Ben Roberts's Posts - Occupy Cafe2024-03-28T19:17:39ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRobertshttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1554112341?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.occupycafe.org/profiles/blog/feed?user=05ziaj1cb07t8&xn_auth=noNew Writing from Graeber on Occupy and Democracytag:www.occupycafe.org,2013-04-26:6451976:BlogPost:383492013-04-26T17:00:00.000ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>David Graeber, author of <em>Debt: The First 5000 Years</em>, has a new book out. <em><a href="http://shop.harvard.com/ebook/9780679646006" target="_blank">The Democracy Project</a> </em>starts with Graeber discussing the supression of Occupy Wall Street. That's part of his larger thesis that our political and economic institutions are so scared of change that they are more interested in making us believe change is impossible than they are in actually functioning effectively. You can …</p>
<p>David Graeber, author of <em>Debt: The First 5000 Years</em>, has a new book out. <em><a href="http://shop.harvard.com/ebook/9780679646006" target="_blank">The Democracy Project</a> </em>starts with Graeber discussing the supression of Occupy Wall Street. That's part of his larger thesis that our political and economic institutions are so scared of change that they are more interested in making us believe change is impossible than they are in actually functioning effectively. You can <a href="http://www.thebaffler.com/past/practical_utopians_guide" target="_blank">read an excerpt at The Baffler</a>. Here's a sample:</p>
<blockquote><p class="parabody"> One often hears that antiwar protests in the late sixties and early seventies were ultimately failures, since they did not appreciably speed up the U.S. withdrawal from Indochina. But afterward, those controlling U.S. foreign policy were so anxious about being met with similar popular unrest—and even more, with unrest within the military itself, which was genuinely falling apart by the early seventies—that they refused to commit U.S. forces to any major ground conflict for almost thirty years. It took 9/11, an attack that led to thousands of civilian deaths on U.S. soil, to fully overcome the notorious “Vietnam syndrome”—and even then, the war planners made an almost obsessive effort to ensure the wars were effectively protest-proof. Propaganda was incessant, the media was brought on board, experts provided exact calculations on body bag counts (how many U.S. casualties it would take to stir mass opposition), and the rules of engagement were carefully written to keep the count below that.</p>
<p class="parabody">The problem was that since those rules of engagement ensured that thousands of women, children, and old people would end up “collateral damage” in order to minimize deaths and injuries to U.S. soldiers, this meant that in Iraq and Afghanistan, intense hatred for the occupying forces would pretty much guarantee that the United States couldn’t obtain its military objectives. And remarkably, the war planners seemed to be aware of this. It didn’t matter. They considered it far more important to prevent effective opposition at home than to actually win the war. It’s as if American forces in Iraq were ultimately defeated by the ghost of Abbie Hoffman.</p>
<p class="parabody">Clearly, an antiwar movement in the sixties that is still tying the hands of U.S. military planners in 2012 can hardly be considered a failure. But it raises an intriguing question: What happens when the creation of that sense of failure, of the complete ineffectiveness of political action against the system, becomes the chief objective of those in power?</p>
</blockquote>
<p class="parabody">There's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Practical-Utopian-Guides/521668121212944" target="_blank">a Facebook group</a> where some people are gathering to discuss the new book. See you there, perhaps?</p>New from Strike Debt/OWS: "The Rolling Jubilee" Intitiativetag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-11-01:6451976:BlogPost:341022012-11-01T14:04:44.000ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>For those of you not on the OWS/Strike Debt email list...</p>
<p>It’s finally time to talk about an exciting new initiative from Strike Debt, called <a href="http://www.rollingjubilee.org/" target="_blank">“The Rolling Jubilee”</a>. The Rolling Jubilee is a bailout of the people by the people - we buy defaulted debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, we abolish it. </p>
<p><b><br></br></b> We're writing to ask the <b>national Occupy network</b> for help to spread the word…</p>
<p>For those of you not on the OWS/Strike Debt email list...</p>
<p>It’s finally time to talk about an exciting new initiative from Strike Debt, called <a href="http://www.rollingjubilee.org/" target="_blank">“The Rolling Jubilee”</a>. The Rolling Jubilee is a bailout of the people by the people - we buy defaulted debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, we abolish it. </p>
