Big “Occupy Wall Street” march Wednesday in NYC. Join in as a “Virtual Marcher”

by David Safier

According to a MoveOn email,

On Wednesday, MoveOn members will join labor and community groups in New York City for a huge march down to the protest site—the biggest yet.

MoveOn is organizing a Virtual March for the rest of us who want to participate, as part of the American Dream Movement. What will the Virtual March be like?

First thing Wednesday morning, we'll send the instructions for participating online.

That's all I know. If I learn more, I'll let you know.

This thing has a real possibility of growing into a mass movement. It's spreading across the country, including here in Tucson. Unions are joining in. Teachers are joining in. Van Jones' American Dream Movement is joining in. Stephen Lerner, who was a major player in SEIU but left because he felt unions are too closely linked to the political system to create the type of change we need, is joining in. Joseph Stiglitz, a Columbia University prof who won the 2001 Nobel Prize in economics, joined the protesters Sunday.

This is real, folks. The only question is where it will lead.

A "THEY ARE THE FUTURE" NOTE: Lots of politicos express displeasure with our "uninvolved" young people. They don't show up at the events we plan. They don't seem to care about politics (except that they turned out in great numbers for Obama in 2008). When they're not navel gazing, they're social networking, people complain. Why, when I was a college student . . .

I've never bought this line. As a high school teacher, I've seen how wonderful young people are. They just need a cause that touches them to get involved in great numbers. For us white college folks in the 60s, let's face it, the draft which brought the Vietnam War home to us was a major impetus for our activity. For today's young people, it's probably going to be the economy which is denying them the kind of economic opportunities they have been told would be waiting for them. Self interest, real or perceived, is a significant part of any mass movement.

The youth are out there in the front lines of the Occupy Wall Street protests. I sense they're going to become more involved as it spreads nationally. We may very soon see the sleeping young giant awake.