My latest commentary is online at Center for a Stateless Society: Alternative Currency: Coming to Stores Near You?

The opportunities that the network engenders are especially important at a time when news from Greece tends to be grim — most recently, massive wage cuts have been proposed for state-controlled publicly listed companies. When the system fails to deliver what it promised in exchange for power, alternative economic networks offer a real social safety net for people to fall back on.

But investing in alternative networks is beneficial not just as insurance, but as a means to greater individual and community autonomy. A Volos resident described the sense of empowerment that came from participating in the alternative economy. “The most exciting thing you feel when you start is this sense of contribution,” she told the Times. “You have much more than your bank account says. You have your mind and your hands.”

George Washington Williams,writing in 1882:

But the most effective agency in filling Southern prisons with Negroes has been, and is, the chain-gang system—the farming out of convict labor. Just as great railway, oil, and telegraph companies in the North have been capable of controlling legislation, so the corporations at the South which take the prisoners of the State off of the hands of the Government, and then speculate upon the labor of the prisoners, are able to control both court and jury. It has been the practice, and is now, in some of the Southern States, to pronounce long sentences upon able-bodied young Colored men, whose offences, in a Northern court, could not be visited with more than a few months’ confinement and a trifling fine. The object in giving Negro men a long term, of years, is to make sure the tenure of the soulless corporations upon the convicts whose unhappy lot it is to fall into their iron grasp. In some of the Southern States a strong and healthy Negro convict brings thirty-seven cents a day to the State, while he earns a dollar for the corporations above his expenses…No system of slavery was ever equal in its cruel and dehumanizing details to this convict system, which, taking advantage of race prejudice on the one hand and race ignorance on the other, with cupidity and avarice as its chief characteristics, has done more to curse the South than all things else since the war.

Axel Caballero, writing last week:

So, here is how it goes. First, the state passes a harsh immigration law. Then, it detains large numbers of immigrants. Third, private prisons (LCS, CCA, GEO) receive fresh inmates. And finally, the artificially created labor shortage is supplied by the new inmates.

Disgusting.

Philadelphia has a newsletter of occupation. Check it out:

Occupy Philadelphia Inquirer

[UPDATE - 9 Oct - Since this was posted, the person who wrote it has reported that much has changed, and their local Occupy action is doing well at including people from across the political spectrum. Others report that their local Occupy movements are essentially being run by Democrat Party people, and others still are excited by the experience of genuine grassroots, participatory democracy that addresses the concerns of concerned individuals from diverse political backgrounds.]

The following report is from an activist at an Occupy event inspired by Occupy Wall Street.

Several occupations are becoming seriously divided which is the first step toward becoming conquered. Ron Paul people, tea party members, and the full spectrum of libertarians are being indiscriminately shouted down at General Assembly meetings and in side meetings amongst individuals. Personally, I agree that signs promoting any political parties should be discouraged because they are not only divisive, they represent a method that has not worked to serve the people, however, alienating large segments of the population is not only inherently wrong, it is a bad tactic.

One of the things that makes this movement different from others is its intent to let everyone have their say about how they would like to see the economic situation addressed and create a public forum where people can safely engage in constructive, respectful dialogue.

I have not personally seen this happen on a large scale at our occupation yet but I was talking to one of the libertarian right last night and he said he was definitely being alienated. I think he has only bothered to stay around because he is determined to participate as a member of Cop Watch. The rejection of portions of the population who love the idea of participating in a democratic forum will turn this into a right/left thing rather than an underclass/overlords thing and a mob rather than a diverse group of individuals seeking solutions in a horizontal, democratic fashion.

I have heard many individuals saying that have to keep libertarians and tea partiers away, while in the same breath saying, “everyone has a voice, we are here to discuss everyone’s views on economic strategies”. To make matters worse, many people are making no distinction whatsoever between libertarian right and libertarian left.

I have been called naive for continuing to insist that everyone be welcome to come out and talk, but I feel that getting all kinds of different people together in the efforts to agree on one point is much more realistic than aiming to rebuild the world. If we can not manage to sit together, all of us, and find one thing we agree on, we are certainly not going to be able to build a new economic system for ourselves or follow through on any of the other lofty goals people are discussing.

The story below, “Brown Power at Occupy Wall Street”, really sums up, for me, how the occupations are supposed to function. It is about how one little voice can steer things in a better direction.

http://www.racialicious.com/2011/10/03/brown-power-at-occupy-wall-street-92911/

And while the liberals are busy alienating the libertarians, the democrats are knocking on the occupations’ collective door. I got this from MoveOn yesterday…

“Wall Street isn’t the only place where greed is undermining the American Dream. By bringing these speak outs to as many communities as possible, we’ll help to spread and amplify the energy of the Occupy Wall Street protest across the country. . . .To build on this energy, we’re organizing a huge round of speak-outs nationwide next week to deliver the simple message that we need “Jobs Not Cuts” and to “Make Wall Street Pay.” It’s part of a massive week of action to show the human impact of the economic crisis. But we need public events in as many communities as possible to show that this is a national movement. We’ll provide everything you need to hold a successful event. Can you sign up to lead a speak-out?”

Also, people like myself, who are far left and latched onto this movement because of the horizontal, democratic participation that was being promoted, will likely become discouraged with the lack of respect for dissenting voices and begin to drop off, making the occupations even more susceptible to the democrats.

It is a shame when the meaning of democracy – of power vested in the people – comes to mean marginalizing people who leaders cast out of the majority. This is how the government operates and it is unfortunate to see this trend in a protest movement with potential to radically alter how decisions are made. There is potential for progress here. This is not the only trend in the movement and it still presents opportunities to get involved in conversation and change, and to continue to move things in a less authoritarian direction.