Features

The Evolution of the Butterfly



Renowned cellular biologist, Dr. Bruce Lipton narrates the process of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly over a milieu of imagery in "The Evolution of the Butterfly". The film combines first hand footage from the Occupy Wall Street movement with stylized portraits of the recent economic collapse and gives a backdrop of hope to sometimes bleak reality.

For more information on the caterpillar and butterfly, humanity and society, see Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future And A Way To Get There From Here.

After Being Beaten and Arrested Several Times, Occupier Tries to Reason With Police

This is Daniel Murphy @ Union Square on March 22nd:

Fault Lines: History of an Occupation

Wall Street Pirates – Shepard Fairey & Jamie Reid


Shepard Fairey and Jamie Reid print collaboration.

The JOBS Act Is A Fraud-Enhancing Gift To Wall Street Criminals

By William K. Black, Henry N. Pontell, Gilbert Geis, Janet Tavakoli, Barry Ritholtz & Lynn A. Stout
As white-collar criminologists (and a former financial regulator and enforcement head) and experts in ferreting out sophisticated financial frauds, our careers and research focus on financial fraud by the world’s most elite private sector criminals and their political cronies. Therefore, we write to thank Congress and the President for preparing to adopt a JOBS Act that will provide us with job security for life.

Cenk: Occupy Wall Street Protesters Aren’t The Violent Ones – The Police Are

Cenk: “No cops ever get punished, no mayors ever get punished. If you go out there to exercise your First Amendment rights, should you expect an ass-kicking by your own police that you paid for?”

OWS Re-Occupation Arrests: Protester Has Seizure in Handcuffs

DeGraw & Papantonio: The 99% Movement, Anonymous & Get Money Out (Ring of Fire Radio)

Is Occupy Wall Street the offline version of Anonymous?

$h!t Lobbyists $ay

Lobbyists write legislation, they take your representatives out to lunch, they throw fundraisers, they abide by absurdly specific rules to avoid appearance of graft and bribery, but nonetheless, Lobbyists influence your government for the benefit of corporate interests.

Ben Harper and Tom Morello: There’s A Better Way

Performed live at an InterOccupy meetup hosted by Occupy LA in MacArthur Park:

Greedy Bastards Antidote: Lawrence Lessig on “One Way Forward”

In a discussion on money, politics, and the growth of organic political reform movements in America over the last few years, Dylan Ratigan talks with Lawrence Lessig about his new book, One Way Forward: An Outsiders Guide to Fixing the Republic.


You can read Lessig's book here.

Obama’s Lobbying Ban Leads To More Corruption

When Republic Report launched Sell Out Of The Week, our initial winner was President Obama, who earned the prize for embracing his super PAC, essentially endorsing unlimited corporate cash invading the democratic process, after having failed to take some critical steps to clean up the system. We’ve chosen him again this week, but for a different money in politics offense.

Obama campaigned on a promise of reform and transparency, pledging as a candidate that lobbyists “will not run my White House… and will not drown out the voices of the American people.” But three years into his presidency, Obama’s lobby reform is broken. The rules once seen as revolutionary are counterproductive, meaningless, and frankly ridiculous.

This Is NOT What Democracy Looks Like! Criminalizing First Amendment Rights


If laws like the new Trespass Bill (HR 347) had been in effect during the Civil Rights movement, there would have been no March on Washington. Martin Luther King Jr. and his fellow activists would have been rendered criminals. And King's call for "militant nonviolent resistance" would have been silenced by police in riot gear.

Decentralized Global Rebellion: G8 On The Run; Occupy News Roundup; American Police State; Move To Amend

Facing Global Protest, G8 Retreats | #Occupy News Roundup | How to Fund an American Police State | Thousands Protest Soaring Education Cuts | "This Is Our Land:" Lakota Form Human Blockade to Stop Tar Sands Trucks | Tech Firms Help Arab Dictators | Vermont Town Meetings Will Move to Amend

Hot List: Richest 1% Swipe 93% of All Income Gains; Robber Barons Continue to Rake in Billions; Market Recovery Is Illusion


Richest 1% Swipe 93% of All Income Gains | Wall Street speculators continue to rake in billions | SEC Dropped the Ball on $7 Billion Ponzi Scheme | Goldman's Massive Conflicts of Interest | Gaming the Greek bailout | Market Recovery Is an Illusion | BP to Pay $7.8 Billion | Legality of Targeted Killings of US Citizens Overseas

#GetMoneyOut News Roundup: Abolish Corporate Personhood; It’s Not Just Citizens United; Super Tuesday’s Big Winner; Will Lawmakers Return Stolen Money?

