Already Occupied
But is it possible that the Occupy Wall Street-Tea Party divide is more of a rift between generations than of substance?
Charles Ciancio has lived in Humboldt for decades, and is a Tea Party supporter. Ciancio worked his way through college at a local lumber mill pulling greenchain — grabbing and stacking freshly milled timber. Seeing young people protesting against Wall Street is grating to him. He attends local Tea Party meetings, and said that the crowd tends to be older. “I think they appreciate a little more working for a living, reaching the point where they can take care of themselves,” he said. The new protesters represent a sense of entitlement in Ciancio’s opinion. “Have any of them even worked, ever hauled in a bale of hay?” he wondered.
Both movements were born out of tumultuous times.
The Tea Party movement began in 2009 following the 2008 Democratic sweep of Congress and the White House. The conservative/libertarian movement, which is pro-states’ rights, pro-small government, and anti-tax quickly rose to national prominence, and solidified its political power in the 2010 elections, when Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives. Many of the new Republican representatives campaigned under the Tea Party flag, and three current Republican presidential candidates identify themselves as Tea Party members.
The movement, which lacks national leadership, has been lauded as an example of grassroots organization, although critics are quick to point out that the fledgling Tea Party received large amounts of funding from David and Charles Koch, frequent contributors to Republican causes, among others.
Occupy Wall Street began in mid-September, when hundreds of protestors marched through New York and slept on the streets, demanding financial and political reform, among other things. Within weeks, the protester’s ranks swelled into the thousands, and New York City police arrested hundreds. The movement attracted steadily increasing media attention, and spurred similar protests across the nation, including in Eureka and Arcata.
If nothing else, both movements have inspired average people to get involved politically — and their members might find more in common if they paused to consider. Ciancio said that if the Occupy movement could look beyond Wall Street and broaden its focus to all the elected and appointed officials making huge salaries, it would be more on track with Tea Party objectives. He made it clear that he does not approve of the new protesters, but he did say that, however indirectly, the movements could be working toward some of the same goals.
While the Tea Party has carved itself a niche in American politics, at least for now, the future of Occupy Wall Street is less clear.
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44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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SEVEN Comments
Comment / By nyscof / Oct. 13, 6:21 a.m.
More than 3,790 professionals (including 324 dentists) urge that fluoridation be stopped citing scientific evidence that ingesting fluoride is ineffective at reducing tooth decay and has serious health risks. See statement: http://www.fluoridealert.org/professionals-statement.aspx
The CDC reports that 225 less communities adjusted for fluoride between 2006 and 2008. About 100 US and Canadian communities rejected fluoridation since 2008. In 2011 - Marcellus and Mt.Clemens, MI; Fairbanks, Alaska; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Spring Hill & Hohenwald, TN; Philomath, OR; Pottstown, PA; College Station, TX and Spencer, Indiana; and Pinellas County, Florida have stopped fluoridation .
New York State communities which have already stopped or rejected fluoridation include: Naples, Elba, Levittown, Canton, Corning, Johnstown, Oneida, Carle Place, Rockland County, Suffolk County, Western Nassau County, Albany, Beacon, Poughkeepsie, Riverhead, Central Bridge Water District, Homer, Ithaca, Rouses Point and Amsterdam.
NYC Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr introduced legislation to stop fluoridation in New York City .
Comment / By JJ / Oct. 13, 10:18 a.m.
I remember seeing photos from the Tea Party rally at the courthouse, and recognized multiple well known local wealthy housewifes. If anything, the Tea Party seems to be rich people just can’t stand giving a cent to the government. They are not working class people.
Comment / By Denver / Oct. 13, 2:22 p.m.
Charles Ciancio still blames environmentalists, not the market for the collapse of the timber industry in Humboldt
Comment / By dumb ass / Oct. 13, 3:31 p.m.
Ciancio is spot on when he blames environmentalists for the collapse of the timber industry. Due to the never ending lawsuits and over regulation, that’s what killed the industry. The upside is, trees are still being cut and being shipped to China employing hundreds of people in Humboldt.
Comment / By Doug Brunell / Oct. 15, 8:42 a.m.
If you look at the Tea Party’s beginnings, it seems to have had some of the same concerns as the Occupy movement. As for environmentalists causing the collapse of the lumber industry, that goes both ways as clear cutting caused the environmentalists to spring into action.
Comment / By Sad / Oct. 15, 4:52 p.m.
The Occupy movement joins 80 nations and millions of people protesting around the globe, but even our small town weekly has to make it about the Tea Party?
Are you kidding me?
Media reporting is so abysmal that idiots quoted in this story still reserve the word “entitlement” for the Wall Street protesters, completely ignoring the $2 trillion in bailouts….
Do the right-wingers honestly believe that the Wall Street protesters, (and the tens of millions of other unemployed, foreclosed and bankrupted Americans), would refuse work, if it existed!
Unbelievable.
Comment / By Doc / Today, 4:38 p.m.
Hey, I got a great idea…TAX CHURCHES!