Democracy For America is offering this Occupy-themed yard sign for a minimum donation.

My neighbor went to Occupy Wall Street, and all I got was this lousy yard sign.

That’s not really true, but it could be.

Official Washington Democrats may still be unsure of how, or whether, to embrace the burgeoning Occupy protest movement, but at least progressive organization has figured out how to cash in on it.

Democracy For America (DFA), the group associated with Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor and ex-chairman of the Democratic Party, has begun offering Occupy-themed yard signs for a minimum $16 donation.

Occupy Wall Street has entered the world of merchandising, or “merch” for short, in the parlance of show biz. You know, t-shirts, bobbleheads and the like that fans of a given celebrity, band, or movie might buy or collect.

An Occupy supporter can now essentially buy one of DFA’s “We are the 99%” yard signs the same way a Journey fan might buy a poster or shirt on the way home from one of the band’s sold-out shows.

DFA’s yard signs even come emblazoned with a web page that the organization created just to affiliate with the Occupy movement: www.DemocracyForAmerica.com/occupy

To be fair, however, DFA — which fundraises often for a variety of progressive causes, from individual candidates for Congress, to repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” for instance — says it’s not really out to make buck off the success of the Occupy protests which have spread far and wide.

“Normally we give merchandise away for free, but yard signs are expensive,” says DFA Political Director Charles Chamberlain. “It costs $1.29 to print each sign. It costs $2.50 to package them. It can cost up to $9.75 to ship them, depending on where you live. And when buying signs in large quantities, it costs up to $1,000 just to add a second color to the sign.

“When it’s all said and done — each sign costs $13.76 to print, package and ship directly to your home. So, we’re asking for a contribution of at least $16 to help cover all the costs,” he says.

If folks pitch in more, Chamberlain says DFA will use the additional money to support “our continued involvement, spreading the message, and supporting the people on the ground in New York and beyond who started this bold movement.

“It’s October. In New York, Boston, and even Atlanta, Occupy Wall Street needs sleeping bags, blankets, medical supplies and so much more,” he adds. ”Making a contribution today not only gets you a yard sign so you can show your support, it will help us deliver more of the resources that people on the ground need right now.”

He’s right, of course, Occupiers certainly will need the help, particularly as the colder weather becomes as much an issue for them to remain in their encampments as has various unfriendly political leaders.

Still, one can’t help but see the irony that a movement rooted in anti-corporatism now finds itself the object of some good ol’ fashioned merch.

Scott Nance is the editor and publisher of the news site The Washington Current. He has covered Congress and the federal government for more than a decade.

The "Declaration of the Occupation" originally was published in the Occupied Wall Street Journal.

Three weeks into the Occupy protests that began on Wall Street and have now spread to every corner of the nation, bemused and befuddled commentators and lawmakers in Washington still insist on claiming that the demonstrations lack a clear objective or set of demands. But that’s not really true.

While the protesters are not marching in support or opposition to this or that specific legislation or individual policy, the brave and spirited folks animating this new movement certainly do have a clear goal. Their agenda is admittedly broad, but that simply speaks to just how wide and deep corporate influence has become in our country.

The long list of grievances is reflective of just how widespread the tendency of big business and the super-wealthy is to “place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality.” Those aren’t my words. They come directly from the protesters themselves, from their own published “Declaration of the Occupation,” approved entirely by consensus back on September 29.

As with any strong declaration, the protesters begin with a powerful preamble:

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individualsto protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.

The protesters go on to enumerate a pretty complete list of what’s wrong with our country today, from the illegal foreclosure process which has led to too many Americans losing their homes, to the poisoning of our food supply through negligence, and undermining the farming system through monopolization, and of course the bankers who happily took our tax dollars for bailouts only to turn around and resume paying themselves exorbitant bonuses at our expense.