Mission Statement Ideas

[Mireille]

What do you think should be the mission statement for our organization? We need one for our home page.

Below is the mission statement for Occupy Wall Street. I have numbered the paragraphs for ease of discussion.

Which parts do you agree/disagree with?
What would you omit, change, add?
What statements do you think are relevant to Occupy Melbourne FL?
Are you willing to adapt these as part of our mission statement?

OWS Mission Statement

1) As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

2) As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments.

3) We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

4) They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

5) They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.

6) They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

7) They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

8) They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.

9) They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

10) They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

11) They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.

12) They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.

13) They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

14) They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

15) They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

16) They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

17) They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

18) They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them. They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

19) They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.

20) They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

21) They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

22) They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

23) They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

24) They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *

25) To the people of the world,

26) We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

27) Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

28) To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

29) Join us and make your voices heard!

[James]

I dig literally every word of this.

[mrliberty]

I request addition of these items.

1) Eliminate the Federal Reserve -

There is no greater threat to the security and prosperity of the United States today than the out-of-control, secretive Federal Reserve. Snuck through Congress on Christmas Eve in 1913, the Federal Reserve Act established the Fed as America’s central bank. The Fed essentially creates money out of thin air, manipulates interest rates, and interferes with the free market. By doing so, the Fed fuels our economy’s boom-bust cycle and has helped devalue our dollar by over 95%.

2) Support Our Right to Work -

Freedom of association is one of the foundations of a free society. The Founders clearly understood this, which is why they sought to protect this God-given right in the First Amendment. Unfortunately, over 75 years ago, the right to decide freely whether or not to join a labor union was taken away from American workers by Congress. As a result, national union bosses rake in $8 billion every year from workers who are forced to pay dues to a labor union just to provide for themselves and their families. Then, to add insult to injury, Big Labor uses this forced-dues money to bankroll the campaigns of tax-and-spend, big government politicians all across the country like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama.

3) Fix Our Health Care System -

Repeal ObamaCare and end its unconstitutional mandate that all Americans must carry only government-approved health insurance or answer to the IRS.

Allow purchase of health insurance across state lines.

Guarantee that what is taken from taxpayers to pay for Medicare and Medicaid is not raided for other purposes.

Make all Americans eligible for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and remove government-imposed barriers to obtaining HSAs.

Stop the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from interfering with Americans’ knowledge of and access to dietary supplements and alternative treatments.

Prevent federal bureaucrats from tracking every citizen’s medical history from cradle to grave by prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds for a national database of personal health information.

4) Make America Energy Independent -

Remove restrictions on drilling, so companies can tap into the vast amount of oil we have here at home.

Repeal the federal tax on gasoline. Eliminating the federal gas tax would result in an 18 cents savings per gallon for American consumers.

Lift government roadblocks to the use of coal and nuclear power.

Eliminate the ineffective EPA. Polluters should answer directly to property owners in court for the damages they create – not to Washington.

Make tax credits available for the purchase and production of alternative fuel technologies.

5) Immigration Reform NOW! -

Enforce Border Security, No Amnesty, Abolish the Welfare State, End Birthright Citizenship, Protect Lawful Immigrants

6) Defend America with sound National Defense -

Make securing our borders the top national security priority.

Avoid long and expensive land wars that bankrupt our country by using constitutional means to capture or kill terrorist leaders who helped attack the U.S. and continue to plot further attacks.

Guarantee our intelligence community’s efforts are directed toward legitimate threats and not spying on innocent Americans through unconstitutional power grabs like the Patriot Act.

End the nation-building that is draining troop morale, increasing our debt, and sacrificing lives with no end in sight.

Follow the Constitution by asking Congress to declare war before one is waged.

Only send our military into conflict with a clear mission and all the tools they need to complete the job – and then bring them home.

Ensure our veterans receive the care, benefits, and honors they have earned when they return.

Revitalize the military for the 21st century by eliminating waste in a trillion-dollar military budget.

Prevent the TSA from forcing Americans to either be groped or ogled just to travel on an airplane and ultimately abolish the unconstitutional agency.

Stop taking money from the middle class and the poor to give to rich dictators through foreign aid.

[mrliberty]

Also-

- Reprivatize College Loan System and hold America's irresponsible College/University system accountable for their complete failure to produce an educated populace.

