Liberty, equality, and fraternity! This has been the call of countless revolutions since the dawning of the revolutionary period. The three are co-equal and co-dependant: without equality, there can be no liberty, without fraternity there can be no equality, without liberty, there can be no fraternity. As is logically customary, let us provide cursory definitions of each before proceeding with further discussion.
Fraternity is the natural disposition of mankind. It is a sentiment of empathy and understanding; knowing that at all levels of interaction, the human condition is shared and universal. It is an appreciation that individuals, regions, and indeed the whole world, are dependant upon one another, and an understanding that to improve the lot of those close to you improves your own lot, thus carrying to every economic and political interaction, from the smallest to the largest. Above all, fraternity is the expression of altruism and frienship, of kinship and of comradship. For a sentiment of fraternity to prevail, it is essential that a condition of equality among people is prevalent.
Equality is a condition in which no one individual, organization, or institution possess more rights or privileges than another; a condition wherein political and economic advantage are not used for the sake of exploitation and domination, and in fact wherein such advantages do not exist. Joeseph Conrad wrote in his seminole work The Heart of Darkness that "power is an accident arising from the weakness of others." Indeed, power only exists in a tangible form when it is used by one group against another, and only when one group percieves advantage in the domination and exploitation of another. As such, power is not itself evident of any fundamental or existential difference, of superiority or inferiority, of providence or propriety, between the two, but is rather a manifestation a temporal difference in disposition and opportunity. Equality prevails when advantage is not derived from the temporary condition of power, or the abuse of power for the sake of advantage; it prevails when the distribution of power is such that the creative processes and productive energies of the people are not misappropriated by force or guile for the sake of maintaining the status of an unequally powerful and influential class, political party, organization, or individual. When the distribution of power is unequal, fraternity is impossible; iniquity breeds hostility and strife among people, and is the root source of most social problems and personal woes.
For either condition to exist, the people must know their Liberty. Liberty is ubiquitous, which is to say it is held in common by all people. This is true today as it has always been. Indeed, the greatest feat accomplished by ruling classes throughout history has been to convince people that they are not possessing of liberty. Liberty is a natural right, above all; by this it is meant that all people are born with liberty--- it cannot be given, nor can it be taken away. It is intrinsic and universal to the human condition, regardless of time, place, social standing, or sanction. Liberty is, in short, individual expression. It is your right to be who you are, and to express that as you personally see fit. It is your right to produce what you want to produce, to accomplish what you want to accomplish. To live your life the way you want to. To be free. In reality, all people everywhere have total liberty at all times of their lives. However, self-perpetuating institutionalized hierarchies of power utilize inequality, dissinformation, and brute force to dissuade people from expressing their liberty. They establish means of indoctrination, such as governments, laws, religions and state-run education, in order to control the flow of information and enlightenment, so as to prevent the people from seeing through the carefully constructed (and entirely false!) "reality" upon which the power and justification for and the existence of the ruling class are totally dependant. Through control of basic economic and political resources, the ruling class are able to provide severe sanctions and punishments against "deviant" (an arbitrary distinction made at the discretion of the ruling class) actions and behavior, principally the withholding of food and other vital resources. And underscoring all forms of oppression and domination are the use of violence and force, manifested through armies and police, to deprive people of their precious and already too-brief lives in the event that all other means of control prove inadequate. The purpose of centralized power is to maintain itself and the status of its membership, and this is accomplished through the subversion of Liberty from the majority of the people for the service of a small ruling minority. The productive and creative energies, the blood and sweat and tears, the hopes and dreams of the people, of WE the people, of WE the workers, are harnessed and exploited to this end. This is why Anarchism is called the social revolution- it is a revolution of thought and perspective, every bit as much as it can be a revolution of arms and armies. Through revolution, we utilize our liberty to establish equality, and fraternity is the natural result of that.
Liberty is the ongoing condition of human life. It is the supreme struggle and ultimate goal of all human endeavour. At the same time, it is the primary motivator for all action, it is that which drives us all to our own individual goals; it propels us throughout the course our lives as individuals and as members of our communities. Liberty is the perpetual and universal pursuit of self-improvement and social interaction. Through our common liberty, we are bound to share our condition as equal human beings, simultaneously independent from and dependant upon all others, in our shared situation on our shared planet. Liberty is not an ending, it is not a singular purpose--- it is a continuing process of development and learning, of growth and of evolution, expressed and bourne through the lives of each of us. Each of us uniquely expressing the sum total of our own individual humanity, in turn building upon that humanity which came before and developing that humanity which shall yet come, unceasingly and without end. Liberty is the supreme good; the good at which all others aim at.
The most important question anyone can ever ask themself is "What does Liberty mean to me?"
The most important question anyone can ever ask anyone else is "What does Liberty mean to you?"
Splendid is humankind for its diversity in construction. As with all living creatures, every individual is unique-- no two, not even genetic clones, are exactly the same. This is the result of an immesurably complex series of interactions between forces within the construction of that individual as well as the events and circumstances surrounding that individual through the course of time. The diversity we see in people, ideas, cultures, governments, vocations, are a natural result of this confluence of factors which are at once beyond our control and at the same time subject to the unique circumsances of each individual's life. The influence is mutual, and cumulative over time, both for the individual and for society.
It is from this interaction between past and present, individual and society, nature and nuture (so to speak), that are manifested the unique characteristics and traits that define each human being as a singular entity. We are all made of the sum total of our experiences within the context of our lives, influenced by the times and circumstances of those times while simultaneously exercising our own degree of control and influence over them through our own choices, actions, and ideals.
Additionally from this interplay of differing forces are manifested sometimes stark dissimilarities in talent, taste, and personality, as well as all of the other multitudinous factors which together form the composition of an unique individual. Through different experiences, people derive different lessons. Through different exposures, people adjust, adapt, and are modified in slight and drastic ways alike. Proclivities, inclinations, disinclinations, fears, wants, desires, hopes and dreams: these things are unique to individuals, and each provide important contributions to the sum total of a person, and develop gradually over time.
A person's standing in society is possibly the greatest contributing factor to the development of that individual. Their position influences which experiences they have, what lessons they learn, what skills they develop, which resources are made availible to them, what opinions are ecouraged, and so on and so on. The effect of this influence is cumulative over the course of an individual's life, and as time progresses, that individual's identity is more and more solidified along class lines. Their individual talents and natural proclivities are incorporated into this identity in the context of the wider society, and play a similarly important role in the development of the individual's indentity relative to thier standing within that society.
In every society and human association through the course of time this interplay has produced unique individuals, talented and suited for their time and place, well incoprorated into the accepted norms of that society. In every society, the dissimilarites in human talent and ability have played important roles in the survival of these societies, and the functioning of individuals within them. These dissimilarites have been interprepted and appeciated by cultures in various ways, depending upon the prevailing opinions and perceptions of each culture. The influence of western culture is over-arching and pervasive in the world today, which carries with it some alarming conserquences. Western culture, relative to this discussion, interprets the dissimilarities in individual talents and proclivities as representations of individual superiority and the favor of providence, or of God.
The norms of western capitalist soceity, as it is manifested presently, pretend to the notion that monetary and proprietary gain is the pirmary measure and arbiter of individual success and of personal worth. Consequently, individuals born into circumstance wherein access to wealth is the norm are funnelled by the circumstances of their lives and within the context of the institutions to which they are subject into lines of thought and into the development of skills and talents which are suited to the task of maintaining and utilizing this wealth in methods proscribed by the prevailing society as "appropriate". Similarly, individuals born into circumstances of disenfranchizement and servitude are funnelled into patterns of thought and skill which relfect their status in society, and via the institutions which influence their development, over time and generations, the differences in classes are maintined, enforced, and perpetuated.
In prevailing western thought, the differences in individual talent and disposition are considered to be self-evidentiary representations of individual worth. A person who has money is assumed to be better suited to its possession and use simply for the reason that this person "has it", regardless of how the money came into their possession, and regardless of what they do with it. The opposite is true for the "less fortunate", who are presumed to be somehow defective, somehow less worthwhile, for their lack of resources. This is called "The Myth of Meritocracy", and is among the most ruinous and ruthless fallacies which support and condone the continuing exploitation of individuals and disequalibrious distribution of wealth and resources. Because material wealth is so highly valued in prevailing western society, wealthy and powerful individuals are considered to be intrinsically superior to those whose exploitation is required for the acquisiton and maintenance of that wealth. These individuals, in conjunction with existing institutions and established authorities, contrive mechanisms for the perpetuation of these ideas and for the continution of the hegemony required for the implementation of them, typically by force of arms or economics.