<p><b><br/></b> We're writing to ask the <b>national Occupy network</b> for help to spread the word about it's launch. Using social media, we hope to harness the collective voice of Occupies against the predatory debt industry, in the same way that the StopKony campaign marshaled southern churches against an African warlord. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here's are the details.<br/> <br/> <b>THE PEOPLE’S BAILOUT</b><br/> Our launch will be on November 15th, with a <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jeff-mangum-plans-occupy-wall-street-fundraiser-20121024" target="_blank">"telethon" called THE PEOPLE'S BAILOUT</a>. There will be roughly three hours of music, comedy, education, magic. Confirmed guests include: comedian Janeane Garofalo, Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead, actor/director John Cameron Mitchell, Hari Kondabolu, David Rees, Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Guy Picciotto of Fugazi, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, and more. The telethon will be at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City and will be streamed live at <a href="http://www.rollingjubilee.org/" target="_blank">www.rollingjubilee.org</a>. Tickets will go on sale on November 2nd at 10am.<br/> <br/> Our goal is to raise $50,000, which will allow us to abolish more than $1,000,000 dollars worth of medical debt. 100% of the funds go to buying debt. If we raise more, we’ll buy more debt. Donations can be made online at <a href="http://www.rollingjubilee.org/" target="_blank">rollingjubilee.org</a>.<br/> <br/> <b>HOW YOU CAN HELP</b><br/> We're hoping you can help us spread the word about our launch via social media. We can't afford billboards or TV ads (especially during election season!) but we can harness our global people power network to spread the word about the Rolling Jubilee. Let’s get the message out far and wide. Here’s how:<br/> <br/> <b>RIGHT NOW</b></p>
<p>The most important thing right now is to help us build the network for our big push days. There are a few simple things you can do, that will take just a few minutes:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1. Forward this message to your friends and family.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2. Like our Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RollingJubilee?fref=ts" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/RollingJubilee?fref=ts</a> and share the event page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/394920527248194/" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/events/394920527248194/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>3. Follow @StrikeDebt on Twitter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4. Post and tweet using the hashtags #PeoplesBailout and #RollingJubilee, referring to our website (<a href="http://www.rollingjubilee.org/" target="_blank">www.rollingjubilee.org</a>) and twitter handle (@StrikeDebt). </p>
<p>Some sample posts can be found here: <a href="http://bit.ly/RJSampleTweets" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RJSampleTweets</a>.</p>
<p>Feel free to copy-and-paste those, or make your own!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>5. Donate your Twitter or Facebook account for one daily re-post or re-tweet:</p>
<p><a href="http://donateyouraccount.com/StrikeDebt" target="_blank">http://donateyouraccount.com/StrikeDebt</a>. This is a safe and easy way to help us keep spreading the message.</p>
<p><br/> <b>HELP US PROMOTE ON NOVEMBER 8TH and 15TH</b></p>
<p>We’re going to try two big coordinated social media pushes to promote #PeoplesBailout: one when our donation site opens, and the other on the day of the telethon itself. In order to maximize the impact of a sudden spike in social media buzz, we won’t announce the details of the campaign content until the day before the push. WE NEED <i>YOU</i> TO MAKE THIS WORK. To get the latest on our campaigns, sign up for our <a href="http://www.rollingjubilee.org/" target="_blank">announcement list</a>, or follow @StrikeDebt on Twitter. Or just reply to this email and let me know you can help out with the big push, and I’ll put you on my private list.</p>
<p><br/> <b>HOST A VIEWING PARTY FOR THE TELETHON</b></p>
<p>Invite your friends over to watch the telethon on the HQ stream. Direct everyone to send donations via the website: <a href="http://rollingjubilee.org/" target="_blank">http://rollingjubilee.org</a>. If you’d like tips about how to do this effectively, email <a href="mailto:rollingjubilee@gmail.com" target="_blank">rollingjubilee@gmail.com</a> for more information, or get on <a href="http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/G4GWX72KCWJ8OP0" target="_blank">our weekly InterOccupy conference call</a>, Thursdays at 8:30pm.</p>
