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Christi Diggs
on May 23 2013 - 06:00 AM
A drop of spin, a cup of deception and tsp. politics=Apathy
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Lindsay Metcalf
on May 22 2013 - 06:00 AM
When that tornado siren sounds, I'm in the basement
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mara williams
on May 21 2013 - 06:00 AM
Summer break has this mom on a house upkeep war path.
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Me with the lovely Lisa Ludwig, taken by the gorgeous Georgeanne Haynes. And there is sweet Charlotte chewing on a pine cone, which is her way of saying "Power to the People!"
There was a march on Sunday. I took Charlotte with me. Marc didn't want to go. The poor kid has to come with me to every single protest, so I didn't complain when he bowed out of this one. It was me, Charlotte, and my wonderful friends Georgeanne and Lisa. The four of us marched 4.4 miles from Liberty Memorial to the Plaza and back. I have the blister on my toe to prove it!
There was only one annoyed driver. I think we were in her way, but that's the name of the marching game. Everyone else who drove by, or who stopped at green lights to let us pass, honked, waved, smiled, and flashed us the peace sign. I didn't see a single cop until we marched back, and they only stopped because some of the marchers were in the street.
We told them to get out of the street. That'll teach 'em.
It was a peaceful protest of law abiding citizens. I've done a few things like this and have rarely met with opposition with police. Kansas City is good like that. And I think it was a success. The occupation at Liberty Memorial started out with a few dozen campers, but after the march there were a few hundred gathered at the site.
Lots of them had strollers or wagons with children in them. This is important to note, because the unemployment and the downturn of our economy effects families and children the most.
I have been poor most of my life. It's not a secret. I'm not shy about it. When my debit card is ever declined, I say "oh! There must not be any money in there!" I put my things back and walk away. I'm not proud. We don't need nice things, fancy cars, a big house, or anything like that. We're pretty simple people.
So why would I complain? If all of my needs are met, why would I want to take part in something like Occupy Wall Street, or the more local Occupy KC? I guess because it's not about me. My family and I will be just fine. But I look at the rest of the country and I see children who go hungry because their single mom's income from her two jobs doesn't cut it. A lot of Americans make too little money to buy food but too much to qualify for aid. That's where we're at, and it gets old having cereal for dinner. Over 15% of Americans do not know where their next meal is coming from, and this is a fundamental problem. That's, like, almost 50,000,000 people! People need jobs so they can pay their debt, their bills, and buy food for their babies.
And it's so easy to look at each individual and say "you need an education" or "you need to fix your resume" or "my husband worked three minimum wage jobs to support us and you should, too." For starters, people shouldn't have to work three minimum wage jobs just to be able to support their family. Secondly, have you tried applying for those jobs? Even those are hard to get. And you can't leave your master's degree off of your application or you're lying, and they'll find out because they'll want to know how you got your last job on only a high school diploma.
I have to admit, the occupations seem to be missing a central mission statement. This is because so many people see that there's a problem, but we're all at a loss as to how to fix it. Some of us want free health care, some want free post-secondary education for all. Some of us want student loans forgiven, while others of us want to see an end to job loss and jobs being sent overseas. It's a multi-faceted problem.
So, I took my daughter to the march on Sunday. Georgeanne helped push the stroller. Lisa took pictures. I shouted a lot. "This is what Democracy looks like!" I had a blast. I told my fibro to stick it.
It's clear that many people disagree with these demonstrations, or perhaps don't understand what they're all about. It's fine. It's okay to disagree. But we live in a democracy, and the first amendment gives us the right to protest our government. If nothing else comes of this, at least we've excercised that right. If you don't use it, you lose it.
There will be another march on October 15th. I'll be there with my stroller and hopefully a ten year old kid (it might take a bribe in Bionicle form). I want marching, protesting, and demonstrating to be a way of life for my kids. I need them to know that the people are in charge, not the corporations or even the government, and if we don't stand up for our rights they'll be taken away.
Were you at the march? What did you think? Will I see you at the next one?
Man, I would so be there if they weren't on my work day! You are right, too many kids are hungry in this city, heck everywhere. It is good for our kids to see us standing up for what we believe, whatever the cause. Like I told the scouts the other day at our meeting, a good citizen is informed and votes. You can't complain about the what is going on around us in government if you don't take the first step and vote.Well-written! And I know what you mean about wanting to set an example of peaceful public protest for our children. A couple days before the march, I took my daughter to the Occupy KC camp to deliver some food and other supplies. She was only going, because I'd told her to. But when we got to the camp, and she saw the protesters and their signs, she started asking "What are they protesting about?" And when she heard some of their answers, her response was, "That makes sense."
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