A couple quick points that are somewhat connected. Obviously I am following the Occupy movement with great interest and anticipation. The flip-side of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is that “if it is broke, try your damnedest to fix it”. The world economic system is currently broken. Don’t panic, it happens every few centuries and we either have to revamp or suffer longer than necessary. Okay, Marx and Engels put that more eloquently:
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.
Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.“
~ The Communist Manifesto
The other day, Tom Morello, The Nightwatchman and formerly of Rage Against the Machine, actually played at the Occupy Vancouver demonstration (watch the video) and a rumour circulated (almost certainly due to hubby’s exaggeration) that our good friend John (who happens to be the BIGGEST Tom Morello fan in the world) actually met Tom Morello. This has already fallen into the realm of legend, but it sparked a dinner table conversation which inspired Chief Advisor (a.k.a. my dad) to go out and buy some Nightwatchman CDs (yes, he still buys CDs). So, I’ve been listening to Tom Morello this evening while I study.
In my listening I ran into some lyrics that are the perfect response to a very stupid commentary about the Occupy movement. You may have seen the video clip on CBC called “The Activist and the Entrepreneur“, featuring the amazing young Toronto activist (and our friend) Farshad who very briefly explains how capitalism isn’t working for the 99% while “the Entrepreneur” basically explains his position by saying there’s no problem and we’re all delusional. Well apparently this guy Michael Hyatt is well within the 1%, so it’s a bit obnoxious to hear him say there are no problems and that the system is working. Here are the lyrics:
Sometimes they’ll tell you to move along
When you’re sure you should stand and fight
Sometimes they’ll tell you that you’re a lucky a man
But the numbers they don’t add up right
~ Tom Morello, The Nighwatchman “The Iron Wheel”
And definitely watch the CBC clip, if only because it’s short and Farshad is a total cutie … and articulate too! Sorry Farshad … 
