The future is ours

‎”We need to be inspired by the immense possibilities of the future and work extremely hard to achieve them. We can do it, we just

The Future is Ours from Michael Marantz on Vimeo.

First Amendment Under Siege

After a week in which journalists and police clashed at Occupy Wall Street and related events around the country — and the NYPD arrested 12 reporters — leaders like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are starting to feel the heat. Our campaign demanding that all mayors defend the First Amendment and rein in these attacks was featured in today’s New York Times.
So far 30,000 people have joined our action, urging all mayors to protect journalists’ right to free speech. If you have not added your name yet, please sign our petition today. We’ll be delivering them soon.
Once you take action, check out the New York Times article and share it with your friends. This is a fight for the freedom of our press — let’s keep the pressure on.
Thanks — Josh

Mayors: Protect Press Freedom in Your Cities. Dear Ismael, Early Tuesday morning, the New York Police Department forcibly evacuated Zuccotti Park, home of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The move provoked a clash not only with protesters but with the press. In what appears to have been a coordinated effort to block coverage of the raid, the police barred many journalists from reporting on the police action. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the police kept the media away “to prevent a situation from getting worse and to protect members of the press.” But according to the New York Times, one journalist told a police officer “I’m press!” and the officer just responded “Not tonight.” If the mayor of our country’s largest city thinks protecting the press means silencing them, we’re in big trouble. And he’s not alone. Police harassment of the media has been reported during “Occupy” protests in Chicago, Denver, Oakland, Portland and beyond. Arrests of journalists continued throughout the week as protesters took to the streets nationwide. It’s time to tell mayors across the country to uphold our press freedoms. Tell Mayor Bloomberg and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to publicly commit to defending the First Amendment and letting journalists do their jobs. The NYPD is using more than words to fight journalists. Since Tuesday, 13 reporters have been arrested, another was put in a choke hold, another was beaten with a baton and others were subjected to police harassment. In fact, since the birth of the Occupy Wall Street movement two months ago, 26 journalists have been arrested2, 3 and countless others have been roughed up, tear-gassed and pepper sprayed. There have even been reports of police using high-powered strobe lights to disable video cameras and block people from recording their actions. Demand that all U.S. mayors publicly commit to protecting freedom of the press. Please sign this action and we will deliver your letter to Mayor Bloomberg and the Conference of Mayors and demand that they drop all charges and make this crucial commitment to upholding the First Amendment. The freedom of our press is fundamental to our identity as Americans. As elected representatives charged with serving the people, our mayors must rein in these aggressive and violent tactics by local law enforcement. Please take action right now. Josh Stearns Associate Program Director Free Press http://www.freepress.net P.S. Great news: If we raise $300,000 by Dec. 31, 2011, two longtime supporters will kick in an additional $300,000. Donate today and your gift will pack double the punch in the fight to protect the First Amendment and journalists everywhere. Thank you! 1. Brian Stelter, “Reporters Say Police Denied Access to Protest Site,” New York Times, Nov. 15, 2011: http://act2.freepress.net/go/7342?akid=3075.9918148.4u_m9d&t=13 2. See a list of all journalists arrested at Occupy events since September, plus related videos and articles. http://act2.freepress.net/go/7343?akid=3075.9918148.4u_m9d&t=15 3. See a statement from the Society of Professional Journalists condemning the arrests. http://act2.freepress.net/go/7344?akid=3075.9918148.4u_m9d&t=17

#occupy

History is in motion, and we are in the midst of a powerful movement moment. Will you join the 99% by taking part in your local occupy event? Click here to learn more and find a local event >>