It is through the interplay of individuals within the context of the wider society, as most often manifested by interactions with such intistutions that individuals are influenced in the course of their lives to accept the prevailing ideas of the cultures and societies in which they are born and raised, particularly in the context of their social standing or class. The same process influences the development of their talents and proclivities. Therefore, the manifestation of dissimilar talents is not evidentiary of a dissimilarity in human worth, but rather an indicator of the universality of the human condition. True, physical make up plays a co-equal role in the development of skills and abilities, and as the physical construction of an individual is entriely not of their choosing, should not be considered evidentiary of personal deficiency or failure; rather, it should be appreciated as a unique manifestation of the sublimely complex and diverse array of human possibility. Neither should the expression of one talent or skill versus another be regarded as reflecting on a dissimilarity in personal worth between one individual over another, for these talents are also unique to the individual representing them, and formed naturally through the course of a splendidly unique individual history. Neither is it appropriate for any individual or organization to attempt to divide individuals into categories of worth relative to a broader society based upon arbitrary cultural designations regarding the primacy of one expression of talent and diversity versus another; without fail, institutions which set themselves in positions so as to enable the division of human diversity into categories of "worth" or "utility" do so primarily for the purpose of ensuring the continued service of those skills and the individuals possessing them to wealthy and powerful individuals and organizations which possess the requsite means to influence and control the aforementioned institutions which retain the power, through force of arms or economics, to make such designations; designations that are, without fail, purely cultural and arbitrary distinctions, done specifically (though often tacitly) for the perpetuation of the rule of the few over the many, and the exploitation of the labors of the masses to support the vanity and hubris of the ruling class.
Know always that this aspect of the human condition is universal: we are all part of this same scheme of interaction between our own personal histories and the societies and cultures in which we develop as individuals, regardless as to which society specifically this may be. The differences between us as individuals, rather than divide us into classes of more and less worthwhile people, are expressions of magnificent diversity and personal singularity and uniqueness, and help to define us as human beings. All People Are Equal in worth- no one person is intrinsically better than any other simply for the sake of the uncontrollable circumstances which have influenced their development as individuals; no expression of human possiblity is inheirently superior to another;
and no institution, no organization, no individual, no god and no government has the right to legislate, arbitrate, or otherwise designate human worth, for All People Are Equal, without exception or exemption!
For countless generations, societies the world over have been divided fundamentally into two castes: those who own, but do not work and those who work, but do not own. This dichotomy is maintained through a multitude of means, as diverse as the minds which devise them. Ultimately, all established authority perpetuates itself though the use of violence and other types of force, such as the denial of food, education, and other human rights. It all boils down to who has the power to enforce the decisions they make on other people, regardless of the malignant effect these decisions have on the people affected by them. The evident fact is that those who possess power utilize force, in its varied and many forms, in order to perpetuate their status; and their status invariably comes at the expense of other human beings.
This fundamental truth has changed very little over the many years of modern human existence. Those who are able to implement force, in whatever form and by whatever scheme, do so out of self-interest and primarily for the sake of personal gain. It has been these individuals who have possessed the means to influence society's development through the ages, and have done so for similar reasons. Ethical and doctrinal systems and institutions have variously been established in order to provide justification for these individuals and their exploitation of the masses. These systems, such as laws, governments, and dogma, at every turn prove their fallacy, as they are readily and judiciously applied to those do not possess the requisite power to influence them, and are widely and easily ingored by those who do possess such power. And again, at the root of their power is the use of violence, intimidation, and countless other heinous crimes which are broadly called "Authority" and ultimately are manifestations of force. This is what Mao Zedong meant when he famously quoted that "Political Power grows out of the barrel of a gun". Or at the point of a sword, or a police baton, depending upon the context.
Bearing this Preamble in mind, let us proceed to the purpose of the article, the title of which I am borrowing from a pioneer of anarchism, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. The modern manifestations of the two castes mentioned earlier are the two ends of the economic equation: Capital and Labor. These names can be potentially deceptive, so before proceeding, let us define them better.
To say that Capital is "those that own but do not work" is not entirely accurate, as readers of Das Kapital will attest. Capital is itself a product of the working person's labor: A builder of ships produces capital in the form of boats, a writer of poems produces capital in the form of poetry, a cultivator of food produces capital in the form of food, a steel-smelter produces capital in the form of workable metal and tools, and so on and so on. Any worker that labors to produce anything produces capital, no matter what the product ultimately is. Even the labor itself can be capital in certain cases. "Labor", referred to earlier, then can be said to be the working people, those who "work but do not own". It is we who strive to produce, we the workers. "Labor", in this context, shall be said to be the efforts and products of people who strive to be productive in any capacity which produces capital.
So what then is "Capital", in the terms of the equation mentioned earlier? To refer to the phrase "those who own but do not work", Capital is the end of the equation wherein the productive labors and beneficial, ueful capital produced by working people are expropriated (Read: Stolen) by the ruling class for the express purposes mentioned earlier, namely personal, selish gain at the expense of their fellow human beings, and the hijacking of goods and services which they did not earn for the purpose of maintaining their lifestyles, status, and power. The monopoly of force possessed by the Ruling Class enables this grand crime, which is seen time and time again throughout the course of human history.
As mentioned earlier, the ruling class employs an endless variety of institutions and fallacies by which it justifies and perpetuates this ongoing process of expropriation and exploitation. Primary among these methods are deception and misinformation, which are disseminated widely and variously through docrtinal institutions such as schools, churches, and vaious other means of distributing information (henceforth refered to broadly as 'the media'). George Orwell once said "A trained dog will jump through a loop when a whip is cracked; A truly well-trained dog will jump when no whip is present." The same is true for people. While the ruling class maintains a monopoly on the use of force, it is not always practical or even possible to utilize this force on a scale necessary to maintain their control and status. Through the manipulation of the common discourse and distribution of fallacious misinformation (by which the ruling class is itself often decieved), working people come to believe that certain practical realities prevent them from achieving their own productive goals, as well as require them to remain in their situation of exploitation and servitude. Indeed, it is often the case that these "practical realities" can manifest with very real and very severe consequences, up to and including the use of force against them as individuals by the established authority. Through control of the media, education, and common discourse, individuals are encouraged to feel isolated and dysfunctional if they find thmeselves classified by prevailing perceptions as being "deviant" or "dissenting", and in conjunction with real consequences provided through the use of force, are strongly discouraged from activities and lines of thought which countermand the status of servitude imposed upon them by the established authorities.
One such fallacy, the focus of this article, particularly present in western capitalist (Read: "Plutocracy", or "Kleptocracy") societies, is the lie which is widely known as "Property". The institutions established and controlled by the ruling class, "those who own but do not work", will provide very specific yet remarkably vague qualifications for what property actually is; the definitions change quickly and easily around the requirements of those individuals who possess power and ill-gotten wealth, so as to better accomodate the expropration of Capital from those who produce it. The indefinate character of property as it exists in the carefully cultivated "reality" constructed by the ruling-class serves them well, as it enables them to change it at will and in response to their ever expanding quest to exploit the working peoples of the world. In reality, many societies have widely varying definitions, some have none at all, for what property in fact is. Generally, the consensus seems to be that property is closely related to habitation and responsibility. Beyond that, there is little consesus. Indeed, what property is seems to be a primarily cultural distinction, subject heavily to individual interpretation.
Let us consider the following hypothetical. A wealthy man buys a plot of fertile land, and orders the construction of a large, well-built house. He pays "his" capital (which as mentioned earlier, was expropriated from the work of others) to the established authority of the region, and to another wealthy man who commands a team of builders. In short order, the house is built. Very soon, the work is done, and the wealthy man hires a gardener who, with great skill and care, raises a bountiful garden on the site. The wealthy man feels confident and satisfied that the house belongs to him, and that he owns that land upon which it has been built. The wealthy man is sure that the garden belongs to him, and claims all the vegetables within to be his property.
