I have no idea what it takes to have your skull smashed, get dragged out of harms way by your buddies while all hell is breaking loose around you, spend a month in recovery, and then decide to go back into action.
But former Marine Scott Olsen does.
Not as a result of combat in Iraq, no. But in Oakland, California, unarmed, defending the rights he thought he was fighting for in Iraq.
This Monday he and his fellow former servicemembers will
once again be on the front lines, quite possibly confronting the same police organization that critically injured him.
On December 12th, the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) Bay Area Chapter will march with the 99% as Occupy movements along the West Coast stage mass mobilizations to shutdown the hubs of commerce owned by the 1%.
Scott Olsen will join the IVAW Bay Area Chapter to march with the 99% in Oakland, CA -- the city in which he was critically injured by a police projectile. Scott's decision to demonstrate so soon following a serious injury is symbolic of the Occupy movement's resilience following a series of nation-wide, coordinated crackdowns against the 99%. Scott doesn't plan on backing down, neither does the movement; IVAW will be there, boots on the ground, to occupy the ports and show our support for the 99%.
There are some people, like Scott, would just won't stop. Beaten down, they just get up and come back at it; they won't take no for an answer. Not just soldiers, of course. Consider a mother who won't stop fighting for her kid to get an education or health care. Or an unemployed man who won't stop looking for a job, no matter how many times he's been rejected. Or a person who won't give up their home, despite the banksters and the sheriffs. Or our own allie123, arrested at five in the morning on October 25th defending #Occupy Oakland, out of jail at noon, and back on the streets marching at 4:00 PM. And still going strong.
Then there's the rest of us. We may not have it in us to get up again regardless; but we can, as we choose, help those who do. Scott and the others can't do it all alone. On December 12th, I'd wager a large sum that they'd like to see you out there in solidarity, each additional person making it just that much easier for them to keep fighting, knowing we have their backs.
It's time to stop kvetching about whether this is the best action anyone could have come up with. It's time to stop worrying about exactly who is and who is not in support. When #Occupy movements from Maui to Manhattan and from Houston to Anchorage are acting; when Veterans and teachers stand tall in support and make statements of solidarity; then whether we actually stop a single container for a single moment from coming off any dock is irrelevant. What's relevant is that we're in this together.
For today, This IS the action. This IS the moment.
Here's the challenge: do what you need to do to get your ass out of your chair and into the streets on December 12th. For them. For us. For the galaxy.
10:32 PM PT: Why We Shut Down the Port, Part I
10:32 PM PT: Why We Shut Down the Port, Part II
10:34 PM PT: Update on the truckers, from a discussion in the comments. From JustJennifer's diary, Part II above.
Truck drivers at the Port of LA/Long Beach have been attempting to organize into the Teamsters so they can demand better wages and benefits. Currently, the drivers are considered independent contractors (and they are mostly immigrants). These "contractors" haul containers to warehouses and other points of desitnation. Their attempts to organize have been met with extreme harassment, including the termination of 26 truckers for wearing Teamster jackets to work.