I have been following the Occupywallst movement from the beginning. I am a middle aged, ok maybe slightly older than middle aged, woman. I am Canadian. I live in a small town and I am fairly affluent. I am also completely disillusioned by our corrupt political systems.
We in Canada are slightly better off then you Americans. Our governments were still too cowed by our still half awake (but growing more apathetic by the day) electorate to remove the banking regulations that keep our banks in check. They are still bad but not AS bad as you guys have to deal with. We got our deficit under control at least a little and we started actively paying down on our debt. So in some respects we are partly insulated from the grief and misery south of the border. We still have our universal health care .. we still protect our seniors ... we don't have the mass forclosures, but for how long?
We have a Conservative majority now that looks to be gaining confidence in the apathy gripping our voters and they are starting to flex their muscle. Just last week they started making the moves to remove some of the equity payments allotted to the smaller electoral parties that do not have access to BIG MONEY. These payments help level the playing field and allowed these smaller parties to get their message out. They are making noise about revisiting the abortion debate .. REALLY? That's been a non issue here for decades. There is more but I won't bore you with our troubles.
I fear if we do not start now it is only a matter of time before Canada is just a mirror of what the US has become (sorry guys, yes, you have fallen THAT far).
This is why I am going to be standing up. THIS is why I am going to fight. I am NOT a hippy. I am NOT destitute. I am NOT unemployed (well I am but that's by choice cause I am very very lucky to have the luxury of being a hiome maker) I am NOT ANY of the vicious and untrue slurs being hurled at the brave protesters in New York and elsewhere.
What I AM is fed up. What I am in INSPIRED .. and what I am going to become in the autumn of my years, is an ACTIVIST for I have finally discovered a cause WORTHY of my effort. This is a fight that goes beyond right or left politics. This is a fight that goes beyond climate change. This is a fight that even goes beyond ending the countless unjust wars we are all mired in.This is a fight that can help ALL of the causes I care about to move forward. This is a fight to change the very way we do business!
It is time to get big money OUT of our elections and OUT of our government. If only one thing come from this protest, I hope it is that big money is completely neutralized in the electoral process and power is returned to the people. The only way to do that is to FORCE them to do it cause sure as hell they won't do it on their own.
My sister is one of the apathetic. Her advice to me is to stop reading all that stuff. You'll sleep better my response is I don't know how you CAN sleep at night allowing this to go on!
They say every journey begins with a single step. In my opinion no matter what comes from these protests, they have already succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. This is not the END of the fight. It is only the BEGINNING. We will have to fight and refight this battle in the days and months and years to come but we CAN win, we MUST win. The youth are waking up and in their protest they are forcing the rest of us back into the world where apathy no longer has a place. All we have to do is stay focused, stay strong, stay peaceful and most important STAY IN THEIR FACES. Make it impossible to ignore you and gradually others will join. That's what the protesters did on Wall St and I could not be more proud of them.
... and THAT is why I am going to join them on October 15 in Victoria BC. Why don't you join us too?
Mysticl
