David DeGraw

[daviddegraw-blog]

Brand X Begins... Tonight!

My mad mate from across the pond, now exiled in LA-LA land, will be popping into your living room tonight. Hide the women & children! God knows what he will do with them. Thursday nights are now Must See TV w/ Russell Brand & Charlie "Tiger Blood" Sheen back on the telly via FX at 9pm EST. Russell's show is filled with hilarity & biting social commentary. I had the honor of throwing some ideas against the wall for this show. Not to ruin Russell's reputation or anything, but the man is a kind-hearted fun-loving shaman of positivity. Brand has a highly infectious mad genius joker vibe that resonates from his core. When you are in his presence, this vibe is highly contagious, so be sure to wear a condom at all times. Props to Shepard Fairey & his team @ObeyGiant for creating the Brand X logo & set. And as you will see tonight, our friend in truth & reporter extraordinaire @MatthewStoller makes an appearance as Russell's trusted side-kick. Much love & respect to RB for using his spectacle dominating fame to drop some political awareness on the youth of America. He's wickedly brilliant when it comes to the political charade. Here's a taste:

Even my 20-month old son laughs hysterically when he's with Russell.

Turn on, tune in & drop out Thursdays at 9pm EST on FX.

[daviddegraw-blog]

American Autumn​​​: An Occudoc (Watch Free Full-Length Feature Film)

Excellent new documentary on the Occupy movement from my friend / key organizer / kick ass filmmaker @DennisTrainorJr...

"Shot on the front lines and meeting spaces of the Occupy movement in NYC, Boston, and Washington, DC from the earliest days through the end of January 2012 American Autumn: an Occudoc is an inside looking out view of the occupy movement. With interviews and insight from key organizers, thinkers and activists including Medea Benjamin, David DeGraw, Dr. Margaret Flowers, Lee Camp, Naomi Klein, Nathan Schneider, Ashley Sanders, Vlad Teichberg, Sgt. Shamar Thomas, Dr. Cornel West, Kevin Zeese and many more. Writer/ director Dennis Trainor Jr weaves commentary and a fearless style that often puts the viewer right between police and protesters."

Congrats Dennis! You're a Truth Warrior!! More info on film here: http://www.occudoc.org

[daviddegraw-blog]

I feel like an old lady...

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Occupy Evolver >> Time to Flip the Protest Script

Despite the mainstream media eulogies / lack of coverage, the Occupy movement is still very active. The organizing activity currently happening is a thousand times more than it was one year ago. Every day people are engaging in protest. Decentralized guerilla armies are confronting the corrupt and bringing much needed attention to injustice. Major props to our sisters & brothers out on the frontlines! Here's the catch though… as necessary as all of these protests against the corrupt are, people now know what the problems are. Yes, even a critical mass of the propagandized masses are now generally aware that the banks are greedy parasites destroying our communities and that politicians are paid off puppets. This mass awareness is Occupy's greatest success. Occupy has effectively evolved national discourse and shifted the cultural mindscape / popular consciousness. However… we now need to evolve past the phase of raising awareness about what is wrong, corrupt, broken and unsustainable, and start focusing attention on solutions to these problems. It's time to flip the protest script >> Instead of protesting what we are against, let's rally around what we are for. We need to occupy & amplify the solutions. Let's occupy the forces that are evolving our society to a sustainable and prosperous future, for the 100%. Let's hold rallies around successful alternative monetary systems, alternative energy, alternative education, alternative media, alternative food, alternative healthcare, alternative systems of governance. Let's occupy the alternatives. Our biggest problem is that we have an entrenched oligarchy clinging to obsolete, old world systems and techniques that have become more harmful than helpful to society and our communities as a whole. We have an outdated system of incentives. We live in a time that necessitates mass transformation. It's time to evolve. These giant banks and corporations are dinosaurs in the days after the meteor hit. They are convulsing and clinging to life, destroying everything in their path. Don't interact with them, let them die, don't support them in any way, ignore them, focus on and embrace the evolvers. Show that another way, another world is not only possible, it's happening. There are solutions & answers bubbling under the surface. Let's occupy & amplify the alternatives! #OccupyEvolver>> Set it off...

