Occupy madness

Welcome to Black Friday 2011, the new "you can't do anything without making a political statement" milestone. If you decide to stay home just to avoid the mad frenzy, you could also be accused of supporing the "Occupy Black Friday" movement, an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street that seeks to shake us out of our materialistic stupor or something ("hit the corporations that corrupt and control American politics where it hurts, their profits"). But if you just have to get out there for all the great bargains, you will also, of course, be aiding the efforts of  BUYcott Black Friday, a tea party coalition group aiming to counter the Occupy Black Friday movement's "irresponsible anti-capitalism" at at time "when our economy is most fragile." 

Of course, you could stay hope and shop both, through the magic of the Internet. But that would upset the editors of The Journal Gazette:

As tempting as it might be to wait and join the Cyber Monday crowds at the keyboard to select your gifts online, please reconsider. Think about joining a growing movement to support local merchants.

[. . .]

So, join the movement. Venture out this holiday season to patronize a brick-and-mortar business and give yourself the satisfaction of knowing you've helped support the local economy.

I already have enough stuff, I really and truly do, and so do most of the people on my gift list. So I probably won't be buying all that much, which is sort of New Agey progressive of me. But for the stuff I do buy, I will look for the most value for my money, wherever it is from and wherever it is sold, so just call me a typical heartless conservative.

If I stop for a sandwich on the way home today, I wonder what the politcal implications are in getting a Big Mac instead of Hall's Big Buster? Maybe I should find out where the ingredients come from first. If it turns out the Big Mac uses beef from closer to here than the Big Buster, how can we order either one without causing a rip in the space-ti