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DAY 2 DC OCCUPATION OF FREEDOM SQUARE

Rob Kall

Something never done before is spreading across America. It's a joy and honor to be a part of it. If you haven't yet showed up for one of the hundreds of occupations yet, you are really missing something, and really missing an opportunity to shake the system.

Friday, several actions were staged from Freedom Plaza.

A protest against Drones led to the shut down of the DC office of General Atomics.

Another group protested against the Tar Sands pipeline, then a few hours later, a large contingent with a massive declaration of independence, at least 120 feet long, designed and orchestrated by Bill Moyer's Backbone Campaign, walked 1.5 miles to the Martin Luther King Monument.

photos by Rob Kall

In the afternoon, fifteen different discussion groups were formed to discuss topics like health, prisons, education, housing, economics....

Then, in the evening, group representatives reported on the conclusions and policies the groups had come up with. In between, as the night before, there was live music.

I gotta say, before the 15 group representatives got their two minutes each to speak, a pair of "facilitators" spent a good 30 minutes talking "meta" about what was going to be spoken about and how it would be done. After the 15 presenters representing the people spoke, the two facilitators spent another hour parrying with the crowd about what should be done with the time all are together. I guess that a discussion of what's to be done with the time is a good idea. But it seemed screamingly clear that the facilitators were using ideas and talk usually used for corporations. The people occupying the square were a lot of really smart, grown ups who could have done better.

I was tempted to comment. As founder and leader at Opednews, I've learned that trusting the people is a really good thing that leads to success. I put most decisions before a council of senior editors. My point is that before a process is set in place for the emerging occupation communities, we need to trust the people to find their way of doing things, not submit a way to them.

Talking to the two people whose names are on the permits at Freedom Square-- Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese , it was clear that they are very aware of that need to not exert too much top down control, to allow bottom up policies to emerge. That was very good to see.

This morning, I give a class on tapping the power of story for activism.

Author's Bio:

Rob Kall is executive editor, publisher and site architect of OpEdNews.com, Host of the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show (WNJC 1360 AM), President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com

With his experience as architect and founder of a technorati top 100 blog, he is also a new media / social media consultant and trainer for corporations, non-profits, entrepreneurs and authors.

Rob is a frequent Speaker on the bottom up revolution, politics, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates, and optimizing tapping the power of new media. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.

To learn more about me and OpEdNews.com, check out this article.

And there are Rob's quotes, here.

To Watch me on youtube, having a lively conversation with John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here Now, wouldn't you like to see me on the political news shows, representing progressives. If so, tell your favorite shows to bring me on and refer them to this youtube video

My radio show, The Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show, runs 9-10 PM EST Wednesday evenings, on AM 1360, WNJC and is archived at www.opednews.com/podcasts Or listen to it streaming, live at www.wnjc1360.com

Rob also host a health/mind/body/heart/spirit radio show-- the Rob Kall Futurehealth radio show. Check out podcasts from it at futurehealth.org/podcasts

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A few declarations.

-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.

-My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.

Recent press coverage in the Wall Street Journal: Party's Left Pushes for a Seat at the Table

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