But he is lying to himself, and stealing from everyone else!
It was not he who built the house; no, it took the labor of a dozen skilled men, whose trade the wealthy man knows nothing about. It was not he who harvested the timbers, or mixed the cement, or forged the nails, for the wealthy man knows nothing of these honest crafts, nor could he achieve any of them on his own even if he did. Though he lives there and populates the house with many fine things, none of which he built or has the skill to maintain, the house is too large for one man to maintain, and the wealthy man knows nothing of maintaining a house, so he hires it done. Maids, repairmen, et cetera. Even if he knew these trades, a wealthy man's house is much too large to be maintained by a single wealthy man, so he must exploit the labors of an endless number of other human beings in order to satisfy his vain lifestyle. Is the house his? Absolutely not, for he did not labor to produce it or any aspect of it!
And what of the Garden he says he owns, and the produce within? The land was fertile long before anyone lived there, and would have been whether or not anyone did. The wealthy man does not labor in the garden, and does not care for the plants within. Out of incompetance or laziness, he hires someone else to work land which the wealthy man claims is his own, to produce vegetables which the wealthy man claims as his own. But without the labors of that gardener, the land would remain fertile, but vegetable-free! And without the labors of that gardener, weeds and pests would shortly overtake the garden, returning it to its original condition within less than a year. Indeed, that produce is far more the product of the Gardener's labor than the wealthy man's capital!
The same is true for any means of production. Like the garden in our example, a wealthy man cannot own a factory, or a workshop, or any other means of production which require the labor of working people. For those implements would not function or produce without those labors and the maintenance of those individuals acquianted with them, and neither can he own anything produced via the labors of those honest people, for he had no role in their production!
Does the land belong to the wealthy man? Hardly! The planet earth is far more ancient than any man--- that ground was there long before the wealthy man drew his first gasp of life, and shall continue to be there long after his body is less than ash and dust. For the earth, the wealthy man's life is fleeting beyond measure, and the wealthy man can no more own the land beneath his feet than he can claim ownership of the clouds above his head. No matter how wealthy he may be, all the capital he may expend or labor he may exploit in his efforts to control either will amount to nothing and be ground to less than nothing by the endless procession of time.
Indeed, the authority from whom the wealthy man "bought" the land has no right to it either; for if we trace back the roots of history, we find that in the past as today, established authority has always employed violence in order to achieve its goals. This has been particularly true in the case of land acquisiton. In every land, it is a story of warfare and pillage, of slaughter and rape; kings and generals and emperors and presidents, each employing their own force to brutal effect, removing peoples from their lands and generations later themselves being removed by the same means and the same titles, held by different people separated by the gulf of time, though with the same odious and malicious intent. It is a story with which those of us from North and South America should be particularly familiar.
So what then is property? As it is defined now, by the established authority and by the ruling class, Property is Theft of the honest labors of other human beings, expolited and subjugated for the sake of the perpetuation of the same machinations that provide for their enslavement--- at best.
At worst it is the legacy of the rape of the earth and the wholesale slaughter of its rightful inhabitants, justified only by the greed and bloodlust of the ruling class of the past, which seeks to extend its control ever onward into a future it hopes also to own.
Anti-capitalist forces are manifesting their opposition on April 25th against capitalism 8:00 AM Judiciary Square Metro at the Law Enforcement Memorial.
Some have been saying it all along…
Some have just begun to see it in crisis…
A world in constant crisis, chained to desks and assembly lines, clear cuts and wastelands left in its wake… and they called it progress…and it collapsed. The suffering and disempowerment felt around the world everyday has become generalized in capitalist globalization. The age of globalization is the age of quiet total war.
They exploited us, traded us away, and left us to pick up the devastation. This world is a death machine, producing death and saying that this is what it means to have it work. Around the world thousands die everyday of preventable causes linked to poverty as we live lives of shallow material opulence obtained by selling our entire lives away in the channels opened up in some market, a market which guarantees poverty to most and complete objectification to the rest. And they say that it works… And it collapsed…
Work or starvation and for many work and starvation. They fenced off the world into property, fenced off the Earth itself and make us buy back the things which are already ours if we just decide to take them back. They made us dependent on markets for the basics of life… and it collapsed…
For all our subservience we got a world of poverty, wars, cultural meaninglessness, and wastelands. We are killing ourselves while we devastate the very planet which sustains us in a frantic race to the bottom. Capitalism is a race to see who can exploit more, extract more, cut more, and drill more, the fastest and make the most money doing it… and as a result the planet is a sinking ship. For every oil spill, every clear cut, every by-product dumped into a lake, every mountain blown up to mine coal, every war started, every sweatshop opened, every housing foreclosure, every lay-off, every eco-system leveled to build an upscale resort, every prisoner locked away, every culture destroyed, profit is made, and the drive for profit is destroying the planet while relegating us to lives slaved away in the offices, factories, and prisons of this world.
And it collapsed… We are left to pay Wall Street for the money THEY lost and the lives THEY destroyed. We are left jobless, homeless, lifeless, and suffering the effects of THEIR failure, unless we refuse this fate.
We have a choice to make, stay on the sinking ship or turn and fight. The people that structure this destruction have faces and meetings. We intend to take the fight to them, and this is a fight for our world, a fight for our lives. April 24-26 in Washington DC the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will be holding their annual Spring meetings, and we will be in the streets waiting…
We are calling for a an anti-capitalist bloc to strike a blow against the death machine.
Anti-capitalist forces are manifesting their opposition on April 25th against capitalism 8:00 AM Judiciary Square Metro at the Law Enforcement Memorial.
Kick it till it breaks! For A spring Social war.
A communique from the Self-Described Anarchist Collective
One of the most frequently asked questions I am confronted with is, If everyone is provided for
equally, why would people work harder? Why would anyone want a job that was taxing mentally or physically,
when all are provided for equally?
People have a hard time grasping the concept of changing thier views on incentive. Most have been
conditioned to view things in a capitalistic manner, only doing things for financial gain and
self interest. This is of course not thier faults, being products of an environment that promotes
these behaviors. Consumerism runs deep throughout our daily lives and all are subject to programming
by mass media. Materialistic conquests are associated with status within our society.
Changing these concepts in people is not always an easy thing to do. Most people have never taken
anarchism into consideration as a viable alternative way to live, generally due to the huge
misconceptions surrounding anarchism. When expressing these alternative views to others, one
must explain the true nature of capitalism. Capitalism is comparable to a parasite deriving
benefit from the exploitation of others and is in no way symbiotic with society. Capitalism
proposes only to sustain its self without regard for social or ecological benefit, as to where
anarchism proposes both of these things and on a level playing field to boot.
Around 4,000 estimated anarchists and anti-capitalists showed up for the G-20 (Financial Fools Day).
The Royal bank of Scotland was a focal piont in the protest for being bailed out by the Brittish
government, fitting tax payers with the bill. "Thieves" was spray painted on the face of the bank,
as well as "class War". For most anarchists, the main point being brought to light was that people
will not stand by and be raped of thier livelyhood and that capitalism is revealing to be an
ineffective system.
Did any one here in the U.S. catch the news last night? well I did and what
I saw was a little disturbing. Apparently with the U.S. economic slump and
the decline of value in the American dollar, China is now pushing the U.S.
to move into an International currency system. For those who have not been up to date
on your current events, The U.S. is basically in China's pocket. With the war in the
middle east, we are in debt Trillions of dollars to China because they were
pretty much the sole lender for the war. The reason China is making this push
is because as we move towards inflation they will lose thier ass on thier
financial investment.
What would this mean for people here in the U.S.? It makes me wonder a little
about certain theories about this country and what direction we are heading in.
What are your thoughts...?
MARCH 28/09 // MILITANT WORKERS: DIRECT ACTION BLOC
'Put People First' Anti-G20 demonstration, 11am Central London
As the financial crisis has spurred a global economic recession the reality of the situation is being faced by us all – price hikes and wage cuts, job losses, spiralling debt and repossessions. The institutions of government and global finance are making us pay for their mistakes, giving themselves hefty bonuses for the privilege. As big banks get billions of our money to bail them out, the Post Office is threatened with privatisation and mass redundancies to claw back the pension hole! Government and bosses, while protecting their own interests, are steadily losing their grip as the anger of the working class becomes more and more apparent after a decade of enforced 'social peace'.
