definition of theft.”
    Actually a Frenchman named Bastiat defined it technically as “PLUNDER” – the use of government power to enrich private interests;
    and a century or so later, an Italian named Mussolini clarified it further as “FASCISM” – the merger of corporate and government power.

    • #19 by malena teves on 08/19/2013 - 12:51 am

      Very helpful historical facts for us young guns. Thank you!

  16. #20 by Saphira .~`~. (@ColbertFan2008) on 02/07/2012 - 4:52 pm

    Interesting. I’m with Occupy, and I haven’t been able to figure out what the Tea party really is, since there are so many versions of it. I’ve talked to 3 Tea Partiers. One of them was raving Glenn Beck’s fascist-Nazi jargon at me. The other two wouldn’t answer my questions until I told them my opinion on Obama. When I said I’m waiting till his term end to judge him, one said I’m a “commie”, and the other said they’re fighting a complex, evil Fed.

    Personally, I’d love to see Occupy and Tea Party defy the media and join forces. But I think it would split up both movements, because some members would want to join forces with their ‘enemy’, and the other members would feel betrayed. That would weaken both sides, and the unified group might not be strong enough. If it does become strong enough, more members from both sides would join. For now, I think we could unify on issues like privacy-invasion. Occupy is linked to Anonymous- the defenders of privacy of the Internet. Uniting to defend privacy could be our starting point.

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  18. #22 by Occupy Seattle Person! on 12/25/2011 - 1:27 pm

    Just a point of clarification- No one is invited to GAs. You invite yourself. Anyone waiting for an invitation will be waiting for a very long time, and it is not due to Occupy wanting to exclude anybody. We’re all about personal responsibility and gittin-r-dun too! And it is the Tea Partiers’ responsibility to learn about our movement and show up to GA, and not wait for an invitation that will never come (and God, I hope they show up!).

    And yes, I have seen the vast potential for collaboration between us and the Old Tea Party in the attempt to take out corporate socialism.

  19. #23 by Anonymous on 12/25/2011 - 1:22 pm

    Just a point of clarification- No one is invited to GAs. You invite yourself. Anyone waiting for an invitation will be waiting for a very long time, and it is not due to Occupy wanting to exclude anybody. We’re all about personal responsibility and gittin-r-dun too! And it is the Tea Partiers’ responsibility to learn about our movement and show up to GA, and not wait for an invitation that will never come (and God, I hope they show up!).

    And yes, I have seen the vast potential for collaboration between us and the Old Tea Party in the attempt to take out corporate socialism.

  20. #24 by Neville on 12/19/2011 - 10:35 pm

    Good try. Your tea party has done nothing but obstruct efforts to curb the influences of big money. Go away or join the good guys.

    • #25 by φ on 12/28/2011 - 7:27 pm

      I think Mr. Allen is trying to point out that the media describes the situation in categories of “good guys”/”bad guys,” though it is an inaccurate description that divides the population and obscures the actual forces at work. Developing animosity between political groups that have the same goals is a way of, as Mr. Allen says, dividing and conquering—so that nothing is done.

  21. #26 by steel on 12/19/2011 - 6:11 pm

    Focus on arresting the criminals @ ARRESTWANTED(.com)! http://ArrestWanted.com/

  22. #27 by ragingfem on 12/19/2011 - 6:04 pm

    The Tea Party, original or not, jumped in the lap of the Republican Party and gave them a lap dance. The minute I heard they were funded by the Republican Party (it was advertised by the Republicans early on) I decided to stay totally hands off because I knew what was coming and it did.

    The current Tea Party movement is against civil rights (want to turn back 50 years of gay rights legislation), approves of threats to women’s health (shut down Planned Parenthood with the guise of “anti abortion” although they know full well that’s only a small part of the services women seek there), and they are openly Anti non-Christian. Let’s not forget they are xenophobic.

    They may have once had a noble purpose but it stopped when they became puppets of the Republican Party. Had they wanted to truly change the country they would have become a party and done some serious damage to the Republican party but they went for power instead and allowed themselves to be co-oped.

    If the Tea Party wants to be a part of the Occupy Movement tell them to show up with their tents and put there asses on the line with us. I’m not going to court them because I don’t respect them.

    • #28 by Xdream on 12/19/2011 - 6:33 pm

      You’re missing the point raging fem. The “tea party” you refer to is not the original ron paul tea party. Protesting and living in a tent does nothing. Close your bank account and open up a credit union account. Ron Paul is for gays, according to Lesbians and Gays for Ron Paul. Pointing out a persons bias does nothing for your cause either. And actually thinking that the democrats are any different than republicans is the biggest ruse of all… You’ve done nothing in your occupy movement. Not one thing. And Obama just passed a law of indefinite detention with no charges. That’s what you fools get. Wake up.

      • #29 by Steve on 12/20/2011 - 8:35 am

        Divide and conquer, make them fight amongst themselves…

        What was that you were saying?

  23. #30 by Jim on 12/19/2011 - 6:02 pm

    Good letter. It shows how the Tea Party movement was co-opted (stolen), just as I know the whole Republican party has been. We Occupy peeps must be open to reason from any corner that hasn’t sold out and this guy sounds like one who hasn’t. The police, the Veterans, the mothers of our children, the unemployed and underemployed should all consider joining, because the movement can only more forward with the addition of millions more. We can’t and shouldn’t let the relative few who are actively protesting on behalf of the whole society take the brunt of Babylon’s response by themselves. That would be wrong, and we are all about Right, Truth and Rights as the Rastafari say.

    • #31 by Xdream on 12/19/2011 - 6:34 pm

      If all of you would close your bank accounts, it would do a lot more than just blocking traffic.

      • #32 by rhytonen on 10/23/2012 - 11:26 am

        Because he banks value small (99%) accounts -however many- more than the very biggest? Especially since the GLBA (which abolished Glass/Steagall) b/w zero-interest Fed loans, means all they do is borrow and gamble,and probably could care less about deposits?

  24. #33 by GreatBigBore (@GreatBigBore) on 12/19/2011 - 5:41 pm

    Thanks so much for this article! Unity among OWS and TP is exactly what we need. If we can set aside our differences and realize the extent of our common causes, we will be unstoppable! So glad to see people on both sides suggesting a coalition. Maybe something good will happen in the world after all. Thanks again, Cpl Allen!

  25. #34 by Jeremy Harford on 12/19/2011 - 4:46 pm

    If we’re going to call out theft, then let’s not forget the billions in funds unaccounted for that went to private security contractors. Meanwhile, not only has nobody been held accountable for the embezzlement of billions through those channels, but the war in Iraq has been almost completely privatized. It’s ironic in the classical sense that our government is stepping up to fight pirates by the modern definition of the word while legitimizing privateers — pirates by the historical definition.

    America is being looted. It’s worse than theft. Remember when Rush Limbaugh had that ridiculous segment, “The Fleecing of America,” during the Clinton years? Well, look how concerned about the real fleecing of our People happening now. It’s time for the politics of greed, theft, and corruption to end.

    Politicians, privateers, investors, CEOs, and bankers, if you are reading then practice some common sense: Nothing lasts forever. When this dark phase of our history is over, those of you still kicking will be held accountable for your treasonous actions under the full extent of the law, and those of you who aren’t around anymore will be counted among the most detestable and reviled figures of history. You might as well become familiar with 1942 Germany’s SS because when future children are taught about you in class, it will be during the same lesson that covers them. It will be your own descendants who suffer the consequences of your actions, as they are born into the world of tyranny you helped create.

  26. #35 by Enrique C. on 12/19/2011 - 5:03 am

    This video makes some great points about why TP and OWS need to find common ground. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ie-Xr6NMY&feature=player_embedded#!

  27. #36 by Anonymous on 12/18/2011 - 11:43 pm

    Except that the Tea Party movement- even the original movement as described in this letter- does not really agree with the Occupy movement at all. It’s true that, at their core they are both anti-war, anti-big business, and fairly permissive of social issues. But Occupy is also fairly anti-capitalism. Perhaps not quite as socialist as I would like it to be, but certainly leaning in that direction. And Tea Party is more libertarian than anything else. Libertarians and Socialists often agree about social issues, but their core economic theories are polar opposites. Thus, in fighting for comprehensive economic reform in America, these two movements are not allies.

    • #37 by GreatBigBore (@GreatBigBore) on 12/19/2011 - 5:47 pm

      Still, if both sides could set aside their differences and just focus on the massive reform that both sides agree is necessary, the world could become a much better place. If we had a functional government, maybe we could find better ways to work through even the stuff we disagree on.

      Also, it’s true that many Occupiers are anti-capitalism, but many of them are also Ron Paul fans. The thing is, the Occupiers are you and me. Your opinions about proper government are shared by many Occupiers.

      We just need to get everyone talking.

    • #38 by Xdream on 12/19/2011 - 6:39 pm

      You’re not anti-capitalism if you buy and sell and trade. Socialism is fine until you have no one left to steal from. The thing that we hate, and you too if you would just think a bit, is CRONY-capitalism. We hate fascism where big business is in bed with government. That’s what you don’t understand. You’re protesting against the same corporations that put your president into office. I never understood how so-called educated progressives don’t understand the basic facts of any situation. How can you be against large corporations, but believe the ideal of taking and redistributing. That’s what they do. Take and redistribute.

  28. #39 by Russel Teichman on 12/18/2011 - 4:33 pm

    Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

    • #40 by Xdream on 12/19/2011 - 6:49 pm

      simplistic, but totally off.

  29. #41 by Nidster on 12/18/2011 - 11:32 am

    Read a few good posts here but there is a serious need for education regarding the origins of the Tea Party, who founded it and what the intentions were of the founders. Karl Denninger over at market-ticker.org was one of the founders. He is knowledgable and his viewpoints are worth reading. Here read his own words, “The Tea Party was initiated as a political protest against the unlawful and in fact unconstitutional usurpation of power from the Congress and The People in the form of extortion-led bailouts of enterprises that had engaged in acts that I, and many others, believe were at least civilly actionable and in many cases crossed the line into criminal activity.” You can also view a 10 minute interview that touches on the subject at www market-ticker org

    The TP movement was hi-jacked. They will try to do the same with the Occupy movement. Any ORGANIZED resistance against the established political, corporate and financial system will be targeted. If anyone becomes too effective they may be detained.

    The most important idea is to SEEK COMMON GROUND. Ignore the sideline issues that divide us. Stay focused. Time is of the essence.

    • #42 by Nidster on 12/18/2011 - 11:41 am

      Ooops…need an edit feature but that’s OK – here is the actual link to the 10 minute video interview

      http://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?singlepost=2222649

      • #43 by Rand on 12/18/2011 - 6:45 pm

        Cpl. Allen writes:
        “Let me clarify: By “Tea Party,” …. No, what I mean is the Tea Party as it started in 2007 as opposition to Bush policies.”

        Sure they did. Sort of like MoveOn, Daiily KOS, Code Pink, George Soros, Women in Black, the Communist Party, The Workers Party, and International ANSWER. In fact, all of the far left combined has a great deal in common with the Tea Party.

        Good try Cpl. Allen, but let me clarify it.

        OWS has NOTHING in common with the Tea Party. Not the same people, not the same mindset, not the same history, not the same world view, not the same outlook, not the same respect, not the same goals, not the same ANYTHING.

    • #44 by Rand on 12/18/2011 - 8:36 pm

      PROOF THAT OWS HAS EVERYTHING IN COMMON WITH THE TEA PARTY.

      SURE THEY DO!

      http://pjmedia.com/zombie/2011/10/31/the-99-official-list-of-ows/

      DOES THE LEFT THINK WE’RE FOOLS? APPARENTLY. BUT THEY HAVE MIS-UNDERESTIMATED US, DIDN’T THEY?

      • #45 by Xdream on 12/19/2011 - 6:45 pm

        “OWS has NOTHING in common with the Tea Party. Not the same people, not the same mindset, not the same history, not the same world view, not the same outlook, not the same respect, not the same goals, not the same ANYTHING.”

        So you’re saying that you’re bigots, racists, superior, disrespectful, and have no goal? Wow. However, we would have everything in common, unless you’re for the killing of innocent women and children; rape, torture, maiming, incineration, and theft. You’re for bankster bailouts, and the fed printing endless money out of thin air? You’re for Obama assassinating people, and indefinite detention? You so-called progressives are lost. Get out of your tent and close your bank account. That would do something.

      • #46 by Anonymous on 01/21/2012 - 8:56 pm

        As any libertardian you are so mislead and full of shit…

  30. #47 by Winston on 12/18/2011 - 8:49 am

    “The original Tea Party (not counting the historical Boston Tea Party) was focused on ending the corporatist (fascist?) model ourselves.”

