GENERAL STRIKE in the USA 9/11/2007 - Coalition Forming Collins (autorank)/"Scoop"

[autorank]

Link http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00181.htm

GENERAL STRIKE IN USA on Sept. 11, 2007 – 9/11

Monday, 13 August 2007, 10:39 pm
Column: Michael Collins

“No School * No Work * No Shopping. Hit the Streets”

http://www.strike911.org/

Michael Collins
“Scoop” Independent Media
Washington, D.C.

A general strike is proposed for the United States on September11, 2007, the sixth anniversary of the 9/11/2001 attacks on New York City and Arlington, Virginia. The general strike movement has no clearly named leadership. It’s described as an Internet viral effort. Wikipedia defines viral efforts on the Internet as:

An object (or an idea) is viral when it has the ability to spread copies of itself or change other similar objects to become more like (it) when those objects are simply exposed to the viral object.

General strikes, more common in Europe, are events that shut down the normal operations of a city, state, or nation for a period of time. These strikes aim to force awareness and action on a single issue or broader set of concerns.

The 9/11/07 General Strike has a central location - http://www.strike911.org/ - on the Internet, which is linked to and reproduced on a variety of other internet sites. The site states the rationale for the effort:

The General Strike is a national call to action, from citizens to other citizens. It is not about a single issue. It is not an anti-war protest, a civil rights protest, an election fraud protest. It is not about torture, surveillance, corporate media, the 9/11 coverup, or the environment. This strike is about all these issues and more.

We all have different concerns, but we all have the same concern: we are being lied to and this government does not represent us Join other Americans in demanding truth, justice, and accountability.

This is our country.
And our world.
We just have to stand up.

A National Call to Action: Tuesday, September 11th, 2007
No school. No work. Buy nothing. Hit the streets (Click “ABOUT”)

LOCK DOWN USA – NO Answers (to anything)
The strike targets key issues facing the American public, issues that have not been addressed in any meaningful way by any branch of government. These include enduring questions and inconsistencies about 911, the Iraq War; violations of civil rights; and election fraud. As the statement above indicates, one key means of the coverup is the corporate media.

SNIP

Reflecting the disquiet of the American public, Bush popularity is in free fall. As low as 26% approval in recent polls, his decline has been steady and unending since the peak after the 9/11 attacks (with an odd spike on Election Day 2004).

The strike campaign argues that these and other issues rarely covered in any depth by nearly all of the corporate media leave only one move for citizens - a general strike to protest the policies plus the lack of recognition and response.

Call to action: We just have to stand up

Standing up includes no work or school on September 11, 2007. It also includes “no shopping;” a suspension of all purchasing during the strike. One strike web site claims that this can have a substantial impact even with just a small percentage of the population participating.

The general strike calls for participants to “Hit the Streets.” Significant activity is expected to focus on New York and Washington, DC but, in the viral spirit, the venues of protest can’t be predicted.

General Strikes in the United States


Seattle General Strike Project

The Seattle general strike of 1919 is the first known city-wide general strike in U.S. history. Failing to get promised wage increases, 35,000 ship yard workers were joined by 25,000 other Seattle union members for a 6 day work stoppage. The 60,000 workers and their families represented a huge portion of Seattle’s 315,000 populations at the time.

The most recent U.S. general strike occurred on May 1, 2006 when millions of Latinos hit the streets across the country

SNIP


This is the type of coalition that may produce major results for the 9/11/07 General Strike. The March 2006 Los Angeles protest saw 500,000 Angelinos join together. It was a predictor of the May Day millions across the nation. It included a majority of Latino civil rights advocates along with anti-Bush and antiwar participants. Image: Michael Sedano (with permission)

Saturday, March 25, 2006, I joined 499,999--heck, maybe there were a million of us-- other gente in the area around Los Angeles' City Hall. Our massive reaffirmation of the US Constitution was one of many such manifestations of community, and concern that the nation's growing repression of people like us requires critical attention. Half Million Immigrant Readers, Voters, Mass in LA Michael Sedano, La Bloga March, 2006

Possible Origins

SNIP

Specific recent political actions may well have contributed to the general strike. They reflect the joining of antiwar, 911 Truth, and impeachment groups.

