Coffeepartyusa Videos

Col. Larry Wilkerson on Lies, The Iraq War & Vietnam — Coffee Party Radio

From "The Middle Ground" on Coffee Party Radio, Oct. 30, 2012.

On the 10 year anniversary of the war, we are gathering on #CoffeePartyRadio. Call in with your recollections. How did it change you? (646) 929-2495 http://ow.ly/jdX4u

Hal Ziegler 1932-2012 —Former Michigan State Senator Dies at 80

Last night, the Coffee Party community lost Hal Ziegler shortly after he completed an masterful appearance on our Sunday radio show. We made this video to go with his voice to help us honor and remember a man who served in the Michigan Legislature from 1967 to 1978, and never stopped performing his civic duty to add his voice to our nation's political discourse, right down to his last hours on earth. In this video you'll hear his advice for We the People, on how we can make our voices heard, and stand up to the negative forces of extremism and money in politics to protect our right to self-governance.

Annabel's Mom Backs Obama, Calls for Unity, Calls Out Republicans in Congress

Plain-spoken and wise, Annabel's mom explains in Korean why she supports President Obama and why she doesn't get Republicans. She asks Republicans and all Americans to help President Obama instead of tearing him down. Check out Annabel's mom talking about Obama and Sarah Palin in 2008: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wphLKCEQO4U

Music by Michael Brook: http://michaelbrookmusic.com
Video by Annabel Park & Eric Byler: http://storyofamerica.org

Follow us on Twitter: @annabelpark @coffeepartyusa @ericbyler

We the Taxpayers Subsidize Corporations So Their Employees Can Eat

If you don't like welfare and you don't like food stamps, tell Congress to raise the minimum wage. Government of, by, and for the People means putting people before profit. Our taxpayer dollars are subsidizing the profit margins of powerful corporations who can buy influence in Washington enough to write our laws. We need to change that. So the next time a slick, expensively produced advertisement tells you to hate your fellow Americans who are struggling to feed their families, think about this: how much did it cost to create that advertisement? Who paid for it? And why? The definition of patriotism is not just love of country; it is also love of the PEOPLE who live in this country. If you are truly a patriot, don't allow your television to instruct you to hate your brothers and sisters, your fellow Americans. Help us connect our communities to reclaim our government for the People.

Join Jessica in the Coffee Party's "Be the Media" campaign:
http://coffeepartyusa.com/volunteer
Hear Jessica's latest radio show: http://ow.ly/d4KvN
Talk to Jessica English on "The Bottom Line" Sundays at 5 pm ET (2 pm PT)

More from Jessica English:
From GOP County Chair to Coffee Party Radio Host and Advocate for the Poor:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=V-H6J_bxR8E


http://coffeepartyusa.com/jessica-video

Hi Everyone!

Less than a year ago, former Vice President Walter Mondale spoke at my church in Minneapolis, MN. Afterwards, I asked him if Washington was really all about "show me the money," or if he felt that leadership and statesmanship matter more than money.

In his response, he challenged me (and my generation) to overturn the "Citizens United" ruling and re-enact Glass Steagall. After that event, I got more involved in Coffee Party's efforts. I spoke at the Citizen's Intervention rally at the US Capitol along with hundreds of other everyday Americans who, like you, deserve to be at the podium, and to be heard. After the speech, Annabel Park asked me to be a guest on her radio show. I did, and before I knew it, I was hosting the show! I hope you'll join me one of these Sundays (5 pm ET, 2 pm PT).

I love the core values of the Coffee Party and that is why I can't express how happy I am to be your new Volunteer and Membership Coordinator!

I am excited and honored to hang up my Target red & khaki uniform, and my lawn mowing shoes, in order to finally have the chance to put my talents to work for an organization I love. For the past fifteen years I have worked in retail, stocking shelves, and I went back to school, with the aim of pursuing a career that would utilize my talents and feed my family. Though most of my employment was limited to minimum wage jobs, I did serve as a volunteer coordinator for my town's community theater. I also kept myself involved in my community, serving on boards and committees — political, educational, and environmental — and serving in my church.

Fortunately, my volunteer work with the Coffee Party turned into a position where I can use my writing, organizing, fundraising and community building skills to further a movement I believe in wholeheartedly.

With the November election just around the corner, I see the need to grow the Coffee Party movement. I'm concerned about the negative campaign ads being showered upon us by the SuperPACs and the ruthless oligarchs who fund them. To me the solution is clear: We the People need to graduate from being mere consumers of media products, into becoming producers of media products. That's what I do. I'm a media content producer, and I tell you it's so much fun, please join me!

We are welcoming volunteers for our Be the Media campaign who enjoy: sharing articles of interest; writing articles about that highlight the efforts in their hometowns; reporting from rallies; joining our radio team to help the hosts brainstorm topics for the shows, find guests, and produce online content, etc. If you are looking for a way to make a difference, please contact me or fill out our volunteer form. I am also the person to contact with membership questions.

I am ready to pour my heart into this organization because I really believe in it, and, in people like you who make it possible. If it's within your means to do so, please consider becoming a Sustaining Member and give a little bit each month.

Thanks to those who support us financially and by volunteering their expertise.

Flobots Emcee Jonny5 on new album "Circle in the Square"

http://flobots.com
Jonny5 was interviewed by Chris Franks of Mad Smarts and Starto.tv. in front of East High School in Denver, where Jonny5 went to high school. The Flobots' new album "Circle in the Square" hits stores August 28, 2012.

On the first day that Occupy Wall Street protesters camped out in New York, the legendary Flobots were in a recording studio for the first day of work on their third record. And the tweets were coming in from all over: What are you going to do about this? For Flobots, the answer was to do exactly what they've done since the act first formed in 2005: Engage the listener with music as compelling as its political message. Over the next six weeks, bassist Jesse Walker, drummer Kenny Ortiz, violist/vocalist Mackenzie Gault (formerly Roberts), and emcees Brer Rabbit and Jonny 5 continued to craft what would become The Circle In The Square, now set for release on August 28, 2012 by Shanachie Entertainment.
"Your audience is a greased pig," Jamie Laurie, aka Jonny 5, remembers his grandfather once telling him. "They'll get away from you if they can." But by now, Flobots have their audience hooked, completely occupied with both the music and the message.
There's no escaping the compelling Flobots sound...or the meaning that colors every track of The Circle In The Square. After all, Occupy Wall Street wasn't the only political movement that provided the backdrop for this most recent work. In the fall of 2011, the impact of the Arab Spring was continuing to reverberate around the globe. "There was a lot of energy around the world," says Stephen Brackett, aka Brer Rabbit. "You could taste freedom in the air, it was a palpable thing. It informed the process in a subtle and broad way. We were inspired by that, we were witnesses like everyone else. We were rich because of it." Rich with the promise of freedom -- both for people around the world, and for Flobots themselves.
From the start, Flobots have felt free to break the rules. Brackett and Laurie met back when they were in fourth grade, when their first shared obsession was comic books. But words soon became more important than pictures, especially when they discovered hip-hop. Laurie was drawn to the wordplay, while Brackett focused on the power behind that wordplay. For his first solo performance, he wore a stocking over his head. Laurie's first performance, in an inner-city Denver high school, didn't need any costume: "It was shocking for a white guy to rap," Brackett recalls. After high school, Laurie went to Brown University, where he got more active in political causes, including protests at the WTO in Seattle; that work continued after college, when he joined AmeriCorps in Providence for three years. One day he was in a car with a group of kids, and even though those kids were incredibly diverse, they all sang along to one song. "They all identified with hip-hop music," Laurie remembers. "That subculture was the most powerful." What would happen, he wondered, if he could create music that would be the voice on the radio? Meanwhile, Brackett was back in Denver, juggling school and numerous jobs. His schedule was about to get a lot busier: When Laurie returned to town, they formed a "protoflobots" act with friend and viola player Mackenzie Gault. Their first gig was a Rock the Vote show, and it was a turning point -- with no turning back. From that very first performance, Flobots had their audience fully occupied. Their music got people moving and kept them moving, its message speaking directly to a generation without direction. They were the voice on the radio.

From GOP Chair to Advocate For the Poor

Join Jessica in the Coffee Party's "Be the Media" campaign:
http://coffeepartyusa.com/volunteer

Talk to Jessica English on "The Bottom Line" Sundays at 5 pm ET (2 pm PT)
Listen to Jessica's radio show: http://ow.ly/d4KvN

More from Jessica English:
http://coffeepartyusa.com/jessica-video

In this interview, Jessica explains how her sudden fall from middle class housewife into "dirt poor" single mom caused her to leave her post as chairwoman of her county's Republican party, and become and one of the nation's most compelling and effective advocates for the less fortunate and the working poor.

Watch it, then call her radio show today and let her know if it impacted your view of Republicans, former Republicans, and the poor.

http://coffeepartyusa.com/jessica-video

Hi Everyone!

Less than a year ago, former Vice President Walter Mondale spoke at my church in Minneapolis, MN. Afterwards, I asked him if Washington was really all about "show me the money," or if he felt that leadership and statesmanship matter more than money.

In his response, he challenged me (and my generation) to overturn the "Citizens United" ruling and re-enact Glass Steagall. After that event, I got more involved in Coffee Party's efforts. I spoke at the Citizen's Intervention rally at the US Capitol along with hundreds of other everyday Americans who, like you, deserve to be at the podium, and to be heard. After the speech, Annabel Park asked me to be a guest on her radio show. I did, and before I knew it, I was hosting the show! I hope you'll join me one of these Sundays (5 pm ET, 2 pm PT).

I love the core values of the Coffee Party and that is why I can't express how happy I am to be your new Volunteer and Membership Coordinator!

I am excited and honored to hang up my Target red & khaki uniform, and my lawn mowing shoes, in order to finally have the chance to put my talents to work for an organization I love. For the past fifteen years I have worked in retail, stocking shelves, and I went back to school, with the aim of pursuing a career that would utilize my talents and feed my family. Though most of my employment was limited to minimum wage jobs, I did serve as a volunteer coordinator for my town's community theater. I also kept myself involved in my community, serving on boards and committees — political, educational, and environmental — and serving in my church.

Fortunately, my volunteer work with the Coffee Party turned into a position where I can use my writing, organizing, fundraising and community building skills to further a movement I believe in wholeheartedly.

With the November election just around the corner, I see the need to grow the Coffee Party movement. I'm concerned about the negative campaign ads being showered upon us by the SuperPACs and the ruthless oligarchs who fund them. To me the solution is clear: We the People need to graduate from being mere consumers of media products, into becoming producers of media products. That's what I do. I'm a media content producer, and I tell you it's so much fun, please join me!

We are welcoming volunteers for our Be the Media campaign who enjoy: sharing articles of interest; writing articles about that highlight the efforts in their hometowns; reporting from rallies; joining our radio team to help the hosts brainstorm topics for the shows, find guests, and produce online content, etc. If you are looking for a way to make a difference, please contact me or fill out our volunteer form. I am also the person to contact with membership questions.

