As most of you know, Frank miller wrote a pretty damning post about the Occupy movement and the “a bunch of iPhone, iPad wielding spoiled brats who should stop getting in the way of working people and find jobs for themselves.”. After reading rereading his comments I couldn’t just sit idly by and say nothing…
Dear Mr. Miller,
As an avid fan of your work and of the principles this country were founded on, I have to say I’m extremely disappointed in your reaction to the Occupy movement. You called the protesters spooled brats who need to get a job and made allusions to the idea that the camp sites are rife with criminals then had the audacity to assume that the protestors don’t have the country’s best interest in mid and would like to just hand the place over to terrorists. Mr. Miller, you are flat out wrong in this assertion. Yes, there is some criminal activity going on as a small handful selfish individuals try take advantage of the situation to benefit themselves, but as you of all people should know, this element exists everywhere. In every police department, government capital, Army brigade and super secret spy headquarters you are going to find a few individuals looking to line their own pockets or exercise their vices while hiding in cover of “The Greater Good”. What matters here is the Occupiers actively work to kick these people from the camps while the aforementioned groups usually work to cover up the indiscretions of their criminal element.
You say they should “get a job” and get out of the way of working people…. Mr. Miller, if there were jobs to be had, they would be looking for them. When Bank of America announces they plan to lay off 30,000 workers over the next few years and then turns around and announces $6.2 billion in profits the previous quarter, you have to ask yourself why they would do this? It’s simple really, they aren’t making enough profit. It’s not that they aren’t making a profit or that they are spending too much to make that profit, no, it’s that they want more money. The way to do that is simple: Raise the fees they charge to use your money and then reduce the number of people they employ to service their customers. We, the tax payer, bailed out Bank of America because they gambled with their customers’ money and now they want US to backstop another $76 trillion in derivatives funding??? And why will this happen? Simple: Because the separation between government and the banks has eroded away to nothing. They lobby and scheme with easily bought legislators to get their way and ensure that nothing effects their profits. That is the core of the OWS movement: Get the banks and the corporations out of our government.
Sir, as someone who respects your work and someone who respects your freedoms, to use the “you’re emboldening our enemy” argument makes me sick. You don’t think “Holy Terror” could be seen as an excuse by Terrorists to attack this country? You don’t think that Martha Washington could been seen as a fictional rallying point for Al Qeida to strike at? Hell, “Give me Liberty” could be used as a blue print for how to attack the White House… but you say that the Occupy protestors are the problem. It’s unfortunate that all too often the rallying cry of those who seek to limit or destroy our freedoms is “For your Safety” or “To Protect our country”. What makes the terrorists dangerous is the same thing that makes any extremist group dangerous: They believe that what they are doing is ordered by a higher power. Whether it be the gunman in Norway, the 9/11 hijackers or people who bomb abortion clinics these people believe that what they are doing is just and ordained by their deity. It’s people like the protestors in Iran, Egypt and here at Occupy that spit in the face of the notions that freedom is derived from a god but instead a basic human right of any and all people on this planet. It’s the actions of those who rally against the religious/corporate/government oppression that make terrorists nervous because it shows that the will of the people is stronger and more important than the will of the few in charge. Terrorism works not only through force but by through fear and the more people that stand up and say “We are not afraid, we will not bow to you, we are the people!” the weaker that fear grows every day and the less power men like Bin Laden have to flaunt.
Mr. Miller, I will continue to be a fan of your work but I really think you should spend more time listening to the heartbeat of this country and less time watching Fox News.
Chris Murphy