    The historical 1773 Boston Tea Party WAS fighting corporatism, WAS fighting the favorable, crony capitalist treatment of the East India Co.:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UiLZk2TE8k (from the author of “What Would Jefferson Do?”)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Company (please note their flag)

  31. #48 by wembley hotels on 12/18/2011 - 6:56 am

    This is undoubtedly a topic thats close to me so Im pleased that you wrote about it. Im also happy that you did the subject some justice. Not just do you know a great deal about it, you know how to present in a way that folks will want to read more. Im so happy to know someone like you exists on the internet.

  32. #49 by W Jones on 12/18/2011 - 6:06 am

    Just so you’ll know: Treasury Secretary Geithner never worked at Goldman Sachs

    • #50 by tv on 12/18/2011 - 7:57 am

      Tim Geithner worked was the head of the NY Fed. The NY Fed is in charge of regulating the NY based Too big too fail banks. Regulate and Punish. He is a piece of banker shill shit.

      Go Here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34822417/ns/msnbc_tv-the_dylan_ratigan_show/t/case-against-geithner/#.Tu3_H9Q9ksI
      ___________

      In Geithner’s own words during confirmation hearings in March:

      “First of all, I’ve never been a regulator…I’m not a regulator.”

      According to the New York fed bank’s website, that was your job!! And I quote from the Fed’s website

  33. #51 by kochevnik on 12/17/2011 - 10:08 pm

    I am not an OWS guy nor a Tea Party guy, but I think the two groups have a lot in common. I find it more than a little ironic that both groups are full of people who IGNORED what was happening to this coutry until it was their PERSONAL BACK against the wall – TPs’ as they watched JP Morgan and Goldman Sucks loot their retirement funds, and OWS’ers as they watche JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs sell their souls into endless slavery and penury thru the student loan scam.

    It is my understanding that OWS is waiting for the summer to have their ‘new constitutional convention’ to decide exactly WHAT it is they are protesting against.

    May I suggest as an outsider who has been waiting for you all to get your shit together for more than 3 decades …
    [b] COME UP WITH TEN THINGS THAT WILL PUT THIS COUNTRY BACK ON COURSE AND STICK TO THEM [/b]

    A new bil of rights so to speak.

    You either do this soon or the MSM and the political hacks in the palms of the corporate fascists will destroy you.

    ten things
    new bill of rights.

    get to work LOL

    • #52 by Nancy Hill on 12/17/2011 - 10:17 pm

      The OWSer’s have done that. Not many people know about it because Fox News won’t mention it. Just check out this link:
      http://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/

      • #53 by kochevnik on 12/17/2011 - 11:00 pm

        Thx for this – I saw it before and I think it is a good start, the devil is in the details , of course and there arent a lot of details in that missive LOL

        The big problem is, none of us has until 2014 or 2016 to ‘start a new party’ in retaliation – none of the items in that list will see the light of day in either a Rep or Dem congress or presidency.

        You don’t need to give MORE time to them for prevarication – they’ve already had 40 years now and nothing has changed – I know, I’ve watched it all since I was a kid.

        My crystal ball says, you do it now or in 2016 the sheep are going to be hurting so badly that they will elect a nutcase who promises them the world – and who has has easy access to ‘The Football” and no qualms about using it to distract people from their hardships, and believe you me, you’re little econ and politcal problems are going to look like molehills when all that happens.

        Go big or go home. All I see so far is squabbling children (no offense).

      • #54 by Nancy Hill on 12/18/2011 - 9:30 pm

        It takes time to imlement a new congress or bill of rights no matter how you go about unless you stage a violent take-over. and the OWSer’s will never call for or condone violence.

        The American revolution did not happen overnight, it was years in the making.

    • #55 by Rand on 12/18/2011 - 4:04 pm

      Well, if they had managed to convince you that OWS has ANYHING in common with the Tea Party, they have managed to split us. Divided we fail.

      The left wing media is doing its level best to portray the Occupy Wall Street movement as being the younger version of the Tea Party. Their assertion rests on the notion that the OWS folk are “really all about the same things.” This is a lie. The two groups have nothing in common; not in tactics, conduct, mindset or intentions. The truth is revealed by the fact that the Democrat Party couldn’t wait to denounce the Tea Party, but they can’t wait to embrace the Occupiers.

      When their protests and rallies were concluded, they went peacefully back to their lives as Americans. While many of them have serious disagreements with the cronyism in Washington DC that spreads its tentacles into the private sector, they nevertheless believe in the American Republic as established, and the great boon to humanity that is capitalism. They have been self-funded, self-organized, and self-directed. Let’s be clear: The Tea Party is a real political organization, if a bit diffuse, but nevertheless aimed at actual political change, and they’ve had some substantial success.

      Let me reiterate, Rattigan is a leftie. Denninger has turned against the Tea Party and lately demonstrates values in common with the left, Ron Paul who happens to be a leftie, and others like-kind.

      The Occupy Wall Street movement has been nothing but a sham and a front for anti-American, anti-Capitalist, anti-freedom Marxists, and these poor dolts, most of them educated since the fall of the Soviet Union, don’t have any clue what that really means. If they have any interest in elections, they haven’t indicated it. I have seen no talk of electing “Occupiers to Congress.” They’re not capable of that.

      The glib leftists in the media now tell us: “Well, both groups are anti-establishment.” Really? Which establishment? The Tea Party is against the political establishment in Washington DC, the unofficial institution that has corrupted the US Constitution. They’re against a DC establishment that spends their money like water. They’re against the Republican establishment, that too often dominates that party with its interests. The Occupiers oppose a different establishment: The establishments of private property as expressed in corporations, profits, earnings, and business. In short, the establishment that the Occupiers oppose is the establishment created by the US Constitution. Neither can they redistribute wealth nearly so well as they would like, nor can they steal by law so easily as long as the establishment of the civil society and the rule of law remain in place. The establishment their leadership hopes to undo is the that bulwark of law that our founders erected. The establishment the Tea Party opposes is the corruption of government and capitalism intended to destroy the Constitution.

      Following the aims of the Occupiers would lead us to overthrow the US Constitution. Following the goals of the Tea Party would permit us to uphold and defend it and even to restore it.

      The job of the leftie infiltrators into the Tea Party is to divide and conquer, to diminish the force that was the Tea Party and weaken it. It is the same tactic the Soviets used for sixty years to infiltrate America’s institutions, government, media, and academe.

      Believe what you will, but unless you’ve been to Wall Street and spoke to these people, you cannot say they have anything in common with middle America.

      I have, and they don’t.

      • #56 by Nancy Hill on 12/18/2011 - 9:25 pm

        Where do you get your info? Fox News? Ron Paul is a Libertarian–far right. Just because you don’t like liberals and you don’t like Ron Paul doesn’t mean you can lump them together. The OWSer’s to have a plan to elect Occupiers to congress. I’m not surprised you don’t know that, especially if you are listening to those air-heads at Fox News. Just check out this link: http://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/

        I am a member of my local occupy and we try to stay non-partisan. Almost all politicians in power are corrupt. We want to work with TPer’s to improve things for everyone. But that’s hard to do when their idea of less government means no regulations for the corporations and stripping the rest of us of our basic freedoms. The TP also has support from groups like the KKK, they want prayer in schools, they want to monitor what we do in our bedrooms, they want to take away our privacy and our due process. They don’t want to preserve the constitution, they want to pervert it.

        So you are right, we do not have the same goals. We want to claim and restore the rights and freedoms for all Americans–not just for white christians. That’s just one reason I’m proud to be an occupier.

  34. #57 by Nancy Hill on 12/17/2011 - 9:57 pm

    I would like to apologize for my mistake. Fox news did not start the TP. As was pointed out to me in a comment, Fox news came into the picture latter and used their big money and their corporate ties to co-opt it into the fascist monster we know today.

    That being said, I stand by the rest of my letter.

  35. #58 by Nancy Hill on 12/17/2011 - 9:28 pm

    I’d like to clarify something. The TP did not form as to oppose Bush’s policies. They formed to oppose the democratic congress that was making it difficult for Bush to enact his policies. In fact, if you do your homework, you will find out that The original TP was put together by Fox News to support Bush and to give themselves something to report on.

    I am all for working together for the common good. I belong to an occupy movement in my area and we have reached out to local TPer’s. They will not give us the time of day. We do not want to fight them, but they want to sabotage us.

    I am in total agreement with most of what you said. But I don’t understand why you still align yourself with a group that you admit is not what it started out to be. The group you praise no longer exist. You certainly don’t have to align yourself with any group. But if you’re all for coming together then why don’t you go to an occupy event and share your ideas? I’m sure you will be embraced and your support will be welcomed.

    The TP that exist today is pro corporation, racist, fascist and homophobic. It is difficult to work with people who possess such undesirable values.

    • #59 by Larry Calloway on 12/17/2011 - 9:42 pm

      No, Nancy, the original Tea Party, apparently before you were paying attention rose up around Ron Paul and others and was ignored by Fox and the Republicrats until it suited them to hijack / attack it. The Corporal has it exactly right.

      • #60 by Nancy Hill on 12/17/2011 - 9:50 pm

        I stand corrected. I should have said that the TP of today was a re-invention of the original by Fox News so they could co-opt it for their use. My apologies to the corporal. But I stand by everything else I’ve said.

        If possible I will edit out my mistake.

  36. #61 by bethbuczynski on 12/17/2011 - 2:46 pm

    I’m late to the party, but just wanted to thank you for posting this, and thank Stephen for speaking so honestly. I completely agree that the original Tea Party and OWS would agree on many issues, it is only media propaganda and political manipulation that creates the mirage that we are opposed. Tea Partiers…please, reach out to your local occupation, participate in GAs, and help us to maintain momentum going into the election year. OWS…please, reach out to your local Tea Party, highlight issues on which we can work together, and be the unifying, peaceful, force for good that I know we all can be!

  37. #62 by Loni Kamna on 12/17/2011 - 12:25 pm

    Mainly desired to post and question where you bought your theme? I’m seeking for one for my current weblog and really appreciate yours. Thanks so much.

  38. #63 by Craig on 12/17/2011 - 11:45 am

    I don’t think belonging to any particular party is necessary. I think everyone should get their heads out of their asses, forget belonging to any specific club, because they are all vulnerable and susceptible to propaganda and slander, by the media and by you and me, and that just makes us distracted and stupid, and make one massive movement that actually accomplishes removing these stupid corrupt fucks from our government. The only solution. End of story.

    PS- Your letter is open, honest, and unbiased. It is completely fair and to the point, and that’s how the government should be, instead of a grey area where we can trust no one because god knows what they are all doing BEHIND those closed doors. For all we know they are all laughing together as the fat cats get fatter and the poor get poorer and more desperate.

  39. #64 by michael contreras on 12/17/2011 - 8:52 am

    First of all, thank you for the service to our country. It is always good to hear a soldier speak his mind. I enjoyed this. All tea party members are welcomed. Your movement was probalby hijacked. “The People united will never be divided.” We need to stay focus. We leave our party identity outside our movement.

  40. #65 by KayInMaine on 12/17/2011 - 8:12 am

    You don’t need to be invited. All you need to do is show up to a General Assembly in your area to be a part of the Occupy Movement (or you can make a donation of any size or speak the truth about what the movement is all about….all actions makes one part of the Occupy Movement). You don’t need to come in saying you’re part of the tea party either nor does one need to exclaim their political party. The mantra of the OWS movement is: we are one, we are equal. All labels are shed. Michael Moore or George Bush or a bank CEO are not allowed to have power over the occupiers, but what they can do is grab a sign or sit down with the rest of the people at the General Assembly and wait their turn to be heard. See? All are equal. No one has more power than the other. I’ve been against the tea party for a long time, but I do know there are some that truly want to see real change in our country, because they too know it’s Wall St banks (and other corporations), the US Congress, and the Fed Reserve who have financially wrecked our nation on the backs of the average American. Our country definitely needs some unity right now and the worst nightmare of Wall St, the US Congress and the Fed Reserve is the truth getting out and the people amassing in droves up against them with ONE VOICE! Terrifies them. That’s why the Corporate Police across America are treating the occupiers like enemies of the state. They’re hoping a good beat-down will stop this movement in it’s tracks, because to them….the people having a strong united voice is THEIR worst fear!