Putting working class anger first
The recent wildcat strikes at the Lindsay Oil Refinery saw workers take action for themselves, without union backing. Thousands of workers across the country walked out in sympathy strikes – a practice still outlawed under the Thatcherite anti-trade union laws. No repercussions were suffered by the workers - a lesson to us all. And although we oppose such slogans as “British Jobs for British Workers”, we do not dismiss the experiences, anger and positive action of those workers to develop a pro-working class position, based not on capitalism's demands for inter-worker competition, but on international class solidarity.
If we want social change we must fight without prejudice for it.
Solidarity is not a word but a weapon
Our purpose is to put direct action at the core of any fightback - against the repossessions and redundancies that we will face over the coming months and years, to restate our commitment for an international unity amongst all working class people regardless of nationality, race, sexuality or religion. We stand shoulder to shoulder with all those who take direct action against their current situation (against the state and its institutions, against the bosses and the capitalism they cling to), and confront those who seek to hinder or recuperate that action - fascist parties like the BNP, government forces, the trade union elite and the corporate media. The memory of the miners strike, Wapping, Poll tax lingers long and hard.
2009 is our summer of rage - we are only as strong as the power we give ourselves.
Join the direct action bloc on the Put People First mass demonstration on Saturday March 28th. Meet in Victoria Embankment Gardens, 11am. Look for the red and black flags.
APRIL 1/09 // RECLAIM THE MONEY
Meet in the Square Mile (London's Financial centre) to take back what's ours
World leaders, including Barak Obama, are set to meet at Docklands Excel Centre in London's East End, for the G20 financial summit on April 2nd, to sort out the global crisis they themselves conspired to create. While unemployment escalates along with debt and poverty - we are told to tighten our belts, not to complain, to have faith in bankers, bosses and politicians, these leaders are preparing the biggest shake up in the history of capitalism since the 1930s. We can only imagine what is on offer as their solution - from the people that brought us wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, from the heads of economies that continue to concentrate the world's wealth in the hands of a tiny minority from the obscene rich and powerful who continue to steal the products of our labour and time, forcing us to fight amongst ourselves for what's left. We are living in uncertain, dangerous times, where we can either allow our futures, and the future of our children, to be decided by the same class of people that have brought us into this crisis (and continue to profit from our misery) or we can decide to get rid of the lot of them and organise society differently - for our own benefit and of the benefit of those around us; those we work with, those we live with, for a future based on our collective needs.
We are their crisis
Let's make this a chance for a fundamental change in society. Let's reclaim the history of working class struggle for a new free world, for a global human community fit for all, not the undeserving rich elite who are happy to see our lives ruined if it means that they stay in charge and at the top. Join thousands of disgruntled, angry, pissed off people on the streets of the financial district. As the bankers continue to cream off billions of pounds of our money let's put the call out – RECLAIM THE MONEY, storm the banks and send them packing.
April 1st in the square mile, City of London financial district
APRIL 2/09 // G20 London Summit, Excel Centre, Docklands
A day of fucking up the summit and other adventures. Be warned. Be aware. Be ready!
Morality is based on personal choice and and the feeling of right and wrong. Laws are an institutionalized
enforcement of writings presumably to protect civil liberties. The interjection of morality into law is inherently
wrong. Take victimless crimes for example, prostitution. Prostitution affects no one with the exception of the
consenting parties. Adultery is moral dilemma between a married couple, which might I remind you is a religious
binding of two individuals that has been Incorporated into governmental over-seeings. Also might
I remind you that there is also supposed to be a separation of church and state. Within these two examples there
is no infringement on any ones civil liberties, yet both examples are punishable by law up to and including
imprisonment. Imprisonment is an infringement on ones own civil liberties in and of its self, yet is deemed as
acceptable by those in power for crimes to which there are no victims. Another one I would like to point out is
gays in the military. As much as we may not approve of any involvement with the government, as anarchists
we fully understand and respect freedom of choice. To deny someone this right because of sexual orientation
is another good example of the legislation of morality.
A strong push for abortion laws is another issue that I would like to touch on. What a person does with
their own body is none of the governments concern. To impose ones moral values on another should not be
tolerated in any social setting. Some right wing extremists feel that the civil liberties of the unborn
child are being assaulted by freedom of choice, making claims that the fetus is a person after X amount
of time in the womb. Unfortunately many of these right wing extremists hold political positions
of power.
Some seven million years ago, a distant relative of the Chimpanzee named australopothecus ramidus stood up,
and began its descendants on the journey that would culminate in our modern day. The descendants of this
hominoid eventually found need to explain to one another how the world worked, and so was religion born.
It started off simply enough--- spirits, demons, sorcerers, magic, etc. As time went on, superstitions became
more and more codified and traditional, regimented by rules and standards passed from holy man to holy man.
These superstitions, often based upon or containing useful information such as the migration patterns of game
animals, were held in high regard and those who knew them were afforded certain privelidges in order to preserve
that knowledge. As time went on, these superstitions often became the justification and basis for ethical systems.
More than explaining why the rains came, more than explaining why herb X cures ailment Y, peoples began to
expect their shaman to explain why bad things happened to good people, what is right and what is wrong, what
happens when we die, and so on and so on. Thus was God invented, to answer the legion of questions that
curious human beings had come up with, long before science could show them the true answers.
One might be inclined to say that based upon this utility, the fallacy of Gods might be justified; for after all,
what harm can there be in convincing a man of the fundamental good of humanity? Surely, the charitable works
of religions excuse them from the wrong inherent in their character. However, fallacy is, in this case,
the appropriate term.
A brief word on logic: an argument is traditionally divided three ways. First, there is the premise, which is the
assumption or idea which is being tested. Then you have the support, which is the evidence which positively
or negatively indicates the validity of the premise; then you have the conclusion, or deduction, which is what
was learned about the premise through investigation. When one follows through on false premises with the
intention, tacit or otherwise, of proving them true, it is then called a fallacy.
Whenever one considers religions, it is very important to remember that virtually all conclusions derived from
religious thought are fallacious. They are based on the false premise that there is a God. Religious organizations,
whether they venerate Jesus or Muhammed, Rama or Bhudda, Thor or Zeus, are dependant upon the assumption
that such entities exist. They do not.
Let us be clear: The reality is that there is no God, of any type.
There never has been a god, there never will be a god.
Some defend religion based on ethical grounds; that religion instills in men a sort of ethical framework,
even in men who might not characteristically seek to act ethically. Bearing this presumption in mind,
please consider the following quote from Aristotle: "I have gained this by philosophy: That I do without
being commanded that which others only do from fear of the law."
Following, let us have a brief example of the ethical implications of religion.
An atheist and a muslim walk into a neutral charity. Let's say that both men are equally good and generous
and kind. The Muslim is motivated variously by his personality and the teachings of his religion. He wants to
give because 1: His religion teaches him to do so. 2: By doing so, he believes that he might be saving the
souls of those he helps. 3: By doing so, he believes that he is securing his own place in heaven. 4: By giving,
he could seek to convert others to his religion. 5: Finally, he seeks improve the general state of mankind.
The Atheist, on the other hand, 1: Is not obligated to give; he does because he wants to. 2: The Atheist does
not believe in souls, nor in saving them. 3: The Atheist does not believe in heaven, and does not seek to secure
its favor. 4: The Atheist does not seek to influence others to atheism.
5: He seeks to improve the general state of mankind.
The ultimate difference between them is that the muslim (for this example it could just as easily be any
other religion) has been incentivized for his action. He has been bribed with the promise of heaven, or
perhaps threatened by the fires of hell. He is not doing good, even if that is the result of his action,
because his motivation is flawed and ultimately selfish. Yes, the ultimate goal is to improve the general
state of mankind, and this might even be effected. But it is not genuine, because a truly good person
would seek to improve the general state of mankind out of genuine kindness, not out of fear of hell or
of god; not for the sake of advancing one agenda or the other, and certainly not for the sake of
glory to a fictitious god.
The Atheist, in this example, cuts a swath through the chaffe of religious superstition and skips directly
to the real ethical disposition of mankind; which is to the general improvement of the state of mankind, l
ocally and globally. If a man is educated properly, he will not need to be made to fear religious law in order
to achieve goodness in his actions; he will do good things because he recognizes them internally as being
good and worthwhile, and because the nature of mankind is altruistic.