I am ready to pour my heart into this organization because I really believe in it, and, in people like you who make it possible. If it's within your means to do so, please consider becoming a Sustaining Member and give a little bit each month.

Thanks to those who support us financially and by volunteering their expertise.

Jessica English: Join the Coffee Party!

https://secure.coffeepartyusa.com/page/contribute/membership_signup
http://coffeepartyusa.com/volunteer

Hi Everyone!

Less than a year ago, former Vice President Walter Mondale spoke at my church in Minneapolis, MN. Afterwards, I asked him if Washington was really all about "show me the money," or if he felt that leadership and statesmanship matter more than money.

In his response, he challenged me (and my generation) to overturn the "Citizens United" ruling and re-enact Glass Steagall. After that event, I got more involved in Coffee Party's efforts. I spoke at the Citizen's Intervention rally at the US Capitol along with hundreds of other everyday Americans who, like you, deserve to be at the podium, and to be heard. After the speech, Annabel Park asked me to be a guest on her radio show. I did, and before I knew it, I was hosting the show! I hope you'll join me one of these Sundays (5 pm ET, 2 pm PT).

I love the core values of the Coffee Party and that is why I can't express how happy I am to be your new Volunteer and Membership Coordinator!

I am excited and honored to hang up my Target red & khaki uniform, and my lawn mowing shoes, in order to finally have the chance to put my talents to work for an organization I love. For the past fifteen years I have worked in retail, stocking shelves, and I went back to school, with the aim of pursuing a career that would utilize my talents and feed my family. Though most of my employment was limited to minimum wage jobs, I did serve as a volunteer coordinator for my town's community theater. I also kept myself involved in my community, serving on boards and committees — political, educational, and environmental — and serving in my church.

Fortunately, my volunteer work with the Coffee Party turned into a position where I can use my writing, organizing, fundraising and community building skills to further a movement I believe in wholeheartedly.

With the November election just around the corner, I see the need to grow the Coffee Party movement. I'm concerned about the negative campaign ads being showered upon us by the SuperPACs and the ruthless oligarchs who fund them. To me the solution is clear: We the People need to graduate from being mere consumers of media products, into becoming producers of media products. That's what I do. I'm a media content producer, and I tell you it's so much fun, please join me!

We are welcoming volunteers for our Be the Media campaign who enjoy: sharing articles of interest; writing articles about that highlight the efforts in their hometowns; reporting from rallies; joining our radio team to help the hosts brainstorm topics for the shows, find guests, and produce online content, etc. If you are looking for a way to make a difference, please contact me or fill out our volunteer form. I am also the person to contact with membership questions.

I am ready to pour my heart into this organization because I really believe in it, and, in people like you who make it possible. If it's within your means to do so, please consider becoming a Sustaining Member and give a little bit each month.

Thanks to those who support us financially and by volunteering their expertise.
Jess

http://twitter.com/jess-bottomline

Jessica Radio: Crowd-funding = We the People are the Job Creators Now

Guest is Chris Franks, founder and CEO of Moblify. Curator of http://madsmarts.com/

This video will be fine edited (better b-roll) and extended to include the second guest, Tiffany Espinosa.

Ryan Clayton: Amending the Consitution to Fight Money in Politics

http://coffeepartyusa.com
A time of big challenges calls for people with big ideas. Ryan Clayton makes sense!

Jessica English responds to Affordable Healthcare Ruling by US Supreme Court

http://scoop.it/t/the-bottom-line/
http://coffeepartyusa.com/affordable-care-upheld

by Jeanene Louden

The Supreme Court of the United States has spoken — and now it is your turn! The Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare") has been ruled constitutional, and everyone in the country has something to say about it. How about you?

Have you enjoyed the benefits of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that have been in place? Maybe a young adult on your parent's health plan? Are you anticipating a refund from your premiums in August? These things are possible because of today's Supreme Court decision.

Do you like the decision? How will it impact your life in the future? If you are you a small business owner - will this impact your hiring? If you are you chronically ill or a senior - how will this impact your access to care? Is your state preparing for implementation or another court battle?

According to Mitt Romney in the Star Tribune, Obamacare: raises taxes; cuts Medicare; adds Trillions to our our deficits and national debt; causes up to 20 million people to lose their current health insurance; is a job killer; and, the most troubling of all he says, puts the federal government between you and your doctor.

President Obama says: "If you're one of the more than 250 million Americans who already have health insurance, you will keep your health insurance — this law will only make it more secure and more affordable. Insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime limits on the amount of care you receive... And by this August, nearly 13 million of you will receive a rebate from your insurance company because it spent too much on things like administrative costs and CEO bonuses, and not enough on your health care."

With all the opposing information in the media and from the candidates themselves, how do we decide what the facts are about Obamacare? Or Affordable Care Act?

What do you think about the conversation you are hearing / reading in the media? We can do some fact checking, and explore this further together. Most of all, can we move forward?

Coffee Party Radio: Politics Done Right 6/10/12 — Eric Byler hosts for Egberto Willies

From: http://blogtalkradio.com/coffeepartyusa

This episode of Politics Done Right is not properly archived on Blog Talk Radio, so we are archiving it here.

The Coffee Party community, and most Americans who care about protecting our Republic from going to the highest bidder, are deeply concerned about the results of the Wisconsin's auction for the governor's mansion. We're also worried about a lack of accountability in Congress, that allows representatives of Big Money to willfully hurt the American economy in a cynical attempt to regain the White House, knowing that whatever damage they do can be papered over by political advertising, whether it be a hundreds of millions of dollars worth of campaign ads, or hundreds of millions of dollars of campaign ads disguised as "news."

What are we gonna do about it America?

Politics Done Right With Egberto Willies
Saturdays from 12:00 Noon CST to 2:00 PM CST.

American Transplant Foundation (temporary rough edit)

http://americantransplantfoundation.org/

This is a rough cut, to be taken down and replaced with final cut soon. But you're welcome to watch!

Jessica English thanks Public Citizen's Tyson Slocum for being on "The Bottom Line"

http://coffeepartyusa.com/gas-prices

My guest today on The Bottom Line is Tyson Slocum (click to see him on Colbert), one of the nation's leading experts on Wall Street profiteering in the energy industry, and, how to stop it.

It is Memorial Day Weekend - a holiday weekend to honor our fallen soldiers, and for many Americans, an opportunity to hop in the car for the first road trip of summer. I traveled from St. Paul to Wisconsin this weekend for a wedding, and like a lot of you, the price of gas is often on my mind and eating through my meager wages.

But we are going to do more than just complain about gas prices today (I heard enough of that from Uncle Ron).

WRITE TO CONGRESS to tell them to enforce our laws
and protect the American consumer.

This is our chance to get beyond complaining and find out what really goes into pricing those barrels of gas and why we are still, in 2012, have very few options for getting around.

Unlike your hotdog buns and sun dresses, resources and services we need (gas, electricity, healthcare) and use everyday, are priced differently. They are basically run by monopolies, giving us very few options and protections. Did you know we could all save up to 56 cents a gallon if we cut out the market speculators?

Please help we welcome Tyson Slocum today on The Bottom Line! Tyson is the Energy Program Director for Public Citizen. Tyson was all over Enron's rolling-blackout-causing electricity scam in California during the 90's, and is a go-to-expert for PBS, MSNBC, CNBC and the like on: renewable energy, nuclear power subsidies, Big Oil, electricity regulation, fracking, etc. He will bring us the impact of financial speculation on energy commodity markets, aka how Wall Street is ripping off consumers at the pump (regardless of whether gas prices are up or down) and then refunneling a lot of this unfairly gained profit back into dirty coal plants or fracking ventures that endanger Americans health and the environment while holding us back from being competitive in the emerging green energy economy.

Let us get to the heart of the matter! Today at 5pm ET the team is bringing you the bottom line on lawlessness and Wall St profiteering 1) The affect it has not only on our energy prices, but 2) How much it feeds our sick cycle of addiction, or what we call the "fossil fuel industry.", and 3) What some of our lawmakers are trying to do to correct the problem, and 4) What "we the people" can do to address this system of corruption!

"Be the Media" for the 99 Percent - join a Coffee Party Social Media Team

http://coffeepartyusa.com/social-media
http://coffeepartyusa.com/7-steps

Step 1: Go to http://news.coffeepartyusa.com/ (and hit "follow").

Step 2: Create a profile. Go http://scoop.it/ and click on the blue button that says "Sign up for free." It allows you to use the information you've already entered into your Facebook or Twitter account, or, you can start anew.

[NOTE: If you are at http://news.coffeepartyusa.com/ the "join scoop.it" button at the top doesn't always work. We've let Scoop.it know they need to fix that.]

After you've add a photo, and described yourself on your profile page, create a topic page where all of your content will go (without having to have it approved by one of our curators). This way, even if not every post you suggest is chosen for one of our pages, those that ARE chosen will allow readers to click on to your own topic page where all your content is displayed.

Step 3: Suggest Content. Go back to News.CoffeePartyUSA.com or one of our other news pages and suggest content by hitting the "Suggest" button at the top. If you are interested in multiple topics, you can suggest an item to more than one page. For instance, an article for Coffee Party Immigration might have broad economic implications, and be appropriate also for Coffee Party News.
Step 4: Connect Your Networks to your Scoop.it profile. While in the process of suggesting or adding content, Scoop.it will prompt you to connect your to other social networks that you are logged in to at the time (Facebook, Twitter, etc). Start by clicking on the "More" button at the bottom of the "suggest" box. Once your social networks are connected, a checkbox will allow you to decide on a case-by-case basis whether content goes on Scoop.it only, or on Scopp.it plus your other social networks.
Step 5: Add Your Own Touch. Whether its your own website or someone else's that you want to point to, Scoop.it allows you to choose from the photos that are on the web page you are sharing. Scoop.it also allows you to upload your own photo from your computer.

Coffee Party pages have a style guide that includes things like (1) always including a by-line listing the author and publication and (2) always include at least the first two paragraphs of an article so that readers are not forced to click a second time to learn what the article is about. If you sign-up to become an official part of our team, we'll send you a more detailed style guide that will make it more likely that your content suggestions are "scooped" and share in our network.
Step 6: Choose Scoop.it pages that share your focus. Familiarize yourself with the topics that are being curated by Coffee Party members. Figure out what kind of stuff normally goes up there, and ask yourself what you can add.
Step 7: Keep Track of Your Progress. Your profile will let you know how many people you have brought into the Coffee Party News network.

How do you get more more hits? Suggest content often and on multiple pages, and not just in the Coffee Party Network. Your content is more likely to be shared by others in the Coffee Party community if it is: fact-based, civil, relevant, informative, engaging, well-formatted, and with proper attribution (listing the author and the publication when you cite someone else's work). If you don't follow these steps, we'll may not be able to share your content, or, we'll not share it until we have time to conform it to our style guide.