Friends,
Have you been wondering if you should join an #occupy event in your city?
In the last few weeks, #OccupyWallStreet has grown from a small encampment in downtown New York City to a global movement, with thousands of occupations popping up everywhere from icy Fairbanks to sunny Tallahassee.
I’ve heard from hundreds of people in our network who are taking part in events. People in the 350 movement around the world are helping facilitate discussions, funding bicycle generators at encampments, and making the connection between the crimes on Wall Street and the pollution in our atmosphere.
For those of you who haven’t yet visited or joined an occupation, I want to encourage you to join “the 99%” and support this growing movement. To help out, we’ve put together some resources, fact sheets, sign ideas, and a list of occupations.
Click here to find an occupation near you: www.350.org/occupy
You don’t necessarily need to camp out to help support this movement. You can also attend the daily general assemblies, take part in discussion groups, donate supplies or money, or put your unique artistic, media, or culinary skills to work. If you’ve been with 350.org for a while, this open-source approach probably feels familiar. It’s more like a potluck where everyone brings a dish than a dinner party with a single host.
Remember, all of these #occupy events are being organized by a unique crowd-led, consensus-based process. There will likely be some parts of your local occupation that you love, and other things you might want to change. There’s no way to know exactly what each local #occupy event will look and feel like, so I’ve been encouraging everyone I know to approach each event with an open-mind and a good deal of flexibility.
Why should people who care about the climate join the #occupy movement? Here’s one answer: for years, Wall Street has been occupying our atmosphere, backing the huge oil, gas and coal corporations that have polluted our air, water and communities with impunity. And time and again, these members of the 1% have blocked the clean energy and climate legislation that would benefit the other 99% of us.
Take the Keystone XL pipeline that 350.org has been working to stop, it’s a classic example of this cronyism at work. First, we found out that the pipeline company’s chief lobbyist was a former campaign manager for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Next, it turned out the consultants the State Department hired to conduct an environmental impact statement for the pipeline were recommended by the pipeline company itself — is it any wonder they concluded Keystone XL would have no environmental impact? Now, we’re learning that the Koch Brothers are among those who stand to benefit most from the pipeline’s construction.
It’s time to take the pollution out of politics, and the #occupy movement has opened a door to do just that. Now it’s up to all of us to walk through it.
Whether you join an #occupy event this week or join the big Keystone XL protest at the White House this November 6, this is a unique time in the movement for change. Let’s shape it together.
In solidarity,
Phil Aroneanu for the 350.org team
P.S. Let’s harness the power of social media to make #occupy as big and bold as possible. Click here to share it on Facebook and click here to share it on Twitter.
P.P.S. We’d love to check out your photos, videos, signs from #OccupyWallStreet and share them with the 350 network! Please email in your best #OccupyWallStreet photo as an attachment to photos@350.org, or post on our Facebook Wall.

Want to help us #OccupyTheKochs?

The Koch Brothers are taking aim at our American Dream.   Will you help us fight back? Yes, I will!

Hey Ismael,
We have an action lined up against the Koch Brothers and their far-right corporate money machine – and if it goes well, we’ll be able to take it on the road to the Occupations that are happening all across the country, making banksters cry.
But we need your help to make it happen.
Help us make headlines against the Kochs and for the Occupy movement: please pitch in TODAY to make this high-profile action possible.
On Friday November 4th, while the Kochs host a fancy gala in DC with their front group Americans For Prosperity, we’ll be bringing a thousand of our closest friends together for a Koch Brothers Guerrilla Drive-In, debuting a new set of viral videos that will expose the Kochs’ attempts to buy our democracy.
The last time we did this, 1000 New Yorkers showed up at the David Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, making major news – and making the Kochs decidedly unhappy.
If this second Koch Drive-In goes well, we’ll be taking the Drive-In actions around the country, holding Corporate America accountable in a very public way everywhere we go. But we can’t do it without your help.
Support this effort to put the Kochs back in the spotlight – and the American Dream back in the hands of the other 98% — nay, 99% — of us.
Need extra motivation? You won’t believe what the Kochs are calling their get-together: “Defending The American Dream.”
The Kochs and the American Dream? We know that’s more like an American Nightmare – and we’re betting that you do too.
Help us fight back against the Kochs TODAY.
Thank you for all you do to make this movement real.