Voters Back Grassroots Campaign to Abolish Corporate Personhood | It’s Not Just Citizens United | FEC’s bad rap getting worse | Super Tuesday’s winner: Big-money politics | Most Former Members Of Congress Work In Lobbying | Stanford's been convicted, will lawmakers return stolen money? | Super PAC aims to wrest grip of incumbents

LulzSec Cyber Activists Arrested With Help of Hacking Group’s Former Leader – Is Julian Assange Next? (Full Indictments)


Full LulzSec Indictments Here

Wall Street Whistleblowers Get the Silent Treatment From Washington

What’s worse: to be persecuted and indicted for trying to expose an act of wrongdoing -- or to be ignored for doing so? The Obama administration has set a record by accusing no fewer than six government employees, who allegedly leaked classified information to reporters, of violating the Espionage Act, a draconian law dating back to 1917. Yet when it comes to workers who have risked their careers to expose misconduct in the corporate and financial arena, the government has often left whistleblowers feeling isolated and discouraged.

Mic Check! The People Speak – Part 1: Tom Morello, Nomi Prins, Shepard Fairey, Miles Mogulescu, Margaret Flowers, Danny Goldberg, Stephen Marshall, Glen Ford and Lee Camp

Editor's Note: The following is the first of a new seven-part series featuring statements from occupiers, organizers and supporters of the 99% Movement. The statements are excerpted from the new book, "The Economic Elite Vs. The People: 99% Movement Call to Action." In this installment, we feature comments from Tom Morello, Nomi Prins, Shepard Fairey, Miles Mogulescu, Margaret Flowers, Danny Goldberg, Stephen Marshall, Glen Ford and Lee Camp.

Hot List: Wall Street Plunder Continues, Extreme Weather Hits US & War With Iran

AIG Still Robbing US Taxpayers; Fed Lets Banks Pay Shareholders Billions; Costs of Extreme Weather; War with Iran; Global Insurrection Roundup; Occupy the SEC; Occupy Food Justice; More

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Welcome to the #OWS 99% Movement “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group

October 7th, 2011 | Filed under Activism, Feature, Hot List, Politics & Government . Follow comments through RSS 2.0 feed. Click here to comment, or trackback.

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This is not an official statement from the #OWS 99% Movement. As a decentralized leaderless movement, in our opinion, there is no one group, organization, website or individual who can speak for the movement as a whole.

We, a working group of people currently occupying Liberty Park and many other locations throughout the US, are growing increasingly concerned about divide and conquer attempts being made to co-opt the movement. In the following message, we are issuing our first proposed statement. If you agree with the statement, please post it to your website and/or spread it throughout your social networks, both online and offline at occupations throughout the country. If you would like to read this statement at your local GA meetings and vote or edit it, feel free. If you disagree with the statement, please air your disagreements – this is what democracy looks like.

We appreciate, respect and encourage endorsements from individuals and organizations. We invite them. However, just because an individual or organization endorses our movement, does not mean that they in any way have a leadership role in deciding the future direction of this movement. We will not be co-opted by hierarchical organizations. No matter how wonderful their cause may be.

There are many people, organizations and media outlets within both the Democratic and Republican parties who are trying to label us as the Democrat’s version of the Tea Party. In this working groups opinion, not only is this incorrect, but in labeling us this way, you are, whether you realize it or not, undermining the very essence of this movement with your obsolete divide and conquer groupthink propaganda. Just as the mainstream media and both political parties aided and abetted the co-option of the Tea Party by the Republican Party, there is an attempt being made to do the same to us within the Democratic Party.

We the People, We the 99%, are not the pawns of either wing of the two-party oligarchy.

We emphatically reject the attempted leadership of any political party, organization or individual. If there are elected officials or organizations who endorse our movement, we welcome them.

However, they must do so knowing this: Your voice will be just as loud as any other voice. We are led by no one. You cannot co-opt We The People.

Respect Us.

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    Previous Comments:

  1. mcthorogood said:

    GA meeting = General Assembly

  2. mcthorogood said:

    GA meeting = General Assembly

  3. mcthorogood said:

    GA meeting = General Assembly

  4. ahansen said:

    RESIST!

    Well played, my friends.  Stay amorphous, stay ominous, stay strong.  

    We are the peephole.   ALL POWER TO THE PEEPHOLE!

    (Right arm!)

  5. ahansen said:

    RESIST!

    Well played, my friends.  Stay amorphous, stay ominous, stay strong.  

    We are the peephole.   ALL POWER TO THE PEEPHOLE!

