The entire article is worth a read. A fair amount of what it says makes sense, and a fair amount of it remains highly speculative. However given the warnings that groups will try to gain control of it for their political and policy advantages, and given how rapidly the Tea Party was taken over, it's worth worrying about. The one thing that could kill this movement dead in it's tracks is if it turns into a tool of various known political factors or a vote generating arm of the Obama campaign. Choice quotes below the squiggle.
I was told that a secret faction has developed within New York City’s Occupy movement, made up of a coalition of big-name celebrities and would-be leaders, some of whom look determined to steer the movement in a direction of their choosing, including into the hands of traditional political forces.
The fact that so many big names have already started to speak with, for, or used the movement to get their voice out there is already a massive problem for OWS. While Moore might be liked among progressive circles, his endorsement of anything is the touch of death among conservative members of the 99% and most moderates and independents.
Caristo is an early Occupier who started his own media operation within Liberty Park and who in an early interview appears exhausted but level-headed and thoughtful. He has played a foundational role in organizing major events and has pushed without success for an occupation of Central Park. I’d heard his name before, mostly in conversation with people from the end of the plaza where the occupation’s lower-income contingent had gathered, some of whom claimed Caristo said disparaging things about them. Others from the better-to-do side of the park have paused and tensed up when I mentioned his name.
I haven't heard of this name, though google does turn up some information. But what's really interesting is the next paragraph.
My source accused Caristo of holding secret meetings with an elderly New York-based activist named Jean-Louis Bourgeois. If a bizarre audiotape posted on YouTube last Sunday by an independent OWS media team is to be believed, then Bourgeois is Caristo’s private benefactor, providing him with the cash, connections and other resources needed to cast their opaque agenda as the movement’s own. My source asserts that a number of other now visible figures within the movement have worked or are working closely with Caristo, many of whom are alleged to have met or exchanged messages with celebrity supporters and possible financial and publicity sponsors of OWS, including Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons; documentary filmmaker Michael Moore; civil rights attorney, former director of the New York branch of the ACLU and political aspirant Norman Siegel; and actor and possible New York City mayoral candidate Alec Baldwin.
The audiotape has sadly been yanked from youtube, I'm hoping someone else can find a link to it.
It's too early to tell if anything here is fully accurate, but if true it's pretty damning and another lesson in avoiding celeb and political actors in these sorts of movements.
Has anyone else heard about this?
http://www.truthdig.com/...
EDIT- Since people seem to be crying foul and claiming this is some sort of conservative conspiracy, it came from Truth Dig.
However, some things about Truth Dig.
1. Truth Dig is a left leaning site if there ever was one. So whatever you can say, it's not like this came from the bowels of Faux News.
2. Truth Dig has been continually supportive of the OWS movement and covered it in a positive light from it's inception. There is nothing to indicate they'd want to disrupt the movement.
3. Chris Hedges, a prominent columnist there, has participated in OWS even to the point of being arrested.
For these three reasons I don't think Truth Dig would publish an article about potential problems in OWS unless they believed that the information was credible, or that it needed to get into the public discourse. And given that the vast majority of people going their to read their articles are liberal and supportive of OWS, I think they'd tread carefully.
But sure, pass off Truth Dig as some sort of conservative site if you want. I stated when I originally posted it that it's hard to tell how accurate it is and some of it is speculative. But give the source, I think it's worth knowing about and worth investigating.