 

Sincerely,
John Sellers

 

---

The Other 98% is making democracy work for the rest of us. Like what we do? You can donate to support this movement right now.
Our website is <a href=”http://other98.com/.
http://other98.com/.<br />

#OccupyWallStreet and the #Climate Movement

I’m writing from New York City, where the Occupy Wall Street movement is taking off.
What started as a small group of young people with a vague call to action is evolving into something truly inspiring — and our crew at 350.org is excited to support this nascent movement.
Here’s what Bill McKibben had to say about “The 99%” who are Occupying Wall Street — and how climate change fits into the picture:

(Can’t see the image above? Click here)

Let’s show the activists in New York (and in cities all over the country and the world) that the climate movement stands in solidarity with them. Share this image on Facebook, post it on Twitter, and consider joining a local “occupation” near you. Engage in dialogue and join the conversation that is shaping one of the most exciting grassroots movements in recent memory.

It’s hard to believe that just 10 days ago, I was in the afterglow of Moving Planet, sorting through inspirational photos from people all over the world who were moving beyond fossil fuels. The images were powerful, and they fired me up for whatever came next.

What came next was the Occupy Wall Street movement. In the last two weeks it has grown from something small, local, and overlooked by the media into something massive, global, and unignorable. There are now non-violent protests springing up in hundreds of cities, and stories of “the 99%” are dominating headlines everywhere. No one knows exactly what it will become — but it has the potential to be a true game-changer.

 

We now face exciting questions: what can we all do to support and expand this groundswell? And how might Occupy Wall Street’s amazing energy further embolden the climate movement?

The answers to these questions are starting to become clear. Two days ago I joined a crew of passionate climate activists in Manhattan to march with tens of thousands of people as part of Occupy Wall Street. The demands from the crowd were varied, but it all boils down to this: just about every problem we now face — from foreclosures to the climate crisis — is made worse by unchecked corporate greed and a corrupt political process. As I marched through the city, it struck me that naming (and acting on) the root causes of the world’s biggest problems is precisely what this moment demands.

 

In the coming weeks, we’ll be zeroing in on the root causes of the climate crisis, and focusing on the iconic battles in the fight for our planet’s future. In the near term, we’ll be focused on stopping the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline–a key fight where corporate corruption and environmental justice collide. If we can stop the pipeline we’ll send a resounding message across the country: that it’s time for the health of our communities and our planet to come before the profits of Wall Street and big polluters. President Obama will decide by the end of the year on whether to approve the pipeline, and we’ll be scaling up our activism to keep the pressure on.

From Wall Street to Washington DC to cities across the country, big things are coming together, and there are ways for people everywhere to join in. You can go to TarSandsAction.org to get plugged into the fight to stop the Keystone pipeline, and OccupyTogether.org to find out more about joining the 99%.

The next phase of these movements will be a sprint, not a marathon. It’s an honor to be running it with all of you.

 

Onwards,

 

Phil Aroneanu

 

---

MORE INFO ON OCCUPY WALL STREET AND THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE

• Occupy Wall St (in New York) and Occupy Together (all over the country and increasingly the world) and We Are the 99%(blog/gallery) 
• “Climate Activism Stands With Occupy Wall Street Movement” – Grist.org
• “Occupy Wall Street: The Most Important Thing in the World Now” – Naomi Kleinin The Nation 
• “The Cronyism Behind a Pipeline For Crude” – Bill McKibben’s article in The New York Times”
• “The Keystone Pipeline Revolt: Why Mass Arrests are Just the Beginning”Bill McKibben in The Rolling Stone 
• “Hillary Clinton’s Keystone XL Crony Lobbyists Problem” – DeSmog Blog

---

350.org is building a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for email alerts. You can help power our work by getting involved locally and donating here.
What is 350? Go to our website to learn about the science behind the movement.