- Eliminate Tenure protections for all educators. Base pay and job security on job performance.

[mrliberty]

1) Pass a Federal Balanced Budget Amendment and require that it not exceed 3% of GDP.

2) Freeze Spending at current levels and eliminate Baseline Budgeting.

3) Require Truth IN Budgeting - Eliminate all accounting tricks used in budgets and require an honest, singular account of all government expenditures and taxation.

[Mireille]

mrliberty, thanks for your input. Your list delineates very specific goals and desires. Normally, a mission statement should represent the broadest perspective of the organization's purpose. For example, "End the Federal Reserve" is too specific, could be "Financial stability for the nation" or something along those lines.

Your list is more like a set of grievances or demands, which we may also want, but I think it will be more difficult to pin down due to the diversity of the group. Perhaps you could participate in the previously suggested grievances working group.

[Mireille]

Since we don't have an official mission statement yet, I have written something to hold it's place in the ABOUT page of the website in order to consider the website finished. Of course, anything and everything on the site is open to being changed and I am sure will evolve as the group grows and continues, but I think these statements are a good general idea of why most of us are here. I have shamelessly plagiarized this from Mandy's introduction in the Hello thread, with her permission.

Here goes:

We are the 99 % of Melbourne, FL USA. We’ve joined the movement because we are tired of trying to conform to a system that doesn’t work for us; a system that creates and judges value based on economic standing rather than merit and valor, intelligence and compassion. We are outraged at the reality that profit drives our world rather than ingenuity and imagination. We have awaken and are beginning to understand this web of deceit and misdirection, of manipulation and corruption that traps the Sheeple so easily. We cannot stand idle anymore.

Our economic state is a symptom of the bigger issue of distinct lack of individual responsibility – the responsibility to seek the truth, to share the truth with others, and to let others make up their own minds; the responsibility of individual Liberty; the responsibility of being accountable for your own actions or inactions. It is time to take a stand and educate ourselves and one another and say, “We won’t take it anymore!”

The Unites States Constitution says “We The People”

…not “We the Corporations”
…not “We the Elected Officials”
…not “We the Media”

it says “We The People of the United States of America” which means

EACH…AND…EVERY…ONE…OF…US!

Join the 99% of Melbourne, Florida and make a difference!

[Solus Hospes]

You did well! Flows a little better and is PG. ^^ I'm delighted and honored and take no offense if anyone wants to change it in the future. The mind works best like a parachute, when it's open.

[James]

I kind of dislike the use of the word "Sheeple." It feels kind of divisive in this context. Like we are not sheeple, but others are and they suck be we don't. I also have an issue with the responsibility section. I tend to think of responsibility as being responsive to the consequences of one's actions, and not this sort of seemingly condemning thing that is generally insinuated. Is it an individual's responsibility to seek the truth, to share that truth with others and let them do with it what they will? Or is that just one thing that someone might choose to do because they consider it useful to do based on certain actions or ends they want to produce? What I am trying to say is that you do not choose the responsibilities of another, and no one chooses responsibilities for you.

Either way, change sheeple to us, first. Then: "Our economic state is a symptom of the bigger issue of a distinct lack of individual responsibility. It is the end result of a conscious disregard and avoidance of the consequences of the actions of the wealthy. So, we must bring these consequences to those who deserve them; to show them that they are culpable; that there is more to what they do than the bottom line. Our lives are being destroyed, and it is time we stand up, recognize the destroyers, and tell them enough is enough. It is time to take a stand and educate ourselves and one another and say, 'We won’t take it anymore!'"

[Solus Hospes]

I don't mind the changes to the statement because I certainly want everyone to feel comfortable and confident in what it stands for from their perspective.

That said, I disagree with you for you cannot in one hand absolve The People of responsibility and say we are in no position to name it for one another and in the same page hold just-cause for naming responsibility to the wealthy. If we The People didn't shirk our responsibilities to seek the truth for ourselves, we wouldn't be needing to wake up all of a sudden. Obviously not everyone, many have seen it all along but really... they never forced us to do anything.