Religion presents major problems for those of us who seek to bring about positive change in society,
particularly those of us who seek to promote eaglitarianism, and even more particularly those of us who
seek to establish uncompromised liberty. Religion is truly ancient, indeed it is older than mankind as we
know it today. Human ancestors practiced veneration of the dead and ceremonial burial for many hundreds
of thousands, perhaps millions, of years before present; long indeed before modern humans evolved to their
present form. Ancient as it is, religion is not as old as the Authority Principle.
In a nutshell, the Authority Principle can be said as "Might Makes Right". The Ape with the biggest club
and the strongest arm wins, and rules society as the venerable king; so long as he remains the strongest
ape. Such a system does not long last and seldom affords any stability. In this system, constant warfare
and strife prevent a king from solidifying his power, and as we know a people whipped will not wait long
before rebellion.
Force is not enough for tyrants to maintain their power. Despots employ religion to justify their power,
and to make sure that the many continue to serve the few. The ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians
were ruled by God-Kings, who were worshipped as Gods themselves. And who among men would resist the
dictums of a god? The Medieval Europeans looked to the Pope, who was (is?) the infallible voice of God himself.
And who among men would resist the dictums of god, spoken through the Pope? Notably, another name for
the Pope is "The King Maker". Thus religion ingratiates itself to the ruling establishment, which in turn makes
certain that the current religious establishment continues and retains primacy. Thus the few rule the many.
Please consider this passage from the book Deuterotomy:
"Hath not the potter power over the clay, to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?"
The potter is god, and we are the clay. The moral? Some people are better than others, and these people
have been mandated by god, who has made them intrinsically better, to rule over the rest. To rule, with
impunity, over the rest of us, whom god has not made so well. And should we the rabble masses of people
get the erroneous idea in our heads that we are deserving of the same rights as anyone else, we can be
assured of our passage to hell.
And furthermore, if one worries about injustice in this life, one need worry not! All that one has to do is
suffer the indignation, and turn the other cheek, and allow oneself to be exploited and oppressed in life,
and one will be rewarded in the life after this with paradise! All are equal in death.
If we are to profess ourselves as men without masters, free and emancipated workers, then we must also
reject the most pernicious master, that of superstition! If we are to be free of masters, we *must* be
free of gods as well, for it is those gods and those who worship them that have established the legitimacy
of the inequality in our society! I say live free, live good, and live you lives with *No Gods and No Masters!*
If a certain regulation passes by the United Nations me saying this will be a complete and utter crime. In the UN there is a “resolution combating defamation of religions” which they hope to make binding to member nations. The majority of civilized countries are a member of the UN and regardless of their own legal customs they will be to protect the religious. This resolution is being spearheaded by 57 Muslim countries. This was passed as a non-binding resolution in last December but there are plans to make it a binding resolution.
An editor in India was prosecuted for re-running an article originally printed in England. This article had mentioned the top three religions but was said to hurt the religious feelings of others. I encourage all anarchists to oppose this to the highest degree and inform others about it. This is a totalitarian concept that defecates upon free speech entirely. How long until we cannot speak of anarchy due to it being offensive to the structured well behaved population?
-Winston-
THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IS NO LONGER ABOUT FREEDOM AND EQUALITY. IT IS ABOUT CORRUPTION. THEY KILL FOR MONEY AND OIL. THEY FIRE PEOPLE FROM THEIR JOBS TO MAKE WAY FOR NEW MACHINERY. THEY LET YOUNG CHILDREN STARVE AND THEIR MOTHERS TAKE THE BLAME. BUT WORSE OF ALL THEY LIE TO YOU ABOUT DOING ANY OF IT.
THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT MUST BE STOPPED!
AND THERE IS A PLAN TO DO JUST THAT, BUT BEFORE ALL, YOU MUST START THINKING FOR YOUR SELF, AND BECOME INDEPENDENT OF GOVERNMENT.
THE PLAN:
1) Expose the fed Cartel
Boycott Citibank, JP Morgan Chase & bank of America
They are the most powerful controllers in the corrupt Federal Reserve System. If you have a bank account or credit card with any of them, move it to another bank. If you have a mortgage, refinance with another bank.
If you own their stock sell it. If you work for them quit
This will create awareness about the fraud in the federal banking system.
2) Boycott the news networks
Turn off the TV news. Visit independent news networks on the internet to get your information.
CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX, and all the others are presented pre-filtered to maintain the status quo. All of these stations are owned by major corporations.
Protect the internet at all times for that is our only source for independent media.
3) Boycott the military
Don't let any one you know join the military.
The only reason the military is here is to maintain an establishment that is no longer relevant. U.S soldiers in Iraq work for major corporations, not the people. War is not a natural part of human existence.
The military is NOT an honorable institution.
4) Boycott the energy companies.
If you live in a detached house, get off the grid. Investigate every means of making your house self sustainable. Use wind, water, and solar energies.
This will be much cheaper and less polluting!
If you drive get the smallest car you can, convert it to run on alternative fuels which are less polluting and cheaper.
5) Reject the political system
The illusion of democracy is an insult to our intelligence.
In a monetary system there is no such thing as true democracy.
Both democratic and republican sections of government are owned by the same people so don’t vote!
VIEW THE ZEITGEIST ADDENDUM MOVIE: ANARCHY.NET CORRUPT.ORG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gKX9TWRyfs
The recent thread got me thinking of ways that we embark upon successful anarchist outreach? Indeed, what does anarchist outreach even mean?
Anarchist outreach should be the arm of the movement that is entirely devoted to extending the message and increasing the general public's awareness of anarchism. This is only one form of anarchist action, the others being the dueling twins of "liberal" style social action and more militant insurrection activities. While these two things have a goal to bring about a revolution, no revolution is complete w/out a complementary CONVERSION of the hearts and minds of the people. Now surely "liberal" style social action and militant insurrection represent the ideals of anarchism and aid in this conversion by deeds, but neither of them are "outreach" in the sense of drawing people into the intellectual fold of anarchism, where conversions occur. This becomes clear when we see anarchist actions blend w/the actions of other groups (from hippie peace protests to community garden projects to rioting inner city black youth). As such, when anarchism is in the public eye it's going to be associated w/activities that the vast majority of people are going to find fruity (at best) or dangerous (at worst); in addition, anarchism tends t get drowned out. This is where anarchist outreach steps in. Anarchist outreach is nothing more and nothing less than anarchist propaganda, and it absolute MUST accompany, in a VERY visible way, the other forms of actions. As such, anarchist outreach must seek to be constantly crafting public opinion even when it's not accompanying the other forms of action. And, as w/"liberal" style social actions and insurrection actions, when the time comes, EVERY anarchist is responsible for outreach as well. The thing about outreach though is that the time for it is ... all the time: everyone we talk to is a target for our propaganda, and yes, I do believe that we should be active propaganda mouthpieces and that this is something wholly different than works/deeds based activism.
Now, how does this play out?
Well, we have a wide variety of media at our disposal: web, print, radio, tv, and movies. For a wide array of reasons, the latter three are very difficult to break into, though that's not say they shouldn't be seen as impenetrable media. Print can be hit and miss: it's time consuming to operate, is pretty expensive if you want to be taken seriously, etc ... . So, I'll talk about the medium we're currently engaged on: the web.
The web has many advantages: easy to use, cheap, accessible, etc ... . It also has many disadvantages which become readily apparent if you've ever tried to generate hits for a website.
When we're talking about web anarchist outreach, this site (and others like it: infoshop, crimethinc, submedia.tv, etc ...) is only a small piece of the puzzle ... indeed, it's the endpoint of what should be a far broader and more insidious outreach program.
I'm going to give a brief rundown on how I've come to supplement my other outreach activities, which occur in my classes and other f2f occasions, with a healthy presence on the web.
1. Web communities: there are an almost infinite amount of communities on the web that have absolutely jack squat to do w/anarchism ... and that's a good thing. Why? B/c by engaging people in these environments you can catch them w/their guards down vis-a-vis anarchism. Every anarchist should be an ACTIVE member of as many of these communities as they have the time for. I'm active in 2 communities (one for boardgames and one for a sports team). It's best to narrow down your participation to a number of communities that you can maintain an ACTIVE presence on.
