While Occupiers bake in Philly sun and prepare to join the masses swarming Independence Mall for the USA's 236^th birthday, they may be forgiven for embracing/echoing the spirit of the Founding Fathers, who envisioned a democratic, or at least “republican,” form of government. Or at least a government not beholden to big banks.

In the aftermath of Sunday's arrest of 26 occupy demonstrators for allegedly blocking a roadway, Occupy NG plows forward, meeting in small groups, discussing the way forward. Philly.com

While the United States from Eastern Seaboard points West swelters - amidst power outages and an increasingly shaky grid - the first ever Occupy National Gathering (Occupy NG) gets underway in Philly. In the soaring temperatures : speakers, workshops, art/performances and the omni-present “clashes” between protesters and cops, who seem as intent on discouraging assembly as the protesters are in hurling insults and taunts; non-violently, of course. As seen in the video above, the extreme heat works wonders for the temperament.

They are the target of Occupy, and now they make their first cameo n the comic Archer and Armstrong, as a group of arch-villains called “The One Percent” who the teen heroes must take on. The characterization shows the villains running a secret cabal in the bowels of Wall Street, risking human lives and the fate of civilization itself in their pursuit of riches.

More and more blogosphere attention shines on this weekend's upcoming national gathering. Gather.com says the weekend won't be a turning point as much a s reiteration of Occupy's basic message, that “banks need to stop reaming their customers and the 1% need to pay their share,” sentiments most Americans will likely say amen to.

Occupy New Haven plans to spearhead a New England contingent of 40-100, beginning the trip by meeting on the New Haven green (the same one from which they were evicted back in April) where they feature an “underwater mortgage action” at 5 pm Thursday to highlight the plight of foreclosed homeowners, followed by a talk at 7 pm by Mark Naison, professor of History at Fordham University who will give a talk on the radical transitions of the past and how they will help Occupy confront present day challenges. New Haven Register

In 1927 bluesman Robert Johnson went down to the crossroads and made a deal with the devil for his soul to play the blues. The rest is history. Is Occupy at a similar point? They took to the streets in 2011 with a burst of exuberance and authorities pushed back with arrests, trumped charges, and over the top tactics. So what next? Frustrations boil, particularly during a hot summer. However deathandtaxesmag.com urges restraint and tells Occupy not to be seduced by quick fixes promised by the outliers, if not infiltrators, of the movement. On the heels of the latest release from spooky voice Anonymous documenting the intense British military and security presence at the 2012 Olympic games, beginning July 27^th, writer DJ Pangburn urges restraint and non-violent civil disobedience.