By now, many of our readers have become aware of the so-called "Occupy Wall Street" movement, whose chief leaders are all to be found somewhere near the corner of Wall and Broad Streets in Manhattan. This is among the most organized protests that this writer has ever seen, and at first they were easy to dismiss as the machinations of the "kook wing" of the Obama Left. There is little doubt that the protests in New York were probably organized by people on the left side of the political spectrum, but it must be admitted that these protests have taken on a life of their own. Some of the protestors are demanding things one might expect from socialists like "tax the rich at 90%" (of course these people can't agree on who qualifies as rich). It is interesting to see many other signs and slogans being touted, however, such as "Stop the Bailouts" and "End the Fed" (referring, of course, to abolishing the Federal Reserve, something this writer has promoted for much of his adult life).
The Wall Street Occupiers have turned out to be a diverse lot, one in which the views of the Left may be the majority, but the views of the Right are very obviously heard. The major political factions within the country are joined by people of the Monster Raving Loony persuasion, making for perhaps the most motley crew ever assembled for a public protest. Apparently, Wall Street isn't the only place that protestors are looking to occupy, because both the Occupy Together website and the News Sentinel are reporting that a protest meet up is being organized two days from now. The website says that only one person is going, but the whole affair seems to be taking off on Facebook-helped by a Jack Lail write-up on the News Sentinel website.
If the scheduled "occupation" becomes something more than a few aging hippies and a transient collection on Market Square, it might be interesting to watch. Will it be as diverse as the New York protests, representing all sorts of political views that might have an axe to grind with the financial and banking establishment-including some of those on the right? Will it just be a bunch of Leftist whiners who represent only the political minority in East Tennessee and are angry that they can't ever win a serious election in these parts?
Who will occupy Downtown Knoxville-if anyone will-and how long will they be there?
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