Occupy is a shadow of Solidarity

Occupy is a shadow of Solidarity

It seems that the idealistic, gestural politics of the Occupy Wall Street movement fails to meet a basic criterion of political action: that the actors have a good idea what they want. Lech Walesa agrees. The founder of the independent trade union Solidarity, which helped ring down Poland’s communist regime and eventually even the Soviet Union’s, Walesa is a man who knows what’s needed.

He explained that in an article for the San Francisco Chronicle reflecting on the world’s new protest movements, including Occupy Wall Street. “In the war of ideas, it’s not enough just to be against something; you have to be for something that is sound as well. Before you set out to alter the status quo, you ought to know how to replace it-and you need to be convinced intellectually and in your heart, that the new system will actually be better.”

Solidarity had a “unifying idea,” he writes; That men and women have a God-given right to be free and that government has no right to deny them this freedom.” (Which is clearer and more concrete than what seem to be Occupy Wall Street’s unifying idea, which is something like “Things are really bad and it’s the rich guy’s fault.”)

Solidarity had specific goals to make this unifying idea a reality: “freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom to organize unions, freedom to congregate in public places and express our views, freedom of the press, and freedom to contract, own property, have enterprises and work to uplift the lives of our families and communities.”

Solidarity was a grown up’s liberation movement And one whose experience our contemporary protesters would do well to learn from. When Walesa supports movements for freedom, he explains, “I do not support solely the idea of overthrowing those who are in power. I support the processes that would lead to new orders guaranteeing individual liberty, democracy, civic virtue, equality, and the rule of law.”

The Rev. Edward Neroda, Youngstown

The writer is pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish.

Random kind act sets an example

Whether it is holiday time or just an ordinary day, we all have something to be thankful for. Amidst all the negativity spoken about our city, the generosity of its residents is undeniable.

Our Valley is blessed with many truly generous and caring individuals. I personally witnessed such generosity while having breakfast with my family at the Bob Evans restaurant in Canfield Dec. 23. Upon finishing our breakfast, our hostess advised us that our bill and those of the entire restaurant had been taken care of.

It was a random act of holiday kindness from one such kind and caring individual, Mr. Tony Lariccia. May we all follow in his footsteps of kindness.

Carla Catheline, Canfield