2. Types of web communities: Try to find communities based upon other things you're interested in ... you want to be in non-political web communities. In doing so, you're already building common ground w/your audience by your shared interests. It's important to maintain a presence based on this shared interest at all times.
3. Building your persona: You shouldn't ever just be an anarchist. You want to be a fully fledged and commonly known member of the community ... like in Cheers where everybody says your name when you walk through the doors. In other words, be yourself in every aspect ... in the process, you will make friends, who will serve as your support whether they're anarchists themselves or not.
4. Anarchist outreach: Once, you've become a working member of the community either find the forums dedicated to Off Topic discussions or specifically political discussions. It is very important that you don't enter these discussions wearing your anarchism on your sleeve ... treat these OT discussions (and especially forums) as terra nova and assume that everyone there is hostile to anarchism. You want to engage in these discussions w/out bringing up anarchism or citing anarchist thinkers, so just talk politics like everyone else. Use sources they're familiar with. Take sides (you'd be surprised who'd you'd be allied with sometimes). Over time, you should be trying to become an oddball on the forum, someone people have a hard time pinning down. To those who think this might be difficult b/c anarchism is solidly on The Left, consider how it easy it is to take the side of a conservative in a discussion about the bailout/stimulus (screw the feds ... get them out of our business: rah, rah, sis, boom, bah). Essentially you're trying to plant seeds in the minds of the rest of the community that anarchism is not irrational & dangerous, but it does provide alternative ways of looking at things. In general, these seeds cannot be planted if you "come out" as an anarchist.
5. Coming out: By being a sane and likeable member of the community, you've already done a heaping amount of outreach, but this doesn't do anarchism any good if people don't know you're anarchist. At some point you're going to have to "come out" ... you're going to have to reveal yourself as an anarchist. This is extremely tricky, b/c if you do it wrong or too soon, you can kill the goodwill you've created. Did I mention that people that don't like "anarchy?" So, every time you think you've found an opportunity to "come out" ... don't. Put it off ... put it off until you literally can't take it anymore. The more time between your initial participation and the "coming out" the better. Now, as a long as you've been yourself the entire time (short of coming out and saying you're an anarchist) and have been genuine w/your posts, "coming out" won't be seen as some sort of big trick or an elaborate ruse. It'll just be seen as an "oh that makes sense, now I know why he's been so hard to pin down, but hmmm ... wait a second, he's not a unabomber freak ... interesting." After you've "come out" keep on keeping on as you've been doing, but now you can also begin to introduce anarchism as such ... always slowly and carefully, you'll probably be the face of anarchism in that web community represent us well.
The overarching goal of anarchist outreach is to normalize anarchism on an intellectual level.
For an example of how this works, I'll use my participation in an online board game community (yes, I'm a gamer dork ... shove it! :) ).
The following link is for a discussion I started regarding the worker expropriations in Argentina:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/378676
The next thread is the first thread I started about Anarchism itself ... it garnered a huge audience and a ton of very quick activity, which indicated 2 things to me: that people are looking, starving for something different in politics & society AND that I had a LOT still to learn about how to negotiate my presence in the community.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/352857/page/1
This is the thread where I "came out:"
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/352546
And this is the thread that finally pushed me to "come out" in the first place ... the idea that people wouldn't let their kids play w/my kids just b/c we were anarchists was really troubling:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/352324
Anarchist action doesn't have to be big to communicate ideas. Anarchist action doesn't have to be "practical demonstrations" to communicate ideas. Anarchist action can be as small and impractical as a strategic conversation over the water cooler or in a thread on a random web community. The opportunity for outreach is all around us, and we must constantly be looking to seize those opportunities.
Peaceful resolve is a view that some anarchists hold dear, while other anarchists see insurrection as
the only resort. For the purpose of this article i will put my own views aside for fear of being biased.
anarchopacifist or insurrectionist, that is the question.
Taking a lengthy look at the options that these two views provide, we will analyze and evaluate the pros
and cons of each.
Anarchopacifism: Viewing violence as counter-productive, anarchopacifists utilize peaceful methods to
dismantle the government such as non-participation. The realization that the people its self is the life
blood of the system, cutting off the bloodstream will cause the system to collapse and fail. Viewed as
idealists per anarchist standards, they continue their cause of changing every ones mind about the
nature of power and that violence causes the state to tighten its reigns when people cry out in fear
of terrorism, thus strengthening the state.
The problem I see with anarchopacifism is that conceptually it is correct but only in outstanding
numbers. In all reality anarchists make up a very small percentage of the population and changing the minds
of millions is highly improbable. This ghandi-esque point of view is commendable but extremely idealistic.
Insurrectionary anarchists: The view in which the existing government is overthrown by force, usurping
their power and giving it back to the people once obtained. The problem with this is that in history,
this usually paves the path for yet another tyrant. This method will more than likely be the eventual
outcome. This however would also require a major political rallying point that the people as a whole
could stand behind, such as the exposure of treason by the state against its own people. (lol, about
1000 instances just came rushing into my head). without a rallying point, direct action would be viewed
with disdain by the masses and be labeled a terrorist act.
HMMM, I wonder, If we could just find a middle ground here...
(for the record, I did my best to keep opinions out, its just so damn hard.)
A study was conducted in 2006 and 2007 by Shayne Snyder and colleagues at the Southern Nevada Water Authority
in Las Vegas. This is what was found, tap water contained....
Atenolol: A beta-blocker used to treat cardiovascular disease.
Atrazine: An organic herbacide that is used to decline fish stocks and and alter animal behavior.
(Banned in The E.U.)
Carbamazepine: A mood stabilizing drug used to treat bipolar disorders. (I dont remember being
diagnosed with that.)
Estrone: An oestrogen hormone secreted by the ovaries.
Gemfibrozil: An anti-cholesterol drug. (Great for washing down that Big Mac.)
Meprobamate: A tranquiliser used in psychiatric treatment. (Again, I dont remember being diagnosed.)
Naproxen: An anti-inflamitory linked to increases in asthma.
Phenytoin: An anti-convulsant used to treat epilepsy.
Sulfamethoxazole: An antibiotic.
TCEP: A reducing agent used in molecular biology.
Fluoride: AAAAhhh. Here we go. Fluoridation of the water. Fluoride has been directly linked with reducing
people's IQ's. In 1995, neruotoxicologist Dr. Phyllis Mullenix published research showing that fluoride was built
up in the brains of animals that were exposed to moderate levels. Other interesting results included
offspring suffering psycological effects similar to A.D.D. Young and adult animals given fluoride suffered
opposite effects such as sluggishness and hypoactivity (sedation).
The toxic effects of fluoride on the central nervous system was subsequently confirmed by previously
classified government research. Two new epidemiological studies which confirm fluorides neurotoxic effects
on the brain have showed that children exposed to high levels of fluoride had lower IQs.
"And it seems to me perfectly in the cards that there will be within the next generation or so a pharmacological
method of making people love their servitude, and producing ... a kind of painless concentration camp for entire
societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them but will rather enjoy it,
because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda, brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced
by pharmacological methods." Damn, I wish I could remember who said this.
At the end of World War II, the US government sent Charles Eliot Perkins, a research worker in chemistry,
biochemistry, physiology and pathology, to take charge of the vast Farben chemical plants in Germany. The
German chemists told Perkins of a scheme which they had devised during the war and had been adapted by
the German General Staff. The German chemists explained of their attempt to control the population in any
given area through the mass medication of drinking water with sodium fluoride, a tactic used in German and
Russian prisoner of war camps to make the prisoners "stupid and docile".
Anyhow, just some fun facts to play with. Enjoy your next glass of refreshing sedation.
On February 9th, a 52 yr old homeless man was beaten by Fresno Police officers. The police department is
struggling to justify the beating, claiming thet the tape did not catch the attack of the homeless man ripping
off one of the officers badge. The two officers are under investigation by internal affairs. The vulgar display
of power is apparant in the video and has recieved attention across the nation. What I am seeing is more
than just police brutality, this is a clip of the class war.
Our comrade Stan has also sent me an update on himself and the status of Military Health Care.
Stan Wrote...