They took advantage of the opportunities we provided by not looking beyond the half-truths and distractions they provided. I believe this because I was one of those people. I only wanted to know what affected me personally. It hurt to read or see the truth and I turned a blind eye and closed my mind to it. If I couldn't see it or hear it than it wasn't true, right? Me and millions like me. If we hadn't stuck our heads in the sand, if we had listened, sought the truth on our own, and spoke up we'd either not have gotten to this point, or done it a lot sooner before it got this bad.

You don't have to agree, and I'd be interested to understand why if you didn't. I'm a firm believer in benefiting from alternate perspectives. I just believe blame for this situation rests on more than the wealthy's shoulders and so does the solution.

[James]

I think that most people do only consider what affects them personally. Primarily because they simply don't understand what is going on, and are socialized to not want to. As this self-centered world-view is generally reinforced socially through the media, marketing/advertising, public education, the work place and other institutions. What this(as I understand it)is, is a lack of response to the consequences of one's actions: a lack of responsibility. Many of these institutions are actually controlled by people or groups of people who want things to be this way. They want us to not be able to understand the consequences of our actions; to be irresponsible. They want us to choose to not concern ourselves with consequences of our actions that bother us: the truths that hurt.

So, it isn't so much that I disagree with you. Maybe I understand it in less coercive terms. I do not intend to name the wealthy as responsible, but to show them that what they are doing affects more than their pockets. They are not responsible, in fact - and neither are those people who turn their heads from the truth - because they never even see the consequences of their actions: mass home foreclosures, decline in income, wealth disparity, etc... So, now it is time that we show them, and take action so that they understand that there are consequences.

Most people think of responsibility as some sort of accusation. Almost synonymous with guilt, and that by invoking it you force someone to act in a certain way. "You broke it! Now you have to fix it." Where I feel "You broke it! Now what?" is more constructive. It leaves one open to fix it or change it or to ignore that it is broken, incurring all of the consequences therein, themselves. This is why I support direct action, and the idea of occupations and strikes. When you strike you are saying "I am not going to work for this amount of money, under these conditions anymore," or whatever. The occupation is sort of, "HEY! Look, because of you, we're screwed. We have no jobs, and we are at your front door. Now what?" One will incur all kinds of consequences from these actions, but they blatantly point out that if you do something, something happens somewhere else. People go hungry, they lose their homes, their lives are destroyed. At the same time, you are saying that you are not willing to be a part of something, because of the way it functions, because of the way it impacts you, or even someone else(solidarity). Things need to change, and you are willing to organize and work to change them, yourself. Not just tell someone what to do, or hit them with a stick, telling them to fix it. Ultimately you want better pay, working conditions, and a better future, but for me it is important those things be achieved by the least coercive means possible, and communicated in such a way as well. This is also why I don't support violent action, "representatives", or taxes.

So, you should not tell someone to be vegan because meat is destructive and then be mad when they choose not to be. As well, you should not wait around for bankers to start paying more taxes. It would take a lot of explaining and a complete social-reawakening for either of those people to make the choices you are asking them. And if it is not their choice, what have you achieved but coercion or force? You are no better than those that you fight.

If you have to, give up on the bankers, occupy a park, and start a library. Start doing exactly what you want to do for no other reason than that you want to do it. Of course it is always good to understand what you want to do first...

[Solus Hospes]

"I think that most people do only consider what affects them personally. Primarily because they simply don't understand what is going on, and are socialized to not want to. As this self-centered world-view is generally reinforced socially through the media, marketing/advertising, public education, the work place and other institutions. What this(as I understand it)is, is a lack of response to the consequences of one's actions: a lack of responsibility. Many of these institutions are actually controlled by people or groups of people who want things to be this way. They want us to not be able to understand the consequences of our actions; to be irresponsible. They want us to choose to not concern ourselves with consequences of our actions that bother us: the truths that hurt."

I agree...

"So, it isn't so much that I disagree with you. Maybe I understand it in less coercive terms. I do not intend to name the wealthy as responsible, but to show them that what they are doing affects more than their pockets. They are not responsible, in fact - and neither are those people who turn their heads from the truth - because they never even see the consequences of their actions: mass home foreclosures, decline in income, wealth disparity, etc... So, now it is time that we show them, and take action so that they understand that there are consequences."

