Occupy Buffalo goes commercial

I have refrained from commenting on the Occupy/99% protests that are going on.

I believe firmly in the right for people to peacefully assemble and protest for change in their  government.

the First Amendment clearly states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

However, today I had to LOL. The Occupy Buffalo has been going on for a while now, but today was the first time I saw someone actively exploiting the occupy camp for flagrant capitalism.

In front of a small cafe, I saw a sign that said 'Occupy Sweetness' 7pm Tonight  Free Beer

I have spent some time trying to get a handle on what my local occupy wants fixed in our community. I must admit, the messages are conflicting at best. Standing next to the 'stop police brutality' signs are the 'thank you Buffalo PD & FD!' people. Next to them are the ambiguous "we ARE the 99%!". There are a smattering of other slogans as well, but I didn't catch them all.

Some people are upset, and I think the diversity in their signs is telling. They are frustrated and are unsure why- and cannot form a cohesive message.

I have been told the lack of work is troubling to many people. . . That I take a bit of issue with. I have 3 jobs and am a full time PhD student. There is no shortage of work in my locale- there is a shortage of high-paying jobs. In times of economic crisis people have to swallow their pride and take what work is available. Every weekend, while working at the bar, I have to clean up vomit. Not pretty, but I am not proud and I need the money.

The one thing that bothers me most about people bitching about no work is that some of them feel they are above certain jobs. I have actually heard people say 'well I have a masters! I have a BA!  I have a BS! etc etc'

Look- I want to be challenged at work too. I want to be cognitively pushed to the limits and paid accordingly. However- I will not go jobless while I search for that opportunity.

I believe the US would be smart to re-industrialize and make heavy infrastructure investments. I would love to see us creating more tangible products. I would love to see us creating useful high-speed rail for transcontinental travel so I could avoid TSA. However, I do not think people sleeping by town hall are the way to get these matters addressed.

If you want to fix a problem, vote, bust ass, and work for it. Protesting might be part of it- but if that is all a person does, then they really don't want anything to break the status quo.

I am not against my local 99% protestors. They haven't created some of the issues that have crept up in other places (Check out anothergunblog for a  much better accounting of 99% stuff- Mike W has been on the ball with it). However I am suggesting that if people really want to fix what is going on- especially with the economy- refusing to work is not the smartest solution I have ever heard put forth. . .