Hi A.O.C.,
In case you don't remember me, my name is Stan, and I am the soldier who emailed you back in early January about how ridiculous the Army is and how I want to 'get out' more than anything in the world. I thought I would update you on another piece of the pie that is supposed to be a great reason to join the service: free health care. LOL!
Here's the low down of the GREAT Army medical care:
1) IF they allow you to get treated (ie. take time out of your 'busy' schedule to see a doctor, because everything we do in garrison is so important - HA!) they treat you like a smuck, coward, and weakling because you are requesting medical attention. (More or less 'suck it up')
2) The usual treatment is done by the outward look of the patient, and not a diagnosis of the problem. You 'look' ok, so just get some rest, stop being a bitch, and 'drink water'.
3) If you really do have a problem, it takes MONTHS to get anything done (surgery wise), and often weeks to months health wise. Don't forget, everything here is done by Army doctors and not civilians. When you are treated by a civilian doctor in the real world you have the privilege of knowing that he/she has gone to med school and earned their reputation to be a registered doctor. Not in the Army. A year of brief and unsupportive general health training, followed by another brief school of specific training towards their field is all these people get. Imagine getting surgery on an ankle or knee, in which you would want the best care possible. Actually, don't imagine that, because the inexperience of the person performing surgery on you will scare you.
4) When and if you are allowed to get your problem or illness treated by your superiors, the bureaucratic and completely in-efficient system that the Army uses to handle patients will put you at the long end of a waiting list that takes ages to work through. (You think there would be a system for the severity of the problem at hand, but the way the Army does things is at their convenience, so someone with a broken leg will be put on the waiting list for two months out, after someone who needs something significantly less, like a consultation who will get it at the end of the week. There is no order and no sense whatsoever. From experience, having a broken leg has taken me MONTHS to get it treated because of the constant loops I've been thrown in that I have to sort out myself, with no help from the medical staff).
5) Don't get me started on Army Dentists.
6) The Army will NOT take care of you if you have gotten injured, and more than likely you will not receive any disibility or beneficial pay after your discharge, should anything happen to you. I would provide a source here, but just look up any anti-war group or in particular 'AVAW' (Army Vets Against the War) and you will see a list of people who received little to no medical care for their amputations or paralysis caused by a pointless war.
More to come. Generally when you are young and looking for opportunity, don't look twice at the Army. The benefits they wave in front of your face are little more than exaggerated lies. The 'top notch' medical care that they advertise should be called 'third world health care', or rather, 'third world health care if and when you are able to receive it, based on the convenience of those in charge of you, who have no medical knowledge whatsoever and could really care less about your well being!!!!!"
FUCK
Live safe. Live happy (or try to). And by all means live on the streets before even thinking of enlisting in any branch of service. Your country needs you, so give it the finger.
"My motivations for creating The Evilness of Power are varied. I wanted to clarify the ideas and channel the
strong emotions I'd been internalizing since I became an activist in 2004 and which I had been sketchily
trying to articulate in my youtube channel since late 2006. I also realized that there weren't that many
documentaries dealing exclusively with the concept of hierarchy--perhaps none at all--.
I noticed how relatively easy and effective it would be to weave together some of my youtube videos
with parts of programs, films, documentaries etc to offer a more comprehensive examination of hierarchy
and hopefully contribute to revolutionary change."
After 9/11 the government used widespread public fear as a method to
deprive us of certain rights. Of these was a 2005 bill passed that
would allow for a national identification system (known as "Real ID")
to be implemented. This bill was never debated yet it was passed
unanimously, as it was tacked as a must-pass appropriations bill to
fund troops and tsunami relief effort. Although 16 states have passed
legislation rejecting this bill to make it virtually impossible as a
national policy, there are some states that plan to put Real ID into
action.
Even though it seems we have dodged a national system, (for the
moment being anyway), advanced state ID systems could be just as
harmful. A great deal of the population either did not know about Real
ID or thought it was in their best interest when it was at its peak.
In addition to a major inconvenience this system is a clear invasion
of human rights. Allowing these I.D's to put all of your information
in the computer and make it accessible by DMV workers. It would also
be required to enter certain buildings and to strength gun "control"
laws.
i read through the manifesto and i have a few questions.
1. if morals are based on do what you will, then wont people live in fear? with no absolutes isnt it possible for more people to
do bad things and get away with them?
A) People do all types of bad and immoral things as it is and still get away with it. As I have stated before, anarchy does not
mean chaos. Nothing in this life is absolute except change.
2. how would a government completely on an individual basis work? how could negotiations be made? could society still flourish?
A) Communitys would be set up by like minded individuals, each with their own set of guidelines and repercussions for
infringement on anothers liberties, all of which is determined by the community as a whole. Negotiations would be
done in a similar manner. As far as the community flourishing, the community would be driven by necessity and
survival which is the basis for invention and innovation.
3. has this ever been proven a valid system of government? has anarchy ever shown itself to be reasonable and worth repeating?
A) There have been talks of puting anarchism to the test in a sociological experiment as far as real life, just take a
look at the factory workers in Argentina.
4. couldn't a person just go live off on their own if they wanted to completely be in charge of their own life? why
take down a country, when only a faction wants this?
A) We as a society are moving closer and closer to globalization and when this happens we will all be fucked. Nowhere
to run, nowhere to hide. Small communes will be brought to their knees for breaking away and labeled as insurgents.
For those anarchists living in America, we are living in the belly of the beast. Despotism being the eventual outcome
of the American war machine, sooner or later we will need to throw our bodies on the gears to make it stop.
-Agent of Chaos-
Thought I would lighten the mood a bit while still staying on topic. While George Carlin was never a self proclaimed anarchist,
I feel as though his view on life in general was anarchistic. The man questioned and challenged all forms of authority while
promoting no gods, no masters and the exposure of tyranny on many topics. Sadly George died last year, and his words of
logic and reason will be lost to all but documentation and memory. I hope his words put a smile on your face as it has mine.
Enjoy.
After WW2 the Jewish Zionist movement was leading the charge to
obtain Israel for the Jews. The U.N partitioned the land to the
Zionists in 1947. Unfortunately, they completely ignored the already
existing Arab population of the land that is now Israel. This was not
a major issue and by military force from the U.N (largest amount of
troops came from U.S) Israel was established.
Thus began a sixty year aid program between the U.S to Israel that
has no sign of stopping. "The U.S. aid relationship with Israel is
unlike any other in the world," said Stephen Zunes during a January 26
CPAP presentation. "In sheer volume, the amount is the most generous
foreign aid program ever between any two countries," added Zunes,
associate professor of Politics and chair of the Peace and Justice
Studies Program at the University of San Francisco.
The image above shows how much the U.S has given Israel since 1949 to
1997. The reasoning of this is perfectly clear however not spoken of
very often. The United States benefits from having an ally in a region
they want control of. Israel was a doomed plan from the start and
could never stay afloat without aid from "Uncle Sam". The financial
aid they gain shows how desperately the U.S needs this country to keep
up in order to get things done quietly in a hot region.
Direct connections with the U.S and a very intimidating military in
addition to religious difference make Israel a common enemy among most
Middle Eastern countries. Palestine, the country most displaced by
Israel has held a grudge against her. It is this anger that fuels
attacks on Israel, in response Israel fires back and thus a long
conflict the world has seen before is started. Innocents and children
on both sides are killed mercilessly, based on historical facts the
current conflict will only repeat itself over and over again.
There's been much talk of late on the subject of the enemies of the Revolution; I feel that while this is an appropriate topic
of conversation, it is one which should be considered with equal amounts of introspection. After all, how can we rightly
determine who or what may be counter-revolutionary, when there is no single 'Revolutionary Way'? And what good does it
for us to throw about very serious labels which might in fact be counter-productive to our splendid cause? We must be
very cautious comrades; there are real enemies all about, and we must not make enemies of each other. In the old days,
bosses sent spies into unions, to pose as workers, in order to subvert those unions and their causes. The spies would
accomplish these tasks in a wide variety of ways, as clever as any you or I might devise. They would always be there, an
anonymous face in the crowd or sometimes even a close associate, pushing the discussion further radical, further extreme;
to encourage violence and criminality.
