More Valuable Commentary on Occupy Wall Street: Michael Bayly and Colleen Kochivar-Baker

After I posted yesterday about the Occupy Wall Street movement, I caught up on reading my favorite blogs, and found that both Michael Bayly at Wild Reed and Colleen Kochivar-Baker at Enlightened Catholicism had already posted on the same topic.  Both are far more eloquent and insightful than I was, with what I had to say about this movement, and I highly recommend both postings.

Michael notes the broad scope of the movement--its call for analysis of various interconnected issues: 

To be sure, the “occupation of Wall Street” is not an isolated event. Rather, it’s connected to the escalating battle against genetically mutilated crops, the growing resistance to corporate control of the Internet, and the recent democratic uprisings we've witnessed in places as diverse as Egypt and Wisconsin. 

He also offers a valuable compendium of commentary on the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

And Colleen notes that the movement has much in common with the teaching of Christian social activists like Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King, Jr.  She insists (rightly and powerfully) that the protest is focused specifically against "corporate oligarchy" that threatens the well-being of the entire planet.  

Colleen writes, 

Back this spring when the Arab revolt was in full swing, our mainstream media and politicians of both parties were careful to spin this movement as a cry for democracy.  The truth is it was a spontaneous uprising brought on by spiraling food costs and lack of hope for any meaningful employment for Arab youth.  It was about the unequal distribution of national resources.  It was about Arab leadership transferring national wealth to personal wealth, and with the direct involvement of Western banking and corporate interests. From Mubarak to Assad to Ghadaffi, they all have/had billions and billions of dollars of personal wealth,  most of it 'redistributed' to themselves from their people.  Here in the US though, our media made this uprising all about a subjugated people rallying for the freedom of democracy.  There might be some truth to that meme, but I think Maslow's hierarchy of needs had more to do with it.  In Maslow's scheme,  actions motivated by food, shelter, and housing come way before actions motivated by thoughts of democracy.  I have no doubt this message has not been lost on our American movers and shakers.

Two important statements from bloggers I very much esteem.  I recommend both to readers.

The graphic is from The Truth Will Set You Free blog, by way of Take the Square.