    (Right arm!)

  6. Anonymous said:

    This populist rebellion belongs to neither party. The two political parties are nothing more than the same two-headed snake. The leaders of this oligarchal serpent need to stay away. Politicians of both stripes passed up your opportunity to help the American people. Instead, you have shown nothing more than your own selfish, self-interests. 

  7. UNITY NOW, details later.

  8. [...] 2011 | Filed under Activism, Feature, Hot List, Politics & Government . Follow comments through RSS 2.0 feed. Click here to comment, or [...]

  9. kdelphi said:

    Solidarity with not being co-opted

  10. Matt Prather said:

  11. [...] Source [...]

  12. Michael Morgan said:

    I love it and agree 100 %.  I will read the statement aloud at the GA in Occupy Asheville, NC Sat,. 10/8/11, around 3 pm.  Unless someone else beats me to it.  We have a fired up, socially backed network here.  We have peaceful, mutually respectful relationships with the Mayor’s Office and the A. police dept.  Many businesses are opening up private property for the Occupiers to camp on.  Many sources keep food coming in.  The number of new people who keep arriving is absolutely amazing.  For example, our medical team has a practicing physician, a nurse and 2 people with at least some EMT training.  Other working groups are similarly well staffed with energized folks of all ages, from all walks of life.  You have to see it to believe it.  Find an Occupy movement near you and spend a few days there.  You’ll catch the fire too.  Freedom smells soooooo good!

  13. [...] Welcome to the #OWS 99% Movement “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group | AmpedStatus. Posted in Anonymous, Police State, Politics, Revolution, World | Tagged OccupyTheFed, OccupyWallStreet, revolution [...]

  14. Messenger for Yahweh said:

    We the People, Have the Power…..We the People, Have the Power….We the People, Have the Power……Not only are we protesting the wrong that has been done to the people, we are re-establishing and reminding all of who we are.  We the People!!!!!  Chant this in the streets for this is how we have the power.  Only when there is “WE”!

  15. John Cause said:

    All of America has been co-opted in the past.We must seriously be aware of ‘new friends w/money’.We have received no understanding nor empathy from Republicans or Democrats.We must be very careful, this is a most sensitive area.
    Anyone who can leverage the revolution for profit is a risk.Lifting the Veil</a

  16. John Cause said:

    This is a good read: An open letter and warning from a former tea party movement adherent to the Occupy Wall Street movement.

    Personally I have not been a fan of the Tea Party, however I believe this was written in earnest.

  17. [...] http://ampedstatus.org/welcome-to-the-ows-99-movement-we-will-not-be-co-opted-working-group/ Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]

  18. [...] taken notice of this, and a “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group has popped up and released this important [...]

  19. weeknreview said:

    [...] If there are elected officials or organizations who endorse our movement, we welcome them.http://ampedstatus.org/welcome-to-the-ows-99-movement-we-will-not-be-co-opted-working-group/ Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this [...]

  20. Messenger for Yahweh said:

    We the People, Have the Power…..We the People, Have the Power….We
    the People, Have the Power……Not only are we protesting the wrong
    that has been done to the people, we are re-establishing and reminding
    all of who we are.  We the People!!!!!  Chant this in the streets for
    this is how we have the power.  Only when there is “WE”!

    Get yourselves acquainted with your freedom on: http://www.republicfortheunite...

    If anyone asks you your name, including the authorities, tell them who
    you are:  “We the People” and We the People take our authority back from
    now on. 
    Blessings,
    We the People

  21. [...] Welcome to the #OWS 99% Movement “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group This is not an official statement from the #OWS 99% Movement. As a decentralized leaderless movement, in our opinion, there is no one group, organization, website or individual who can speak for the movement as a whole. We, a working group of people currently occupying Liberty Park and many other locations throughout the US, are growing increasingly concerned about divide and conquer attempts being made to co-opt the movement. In the following message, we are issuing our first proposed statement. [...]

  22. Anonymous said:

    http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/10/02-1  (MAIN ARTICLE)

    essential reading for purposes of agreement on the issues and solidarity:
    Please ALSO read the Principles of Solidarity working draft
    http://nycga.cc/2011/09/24/principles-of-solidarity-working-draft/
     

    Published on Sunday, October 2, 2011 by NYC General Assembly

    Declaration of the Occupation of New York City

    by NYC General Assembly

    This document was accepted by the NYC General Assembly on September 29, 2011, with slight adjustments in wording on October 1, 2011:

  23. Jdefili105 said:

    We the people have the power in this so called free counrty we live in to all withdraw all of our asets from the banks..they will have no choice but to work for the customer  again

  24. Anne said:

    When occupywallst.org lists organizational endorsements, it
    strongly suggests that those organizations have great influence, otherwise, what is the point of accepting such endorsements?