Jeff Andrade Duncan on Education "I teach my neighbors' kids"

MORE INFO: http://rosesinconcrete.org/

Students in urban and poor communities are exposed to persistent forms of trauma that result from violence, hunger, unstable housing, and the broader effects of poverty and racism. Most will not perform well in school unless these basic survival needs are met. When urban youth do manage to find academic success, despite these challenging circumstances, the unspoken societal message is that success means "getting out" of their neighborhood. If the most resilient and successful young people leave their communities, then the vicious cycles of poverty and despair are never broken. We are determined to tackle these problems with love, hope and teaching methods that inspire students to achieve academic success while instilling in them a sense of responsibility to return to their neighborhoods to build thriving sustainable communities in urban centers in the U.S. and around the world.

Jeff Duncan-Andrade has dedicated his adult life to supporting and developing urban youth to help create a sustainable urban community. He has been teaching and coaching in the Oakland public schools for 18 years and has found his success as a teacher and a coach to be closely related. Coaches work with athletes over a number of years. During that time, they have the opportunity to get more intensively involved with students' families and their general well-being than most other adults in their schooling lives. Having tapped this opportunity as a coach, Jeff began using a "looping" approach in his classroom where he worked with a cohort of high school students for four years until they graduated. He offered his full commitment to each of them: 360-degree support on a 24/7 schedule. He became teacher, life coach, big brother, and offered his home as a safe haven when trauma struck in a student's life. In return, he was able to demand a lot from them academically, as individuals and as a collective. The results were dramatic. In his most recent cohort, 24 of 26 students went onto four-year colleges or universities. Furthermore, over the years many of his students have returned to Oakland to serve the community, many of them as teachers. The approach is, at one level quite simple; he encourages students to take pride in their histories, cultures, and communities in order that they might share personal and collective commitments to grow...

The David Portfolio —Jeff Andrade Duncan on Education, RosesInConcrete.org

http://rosesinconcrete.org/

video by Eric Byler and Amanda Werner

Students in urban and poor communities are exposed to persistent forms of trauma that result from violence, hunger, unstable housing, and the broader effects of poverty and racism. Most will not perform well in school unless these basic survival needs are met. When urban youth do manage to find academic success, despite these challenging circumstances, the unspoken societal message is that success means "getting out" of their neighborhood. If the most resilient and successful young people leave their communities, then the vicious cycles of poverty and despair are never broken. We are determined to tackle these problems with love, hope and teaching methods that inspire students to achieve academic success while instilling in them a sense of responsibility to return to their neighborhoods to build thriving sustainable communities in urban centers in the U.S. and around the world.

I teach my neighbors' kids —Jeff Andrade Duncan on Education for RosesInConcrete.org

http://rosesinconcrete.org/

Video by Eric Byler & Amanda Werner

http://rosesinconcrete.org/

video by Eric Byler and Amanda Werner

Students in urban and poor communities are exposed to persistent forms of trauma that result from violence, hunger, unstable housing, and the broader effects of poverty and racism. Most will not perform well in school unless these basic survival needs are met. When urban youth do manage to find academic success, despite these challenging circumstances, the unspoken societal message is that success means "getting out" of their neighborhood. If the most resilient and successful young people leave their communities, then the vicious cycles of poverty and despair are never broken. We are determined to tackle these problems with love, hope and teaching methods that inspire students to achieve academic success while instilling in them a sense of responsibility to return to their neighborhoods to build thriving sustainable communities in urban centers in the U.S. and around the world.

Will Rice Flip Citizens United

Supreme Court Flash Rally: Bob Edgar of Common Cause #FlipCitizensUnited

by DAVE LEFCOURT, OpEdNews.com
Today, I attended a protest rally outside the Supreme Court. It wasn't a huge rally by any stretch of the imagination (less than 300 people), but there was considerable media taking video and recording the remarks of the organizers, Common Cause and the Coffee Party.
The protest was centered on the Court's Citizens United ruling in 2010 and the need for it to be overturned.

One of the protest signs was clearly aimed at Justice Anthony Kennedy which read," Yes Justice Kennedy, we the people see the corruption." That was in direct reference to Kennedy's assertion, as the writer who wrote the majority opinion in Citizens, "the Court now concludes that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption"and the appearance of influence or access will not cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy."

The last speaker at the rally concluded (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Kennedy must now see the fallacy of what he wrote and must realize in light of the huge independent expenditures we have seen already in the Republican presidential primary campaign and later in the election campaign, does give rise to corruption or the appearance of it and does cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy."
Now this writer is quite aware that many people on the left consider this Court, particularly the five right wing ideologues, including Kennedy, are beyond redemption and their ruling in Citizens fits perfectly with their corporatist favoritism and will continue to support big money's access into the electoral process.
But this protest group appeared to have faith that Kennedy, at least, would reflect and reconsider the words he penned in the majority's opinion and conclude he was in error.

Admittedly, that's a whole lot of faith. But unless Kennedy has resided in a cave these past two years and had no access to newspapers or the media of any kind, HE would surely conclude these huge expenditures in the Congressional campaigns two years ago and this years Republican presidential primary campaigns DO give rise to corruption or the appearance of influence or access WILL cause people to lose faith in this democracy.

Justice's Ginsburg and Breyer have alluded as much (in light of the Montana Supreme Court's upholding a 1912 law banning corporate funds in State elections, which Justice Kennedy has stayed) and called for the full Court to reconsider their ruling on Citizens.

Reconsideration of Citizens seems clearly in Kennedy's "court" (excuse the pun). Now whether he has the moral fortitude to honestly reflect on the words he penned in Citizens, remains to be seen. We should know his answer to that very question in not too distant future.

#FlipCitizensUnited - Eric Byler Speaks at US Supreme Court 2/23/12

http://coffeepartyusa.com/FlipCitizensUnited

by Eric Byler

On Feb. 22, I was on the The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann. I previously shared the notes I had written an hour before the show. While waiting in the green room, and, based on the incredible segment about Super-PACS that opened the show, I narrowed my focus down to the 5 points below. Video is now available, (see above). Watch and see how many of them I covered. (Hint: it's hard to make 5 points in 4 minutes...)

1. Tomorrow at 12 noon, we are trying an experiment -- a flash rally in front of the US Supreme Court to kick off a new coalition campaign raise public awareness to the fact that Citizens United is back in front of the Supreme Court for reconsideration, now that we have had the kind of experience with which you opened the show.

2. A tiny fraction of our society, a few hundred families, are in the process of purchasing our democracy, and they don't plan to give it up once they own it. We are in a power struggle right now. People or donors? Who controls political outcome and thus the policies that impact our lives?

3. Our disgust — the conversation we're already having about the deeply compromised GOP primary — is proof of the perception of corruption that Justice Kennedy implicitly said he feared in his majority opinion when "Citizens United" was decreed. Our job is to make the connection between this and "Citizens United."

4. We are currently at the crossroads between the 20th century, top-down information model, and the emerging 21st century social media model. We the People are at a disadvantage in the 20th century model, because when political discourse is defined by a relationship between big microphones and little consumers, the outcome is going to be warped and bent toward the interests of those who can afford to buy the big microphones — political advertisements, news channels, or political advertisements disguised as news channels. No matter how many truth-seekers there are like you, who manage to obtain a comparable microphone, the 1 percent can always buy more microphones.

5. The immediate task before us is use our hundred million microphones to shift the national conversation to focus on the root, not the symptoms, of the systemic corruption that produced the Great Recession, our unfair tax code, and this Super-PAC Republican primary.

#FlipCitizensUnited Annabel Park Speech at US Supreme Court 2/23/12

http://coffeepartyusa.com/citizens-united-redo

by DAVE LEFCOURT, OpEdNews.com

Today, I attended a protest rally outside the Supreme Court. It wasn't a huge rally by any stretch of the imagination (less than 300 people), but there was considerable media taking video and recording the remarks of the organizers, Common Cause and the Coffee Party.
The protest was centered on the Court's Citizens United ruling in 2010 and the need for it to be overturned.

One of the protest signs was clearly aimed at Justice Anthony Kennedy which read," Yes Justice Kennedy, we the people see the corruption." That was in direct reference to Kennedy's assertion, as the writer who wrote the majority opinion in Citizens, "the Court now concludes that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption"and the appearance of influence or access will not cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy."

The last speaker at the rally concluded (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Kennedy must now see the fallacy of what he wrote and must realize in light of the huge independent expenditures we have seen already in the Republican presidential primary campaign and later in the election campaign, does give rise to corruption or the appearance of it and does cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy."
Now this writer is quite aware that many people on the left consider this Court, particularly the five right wing ideologues, including Kennedy, are beyond redemption and their ruling in Citizens fits perfectly with their corporatist favoritism and will continue to support big money's access into the electoral process.
But this protest group appeared to have faith that Kennedy, at least, would reflect and reconsider the words he penned in the majority's opinion and conclude he was in error.

Admittedly, that's a whole lot of faith. But unless Kennedy has resided in a cave these past two years and had no access to newspapers or the media of any kind, HE would surely conclude these huge expenditures in the Congressional campaigns two years ago and this years Republican presidential primary campaigns DO give rise to corruption or the appearance of influence or access WILL cause people to lose faith in this democracy.

Justice's Ginsburg and Breyer have alluded as much (in light of the Montana Supreme Court's upholding a 1912 law banning corporate funds in State elections, which Justice Kennedy has stayed) and called for the full Court to reconsider their ruling on Citizens.

Reconsideration of Citizens seems clearly in Kennedy's "court" (excuse the pun). Now whether he has the moral fortitude to honestly reflect on the words he penned in Citizens, remains to be seen. We should know his answer to that very question in not too distant future.

Supreme Court FLASH RALLY Thurs. 12 pm

http://coffeepartyusa.com/cu-redo

Add your voice to our demonstration of
THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION
on "Citizens United"
12 noon • Thurs. Feb. 23 • US Supreme Court building.

What's your opinion of the "Citizens United" decision and the impact of unlimited, undisclosed election spending on our Republic?

How do you feel about the Montana case before the Supreme Court that could cause them to reconsider the "Super-Pac Decree?"

Express yourself on Feb. 23 at 12 noon, and help us show that We the People have a powerful voice in the decisions that will shape our destiny.

Bring a sign, bring a friend, bring your voice and help us kick of a Court of Public Opinion Campaign and wake up the nation:

"America, your opinion matters! Weigh in on Citizens United!"

This video is a clip from a Coffee Party Radio show exploring the implications of a case before the US Supreme Court that could lead to a revisiting of the controversial "Citizens United" decree from Jan. 2010, which opened the floodgates for unlimited and undisclosed election spending by multinational corporations and other special interests.

In an unusual statement, US Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer have called for a reconsideration of the Court's January 2010 Citizens United ruling. The Supreme Court this evening issued a stay of the Montana Supreme Court's December 30, 2011 ruling which had upheld the state's century-old law banning corporate money in elections. The US Supreme Court's stay order means that, for the first time in 100 years, corporations may make unlimited expenditures in the state's elections. But, Justice Ginsburg, joined by Justice Breyer, issued a concurring statement making clear that this case is "an opportunity to consider whether, in light of the huge sums currently deployed to buy candidates' allegiance, Citizens United should continue to hold sway."