I can agree it is more productive to show someone how their choices effect people rather than saying so. Proof of the pudding as it were, should they never have seen it before. Still, saying someone is responsible for their own actions or inaction, for seeking the truth, etc is in no way an attempt to force anyone into anything. Not to coerce or threaten either. It's just the truth as I see it. We are each responsible, them and us, for our individual choices.

(obviously it's more complicated than this but for the purpose of explaining what I mean in example, I'm generalizing.)

Cause: The People gave up their individual responsibilities and stopped seeking the truth; instead relying upon the media and the government to provide it.
Effect: The Wealthy took advantage and offered truths as they wanted to report it. Because the people stopped looking, too few saw the real truth making it easier to discredit them.

Cause: The Wealthy continued to feed The People's accepted sources of information to promote their agendas while also lobbying in Washington to ensure the people's elect would go their way, to ensure the peoples interests would favor their own.
Effect: The people, having already stopped seeking the truth, largely accepted what we were told without our own verifications. The People did vote as was wanted of us, our interests were focused as was wanted of us on the whole. Time passed and people were raised listening to these sources. Even struggling, The People kept looking to their accepted sources for help.

Cause: Little improvement was seen. Helplessness ensued. The People got tired of not making ends meet, of not being able to enjoy the same needs let alone luxuries we once had and we started to wonder why. Started to seek the truth. Took back our individual responsibility.
Effect: Knowledge was found, the half truths exposed, The People rising up and speaking out against the deception, the manipulation, the greed. We started seeking the truth again and spreading it as fast and far as we could to show others like us to seek the truth for themselves and free themselves from the manipulation of the wealthy.

Cause: The People sought and found the truth, offering it to more people in more ways and encouraging our peers to look for themselves, to get involved. Occupations started happening nationally, globally...
Effect: Our Voices are now undeniable and the Wealthy are listening, trying to disband us, trying to discredit us when they couldn't ignore us anymore.

My point is, it wouldn't have worked if either party didn't participate the way we did. Responsibility isn't a bad thing. Just as the choices of the Wealthy effected more than their pockets, the mass choices of The People effected more than our individual pockets.

"Most people think of responsibility as some sort of accusation. Almost synonymous with guilt, and that by invoking it you force someone to act in a certain way. "You broke it! Now you have to fix it." Where I feel "You broke it! Now what?" is more constructive. It leaves one open to fix it or change it or to ignore that it is broken, incurring all of the consequences therein, themselves. This is why I support direct action, and the idea of occupations and strikes. When you strike you are saying "I am not going to work for this amount of money, under these conditions anymore," or whatever. The occupation is sort of, "HEY! Look, because of you, we're screwed. We have no jobs, and we are at your front door. Now what?" One will incur all kinds of consequences from these actions, but they blatantly point out that if you do something, something happens somewhere else. People go hungry, they lose their homes, their lives are destroyed. At the same time, you are saying that you are not willing to be a part of something, because of the way it functions, because of the way it impacts you, or even someone else(solidarity). Things need to change, and you are willing to organize and work to change them, yourself. Not just tell someone what to do, or hit them with a stick, telling them to fix it. Ultimately you want better pay, working conditions, and a better future, but for me it is important those things be achieved by the least coercive means possible, and communicated in such a way as well. This is also why I don't support violent action, "representatives", or taxes."

I don't pretend to know what other people feel about words like "responsibility" and I certainly wasn't trying to guilt-trip or coerce anyone with my belief that we ARE each individually responsible. I don't believe "because of you, we're screwed" I believe "because you took advantage of our faith in you, and we stopped looking into the truths you provided, we're screwed."

Trying to simplify a complicated thing in general terms, the only thing that changed between now and then is The People taking the reigns back. Largely realizing things aren't right and saying "now what?" and others are answering with the truths they've found; taking responsibility and not waiting for the banks to pay taxes; not waiting for the media to report what they're told, etc.

Like I said before, I'm not, in anyway, putting anyone down. I was a Sheeple. There's no shame in it because I learned from it and so are millions of people like me. I sincerely apologize if I made anyone feel threatened, or coerced, or like I was demanding anything of anyone.

I offer only my perspective of the truth as I see it. By saying each individual is responsible I'm not telling them what to do, I'm offering them the starters guide to change. Each person still has the choice to ignore it, to disagree, or to accept it. If people like me didn't offer the truths as we see them, by your statement of "[they aren't responsible] because they never even see the consequences of their actions" the people would not ever know.