"It all adds up inside your head Time is wasting..."

[daviddegraw-blog]

Supremely Corrupt Corporate Court Jesters Strike Another Blow to Democracy

Surprise, surprise, the Supremely Corrupt Corporate Court Jesters voted 5-4 to overrule the state of Montana's ban on corporate political spending.

Supreme Court Upholds Citizens United; Tightens Corporate Stranglehold on Campaign Finance In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court has struck down (pdf) Montana's 100 year old law that banned direct corporate political campaign spending in state and local elections. The court reversed a lower court ruling, but did so without allowing full briefing or argument in the case. Previously, the Montana Supreme Court upheld the law due to the state’s dramatic history of corruption, but the Supreme Court's ruling today rejected that decision, arguing that 'independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.'” [read full report]

Ha! Now that's some serious tragic comedy. When you are a Supreme Court "judge" these days, you become so embedded in a corrupt culture, groupthink takes over and blatant corruption looks like normal activity to you. Corruption is the new normal. Well, not to make any excuses for them, bottom line, these guys are corrupt corporate stooges. They are slaughtering our democracy. History will remember them as tyrants. Karma baby, it's comin' for ya, it's blowin' in the wind... (photo via Republic Report)

[daviddegraw-blog]

Real Deal Dylan Ratigan Walks Off Into The Sunrise

A Tribute to the "Mad As Hell" Newsman

As Vince Vaughn put it, "Well, well, our little boy is all grows up." My brother from another mother, Dylan Ratigan is doing his last show on MSNBC today. Congrats on one hell of a run!! It has been inspiring to watch the "young hotshot" reporter from CNBC evolve into the "Mad As Hell" newsman on MSNBC. From reporting & ranting about "the greatest theft of wealth in history" to "get money out" to "the 30 million jobs tour" to "more for less, sustainability," Dylan has helped evolve the narrative far past the Left Vs. Right, Republican Vs. Democrat divide & conquer groupthink trap. I think I would be in an insane asylum if it wasn't for Dylan boldly speaking truth to power in the sea of bullshit that passes for TV "news." While some may consider it sad to see him leaving his show, I'm excited to witness his evolution from caged cable newsman trapped inside a dying medium, to a free, pioneering, trailblazing champion of sustainability in whatever forms that may take. I don't know many people who have the guts, or vision, to walk away from a boatload of cash and a national TV gig. The way I see it, this is what separates the shortsighted self-obsessed careerist talking heads from the real warriors who want to get their hands dirty and truly help evolve our society from an unsustainable disastrous path to a sustainable and prosperous future. Here's a tribute to Dylan I posted back in October, 2009:

One Person in the Mainstream Media Who Gets It: 'The Greatest Theft in History!' As a refugee from CNBC, financial reporter Dylan Ratigan has found his voice on MSNBC's Morning Meeting. He speaks truth to power in a way very few others in the mainstream media are capable of. His economic reporting background and understanding of complex financial issues led him to the realization that a financial coup has occurred in the US, and he's not afraid to take on the Economic Death Squad from his cable news outlet. He's done such an amazing job of educating the masses on this issue that we used audio clips from his show in our new Economic Death Squad video. Here are some insightful recent clips. Show them to your friends and family to educate them on this crime against humanity.

Wall St Gangsters: The Largest Theft in History

Goldman Sachs magic trick

How the Federal Reserve Enabled the Greatest Theft in American History

Taxpayers Need To Get “Their Pound Of Flesh” From Bailout Banks

Pay Czar Offers No Solution on Executive Pay

Dark Pools, The Banksters Trying to Subvert Financial Reform

America Has a Disease, Will You Rise Up?