The Court is likely to accept review of the Montana case. The main question now is whether it will issue a reversal of the state supreme court ruling without a full argument on the merits or whether it will allow that full argument. Either way, this will push even further to the forefront the impact of the Citizens United ruling on our democracy.

The host of the show, recorded on Feb. 19, 2012, was Jessica English. Her guests included Annabel Park, founder of Coffee Party USA, and Eric Byler its newly elected president.

More details here:
http://coffeepartyusa.com/cu-redo

Sign up to participate in the People's response:
http://ow.ly/9aGiH

The People Respond to "Citizens United" — Supreme Court Decree

http://coffeepartyusa.com/otc-amendment-28

Filmed Jan. 20, 2012 in direct response to the 2nd anniversary of the "Citizens United" Supreme Court decision granting corporations and other special interest entities the "right" to spend unlimited and undisclosed money to influence the outcome of elections in the United States of America. Artwork and spectacle produced by The Backbone Campaign, as part of Occupy the Courts, organized by Move to Amend.

The demonstration included speeches by David Cobb, Thom Hartmann, Annabel Park, Shahid Buttar, Jill Stein, Will Rice and many others, as well as a performance by The Backbone Campaign.

After the Amendment artwork, created by Stephon Moody, was placed at the foot of the US Supreme Court steps, Cobb and Move to Amend hosted a strategy session in the Methodist Building next door. Meanwhile, protestors from #OccupyDC at McPherson Square and #OccupyWashingtonDC at Freedom Plaza removed a police barrier and were able to get as far as giant columns that hold up the words "EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW" before US Supreme Court Police Officers pushed them back to the sidewalk. Nine arrests were made.

Thom Hartmann at #OccupyTheCourts 1-20-12

http://movetoamend.org/

Video by Coffee Party USA and Backbone Campaign shot Jan. 20, 2012 at the US Capitol Building.

Amendment
Move to Amend 28th Amendment

Section 1 [A corporation is not a person and can be regulated]

The rights protected by the Constitution of the United States are the rights of natural persons only.

Artificial entities, such as corporations, limited liability companies, and other entities, established by the laws of any State, the United States, or any foreign state shall have no rights under this Constitution and are subject to regulation by the People, through Federal, State, or local law.

The privileges of artificial entities shall be determined by the People, through Federal, State, or local law, and shall not be construed to be inherent or inalienable.

Section 2 [Money is not speech and can be regulated]

Federal, State and local government shall regulate, limit, or prohibit contributions and expenditures, including a candidate's own contributions and expenditures, for the purpose of influencing in any way the election of any candidate for public office or any ballot measure.

Federal, State and local government shall require that any permissible contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed.

The judiciary shall not construe the spending of money to influence elections to be speech under the First Amendment.

Section 3

Nothing contained in this amendment shall be construed to abridge the freedom of the press.


Help Us Name The Amendment!

What do you think the amendment should be called? We want to hear from you!

Here are some ideas already proposed:

Amendment to End Corporate Rule
Government of the People Not Corporations Amendment
Clean Elections Amendment
Abolish Corporate Personhood Amendment
Sovereignty of the People Amendment
Amendment to Remove Corporations from the Constitution
End Corporate Personhood Amendment
Making Democracy Real Amendment
Power to the People Amendment
The Democracy Renewal Amendment
Government of the People Amendment
The 99% Amendment
Rule by the People Amendment
The Amendment to Liberate Democracy (or Our Republic)
We the People Amendment
The Amendment to Separate Corporation and State
The Peoples Personhood Amendment
Corporations are Not People, Money is Not Speech Amendment
The Common Sense Amendment

Citizens United The Musical

http://coffeepartyusa.com/citizens-united-2012

January 21 is the second anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, "Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission," and advocates on both sides of the corporate-personhood issue are organizing to make their voices heard. Pro-democracy organizations like Move to Amend are protesting the decision with rallies at 100 Federal Court Houses, including the Supreme Court, on Friday Jan. 20. Meanwhile, United 4 the People is organizing protests at symbolic corporate locations around the U.S. on Saturday Jan. 21 and participants in various Occupy movements are converging on the US Capitol on Tuesday Jan. 17, all to voice opposition to unlimited and anonymous money influencing our political process in favor of The 1 Percent.

But now there is a new organization fighting for the rights of The 1 Percent, and those who personally identify with them. They call themselves the Corporate-Person American Movement, and they are determined not to let the American people have the last word on whether money should equal speech, or whether corporate entities should have the power to purchase election results and lucrative legislation.

Corporate Person American Will Rice is gearing up for a big 2nd Anniversary of the Citizens United decision, which established corporate personhood and gave him a new identity. He recorded a new, intimate song to properly serenade his most beloved Supreme Court precedent.

"I've always wanted to be an oppressed minority of some kind," Rice said. "Being a white male born into inherited wealth, this dream of mine kept evading me. But that was before the Supreme Court stepped in to protect the rights of corporate persons to spend money on our elections. I realized then that my life's work would be, not only declare myself a Corporate-Person American, but also to fight for full citizenship rights for corporations, including the right to marry and the right to vote."

The fledgling organization has grown rapidly in the past 2 years as populist movements that advocate for the interests of the super-wealthy came into fashion. Brian Wang, who became a Corporate-Person American a year ago, shared that he's been getting "second looks from the ladies" since making the switch.

Gavin Clarke, 12-year-old speaker at Citizens Intervention DC

The People vs. A.L.E.C. speech by Dillon Culbreth of Creston, NC

http://coffeepartyusa.com

Patriotic Millionaire Charlie Fink speech at Citizens Intervention DC

http://citizensintervention.com/


"Sometimes an institution becomes too sick to fix itself...Sometimes an institution, like an individual, needs an intervention, from people, from friends, from outside."
— Lawrence Lessig, Republic, Lost

America is at a crossroads. Our political system itself allows powerful special interests and party ideologues to have more influence with our elected Representatives than average people. Washington has ground to a halt amidst cynical electioneering while tens of millions continue to suffer in this struggling economy. It is clear that Congress has become "too sick to fix itself."

These are reasons to be discouraged. However, we love our country and we must summon our dignity, strength and the spirit of unity. We must resolve to restore a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Giving up is not an option.

#OccupyDC, Park Police, & 1% Media engaged in intriguing dance

Occupy DC, The Park Police, & 1% Media are engaged in an intriguing dance right now.

On Nov. 14th, less than 12 hours before the police raid on Occupy Wall Street, Occupy DC saw its most contentious dispute with National Park Police. I interviewed Kelly Mears, who is part of the communications team at Occupy DC. I first met him on Oct. 1st. Kelly did not witness the altercation. I did.


--Eric Byler

"Occupy the Voting Booth in 2012" —Mitchell Swann at Citizens Intervention DC

http://citizensintervention.com/

Washington, DC Oct. 31, 2011 -- Coffee Party USA launched the lobbying phase of its Citizens Intervention campaign today after battling the elements in a memorable open mic rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday. Coffee Party members from throughout the country met with their Representatives and Senators on Capital Hill to begin a partnership to advance campaign finance reform, Wall Street reform, and tax code reform. In the months and years to come, a growing network called the Citizens Lobby will bring open mic rallies to Members' districts, visit district offices, and continue building relationships on Capitol Hill.

Citizen Lobbyists had 32 meetings today at U.S. Representative and Senate offices
Citizen Lobbyists delivered hand-written letters to on behalf of concerned citizens who had sent them from around the country
A team of volunteers who live in the DC Metro area will continue to make regular visits to Capitol Hill, building relationships, and connecting elected officials to a national network of increasingly empowered citizens.

Ice storm creates challenges, lasting bonds

Despite freezing cold temperatures, high winds, hail, and snow flurries, the Citizens Intervention rally was an uplifting and empowering experience for more than 500 attendees including more than 150 speakers.

"We bonded through the adversity and learned that we can really count on each other even in the hardest circumstances. I would do it again with twice as much snow!" said Jose Gutierrez, a recent graduate from Purdue University Camulet in Indiana.

"Success is measured by how one adjusts to adversity and I could not be more proud of the Coffee Party members and visitors for what they endured in order to make their voices heard," said Egberto Willies of Houston, TX who served two shifts as emcee and is the host of the Coffee Party's Saturday radio show. "We identified the heroes and leaders who will help us reach our goal of achieving self-governance for the People."

Theresa Browngold of Doylestown, PA brought her family on stage with her to display nine of her paintings portraying people who have struggled with health care issues. During her remarks, she explained that the more haunting portraits used darker colors because they were of people who had died. "The paintings represent the uninsured, under-insured and dying. I wanted the country to see who cannot access healthcare," she said.



As the ice storm intensified and temperatures dropped, organizers decided to move the event inside before darkness fell. But soon after the event had moved indoors, some of the citizen speakers expressed a desire to return to the Capitol. Coffee Party co-founder Eric Byler grabbed a video camera, and together with Patrick Robinson and other members who had driven with him from Occupy Chicago, led about a dozen people back out into the cold. Byler said, "I actually wanted to stay out there. The show must go on, and it did, beautifully in our makeshift in-door stage. But for those of us who returned to the Capitol as the sun was going down, those last 10 or 12 speeches were deeply meaningful. We weren't going to let the storm beat us. We ended with the Pledge of Allegiance, spoken in the tradition of 'the people's mic."

Bright Limm speech at Citizens Intervention DC

http://citizensintervention.com/

Washington, DC Oct. 31, 2011 -- Coffee Party USA launched the lobbying phase of its Citizens Intervention campaign today after battling the elements in a memorable open mic rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday. Coffee Party members from throughout the country met with their Representatives and Senators on Capital Hill to begin a partnership to advance campaign finance reform, Wall Street reform, and tax code reform. In the months and years to come, a growing network called the Citizens Lobby will bring open mic rallies to Members' districts, visit district offices, and continue building relationships on Capitol Hill.

Citizen Lobbyists had 32 meetings today at U.S. Representative and Senate offices
Citizen Lobbyists delivered hand-written letters to on behalf of concerned citizens who had sent them from around the country
A team of volunteers who live in the DC Metro area will continue to make regular visits to Capitol Hill, building relationships, and connecting elected officials to a national network of increasingly empowered citizens.

Ice storm creates challenges, lasting bonds

Despite freezing cold temperatures, high winds, hail, and snow flurries, the Citizens Intervention rally was an uplifting and empowering experience for more than 500 attendees including more than 150 speakers.

"We bonded through the adversity and learned that we can really count on each other even in the hardest circumstances. I would do it again with twice as much snow!" said Jose Gutierrez, a recent graduate from Purdue University Camulet in Indiana.

"Success is measured by how one adjusts to adversity and I could not be more proud of the Coffee Party members and visitors for what they endured in order to make their voices heard," said Egberto Willies of Houston, TX who served two shifts as emcee and is the host of the Coffee Party's Saturday radio show. "We identified the heroes and leaders who will help us reach our goal of achieving self-governance for the People."

