aside from the obvious fact that all 800 some odd protesters arrested should be released immediately and on charges dropped I'm going to focus on the RNC 8. Eight members of the welcoming committee who are being charged with terrorism.
I have said it before and I say it here again. Every day that goes by brings us closer and closer to a true police state. We find ourselves now in a situation reminiscent of the May Day massacre several decades ago. Where people who were either not present or not able to carry out the attack were charged and convicted of the murders of police officers killed when a bomb was thrown.
These are the times we find ourselves in.
When to utter the word anarchist is to be immediately looked down upon by even the so called liberals as condemnable. Blamable.
We will not be blamed. We as a whole will not be blamed because we didn't do anything wrong. As an anarchist I call for non-violence in all but the most harrowing of situations. Of course if a police officer is about to kill somebody I think someone ought to step in but short of those circumstances individual acts of violence are to be frowned upon.
Those arrested committed no acts of violence.
They weren't there.
This is our May Day.
One of those arrested was tortured with tasings, beatings, and chemical weapons for asking for food as he had not eaten in over 12 hours.
This is how the police in our country deal with dissent.
One of the few industrial countries to officially sanction the use of torture.
This is our May Day
These injustices are being ignored by the media at large.
These problems don't fit neatly into there sound bytes about how everything is ok except everything's not ok and make sure your scared enough to wave the flag.
And sing the anthems.
And call for victory in the war on a definition and a word.
'I declare war on ignorance, let's occupy the senate!'
This can't be won.
It's not meant to be won.
It's hardly able to be called a war because in a war two armies or more fight each other.
Not one army and a world of civilians.
This is our May Day.
It's getting to be about that time.
Revolution never felt so close.
Unwarranted violence is never ok.
But when it's to defend yourselves no man or woman or child should be able to stand in your way.
I defend myself today
This is my May Day
Peace and Unity
Showing posts with label Anarchism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anarchism. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
This Is What A Police State Looks Like!
It's expected at protests like those happening at the RNC that people will get arrested. Many who attend know that risk and take it. It's not ok that false arrests are made but at least they normally target protesters and only at the protest site. The police in St. Pual have really crossed the line now.
The arrest of Amy Goodman and other journalists along with bloggers and photographers is beyond reprhensible. I'm not saying that they have more rights then protestors do but sometimes protestors break the law commiting civil resistance. It happens and arrest is expected. A journalist should not be expecting arrest. They are not breaking the law or demostrating or doing anything else to deserve being held other then maybe holding opinions that differ from the ruling class.
Likewise the raids on private property are out of line even more. Plenty of people have a lot to say about the occupation and the goverment and the sorry state of affairs that is the police state we live in these days. Most of those people don't face having there homes raided by police for doing nothing other then talking about being angry. The homes were raided BEFORE the protests really began. They didn't do a damn thing.
Over 290 arrests have been made according to the last reliable statics I saw. Several of them are being charged with crimes ranging from obstruction to, get this, felony riot. Felony riot! You have got to be fucking kidding me! I was unaware that when police start attacking you it means your rioting.
You know what?
Fuck the State. Fuck the Police. Fuck the Ruling Class.
By the way, handy as google analytics is I have knowledge that my site is read by people accessing computers at the Department of Veteran Affairs in Washington D.C. So if you cronys of the state are reading this now then Fuck you too.
The arrest of Amy Goodman and other journalists along with bloggers and photographers is beyond reprhensible. I'm not saying that they have more rights then protestors do but sometimes protestors break the law commiting civil resistance. It happens and arrest is expected. A journalist should not be expecting arrest. They are not breaking the law or demostrating or doing anything else to deserve being held other then maybe holding opinions that differ from the ruling class.
Likewise the raids on private property are out of line even more. Plenty of people have a lot to say about the occupation and the goverment and the sorry state of affairs that is the police state we live in these days. Most of those people don't face having there homes raided by police for doing nothing other then talking about being angry. The homes were raided BEFORE the protests really began. They didn't do a damn thing.
Over 290 arrests have been made according to the last reliable statics I saw. Several of them are being charged with crimes ranging from obstruction to, get this, felony riot. Felony riot! You have got to be fucking kidding me! I was unaware that when police start attacking you it means your rioting.
You know what?
Fuck the State. Fuck the Police. Fuck the Ruling Class.