<p><br/> Please forward this request to all of your friends and family you think would be interested.<br/> <br/> We're happy to answer any questions you have about the Rolling Jubilee. Just email <a href="mailto:rollingjubilee@gmail.com" target="_blank">rollingjubilee@gmail.com</a>.<br/> <br/> Three out of four Americans are in debt, many of whom are in default or nearing it. <a href="http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/02/matt-stoller-towards-a-creditor-state-%E2%80%93-one-in-seven-americans-pursued-by-debt-collectors.html" target="_blank">One in seven are already being pursued by debt collectors</a>. People shouldn’t have to be forever haunted by debt that they accrued for an education, because they needed medical care, or because they had to put food on the table during hard times. No politician is going to fix this. Millions of people will be excited to hear that something is finally being done. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks for your help!<br/> <br/> ~ Strike Debt / Rolling Jubilee<br/> <br/> PS - To head off one common question, we cannot buy specific individual's debt - instead, we help liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal. As a trial run, we spent $466 and successfully bought and abolished $14,000 of medical debt. <br/> <br/> <br/> Here are some articles about Strike Debt and The People’s Bailout:<br/> <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jeff-mangum-plans-occupy-wall-street-fundraiser-20121024" target="_blank">http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jeff-mangum-plans-occupy-wall-street-fundraiser-20121024</a><br/> <br/> <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/48326-jeff-mangum-members-of-sonic-youth-fugazi-tv-on-the-radio-to-perform-at-occupy-wall-street-telethon/" target="_blank">http://pitchfork.com/news/48326-jeff-mangum-members-of-sonic-youth-fugazi-tv-on-the-radio-to-perform-at-occupy-wall-street-telethon/</a><br/> <br/> <a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/10/27/occupy-movement-rallies-for-debt-strike-worldwide/" target="_blank">http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/10/27/occupy-movement-rallies-for-debt-strike-worldwide/</a><br/> <br/> <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/ows-debtors-coming-out-first-step-toward-resistance" target="_blank">http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/ows-debtors-coming-out-first-step-toward-resistance</a></p>
<p> </p>The Importance of "New Stories"tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-07-26:6451976:BlogPost:290532012-07-26T19:30:00.000ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>When a theme shows up repeatedly from multiple directions, I usually pay attention. This is happening for me right now with the message about the importance of creating and sharing powerful stories that speak to the possibility of a major transformation of the human presence on this planet.</p>
<p>A core challenge in catalyzing systemic transformation is presenting the possibility (and, I believe the current reality) of that shift in ways that people can easily grasp and become inspired by.…</p>
<p>When a theme shows up repeatedly from multiple directions, I usually pay attention. This is happening for me right now with the message about the importance of creating and sharing powerful stories that speak to the possibility of a major transformation of the human presence on this planet.</p>
<p>A core challenge in catalyzing systemic transformation is presenting the possibility (and, I believe the current reality) of that shift in ways that people can easily grasp and become inspired by. I had a recent conversation with a Lakota leader who lamented that his people did not currently have a vision or a national goal. This from a carrier of a wisdom tradition that is seven thousand years old! The powerful "new" story meme that is showing up all around me talks of weaving such ancient wisdom together with our new understandings of humanity's role on the planet and in the cosmos.</p>
<p>Here are some places where this theme has been showing up for me recently...</p>
<ul>
<li>The <a href="http://www.sahtouris.com/#5_3,0," target="_blank">analogy of the butterfly's metamorphosis</a>, which is a popular story in many circles (including some below), showed up powerfully at the DIY Economy retreat I just attended in Asheville, where I found myself wondering if imaginal cells "know" that they are supposed to become a butterfly?</li>
<li><a href="http://humanity4point0.ning.com/" target="_blank">Humanity 4.0</a> This is an intellectual framing/synthesis from OC.org member Michelle Holliday that I love and also found myself describing to someone at the DIY Economy retreat (for the umpteenth time since I first heard about it from Tom Atlee in December 2010).</li>
<li><a href="http://www.GreatTransitionStories.org" target="_blank">www.GreatTransitionStories.org</a>: a wonderful wiki where new stories are being collaboratively developed by theme.</li>
<li>The Metta Center for Nonviolence's "<a href="http://mettacenter.org/roadmap/" target="_blank">Roadmap</a>" strategy for moving from spontaneous protest to an unstoppable movement features "New Story Creation" as a key element.</li>
<li>Barbara Marx Hubbard's "<a href="http://birth2012.com/" target="_blank">Birth2012</a>" book and initiative, where she makes a poignant case for our having lost our story in the mid 1900s and for a new one emerging globally at this time that can drive a process of "conscious evolution."</li>
</ul>
<p>And of course, the stories we tell ourselves featured prominently in this past Monday's <a href="http://www.occupycafe.org/forum/topics/7-23-vital-conversation-ownership" target="_blank">Vital Conversation on "Ownership."</a> What are the stories you find most inspiring and compelling?</p>Video: "From Consumers to Citizens"tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-06-28:6451976:BlogPost:271172012-06-28T00:54:49.000ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>One of my favorite themes. </p>