    The
    list of endorsers is eerily similar to the list for 2008 Obama election
    campaign. Accepting such endorsements undermines your credibility as a
    grassroots movement of individuals. If you truly reject organizational
    leadership of these organizations, then stop taking their endorsements.

    I fully support a movement for economic fairness, but yeah, I
    think you already got co-opted.

  25. Matt Prather said:

    It’s not co-opted unless most of the people protesting are co-opted.

  26. kdelphi said:

    I am a Socialist…..i believe it in my bones…..if that is not ok with you,well…

  27. I can understand the need to keep this movement open to all and that no one group should be called a leader.  However, I feel that in your and others statements you are alienating groups that we need in this fight.  I will give you an example, the unions.  The smugness that I feel coming from some in rejecting opinion and backing of the union leadership is counter productive.  Yes, we union men and women are ourselves sigusted with the people leading our unions, but without the go ahead from those leaders the membership will be hindered from pparticipation in this movement.  All I am asking is for you to choose your words carefully.  You may feel that having 20,000 demonstrators is a large number, but (I am sure you will agree) we need 20 million and the numbers are there unless we start alienating groups because we do not agree with the leaders of the groups.  This is not about groups it is about people with real people problems.  I do not like the anarchist and socialist groups being involved but I would never take it upon myself to tell them that we do not care about their cause.  We should all have an equal opportunity to speak and participate.  I do not want to end up with a more regressive government than we presently have, and thumbing our noses at certain groups because of a few bad leaders is getting us knowwhere.  Please read carefully what you write before making it public, we do not want to fail while we are making such progress.  Thank you for your time.
                                                                               Jim

  28. Matt Prather said:

    Well said. I think this is a time for tolerance and honesty. In all likelihood, all “old” ideas are going to be the “wrong” way forward, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find the right way…
    I for one am not prejudiced against union men and women, even though I came from a background of “believing” that unions are rotten. 

  29. Anonymous said:

    [IMG]http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/falbergsawco/HereToHelp.jpg[/IMG]

  30. [...] kooptieren  lassen, nicht von Parteien und NGOs, nicht von Stiftungen und Thinktanks – und sie weiß warum.  Sie weiß woher der Wind bläst, warum sie auf  “Weathermen” (die US-Version der [...]

  31. Green said:

    Occupy San Francisco here.  Nancy Pelosi came out in support of OWS.  What to do?  Ignore, respond, rebuke?

  32. [...] – following his talk – to implement consensus building techniques that he designed decades ago. As the inevitable freak-out unfolds over whether Occupy is being co-opted by outside entities, it's important to remember that a lot of old picket line standbys like Butler can be a huge [...]

  33. [...] Welcome to the #OWS 99% Movement “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group [...]

  34. [...] which helped to launch the original Occupy Wall Street protest in New York, recently published an article stating that all attempts by the Democratic party or any establishment group to infiltrate and [...]

  35. U got it oh so right. Would that all of America understood the implications of your short paragraph.

  36. This is what the Oligarchs have created and will do anything to sustain. Occupy Wall St must destroy this enslavement of America.

  37. [...] which helped to launch the original Occupy Wall Street protest in New York, recently published an article stating that all attempts by the Democratic party or any establishment group to infiltrate and [...]

  38. NadePaulKuciGravMcKi said:

    Nader Paul Kucinich Gravel McKinney Baldwin Ventura Sheehan
    Catch the mist, Catch the myth, Catch the mystery, Catch the drift

    we don’t play their corrupt game any more  
    learn from each other teach each other  
    we agree on more than we disagree  
    left wing right wing parakeet wing

  39. [...] We will not be co-opted by hierarchical organizations. No matter how wonderful their cause may be.Welcome to the #OWS 99% Movement “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group | AmpedStatus __________________ Walk [...]

  40. [...] which helped to launch the original Occupy Wall Street protest in New York, recently published an article stating that all attempts by the Democratic party or any establishment group to infiltrate and [...]

  41. [...] Welcome to the #OWS 99% Movement “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group [...]

  42. BrettMcQ said:

    Sign the petition!!!!!     I spend a lot of time tracking stories about the movement and the amount of misinformation, finger pointing, partisan bickering, and propaganda is rage inducing!
    Please don’t allow anyone to put their Auctioned political party bs on our movement.
      If you want one thing all 99% can agree on, it is to end the auction for our government.    Separate business and their corrupting money from government.  GetMoneyOut.com

  43. “it’s become kind of a political left movement in the U.S., hopefully to rival the Tea Party”.  Kalle Lasn Adbusters Founder.  

