Although it’s often difficult to select which current fever dream of the right is the most preposterous and/or destructive, since there are so many, the current obsession with the idea that, somehow, the UN (!) is going to force suburban Americans to crowd into dirty, icky cities with the Blah’s and the other whatchamacallits is more than usually cuckoo. As so often happens large “market” trends have reshaped how cities are developed since the suburban boom of the 50′s and 60′s, and these markets have noticed two things: cities have gotten a lot more desirable as places to live, and more crucially, suburbs have gotten a lot less desirable.

Leah-Lynn Plante refused to share any other information besides her name at a federal grand jury in Seattle on August 2. Plante had been subpoenaed in July at the same time the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) raided three homes in Portland. She was issued a new subpoena to appear at the grand jury again on August 30.

The FBI appears to be targeting people on the basis of their beliefs. The fact that a special grand jury has been empaneled sends a signal that law enforcement has embarked on a fishing expedition. They are going after anarchists who are likely connected to the Occupy movement.

Seven months ago, after the encampments of Occupy Portland were shut down, a 24/7 vigil outside of City Hall was set up to bring light to the ban on camping and Portland’s serious homelessness issues. The Vigil has been occupied all day, all week since that time. For 33 days now Cameron Whitten, a former mayoral candidate and Occupy Portland activist extraordinaire, has been living at the Vigil and partaking in a hunger strike. Read an interview of Whitten from the Portland Mercury here.

In Portland, Oregon, Occupy Oregon (also known as Occupy PDX) re-occupied Shermanski Park last night. They setup tents, tarps, and folding tables at 4:35 pm PST. A police officer drove by and informed the occupiers it was illegal to “camp” in a public park. The occupiers continued to setup the new encampment. Families with their children were there and a kitchen went up in the park too. They even had a bat signal shining on a building that was able to broadcast text messages from people all over the world.

An AP report on costs cities are facing for police to deal with occupations raises more questions than the AP report mentions. Cities need to be asking whether they wish to be spending money on police actions that have often been unnecessary, highly questionable or worse, as the contrast between different cities shows.

It was a perfect example of the aspirational 53% who want so badly to be 1% that they’ll defend the Oligarchs against the truth chanted by their own natural allies. These people, represented on the street yesterday by Raging Man, cannot see their own natural affinity with the 99%. And so they scream and holler their allegiance to the 1%, thinking that they’ll be admitted to the club if they defend “their” team in the street.

When, actually — to the Oligarchs — they are all just street rabble yelling at one another, to be ignored and belittled and crushed beneath their boots when necessary. All of them cogs in The Owners’ machine, some more aware of their role as indebted serfs than others.

So, if your high schooler comes home one day smelling of patchouli and wearing a peace sign amulet, and blames it on “the recruiters” — don’t worry, it’s not the Air Force Academy going soft. It’s simply the Army of One Hippie: the Peace Recruiters will provide a view of an alternative lifestyle to the video-game, shoot-em-up, go-to-war, get-your-education-paid-for, (did-I-mention-lose-your-legs?) United States Military recruiters.

From athena1 at The Dissenter, a roundup of Occupation stories and pictures from around the country and beyond.

I was a little worried, as I prepared to head to the waterfront to assemble for Occupy Portland; I had just gotten an email from Daily Kos asking me to “pledge” to occupy, and it said I would be joining 37 other hardy souls.

“Really?” my friend Denise asked, “there’s only going to be 37 people?” I assured her that for any lefty event, even in the crappiest weather, we always get at least 5000, but maybe we ought to head down anyway. I grabbed my sign, which said “Let Them Eat Koch,” and we set out.