<p>This video was recently shared on the Art of Hosting list-serve by Ria Baeck via Simon d’Osogna. I just watched it and it really is a lovely nice-quality video about public participation, citing practices used in one region of Austria like Appreciative Inquiry, Wisdom Council, Citizen Juries, and World Café. I figured some people on this NCDD list might enjoy watching it as well, so am sharing the link. </p>
<p>A 55min video presentation by Manfred…</p>
<p>One of my favorite themes. </p>
<p>This video was recently shared on the Art of Hosting list-serve by Ria Baeck via Simon d’Osogna. I just watched it and it really is a lovely nice-quality video about public participation, citing practices used in one region of Austria like Appreciative Inquiry, Wisdom Council, Citizen Juries, and World Café. I figured some people on this NCDD list might enjoy watching it as well, so am sharing the link. </p>
<p>A 55min video presentation by Manfred Hellrigl, the director of the Office of Future Related Issues (OFRI) for the state of Vorarlberg, Austria. Speaking recently to an audience in Stockholm, Sweden on the topic "From Consumers to Citizens"</p>
<p> <a href="http://streamio.com/api/v1/videos/4fd706bc11581e07c5008bd3/public_show?&streamio:tracker=global">http://streamio.com/api/v1/videos/4fd706bc11581e07c5008bd3/public_show?&streamio:tracker=global</a></p>Oh Canada!tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-05-29:6451976:BlogPost:255172012-05-29T16:00:00.000ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>Pretty inspiring things happening Up North these days. <a href="http://www.quebecprotest.com/post/23754797322/an-open-letter-to-the-mainstream-english-media" target="_blank">This blog post offers a taste</a> of the sheer joy the mass protests in Montreal are unleashing. The vimeo clip below captures the essence of this energy beautifully as well. The post also laments the lack of good coverage in the English language press. Let's hope that changes soon…</p>
<p>Pretty inspiring things happening Up North these days. <a href="http://www.quebecprotest.com/post/23754797322/an-open-letter-to-the-mainstream-english-media" target="_blank">This blog post offers a taste</a> of the sheer joy the mass protests in Montreal are unleashing. The vimeo clip below captures the essence of this energy beautifully as well. The post also laments the lack of good coverage in the English language press. Let's hope that changes soon enough.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>DailyKos Plugs Occupy's 2/29 Anti-ALEC Actionstag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-02-21:6451976:BlogPost:229402012-02-21T15:33:41.000ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/20/1066784/-Open-Thread-for-Night-Owls-For-Leap-Year-Occupy-takes-on-ALEC?via=blog_1" target="_blank">Nice piece from DKos regular Meteor Blades.</a> Here's the heart of it, with some good links about the protest and a rousing defense of the hard and valuable work being done by so many Occupiers:</p>
<blockquote><p><span>The damage done by the corporations that fund ALEC and its stable of mostly Republican legislators is immense and…</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/20/1066784/-Open-Thread-for-Night-Owls-For-Leap-Year-Occupy-takes-on-ALEC?via=blog_1" target="_blank">Nice piece from DKos regular Meteor Blades.</a> Here's the heart of it, with some good links about the protest and a rousing defense of the hard and valuable work being done by so many Occupiers:</p>
<blockquote><p><span>The damage done by the corporations that fund ALEC and its stable of mostly Republican legislators is immense and on-going.</span></p>
<p>You can find out a lot more about ALEC <a href="http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed">here</a>, the corporations that pay the bills <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Corporations">here</a>, its board members <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Corporations#Corporate_Board">here</a>, politicians it is connected to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Politicians">here</a> and information about specific Feb. 29 actions <a href="http://www.shutdownthecorporations.org/?page_id=24">here</a>.</p>
<p>I can hear the sighs from here. <em>Another</em> protest? What for? In fact, these locally organized, nationally networked, peaceful direct actions constitute just one element in a renewed struggle to pry our democracy from the grasp of corporate dominance. The CEOs won't be waving a white flag at the end of the day. The ALEC board won't resign <em>en masse</em>. But that doesn't mean the actions will have failed. Only that we must do more of the same, as well as take many additional approaches, to achieve our objectives.</p>
<p>We who seek change, real change, must be as committed and hard-nosed and in it for the long haul as those who have used ALEC as a means to their ends, which are, so much of the time, enhancement of the bottom line at the expense of the public's health, safety and well-being.</p>
