It seems that many people are confused about OWS because it is structurally very different from the type of top down leader led protests of the past they are familiar with. All of the things in the article are issues that the author and people in the movement are concerned with. Speaking for myself, I very strongly identify with much of what he said.
This nonsense about envy and anger at others having more money is the requisite right wing fall back position to play ostrich and hide their heads from any real examination of what is wrong. Its comforting to the right to be able to write off all this populist anger as mere jealousy and thus not have to really do anything about it.
Its not going away. And its not envy. We do not want to break into your sub-zero four foot wide frig and steal all your Beluga caviar. We do not want to break into your eight car heated garage and steal the keys to the Bentley and do figure eights on your fine trimmed manicured lawn. We do not want to steal the floor length mink fur coat and use it for toilet tissue. We do NOT want what you think is so precious and so important.
What we do want is a just and sustainable society where economic justice is the rule and cheaters are punished instead of rewarded. By now, this should be very very clear to anyone who wants to see what is behind all this.
The fact is that the only two consistent messages coming for the Occupy movements is that they are against corporate greed, that is, they are opposed to companies trying to make a profit, and they are against wealth inequality, which means that if you are rich, they want some of your money.
You don't like the word, envy? Fine, then let's say that they resent the fact that some other people have more money than they do. They may claim that they are speaking for 99% of Americans, but of course, that's crap. In America, if 99% of the people want something, they elect legislators and presidents, governors or mayors that make it happen. You may want to believe OWS is out there just to represent your beliefs, but unless you want companies to be all non profits and believe you are entitled to a share of other people's wealth, they don't. In fact, most of the Occupy movements, for all the noise and annoyance they are causing, are still trying to figure out why they are there.
You say you want is a "just and sustainable society where economic justice is the rule," but who decides what is just and sustainable? You? A mob in the streets that has shown contempt for the law and cannot come up with an actionable agenda for change?
You claim the Occupy movements will not go away, but of course, they will. Here in Philadelphia, the Occupy people yesterday marched 2 miles through wind and cold and snow to a planned rally at Temple University at which Bill Clinton and two local left wing politicians had promised to speak, but when Occupy got there, they learned that neither Clinton nor the local politicians were going to show up. The politicians claimed the bad weather prevented them from showing up, but traffic was running well and their limousines would have been dry and well heated. What was clear is that liberal and left wing politicians who recently wanted to be identified with this Occupy movement are now trying to distance themselves from it.