Exclusively in the new print issue of CounterPunch
HOLLYWOOD AND THE CIA — Film historian Ed Rampell details Hollywood’s entangled relationship with the CIA and the Pentagon; HOUSES OF THE DEAD: Nancy Kurshan exposes the cruel human rights offenses taking place inside America’s vast gulag of Control Unit Prisons; BROTHERHOOD OF SUMMER: David Macaray charts the history of the most powerful union in the US: the Baseball Players Association; TAR SANDS COME TO AMERICA: Steve Horn explains how the Keystone Pipeline debates have diverted attention from Big Oil’s other plans to transport Alberta’s oil into the US. PLUS: Jeffrey St. Clair on CONSTITUTIONAL ENTROPY; Mike Whitney on HOW THE BANKS TARGETED BLACKS; Chris Floyd on THE RISE OF BRITAIN’S TEA PARTY; Kristin Kolb on THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE; Kim Nicolini on the FILMS OF WILLIAM FRIEDKIN; and Lee Ballinger on POETS VS. THE ONE PERCENT.
Weekend Edition October 7-9, 2011
A New Kind of Patriotism
Scenes From the Occupation of Wall Street
by ELIZABETH HELPERN & HILLARY ATIYEH
I am a New York City resident, former counselor in the New York City public school system, and sometime political activist over the last 20 years. I went down to Foley Square with close friend and photographer, Hillary Atiyeh, to participate in the Oct. 5 march with Occupy Wall Street and their many union partners. We stood in the middle of the square and were struck by something different about this crowd.
It is, no doubt, a movement fueled by the stamina and revolutionary spirit of youth. They are the stalwarts, living in Zuccotti Park (and now setting up similar camps across the country), shouldering the day-to-day burden, but when they put out the call they are joined in the thousands by an almost indescribable array of people. It seemed at least half of the marchers were age 35 and up…and I do mean up. There were grey haired ladies with walkers and canes marching alongside tattooed Teamsters. Boomers aplenty. Teachers, nurses, auto workers.
The young may the backbone of this movement, but their supporters are, more and more, who we once saw as the backbone of America -who are now being treated like greedy parasites on our economy. Together they are rejecting not only this characterization by the right, but the inaction and empty promises of the left.
Almost makes you feel patriotic.
Photography by Hillary Atiyeh.