    • #66 by Mark Walker on 12/17/2011 - 1:21 pm

      “If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation…want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters…. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”

      — Frederick Douglass, 1857

      via http://www.publiceye.org/buildingequality/Quotes/Frederick_Douglass.htm

  41. #67 by Gerid on 12/17/2011 - 7:06 am

    This is an artfully written letter written by an “original tea partier” in an attempt to blend the lines to better position the tea party to influence and steer the Occupy movement. Most O.T.s have recognized the failure of their party and dropped their Tea Party status. Many have come to become Occupiers. If you truly were an OTer, you would no longer be calling yourself a Tea Partier. Either join Occupy or give yourself a new party name to seperate yourself from the Tea Partiers, then maybe we can talk. But until then, I view this letter as an attempt to making one step closer to the Tea Party trying co-opt and/or influence the Occupy movement. Occupy Tea Party it’s not going to happen or Occupy will lose a lot of their current base. I like your points and approach and mean no disrespect, but either this was super cleverly written as an attempt in disguise or this was not very well thought out if it’s genuine, as you would not be calling yourself a Tea Partier, original or not, it’s still the one and same party.

    • #68 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/17/2011 - 8:20 am

      Actually I’m just one random dude puttingmy personal thoughts out there. Trust me, there’s no big money behind this wordpress site ha.

      I already identify myself as an occupy supporter. As an “original tp’er,” I was just trying to (hopefully) bring attention to our common goals and our common enemies. I recognize and accept the fact there will be many disagreements, but I believe joint action on a core set of issues can go a long way. Thanks for the feedback though. 😎

      • #69 by Gerid on 12/17/2011 - 9:12 am

        Problem is, Occupy can not handle the barrage of attacks that would ensue if they were to associate themselves with Tea Party in it’s current form. With “original Tea Party” before it failed, hardcore, yes it would doable. But as I said before, Tea Party is one and the same party whether old or new. There is already enough confusion within Occupy itself, add old/new Tea Party to the equation and we have a whole new ball of yarn to sort out/explain/divide up/defend etcetc.

      • #70 by Scott Sharon on 12/17/2011 - 9:22 am

        There are always some in every movement that take the stand “you’re either with us or against us”. I enjoyed your post. The Tea Party seems completely taken over by extreme and behind the scenes elements, that I don’t see it having as much impact as when it started. They’ve become another elitist group.
        OWS on the other hand seems to be trying to not align itself with anyone, to keep the message on target, but we’ll see how that holds up. I think they might have to change their tactics eventually or their numbers will dwindle. They want to remain leaderless so everyone has an equal voice but that might not end up being the best way to effect change. One thing we should all agree on is this nation has been taken over by corporations and the money needs to be taken out of politics. That’s going to be a long uphill battle. I wish you all well.

      • #71 by Gerid on 12/17/2011 - 11:04 am

        The other thing I don’t get, your party has failed you, in a big way. You Even Denounce them, but yet…you are still one of them? Why not do yourself a favor and seperate yourself from the very people you denounce. Join up with people you do agree with and disassociate yourself from them do people have a better idea of your views so you are not fighting an uphill battle from the start to get your views across?

      • #72 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/17/2011 - 11:22 am

        I used the term tea partier to point out the issues the old tea parties agreed with the occupy movement on. Not the tea parties you’re thinking of. I identify with occupy now, don’t worry.

      • #73 by Chris Travers on 12/17/2011 - 8:23 pm

        A reply to Gerid above. Note that until Obama took office and his administration started out, I considered myself a Democrat. I voted mostly Democrat and I voted for Obama. But by mid-2009 it was clear that the Democratic Party had failed me in a big way. By this time Obama was *already* pushing for indefinite detention of terrorism suspects, and had earned the mantra of “Worse than Bush” by the EFF for trying to further expand state secrets privilege in court. Yet even then I could not have imagined how much of a disaster for civil liberties Obama would prove to be. We now have an Augustus in the white house who is paving the way for the Neros and Caligulas to come.

        But the Democratic Party is a formal organization while the Tea Party really has never been. I can completely understand how someone would try to keep the dream alive by identifying with the early days of a movement. In the end, we MUST work on trying to coordinate rather than be islands. The 99%, as it were, is fairly united against corporate welfare. The folks in power though keep the right and left from *acting* together and this needs to be fought back against.

  42. #74 by Kris on 12/17/2011 - 12:02 am

    It is nice to hear from an “O.T” (Original Tea Partier)….I know the movement as destroy govt and unions so corporations can take over except use it when it come to gay marriage and abortion. I would like to hear more from them and think that ultimately we have more in common than the media would like us to know.

  43. #75 by agustin garcia on 12/16/2011 - 11:35 pm

    Sorry, I’m an Air Force veteran, 12 years, 2 different wars, I have actually been directly involved in combat despite what many people think of the air force. Sorry if I don’t buy into anything the person who posted this letter is saying, even if he is a fellow veteran, I can’t feel compelled or attracted to a movement that has allowed Neo Nazi groups join their ranks, I can’t be attracted to a group that has connections with white supremacist groups. I can’t feel compelled to join a group that let’s itself be influenced or brain washed by religious groups (separation of church and state). I can’t feel a need to join a group who will support politicians who send me to fight their corporate wars, then let’s those politicians stiff-hand me with my benefits every chance they get. I can’t feel connected to a group who would turn it’s back on a combat veteran for the mere fact that he is homosexual. I can’t join a group who was never touched by police every time they rallied, but yet the occupy movements are literally a turkey shoot for cops. I can’t agree with a group that will forget my service and have me deported because my father was here illegally before becoming a lawful resident, and I became a naturalized citizen. I can’t join forces with a group who let’s michelle bachman and rick perry in their ranks.

    Sorry, but I can’t trust the tea party movement. Never going to happen.

    • #76 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/17/2011 - 2:09 am

      Fair enough, I can’t feel compared to join people like that either. This is another reason to I felt compelled to write the letter. I specifically denounce those people, and I do not agree with them.

      • #77 by Mark Walker on 12/17/2011 - 1:08 pm

        If what Agustin had to say doesn’t show the need to dump the, possibly co-opted, TEA Party name…

    • #78 by Anonymous on 12/18/2011 - 7:15 am

      well said! I also was in the Air Force (end of Viet Nam) and in Desert Storm (army nurse). I do wish the new military would remember that they have a duty to refuse ILLEGAL orders though. other than that I agree with everything you said!

    • #79 by Audaces_Iuvat on 12/18/2011 - 10:42 am

      Understand that the media is claiming that OWS is full of white supremacists and neo-nazi’s as well. Talk to the actual members.

  44. #80 by Donna Clifton on 12/16/2011 - 7:16 pm

    I am an active “Occupier,” and think joining forces would be a great idea. You are right about the media being used to attempt to divide and conquer us. Picture what could happen if we DID all present a united front……. why don’t you take things a step further and lets get this thing organized.

    • #81 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/17/2011 - 8:43 am

      Working on it. But I don’t need to organize anything, that’s the beauty of occupy. As I understand it, Occupy Albany is holding a meeting tonight with the Albany Tea Party to discuss SOPA, NDAA, and other issues. It’s already happening. If you’re involved in your local occupy suggest the idea yourself. 🙂

      However, this website (that will be fully launched next week) will be a place that people can exchange ideas and debate freely, no matter what you consider yourself politically. If you would like to write articles and/or opinions contact me on fb and/or Twitter. We will be covering news, politics, the economy, etc. Within the next couple months we will have partner sites springing up covering sports, entertainment, and other topics. There will be forums where anyone can post a thread and see what the rest of the community thinks about it. Best of all, unlike FB, no censorship.

      Just a platform my friends and I are setting up that we can use to hopefully help us smash corporatism together.

      • #82 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/17/2011 - 8:49 am

        Forgot to mention you can find me on Twitter @LibertySpinNet. I’m on my phone right now and I’m not tech savvy enough to post my fb profile link in this comment right now but it is posted further down in the comments.

  45. #83 by Mark Walker on 12/16/2011 - 7:04 pm

    Excellent Idea (wbduvall on 12/16/2011 at 1:25 pm), concrete moves could move this forward.

    To eliminate curiosity further down I’ll state now that I do *not* consider myself to be any of: Nationalist, Socialist, Capitalist, Libertarian, Anarchist or Monarchist.

    All reading here need to realize that this:
    http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/nov/21/letter-dont-dare-compare-occupy-anarchists-to/
    is what the world typically sees from self-described TEA Partiers. While there are also distortions about Occupy members, keep in mind it really isn’t so bad being compared to Hippies. It turned out the Hippies were right and their efforts made a massive difference in getting this country out of a quagmire similar to our current one.

    I can’t fully dismiss the TEA Party stereotype as being media created without supporting evidence like this thread and a similar (related?) video I saw recently on YouTube about ORVA meeting with a local TEA Party. Un-co-opted TEA Party members need to keep in mind that Occupy must avoid such a fate as the “TEA Party” encountered, and that just saying “Hey, we share many concerns, invite us along” won’t get very far. Gonna have to get some skin in the game.

    There are a plethora of issues identified by Occupy beyond $ in politics. While solving the political $ problem is critical and primary, it is far from all the “adjusting” needed in our political, social and economic systems.

    I’m wondering about the proto-TEA party’s opinion of the rudimentary early draft of suggested Occupy demands Michael Moore circulated recently. Are there parts of that document the early TEA Party can support? Have you given feedback regarding that document? Is there stuff in it that is a deal-breaker for you?

    It’s also interesting that some Anarchists published an open letter to Occupy regarding common ground with them and advise based on the experiences of Anarchist groups in the past:
    http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2011/10/07/dear-occupiers-a-letter-from-anarchists/
    There are points in the letter worth considering in terms of actions being effective or ineffective.

    I’m also wondering about the value of using labels like Left, Right, Socialist, Communist, Fascist, etc., in this conversation. I’m not sure the labels can be completely avoided, but using them doesn’t convey much meaning due to the connotation variation across individuals. We should also be able to acknowledge our society will be some mix of all ideologies regardless of the label one might desire to stamp on it.

    I’m concerned that a more fundamental discussion about the evolution of human transactions which brought us thru the millennia to this point might be necessary. For example, it doesn’t sound like we see eye to eye about what is force and what is not, or that possibly, depending on the situation, something being force is not actually a problem that needs fixing.

    The Founding Fathers knew that *any* government *is* force by it’s very nature. Taxation isn’t required for government to be force. If humans are going to do/have government however, they are going to have to supply more than ideas and muscle to make it work.

    I would also think we could acknowledge, for purposes of not spinning our wheels, that humans won’t have Libertarian non-governments anytime soon. We’re just not ready for it as a species, and as such there will be taxation and Police and other stuff it would be better to not have to have. The goal is to do government reasonably under systems that strikes a balance between activities the citizenry wants to pursue and costs that are worth the outcomes.

    Finally, to have a useful frame of reference, we need to all see that Capitalism is the descendent and direct consequence of the accumulation of wealth (grains, livestock, weapons) by force in early societies. Those guys on horseback with the clubs, and the ones with shiny armor and swords and their Kings, are in the family tree.

    Such use of force has evolved to the situation we have today where accumulation of wealth (precious metals, debt tallys, money, bonds, stocks) takes many additional forms but that at the core, our economic system is still the application of sometimes brutal, but now well hidden force.

    As you all know, this application of force is currently baldly manifesting itself in our owned-lock-stock-and-barrel politics and the hallowed halls of the Financial System. Even if the political $ problem can be solved, the forces that own our politics will not rollover and give up on their revolt-of-the-rich:
    http://reclaimdemocracy.org/corporate_accountability/powell_memo_lewis.html
    anytime soon. After all, it’s been ongoing for the past 40 years.

    There will be many battles beyond the political $ battle, and far to go to repair/construct a society that won’t carry us right back to this dark alley which leads to a place where writing this blog comment would result in indefinite detention authorized by the Leader of The Free World.

  46. #84 by Enrique Crosby on 12/16/2011 - 6:54 pm

    Beautiful letter! Liberty is catchy. I want liberty for all American’s, not just those that agree with me!

  47. #85 by Wings on 12/16/2011 - 4:12 pm

    We can all be dissatisfied, outraged, and protest for the sake of protesting until Occupy becomes less of a fringe movement and gains mainstream momentum. I’m an Occupier and I know this isn’t a popular opinion within the movement because it requires reaching outside the protest, collaborating with people who we don’t necessarily completely agree with, and uniting the 99% behind a clear set of demands and proposed solutions. Cpl. Allen is right- Occupy supporters and Tea Party supporters will change the world and find strength in our similarities if we can work through our differences. Recent poll says that 3 out of 10 Americans identifies with either movement. That’s a huge massive amount of dissatisfied people who together would have the clout to make real, lasting change in our unethical and unsustainable system. Educate your friends and family, speak like a rational person to the cameras, and at the next Occupy march you go to, take some time out to chat with the onlookers about why you’re out there.

    -An Occupy daughter of Tea Party parents.