Theresa Browngold of Doylestown, PA brought her family on stage with her to display nine of her paintings portraying people who have struggled with health care issues. During her remarks, she explained that the more haunting portraits used darker colors because they were of people who had died. "The paintings represent the uninsured, under-insured and dying. I wanted the country to see who cannot access healthcare," she said.



As the ice storm intensified and temperatures dropped, organizers decided to move the event inside before darkness fell. But soon after the event had moved indoors, some of the citizen speakers expressed a desire to return to the Capitol. Coffee Party co-founder Eric Byler grabbed a video camera, and together with Patrick Robinson and other members who had driven with him from Occupy Chicago, led about a dozen people back out into the cold. Byler said, "I actually wanted to stay out there. The show must go on, and it did, beautifully in our makeshift in-door stage. But for those of us who returned to the Capitol as the sun was going down, those last 10 or 12 speeches were deeply meaningful. We weren't going to let the storm beat us. We ended with the Pledge of Allegiance, spoken in the tradition of 'the people's mic."

Joe Snodgrass of Crescent City, FL speech at Citizens Intervention DC

http://citizensintervention.com/

Washington, DC Oct. 31, 2011 -- Coffee Party USA launched the lobbying phase of its Citizens Intervention campaign today after battling the elements in a memorable open mic rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday. Coffee Party members from throughout the country met with their Representatives and Senators on Capital Hill to begin a partnership to advance campaign finance reform, Wall Street reform, and tax code reform. In the months and years to come, a growing network called the Citizens Lobby will bring open mic rallies to Members' districts, visit district offices, and continue building relationships on Capitol Hill.

Citizen Lobbyists had 32 meetings today at U.S. Representative and Senate offices
Citizen Lobbyists delivered hand-written letters to on behalf of concerned citizens who had sent them from around the country
A team of volunteers who live in the DC Metro area will continue to make regular visits to Capitol Hill, building relationships, and connecting elected officials to a national network of increasingly empowered citizens.

Ice storm creates challenges, lasting bonds

Despite freezing cold temperatures, high winds, hail, and snow flurries, the Citizens Intervention rally was an uplifting and empowering experience for more than 500 attendees including more than 150 speakers.

"We bonded through the adversity and learned that we can really count on each other even in the hardest circumstances. I would do it again with twice as much snow!" said Jose Gutierrez, a recent graduate from Purdue University Camulet in Indiana.

"Success is measured by how one adjusts to adversity and I could not be more proud of the Coffee Party members and visitors for what they endured in order to make their voices heard," said Egberto Willies of Houston, TX who served two shifts as emcee and is the host of the Coffee Party's Saturday radio show. "We identified the heroes and leaders who will help us reach our goal of achieving self-governance for the People."

Theresa Browngold of Doylestown, PA brought her family on stage with her to display nine of her paintings portraying people who have struggled with health care issues. During her remarks, she explained that the more haunting portraits used darker colors because they were of people who had died. "The paintings represent the uninsured, under-insured and dying. I wanted the country to see who cannot access healthcare," she said.



As the ice storm intensified and temperatures dropped, organizers decided to move the event inside before darkness fell. But soon after the event had moved indoors, some of the citizen speakers expressed a desire to return to the Capitol. Coffee Party co-founder Eric Byler grabbed a video camera, and together with Patrick Robinson and other members who had driven with him from Occupy Chicago, led about a dozen people back out into the cold. Byler said, "I actually wanted to stay out there. The show must go on, and it did, beautifully in our makeshift in-door stage. But for those of us who returned to the Capitol as the sun was going down, those last 10 or 12 speeches were deeply meaningful. We weren't going to let the storm beat us. We ended with the Pledge of Allegiance, spoken in the tradition of 'the people's mic."

Elsa Dine braves freezing rain to deliver speech at US Capitol

http://citizensintervention.com/

Washington, DC Oct. 31, 2011 -- Coffee Party USA launched the lobbying phase of its Citizens Intervention campaign today after battling the elements in a memorable open mic rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday. Coffee Party members from throughout the country met with their Representatives and Senators on Capital Hill to begin a partnership to advance campaign finance reform, Wall Street reform, and tax code reform. In the months and years to come, a growing network called the Citizens Lobby will bring open mic rallies to Members' districts, visit district offices, and continue building relationships on Capitol Hill.

Citizen Lobbyists had 32 meetings today at U.S. Representative and Senate offices
Citizen Lobbyists delivered hand-written letters to on behalf of concerned citizens who had sent them from around the country
A team of volunteers who live in the DC Metro area will continue to make regular visits to Capitol Hill, building relationships, and connecting elected officials to a national network of increasingly empowered citizens.

Ice storm creates challenges, lasting bonds

Despite freezing cold temperatures, high winds, hail, and snow flurries, the Citizens Intervention rally was an uplifting and empowering experience for more than 500 attendees including more than 150 speakers.

"We bonded through the adversity and learned that we can really count on each other even in the hardest circumstances. I would do it again with twice as much snow!" said Jose Gutierrez, a recent graduate from Purdue University Camulet in Indiana.

"Success is measured by how one adjusts to adversity and I could not be more proud of the Coffee Party members and visitors for what they endured in order to make their voices heard," said Egberto Willies of Houston, TX who served two shifts as emcee and is the host of the Coffee Party's Saturday radio show. "We identified the heroes and leaders who will help us reach our goal of achieving self-governance for the People."

Theresa Browngold of Doylestown, PA brought her family on stage with her to display nine of her paintings portraying people who have struggled with health care issues. During her remarks, she explained that the more haunting portraits used darker colors because they were of people who had died. "The paintings represent the uninsured, under-insured and dying. I wanted the country to see who cannot access healthcare," she said.



As the ice storm intensified and temperatures dropped, organizers decided to move the event inside before darkness fell. But soon after the event had moved indoors, some of the citizen speakers expressed a desire to return to the Capitol. Coffee Party co-founder Eric Byler grabbed a video camera, and together with Patrick Robinson and other members who had driven with him from Occupy Chicago, led about a dozen people back out into the cold. Byler said, "I actually wanted to stay out there. The show must go on, and it did, beautifully in our makeshift in-door stage. But for those of us who returned to the Capitol as the sun was going down, those last 10 or 12 speeches were deeply meaningful. We weren't going to let the storm beat us. We ended with the Pledge of Allegiance, spoken in the tradition of 'the people's mic."

Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith at Citizens Intervention open mic

http://citizensintervention.com

http://uucava.org/profile/RevCarltonElliottSmith?xg_source=activity

Washington, DC Oct. 31, 2011 -- Coffee Party USA launched the lobbying phase of its Citizens Intervention campaign today after battling the elements in a memorable open mic rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday. Coffee Party members from throughout the country met with their Representatives and Senators on Capital Hill to begin a partnership to advance campaign finance reform, Wall Street reform, and tax code reform. In the months and years to come, a growing network called the Citizens Lobby will bring open mic rallies to Members' districts, visit district offices, and continue building relationships on Capitol Hill.

Citizen Lobbyists had 32 meetings today at U.S. Representative and Senate offices
Citizen Lobbyists delivered hand-written letters to on behalf of concerned citizens who had sent them from around the country
A team of volunteers who live in the DC Metro area will continue to make regular visits to Capitol Hill, building relationships, and connecting elected officials to a national network of increasingly empowered citizens.

Ice storm creates challenges, lasting bonds

Despite freezing cold temperatures, high winds, hail, and snow flurries, the Citizens Intervention rally was an uplifting and empowering experience for more than 500 attendees including more than 150 speakers.

"We bonded through the adversity and learned that we can really count on each other even in the hardest circumstances. I would do it again with twice as much snow!" said Jose Gutierrez, a recent graduate from Purdue University Camulet in Indiana.

"Success is measured by how one adjusts to adversity and I could not be more proud of the Coffee Party members and visitors for what they endured in order to make their voices heard," said Egberto Willies of Houston, TX who served two shifts as emcee and is the host of the Coffee Party's Saturday radio show. "We identified the heroes and leaders who will help us reach our goal of achieving self-governance for the People."

Theresa Browngold of Doylestown, PA brought her family on stage with her to display nine of her paintings portraying people who have struggled with health care issues. During her remarks, she explained that the more haunting portraits used darker colors because they were of people who had died. "The paintings represent the uninsured, under-insured and dying. I wanted the country to see who cannot access healthcare," she said.



As the ice storm intensified and temperatures dropped, organizers decided to move the event inside before darkness fell. But soon after the event had moved indoors, some of the citizen speakers expressed a desire to return to the Capitol. Coffee Party co-founder Eric Byler grabbed a video camera, and together with Patrick Robinson and other members who had driven with him from Occupy Chicago, led about a dozen people back out into the cold. Byler said, "I actually wanted to stay out there. The show must go on, and it did, beautifully in our makeshift in-door stage. But for those of us who returned to the Capitol as the sun was going down, those last 10 or 12 speeches were deeply meaningful. We weren't going to let the storm beat us. We ended with the Pledge of Allegiance, spoken in the tradition of 'the people's mic."

Joe Sestak speech at Citizens Intervention

http://citizensintervention.com

An Inevitable Moment for America

by Joe Sestak wrote in the Summer of 2011 that Egypt's revolution was the result of:

"a growing frustration with those in power who use that power only for themselves, not for their people. For this Tunisian street vendor --who set himself and the Middle East revolution ablaze-- action was inevitable. The near-absolute power of his established leaders was not being used to help him, but instead was being used for their own self-aggrandizement. This resulted in gross income disparity, a shifting job market, and a discouraged middle class. It was this same frustration that made America's revolution inevitable over two centuries ago."

AND:

"This understandable lack of faith in our government and its leaders has ravaged not only our democratic process, but ultimately undermines our sense of national unity—what we stand for and what we are capable of. It is not just politics. The trust of Americans has been devastated by fraud and failure in virtually every area of public life. People have been let down and led astray -- to disastrous consequences -- by government and politicians, corporations and titans of business, civic leaders and experts of all stripes. Unbelievable lapses of oversight and foresight have occurred across administrations and on the watch of both parties. The government of the people has rarely been held in such low regard by the people; and when the body created by and for the people does not enjoy the public trust, it must be viewed as nothing short of a crisis. We are arguably in no less a crisis than are the governments that have lost the support of their people in North Africa and the Middle East. We must restore trust in our leaders."

Read More:

http://joesestak.com/articles/2011/5/med-quarterly

Paul Weiskel of #OWS & #Occupy Boston at Citizens Intervention Rally #Oct29

http://coffeepartyusa.com/why-i-occupy-weiskel

Why I occupy

My motivation for taking part in this defense of democracy and a call to action to anyone who has the ability to support these members of the 99%.

by Paul Weiskel

After a particularly long debate in the first General Assembly of the occupation of what is now named One Liberty Plaza, a protester stood up and said, "This is the best example of democracy I have ever seen or been a part of." I could not agree more. Taking part in true democratic decision making, no matter how small, is liberating and life changing. Especially when it is within earshot of Wall Street.