Here’s our video featuring audio clips from Dylan:

The Greatest Theft in History – Wall Street Economic Death Squad – Part II

Here's his famous "Mad As Hell" moment:

And here's one of several interviews I did with him back in October 2011: Prosecute the Wall Street Mafia! Bill Black, Dylan Ratigan & David DeGraw on the Destruction of the Rule of Law Alright bro, you've talked the talk, now let's walk the walk ;-) Good *Morning* & Good Luck…

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The Madness of Movement Building: Factions, Co-Option & Ideological Purity

Evolving from the Mud to Become a Positive & Unifying Force For Change

I have spent far too much energy and time dealing with issues of co-option and fighting “the battle for the soul of Occupy” and the 99% Movement. It’s been incredibly disheartening to see many people that I know agree on several key issues get completely caught up and bogged down in what they disagree on. We have several powerful factions within this movement for justice.

To name a few:

anarchists,

anti-capitalists,

independents,

liberals and progressives who reject the Democrats,

liberals and progressives who want to work with Democrats,

libertarians and conservatives who reject the Republicans,

libertarians and conservatives who want to work with Republicans.

The hardcore people within each one of these factions have very little interest in working with any of the other factions, and as soon as you work on a campaign with any of the other factions, they dismiss, attack or ignore you. In a situation like this, all the factions become paralyzed by their own incestuous groupthink and ideological purity. The pre-existing power structure can then rest assured in their continued dominance and continue their plunder of our future, as we are all too preoccupied with dividing and conquering (marginalizing) ourselves, expending too much energy engaging in turf wars and too little energy focused on the dominant power structure.

So, what is it that we ALL agree on?

We ALL agree that we need to get money out of our political process!

That being said, no matter what your ideology or political leanings are, if you want to get money out of politics, I’m willing to put aside our differences, extend an olive branch and work with you toward this goal.

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It’s Time to Occupy Democracy

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” –Bob Dylan

Ending the auction of our democracy has clearly emerged as the most unifying issue, and it is at the root of the many problems that we are currently working to solve. Whatever issue is of most concern to you — healthcare, education, taxes, debt, war, environment, jobs, etc — it has become self-evident that the underlying cause of that particular problem is the corrupting influence of money in politics. Through a system of legalized bribery — campaign finance, lobbying and the revolving door between Washington and the most powerful global corporations — our government has devolved into a rigged system of exploitation.

It doesn’t matter what your political views are — left, right, center, democrat, republican, independent, conservative, liberal, progressive, libertarian, anarchist, communist, capitalist, socialist — if you believe in self-governance, self-determination, freedom and justice, ridding our governmental process of the corrupting influence of money must be an urgent strategic priority.

Our strategy moving forward inevitably needs to run on two tracks. Track one is achieving legitimate democracy by getting money out of our political process. Track two is creating the alternatives, so once we claim our rights new ways of living can flourish and evolve our obsolete system of rule to a participatory, sustainable and prosperous future, for the 100%.

For those of us paying attention, as Tom Paine explained, this is all “common sense.”

So let’s get to work and make this happen already!

Join this online community dedicated to cause: http://MoneyOutPack.org

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My Hawaiian brother Makana absolutely nails the Guthrie / Dylan folk spirit in this anthem:

We Are Many

Our nation was built upon the right Of every person to improve their plight But laws of this Republic they rewrite And now a few own everything in sight They own it free of liability They own, but they are not like you and me Their influence dictates legality...

You can’t divide us into sides And from our gaze, you cannot hide Denial serves to amplify And our allegiance you can’t buy Our government is not for sale

Follow Makana on Twitter here: @MakanaMusic

[daviddegraw-blog]

Look out kid It’s somethin’ you did God knows when But you’re doin’ it again...

Lookin’ for a new fool Don’t follow leaders...

Get born...

Get Born by David DeGraw on Grooveshark

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Born