Bummer...

Hello Hamsters,

Well, I wanted to let you know that I did not make it to O-LA today like I had hoped...but may still try for Friday. Regardless, the movement is growing and has a life of it's own. The media is paying attention, DC is starting to pay attention, the world is paying attention and, most importantly, Wall Street is starting to pay attention. No, you won't hear about it on the news much, but trust me, they are.

The thing that I love about it is the thing they fear about it. It has no real cohesive message yet. It has a thousand messages. There are people at these protests who want accountability and transparency. There are those protesting the broken system. People are there for workers rights. Voting rights. Health and medical care. Jobs. The wars. In short, all of the things that are wrong are represented, and this scares the hell outta "them" because they don't know what to do with it.

Another aspect I like about is it isn't a left-right thing, it's an up-down thing. There is no party affiliation (in fact, most of the Occupy groups have not allowed politicians to speak publicly).

There is no corporate funding (unlike the Tea Party), and it cannot be co-opted. It truly is an organic demonstration. It is citizen democracy at its best.

The City Council of LA adopted a measure supporting the movement. DC extended the permit in the park for 4 more months. Except for some occasional over-zealous police, all the demonstrations have been peaceful. Local businesses in and near the protest sites have opened their doors so folks have bathroom facilities when port-a-potties are not provided. Organizations are sending in food. Local hospital and medical personnel are volunteering their services. It's amazing to see this happening right now. It's about time and it's about equality and its about what's right, not who's right.

Yes, we finally got to what I've been preaching here for some time.

Now, if only there was a Democrat running for POTUS, I would be one happy hamster. More on that later. Also, I am postponing my series on First Things First for a bit while I continue to try to organize my list of firsts. I'm keeping an eye on what I think is first as it is an evolving story. So, stay tuned.

Shameless plug: If you're not watching UP With Chris Hayes on the weekends on MSNBC, I recommend it. It's lively and he has had some very good guests on. It's relaxed and conversational and pretty darn good. It's on Sat/Sun mornings at an ungodly hour, so set your DVR and watch it later.

I'm getting my wheel ready for some new rants, so watch you inbox! Until then, as KO now says, "Congratulations on getting through another day of this crap!"

HP