The Occupy Movements and The Stubborness of History

History can be very stubborn. In three short months, the Occupy movements have accumlated two very powerful weapons, some inadvertently handed to them by those they have threatened- facts and images. The facts are about inequality in American soceity and government collusion in the malfeasance and enrichment by the nation's financial institutions. The images are of violent actions and huge concentrations of force by law enforcement agencies, some in cities, some on college campuses throughout the nation. This combination of facts and images remains while particular protests, or even organizations, rise and fall. And they have the capacity to regenerate activism when it appears to be on the wane. They are there in quiet moments as well as moments of turbulence, reminding us of the depth of the injustices being challenged, and the desperation and amorality of those defending their power and privileges.