I don't need to tell you my political reasoning for supporting #OccupyWallStreet, you are obviously at least an observer of the Coffee Party so I won't lay the regular deluge of statistics and critique of this corrupt system and how it has subverted our democracy.

I will however explain my perspective on why I feel this particular action is so important to our movement to bring forth a thriving, just, and sustainable democracy, of, by, and for the people.

I stood on the picket lines with Verizon union workers in Boston, I spent my spring break in Madison, Wisconsin supporting collective bargaining rights, and when I first heard about #OccupyWallStreet I knew I had to be there. I spent 4 days in New York including the first 3 days of the occupation. I live in Boston, Massachusetts, home to Wall Street's favorite congressmen Senator Scott Brown who has taken in a disgustingly huge portion of campaign donations from Wall Street coffers. It is a flat out lie to think this represents anything larger than 1% of the people of Massachusetts. I know what is at stake and I believe taking it to the sidewalks of Wall Street is the next step in our movement.

We are the 99%, the people with student loan debt, the families with homes foreclosed on, the minorities who are wrongfully discriminated against by the American 'justice' system. And we will no longer tolerate the abuses and corruption of the 1%. The fight to end corporate personhood, stop foreclosures, save Troy Davis, abolish student loan debt, and put Washington into the hands of the people are all the same fight. And coming together in New York City is were we can be heard the loudest.

Arie Spiel, age 15, at Citizens Intervention 10/29/11 Washington DC

http://citizensintervention.com/

I believe that corporate power is growing and if unchecked, the U.S. will become a feudal Society.
Corporations are not obliged to sit on juries and can't be asked to serve and perhaps die for our country. Why did our courts grant them the first amendment right to free speech? This enables them to campaign, lobby and bribe their way to ever higher profits.
Our legislators prostitute themselves for corporate contributions and we get the shaft. For this legal bribery, Big Business can pollute. They can graze cattle or mine our federal lands for pennies. Big Farms are paid handsomely not to grow. Big Oil gets generous tax breaks and give us token royalties for what they extract from our federal land and seas. The US tax payer gets nothing from this but the plunder of our treasury and our natural resources.
This corporate assault is not limited to tax breaks. They want to end all federal oversight. The house has tried to hobble the EPA all year. Big Business means to starve our government and end the regulations that protect us from their recklessness and greed.
When we close our libraries, parks and public beaches, our social bonds will be severed. School and other government services will only be available to those who can afford it. When our government is forced to lay off police and fire fighters we will have anarchy. Then we will all live in company towns coast to coast. Americans will be like serfs, tied to the land with no hope of upward mobility. We will be living in a company house, guarded by 2nd amendment protected company cops and shopping at the company store. It will be a slave new world.
We must invest in America and put Americans back to work. We must save our environment for the future. We must tax those who make fortunes here. We must break the bonds between the boardroom and the legislature. Congress must protect our interests not the CEOs. We desperately need a Constitutional Amendment barring any entity from making political donations, if they are soliciting the government. We must end the corporate takeover of America now.
We need this Coffee Party to thrive. I am now pledging $1,000, so my son Arie, who is in the crowd, can become a lifetime member. He is fifteen. Please donate. We need this Coffee Party to be strong and influential for his entire life. I don't want him to live in a country that is of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations. Please give.
God bless the Coffee Party and God bless America. Thank You

Arie Spiel

Texas Style Intervention: Who's Your Daddy?

Join us in asking Congress Who's Your Daddy? http://ow.ly/7ltKo

http://citizensintervention.com

Coffee Party brings Open Mic in Texas, More Cities to Be Added
The Enough is Enough rally in Washington DC was the launch of a national campaign, with two primary components:

Free Speech Open Mic events

The Citizens Lobby including coordinated in-person visits to Congressional offices on Capitol Hill and around the country.

And, we didn't waste any time. Just week after the kick-off event, Annabel Park is in Austin, Texas hosting a seminar on social media and political engagement followed by a Free Speech Open Mic event at the State Capitol, at which we will be recruiting leaders for the Citizens Lobby.

Over the next three months:

Eric Byler will host Free Speech Open Mic events in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Seattle.

Debilyn Molineaux will be host events in Portland, Oregon.

Egberto Willies and Shane Brooks will co-host events in Houston and Waco, Texas.

Annabel Park and Eric Byler will co-host will host events in Charlottesville, VA and New York City.

Tabitha Justice will host an event in Milton, West Virginia.

If you would like to organize a Free Speech Open Mic event in your area, please contact us at: Enough@CoffeePartyUSA.com.

Please help us get the message out to our fellow citizens and Congress by making a financial contribution to support our Citizens Intervention open mic and lobbying campaign now.

Citizens Intervention Trailer — thank you to all survivors!

http://citizensintervention.com http://coffeepartyusa.com

Washington, DC Oct. 31, 2011 -- Coffee Party USA launched the lobbying phase of its Citizens Intervention campaign today after battling the elements in a memorable open mic rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday. Coffee Party members from throughout the country met with their Representatives and Senators on Capital Hill to begin a partnership to advance campaign finance reform, Wall Street reform, and tax code reform. In the months and years to come, a growing network called the Citizens Lobby will bring open mic rallies to Members' districts, visit district offices, and continue building relationships on Capitol Hill.

Citizen Lobbyists had 32 meetings today at U.S. Representative and Senate offices
Citizen Lobbyists delivered hand-written letters to on behalf of concerned citizens who had sent them from around the country
A team of volunteers who live in the DC Metro area will continue to make regular visits to Capitol Hill, building relationships, and connecting elected officials to a national network of increasingly empowered citizens.

Ice storm creates challenges, lasting bonds

Despite freezing cold temperatures, high winds, hail, and snow flurries, the Citizens Intervention rally was an uplifting and empowering experience for more than 500 attendees including more than 150 speakers.

"We bonded through the adversity and learned that we can really count on each other even in the hardest circumstances. I would do it again with twice as much snow!" said Jose Gutierrez, a recent graduate from Purdue University Camulet in Indiana.

"Success is measured by how one adjusts to adversity and I could not be more proud of the Coffee Party members and visitors for what they endured in order to make their voices heard," said Egberto Willies of Houston, TX who served two shifts as emcee and is the host of the Coffee Party's Saturday radio show. "We identified the heroes and leaders who will help us reach our goal of achieving self-governance for the People."

Theresa Browngold of Doylestown, PA brought her family on stage with her to display nine of her paintings portraying people who have struggled with health care issues. During her remarks, she explained that the more haunting portraits used darker colors because they were of people who had died. "The paintings represent the uninsured, under-insured and dying. I wanted the country to see who cannot access healthcare," she said.



As the ice storm intensified and temperatures dropped, organizers decided to move the event inside before darkness fell. But soon after the event had moved indoors, some of the citizen speakers expressed a desire to return to the Capitol. Coffee Party co-founder Eric Byler grabbed a video camera, and together with Patrick Robinson and other members who had driven with him from Occupy Chicago, led about a dozen people back out into the cold. Byler said, "I actually wanted to stay out there. The show must go on, and it did, beautifully in our makeshift in-door stage. But for those of us who returned to the Capitol as the sun was going down, those last 10 or 12 speeches were deeply meaningful. We weren't going to let the storm beat us. We ended with the Pledge of Allegiance, spoken in the tradition of 'the people's mic."

Sarah Lawson speech at US Capitol Oct. 29, 2011

http://citizensintervention.com/

Congress must listen to the American people NOW. Not after the election.

The silent majority is saying Enough Is Enough with the broken government. We must summon the political will as a country to confront Washington with the core problem: money in politics.

We have a democracy crisis, more than a deficit crisis.

This is an historic moment. Grassroots democracy is springing up everywhere right now in a whole new way. We are calling this rally an "intervention" in recognition of the urgency of the moment. It is our desire to establish dialogue between members of Congress and the American People. We intend that this will lead to significant changes in our nation's priorities and policies.
The Citizens Intervention is an opportunity for everyday Americans to share their personal stories directly with Congress. Hundreds of citizens are signing up to take part in a "free speech open mic" program to express how the corruption and dysfunction affect our lives, and what we want to do about it.

We love our country and that is why we are going to Washington. We have sent letters; we have made phone calls. We are going to Washington because we feel that our words have been ignored. By our physical presence in the streets of our nation's capitol we want you to see our faces and hear our voices. This intervention is about We The People shaking things up and getting Congress back to work.
Our representative democracy isn't working. We don't feel represented. Money has replaced the people in the process. To stop the cycle of corruption, we must reform our campaign finance system, transform our tax code, and revamp the way Wall St does business. We are are going to insist and we're not going to go away until we fix the problems. Our future is on the line.
We are asking all Americans to join us in a national dialogue on how we will address both the crisis of confidence that the American people have in our elected leaders and the toxic political discourse that feeds that crisis. We need a non-ideological, civil, and solution-oriented dialogue on how to move forward together.

Recognizing that Americans are searching for ways to participate in the political process without discord and rancor, our aim is to provide a place to gather and a way to participate that celebrates the spirit of American democracy.

As the deliberations of the Super Committee proceed we would like everyone seated at the table. In order for this to be a legitimate national dialogue about the future of our country, the voice of We The People must be heard.

We reject the Supreme Court's activist decree that multi-national corporations are American citizens with inalienable rights to unlimited and anonymous political advertising. Our Constitution enshrines free speech as a guarantee of protection for the will of the People, not as an avenue for the influence advertising or political propaganda.

Without real campaign finance reform the American people will continue playing second fiddle to powerful special interests. We know reform is possible if there is political will. We need to summon that political will around the country and on Capitol Hill. We won't stop until it is done.

For more than three years, Americans have lived in anxious frustration, some of us to the point of despair and real deprivation. Wall Street wreaked havoc on our economy and while it has certainly recovered, we have not. This must never happen again. We must change the way Wall Street does business.
The tax code is complicated and unfair. We need a simpler tax code that levels the playing field so we all pay our fair share. Such reforms will enable us to get our economic house in order while also meeting our obligations to those still struggling, to our ailing infrastructure, and to our nation's defense.
We share your frustration and anxiety. If we play the ostrich — put our heads in the sand -- things will only continue to deteriorate. Without your voice, nothing changes. With your voice and your physical presence, change begins. Without your engagement, Washington stays the same.

Why the #99% will win — Eric Byler Speech at US Capitol on global democracy movement

http://citizensintervention.com

Impromptu speech concludes outdoor portion of Citizens Intervention rally. Moments earlier, Coffee Party co-founder Eric Byler was informed the rally would move indoors to allow open mic to continue despite falling temperatures and falling ice/snow/freezing rain. The open mic went late into the evening at Hamilton's Bar and Grill two blocks away.

http://coffeepartyusa.com


The mission of the Coffee Party is to fight the Cycle of Corruption, and restore self-governance to the People. To do so, we must achieve

Campaign finance reform
Wall Street reform
Tax code reform
As voters and grassroots volunteers, we understand that the federal government is not our enemy, but the expression of our collective will. We pledge to support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them. Our goal is not to destroy our government. Our goal is to fix it.

