Beware of some movements

As with most movements, the Occupy XYZ (fill in location of choice) has kernels of truth sprinkled throughout, but the end result leaves one feeling a bit queasy.

The protesters would have us believe Wall Street is inhabited by the world's most gluttonous people, drawn by the whiff of filthy lucre. The Street, they say, reeks of materialism and greed.

Well, these days your nose can be assailed by something unpleasant as you walk near the New York Stock Exchange, but based on photos and news reports since the Occupy movement started, the stench wafts more from the street and nearby park than the imposing palaces built by ill-gotten gains.

Would American capitalism be served by a periodic purging of the financial system? A cleansing now and again never hurts.

The TEA Party is trying to eliminate the gunk that has built up in the system over the decades, but leave things cleaner after a rally than it found them. Perhaps these Woodstock wannabees -- shall we call them members of the P Party? -- someday will figure out exactly what they want, without making a mess for others to clean up.

We must be wary of the end result of such a process. It could put the word ``movement' in an entirely different light.