No matter what you believe, it doesn't make it less true that when the people take responsibility to seek their own truths they cannot be so easily manipulated, coerced, or guided into choices that will negatively impact them or other people. Knowledge is only potential, applied knowledge is power and like you said at the end, its good to understand it first. How can we expect to gain that knowledge and understanding BUT to seek the truth for ourselves? What is that other than responsibility?

Responsibility, to me and in this case, is having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable; capable of rational thought or action and therefore able to understand their ability to effect others with their individual choices. Accountability meaning, to me and in this case, being able and willing to explain them themselves and the choices they made in understanding it may have an impact on others.

Not good or evil; just cause and effect, reality and truth.

"So, you should not tell someone to be vegan because meat is destructive and then be mad when they choose not to be. As well, you should not wait around for bankers to start paying more taxes. It would take a lot of explaining and a complete social-reawakening for either of those people to make the choices you are asking them. And if it is not their choice, what have you achieved but coercion or force? You are no better than those that you fight.

If you have to, give up on the bankers, occupy a park, and start a library. Start doing exactly what you want to do for no other reason than that you want to do it. Of course it is always good to understand what you want to do first..."

Again, in no way am I trying to coerce anyone into anything, to force them, or manipulate them. I don't mind alternate ways of communicating an idea but I personally hold to the fact that we are, each, individually responsible. Our individual choices DO effect other people whether we're rich or poor, informed or uninformed, seeking the truth or accepting what's given to us as truth; no matter what, that simple fact of cause and effect never changes.

I'm sorry if I'm rambling. I just wanted to understand your view and offer explanation of my own. Obviously you have the choice to believe what you want to and I respect that. Make any changes you like to the statement, I take no offense and thank you for explaining to me the way you see things. I really appreciate the time.

[Mireille]

Since he had a strong feeling about it, I have made the changes James suggested. I didn't want to use Sheeple either (although I wasn't bothered by it), but wasn't sure how to word that - "us"...duh.

Anyhow, this is cool. We now have a statement that is a combination of a few heads in the group. As we progress, this statement may change and/or grow to more closely reflect the thoughts of everyone in the group.

Thanks!

[Solus Hospes]

I like it, that's how it should be a collective effort because we all need to feel comfortable and confident with our mission statement. Thank you all.

[sanahelwa]

People, Melbourne is NOT a metropolis! Melbourne cannot and will not ever function like Orlando, Tampa, and elsewhere in the state. WHY do you have to continue to make EVERYTHING so complicated? It should be simple, as passed in one of the first two GA's, we are in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. Their mission statement becomes our mission statement. DONE!

[Solus Hospes]

I apologize that the information from the first two GA's was not made available to the public until recently. I apologize further if anyone feels like anyone else is trying make things exactly like anywhere else. It seems more to me that we're trying to use the templates of those who came before us and adjusting on an as-needed basis while still trying to maintain our individual city needs and ideas.

That said, I personally disagree with those assumptions. It forces me to question how you can say we are different than Orlando and Tampa and stamp us mirror to Wall Street. Solidarity doesn't mean copy, it means community. It means sharing the same ideals, the same responsibilities, even between classes or groups of people. We are indeed, unique to our city, so why shouldn't the people of this city speak up and have their own mission? I don't even care if not a single word I ever wrote is ever used. Has nothing to do with that. If The People want different words I'm delighted to stand behind them.

Is this the statement you're proposing we use?

"Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.

This #ows movement empowers real people to create real change from the bottom up. We want to see a general assembly in every backyard, on every street corner because we don't need Wall Street and we don't need politicians to build a better society."

Substitute OWS with OMF and I can stand behind this too. Please do try to offer constructive suggestions rather than accusing and inaccurate assumptions/questions...I'm pretty sure we're all just trying to help.

[Mireille]

sanahelwa, why are you so damn negative about everything? I think you are the one complicating things. The people of Melbourne are different than the people of NY, Tampa or Timbuktu. We are in solidarity but we are not clones and the issues that affect us locally are not necessarily the same issues that affect all nationally. What do you have against exploring, sharing and getting to know each other? Where are you trying to get in such a hurry? First you criticise for trying to be like the others and now you criticise because we are not trying to be like the others. Which one is it?