We believe that the influence of money on our political process, and, the politics of fear and division work together to stand in the way of a government of, by, for the people. Coffee Party members welcome the diversity of thought, background, and circumstance that is found in the cities, towns, and neighborhoods of our country.

We maintain independence from all political parties and labels. We are trans-partisan, but being trans-partisan does not mean we cannot take positions. It means that Coffee Party members arrive at positions based on principles and facts, not on party affiliation. By seeking and sharing accurate information, we empower ourselves and others to take action and participate in the deliberative process.

The Constitution and the common good are not in opposition. The Constitution was written for the common good, to allow the People to stand together against abuses of power. We cannot allow the Constitution to be appropriated by small factions, or used to justify extreme tactics.

Our love of country is not based on cultural resentment. We not only love America, we also love Americans. We are united in our shared belief in democracy, equality, liberty, and justice. These are the ideals that define us as a nation. This is the heritage we wish to pass on to future generations.

John Gallager Citizen Intervention Statement at US Capitol

http://citizensintervention.com/

John Gallager organizes with Occupy Chicago and traveled to Washington DC for the Citizens Intervention rally at the US Capitol by car with fellow occupiers. This footage was shot after the rally was moved in doors due to harsh weather, and, some decided to go back into the cold in order to say their piece in front of the Capitol, as planned.

Congress must listen to the American people NOW. Not after the election.

The silent majority is saying Enough Is Enough with the broken government. We must summon the political will as a country to confront Washington with the core problem: money in politics.

We have a democracy crisis, more than a deficit crisis.

This is an historic moment. Grassroots democracy is springing up everywhere right now in a whole new way. We are calling this rally an "intervention" in recognition of the urgency of the moment. It is our desire to establish dialogue between members of Congress and the American People. We intend that this will lead to significant changes in our nation's priorities and policies.
The Citizens Intervention is an opportunity for everyday Americans to share their personal stories directly with Congress. Hundreds of citizens are signing up to take part in a "free speech open mic" program to express how the corruption and dysfunction affect our lives, and what we want to do about it.

We love our country and that is why we are going to Washington. We have sent letters; we have made phone calls. We are going to Washington because we feel that our words have been ignored. By our physical presence in the streets of our nation's capitol we want you to see our faces and hear our voices. This intervention is about We The People shaking things up and getting Congress back to work.
Our representative democracy isn't working. We don't feel represented. Money has replaced the people in the process. To stop the cycle of corruption, we must reform our campaign finance system, transform our tax code, and revamp the way Wall St does business. We are are going to insist and we're not going to go away until we fix the problems. Our future is on the line.
We are asking all Americans to join us in a national dialogue on how we will address both the crisis of confidence that the American people have in our elected leaders and the toxic political discourse that feeds that crisis. We need a non-ideological, civil, and solution-oriented dialogue on how to move forward together.

Recognizing that Americans are searching for ways to participate in the political process without discord and rancor, our aim is to provide a place to gather and a way to participate that celebrates the spirit of American democracy.

As the deliberations of the Super Committee proceed we would like everyone seated at the table. In order for this to be a legitimate national dialogue about the future of our country, the voice of We The People must be heard.

We reject the Supreme Court's activist decree that multi-national corporations are American citizens with inalienable rights to unlimited and anonymous political advertising. Our Constitution enshrines free speech as a guarantee of protection for the will of the People, not as an avenue for the influence advertising or political propaganda.

Without real campaign finance reform the American people will continue playing second fiddle to powerful special interests. We know reform is possible if there is political will. We need to summon that political will around the country and on Capitol Hill. We won't stop until it is done.

For more than three years, Americans have lived in anxious frustration, some of us to the point of despair and real deprivation. Wall Street wreaked havoc on our economy and while it has certainly recovered, we have not. This must never happen again. We must change the way Wall Street does business.

The tax code is complicated and unfair. We need a simpler tax code that levels the playing field so we all pay our fair share. Such reforms will enable us to get our economic house in order while also meeting our obligations to those still struggling, to our ailing infrastructure, and to our nation's defense.

We share your frustration and anxiety. If we play the ostrich — put our heads in the sand -- things will only continue to deteriorate. Without your voice, nothing changes. With your voice and your physical presence, change begins. Without your engagement, Washington stays the same.

Jacqueine Spreadbury Citizen Intervention statement at US Capitol

http://citizensintervention.com/

Jacqueline Spreadbury organizes with Occupy Chicago and traveled to Washington DC for the Citizens Intervention rally at the US Capitol by car with fellow occupiers. This footage was shot after the rally was moved in doors due to harsh weather, and, some decided to go back into the cold in order to say their piece in front of the Capitol, as planned.

Congress must listen to the American people NOW. Not after the election.

The silent majority is saying Enough Is Enough with the broken government. We must summon the political will as a country to confront Washington with the core problem: money in politics.

We have a democracy crisis, more than a deficit crisis.

This is an historic moment. Grassroots democracy is springing up everywhere right now in a whole new way. We are calling this rally an "intervention" in recognition of the urgency of the moment. It is our desire to establish dialogue between members of Congress and the American People. We intend that this will lead to significant changes in our nation's priorities and policies.
The Citizens Intervention is an opportunity for everyday Americans to share their personal stories directly with Congress. Hundreds of citizens are signing up to take part in a "free speech open mic" program to express how the corruption and dysfunction affect our lives, and what we want to do about it.

We love our country and that is why we are going to Washington. We have sent letters; we have made phone calls. We are going to Washington because we feel that our words have been ignored. By our physical presence in the streets of our nation's capitol we want you to see our faces and hear our voices. This intervention is about We The People shaking things up and getting Congress back to work.
Our representative democracy isn't working. We don't feel represented. Money has replaced the people in the process. To stop the cycle of corruption, we must reform our campaign finance system, transform our tax code, and revamp the way Wall St does business. We are are going to insist and we're not going to go away until we fix the problems. Our future is on the line.
We are asking all Americans to join us in a national dialogue on how we will address both the crisis of confidence that the American people have in our elected leaders and the toxic political discourse that feeds that crisis. We need a non-ideological, civil, and solution-oriented dialogue on how to move forward together.

Recognizing that Americans are searching for ways to participate in the political process without discord and rancor, our aim is to provide a place to gather and a way to participate that celebrates the spirit of American democracy.

As the deliberations of the Super Committee proceed we would like everyone seated at the table. In order for this to be a legitimate national dialogue about the future of our country, the voice of We The People must be heard.

We reject the Supreme Court's activist decree that multi-national corporations are American citizens with inalienable rights to unlimited and anonymous political advertising. Our Constitution enshrines free speech as a guarantee of protection for the will of the People, not as an avenue for the influence advertising or political propaganda.

Without real campaign finance reform the American people will continue playing second fiddle to powerful special interests. We know reform is possible if there is political will. We need to summon that political will around the country and on Capitol Hill. We won't stop until it is done.

For more than three years, Americans have lived in anxious frustration, some of us to the point of despair and real deprivation. Wall Street wreaked havoc on our economy and while it has certainly recovered, we have not. This must never happen again. We must change the way Wall Street does business.

The tax code is complicated and unfair. We need a simpler tax code that levels the playing field so we all pay our fair share. Such reforms will enable us to get our economic house in order while also meeting our obligations to those still struggling, to our ailing infrastructure, and to our nation's defense.

We share your frustration and anxiety. If we play the ostrich — put our heads in the sand -- things will only continue to deteriorate. Without your voice, nothing changes. With your voice and your physical presence, change begins. Without your engagement, Washington stays the same.

Occupy Marine David Bennet responds to Oakland travesty

http://citizensintervention.com/

David Bennet traveled from Occupy Chicago to Washington DC for the Citizens Intervention rally at the US Capitol. This footage was shot after the rally was moved in doors due to harsh weather, and, some decided to go back into the cold in order to say their piece in front of the Capitol, as planned.

Congress must listen to the American people NOW. Not after the election.

The silent majority is saying Enough Is Enough with the broken government. We must summon the political will as a country to confront Washington with the core problem: money in politics.

We have a democracy crisis, more than a deficit crisis.

This is an historic moment. Grassroots democracy is springing up everywhere right now in a whole new way. We are calling this rally an "intervention" in recognition of the urgency of the moment. It is our desire to establish dialogue between members of Congress and the American People. We intend that this will lead to significant changes in our nation's priorities and policies.
The Citizens Intervention is an opportunity for everyday Americans to share their personal stories directly with Congress. Hundreds of citizens are signing up to take part in a "free speech open mic" program to express how the corruption and dysfunction affect our lives, and what we want to do about it.

We love our country and that is why we are going to Washington. We have sent letters; we have made phone calls. We are going to Washington because we feel that our words have been ignored. By our physical presence in the streets of our nation's capitol we want you to see our faces and hear our voices. This intervention is about We The People shaking things up and getting Congress back to work.
Our representative democracy isn't working. We don't feel represented. Money has replaced the people in the process. To stop the cycle of corruption, we must reform our campaign finance system, transform our tax code, and revamp the way Wall St does business. We are are going to insist and we're not going to go away until we fix the problems. Our future is on the line.
We are asking all Americans to join us in a national dialogue on how we will address both the crisis of confidence that the American people have in our elected leaders and the toxic political discourse that feeds that crisis. We need a non-ideological, civil, and solution-oriented dialogue on how to move forward together.

Recognizing that Americans are searching for ways to participate in the political process without discord and rancor, our aim is to provide a place to gather and a way to participate that celebrates the spirit of American democracy.

As the deliberations of the Super Committee proceed we would like everyone seated at the table. In order for this to be a legitimate national dialogue about the future of our country, the voice of We The People must be heard.

We reject the Supreme Court's activist decree that multi-national corporations are American citizens with inalienable rights to unlimited and anonymous political advertising. Our Constitution enshrines free speech as a guarantee of protection for the will of the People, not as an avenue for the influence advertising or political propaganda.

Without real campaign finance reform the American people will continue playing second fiddle to powerful special interests. We know reform is possible if there is political will. We need to summon that political will around the country and on Capitol Hill. We won't stop until it is done.

For more than three years, Americans have lived in anxious frustration, some of us to the point of despair and real deprivation. Wall Street wreaked havoc on our economy and while it has certainly recovered, we have not. This must never happen again. We must change the way Wall Street does business.

The tax code is complicated and unfair. We need a simpler tax code that levels the playing field so we all pay our fair share. Such reforms will enable us to get our economic house in order while also meeting our obligations to those still struggling, to our ailing infrastructure, and to our nation's defense.

We share your frustration and anxiety. If we play the ostrich — put our heads in the sand -- things will only continue to deteriorate. Without your voice, nothing changes. With your voice and your physical presence, change begins. Without your engagement, Washington stays the same.

Jeanene Louden Intervention Statement at US Capitol #Oct29

http://citizensintervention.com/

Congress must listen to the American people NOW. Not after the election.