• On June 27, 2007, the United States Social Forum, a convention of various social justice groups, passed a resolution that called for both the reopening of the 911 investigation and the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. This cooperative effort by the 911 Truth movement, impeachment organizations, and the anti war coalition is a new trend.

• On July 4, 2007, the Philadelphia Emergency Anti War Convention convened in Pennsylvania. Cindy Sheehan pointed out that her audiences have been filled with 911 Truth members who deserved answers to their questions. The convention produced a strong set of demands known as The Act Independent United Front Program. The program calls for impeachment of Bush, Cheney and associates; an end to all wars; restoration of Constitutional Rights; an end to “Bush police-state dictatorship;” a government by and for the people; and 9/11 truth – reopening the investigation and full release of all 9/11 documentation.
Only Four Weeks Left Until Sept. 11, 2007

Should this effort achieve momentum and see hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, “hit the streets,” politicians will be faced with a real dilemma. They can continue to ignore, delay and dissemble, reaping the consequences in 2008. Or they can act promptly and effectively to satisfy the demands of the American public.


Flyer from the http://www.strike911.org/ web site (flyer number 5)

ENDS

Acknowledgment: Special thanks to Internet poster reprehensor for his background information.

Permission granted to reprint in whole or part with a link to this article in “Scoop” and attribution of authorship.

Link http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0708/S00181.htm

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. I've been expecting/hope for/waiting for something like this....nt

[mod mom]

2. Is there a march in DC near this date? Connected or not?

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Sept 15

[goforit]

20. In DC?....That ain't where the power's at honey.

Corporations
Yale/Harvard
secret organizations
Religious institutions

Now that is where you march!

[lse7581011]

3. K & R n/t

[lonestarnot]

5. Ooops you beat me too it!

I'll take mine down. :toast:

[autorank]

8. More the merrier...

:toast:

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I'll be glad to spread this message

But I know at my workplace, I would be the only one participating in this strike. Not much of an impact.

Too many people are blind to the crimes being committed by this administration and the failure to hold them accountable. Maybe this general strike will get their attention?

[autorank]

9. With Rove going, it's only more trouble. The guy will be indicted because

I doubt he's leaving to spend more time with his family;)

[OneBlueSky]

7. good idea, but the fact is that most people . . .

simply aren't uncomfortable enough yet to want to participate in something like this . . . how many are willing to risk their jobs by taking the day off to demonstrate? . . . my hunch is not all that many . . . maybe enough to get a brief mention on the evening news, but certainly not enough to wake the nation up . . .

[autorank]

10. What about the self employed - millions of 'em

Like me...I'm taking the day off even though it costs $$$'s and glad to do it.

You've got people in big urban centers who can go to demonstrations and the "don't buy anything" part of this is terrific. If millions of us don't spend on 9/11 that will be noticed!

:hi:

[kid a]

14. just do it!

[treestar]

21. If everyone does it, there's no job loss risk

1 - how many employers will really fire someone over taking this one day off

2 - even amongst those, they can't all do it or they'd suffer. Most people fail to realize their employer needs them too. They seem to think of a job as some sort of sinecure. No, you're doing something for your employer, and employer's operations would be disrupted if everyone got fired at once. Employer would lose $$$. And maybe employer WANTS to participate in this too! Are there any DUers who are employers?

3 - if you work for someone who'd fire you just over one day like that, you're probably looking for another job anyway.

[bedpanartist]

11. any unions behind this

because I know if ours were, we could shut almost every school system in Ohio down.

[autorank]

15. Not that I know of but they're vital, so are the May Day Latino groups and then there's

the civil rights groups, e.g., NAACP and the million man march folks.

This should grow. If they can just get people to take time in the big urban areas, it should have
a chance. I'd expect a big crowd in NYC for sure.

It's hard to find out as much as you'd like since it's a net phenomenon and there are not a lot of names on a committee and no specific press contact.

We'll see. I sure hope unions and everyone else pick up the opportunity. It's really up to them to announce and organize it as they think most effective.

Excellent point!

[Me.]

12. K &

R

[kid a]

13. !!!

[Zywiec]

16. The no shopping will be as effective

as the big "one day gas boycott" earlier this year.

[roamer65]

17. I've heard that the flu really goes around that time of year.

Just a rumor.

[truedelphi]

35. Yep and my body's inner alert mechanism

Has already informed me that I am coming down with it!!