By the way, handy as google analytics is I have knowledge that my site is read by people accessing computers at the Department of Veteran Affairs in Washington D.C. So if you cronys of the state are reading this now then Fuck you too.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Libertarians: Anarchists Who Hate Poor People
Libertarians are an interesting bunch of people. They are so far as I'm concerned Anarcho-Capitalists. People who value freedom of in all aspects including commerce. Now there's nothing wrong in and of itself of embracing freedom if commerce. It is the embracing of capitalism as the means of commerce that leads me to ponder there motivations.
Capitalism has two major opponents. Anarchism and Communism (For this article socialists and other such are included under communism as they are in fact simply lesser forms.). The traditional communist opposition to capitalism is that it is the means to oppression. Also commonly referred to as wage slavery, it seeks to keep the power in the hands of an elite few while the majority works long hours with low pay to support that power. Therefore communists see the down fall of capitalism as the means to liberation of the working class. Note that communists however do not want to do away with a monetary system or private property. They say that once the majority controls the commerce then they will be liberated.
The anarchist argument that I most hear differs signifigantly. There argument says that capatilsm commodifies life and humanity. For instance in our present system if you steal a car worth $25,000 and go to jail for 5 years the state has valued your life at $5,000 a year. Other instances of commodifcation include having to pay for food, shelter, and health care. Your life has a clear value to those who control the means of producing necessaties of life. Sexuality is commidified through strip clubs, pornography, and in a less explicit way, the gender dating norms that suggest payment for love and sex through dinners, gifts and trips to the movies. So many anarchists say that once capatilism is torn down it will liberate the people by seperating commerce from the value of a human life (or in some cases animal lives depending on the personal beliefs of any given anarchist).
So this brings us to libertarians. According to a handful of interviews I read regarding there beliefs taken from this week's TIME(r) magazine, they would like to see zero goverment interferece in there lives EXCEPT for protecting private proprty. Here is where the complication comes into play. Many of the them are anti-union, anti-socialized healthcare, etc. While this makes sense to a point it ignores some prime features of an ideal society. Unions are not goverment control. They are bodies made up of workers who seek to bettert here working conditiond and salaries. Even in a society without money unions would be needed to ensure that workers were working in a safe and fair envoirment. Opposing socialized healthcare is borderline. While this indeed does not fit in to the anarchist perspective of freedom in the long run many feel that we should be taking care of each other within the system in the meantime. Finnaly we come to protecting private property. This is the beating heart of capatilism. If I'm starving and you have more food then you need why should I not take some? In theory you should be willing to share, especially since I probably have a skill that you could use in return for the food. Libertarians, however, are not intrested in sharing. They seem to think that a system where everyone fends for themselves is ideal. Yet they must see that even in small collective societies where they feed and cloth and shelter each other they are in fact practicing a form of communism.
I feel a lot of these problems of varying opinions (which often leads to fierce emotions) are due to a lack of undertstandingi n each other. I wonder how many people would oppose the ideals of communism and anarchism if they were only given different names? If they were phrased a little differently, and therefore untainted by the propoganda that has opposed them for over a century. Propoganda that proetcts the ruling class. If I told you that you could have all the food you need, a free place to live that was comfertable, free healthcare until the day you died, and even a variety if luxieries to keep you occupied and all you had to do was work in a job that you were good at, I doubt that you would say no. If instead I said "How would like to be an anarcho-communist?" You would probably say no. It's the words that are poison these days, not the ideals behind them.
I reach my hand out to libertarians in hopes that they will see that we work towards a common goal in the end. People don't need a leader to guide them. We are smart enough, capable enough to guide ourselves. The day will come when the masses see that a capatilist government cares more about money and power then they do about them. Otherwise there would be no prisons. There would be less crime after all if no one needed to steal. There would be less violence if the culture didn't insist upon it. And anyone who was having issues that may lead to violence would be helped rather then ignored until the straw broke and then thrown to the wolves. This is not takign away individual responsibilty. On the contrary, this is forcing it. If you can help someone and in doing so prevent them or someone else from getting hurt then why shouldn't you? Becauset hey can't pay your fees? Because they can't buy your overpriced medication?
We the people have the power to form a society that loves rather then hates. That helps rather then hurts. The pieces are all there. We all have one piece and the puzzle can not be put together until everyone sees the picture.
