BartBlog

My friend Michael’s nephew Jake has been camping at Liberty Park since Occupy Wall Street’s inception — and now Jake has pneumonia.

American heroes like Jake should be appearing on Letterman and leading the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and throwing out the first ball at Yankee Stadium and guest-starring on CSI New York and feted everywhere as the American heroes that they are.

Jake should be invited to dinner at the White House!

For standing up for the American people against the evil empire of corporatocracy that now runs our country, Jake has become another Paul Revere, another Nathan Hale, another Patrick Henry, another Benjamin Franklin. But instead the media is treating him like he was another Aaron Burr.

Jake — and other valiant young people like him who are still holding out at Zucotti Park — are the absolute cream of America’s next generation and are endangering their very lives in order to save America from the corporatist Grinches who now own us lock, stock and Black Friday — but instead of becoming national heroes, the rest of America merely stands by while Wall Street shows its horrible red claws and tries to drown these young heroes of the OWS movement in a bathtub — just like it has tried to drown our economy, our liberty, our morals and our democracy as well.

There will be no presents under Jake’s tree in Liberty Park this year, only pneumonia, danger and scorn — unless all the rest of us Americans finally wake up, begin to actually fight for our country despite what the mainstream media is telling us, become more like Santa and start bearing gifts down to Jake and the rest of our new young national heroes bravely holding out at Zucotti Park — starting with bringing long underwear, chicken soup and penicillin!

Give us Liberty — or give us Wall Street — for Christmas. We can’t have both.

PS: Within the week, I expect to see Jake on TV reading Letterman’s top-ten list of things that Americans must do in order rescue democracy back from the evil bloody claws of Wall Street.

PPS: Occupy Oakland is setting up occupations in front of various foreclosed homes there — bringing the spirit of Christmas back to families victimized by Wall Street loan sharks. http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2011-11-20/article/38886?headline=Occupy-Oakland-Protesters-Set-Up-Camp-on-Lawn-of-Foreclosed-Home–By-Bay-City-News

I think that both Santa Claus and the sacred Baby whose birthday Christmas honors would approve.

PPPS: The other day, knitters in Berkeley held a “knit-in” at Occupy Cal, knitting scarves and mittens that would help keep brave protesting students warm. So let’s have a knit-in at Liberty Park as well! http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2011-11-26/article/38911?headline=-Knit-In-at-Occupy-Berkeley-Site-to-Make-Warm-Clothing-for-Protesters–By-Erika-Heidecker-BCN-