“A movement that’s going somewhere for a change.“
After years of riding a bicycle for transportation, I’m amazed that the frustrated masses aren’t using this noblest of all inventions as the simple solution to most of the problems the Occupy movement rails against. For starters, riding a bike is a lot more fun than sitting around day after day in a stinking public park. It’s time for this movement to, well, get moving!
I’ve decided to start my own version of Occupy. Today. I bought the OccupyBikeSeats domain name http://OccupyBikeSeats for less than the price of a tank of gas. Now I challenge you to help launch a viral movement and give “Occupy” some much-needed traction. With your participation, “OCCUPY BIKE SEATS” will become a nationwide phenomenon with no hierarchy and one simple objective: to get as many people as possible on bicycles for short trips. Here’s my Manifesto and my challenge:
When you OCCUPY BIKE SEATS, you take a step toward better health and energy independence, you become part of a visible and vocal constituency that has the potential to drown out the old-guard oil economy and lobbyists for one-percenters who nullify our votes. And you’ll have fun doing it.
There are lots of organizations who are like OCCUPY BIKE SEATS, all wanting you to be part of their growing voice. One big difference: They always want you to send money you probably don’t have right now. Well, OCCUPY BIKE SEATS doesn’t want or need your money! All we ask is that you use a bike – or walk – for your short trips.
When you OCCUPY BIKE SEATS you’re doing something to actually fatten your wallet, preserve your health, gain energy independence and recapture some basic freedoms you gave up when the profit-mad one percent carjacked America and got us all hooked on oil. Hang on to your car keys for fun stuff like long vacations – at least until we get those fast trains the rest of the world is building.
If you’re among the 99 percent, you can’t out-shout the oil companies and the various industry groups who have armies of lobbyists and lawyers pulling down six and seven figure incomes. And now that the Supreme Court has ruled that money is free speech in election campaign coffers, face it, there’s no way we can compete. They’ll kick our ass on every issue.
That’s why they’re the one percent and we’re the 99 percent. So, the best and most effective means of winning back our environment, our streets, our economy, our resources and our lives, is to show up everywhere on bicycles in the spirit that Occupy Wall Street started.
Why just sit there? Let’s roll!
Pedal your influence. Exercise your freedom and power. “OCCUPY BIKE SEATS!” If enough people will make short trips by bike, there will be a glut of oil and gas like this nation hasn’t seen in decades. Cancel those plans to drill in Alaska and forget about building that silly pipeline. Now we can start focusing in earnest on the Third Industrial Revolution technology of the future that folks like Jeremy Rifkin keep telling us about.
Every time you show up on a bike seat in the street you make a powerful statement about healthy living, the environment, sustainability, outrageous oil profits, energy independence, reverence for our planet, and taking back your personal power to make overdue changes.
The bicycle is an amazing machine that has been called “the noblest invention” for good reason. Before it was overtaken by the automobile early in the previous century, the bicycle brought a brand of personal mobility and freedom this nation hasn’t seen since those happy days. Trust me, you’re gonna love it!
I’m not suggesting that the bicycle is THE answer to all our ills. There is no silver bullet. But when people in growing numbers begin taking charge of their own mobility – even just for short trips – our communities will become more livable, our leaders will have no choice but to create safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists, we’ll no longer be carjacked by industry groups and their lobbyists. We’ll have no reason to provide oil subsidies (welfare payments) to big oil execs and we can quit doing business in parts of the world where people want to kill us.
But perhaps more important than all that, we become a highly visible constituency with sovereign human power to make the kinds of changes that are way overdue. And instead of costing money, we save money every time we OCCUPY BIKE SEATS. We’ll get fit and put less pressure on our health care system. We’ll have more disposable income circulating in our local economies. We’ll have a lot more fun.
You don’t have to get chased out of a public park in New York or D.C. to change your world. Just OCCUPY BIKE SEATS right where you live.
Sign in and sign up at http://OccupyBikeSeats.com and look for us on Facebook and Twitter.
Grace. Peace, Bicycle Grease.
The OBS Team