    • #86 by Donna Clifton on 12/16/2011 - 7:21 pm

      I agree.That really IS “a huge massive amount of dissatisfied people who together would have the clout to make real, lasting change in our unethical and unsustainable system.”
      Educate your friends and family, speak like a rational person to the cameras, and at the next Occupy march you go to, take some time out to chat with the onlookers about why you’re out there.
      Lets find a way to come together on our common grounds!

  48. #87 by Noelle on 12/16/2011 - 3:12 pm

    Great Letter as a proud Occupier & progressive socialist I agree there are alot of things that our 2 groups have in common however as mentioned in a few earlier posts there are some differences when its comes to how our 2 groups see how to solve problems what we need to do is focus on a core group of issues that we all can agree on & move forward so maybe we can get something done together As long as we remember the enemy of my enemy is my friend we could have a shot
    Hasta la Victoria Siempre Viva Occupy Viva La Revolution

  49. #88 by Ygdrasille on 12/16/2011 - 2:40 pm

    Lots of common ground! What % of TPers weren’t co-opted?

    • #89 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 4:51 pm

      Not a big percentage unfortunately. Most that weren’t identify with the occupy movement now. The local tea parties are more likely to be true to the original goals.

  50. #90 by Celeste on 12/16/2011 - 2:34 pm

    Wonderful post. The problem is the distorting influence of money in politics.

    We will not always agree on what government should be doing, but we can resolve our differences by elections — once we take back our government from moneyed interests. Bravo, and thank you for your service.

  51. #91 by wbduvall on 12/16/2011 - 1:25 pm

    I believe one of foremost goals of Occupy Wall Street should be to hold a meeting with the original leaders of the Tea Party. In that meeting, a list should be made of the top 5 issues both movements agree upon. There should be a treaty signed that the two groups will agree to work together on those 5 core issues until they are accomplished.
    Then be free to go our separate ways.
    This is my opinion.

  52. #92 by OccupyLogicwithfacts...please on 12/16/2011 - 12:56 pm

    The few of us, libertarian or not, who were aware, observant, or intelligent enough to follow or puzzle out the transformation of the TEA Party realized very quickly it had been co-opted. It is rewarding to see and hear from some of the original sincere people attempting some form of dialogue to benefit everyone, a noble sentiment manifesting in concrete (at least insofar as discussion is concrete) action. Good on you, and I thought your letter well-written and cogent. I didn’t get the slightest whiff of arrogance from your opening, I knew immediately where your sarcasm was directed.

  53. #93 by Mark Walker on 12/16/2011 - 11:52 am

    The point Flipped Scripts raises about the “TEA Party” will have to be answered, and urgently.

    When I hear TEA Party, I recall unruly, rude people at townhall meetings making it impossible for their Senators or Representatives to communicate with their constituents. I have no expectation of being able to communicate, much less work with, people who will behave that way in that setting.

    When I hear TEA Party, I see the Koch brothers. I see Mrs. Bachman and her companions jeering her peers along with the crowd as Congressmen returned to the capital building to work.

    When I hear TEA Party I hear the radical conservative radio personality that gave the movement it’s name.

    Who should be inviting who to discuss shared goals and future actions?

    The TEA party faction with such a desire needs to setup and make it clear they are for real. Maybe they even need to affiliate with Occupy and participate where their views overlap with the Occupy Movement. After all many of us are not a perfect fit with Occupy, but we are active where we can be…

    • #94 by Anarcho Cynicalist on 12/16/2011 - 12:31 pm

      When you hear TEA Party you hear what the media wants you to hear and see what the media wants you to see.

      • #95 by lowtolerance on 12/16/2011 - 3:30 pm

        From what I read, he heard what he saw. As did I, at town hall meetings with my congressman, and at city council meetings. Not to mention my local tea party’s website, email newsletters, fb page, etc. No, the “tea party” has a real problem.

  54. #96 by Anarcho Cynicalist on 12/16/2011 - 11:44 am

    I’m an AF veteran (Iraq, Afghanistan, other places) and a socialist, and I’ve been saying this same thing since the Occupy protests began, that Occupy and the Tea Party are looking at the same problem from two different perspectives, and have a lot more common ground than anybody realizes. I think one of the core causes of the political and economic problems we have in this country is our tendency towards “Team Politics”. People consider themselves part of a team, the Democrat Team, the Republican Team, the Liberal Team, the Conservative Team, whatever. They fiercely support that Team and anything the Team does, and they fiercely oppose anyone who criticizes their Team.

    Obama’s policies are in many ways indistinguishable from those of his predecessor Bush. But members of the Democrat Team can’t accept that, so anything he does that they object to they blame on the Republican Team. They suddenly find themselves supporting decidedly neoconservative positions, and using neoconservative terms. Suddenly they’re in favor of starting wars with countries that don’t pose a threat to us, they’re in favor of “indefinite detention” (a far too friendly and sanitized term for “the oubliette”), they’re in favor of jailing and assassinating American citizens so long as somebody in the government tells them the citizen was “supporting terrorism”, and so on. If you look at liberals now in the wake of the NDAA, they’re freaking out, insisting that it must not be that bad, falling for the intentionally misleading language in the bill, or saying that it’s all the fault of the Republican Team (when Democratic Senator Carl Levin has said it was the Obama White House that insisted it be allowed to detain US citizens without trial), anything to avoid looking at the uncomfortable truth.

    The truth is, the Democrats and Republicans are two wings of the same party, and it is the party of authoritarian power. It is a fascist party, and everything we see, the union of corporations with government, the security/police state, the constant warfare overseas, is part of that party’s plan to keep and maintain power. The only journalists I’ve read that recognize this and where it’s going, and address it in a level-headed manner, are Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com and Matt Taibbi of the Rolling Stone. Whether you’re in the Occupy Movement and you’re mad that the corporations have control of the government, or you’re in the Tea Party and you’re mad that “crony capitalism” has resulted in the government providing favorable conditions to their buddies in allied corporations, we’re both looking at the same coin.

    Our mainstream media (the voice of this fascist party) intends for us to be divided, working against each other, hating each other as enemies so that we don’t see the real enemy, the people who hold the puppet strings. So let me warn you, if they see that we’re cutting our strings, and we’re coming together, instead of divided and vitriolic, they will take action against us. Nothing could be more threatening to the people in power than their pawns suddenly working together and opposing their common enemy.

    • #97 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 11:56 am

      VERY well said. 😎

    • #98 by Anonymous on 12/16/2011 - 3:45 pm

      I mean no disrespect, but might I ask how you are a Socialist and a Veteran? I am a Vet too and when I served you could not be a socialist or communist. Has something changed?

      • #99 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 4:54 pm

        You can hold whatever beliefs you want in the military. They discourage you from speaking publicly or to the media about your opinions though. When you think about it, however, the military is a collectivist organization. Not a utopian socialist one, but there are a lot of similarities.

      • #100 by Anarcho Cynicalist on 12/17/2011 - 7:06 am

        You can hold whatever political affiliation you want to hold in the military, you’re just expected not to talk about it. Additionally when I was in I was more of a Democrat / social democrat than a socialist, I’ve gone more towards socialism and anarcho-syndicalism since I got out. But that wouldn’t have had any bearing on my military service. There’s nothing that says you have to hold the same politics your entire life, and I was 17 and a Republican when I joined the military.

  55. #101 by Sharon Marmon-Kaczorowski on 12/16/2011 - 11:27 am

    I believe the comment in the letter is that bailouts are theft from us, the citizens, not that all taxes are theft. This is an excellent piece and supports my own wish to try to attract Tea Party members to Occupy. We do have positions in common. I think the biggest challenge for everyone is learning to achieve compromise between two people or groups with different ideas and learning to achieve consensus. The movement encourages and expects that people in conflict will find a solution thta is better than either belief by itself. Both run counter to our culture, which is inherently adverserial, and wants a quick fix for everything. I am very proud of the Occupy Movement and humbled to be a small foot soldier in it because the people have, for the most part, embraced both compromise and consensus as part of their commitment to real democracy…something else we have not experienced!

  56. #102 by frang on 12/16/2011 - 10:47 am

    With your permission, I would like to quote small portions of this post on some other blogs along with a link. I completely agree with this:

    This brings us back to the commonground we share. The original Tea Party (not counting the historical Boston Tea Party) was focused on ending the corporatist (fascist?) model ourselves. The original Tea Party was for ending the wars and against policing the world. We are against legislation that invades privacy of citizens here and abroad. Think unPatriot Act and the recently passed NDAA bill. The NDAA gives the military the authority to raid homes without warrants and imprison citizens indefinitely without trial.

    If we actually want to change this country, we have to unite on issues like these and others. General Assemblies: invite Tea Party groups to participate. If you can find shared values organize joint protests. If you can find local Tea Parties that want to occupy with you, encourage it.

    The system we live under is a corporatist model rapidly deteriorating into a fascist police state.

    • #103 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 12:03 pm

      Go for it! I’m glad you find it quotable ha. Just don’t forget to check back here from time to time. There will be a full website up and running sometime next week. Opinions, News, Election coverage, Economy, and sports, entertainment, and other topics on partner sites within the next few weeks.

  57. #104 by Mark Walker on 12/16/2011 - 10:39 am

    What is your responce to:

    Flipped Scripts This is a clear point. This gentleman is spot on with his vision; though, I notice some inconsistencies. Someone, please tell me why the “grassroots/original (not pre-Bush) Tea-Party continues to call itself the Tea-Party, if they were unwillingly corrupted? Why doesn’t this Marine denounce the Tea-Party? If they are no longer Tea-Partiers, because of the sale, why not be “concerned citizens”?

    • #105 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 11:23 am

      Because I still believe in those things the original tea parties were protesting. I’m an occupy supporter now. Just wanted to point out some things.

  58. #106 by Erica on 12/16/2011 - 10:13 am

    First of all, thank you for a very well-written piece. I am a proud Occupier who does have friends in the Tea Party and it has become clear exactly what we agree and disagree on. There is certainly enough agreement to build a powerful political force.

    The one thing I will call you out on is your “taxation is theft” idea, since this is pretty much the heart of where libertarians and progressives profoundly disagree, and it is not going to win any progressives to your cause. I don’t think of taxation as theft; I think of it as RENT that I pay in exchange for living in an advanced (post)industrial society. I know there is a handful of people who would be happy living the survivalist lifestyle in a cabin in the woods with their guns – but most of us (myself included) prefer to pay taxes in exchange for things like roads, schools, scientific research, clean air and water, and, yes, an economic safety net for the poor knowing that many of us in the 99% are only a paycheck or two away from poverty ourselves.

    Having had this argument many, many times with libertarians, I know that it’s very unlikely that either of us is ever going to convince the other and I’m not going to try to change your mind. I just wanted to point out that while the rest of your post identifies our common ground, that phrase zeroes in on a basic difference between us, and may not be the best language for building bridges.

    • #107 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 11:27 am

      I said bailouts are theft. You’re right, I am against the income tax from a moral standpoint. I also think it could be really powerful if people started a tax protest. Noam Chomsky suggested this when he was protesting Vietnam. Bailouts are theft and our taxes are used to murder innocents. There’s no escaping that. Starve the beast.

    • #108 by Anarcho Cynicalist on 12/16/2011 - 11:29 am

      I’m a socialist, and I can tell you that many taxes, especially progressive income taxation, while not theft, is a backwards and ineffective way of trying to solve the real problem.

      The real problem is income inequality. If you tax the rich more, they will find ways around paying those taxes. They can afford an accountant. They can afford offshore tax shelters. Taxes are an attempt to correct an imbalance, but if you really want to correct that imbalance, pay the workers more. Or make the employers pay the companies more. Increase minimum wage, cap executive pay, whatever. The 99% would not be only a paycheck away from poverty if our paychecks were a living wage.

      When you increase the pay for the workers and do something about income inequality, then more people are paying taxes, more people can afford to pay taxes. This helps the roads, the schools, the research, and without trying to squeeze the Scrooges.

      Taxes aren’t theft, but they’re also not a panacea, the answer to every possible problem.

  59. #109 by Donna on 12/16/2011 - 10:04 am

    This is a reasonable post. Every politician is bought and paid for in the U.S. – including Ron Paul. I’ll be honest, though, it’s hard to unite with a fringe movement (the so-called “tea party”) who do the same thing the media do: Blame Democrats for everything and say nothing about Republican (and the third-party folks are just the same).

    I’m not crazy about President Obama at all, but let’s start spreading the blame around and focusing our energies on the scumbag criminal corporations and the CEOs who have been robbing us for years and then getting the pols to do their bidding and turning this country into a police state. They’re the real enemies!

    If more people had your minset, sir, this country wouldn’t be in the beyond sorry shape it’s in – and on the verge of collapse in every way.

