Occupy Seattle to "Welcome" Visiting Plutocrat

Here in Seattle, thousands of miles from Wall Street and K Street, the bankers, lobbyists and corrupt politicians targeted by the Occupy movement can seem a bit abstract. Further muddying the waters, some of the protesters themselves are fond of depicting the "banksters" as cartoonishly diabolical villains. Unfortunately, the plutocrats' big swindle isn't out of a comic book or folk tale; it really happened, and it was perpetrated by real people operating in a culture that tolerated corruption and greed. One of those swindlers, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, is coming to Seattle on Wednesday, and Occupy Seattle isn't going to let the occasion pass without comment.

Dimon has all the hallmarks of the archetypal corrupt banker- his firm was the beneficiary of $25 billion in TARP money, but that apparently wasn't enough to stop him from whining bitterly about the government's supposed harshness on the banking sector. Throughout the crisis caused by Dimon and his cronies, he's remained a confidante of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, a relationship which, amazingly, neither party seems to find remotely improper. If ever an outraged 99-percenter finds his dedication to the cause depleted, I'd encourage them to find an interview with Dimon online- spending five minutes studying his delusional, let-them-eat-cake outlook on the crisis is enough to have almost anyone reaching for their torch and pitchfork, particularly when you keep in mind that in the last year, Dimon was compensated with around $20 million in salary and benefits.

This paragon of the financial industry will be in town Wednesday to speak at a "business leadership" event sponsored by the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. Meanwhile, Occupy Seattle will be hosting a "speak out" about the power of the banks at Seattle Central Community College at 1:00pm, followed by a march and "major action" at a bank at 2:00pm. Closer to the time of Dimon's speech, a welcome committee will be meeting at Westlake Park at 6, and marching to the downtown Sheraton where the business community will be congregating to bask in Dimon's wisdom.

By now, crowds of angry commoners may be routine to the Dimons of the world, but protesters are hoping the real pain comes next Saturday, when Occupiers are encouraging sympathizers to transfer their money out of big banks, like Dimon's Chase.