Occupy!

I am normally not much of an "in-your-face" protester, and my body does not take kindly to long marches. But, the Occupy movement speaks so viscerally to so many people, that I jumped at the opportunity to get involved.

Occupy Midland held its first protest on Monday in front of a Bank of America branch at the corner of Ashman and Eastlawn here in Midland. About 50 people participated and I am proud to say that about a quarter of them were members and friends of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland.

I wore my Standing on the Side of Love shirt and we picketed as literally hundreds of drivers passing by honked their horns and waved encouragement.

Occupy Wall Street movements take hold in Mid-Michigan: Occupy Midland makes the top story.

Two points I made that didn't make the televised interview were these.  The Occupy movement is expressing the rage and frustration of hundreds of millions of Americans who feel betrayed by their institutions and politicians.  What better place for ministers to be in this time of national distress.  Second, the emphasis of the Occupy movement spans all demographics, including religion.  Every religion teaches that the love of money and the pursuit of wealth only leads to unhappiness and despair.  Every religion teaches the value of charity and being our brothers' and sisters' keepers.  Every religious person is part of the 99%.