One protest this week highlighted the flood of money and corporate influence into politics. Another highlighted the question of whether, given this flood, the voice of the people can still be heard.
Monday morning, on my way to protest John Boehner, Hell suddenly broke loose all around me. I was momentarily surrounded by blaring sirens, arrays of red and blue strobe lights the like of which could have sent every epileptic in the Ohio River Valley into seizures, and a line of long, black, bullet proof SUV's. The guest of honor of our protest, Speaker of the House John Boehner, had arrived.
Day three of Occupy Louisville began with some 30 citizens waking up on The Belvedere after having spent the night outside to keep the "occupation" continuous. There are no actual demands yet, but the leaderless group has managed to develop a process for self-governance, gotten donations of food, water, and other necessities, and set up a website. In other words... they are well on their way to their goal of creating a protest that, like others in New York, Boston, and nearly every large city in the country, will continue on "until their one demand is met"... whatever that one demand ultimately turns out to be.
Citizens will take to the streets Wednesday in Louisville, Lexington, and Jeffersonville, Indiana to tell Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, and Representatives John Yarmuth, Ben Chandler, Todd Young that what America needs now is jobs, not cuts.
Kentucky progressives have a chance to shape a huge new movement to "Rebuild the American Dream". Will they step up?
Local news for Oct. 27, 2010
