The declaration of independence.

Last night was a rally and march of the Occupy Austin movement. There were probably about 400 people altogether. We had a rally at the Capitol focusing on education and then marched down Congress Avenue to City Hall where we held the General Assembly. It was pretty amazing to march with all those people and see that we all want change. I am always so impressed at the amount of energy and happiness that comes from a protest. If you've never been to a protest you may not understand the euphoria that you get. Seeing all the other people with their signs and their chants that you're joining with is a feeling that cannot be replicated. I imagine it is something like that feeling you get at a large music festival.

The GA last night was inspiring. More people were there than I've ever seen before. Most of the people from the march stayed. What I really wanted to talk about was what happened after the march and before the GA began. There was about 15 minutes in which we were all huddled around just waiting for the GA facilitators to decide how exactly they wanted to run this meeting. We had a guy with a guitar and we sang some songs. Woody Guthrie's "This land is my land. This land is your land." We did a few chants. We did a few "mic checks." (If you're not familiar with the "mic check" let me explain. Whenever someone needs/wants to say something that everyone should hear she simply says "mic check". Then everyone repeats "mic check". Then she says what she needs to say in short 3-4 word increments. After each pause the words are repeated by everyone in the crowd. This is a very effective way for a largish crowd to hear one person. This one person becomes everyone).

One of these mic checks was a reading of part of the Declaration of Independence. The young man read (and everyone repeated) this part:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,^[74] that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

The Declaration goes on to say:

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

I know these are long quotes - but bear with me, please.

What is happening at Occupy movements around the world is patriotic. It is in fact the same thing that happened in 1776 when the founding members of this country got together and said "We can't take this any more." I'm sure the British Crown would have loved it if they had asked permission for independence. I'm sure the British Crown would have been in favor of a petition. No, the founders of this country did not ask permission. They started a new government because it is the duty of the people being governed to stand up and fight back whenever the government stops doing its job. Its job is to help the people in securing their Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Every year there are more Americans that are living below the poverty line. Every year there are less Americans that have stable housing. Every year there are more Americans that are food insecure. It does not seem like our government it living up to it's end of the bargain. Therefore it is our duty, as patriotic Americans to stand up and make them take notice.