IDIOCRACY, OSC Movie Night, 8PM, Tonight (18Apr2012), Courthouse

Idiocracy is a 2006 American film, a satirical science fiction comedy, directed by Mike Judge and starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews.

The film tells the story of two ordinary people taken into a top-secret military hibernation experiment to awaken in a dystopia wherein advertising,commercialism, and cultural anti-intellectualism run rampant and dysgenic pressure has resulted in a uniformly stupid human society devoid of intellectual curiosity, social responsibility, and coherent notions of justice and human rights.

If you are in possession of any receipts for recent Occupy Santa Cruz food expenditures PLEASE get them to Paul ASAP.

Occupy News:

1) Police said that no permit was given to the Occupiers at the Rose Bowl. Held a 70 ft. Constitution and tried to get into parade w/ an OccuPuss but was denied due to it not being made from plant matter.

Inspirational Minute: a passage from Civil Disobedience by Thoreau – “Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men generally, under such a government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them. They think that, if they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it is the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than the evil. It makes it worse. Why is it not more apt to anticipate and provide for reform? Why does it not cherish its wise minority? Why does it cry and resist before it is hurt? Why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have them? Why does it always crucify Christ, and excommunicate Copernicus and Luther, and pronounce Washington and Franklin rebels?”

Inspirational moment:

“I’ve from South Africa and have saw the beginning of a police state and i’m beginning to see it again. You are doing it right.”

“Nationwide has taken traction from the upcoming re-occupation day.”

“We’re far from down and out. We should be inspired and stay strong. As long as have a GA, we’re Occupy Santa Cruz.”

100+ law enforcement officers, most in riot gear, surrounded Occupy Santa Cruz’s encampment early this morning. Five Occupiers were arrested for resisting “evacuation”, plus one arrest on an unrelated outstanding warrant. Scores of county workers stuffed tents, bicycles and other personal property into a garbage truck. The public was blocked from getting close enough to the activity to take pictures.

One Occupier said, “I lost my tent because I was trying to help that old lady over there. They were going to gas her because she couldn’t get out of her tent fast enough.”

A flier was passed out at camp Wednesday that included this call to action: “We will rally at the courthouse and march to the office of Dannettee Shoemaker on Thursday December 8th at 12:00pm – 323 Church Street. If you have further questions concerning the Evacuation, please feel free to call her at 831-420-5270.”

Occupy Santa Cruz, represented by Ed Frey, was denied a restraining order against city police dismantling camp as early as 5 PM today.

Santa Cruz Superior Court Judge Timothy Volkmann stated the decision was on these four grounds, all disputed:

1. OSC’s case was not likely to succeed in litigation
2. OSC would not be irreparably harmed by the camp’s removal
3. The “balance of equity was not tipped”
4. The restraining order was not shown to be in the public interest

An all-camp meeting at Benchlands Park is now in progress to determine Occupy Santa Cruz’s next steps.

Attached is a filing by Occupy Santa Cruz to Federal court defending against the City’s allegations of “public nuisance” and challenging the City’s restriction of First Amendment rights and violation of the United Nations charter re the right to sleep.

This area is for posting additional comments to the Discussion of the Day for Mon 26Mar2012 facilitated by Sylvia.