What's going on, Albuquerque?

Photos & Video from Occupy Burque

It's hardly the usual crowd -- the Occupy Burque demonstration going on right now is full of 20somethings and hipster UNM students seemingly lamenting a lack of economic opportunity and the growing inequality in our country.

The signs they held marching along Central read:

"I am not your serf."

"Money for people's needs, not war."

"Banks too big to fail. People the right size?"

"My tax dollars paid for those tasers."

Here are a few photos I snapped this afternoon. Video by cosmomow below...

Visit the Occupy Burque Flickr group.

Tags: burque, occupy

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Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 5, 2011 at 5:19pm

Ah...the condescension of age. To be old, entitled, but self-righteous!

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Greenwood on October 5, 2011 at 6:44pm

Mother Jones has a interesting article about unions providing material support and boots on the ground. This is an interesting development. Unions are not known for giving away anything without some kind of quid quo pro. It could be the end of the grass roots status of OWS. An interesting point is that union pensions are invested in Wall Street funds.

Article: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-labor-un...

Forbes Article: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/10/05/general-us-wall-street-pr...

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Permalink Reply by Ben Moffett on October 5, 2011 at 7:13pm

Unfortunately, despite good intentions, and a desperate need to straighten out Wall Street, this movement is to antiseptic to have any effect on vultures. The situation was completely different at UNM and across the nation in the 1960s with the twin battles of integration and the Vietnam War raging. People could feel and see the death and destruction from Selma to Saigon, and reacted accordingly. We have not reached the point yet where people are hurting enough to get really angry, when street warfare occurs as the result of an incident setting if off, and when people are willing to sacrifice their lives as they did at Kent State. We may be able to avoid this situation for awhile, but it will come when the gap between the rich and the poor causes very serious suffering. That moment of high tension will one day be triggered if the malady is not corrected, and the destructive outcome could mimic the recent Arab bloodshed.

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Greenwood on October 6, 2011 at 2:04pm

I hope no one pulls the trigger Ben, once violence is unleashed it is mindless and the blood lust will seek fulfillment. I don't think many people understand the jeopardy were in. We are a spiritually bankrupt people. We are a people who have given up on themselves with far to many full of self hate.

One time Americans were a can do people willing to sacrifice and make do. We were industrious and productive. The world has changed, those values have shifted east. We are now a can't do people who are rapidly becoming irrelevant. Influence and power is shifting primarily to China. The Chinese have earned the right to ascendancy. Times change and the history of our species moves on.

China has our factories and jobs, there is little left in America to go around. It is looking more and more like China will be setting the world agenda and guess what they could care less about progressive values, 1^st amendments or free societies.

I have great friends form China, they have great pride in themselves and their people. They tell me how it feels to return to the motherland and the greatness and pride they feel looking out the aircraft window and seeing Shanghai rising in the morning. I want to feel that way myself. We are children who have squandered our wreath and cannot face reality.

Russia is on the rise with its her own agenda. People in the US mock Putin but in Russia he is a real man, full of vitality and energy who rides a horse shirtless carrying a crossbow. We are irrelevant to them just as we are becoming so in the Islamic world. The balance of power is changing.

Once self reliant, we are now a nation with a growing population that are virtual wards of the state. When the state provides your substance in the form of tax credits, food stamps and school lunches they own you. We are our own problem, everyone of us. We should be taking care of ourselves.

We are becoming a weak and pathetic people who prefer bread and circus to standing on our own feet. The stakes are much higher this time around, it is more like the 1861 than 1961.

When it comes to street warfare it won't be the 1960 deja vu. In the 1960s it was to end a war and gain access to the greater society. The greater society is now in decay. Today the fight is for survival. Not everyone is willing to go out with a whimper. That is the risk of encouraging violence or wishing for it. You just never know the outcome.

Our problems are spiritual not political.

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Permalink Reply by Lebowski on October 6, 2011 at 10:46am

The entire concept of economic justice is flawed. In this country you only have the right to pursue happiness and success. You do not have a right to either outcome. If you don't succeed, so be it...you also have a right to fail or to chose not to participate in the game.
I'll just boil this down to a simple observation. What purpose do poor people serve to this rich, corporatist, whitey, elitist you left wingers purvey? What benefit is derived from rich people holding you down? Really, please tell me what purpose this serves...rich people are seeking people to consume their goods and services...not poor people that live on their high taxes.
Now tell me what purpose the poor serve to the left? If you really don't see that the left are the only people that benefit from dependency and the poor, you're blind. They do so while proclaiming to be the savior of the poor and down trodden...while actually designing a system to keep them that way. It's the most perverse and inhumane scam of all time...and you're all blameworthy...even if by ignorance. Just leave people alone and let them sink or swim. Hopefully they have a support system in place to help them along when they don't. You can even create community organizations to achieve this. This should not be achieved through social engineering or mandates. I always think it's funny that most Atheists are left wing...but they refuse to apply the rule of natural selection to humans. They would rather control the needy and derive power and money on their behalf.

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Permalink Reply by RivetGang on October 6, 2011 at 12:50pm

Poor people play a huge role in Capitalist society, without exploitation of labour, Capitalism cannot work. But I am not gonna sit here and lecture... if you are really interested in where these ideas come from, I suggest doing a little research... Das Kapital would surely provide some insight, even if you don't buy into its tenets.

Don't even get me started on all those Atheists out there... they and their community service organizations are really cleaning up by exploiting all those needy folks out there! Jeepers!

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Permalink Reply by Lebowski on October 6, 2011 at 12:58pm

The fact that you chose to spell it labour rather than labor tells me all i need to know. This isn't Europe my friend...it's the antithesis by design. I too am an Athiest and that was an observation about typical athiests. The people doing the exploiting are progressive politicians and community leaders. Are you blind to this?

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Permalink Reply by RivetGang on October 6, 2011 at 1:24pm

... and I would have gotten away with it too, except for my European spelling habits and those meddling kids!

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Greenwood on October 6, 2011 at 2:14pm

Don't worry about it, I like the English spelling of some words myself because I think its cool. It is just a style anyway. I spent decades working with some the most intelligent scientists around the world and had to adapt to different environments. I have more in common with Mexicans and Asians than Europeans though.

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Permalink Reply by Lebowski on October 7, 2011 at 10:02am

Who knew the creator of Beavis and Butthead could predict the future? This occupy for handouts movement is surely a sign.

"As the 21st century began, human evolution was at a turning point. Natural selection, the process by which the strongest, the smartest, the fastest, reproduced in greater numbers than the rest, a process which had once favored the noblest traits of man, now began to favor different traits. Most science fiction of the day predicted a future that was more civilized and more intelligent. But as time went on, things seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. A dumbing down. How did this happen? Evolution does not necessarily reward intelligence. With no natural predators to thin the herd, it began to simply reward those who reproduced the most, and left the intelligent to become an endangered species." (Mike Judge, Idiocracy 2006)

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Permalink Reply by Kenny on October 7, 2011 at 2:17pm

Re: "Occupy for Handouts"

This is the basis of the marching orders coming from right-wing radio and Fox News. I'm not surprised to see it pop up here.

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Permalink Reply by Lebowski on October 7, 2011 at 2:40pm

Right...follow Kenny's lead...dont think about it. That evil Fox has a chip in my brain...anyone that disagrees with a lefty must be a robot or a fool. Is that right Kenny? Spark another doob and relax sir.