The silent majority is saying Enough Is Enough with the broken government. We must summon the political will as a country to confront Washington with the core problem: money in politics.

We have a democracy crisis, more than a deficit crisis.

This is an historic moment. Grassroots democracy is springing up everywhere right now in a whole new way. We are calling this rally an "intervention" in recognition of the urgency of the moment. It is our desire to establish dialogue between members of Congress and the American People. We intend that this will lead to significant changes in our nation's priorities and policies.
The Citizens Intervention is an opportunity for everyday Americans to share their personal stories directly with Congress. Hundreds of citizens are signing up to take part in a "free speech open mic" program to express how the corruption and dysfunction affect our lives, and what we want to do about it.

We love our country and that is why we are going to Washington. We have sent letters; we have made phone calls. We are going to Washington because we feel that our words have been ignored. By our physical presence in the streets of our nation's capitol we want you to see our faces and hear our voices. This intervention is about We The People shaking things up and getting Congress back to work.
Our representative democracy isn't working. We don't feel represented. Money has replaced the people in the process. To stop the cycle of corruption, we must reform our campaign finance system, transform our tax code, and revamp the way Wall St does business. We are are going to insist and we're not going to go away until we fix the problems. Our future is on the line.
We are asking all Americans to join us in a national dialogue on how we will address both the crisis of confidence that the American people have in our elected leaders and the toxic political discourse that feeds that crisis. We need a non-ideological, civil, and solution-oriented dialogue on how to move forward together.

Recognizing that Americans are searching for ways to participate in the political process without discord and rancor, our aim is to provide a place to gather and a way to participate that celebrates the spirit of American democracy.

As the deliberations of the Super Committee proceed we would like everyone seated at the table. In order for this to be a legitimate national dialogue about the future of our country, the voice of We The People must be heard.

We reject the Supreme Court's activist decree that multi-national corporations are American citizens with inalienable rights to unlimited and anonymous political advertising. Our Constitution enshrines free speech as a guarantee of protection for the will of the People, not as an avenue for the influence advertising or political propaganda.

Without real campaign finance reform the American people will continue playing second fiddle to powerful special interests. We know reform is possible if there is political will. We need to summon that political will around the country and on Capitol Hill. We won't stop until it is done.

For more than three years, Americans have lived in anxious frustration, some of us to the point of despair and real deprivation. Wall Street wreaked havoc on our economy and while it has certainly recovered, we have not. This must never happen again. We must change the way Wall Street does business.
The tax code is complicated and unfair. We need a simpler tax code that levels the playing field so we all pay our fair share. Such reforms will enable us to get our economic house in order while also meeting our obligations to those still struggling, to our ailing infrastructure, and to our nation's defense.
We share your frustration and anxiety. If we play the ostrich — put our heads in the sand -- things will only continue to deteriorate. Without your voice, nothing changes. With your voice and your physical presence, change begins. Without your engagement, Washington stays the same.

Patrick Robinson of Occupy Chicago

http://citizensintervention.com/

Congress must listen to the American people NOW. Not after the election.

The silent majority is saying Enough Is Enough with the broken government. We must summon the political will as a country to confront Washington with the core problem: money in politics.

We have a democracy crisis, more than a deficit crisis.

This is an historic moment. Grassroots democracy is springing up everywhere right now in a whole new way. We are calling this rally an "intervention" in recognition of the urgency of the moment. It is our desire to establish dialogue between members of Congress and the American People. We intend that this will lead to significant changes in our nation's priorities and policies.
The Citizens Intervention is an opportunity for everyday Americans to share their personal stories directly with Congress. Hundreds of citizens are signing up to take part in a "free speech open mic" program to express how the corruption and dysfunction affect our lives, and what we want to do about it.

We love our country and that is why we are going to Washington. We have sent letters; we have made phone calls. We are going to Washington because we feel that our words have been ignored. By our physical presence in the streets of our nation's capitol we want you to see our faces and hear our voices. This intervention is about We The People shaking things up and getting Congress back to work.
Our representative democracy isn't working. We don't feel represented. Money has replaced the people in the process. To stop the cycle of corruption, we must reform our campaign finance system, transform our tax code, and revamp the way Wall St does business. We are are going to insist and we're not going to go away until we fix the problems. Our future is on the line.
We are asking all Americans to join us in a national dialogue on how we will address both the crisis of confidence that the American people have in our elected leaders and the toxic political discourse that feeds that crisis. We need a non-ideological, civil, and solution-oriented dialogue on how to move forward together.

Recognizing that Americans are searching for ways to participate in the political process without discord and rancor, our aim is to provide a place to gather and a way to participate that celebrates the spirit of American democracy.

As the deliberations of the Super Committee proceed we would like everyone seated at the table. In order for this to be a legitimate national dialogue about the future of our country, the voice of We The People must be heard.

We reject the Supreme Court's activist decree that multi-national corporations are American citizens with inalienable rights to unlimited and anonymous political advertising. Our Constitution enshrines free speech as a guarantee of protection for the will of the People, not as an avenue for the influence advertising or political propaganda.

Without real campaign finance reform the American people will continue playing second fiddle to powerful special interests. We know reform is possible if there is political will. We need to summon that political will around the country and on Capitol Hill. We won't stop until it is done.

For more than three years, Americans have lived in anxious frustration, some of us to the point of despair and real deprivation. Wall Street wreaked havoc on our economy and while it has certainly recovered, we have not. This must never happen again. We must change the way Wall Street does business.
The tax code is complicated and unfair. We need a simpler tax code that levels the playing field so we all pay our fair share. Such reforms will enable us to get our economic house in order while also meeting our obligations to those still struggling, to our ailing infrastructure, and to our nation's defense.
We share your frustration and anxiety. If we play the ostrich — put our heads in the sand -- things will only continue to deteriorate. Without your voice, nothing changes. With your voice and your physical presence, change begins. Without your engagement, Washington stays the same.

Intervention statement by Theresa Browngold

http://citizensintervention.com/browngold

by Theresa BrownGold

Anyone who is indifferent to the well-being of other people and the causes of their future happiness can only be laying the ground for their own misfortune.
—Dalai Lama

In 2008 I started an art project I call Art As Social Inquiry. The idea for this project surfaced after decades of observing the hundreds of thousands of people (and I mean that literally) I encountered in 30 years of working in the restaurant business. You can imagine that, after so many conversations, I had heard many thousands of stories of people helping people. One day it struck me, "Why do so many people who support so many charitable causes with their time and money get absolutely livid and resolute in opposing real reform for creating a system in which all people can access healthcare in the United States?"

Surely, if these good people really knew what was happening to the "others," the ones who had no or not enough health insurance, the ones not like them, they might feel differently. I wanted to create an honest dialog by connecting the issue of access to healthcare to real lives — lives affected by our opinions and the society shaped by them .

Also at this time I was phasing myself out of the restaurant business and returning to art-making, something I had studied for a brief time in my twenties. I had the idea that I could paint portraits and tell every kind of healthcare story I could find. If I created an overview by lining up these portrait-stories side-by-side, and then invited people to look at was happening in real lives across the spectrum of healthcare access, would our opinions about how we get healthcare change?

Any doubts I might have had about this new venture were quickly scuttled when I felt a bit of a spiritual push. I recognized that I, in my small way, was responsible for creating this class of "others" who could not get health insurance. As a small business, our health insurance group was comprised of my husband, me and one other full time employee. When our one full time employee decided to leave after 3 years, I said to my co-owner/husband, "If we hire only part time employees, we won't have to provide health benefits." I felt nauseous. I had to either lie to myself about how I was planning to control costs in our system of employer-based coverage. Or, I had to admit that I would be contributing to this national epidemic of the uninsured like the hundreds of thousands of other small businesses looking to hire only part-time workers. I thought, "Is this any way to run a country?"

Fast forward to the present. I am 45 portraits into my social inquiry of how we access healthcare in the US. My goal is to paint at least 100 portraits and have an art show travel the country for many people to see the portraits and hear the stories.

Continued at:

http://citizensintervention.com/browngold

Poet Gowri K sings truth to power at US Capitol "Citizens Intervention"

http://citizensintervention.com/

Congress must listen to the American people NOW. Not after the election.

The silent majority is saying Enough Is Enough with the broken government. We must summon the political will as a country to confront Washington with the core problem: money in politics.

We have a democracy crisis, more than a deficit crisis.

This is an historic moment. Grassroots democracy is springing up everywhere right now in a whole new way. We are calling this rally an "intervention" in recognition of the urgency of the moment. It is our desire to establish dialogue between members of Congress and the American People. We intend that this will lead to significant changes in our nation's priorities and policies.
The Citizens Intervention is an opportunity for everyday Americans to share their personal stories directly with Congress. Hundreds of citizens are signing up to take part in a "free speech open mic" program to express how the corruption and dysfunction affect our lives, and what we want to do about it.

We love our country and that is why we are going to Washington. We have sent letters; we have made phone calls. We are going to Washington because we feel that our words have been ignored. By our physical presence in the streets of our nation's capitol we want you to see our faces and hear our voices. This intervention is about We The People shaking things up and getting Congress back to work.
Our representative democracy isn't working. We don't feel represented. Money has replaced the people in the process. To stop the cycle of corruption, we must reform our campaign finance system, transform our tax code, and revamp the way Wall St does business. We are are going to insist and we're not going to go away until we fix the problems. Our future is on the line.
We are asking all Americans to join us in a national dialogue on how we will address both the crisis of confidence that the American people have in our elected leaders and the toxic political discourse that feeds that crisis. We need a non-ideological, civil, and solution-oriented dialogue on how to move forward together.

Recognizing that Americans are searching for ways to participate in the political process without discord and rancor, our aim is to provide a place to gather and a way to participate that celebrates the spirit of American democracy.

As the deliberations of the Super Committee proceed we would like everyone seated at the table. In order for this to be a legitimate national dialogue about the future of our country, the voice of We The People must be heard.

We reject the Supreme Court's activist decree that multi-national corporations are American citizens with inalienable rights to unlimited and anonymous political advertising. Our Constitution enshrines free speech as a guarantee of protection for the will of the People, not as an avenue for the influence advertising or political propaganda.

Without real campaign finance reform the American people will continue playing second fiddle to powerful special interests. We know reform is possible if there is political will. We need to summon that political will around the country and on Capitol Hill. We won't stop until it is done.

For more than three years, Americans have lived in anxious frustration, some of us to the point of despair and real deprivation. Wall Street wreaked havoc on our economy and while it has certainly recovered, we have not. This must never happen again. We must change the way Wall Street does business.
The tax code is complicated and unfair. We need a simpler tax code that levels the playing field so we all pay our fair share. Such reforms will enable us to get our economic house in order while also meeting our obligations to those still struggling, to our ailing infrastructure, and to our nation's defense.
We share your frustration and anxiety. If we play the ostrich — put our heads in the sand -- things will only continue to deteriorate. Without your voice, nothing changes. With your voice and your physical presence, change begins. Without your engagement, Washington stays the same.