Hidden irony: Occupy L.A., Antonio Villaraigosa, and the Federal Reserve mural

Lots of things about the Occupy Wall Street movement are ironic. For instance, how they complain about big banks while seemingly supporting policies that enrich those big banks, how at least one of their spiritual leaders (Katrina vanden Heuvel) is a member of the CFR, how they complain about abrogation of their speech rights while shouting others down, and on and on.

Consider the following (link) for a minor but telling instance of irony you aren't likely to hear from others.

City officials are in the process of figuring out a future for a large mural in the center of City Hall park, which served as a gathering spot for protesters during the 58-day Occupy L.A. demonstration.

Olga Garay-English, the executive director of the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, said she received a call from the mayor's office Wednesday afternoon about the mural.

"The mayor's office recognizes that this has historical significance so we're working together to make sure that we come up with a good and appropriate solution," she said.

...One side of the plywood now features a large purple octopus, with a crown of the Federal Reserve building, its tentacles clutching a circular ball with a home inside of it.

You might think (especially given his radical history) that L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa would be, say, the leftwing equivalent of Ron Paul when it comes to ending or at least keeping the Federal Reserve in check. You might think he's the Ralph Nader's Noam Chomsky when it comes to keeping corrupt banks in check.

Yet, in 2009, Villaraigosa was one of the forces behind the "Bank on L.A." effort, an attempt to help major banks further profit from illegally-earned money (see the link). The effort was designed in large part to get illegal aliens to open bank accounts. Some no doubt will say, "what's wrong with that?" What's wrong with it is that it puts banks in the position of profiting from illegally-earned money. Banks aren't about to give up a profit center once they get their tentacles around it, and that means that those same banks would donate to politicians who look the other way on illegal immigration. Those banks and their allies are going to underwrite politicians who help them make money, and they aren't going to underwrite (or they're going to oppose) those who would cut into their profits by supporting our laws. See immigration banks for more.

And, note that one of the partners in the Bank On LA effort is the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. You know, a chapter of the octopus from the mural. That Reserve Bank was behind the City of San Francisco effort that served as a model for the Bank on L.A. effort.

The Occupy Wall Street movement needs to take a closer look at who's promoting them, and they need to realize there's a reason why big corrupt businesses and big corrupt banks are on the same side as many of them when it comes to immigration.