Occupy What?

There really is little to be gained from squatting in a park. It is not physical space that we need to occupy. We need to occupy the airwaves. Call in to every radio show that has a phone number and let folks know that there is much more to be concerned about than big government. We need to occupy the internet. Be in every chat room and every comments page, and demand that everyone there drop the insults and support their assertions with facts and logic. We need to occupy the print media. Let no outrageous fallacy filled diatribe hit the press without a logically based counterpoint being a day or so behind. We need to occupy the polling places on each and every Election Day. Tell people what you think when it counts. We need to occupy our wallets. If a corporation spends money to fight gay marriage or tear down regulatory structures, don’t let it be your money that gets spent. We need to occupy the texts that are now being used against us. Go to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, even the Bible, and find out for yourself what is in there and what isn’t and tell people about it. We need to occupy our history. This is not a country based on a struggle to free itself from federal government control, quite the opposite in fact. It is also not a perfect place. Make people see the totality of our history, from sit in strikes to internment camps to national parks. We need to occupy our interactions with others. Say please and thank you and mean it. Ask people what they think and listen to the answers. Always be open to compromise and collaboration. Most of all, we need to occupy the problems facing our country. Solve a problem. Challenge anyone who doesn’t seem to have solving problems as their goal. It is way past time for the rest of us to occupy something … a lot of things. We just need to shoot a little higher … and save the parks for picnics.