As the occupiers in Liberty Park begin to confront the reality that their movement is now mainstream for liberal organizations or groups and something Democratic Party operatives may want to manipulate to help President Barack Obama win re-election in 2012, hundreds of people have taken over Freedom Plaza in DC. Legally, with permits, they hold down the plaza from now until Sunday is over. They are calling attention to corporatism and militarism, using the general assembly to plan out how they will organize and grow the occupation and they are occupying this federally-owned park.

On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, I was living in Springfield, IL. I had been laid off from my previous employer back at the end of July so my usual routine was to get up, make the coffee, check my email and the various job hunting sites for anything within my skills and career field to apply to, then surf the news sites. That routine stayed pretty much the same, even the week before when I had visited my best friend in Jacksonville, FL for a week, having returned to Springfield on Saturday, September 8.

It was a sunny morning and my then feline companion had joined me at the computer when I saw the first news article about a plane hitting the World Trade Center.