Democracy looks like a naive stinky white bearded hippie.

"They even directly challenged news reporters to elevate their coverage of the movement."

Libtard doublespeak babble translation:

"They whined that the news is actually reporting what is really going on at OP."

I wish I got paid!

And you are correct, I couldn't be bothered to start an account.

WAAAAAH libtard WAAAAAH!

Occupy Portland is a perfect storm of misunderstandings.

They do not fully understand the words they use, the goals they have and the affect their actions will have on the community they claim to be fighting for.

Freedom, Democracy, Rights, Participation. All great words. Really not being used logically for the advancement of a society.

A society is a number of people who live together enjoying an infrastructure to enrich everyone’s lives. That infrastructure is not free but all the people in the society pay a little bit here and there in taxes and volunteerism and fundraising to keep a civilization worth living in. It is agreed that everyone has an opportunity to use these infrastructures such as roads and parks and libraries and government buildings as a benefit of participating in the society. People often see this as “rights”. Unfortunately there are no “rights” there are only socially available opportunities. Not all societies offer the same opportunities. This is where “democracy” allows people to vote on changing these opportunities. By voting these people are “participating” They have the “freedom” to vote or not vote as they see fit.

There are some actions that take freedom away from others while the few demand their rights to do so.

Occupy Portland is taking away the opportunity for many other citizens to use the parks because they want to use their freedom of speech and right for peaceable assembly to take a stand. This is not a goal oriented stand it is a childish tantrum and like most tantrums it will be ineffective. Does anyone remember how effective the anti-war protests were during the Bush administration? They even had a goal. Remove the military from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was clear, direct and ineffective.

Occupy Portland does not send any clear message. I work in front of those parks and I see it every day. Signs like “We are the 99 percent” and “Tax Weed and Greed” and “This is what Democracy looks like” are pointless. How is this supposed to create legislation that will address the economic concerns?

Occupy Portland has failed to send a unified message for any legislation they may want to support or repeal or have considered. I have not seen any signage that asks for a specific redress of economic guidelines or practices. There is a selection of disorganized people are unhappy about something but have no real proposals to place before city, state or national leaders to correct the behavior they feel has created an unfair balance between certain citizens and other citizens.

Most people are going to drive or walk past the protest. How are they getting the message across to those people. Not everyone wants to walk into a protest. Those people cannot be dismissed. They have to be included with direct and unified messages that can be read quickly and understood. They are also part of the “99 percent” even if they are not interested in walking into a large group of strangers.
The claim that the “rich” whomever they may be, do not pay taxes has a point but there is no orderly and thoughtful suggestion on how to get the “rich” to pay taxes. There is no hand out to mail to a congressperson or a lobbyist to contact in the interest of passing a clear and possible regulation. Conversely the homeless do not pay taxes either. Why are they exempt from the rage and frustration of placing the economic burden on “the middle class”? “Because they are homeless” is not a reason, it is an emotion. As much as the “rich” are not participating in the infrastructure by not paying taxes so are the homeless. If they are protesting people who do not pay taxes they are protesting both groups.

A political movement has to accomplish something for the good of all the people, those who feel harmed and those who are claimed to be the harmful. To be one sided on the opposing balance is no better than the damage the protesters are complaining about. There has to be a functional and rational piece of legislation that can be put to a vote.
If the Occupy movement wants to change things they have to remember how things change in the current political state. Votes, not tantrums, pass laws.

The Vietnam Conflict protesters wanted the draft repealed and the military action halted. Those are direct actions that can be enacted.

The Civil Rights movement wanted legalized segregation to be repealed and equal opportunity laws to be set in place. Those are direct actions that can be enacted.

If Occupy Portland is an offshoot of the idea behind Occupy Wall Street then it needs to refocus on what that idea is and what it means. All the participants need to be on the same goal.

There needs to be a set of standards and practices. These are not terrible things. If a group cannot have them how are they going to ask for others to use them? It is a protest, not a party.

Why do they think the “bankers” and the “fat cats” took what they could and ignored the needs of the people. Because there were no standards in place to limit their behavior. The”rich” had freedom and they used it.

Why are they not checking to see that all participants are registered voters? Why are they not checking to see that all participants are paying taxes? Why are they not requiring an 8 hour volunteer program of sign holding, choral singing (of message based songs that pertain to the goal) cleaning, food distribution (to registered participants) and information distribution and manufacturing (leaflets, form letters to mail to congress people) Why do they need to be there at 3 in the morning when no one else is downtown to observe the protest? Is it so difficult to show up when the park opens and then spend the last hour cleaning up and then return the next day? Is it so difficult to wear clean and respectable clothes so passers by think about taking the message seriously?

Why should anyone take a message seriously if the person sharing the message does not take it seriously enough to show respect to what they are saying by appearing clean and well groomed? For those who argue that everyone should respect their choices I counter with you cannot make people do anything but you can chose how you present your self. If you choice has people questioning you then being angry at them does not change how they see you. It just weakens what you are trying to say. Martin Luther King did not show up in jeans and a tee shirt.

Putting forth a serious effort impresses people. Hula hooping and juggling and speaking a thousand words from a thousand voices is confusing and dismissible. One word from a thousand voices. That will get attention and respect.

One policy that Occupy Portland needs to incorporate is that only those who are active participants will be fed and allowed to be part of the protest. Why? To keep the message on point. To keep Occupy Portland a political organization with a goal and a purpose.

Providing social services is not their job. They are not qualified or supplied for such things. Doing so distracts from the political purpose and obscures the message. It wastes resources for the organization and it creates more difficulties for the citizens, the infrastructure and the message.

Freedom is not what people think it is. Animals have freedom. They scavenge for food, they shit in the woods and they weather the elements with the hides on their backs. They live, the fight, they die. There are no laws or infrastructures that provide them benefits like plumbing and trash service and street lights. No organization of animals protects one group from the other. Caribou do not hire lawyers if the wolves kill members of their heard and wolves do not counter sue if the caribou get in a few good kicks and kill a wolf.

People in a society are not free. They have opportunities and they have responsibilities. Stealing the park from other citizens and forcing the city to spend tax dollars on park repairs and trash pick up and sewage issues is not freedom, it is irresponsible and selfish. Much like the “corporations” and the “rich” that the protesters are complaining about.

This money will come from the Portland Parks budget. The same budget that provides for summer programs and pools and well maintained green spaces with healthy trees and planted flowerbeds for Portland families and visitors. The more tax money spent on cleaning up after Occupy Portland’s selfish tantrum the less families will have to enjoy this summer at the parks when the budgets are slashed because of the money spent on this anomaly. There are only so many tax payers and they only pay so much in taxes.

Like all perfect storms, it will be destructive and expensive. Everyone will remember it, few will speak well of it and the expense will be an unnecessary burden on the community.