Big Brother is looking out for us?

Perhaps I should have felt - I dunno - secure(?)  when my mobile phone rang and it was a Police Sargent on the other line this morning.  But call me a little paranoid, when the Police Officer said he tracked me down via Facebook because I made a post about the Occupy Des Moines March scheduled for Saturday, I was a little taken aback and creeped out.  So it's one thing for the police to monitor the Social Networking sites of peaceful protesters who now have a permit to occupy the public land for which they pay taxes, but it's very Big Brother to track down the members of said group and call them on their mobile number about whether we plan to obtain a Parade Permit for a loosely organized function.  Surely, he seemed sincere about his concern for the safety of the participants and for that I am grateful.  That doesn't make me feel less skeezy though about the two calls to my house phone and one to my mobile.  I assume they got my numbers from my newly formed Police Arrest Record?  Even more creepy!  Anyway, when the PoPo's ring and ask you to go to City Hall to obtain a free parade permit, you should probably heed their advice.  I did.  We have our permit.  Still kind of skeezed out by the Big Brother aspect of the whole thing, but at least no one in the march will get plowed under by a bad East Side driver - so that's something. 

General Assembly meetings are going smoother now.  Less bickering and more understanding of the odd hand signals.  There seems to be a plethora of donated food to be consumed by all hungry parties as well.  The tents for different committees, dining areas, storage and living space are also shaping up nicely.  It's like a little community forming right before our eyes.  

Tomorrow morning is the meeting with the fine folks from DAS where we request a renewal of our occupation permit.  After I drop off Ireland to school at 8 AM, we will trek the short hike to the hideous structure we know as the Hoover Building.  As I currently see it, there seems to be no reason why the permit won't be renewed - but this journey has been like nothing I've experienced and none of my predictions have been correct thus.  DAS has been very accommodating to this point.  I am interested to see how the whole thing plays out. 

It's going to be a fantastic weekend with lots of activities at the encampment as well as a marathon on Sunday which will entail thousands of silly runner folk (who runs for FUN?!) going right past our occupation.  Best of all, the weekend will be WARM!  I'm not sure we could ask for more!  Oh, yeah, we COULD ask for victory in our movement.  That AND warm weather ... 

 Piper, the budding protester!