Disclaimer: This is not a call for revolution or any kind of violent uprising, act, etc. The author abhors violence in all forms and seeks change through education not terrorism or other such ill-conceived notions of guerralism that only hurts rather then helps in the long run. "You can't blow up a social relationship" We can not oppose violence by the goverment and commit it ourselves. So please don't think that violence will solve any problems here. It just won't. Thank you.
Capitalism has two major opponents. Anarchism and Communism (For this article socialists and other such are included under communism as they are in fact simply lesser forms.). The traditional communist opposition to capitalism is that it is the means to oppression. Also commonly referred to as wage slavery, it seeks to keep the power in the hands of an elite few while the majority works long hours with low pay to support that power. Therefore communists see the down fall of capitalism as the means to liberation of the working class. Note that communists however do not want to do away with a monetary system or private property. They say that once the majority controls the commerce then they will be liberated.
The anarchist argument that I most hear differs signifigantly. There argument says that capatilsm commodifies life and humanity. For instance in our present system if you steal a car worth $25,000 and go to jail for 5 years the state has valued your life at $5,000 a year. Other instances of commodifcation include having to pay for food, shelter, and health care. Your life has a clear value to those who control the means of producing necessaties of life. Sexuality is commidified through strip clubs, pornography, and in a less explicit way, the gender dating norms that suggest payment for love and sex through dinners, gifts and trips to the movies. So many anarchists say that once capatilism is torn down it will liberate the people by seperating commerce from the value of a human life (or in some cases animal lives depending on the personal beliefs of any given anarchist).
So this brings us to libertarians. According to a handful of interviews I read regarding there beliefs taken from this week's TIME(r) magazine, they would like to see zero goverment interferece in there lives EXCEPT for protecting private proprty. Here is where the complication comes into play. Many of the them are anti-union, anti-socialized healthcare, etc. While this makes sense to a point it ignores some prime features of an ideal society. Unions are not goverment control. They are bodies made up of workers who seek to bettert here working conditiond and salaries. Even in a society without money unions would be needed to ensure that workers were working in a safe and fair envoirment. Opposing socialized healthcare is borderline. While this indeed does not fit in to the anarchist perspective of freedom in the long run many feel that we should be taking care of each other within the system in the meantime. Finnaly we come to protecting private property. This is the beating heart of capatilism. If I'm starving and you have more food then you need why should I not take some? In theory you should be willing to share, especially since I probably have a skill that you could use in return for the food. Libertarians, however, are not intrested in sharing. They seem to think that a system where everyone fends for themselves is ideal. Yet they must see that even in small collective societies where they feed and cloth and shelter each other they are in fact practicing a form of communism.
I feel a lot of these problems of varying opinions (which often leads to fierce emotions) are due to a lack of undertstandingi n each other. I wonder how many people would oppose the ideals of communism and anarchism if they were only given different names? If they were phrased a little differently, and therefore untainted by the propoganda that has opposed them for over a century. Propoganda that proetcts the ruling class. If I told you that you could have all the food you need, a free place to live that was comfertable, free healthcare until the day you died, and even a variety if luxieries to keep you occupied and all you had to do was work in a job that you were good at, I doubt that you would say no. If instead I said "How would like to be an anarcho-communist?" You would probably say no. It's the words that are poison these days, not the ideals behind them.
I reach my hand out to libertarians in hopes that they will see that we work towards a common goal in the end. People don't need a leader to guide them. We are smart enough, capable enough to guide ourselves. The day will come when the masses see that a capatilist government cares more about money and power then they do about them. Otherwise there would be no prisons. There would be less crime after all if no one needed to steal. There would be less violence if the culture didn't insist upon it. And anyone who was having issues that may lead to violence would be helped rather then ignored until the straw broke and then thrown to the wolves. This is not takign away individual responsibilty. On the contrary, this is forcing it. If you can help someone and in doing so prevent them or someone else from getting hurt then why shouldn't you? Becauset hey can't pay your fees? Because they can't buy your overpriced medication?
We the people have the power to form a society that loves rather then hates. That helps rather then hurts. The pieces are all there. We all have one piece and the puzzle can not be put together until everyone sees the picture.
Disclaimer: This is not a call for revolution or any kind of violent uprising, act, etc. The author abhors violence in all forms and seeks change through education not terrorism or other such ill-conceived notions of guerralism that only hurts rather then helps in the long run. "You can't blow up a social relationship" We can not oppose violence by the goverment and commit it ourselves. So please don't think that violence will solve any problems here. It just won't. Thank you.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Violence in the Media, Rebellion in the Air
Ok, so I stole the title. I would happily give credit where it's due but it's verse from a cd called "Even if Your Voice Shakes #1" and I lost the nifty little sleeve that tells me the names of artists and songs on it. So sorry whoever you are. Anyhow on to the rant...