    • #110 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 11:29 am

      Well I blame Republicans just as much as Democrats. If it makes you feel any better I think Bush was a fascist war criminal. Unfortunately, I consider Obama to be his third term.

      • #111 by Larry Calloway on 12/17/2011 - 9:56 pm

        Exactly, I have been saying this since before Obama took office – His phoniness was so obvious, it was laughable. yet, people defend him to this day. Finally, some people are starting to get it, but clearly not enough. I hated Bush, but Obama is worse.

  60. #112 by Mack K on 12/16/2011 - 10:03 am

    Noble idea, and in an ideal world, maybe possible but as long as the TeaParty is Koch-funded, and dominated by the agenda of extreme evangelicals, I can’t ever see the two movements able to find unity. I salute your honesty and effort though.

    • #113 by Donna on 12/16/2011 - 10:05 am

      My sentiments, exactly! Well said!

    • #114 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 11:33 am

      There are still some tea parties that haven’t been hijacked. Mostly the local groups. Tea Party “Patriots” and the other bigger state, region, or national ones are a bunch of neocons who think they’re somehow different from the republicans. Go after the local folks.

  61. #115 by Christopher Reiss on 12/16/2011 - 9:31 am

    A truly awesome and cogent call for unity of these two groups.

    This post is seriously trending on facebook and twitter, btw …

  62. #116 by Jill Harrison on 12/16/2011 - 9:13 am

    Thank you for your well considered letter. I too believe that focusing on common ground and working toward solutions is the most important thing to be done. Large bureaucracies have been a problem both in the public and private sectors, and it’s been a deliberate strategy by some to pit advocates of one sector against the other. To focus anger on that ‘ignorant wrong side’ of this false divide only prevents us from working together to create solutions.

    Your message reminds me very much of Professor Christensen’s talk at last nights Council on Foreign Affairs. He described the angst of the Chinese government keeping the dissenting groups around the country from recognizing what their complaints have in common. The central party fears these disparate groups creating solidarity in their search for solutions.

    I pray we find the courage to reinstill the values this great nation was founded on – that ‘all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights’ and stop dismantling our bill of rights.

  63. #117 by Eli Gottlieb on 12/16/2011 - 8:55 am

    Have you considered that inflation isn’t so much the problem as is the inherent exploitation of the wage-relation, and the inherent dispossession of allowing private, capitalist ownership of the commons and the means of production? In short, I think lots of countries have central banks and have done better than us. The problem is capitalism, and the more we push it out of our lives, the better off we’ll be.

    • #118 by Jill Harrison on 12/16/2011 - 9:41 am

      Our monetary system is in need of reform, and I agree to a great extent with your questioning the ‘private ownership of the commons’. But I think it’s also true that markets are still the best model we have for economic exchange. Markets function like ecosystems, and we’ve not done well at creating a balanced system that sustains healthy human society or the planet.

      One common consensus among monetary reform groups is that a central cause of the market bubbles plaguing our economies is the leveraged speculation which does not bring any real value back into the market. There have been numerous ‘solutions’ for how to define the money creation process and regulate investment so that we don’t have these repeated ponzi schemes that crash the system.

      I feel strongly that The most pressing structural problem with our monetary system is reflected in our definition of the “time value of money” which is critical to how we perceive the “storage of value” in our economy.

      Our current “time value of money” reflects an expectation of receiving a positive rate of return on the money we hold. This puts us all into a winner-take-all competition to grow our money the fastest to meet our future needs – and places our “store of value” in the currency rather than the environment. This causes us to rape the environment & social fabric for short term gains. David Korten gave a good example of this when he reported the comment from Malaysia’s minister of forestry who observed that Malaysia would be better off once all it’s trees were cut down since the interest on the money grows faster than the trees.

      Positive interest rate amounts to preferring short term gains since returns on long term projects are exponentially discounted to present value. Demurrage currencies are defined as money with a small holding fee, or a negative interest rate, or subject to a flat tax on the money rather than taxing income or consumption. Demurrage currency has the the opposite effect of our current system, it’s much more profitable to spend demurrage money on fruitful long term investments.

  64. #119 by Dan Klinefelter on 12/16/2011 - 8:52 am

    I was skeptical when I read the link that brought me here, but you’ve sold me with this well thought-out, well researched piece. Anyone with common ground should come together to oppression.

    Also, the original original Tea Party (the Boston one) was actually a protest not against monarchical oppression, but against large companies (most notably the East India Company) using unfair business practices and rigging the political system to basically monopolize trade at the expense of what today we’d call the middle class. Why do you think the colonies were taxed to death? To make the King richer? It was to drive a sword into any potential competition that might have taken away wealth from the already mega-rich.

    Great post, and a great idea!

    Dan

    • #120 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/17/2011 - 9:07 am

      Great point, and I think our modern movements have a lot in common with their frustrations back in the day. Corporations are stealing from the people through bailouts and the privately owned Federal Reserve.

      If anyone should have been “bailed out,” it should have been the people. All 300+ million of us could have received something like $7,000.

      Yeah, pisses you off, doesn’t it?

  65. #121 by Anonymous on 12/16/2011 - 8:28 am

    Sir, You have opened my eyes. First to the truth that I myself have been guilty of succumbing to my prejudice, in that I have for a long time believed that nothing good could come form someone of your demographic. Second for failing to remember the pre-2010 mid term teaparty wich was nothing short of a corporate conspiracy. Perhaps your crew should consider a name change in order to distance yourself from those tea-bagging idiots who’s rhetoric stems from hate, racism, intolerance, and corporate funding? Glad to have an intelligent person like yourself out there. Peace!

  66. #122 by KMK-OccupyBoston on 12/16/2011 - 8:19 am

    Solidarity and Semper Fi from Occupy Boston, the cradle of liberty!

  67. #123 by MATTHEW DUNHAM. on 12/16/2011 - 8:12 am

    WONDERFULLY WRITTEN!!!!!

  68. #124 by Myke Gonzalez on 12/15/2011 - 5:08 pm

    thank very much for this letter. im tired of the left right paradigm. we are all unstoppable, and another world is possible. the answer to divison is unity

  69. #125 by Robert on 12/15/2011 - 2:38 pm

    Im righting to let you know that my voice as well as my phone. As been hacked an at&t investigation with customer care should be informed that my relatives in louisiana an texas are being hurt with there communities as well. They using our own communications an voices to call other countries an send officiers away from calls. Please pass this so we as a nation an world can help each other. My life an others depend on it. Robert earl lejeune II

  70. #126 by Eva Muhlhause on 12/15/2011 - 3:09 am

    Divided we fall.

    • #127 by Anonymous on 12/15/2011 - 4:36 am

      Hegelian Dialectic @
      everyone needs to read the Creature from Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin
      all about the “private” Federal Reserve Bank

      once one understands that the Federal Reserve is as private as Federal Express
      and it cannot be found in the blue pages of a phone book, one comes around to see how the American people have been swindled out of their country.

  71. #128 by Neo on 12/14/2011 - 10:01 pm

    Great post, with one glaring exception:

    > They rarely talk about the private Federal Reserve system and how it
    > robs the lower and middle classes of their wealth via inflation.

    Boy, do you have this backwards. If you’re in the lower class, you have no wealth. And for the vast majority of the middle class, the lion’s share of the wealth they own is in their home, whose value goes directly up with inflation–while their mortgage debt gets easier and easier to pay off with increased inflation. The simple fact is, a moderate rate of inflation is a bonanza for most people in the middle class. The only people it really hurts are the upper class, the 1%, who have huge bank accounts with financial assets that do get eroded with inflation.

    Here’s an example. Say a typical middle-class family has $50000 in the bank in 2011, makes $60000/year income, owns a house worth $200K, and still owes $150K on their home mortgage. So their net worth would be $100000 ($50K in the bank + their $50K of equity in their home). Then, say we started having inflation at 5% a year for 5 years, which compounds to a total of 27.6%. Then in 2016, after those 5 years, their $50000 would still just be $50000 (actually a little more due to interest), which would only be worth the 2011-equivalent of $39000. However, their house’s value would have gone up with inflation too, so it would then be worth $255K. And wages also generally rise with inflation, so their income would then be more like $76000/year. But mortgage debt doesn’t go up with inflation (actually it would have gone down slightly as they made payments over 5 years), so their $150K debt would now be a bit less than $150K. So although they started out in 2011 with a net worth of $100K, they would now have a net worth of $155K, equivalent to $121K in 2011 dollars. Their net worth *increased* by 21%.

    And, while they started out with a debt ($150K) that was 2.5 times their annual income of $60000, their debt of $150K is now less than 2 times their new annual income. So after 5 years of inflation, they’re actually a good deal better off. (This is assuming a normal economy. In a depressed economy like we have now, wages might not increase with inflation due to excess supply of labor, but in this economy, which is stuck in a liquidity trap, this is all moot because the Fed can print all the money it wants without creating inflation–as we’ve seen: the Fed has *tripled* the money supply since 2008, and inflation is practically zero.) See: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/interest-rates-inflation-and-the-way-the-world-works-slightly-wonkish/

    The only people who get hurt by inflation are those who have a lot more wealth in the bank than they do in their house–and, admittedly, the very poor who work for a minimum wage which, sadly, is not indexed to inflation and doesn’t get increased often enough.

    Bottom line: for most of us, inflation of around 5% is an excellent thing.

    • #129 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/15/2011 - 8:08 am

      I have to strongly disagree with you on this. Printing money helps the people who are able to use the money first. Usually the politically connected, bailed out 1%. This is one reason (IMO) a lot of people in occupy want to audit and/or end the Fed. They gave over 7 trillion of our dollars away to governments and banks.

      • #130 by Neo on 12/15/2011 - 1:49 pm

        Increasing the money supply (printing money) primarily helps people who need to borrow money, which is not the 1%, it’s regular people who want to buy a home or start a business. (At least, that’s how it should work, although these days the banks have gotten so deregulated that they’re functioning more like casinos run by the 1% instead of as a public service, so they often aren’t lending even when they have plenty of money to lend.) The Fed plays an important role in moderating the economy for everyone; auditing and regulation of the Fed would be great, but ending it would be economic suicide.

      • #131 by Tom Marino on 12/16/2011 - 9:01 am

        Hey man, you actually have a VERY similar idea as one I’ve just started to develop as a site. Let’s talk. I’ve added you on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614968977

        F’ing amazing letter.

    • #132 by Anonymous on 12/15/2011 - 11:57 am

      What middle Class person has $50,000 in the bank? One year salary in savings? Maybe it’s time we go back to the tax rate Republican Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford had, 74% to the top tiered tax rate or Eisenhower , 1%. Oh and the middle class paid only 7%

      • #133 by T-Roy Lent on 12/15/2011 - 1:04 pm

        The more money one has in the bank the more inflation is a problem. If you owe money inflation helps you, if your income rises with inflation. If you have assets, inflation is neutral since as inflation rises so does the amount you can sell them for. If you have a mortgage then inflation helps because the value of the outstanding debt is shrinking while the value of the house is rising along with inflation. So if a middle class family has less in savings but owns a house then inflation is not of a problem unless wages are flat
        .

      • #134 by Bill Boutin on 12/15/2011 - 1:38 pm

        Inlfation I believe to happen when more paper money is printed, or used to cover the same amount of goods and services in the economy so the value of the currency goes down. When the economy increases as more goods and services are produced, I believe increasing the money supply to cover that increase would not be inflation, which is why I believe we should go back to an honest government issued fiat currency, instead of the current inflationary system of private banks increasing the money supply (and debt at the same time) disproportional to any increase in real wealth.

      • #135 by Bobby Joe on 12/15/2011 - 1:06 pm

        Nobody ever paid 74% (or 90%) in taxes. That was merely smoke and mirrors. The rich during those times of high tax rates for the wealthy easily got around having to pay that kind of rate.

    • #136 by Joshua on 12/16/2011 - 8:28 am

      You operate on the assumption that property values and wages are strongly fixed to dollar inflation when there are a number of other variables to take into account. That’s the problem with you Keynesians. You think you can predict the market and control the outcome of unforeseen events.

  72. #137 by trog69 on 12/14/2011 - 8:40 pm

    This is exactly what the powers that be are scared about. They know that if enough of us realize that we’ve been divided to be conquered, we’ll stop listening to the dividers and join together to fight for what’s right for all of us.

    Thanks for this, and I accept your offer.

  73. #138 by Crazy H on 12/14/2011 - 5:58 pm

    I read your letter expecting to find something upon which to heap ridicule and scorn. Surprisingly, I found nothing of the sort.

    I grew my pony tail in the late sixties & have yet to cut it off. But I get on so well with so many self-professed “conservatives” I always have to wonder why the big party seems so completely alien to me.

