A famous man would be at the opposite side of the movement sweeping the world in the form of “Occupy” protests where thousands are protesting everything from governments, the private sector, to reform movements. They started this spring in the Arabian Peninsula and got a truly Western flavor when a group of protestors decided to “Occupy Wall Street.”

The famous man? Mark Twain. His quote, “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” These words would enrage any “Occupy” protestor because they are protesting this exact thought. The Occupy Wall Street movement started to protest the excesses of the rich 1 percent of Americans and proclaims to represent the other 99 percent of Americans.

I support the right to peaceably protest and acknowledge the anger most Americans feel about the current situation we find ourselves as a nation, economy, and people. However, I propose that we “Occupy Washington.” Sounds very Tea Partyish, huh? Well, it isn’t. The reason I propose to occupy Washington instead of Wall Street is because Washington, under the rule of both parties, has allowed the excesses of wealth and abuses of the capitalist system for decades. Unless we protest “Big Power” instead of “Big Money,” I feel that the movement will go the way of the unsuccessful fight against “Big Oil,” nowhere.

It might feel better to yell at the guys with all of the money, however, the result is the same as when you yell at a television during a football game: hoarse, exhausted, and usually disappointed at the results. The players in this real life game aren’t listening because they are buffered against the angry fans.

If the 99 percent truly want to send a message to the elite, they would stop fighting each other along petty lines of race, sex, party, ethnicity, and geography and understand that in order to restart the American economy and spirit, a non-partisan movement needs to take root in the hearts of the American people that demands action on behalf of all citizens.

The last bite…

Where do I start? In celebration of our five-year anniversary, Courtney and I went to Houmas House Plantation in Burnside for dinner. As we sat down at the window overlooking a wedding taking place, we ordered the 7 (YES…seven-course) tasting menu that started with a BLFT (bacon, lettuce, foie gras, and tomato) and ended with a Tabasco infused chocolate crepe served with Creole cream cheese gelato. Somewhere in the middle, we managed to have pumpkin soup with caviar, lump crabmeat and buttered lobster, turtle soup with a shot of sherry, raspberry gelato topped with citron vodka, grilled steak medallions, and a brie, pear, and berry sandwich.

To top it off, my wife glowed as we recalled the past five years of happiness, tragedy, events, campaigns, career changes, and the thousands of fantastic people who have come into our lives from her time in Disney as Tinkerbell to my campaign for Parish President and everywhere in between. Then, we looked into the future with wonder and excitement. I give dinner with the most beautiful girl in the world 6 (out of 5) crumbs!

Buddy Boe, a resident of Garyville, owns a public relations and program management company and is well known on the local political (and food) scenes. His column appears Wednesdays in L’Observateur.