I apparently am a coward. Yeah really, so says many bloggers and opinion writers out there in pro-war, pro-bush, pro-ignorance world. So I am going to site some example of what I have faced being an anti-war demonstrator...
I have been: verbally assaulted, physically assaulted, threatened with death, threatened with a dog, threatened with a gun, tear gassed, pepper sprayed, shot with rubber bullets, shot with pepper spray balls, and that was all in one night.
I have been: Called a coward, called a traitor, called a commi, called a hippy, called an asshole, also all in one night.
One of the things I have noticed is that these morons seem to enjoy using every term they can think of at every protest. So I would like to clear some things up.
I am not a coward, or a traitor. I do what I do for my brothers and sisters who still serve so that they can be used to risk there lives for the greater good and not for money.
I am not a communist or a hippy. I'm an anarchist. I would love to go into a discussion about what that is since few people actually seem to know, but to sum it up I'll go with, it is not a lack of order in the world merely a lack of leaders. All decisions are made the groups of people that they affect rather then for them by elected assholes or by large groups of people that have nothing to do with it.
Lastly, I am an asshole. So at least that they got right. I have no problems being an asshole. Sometimes it comes in great handy. I'm not always an asshole, but in general, I would certainly qualify.
So pro-war folks, you have my permission to call me an asshole. When I laugh at you directly after, now you know why.
To tackle the second problem, that was actually noted first but hey what do you want from me? Violence against protesters is not cool. It's also very illegal. The first five things I mentioned up there were done by counter protesters. The remaining was the police. I wasn't breaking the law, or even yelling when they happened. I was taking pictures. Yet for some reason people thought that this was plenty good reason to assault me in a myriad of ways. Maybe it was the cap and bandanna I wore to minimize the effects of chemical agents should any be used against me (and of course they were) either way, what the fuck? I'll leave this one on that note.
The rebellion in the air part is just what is right now. Food prices are rising, gas prices are rising, and there is no way in hell this going to continue unabated unless we do something to slow it down and stop it. So please... raise hell and let them know we won't sit quietly while they steal our livelihood again.
I apparently am a coward. Yeah really, so says many bloggers and opinion writers out there in pro-war, pro-bush, pro-ignorance world. So I am going to site some example of what I have faced being an anti-war demonstrator...
I have been: verbally assaulted, physically assaulted, threatened with death, threatened with a dog, threatened with a gun, tear gassed, pepper sprayed, shot with rubber bullets, shot with pepper spray balls, and that was all in one night.
I have been: Called a coward, called a traitor, called a commi, called a hippy, called an asshole, also all in one night.
One of the things I have noticed is that these morons seem to enjoy using every term they can think of at every protest. So I would like to clear some things up.
I am not a coward, or a traitor. I do what I do for my brothers and sisters who still serve so that they can be used to risk there lives for the greater good and not for money.
I am not a communist or a hippy. I'm an anarchist. I would love to go into a discussion about what that is since few people actually seem to know, but to sum it up I'll go with, it is not a lack of order in the world merely a lack of leaders. All decisions are made the groups of people that they affect rather then for them by elected assholes or by large groups of people that have nothing to do with it.
Lastly, I am an asshole. So at least that they got right. I have no problems being an asshole. Sometimes it comes in great handy. I'm not always an asshole, but in general, I would certainly qualify.
So pro-war folks, you have my permission to call me an asshole. When I laugh at you directly after, now you know why.
To tackle the second problem, that was actually noted first but hey what do you want from me? Violence against protesters is not cool. It's also very illegal. The first five things I mentioned up there were done by counter protesters. The remaining was the police. I wasn't breaking the law, or even yelling when they happened. I was taking pictures. Yet for some reason people thought that this was plenty good reason to assault me in a myriad of ways. Maybe it was the cap and bandanna I wore to minimize the effects of chemical agents should any be used against me (and of course they were) either way, what the fuck? I'll leave this one on that note.
The rebellion in the air part is just what is right now. Food prices are rising, gas prices are rising, and there is no way in hell this going to continue unabated unless we do something to slow it down and stop it. So please... raise hell and let them know we won't sit quietly while they steal our livelihood again.
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