MEDIA ROOTS- Margot Paez is an independent journalist based in LA and the host of Insight Out News. She has been covering Occupy Los Angeles since October 1st, and has been compiling daily footage from the local protest on her blog. Her best video footage includes exclusive interviews from Tom Morello, Dan Choi Day and on the spot interviews with the protestors.
Day 8: Tom Morello
The first big day of action marked the second week of Occupy Los Angeles where actor Danny Glover, and musician Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine came out to speak to the thousand member crowd. Tom Morello performed four of his songs at the rally, including ‘World Wide Rebel Song’, which became notorious during the Wisconsin protests. Day eight’s coverage includes on the spot interviews with LA protesters and an exclusive interview with Tom Morello.
Day 12: Dan Choi Day
The heart of the second week of Occupy Los Angeles took place at City Hall in downtown LA. Dan Choi, one of the leading activists for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, made a surprise visit to the occupation. Choi toured the encampment, informally spoke with the occupiers and then addressed the General Assembly in the evening. This report highlights the day’s events, contains man on the street interviews with protesters and features an exclusive interview with Dan Choi.
Day 15: International Day of Action
The first day of Occupy LA’s third week coincided with the International Day of Action. Over 10,000 protesters marched from Pershing Square to the financial district where they stopped to protest at various corporate offices of banks like Citigroup and Bank of America. Occupy Los Angeles led the march, but there was a diverse represenation of LA citizens participating including senior citizens, union members, and families. Peter Joseph, creator of the Zeitgeist film series, gave the keynote speech at the rally.
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New videos of Occupy LA posted everyday at www.insightoutnews.org or follow them on twitter www.twitter.com/insightoutnews.
Fantastic, Insight Out News. Three cheers for citizen/resident/independent journalists!
Definitely research net neutrality, if you haven’t already, and keep digital open for the people.
As for the question posed to Tom Morello about whether celebrities delegitimise grassroots movements, well… It’s a good question.
Margot Paez: “My question is in regard to the legitimacy of bringing celebrities out to these types of demonstrations. There’s been some criticism in the media that it delegitimises the movement because then they don’t actually belong to the working-class. What is your opinion on this?”
Tom Morello: “First. first of all, I mean, you say ce-, celebrities like, like plague-carriers or something like that… Um, you say celebrities as if you were saying plague-carriers. Uh, first of all, I think, I mean, that’s a, it’s a, it’s an odd, it’s an odd ghettoisation of an, like, because I play guitar, because I’m in a rock band that has sold records. Does that mean that I don’t have a First Amendment right? I mean, that seems, that’s an argument that’s often brought up by the Right to silence dissent of people who have access to the media who disagree with their policies. I’m not someone who is here today to speak for celebrities. I don’t consider myself a celebrity. I’m from a small town in Illinois. I play guitar. I’m a, I live in Los Angeles. So, I came to Occupy Los Angeles. If someone else lives in Los Angeles, whether they’re a baker, whether they’re a homeless person, or whether they’re on Entertainment Tonight, I think they have a right to be here.”
OK, Tom Morello. Sure you have a right to be there.
But Morello seemed to duck the bit about not belonging to the working-class. I find it hard to accept the notion of a millionaire belonging to the working-class. It’s good Tom Morello doesn’t consider himself a celebrity and that fame, money, and power hasn’t corrupted his ethics. (We hope.)
But I agree that celebrities have a First Amendment right.
I like what US Day of Rage tweeted last month, early on in the OWS movement: Celebrities are not going to save us.
But as I wrote on Facebook after seeing Mark Ruffalo’s YouTube interview with RT’s Lucy Kafanov from about a week ago, celebrities may not always have a perfect, empirical analysis. Who does? But celebrities have freedom of speech, like the rest of us, and must not be afraid to show some intelligence for fear of smearing their lovely careers, to paraphrase Morrissey from “The World Is Full of Crashing Bores.”
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“The World Is Full of Crashing Bores” by Morrissey (Morrissey/Boorer, 2004)
You must be wondering how
The boy next door turned out
Have a care, But don’t stare
Because he’s still there
Lamenting policewomen policemen silly women taxmen
Uniformed whores, They who wish to hurt you, Work within the law
This world is full, So full of crashing bores
And I must be one, ‘Cos no one ever turns to me to say
Take me in your arms, Take me in your arms, And love me
You must be wondering how
The boy next door turned out
Have a care, And say a prayer
Because he’s still there
Lamenting policewomen policemen silly women taxmen
Uniformed whores, Educated criminals, Work within the law
This world is full, Oh oh, So full of crashing bores
And I must be one, cos no one ever turns to me to say
Take me in your arms, Take me in your arms
And love me, And love me
What really lies, Beyond the constraints of my mind
Could it be the sea, With fate mooning back at me
No it’s just more lock jawed pop stars
Thicker than pig shit, Nothing to convey
They’re so scared to show intelligence
It might smear their lovely career
This world, I am afraid, Is designed for crashing bores
I am not one, I am not one
You don’t understand, You don’t understand, And yet you can
Take me in your arms and love me, Love me, And love me
Take me in your arms and love me, Love me, love me
Take me in your arms and love me, Take me in your arms and love me
http://youtu.be/kxytHNZ35O?w (listen on YouTube, mate. cheers.)