[Stephanie]

18. "This strike is about all these issues and more." < -- This is the problem with the left

This approach is completely ineffective. Pick one issue. ONE ISSUE, and make concrete demands. You're not going to make any progress when you set out with a laundry list of beefs. I swear if I go to another peace march that digresses into Mumia and police brutality and BGH in milk I am going to shoot myself.

IT'S THE WAR, THE WAR, THE WAR. Protest the goddamn WAR.

[reprehensor]

19. I'm takin' the day off.

Should be something to do...

Seattle:
Rev. Rich Lang Advocates Action on 9/11/07
http://www.livingfaithnow.org/

Washington DC:
http://dc911truth.org/

More:
http://actindependent.org/

[autorank]

28. You're a mench....

I'm taking it off too and we'll see how DC handles it. There no excuse due to lack of intelligence
here (I'm talking about the permanent residents. There are enough colleges and self employed to
generate a good crowd. Lots of the locals work for themselves. I'm looking forward to more details.

Keep up your great work! This is pretty amazing stuff. The first viral demonstration which
will hopefully blossom into a broad coalition that's not managed from a top but reflective of the
desire of the American people for peace. When you peel away the lies, that's always there, has been
for a long time (except for that period with the problem Coke a Cola;)

[kster]

22. Kick.nt

[galloglas]

23. K and R !!

Perhaps we could try for a "surgical strike" on the White House.

Round up all the proctologists in the nation and just cut those assholes out of power?

It's a thought!

[alfredo]

24. No job = no working no money = no shopping no money = no school.

[Joe Chi Minh]

25. You are brave people, though that is no revelation to most of us

who live in different places around the globe.

You may be sure we'll all be rooting for you. And I dare say even your own financial sector will be too! And that would have taken some doing..!

Loved that "odd spike on election day 2004"!

[autorank]

29. The Miracle of November, The Winter Spike, Non LInear for a Day

We need a catchy phrase for that...behind behind benihd ahead (1 day) behind etc. You know it's
almost like divine intervention of a Rovian kind;)

[Joe Chi Minh]

32. The day Statistics downed tools and refused to consort with

Mathematics. The basis of Mathematics in 'a priori' truth had been tried by the Republicans and found wanting. "Nothing to see here. Move along now..."

[shance]

26. Fantastic post Auto*** Here's to taking 9/11 and our country back.

It's time.

Wonderful job everyone.

Looking forward to meeting everyone on September 11th.

[autorank]

30. It will be great --- we need some unions and civil rights groups...

But the way this works, it should be getting around.

:hi:

[stellanoir]

27. There will be

an eclipse on that day. Whoops I forgot this is GD. I didn't say that.

:hi:

[autorank]

31. We'll be eclipsing fascism...and we'll need sunscreen, right.

Isn't that the message of the eclipse, wear your sunscreen B-)

[stellanoir]

34. Yup that is the cryptic message

esoterically hidden within my semi redacted statement. . .wear sunscreen.

That and that alone will solve EVERYTHING for sure.

This message was sponsored by the big pharma cos who put all those alleged carcinogens in a lot of sunscreen lotions.

Or so say the tin foilers.

So go figure.

toodles

[Kurovski]

33. K&R. (nt)

[autorank]

36. The Prodigal Returns...

:hi:

[Kurovski]

42. Hiya.

:hi:

[DemReadingDU]

37. Good news!

K&R!

[snot]

38. I'm so there, and will do all I can to convince others. nt

[AnnieBW]

39. Very Soviet Of Them

It's true - we HAVE become the USSR.

[snot]

40. K'd, R'd, and blogged here:

http://c-cyte.blogspot.com/

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. I'm there but I can tell you

unless millions do this, will not be noticed

But if I don't, I assure it will not be noticed

Why? How many others will take that attitude?

[autorank]

43. I'll be there too. I like the courage they're showing by trying this concept.

If there's a good crowd and corporate media doesn't cover it, we will notice all of us and then there will be twice as many the next time out or maybe more. One big mistake made by the "rulers" is their total indifference to the need people have to feel involved. Even the Romans had the diversions of the Circus. We've got huge problems that I'll bet 70-80% of the people know about and NO action. So it's our turn. We'll see what we can do.

[autorank]

44. Kick!

:kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick:

[Karenina]

45. And another ...

:kick:

[Anita Garcia]

46. will do.