    Our mutual enemies don’t care who we sleep with, what we smoke, or what god we worship. Those are deliberately divisive issues that have nothing to do with their real agenda: the complete subjugation of the working man for their profit. So long as we can be distracted by the scandal of the day, they can continue to win.

    Standing up when your country calls is an honorable thing to do – but what our country is doing in the middle east is nowhere near honorable. Our military was founded for DEFENSE, not offense. At the time of our country’s founding, most police forces around the world weren’t to protect the people – they were to protect the rulers FROM the people. When did they lose their way?

    I would be proud to shake your hand and call you brother, Corporal.

    “Crazy H”
    (a tofu-slurping, kumbaya-singing, unrepentant pacifist hippie with ranks in Kajukenbo, Kenpo, and Judo. Peace is nice, but sometimes you have to fight for it. 😉

    • #139 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/14/2011 - 6:15 pm

      Well said. I’m glad you didn’t find something to ridicule…many here (including myself) and all over facebook did ha. First blog, come on. Thanks for the compliment man.

  74. #140 by Anonymous on 12/14/2011 - 5:25 pm

    i get where this letter is coming from. I am all about the occupy movement. I know personally believe that this letter is coming from a place that can be perceived as from the heart. However all things considered the brand TeaParty has been TOTALLY co-opted and to join or ally given the circumstances it to flirt with disaster. I would only say that the best way for a OCCUPY movement and Teaparty movement to coexisit is for the Teapart to Spin off and create a new movement launch 1 or 2 huge campaigns or just join occupy.. bottom line

    • #141 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/14/2011 - 5:42 pm

      Fox and MSNBC don’t represent the whole tea party when they talk about them. Many local tea parties are very open to this kind of alliance. The bigger “tea parties” are the ones with more of the mindless drones.

      So I added my name and because I noticed some were upset I was being “anonymous.”

      Btw, everyone can follow me on twitter at @LibertySpinNet. I have a FB page too.
      FB: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=588780636
      Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LibertySpinNet

      This is the beginning of a website others and I are going to build. I’m buying a domain this week and I have a friend that does web programming that’s going to set it up. We’ll be doing opinion peaces like this and cover national and international news, politics, and economics. With a spin in favor of ideas of progressives and libertarians. I want to find progressive writers so if you’re good at writing and want to help out connect with me on FB or twitter. I’ll post my e-mail through this site as soon as it’s set up. If you’re a little on the sarcastic side when you write, I love you. I want to use this as a platform to bring the two sides together to smash corporatism.

      The 374 views this post is getting an hour and nearly 10,000 views it’s gotten in 2 days is very encouraging. I hope everyone comes back. Thanks for sharing this everywhere and please continue!

      • #142 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/14/2011 - 5:45 pm

        opinion pieces* haha. Sorry got peace on my mind.

        Btw, people here who like sports, you’ll be covered here too in the near future. 😎

      • #143 by Tom Marino on 12/16/2011 - 9:03 am

        Sorry, misposted this elsewhere on the page.

        Hey man, you actually have a VERY similar idea as one I’ve just started to develop as a site. Let’s talk. I’ve added you on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614968977

  75. #144 by WTB on 12/14/2011 - 3:25 pm

    I appreciate the extended and open hand…I hope you’re being honest…
    humanity unites us all…at the end of the day, our true human needs are the same…
    if we focus on the core, unity is bound to follow…

  76. #145 by Doug on 12/14/2011 - 2:33 pm

    I read the letter and felt renewed, like we could work with you ‘real tea-party’ people, but go to the local tea party web site, and all I see is the tea party you say you are not. Who is in charge? If you have been co-opted, retake control, or leave and start something new, or join Occupy, we are the 99%. If you are against the 2 party system, and understand like we do that both parties are completely sold out to the 1% corporate overloards.. If you can work with people even though they are atheists, gay, Muslim or any of the other categories of people the co-opted tea party hates, then we should be able to work together. If we all want to end the Fed, fire the president, and every member of congress, except maybe 6. We should, work together. We will probably have to work together to win. We will not agree about everything, and that’s the point. It makes no difference if we agree or disagree if none of our voices count. If we can take control of the government away from the money powers, then we can argue about how to govern for all of the people.
    Dug

  77. #146 by Sara on 12/14/2011 - 1:58 pm

    I would like to thank the Tea Party for being the guinea pig for the Occupy Movement. Through your hardships, you have taught us where to be vigilant and how to keep our movement going forward. If people would stop letting Fox News brainwash them, we could take back our country. As long as they believe Murdoch is the GOP’s Messiah and his network the bible, we will always remain divided. That’s the way they want us. They know all it would take is both sides looking past their disagreements and focusing on the corruption surrounding the Federal Reserve and it would be taken down like John F. Kennedy tried to do before he was assassinated. Are you aware a provision was made in the charter for the Federal Reserve that states if we paid back the original billion dollars they loaned, we could end their reign and be a debt free nation? However, until we learn to cry out with one voice, we will continue to have billions of our tax dollars given to the major shareholders of the Federal Reserve Bank, which include J. P. Morgan, the Lehman Brothers, Chase board executives, Citibank board executives and the Rockefellers to mention a few). It would only take ONE strong Republican…

    • #147 by Joshua on 12/16/2011 - 8:31 am

      Guinea pig? Talk about a back handed compliment.

    • #148 by WM 1986 on 12/16/2011 - 11:23 am

      I dont get how u can continue to stand on ur “side” and point fingers at certain news outlets and people and not understand that u r guilty of the same mindset as the ones ur pointing at. All of our news services are bought and paid for like CONG and u just prefer the other story. The reality is there arent just two stories, there is a continuum-stories of every mashination and combination u can dream up. Stop letting everything around u lead u to live as if there is only an either or choice. We are all in this together and we better start acting like we understand this basic truth.

      • #149 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 12:15 pm

        That’s what I’m saying. Get rid of the left/right paradigm and smash corporate/government collusion. The rest can be worked out later.

  78. #150 by Anonymous on 12/14/2011 - 1:38 pm

    The tone of this letter is a little condescending, at least in the beginning. “First of all, I’m surprised you’re reading this.” There’s a haughty indignation to it that I don’t think works to bridge the gap.

    • #151 by Dan Livermore on 12/14/2011 - 2:24 pm

      I feel same in saying that his opening wasn’t intended as an insult to the reader, but as a dig on the corporate owned news agencies who actively work to paint the Tea Party and Occupy as political opposites. Perhaps he could have worded it better, but please, judge on the content and not the form. At least i t didn’t carry the same tone as most “Open lettter to X from a Tea Partier” posts.

      It might have worked better as:
      “Thanks to the corrupt media’s portrayal of Occupy and The Tea Party as opposite ends of the political spectrum, many of you might not realize that we share quite a bit of common ground. That being said, I’m a little surprised you’re reading this at all.”

      Then again, I’m not a writer. I’m sure some of you would find ways to attack my phrasing.

      • #152 by Dan Livermore on 12/14/2011 - 2:25 pm

        *safe (see, not a writer. Or editor.)

      • #153 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/14/2011 - 6:22 pm

        ^ Definitely should have phrased it similar to that lol. I’ll get better. But no, it was not an attack on the reader, “but as a dig on the corporate owned news agencies who actively work to paint the Tea Party and Occupy as political opposites.”

      • #154 by Jo Hargis on 12/14/2011 - 7:34 pm

        It’s not just the media who gets all the blame. Look at our politicians, people like Gingrich, Boehner, McChinless, Cantor, some of the other candidates, making nasty, harsh derogatory statements about protesters. It all boils down to the same thing, of course: corporate money. Funny but back when Occupy first started, there were discussions here and there about republicans/teapartiers and how the 99 pct really did include them too. We’ve all gotten screwed. It didn’t take long before those 99 pct’ers who vote republican were listening to the hateful rhetoric and demonizing Occupy as well. Many times, some of us have said “that’s fine, we’ll fight your fight anyways, because it’s for all of us”. Maybe someday they’ll realize we were doing it for everyone, that it isn’t a “leftist” movement.

  79. #155 by LaurenfromLA on 12/14/2011 - 12:57 pm

    Great article. Two nitpicky corrections. One, Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC ALAWYS rails against corporate and government extraction of wealth from our economy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlSd9OURbCE
    And Goldman Scahs was the second biggest donor to Obama. The University of California (its employees) was the first. Go figure.

    • #156 by crystal williams (@crystalmwilliam) on 12/14/2011 - 4:47 pm

      You are correct. Also, that was from his 2008 campaign. Some of his major contributors this election cycle are different. Thank you for clarifying.

  80. #157 by Greta on 12/14/2011 - 12:23 pm

    First of all, I am surprised that you began your letter with “First of all, I’m surprised you’re reading this. Thanks to the corrupt media, many of you might be clueless to the fact we share quite a bit of commonground.”

    Thanks to the corrupt media you pay attention to, you think Occupy Supporters are as ignorant as you.

    If you want to walk that common ground together, you will have to let go of your arrogance first.

    • #158 by AJ on 12/14/2011 - 2:49 pm

      The tone of your reply suggests the exact opposite of your opening sentence. I’d venture you’re not surprised in the least…rather you relish
      the opportunity to throw this Marines well stated thoughts under the bus….merely based on an opening sentence that you say wreaks of arrogance. Come on…your not surprised.

  81. #159 by James on 12/14/2011 - 12:04 pm

    I never have trusted letters that are unsigned that proport to be on our side. Let this dude identify himself and face examination by Occupiers and TP members and then maybe we will see. I guess we all know the little ditty, a wolf in sheeps clothing! Until he identifies himself(herself) this is just another ‘ANONYMOUS’ letter, no more no less. You think ‘any’ war could be ended with a peace treatise like this?? NO WAY! right: too good and too quick of a read.

    • #160 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/14/2011 - 6:31 pm

      I added my name for you. Honestly, I just forgot to/didn’t think about it. You can find me on facebook and twitter.

      FB: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=588780636
      Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LibertySpinNet

      Like I said in an above post, this is the beginning of a big project. I’m getting a domain this week and news, politics, economics, and opinion pieces will all be a part of it. There will be a partner site for sports my friends are setting up. Hopefully it can help some sports fans begin to have an interest in things that affect us all.

    • #161 by Dylan Wardwell on 12/15/2011 - 4:37 am

      war? what war? there is no ‘war’ between tp and occupy. some different opinions, some similar opinions. both groups have a couple crazies, neither group always gets it right. this dude’s sentiment is exactly what we need, and in my opinion NDAA ought to be a galvanizing element. Talk about an unconstitutional big government militaristic anti-protest travesty that both groups ought to hate!! That is it!

      • #162 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/15/2011 - 8:50 am

        ^ NDAA is treason. 93 Senators voted for it. The ones that voted against it are Coburn (R-OK)
        Harkin (D-IA)
        Lee (R-UT)
        Merkley (D-OR)
        Paul (R-KY)
        Sanders (I-VT)
        Wyden (D-OR)

        3 d’s, 3 r’s and an independent. 93 voted for it. Don’t trust the party, trust the individual.

  82. #163 by Anonymous on 12/14/2011 - 11:31 am

    Sorry, but NO F*ING WAY. Until they change their name, disavow ANY AND ALL connection to ANYTHING AT ALL to do with the repuglican party, the cock brothers, newt, the pauls, the ryans…But, none of this will happen. EVER. F*CK the Tea Party Asshats. Do not go there. Are you guys crazy????????? this is not a good idea. Whose idea was it anyway? A tea partier’s? Oh yeah, right, I want to hook up with someone who has called me dirty, lazy, scum, stupid…get the f outta here.

    • #164 by AJ on 12/14/2011 - 2:52 pm

      Your spelling sucks…and enough with the capital letters. I think we know what you want emphasized in your small minded reply. Happy Wednesday!

      • #165 by Dylan Wardwell on 12/15/2011 - 4:40 am

        seriously! take a hike, and take your bad attitude with you.

    • #166 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/14/2011 - 6:55 pm

      I never called you any of those things and I don’t support the people who do. Just trying to point some things out. I’ve always supported the occupy movement. I agree with them more than the Faux News tea party.

  83. #167 by thivai on 12/14/2011 - 11:08 am

    The problem with this statement is that the Tea Party originated and was funded by corporate (and their media) interests. The Tea Party also (willingly or not) was co-opted and prostituted (used) by the GOP.

    We open our arms to welcome anyone that opposes what this Marine describes, but we do not wish to be the Occupy Tea Party movement. Sorry, but words, labels, and ideas are important.

    We welcome you, don’t try to co-opt us.

    • #168 by Mack K on 12/16/2011 - 10:15 am

      Amen! Any formet TeaPartiers who support OWS are free to join us. You are the 99% too but for me, you would have to disavow the TeaParty & just join us.

