A new video campaign from the Move To Amend Coalition highlights the negative aspects of Corporate Personhood and the influence of money in politics. Written by Lee Camp and Dennis Trainor, Jr., Directed by Trainor, Jr.
Nearly 300,00 people have signed the Move To Amend petition, which states:
“We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling and other related cases, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.”
In his review of my first feature length field documentary, David Swanson, wrote:
We have the capacity to communicate . And that capacity just expanded dramatically. Because we now have a film of our own.
This is not amateur hour. This is a movie as well made, in technical terms, as any Hollywood blockbuster with Pentagon funding. But this is a movie with us in it. I don’t mean our little group of activist friends. I mean us, the people of this country, our stories, our hardships, our triumphs, our injustices, our tragedies, our humor. This is radically different from what you’ll see at your local movie theater. (emphasis mine)
In addition to submitting this to various film festivals, I have decided to make the entire feature length available for free. If you enjoy it, please share it.
more at www.Occudoc.org
written, directed & produced by Dennis Trainor, Jr
Associate producer, co-editor, graphics & titles, Aj Russo
ABOUT THE FILM
What would a world look like that had a culture and an economic system that places human need above corporate greed, and how do we bring that world into being? Who cares what it is called. Call it Socialism, Call it Real Democracy Now, and Call it Chunky-Monkey-Cherry Garcia. The world needs to change radically, it needs to change dramatically, and it needs to change fast.
American Autumn: an Occudoc is an invitation for you to participate in that positive change.
With interviews and insight from key organizers, thinkers and activists including Medea Benjamin, David Degraw, Dr. Margaret Flowers, Lee Camp, Naomi Klein, Nathan Schneider, Ashley Sanders, Vlad Teichberg, Sgt. Shamar Thomas, Dr. Cornel West, Kevin Zeese and many more, writer/ director Dennis Trainor Jr weaves commentary and a fearless style that often puts the viewer right between police and protesters.
The film includes an original score by Goldi (an OWS occupier himself and key member of Guitarmy) with additional original music created by Mike Lawrence-Yanicelli.
The legendary punk band FUGAZI supplied additional songs.
American Autum: an Occudoc will premiere in June of 2012.
To schedule a screening, or for more information, visit Occudoc.org
Written, Directed and Produced by Dennis Trainor, Jr.
Camera: Kevin Egan, Asher Platts, & Dennis Trainor, Jr.
Editing: Aj Russo & Dennis Trainor, Jr
Original music: Mike Lawrence-Yannicelli, Goldishack Guerillas
Graphics and Color correction: Aj Russo
Post Production sound: James Russo
Executive Producers: Peggy Kimball & Dennis Trainor, Jr
While most debates about the next steps the Occupy movement should take naturally occur among those already engaged in the movement, one population that needs to be further engaged, if the May 1st national general strike (and other Occupy spring and summer related activities) are to succeed and this movement is to grow, is the population of those who are watching from the sidelines.
In other words, the individual members of the 99% who are potentially sympathetic but as yet unmoved to participate in the movement need another open invitation to the dance.
One such individual watching from the sidelines hit me up on facebook recently asking, essentially, what Occupy stands for.
Questions like this and other versions of the “what are your demands” question can sometimes make one go a little postal. What do we stand for? Really? Are you kidding? However, this recent query was not a joke or a provocation. It came in good faith, unsolicited from one not yet aligned with occupy but seeming at least willing to consider participating in the future. The honest to goodness naiveté embedded in the question is evidence supporting the idea that we have more work to do in providing a more compelling narrative than the dominant corporately controlled media provides.
What does Occupy stand for? One narrative potentially more compelling for new recruits is this: The Occupy movement seeks to be an equalizing force for good in a world dominated by greed. And let’s just get this big elephant out of the way right up front: for some, but not all, that means smashing capitalism.
Smashing capitalism sounds crazy to some, because that makes us sound like a rag tag group of socialists. And socialism, goes the refrain oft repeated in one form or another by a corporate media bent on dredging up a red scare once or twice every century just to keep us in line, is Anti-American.
Without debating the merits of Capitalism versus Socialism, perhaps we can agree that the way capitalism operates right now in our global culture delivers poverty, misery, and is downright homicidal. Read the rest of this entry →
Should Move to Amend be among the top priorities of the Occupy movement? In a word: yes.
In a few more words: the reason is that contrary to what Gordon Gecko (the fictional character of Oliver Stones tragically misunderstood satire WALL STREET) would have you believe as he embodied the ethos of the Ronald Reagan era, greed is not good. In fact, greed is homicidal blood sucking zombie maniac that has raped and pillaged its away from Compton to Gaza and all around the globe.
And greed long ago hijacked our culture and our political system.
And in many more words + video:
As Occupy Wall Street, along with a growing number of occupations are now navigating a post eviction existence. While we keep hearing the refrain that “you can’t evict an idea”, is that really true?
For some perspective on this new phase in the movement, I spoke with J.A. Myerson, an independent journalist who has been covering Occupy Wall Street. J.A. and was also involved in organize OWS.
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