    So by the premise of your article, you mean that the original organizer is undermining your movement?  Do tell.

  44. [...] “While I can agree with much of Ms. Sylke’s letter, I beg to differ with her assertion that the OWS movement is a “left-wing” founded and funded movement. Really?? Is that why they’ve made such a point to repeatedly state We Will Not Be Co-Opted – by anyone? [...]

  45. Clearskies345 said:

    we probably don’t have enough savings for them to care, that’s why the fees on the checking accounts.  But it’s better than no action. And better still, let’s stop using the credit cards.  

  46. Lisa Bracken said:

    I am writing to share news of what has been called the “perfect ocnvergence of book and movement”. In August I launched “You And What Army? How to Neutralize Conflict and Negotiate Justice for the Totally Outgunned, Inwardly Timid, Burnt Out or Socially Defunct”. Its THE field guide to social justice and political reform in the 21st century – and written by one of the standing 99 stomped for eight-years by the oil and gas industry’s corporate greed (Gasland). I want the people to have this book, and I’m offering a digital download through Amazon for .99 cents. If I could find a way to link ‘profit’ from the download to this site in order to help support it I would. Anyone have any ideas? Please help me share word of this book – those who don’t realize their role in conflict are destined to be guided by those who do – and this book is available to everyone. I mean everyone, people. I cannot control that. The US War College has recommended it to cadets. It is circulating on Capitol Hill and in AG’s offices. I don’t have a problem with this, because I think it’s message can help balance those who may be otherwise without a rounded persepctive. But, the 99 need it, and like the title says – that’s who I wrote it for.

  47. [...] a past dual weeks, a organisation of Occupy Wall Street supporters called “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” has been operative on a matter to announce a autonomy from any organisation or domestic [...]

  48. Anonymous said:

    There is a fundamental error in this analysis and in the media efforts to label the protestors.  The error is this:  the people sitting on Wall Street are not “the” organization, they are not “the” leaders, they do not have the power to change anything and the most likely outcome is that soon, they will go home because it will be too damned cold in New York.  The OWS groups should be seen as the opening salvo, and that’s all.  They must be followed by public action in NYC and other forums for as long as it takes.  Sit-ins, in public spaces and in private businesses, picketing, organizing boycotts and/or support of businesses who treat their workers well.  It must turn into something more than a few people on a sidewalk in New York.  Any struggle over the name, or the not-name, misses the real point:  this group will go home, soon, and be of no consequence.  Ongoing dispersed actions throughout the country, hopefully throughout the world, is the only result which is going to matter.  Whatever name anybody gives it.  There’s just so much fighting over trivia that it distracts from the need for a clear plan for the future.

  49. Gaelen said:

    “The Robin Hood Tax: Occupy Movement now Marching Straight Off the Globalist Cliff”

    http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=27322

  50. Amara said:

    I am making and selling buttons that say 99%, selling them as fast as I get them, and turning the money into more buttons to give away.  I hope others will do the same.

  51. [...] October 8, 2011 in Co-opting, OccupyTogether, Video  Email This Post We are fighting to make damn sure it is not co-opted. After watching this great interview – Thanks Andrew! – checkout our proposed statement here. [...]

  52. Anonymous said:

    occupy walmart on nov.25th,black friday. occupy don’t buy. make the crowds so large that the real shoppers go home. occupy the time of the workers by asking for help. occupy the check out lines buying one thing made in the usa,like a can of pabst blue ribbon,union made beer.

  53. [...] so now that these efforts will inevitably fail: those who have animated the Occupy movement are not motivated by partisan allegiance or an overarching desire to devote themselves to one of the two…. In fact, one of the original Occupy groups — as opposed to partisan organizations swooping in to [...]

  54. Bettydonnelly said:

    And keep the Movement Secular I don’t want any Religious overtones or people to take over our thing. I vote foe a strong Separatiom of Church and OWS.

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  57. Davidkamins said:

    Start by demanding a thourgh explanation of who owns the federal reserve (2)
    Since it was our money that bailed out the street we would like a full accounting
    Of where our money went and how do you propose to pay the American
    Shareholders back.figure 700 billion.(3) demand the federal reserve open it’s
    Books on a daily basis to our own treasury which unlike the federal reserve
    Is not partly owned by the bank of England

  58. [...] Welcome to the #OWS 99% Movement “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group [...]

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