      • #169 by Mack K on 12/16/2011 - 10:17 am

        former, not “formet” (need edit function here!)

      • #170 by WM 1986 on 12/16/2011 - 12:09 pm

        Your comment and others similar to it regarding your negative perception of the Tea Party lead me to believe that u have taken the bait hook line and sinker from certain news services and refuse to do the footwork to make an informed decision on ur own. The TP is not an organized movement, there is no national leadership. If u have a name of a national leader I’d like to know it. Ive followed, have spoken to and read information from self appointed regional organizers in SW US and found it nothing like what u have been spoon fed by media outlets. I have done the same with OWS and found it to be more organized in someways but lacking a clear message. The biggest differences i see between the two movements is execution-planned limited demonstrations v 24/7 demonstrations & a clear message v many messages. I think the media is playing nice with OWS because of the occupy nature in which mob dynamics can easily randomly unexpectedly turn danderous and violent where our shrinking and sympathic police forces are quickly overwhelmed. I think the media is appeasing OWS. They went after the TP because the demographic of the TP is older more established people with kids and mortgages. They werent going to riot, but the OWSers are
        a very different demographic-young and unemployed and in debt. What was the unemployment rates in the Arab Spring countries? Very high double digits and the population was very young. This is a volitale combination. Think about it. OWS has the establishment scared bc of its presence and the TP has them scared bc of their ideas, if theOWSand the and the TP linked forces we could really get something done.

  84. #171 by primewords on 12/14/2011 - 10:21 am

    I visited an occupy encampment in Orlando last weekend and walked along with them as they marched through the streets to the city hall. I took photos and talked to participants and I found a lot of disagreement as to what the movement was all about and what they wanted to accomplish, but I also found a very united front when it came to one issue, corporate bailouts and corporate welfare.
    Nice piece, I enjoyed reading it.

  85. #172 by jessie on 12/14/2011 - 10:18 am

    Good food for thought. I have been often dissapointed to realize the way our government and politics is really a front for greed. Yet how can we stop it and return to the politics we were founded on when so many have exchanged the great good god who blessed us here for their own self love. Praying america returns to her first love and is restored.

  86. #173 by Neal Smith on 12/14/2011 - 9:10 am

    In early 2008 I went to one of the “Original” Tea Party rallies, just to see what they were about. I was dressed neutral; nothing that would indicate my politics or lifestyle. I observed some people wearing swastikas. People were passing pro-John McCain, anti-abortion and pro Christian literature. One speaker proclaimed the U.S. was a Christian nation. Another speaker proclaimed Obama was a Kenyan citizen. Yet another speaker proclaimed that the nation’s economic woes were caused solely by labor unions. There was rampant racism. It was in general a pro-Republican Party, pro Fascist event.

    I believe in the Constitution of the United States. It is not a perfect document, but comes close.This is not a Christian nation due to the First Amendment’s “Establishment” clause. There are no Constitutional provisions that allow any ideological group from controlling the rest of the nation. I believe in freedom to make one’s own decisions irrespective of any religious doctrine, including abortion. I further believe that the Constitution was written as a restriction on government intrusion into private lives. Most, if not all, “Occupiers” share these beliefs, which are in direct opposition to any version of “Tea Party.”

    There is some common ground between the two, but the Tea Party will have to understand that they have no right to expect or demand that the rest of us believe as they do. And, conversely, neither do the Occupiers. Common ground exists in such areas as eliminating the Federal Reserve and limiting the power of government to Constitutional boundaries. But don’t tell me I have to be a Christian or White or Straight or Male to live my peaceful life as an American. Don’t tell me I have to worship the Corporation or Wall Street or even Capitalism itself. No one, Tea Party or Occupy, has a right to expect that.

    If both sides can agree to, simply put, “Live and let live,” then there is a possibility of alliance.

    • #174 by AJ on 12/14/2011 - 2:57 pm

      Who is telling you that you have to be a white, heterosexual male who is a Christian?

    • #175 by Lars on 12/14/2011 - 3:46 pm

      It is difficult for the “true believers” of either side to see the commonalities. Sides get dug in and the blinders go on and the earplugs go in. And from that point on it isnt communication but repetition of a strict and narrow set of dogma which includes, at least in part a demonization of the other, which ironically, is not their demon.

      Both sides have very strong words of opposition for the bailouts. That is clear. I would also assert that there is at least as much shared opposition to the fact that the old and proper rules do not apply — evenif you can afford to get a degree and work hard, you may not get a decent job, and your continuing loyalty is rewarded with lower income and gutted benefits.

      But even behind those is a greater common issue. We are living in a classed society. It is haves and have nots. And this is the foundation of the sturm and drang that is fueling the fire. The problem here is that it appears that while it is true the Tea P & Occupy are BOTH 99%ers, it is clear that everyone does realize that they are in fact there. So we have people who are battling from positions they are not in for programs and processes that actually work against their best interests.

      So clearly, there is common ground. But the myraid arguements surrounding those issues of common ground seem to be at loggerheads.

      Thank you for the letter, And perhaps we could all that this opportunity to present those issues where there is a consensus. And they are there.

    • #176 by rhytonen on 10/23/2012 - 11:50 am

      Where the constitution fell short was in neglecting to restrict private (for-profit) intrusion into the government that was basically formed by individuals, to consolidate their power (money) to protect each other from forces too powerful (Industry, consolidated business) for the individual’s resources to withstand. “Free Enterprise” bears no resemblance to what Neocons (ESPECIALLY btw Ron Paul) define and defend as The “Free Market.” There is no such thing as “Freedom” to take the “Freedom” of others, except by overwhelming majority opinion. And there is tautologically no such thing as “the tyranny of the majority,” unless you erroneously consider “freedom” to be a finite, limiting and limited quality – able to be usurped, like natural resources (or “the Commons.”) Yes, I do believe there is a better way than accepting the concept of “private property” as a God-given right.

  87. #177 by Slowdecline's articles on current issues facing us today on 12/14/2011 - 9:08 am

    Your article was an interesting read however I do believe the Tea-Party has been co-opted by the far right to further their own goals. If you are truly representative of the Tea-Party and it’s followers then you have opened a door that I hope never closes. Might I also commend you and all of those who have written responses for their civility in discussing your post. It’s Very nice to see a civil discussion from which we all grow and learn from to the benefit of all Americans.

    • #178 by Anonymous on 12/17/2011 - 6:50 am

      I couldn’t agree more. This is the kind of dialog that will bring us all together.

  88. #179 by Clay on 12/14/2011 - 6:00 am

    There’s only one candidate that has worked for 30 years against the corporate stranglehold…RON PAUL. If he doesn’t get elected you’ll just have more of the same

    • #180 by Russell Snikliw on 12/14/2011 - 7:45 am

      Even if he gets elected you’ll have more of the same.

    • #181 by Dylan Wardwell on 12/15/2011 - 4:48 am

      you trust him like i trusted obama. you’ll be disappointed like i was.

  89. #182 by Anonymous on 12/14/2011 - 1:03 am

    For a Marine you sure don’t seem to know the definition of “attack.”

    • #183 by Ken Blan on 12/14/2011 - 8:31 am

      To spray unarmed, peaceful (albeit belligerent) protesters with military grade pepper-spray, directly into the face, at point blank range, is against the rules of engagement by military units for crowd control.
      The woman who pepper sprayed the crowd in the Wal-Mart on Black Friday is charged with assault.
      I hit a mouthy guy in a bar with my fist (not a nightstick) back in my younger days. I was charged with assault, and the judge informed me that “someone being a smart-aleck does not justify you ATTACKING them”.
      If these things are “attacks”, when supposedly trained, disciplined police officers ATTACK people for being loud or “mouthy” or even profane, why should they be held to a different standard than citizens who are not police “officers”?

  90. #184 by Alex Dykes on 12/14/2011 - 12:40 am

    As an occupier, I thank you for reaching out from the other side of the line that we so often find lacking in hands. Again, I thank you. I will post and re-post this in every occupy outlet I have available to me, which numbers greatly. Be well!

  91. #185 by Carol on 12/13/2011 - 9:15 pm

    Agreed. We need one-purpose movements… A movement to end all wars and foreign military aid, another movement to end civil liberties abuses, another for campaign finance reform, another for ‘free’ trade, etc. Many issues cross party lines… Combining numbers on issues we agree on makes sense…

  92. #186 by Aaron Kremin on 12/13/2011 - 8:17 pm

    Agreed! OWS and Tea Party have much in common. Use it! Bust the two bought parties

  93. #187 by Casey Wright on 12/13/2011 - 6:57 pm

    Thank you so much, I wholeheartedly agree. Occupy tends to think of itself as leaderless. Nevertheless, I take this opportunity to invite any Tea Partiers to Occupy SF and Occupy Oakland. We need more Oathkeepers and veterans. Of course, the attack upon veteran Scott Olsen was what really motivated me to attend Occupy. Since then, I’ve been devoted primarily because occupy is a constitutional expression of protest, and all police brutality stems from unconstitutional encroachment on the right to assemble. I personally don’t know much about bay area tea parties, but I do believe that libertarians and progressives can unite. Further, I think many progressives will lean more towards libertarian ideals if there is a patient conversation. Also, in my experience, many occupiers are libertarian. I do think a lot of kids are just so tired of not having freedom and LAND, that they’ve tended to think social programs are the only route to improving their lives. On both sides of the libertarian v. socialist dichotomy, there can be idealism, yet I think a practical middle ground is possible, and a goal that most people would agree on. Most people agree that the FED is corrupt and that the foreign wars are a huge cost that could be put to better use.

    • #188 by Yona Aniwodi DanielAnzelmo on 12/13/2011 - 7:24 pm

      Most of the actual “teabaggers” as sometimes labeled by the corporately owned media are part of the 99 percent, sometimes labeled as “fleabaggers”. Drop all of those derisive and divisive labels, and we all americans, demanding justice based on truth, liberty guaranteed with freedoms, and a union of sovereign states with a federal government of, by, and for the people. Not this super-powerful and secretive federal government, incessantly forcing unfunded mandates, several of which merit states nullification, and incessantly surveilling, recording, detaining, and executing citizens and civilians, be they american or not. After all, the original “tea party” was a planned action of civil disobedience, protesting the Tea Act passed by the british parliament in 1773 and its corporate subsidy of the import monopoly, the “East India Company”. -OccupyHuntingtonWV -yo-na-, SPC, US Army ’93-’94

  94. #190 by Anonymous on 12/13/2011 - 4:44 pm

    I think this is a very well written, thoughtful letter. I do take exception to the “General Assemblies, invite Tea Party members”, without a comparable comment to the Tea Party. If you listen to the Tea Party, the OWS is composed a dirty, hippies who are lazy & just want a free ride. Nothing could be further from the truth. Newt Gingrich states:”Get a job right after you take a bath” and gets a rousing ovation. There is openness by OWS, but not the Tea Party- The divisiveness comes largely from the Right.

    • #191 by Joe Sevin on 12/13/2011 - 7:01 pm

      But Newt is NOT a Tea Party. He is a Conservative Republican. Not all republicans are tea party

    • #192 by Smacks on 12/13/2011 - 10:42 pm

      As has been stated Gingrich is not a Tea Party conservative. He’s about as insider as they come. The Tea Party would naturally be reluctant to join forces with OWS. The Tea Party learned the hard way that any fringe element will quickly be portrayed as descriptive of the whole (angry racist white folk, anyone?). OWS is also learning this lesson as they were invaded by fringe communists, marxists, drug addicts and miscreants.

      • #193 by Smacks on 12/13/2011 - 10:42 pm

        It’s a good message though, and one definitely worth listening to.

  95. #194 by Sam on 12/13/2011 - 4:33 pm

    Thanks for writing this. It’s heartening to see people of any political espousal trying to find common ground.

    So my question is, what do you suggest for meaningful bipartisan action?

    • #195 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/15/2011 - 9:22 am

      If you mean bipartisan action in Congress, only a handful on both “sides” ever work together. People have the real power. Joint protests. Ask the principled tea partiers to join occupy. Advertise it in your outlets. Push it through the mainstream blockout that the people are united and can never be defeated.

      I suggest a tax protest like Noam Chomsky did when he was protesting the Vietnam war. I’m going to write about this later, but in short, why continue to fund our own oppression? Why fund innocent Pakistani and Libyan mothers and childrens being murdered and casually dismissed as “collateral damage?” That will only work if the people unite though.

      “No taxation without lobbyist representation!”

      • #196 by manny maclir on 12/16/2011 - 6:47 am

        Both sides work very well together! We just saw that with the NDAA 93 to 7. We saw it with the Pension Protection Act of 2006. We also saw them work in unison on the Patriot Act. They work very well together for their corporate sponsors.

