The spirit of 2011

Do me a favor -- when I reach the point in life where I've stooped to spending my weekends hanging out on the Web site of an opposiing viewpoint and gloating over a rape, please hunt me down and kill me. Having said that, of course I deplore the alleged rapist at Occupy Philadelphia this weekend, along with any other lawbreakers (civil disobedience not included) who showed up there in the month or so since they set up shop.

Sorry, rape gloaters, but that's no reason to denounce the majority of good people in the Occupy movement or suddenly withdraw my support, not when they've already done so much good in putting the focus on inequality in America, where it belongs. I do think, however, the safety, security and leadership issues posed by a now-winter encampment that's open to anyone in the 99 percent means that it's time for the Occupy movement to contemplate a new phase, Phase 2. We'll talk about that later in the week. I'm sure you can't wait.