<p>Street politics always get a bad rap in American discourse. Mischaracterized by an ever-more concentrated and conservative megamedia, misdirected by infiltrators, <em>agents provocateurs </em>and supposed allies with their own counterproductive agendas, mistaken for a threat to—rather than an enhancement of—democracy, movements like the one organizing the Leap Year action face an array of obstacles just to get heard. And that's before they have to deal with the pepperspray and other antics of officialdumb. To top it off there is always somebody on the sidelines telling you that you're doing it all wrong.</p>
<p>Building a movement is hard, hard work. Plenty of people get disillusioned along the way, often before things really get rolling. Excuses abound. The opposition is too tough, group dynamics too messy, egos too annoying and too many people seem to want to reinvent the wheel at every meeting. Sticking with it takes commitment and sacrifice, often with family and friends and perhaps co-workers suggesting and even demanding that it's time to give it up. The corporadoes count on this. And when they actually do see a threat to their power, rather than a nuisance, they crank up their well-funded machinery to smack us down.</p>
<p>Surrender is truly not an option. Decades of bad policies from the center, right and far right combined with paltry resistance from the left have squeezed vast numbers of Americans in an economic bind, or two paychecks away from one. The acute crisis of the past four years has brought the chronic problems into sharper focus. Chief among them is an inequality not just in wealth and income but also in what that inequality can purchase. And one of those things is ALEC.</p>
</blockquote>Occupy Greeley has Got It Together!tag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-12-08:6451976:BlogPost:169142011-12-08T02:00:00.000ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>Just got another fabulous e-newsletter from the Greeley Gang in Colorado. Email <a href="mailto:Mil@milhart.com?subject%20=Occupy%20Cafe%20sent%20me!" target="_blank">Mil Hart</a> if you want to get on their list. These guys are IN ACTION and framing Occupy in a way that can resonate for a really broad swath of the 99%. Way to go, Mil & Co.!</p>
<p>You can see more at their excellent website: <a href="http://www.OccupyGreeley.org" target="_blank">www.OccupyGreeley.org</a></p>
<p>And…</p>
<p>Just got another fabulous e-newsletter from the Greeley Gang in Colorado. Email <a href="mailto:Mil@milhart.com?subject%20=Occupy%20Cafe%20sent%20me!" target="_blank">Mil Hart</a> if you want to get on their list. These guys are IN ACTION and framing Occupy in a way that can resonate for a really broad swath of the 99%. Way to go, Mil & Co.!</p>
<p>You can see more at their excellent website: <a href="http://www.OccupyGreeley.org" target="_blank">www.OccupyGreeley.org</a></p>
<p>And here's <a href="http://www.greeleytribune.com/ARTICLE/20111201/NEWS/712019973/1051/RSS" target="_blank">some local press they have received</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>The Occupy Greeley movement, which had been a fixture in Lincoln Park since late October, has changed tactics.<br/><br/>About 15 members of the group, which was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York, held protests in front of the Greeley offices of Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., on Thursday, urging the lawmakers to support a number of reforms, including more stringent financial regulation, a constitutional amendment aimed at curbing the influence of corporate money in political campaigns and the passage of the Stock Act, which would ban lawmakers from using information gained from their work on Capitol Hill to trade stocks.<br/><br/>Members of the group said they decided to change tactics after seeing camps in New York and around the country broken up by police.<br/><br/>“The camps, kind of, have gone through their phase. As a movement, we always have to be changing,” said Kyle Hartman, 23, a group member and University of Northern Colorado senior. “Camping out, the people who are down there have seen our camp. They’ve been a part of it. It was never a free speech issue with us because Greeley has been really respectful of our free speech rights.”<br/><br/>Group members say they’ve planned for a number of smaller protests and activities around town in the coming weeks. For example, members plan to spend a couple of hours on Saturday holding up signs with their message near the Greeley Mall. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Cheers,<br/> Ben Roberts<br/> <a href="http://www.occupycafe.org/page/who-is-occupy-cafe" target="_blank">Occupy Cafe Steward</a></p>
<p> </p>The "Last Stand" @ the #OWS Kitchentag:www.occupycafe.org,2011-11-16:6451976:BlogPost:97522011-11-16T15:53:17.000ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>From NYCGA.net:</p>
<p><a href="http://media.nycga.net/2011/11/16/eviction-of-occupy-wall-street-kitchen/">http://media.nycga.net/2011/11/16/eviction-of-occupy-wall-street-kitchen/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>From NYCGA.net:</p>
<p><a href="http://media.nycga.net/2011/11/16/eviction-of-occupy-wall-street-kitchen/">http://media.nycga.net/2011/11/16/eviction-of-occupy-wall-street-kitchen/</a></p>
<p> </p>