      • #197 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/16/2011 - 5:04 pm

        Fair enough, Manny. Good point. I meant there’s only a handful on either side of the isle that work in the people’s interest. 3 ds, 3 rs, and 1 independent voted against NDAA. Trust the individual, not the parties.

  96. #198 by Anonymous on 12/13/2011 - 4:03 pm

    Brilliantly written! A perfect explanation of what so many stand for and even more misunderstand! Everyone in the USA should read this.

  97. #199 by Saul on 12/13/2011 - 3:31 pm

    well said.

    The problem is that power corrupts, and money the major source of power. Any system with widespread corruption will crumble. If we really want to fix the problem we need to separate money and state just like our founding fathers separated church/ state and the separate branches.

    I love the Constitution, but it’s a living document and needs to be updated. Separate the powers of money and state or else they will continue to corrupt one another. Limit the role of money in our but let information flow freely.

    Thank you writing this and for your service to America. Semper Fi.

  98. #200 by FinallySomeOneSeesWhatISee on 12/13/2011 - 3:03 pm

    Thank you for this letter, it reflects how I have felt for some time now. When the Tea Parties first came out and protested Bush for his crimes I was encouraged to finally see Americans becoming upset about how their country was being ran/represented. But once they became just another mouth piece for the Republican party I was saddened by the fact that these patriots were losing sight of their original message, and were being distracted by “emotional” issues that have no business in politics. I was hoping they were seeing what I have seen since the mid 90’s. Politicians use these “emotional” issues to keep us divided, so that we may forget the crimes they commit against us all. Then OWS became public with it’s movement and I continue to be hopeful for a better America some day. To be honest I don’t care what one believes in Right or Left, Dem or Rep, Tea Party or OWS, Evolution or Creation doesn’t matter to me. Ones personal opinions should never be used to run a country! People are too different for that to ever work. If we are ever going to TRULY be a free country we need to put aside our differences and work together to get rid of corporate greed and government corruption, for those are things that have been proven time and time again to mean the end of any free society. All you we have to do is remember our history….which is something we all share.

  99. #201 by Floyd Miller on 12/13/2011 - 3:01 pm

    I thought the Tea Party started as the TEA (an acronym with T standing for Tax; by now, I forget what the other letters stood for) Party after Rick Santelli’s TV rant about mortgage assistance to homeowners and energy-saving light bulbs at the Chicago Exchange in February 2009. I must admit, it has been different since mid-2009 and the healthcare town hall meetings. I believe that’s when the movement was co-opted. I still don’t like the Randian slant, the subtle racism, and the pretense of Christianity espoused by the incarnation since 2009. Still, this does cast some new insight that should be noted. The root is the same; the middle class is being raped. Who is doing the raping seems to be the argument, but there is no doubt it is a gang rape.

    • #202 by Bill Boutin on 12/14/2011 - 9:38 am

      Stands for Taxed Enough Already. Personally after much research I believe the fundamental problem is not taxation, but a dishonest currency in the privatization of the Fed, and the creaton of “money” as debt. I believe Franklin’s Colonial Script and Lincoln’s Greenbacs were a more honest form of Fiat money, which was tied to real weatlh, that being the goods and services produced by the colonists and the American citizens. The problem with the gold standard is that it is a finite resource and as the economy grows gold necessarily increases in “value” as it takes more dollars per unit of gold.

      • #203 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/15/2011 - 9:44 am

        Well we’re not on a gold standard. That’s one of the problems. The banksters received “money” in bailouts that was printed out of thin air. Usually they don’t even print it. They digitally add it to the money supply.

      • #204 by Bill Boutin on 12/15/2011 - 10:03 am

        Gold continues to be an “asset,” and as the economy grows, because gold is a finite resource, as the economy grows in size, it would naturally increase in dollar value per ounce, that is not inflation. Honestly the idea of basing the worth of all the goods and services produced by the people of this country by how much gold the government has in its possession makes no sense to me, wouldn’t the GNP or the GDP be a better indicator of how much wealth exists, and couldn’t that be used to determin how big the money supply should be?

      • #205 by Anarcho Cynicalist on 12/16/2011 - 11:49 am

        Heinlein’s “For Us The Living” presents a novel approach to the problem of both a gold standard and a fiat currency.

  100. #206 by jezdog on 12/13/2011 - 2:46 pm

    Very heartening to read these responses.

  101. #207 by Jody on 12/13/2011 - 2:28 pm

    Yessir. Widescale economic looting and the wealth pooling at the top. Those are the problems. The sooner we stop sniping at one another, the sooner we can address them.

  102. #208 by John on 12/13/2011 - 2:28 pm

    I try to reach out to the tea party as much as occupy , http://oathkeepers.org/oath/

  103. #209 by Ruth on 12/13/2011 - 2:20 pm

    I’ve seen so much criticism flying back and forth between the OWS and Tea Party folks. Remember, that is right where the 1% wants us. As they take away our rights, our livelihood, and our freedom a little at a time…..many will hardly notice. It’s time to find that common ground and keep pushing for the changes we need in this country. A wonderful letter with wonderful advice!

  104. #210 by Dave Bothun on 12/13/2011 - 2:19 pm

    So glad to finally see something like this, it figures it would be a Marine leading the way. Oorah brother. Semper Fi and Semper Occupare!

  105. #211 by tatianafromitaly on 12/13/2011 - 10:03 am

    Further one more comment: apparently all these goons failed their history classes. When the mass gets hit – severely hit – by famine, there are not enough police in the world to stop the stampede. Check all our revolutions in Europe and how we got rid of monarchs.

  106. #212 by Sarah Morrigan on 12/13/2011 - 9:21 am

    I am encouraged to see more and more original Tea Partiers are finding common grounds with the Occupy movement. The real issue we are both against is the over-concentration of power, economically or politically. When the Institution becomes a super-human monster that can no longer be tamed, we are in a big trouble. I hope more and more Tea Party folks will stop believing the lies propagated by the mainstream corporate media about the Occupy movement, and work together for a world that truly values individual freedom, innovation, community values and where the real American Dream once again is reality for all who dare.

  107. #213 by Anonymous on 12/13/2011 - 9:01 am

    All General Assemblies are open to everyone. Come and Join. If yor movement has been co-opted, join the leaderless one that will not be. Occupy

  108. #214 by Susana on 12/13/2011 - 7:25 am

    This media you referred above is in charge of keeping Americans uninformed and stupid so government and corrupted “Corpocrats” continue sacking Rome and get no judgment by We the People. It is a Machiavellian systemic machine that exists with the whole purpose of feeding GREED.
    Watch this http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7388130n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox
    follow me with TWITTER @siribarr

  109. #215 by Jose' on 12/13/2011 - 2:37 am

    Very well written, however I do believe that the Tea Party allowed itself to be corrupted by the Republican Party. Those original TP members wishing to become Occupiers should bid farewell to their former organization and join our LEADERLESS movement. I do NOT support a joint organizational movement. The Occupation Movement is NOT limited in its causes…we may have priorities pertaining to key issues, but OURS is NOT a limited Movement. Whatever Occupiers wish to present as issues with which we must deal with to improve and correct our existence as Citizens in a damaged Nation, be it at the national, state or local level…ATTENTION TO SUCH ISSUES MUST BE GIVEN.

    DEFY AND OCCUPY…PERSEVERE WITHOUT FEAR…2012 IS OUR YEAR!

    • #216 by Anarcho Cynicalist on 12/16/2011 - 11:46 am

      The Tea Party you are allowed to see by the media is the one led by Republicans, the ground-level local tea party groups do still have some independence.

    • #217 by rhytonen on 10/23/2012 - 12:03 pm

      I saw it as more like, the same megalomaniacal corporate interests who corrupted BOTH parties (but preferred the GOP approach to legislation,) also corrupted the TEA party – which was an invention of Ron Paul for President’s staff, apparently leaked and identified immediately as fertile soil by the skinhead (Neo-Nazi White Supremacist) remnants of the JBS, whose attention Ron Paul’s racist email newsletter had already attracted. It’s not a stretch to see that the (also,as JBS history shows) Koch-funded, AFP organization would see it as the opportunity it proved to be.

  110. #218 by Lisha Jackson on 12/13/2011 - 8:18 am

    This is beautiful, and something I have been trying to work on for a long time myself–how to get Occupiers to begin expanding and realizing that 99% is going to mean a lot of people that aren’t necessarrily going to be in one-hundred percent agreement with every cause, even (gasp)conservatives, but the root causes of these protests, WIDESCALE ECONOMIC LOOTING, is something nearly every American can get behind. I had the feeling that your movement was co-opted and then led into the GOP (by some big money I’ve heard)…the same thing is being attempted in our movement now, but towards a vocal political group that has a habit of breaking things, a splinter of Anarchists (as most A’s are peaceful folk). As far as I know, neither Tea Parties or Occupiers as a whole have any ideas of abolishing or overthrowing the government, but believe in the American System of Government which is neither purely capitalist nor socialist, nor a completely free or closed market economy, but a mix that fluctuates–and that’s why it works. The Corporatists model (and yes that is truly what the fascist model is) is what we are all trying to fight and stop before it wrecks us…thanks again, its great to hear what I’ve been trying to say put out there by a Tea Partier…

    • #219 by Byrdanon Byrdman on 12/13/2011 - 9:20 am

      Widescale economic looting, that says it all. We need to get money out of washington,and reform elections including putting caps in place on ,money,tv time,radio time etc.This should even the playng field and encourage other candidates. The two party system is corrupt and broken.

      • #220 by FinallySomeOneSeesWhatISee on 12/13/2011 - 3:09 pm

        And stop allowing the politicians to lie to us. No more smear campaigns. No more lies!

  111. #221 by ben pettigrew on 12/13/2011 - 7:30 am

    Right on and i agree wholeheartedly, the problems we face in this country and the world of late arent a right or left problem…they are a problem for all of us.

  112. #222 by d p on 12/13/2011 - 3:00 am

    LOL. Uh, one group recognizes that government is the only entity large and capable enough to fix some serious social and political ills, the other group has some…well, problems with that model…hell-o-o??

    • #223 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/13/2011 - 7:27 am

      Which group recognizes that government is the only entity large and capable enough to fix problems? The current “Tea Party” that has morphed into the GOP? They want to use government force to decide who can get married? The so-called “right” espouses liberty but favors government intervention overseas and in our homes. This is why I wrote the letter. 🙂

    • #224 by Dan Long on 12/13/2011 - 2:35 pm

      I believe that WE are the government. The citizens of this country have gotten lazy, and not tended to their civic responsibilities. Freedom was never proclaimed to be free. It must be constantly maintained. Your statement puts you on the outside looking in, and that is the very problem in this nation today. Until we drop our labels of Tea Party, OWS, liberal, conservative, we will never present a united front against the corruption of corporate dollars in American government. The time is now! If not you, who?

      • #225 by manny maclir on 12/16/2011 - 6:56 am

        Amen ! Abdication leads to slavery!

  113. #226 by James on 12/13/2011 - 2:31 am

    Thank you

    • #227 by libertyspinnetwork on 12/13/2011 - 7:46 am

      Thank you!

      • #228 by tatianafromitaly on 12/13/2011 - 10:00 am

        Exceptional letter. Well done indeed. Forget about the TV media (exception given to Current). May I suggest you access really independent blogs which are factually where the young generation is getting info from? Try Truthout, Salon.com, Alternet,The Nation, Fire Dog Lake….there are a myriad of them. I gave up watching American TV, MSNBC included. One has a broader input reading The Guardian then any newspaper here.

        I also strongly suggest you read Home of the Free, Land of the Hungry on the same English newspaper blog.

        My very best to you, Sir.

  114. #229 by GenKnoxx on 12/13/2011 - 2:21 am

    Let’s have a Big Big Tent – http://www.YouAreOccupy.com

    We need to do the things we agree on together and acknowledge that groups of people who are also Occupiers will fight for causes we may not agree on. And that this is fine. It doesn’t diminish the need for us to act together – or the the POWER we have when we act on the HUGE issues we agree about. Thanks for your letter!

    • #230 by Anonymous on 12/17/2011 - 10:42 am

      You are all losers! Go home & look after your famlies! The End is near.

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  19. The NEW Hollow Earth Insider » Open Letter from a Marine Tea Partier to All Occupiers
  20. [Op-Ed] US Marine Tea Partier to Occupy: “Semper Occupare” - The Daily Occupation
  21. Open Letter from a Marine Tea Partier to All Occupiers  | Truth Is Scary
  22. “Nothing would terrify the establishment more than an Occupy Tea Party movement” « neworldparadigm

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