EDIT: Mandy, I am fine with the statement either way or using both. I really don't know why discussing it is so offensive to some.

[sanahelwa]

Negative? Because I like many others work a long day, and then we attend a GA that drags on and on and ultimately accomplishes nothing in the grand scheme of things? People want to see action, not tabling the same proposals week after week. Every GA gets smaller in attendance, every GA has more people leaving early. Think about it! Or not. The way you are continuing, you are not going to draw more people to the movement, you are going to drive people away! There is nothing negative about my statements, just factual. You need to stop beating the dead horses and get on with business!

[Solus Hospes]

Mireille, thank you for sharing where you stand on the statement and I also don't know why discussing it is offensive or a waste of time. Opinions.

Sanahelwa, please see my reply to your other non-constructive complaint.

Nov 9, 2011 23:52:00 GMT -5 Solus Hospes said:

I'm tired because I've been working on the Events, legal questions, and communications for this group all day so please forgive me if I come across a little too blunt.

Here are the facts:

1) I didn't "think up" this"long and drawn out" thing to post here. I'm presuming you missed this part (the second to last sentence before the numbers) because the whole post was so long: "With that said, I offer some proverbs I've collected through the years that help give perspective sometimes." I type about 60 wpm so it took me less than five minutes to post that post.

2) I raised my hand at the GA, I did not wiggle my fingers, the GA went on. There's no need to complain about this trivial detail, just adjust and move on.

3) Sparkle fingers, or what ever you want to call it, is far less juvenile to me than your continued non-constructive complaints, accusations, and continued instance that nothing has been done at the GA's and that less people are showing up. This brings me to #4.

4) The first GA had 10 people, 4 proposals, 4 of which passed, all of which were accomplished. The second GA had 15 people, 5 proposals, 5 of which passed, and 4 of which were accomplished. The Third GA had 29 people, 11 proposals, 9 of which passed, 8 of which were accomplished. The Fourth GA had 28 people, 14 proposals, 6 of which passed, all of which were accomplished. The Fifth GA which was this Monday had 29 people, 10 proposals, 5 of which passed, 2 of which have been accomplished the other 3 being events still in the works.

Not only are you being inaccurate in your "fact" that less people are showing up, but lets do the math on this: Twice as many people, twice as many proposals...that's going to bring with it twice as many opinions and of course those factors will equate to more time.

(this is not to say I'm discounting that we've lost valuable people but again, instead of complaining it about it, I'm reaching out to them, talking with them, and seeing what I can do to help bring them back to the table. You know, "be the change you wish to see" kinda thing.)

5) A template has been created to assist with the proposals which from my personal point of view keep getting tabled not because we're beating a dead horse but because they're incomplete. Hence a template to help make sure all the questions get answered before it gets taken to the GA. (here: occupymelbournefl.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ga&action=display&thread=28)

So again I ask you, please, please, please...if you're going to complain about what's being done or not done, please offer the actual facts, not your opinions offered as fact.

Please offer us suggestions on how we can make you feel less like nothing is being done by giving us examples of what you'd like to see done. Or better yet, why not write a complete proposal and offer it on one of the boards or in the appropriate work group?

THAT would go much farther than your complaints.

Again I apologize if I'm coming across brash but truthfully, you're behaving more like a teenager than anyone else I've seen posting on these boards in my honest opinion. I think it has less to do with you actually being that immature and more to do with your frustration. I get it, I feel it too along with others. The difference is, we're doing something constructive about it.

Additionally, a lot in your statements are negative and as outlined above and via the actual definition of negative, very little of your statements are actually fact.

neg·a·tive [neg-uh-tiv] noun, adverb, verb, -tived, -tiv·ing, interjection
adjective
1. expressing or containing negation or denial: a negative response to the question.
2. refusing consent, as to a proposal: a negative reply to my request.
3. expressing refusal to do something: He maintained a negative attitude about cooperating.
4. prohibitory, as a command or order.
5. characterized by the absence of distinguishing or marked qualities or features; lacking positive attributes (opposed to positive): a dull, lifeless, negative character.

[Mireille]

Mandy, your response above is not only appropriate but complete and clear, with facts and the perfect tone, assertive yet without insulting or belittling. Thank you!

[Solus Hospes]

Your welcome and thank you for saying so.