The Occupy Wall Street bandwagon, driven by thousands of protesters nationwide, finally reached Federal Way.
Don’t go looking for camping colonies, tent cities or raging mobs. A handful of financially frustrated residents, representing a range of ages, formed a discussion group that first met in the library on 320th Street. Their second meeting is 3 p.m. Saturday at Poverty Bay Coffee.
Political and anti-corporate drama aside, kudos to these citizens. They created a local forum for public dialogue. They are attempting to engage the public’s attention and energies. Regardless of whether the participants solve any issues or just gripe, this gathering promotes civil communication and awareness.
On The Mirror’s website is a poll question: Do you support the Occupy Wall Street movement? Of those who responded, 57 percent said no. The informal poll is not scientific, but it makes a point about whether Federal Way readers are occupied with the issue in the first place.
Let’s digress for a moment and examine the name. Webster’s dictionary defines “occupy” as:
• to engage the attention or energies of
• to take up a place
• to take or hold possession or control of
• to reside in, as an owner or tenant
On that note, here are a few tidbits occupying my mind about Federal Way:
1. There’s a buzz that Kohl’s wants to occupy The Commons Mall with a new department store. Nothing is official and mall management is tight-lipped. But it’s an encouraging sign for the local economy. A new big box store by this retail giant will bring jobs and shopping opportunities to Federal Way.
2. The Mirror will print once a week, starting in January. That’s because more people occupy the Internet these days. Newspapers may change their business models, but they will still distribute a print product to hold and crinkle while you smell the ink and soak up the local zeitgeist. Thank you for reading.
3. Would you be angry at the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans if you were one of them? You’d be one if you could, and you know it. Most of those royal jesters were already born on third base thinking they hit a triple. Consider the rest who worked hard and smart.
4. It looks like the ball will begin rolling for a veterans monument in Federal Way. The Kiwanis will host an informal meeting at 1 p.m. Nov. 23 at Old Country Buffet. The buzz word is memorial, but there’s a better word. Memorial tends to represent mourning and death. Federal Way needs a timeless monument or tribute that honors the enduring spirit of America’s armed forces. This will give people another reason to occupy downtown Federal Way. Let the ideas flow. One image that occupies my mind: an 8-foot statue for each branch of the military, with each serviceman and woman in their respective branch’s uniforms. The statues are depicted standing at attention and in a circle, with their backs forming the inside of the circle. In the middle of the circle is an eternal beam of brilliant blue light that shines upward.
