RE: Occupying abandoned "private" property..........

[Yo_Mama]

59. Okay, if that's your position

I gather you are in favor. You think that OWS groups should be allowed to take over public property.

I don't - but at least we can disagree civilly, and perhaps that's some hope for the future. The reason why taking over public property is more problematic to me as a protest than taking over private property is that almost by definition, you are taking something from more people than will be benefited by the takeover when you take over public property. Civil disobedience aimed at private property held by misbehaving private entities is a message I can grasp easily. We all know that such entities have wrought havoc in our country.

I thought the OWS protest was aimed at the bad acts of NON-governmental groups/agencies/corporations/special interests.

To me, that distinction is important. Because the cure for governmental misbehavior is political participation, whereas out-of-control private interests are not very susceptible to elections at this precise moment in our history.