In October of 2006, my mother received news that she had an aggressive form of lung cancer which the doctors referred to as small cell lung cancer, also known as SCLC. From the age of 17, she worked mainly as a waitress until later in her life. After the wear and tear wore on her, she became a baker. She didn't take these jobs because they were glamorous or because they were an easy income. She took these jobs, so she could help put food on the table and a roof over the heads of her children and family. She was a friend, a mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother not only to me and my family; but to everyone she ever came in contact with. We watched as she fought tooth and nail for over two years. She wanted nothing more than one more day with the people she loved and cherished. We watched as her hopes of surviving were crushed by a doctor who prescribed her a one a day "miracle" pill. A pharmaceutical giant who saw nothing wrong with charging a thousand dollars for a single one of those pills, and a government based insurance that wouldn't cover a dime of it. We watched as the woman we all loved began to believe that she no longer had hope. She believed that she had become a burden to her family and friends, who she felt sacrificed everything they could to help her through her battle. Then we watched as the ever present smile faded from her lips and was replaced by a constant stream of tears. The tears did not stop until she took her final breath. She was the 99%.
You have now told us numerous times that the 99% are un-American, that these men and women are nothing more than free loaders who are looking for a hand out. You continue to tell us every morning, afternoon, and night that these people are costing us money, that they are hurting us financially, and that they are trying to destroy our country and our freedoms. How dare you sit there and try to blind us with your arrogance and ignorance to the truth and the facts. How dare you call these men and women un-American when in reality, they are fighting for a fair and equal system that is for the people and by the people. At what point did you forget what it means to not only be an American, but to also be a journalist who reports the facts and not the fiction?
Allow me to remind you what it truly means to be un-American in this country. Doing nothing and allowing the greed of Wall Street and Congress to grow out of control, that is un-American. Reporting the fiction and not the facts, that is un-American. Telling us that by being a citizen of this country we are entitled to the rights and freedoms of free men and women and then day after day rape us of those rights, that is un-American and that is unacceptable. What you continue to fail to realize is that we are at a critical point in history right now, not only here in the United States but all over the world. This is a moment that will define generations to come and it will be immortalized in the history books of our children and our children's children. With or without you they will learn the truths of the heroes of this global movement, they will learn about retired police Captain Raymond Lewis, former marine and veteran Scott Olsen, and the bravery of 84 year old, Dorli Rainey, all of which have held the line for freedom and peace. They will learn of the people and the sacrifices that the millions around the world have made and they will see how you tried to manipulate us with your lies and scare tactics forever immortalizing you as true villains of truth and justice. You have lit a fire in us and have caused the melting pot to once again boil. Now we stand united and now we stand together as one.
We are the 99%. We are the tired and the frustrated. We are the free people of the world, and we are taking back that which is rightfully ours. We are taking back our country from the tyranny, and there is nothing you can do to stop us.