There lies the true danger comrades. Once we allow the bosses, the bourgeoisie,
our true enemies, to provoke us to anger, we fall into their trap--- once we stoop to violence, we become the criminals
they need us to be so that they can lock us up and silence our voices; We become the barbarians their newsmen need
us to be, so that they can villainize us on the TV-screens and morning newspapers of millions of otherwise uninformed
people. When we allow ourselves to descend into pointless bickering and in-fighting, when we are divided, we proove
ourselves to be the disunified rabble that they need us to be, in order to justify the oppression they feel that they
need to levy upon us. And most of all- when we stoop to violence, when we allow ourselves to implement violence as
a means of imposing our own authority, we become no better than them, no different from what we seek to overthrow.
Force is the most crude expression of power and authority that there can be, and if we truly intend to create a
non-authoritarian society, we must abhor its use, both against us as well as by us. A revolution is 360 degrees- upon
its completion, you're exactly back where you started, facing the same problems, though perhaps with different names.
Such was the case with the Soviet Union. Be cautioned, reader, many gross over-simplifications follow. At it's outset,
the revolution was quite a spontaneous thing, undertaken by the vast majority of the proliteriat in that country. During
what came to be known as the Russian Civil War, foriegn interests from the world over invaded Russia, strangling her of
her resources in the hopes primarily of, among a long list of various other imperial objectives and ambitions, collecting on
debts incurred by the Tsar during the first World War. The resilience of the Russian People has often been
underestimated throughout history. Eventually, the proud socialist people of Russia repelled the foriegn occupiers of
the USA and other western powers, not by force of arms, but by fomenting of a series of pro-socialist rebellions and
mutinies among the foriegn troops there; The Russian people never gave up on spreading the word of socialism, printing
newspapers and "zines" on anything that would take ink- from trash to leaves, and they were not afraid to distribute
their ideas; they were not afraid even though they were cold and starving, bloody and unarmed. And make no mistake,
comrades, many died doing so.
The sturdy Russian people prevailed, and thereafter ocurred one of history's greatest
tragedies; the establishment of a centralized State over the recently freed proliteriat. It is an old debate among the
socialist tradition- How exactly to implement the revolution? Shall we work within society, to change it peacefully?
Or shall we work to destroy the state and start fresh? And there are so many answers to either one, and many
questions and sub-questions, and ideas and theories abound. In Russia was established a centralized state, to
single-handedly foster the revolution. A single, organized body to legislate it all, one voice to determine the logistics,
and to re-distribute the wealth. Which, as we know now, became a highly dysfunctional system, as well as
counter-revolutionary. The elephant in the room about centralized authority, even when legislated by a representative
majoritarian assembly, is that on every issue such a system encounters, there is necessarily a small, sometimes
not-so-small, dissenting group--- but the party cannot allow for dissent among any sector, as such would undermine
the central authority of the organization; and so you have a system which ultimately serves the interests of a small
ruling class in disproportion to the proliteriat which the system is supposed to serve; one which is used to stratify power,
and to seclude such power from the proliteriat. Such a system is particularly prone to overthrow by men like Stalin.
And so the revolution was complete- 360 degrees, right back to where they started, with Tsar Stalin in the Kremlin.
It could just as easily be Putin. The same is, in it's own way, true of the US revolution, or the French revolution,
or any of the countless Democratic revolutions of any country that have ocurred. Once the power from that revolution
is centralized, authority and its venomous ways again come to prey upon the people. And if a revolutionary people
do not centralize their power, such as it was with the Paris Commune of the Spanish Collectives, that such a people
can be reasonably be sure that the centralized authority of other states elsewhere in the world will not stand for
open defiance of political dogma. Neither will those authorites miss the opportunity for plunder as has been shown
by the Russian Civil War and countless others like it. What then is there to be said for we revolutionaries today?
We surely do not wish to see such betrayals befall our own causes.
The trick is not to foster one revolution, but
rather a condition of perpetual revolt--- not necessarily destructive, rather, a state of continual, creative flux;
with individuals, not centralized authorities or sectarian political alliances, as the active component of all human
society at all levels and extremities. Where if a man is in a situation which is counter-productive to his personal
goals, he is not only free to alter his situation as he sees fit, but is facilitated in his efforts to do so by a political
and economic system in which all resources, including power, are equally and effectively distributed to all individuals,
each man (no gender distinction) producing freely according to his abilities to produce, and each man
(again no gender distinction) recieving recieving the necessary implements and resources according to his requirement for them,
without precondition of servitude or debt.
Hale
The U.S government is currently employing 330,000 Air Force officers to lurk "insurgent" websites. They are lurking our blogs
with the mission to "counter the people out there in the blogosphere who have negative opinions about the U.S.
government and the Air Force,"-Captain David Faggard. The basic plan is to ensure the government is represented well.
Unfortunately this is a bias considering it is being done by a government organization.
They have created this flow chart (picture) to teach officers how to deal with comments in a wide variety. Comments in
the nature of trolling to truth telling and everything in between have certain protocol that is to be followed while considering
a response. And if I may say it seems quite the bit of effort was put into its conception. Really makes you wonder the motive
for putting so much effort and time into it.
What this all means for we internet folk is that posts that we make are being watched by the U.S government in an attempt
to change public view. So with every comment you make they have a response for you. Regardless of how right you are and
how evil this whole idea is, they have a prefabricated response. They are told to act as civilians so perhaps people will just
see a seemingly intelligent post and not think of the sinister plot beneath. This is much more than a bad way to spend
money or even a simple error in judgment on the Air Force's behalf. It is pure and simple arrogance. Our tax money is
providing a military organization resources to watch and moderate us on one of our last places of free speech.
This show of deviance and scoundrel-like behavior of American authority is but another example of a much too powerful
government. U.S government thinks it's the boss in charge, well last time I checked, it was the people that are supposed to
hold power in a democracy. So what possible use do they have for initializing this program but for reasons of treachery?
In the words of Harry S. Truman "Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition,
it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of
terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." So here is my question to you, where do
you think American "democracy" is leading?
-winston
All information obtained publicly through http://people.howstuffworks.com/riot-control1.htm
Crowd-control Philosophy: Conflict
The police have to be seen as being in charge and in control at all times, even while they stay passive and allow the crowd to operate within the ground rules set out ahead of time.
Sometimes, though, these preventative measures don't work, and a riot breaks out despite police efforts to keep everyone calm.
(How the riot police view the matter)
If a crowd gets unruly and starts taking violent action, then the police will switch to a more aggressive attitude. Their actions here reflect the fact that almost all riots are incited and lead by a few individuals who feel strongly or have something to gain from a violent confrontation. The majority of the people present either show up because something exciting is going on or are bystanders who got carried into the mob mentality. Faced with the possibility of arrest or confrontation with police, most of them simply want to escape and go home.
The first step is simple intimidation. Riot officers stand in strict formations and act with military precision. Once they form echelons -- lines of officers that effectively work as barriers -- the officers tap their batons on their shields or stomp their feet in unison. The result can be quite frightening to unarmed civilians -- it looks and sounds as if this group of armed and armored officers is getting ready to come crashing down with clubs swinging. In truth, this display is meant to scare off as many of the rioters as possible without the officers ever getting near them.
Police do not try to arrest every rioter. Their first targets are those who are leading the riot, because often the crowd will disperse without their leaders firing them up and encouraging them. All people who are spotted breaking a law are also targeted for arrest, especially if they injure or kill another person.
When it gets to the point where officers are actually in conflict with the rioters, the goal is still to disperse the crowd. A combination of advancing lines of officers and the use of noxious gas is used to direct the crowd in a certain direction or keep them away from a certain area. The crowd is never pinned down -- rioters are always given an escape route, since the whole point is to get them to run away.
I hope the "Know Your Enemy and Now You See Me, Now You Don't" articles helped some. Until next time comrades.
Agent of Chaos
All information obtained publicly through http://people.howstuffworks.com/riot-control1.htm
Blunt-force rounds - These rounds cause pain when they strike, but they don't penetrate the skin.
They are often fired at the ground so the round skips off the pavement and strikes the rioters in the legs.
(Can someone say shin guards)
Wood Baton - 40-mm wooden cylinders (long-range and accurate)
Rubber Baton - 40-mm rubber cylinders (long-range and accurate)
Foam Baton - 40-mm foam cylinders (shorter-range because they are so light; they are fired at single
aggressors who are getting close enough to the officer to directly threaten him or her)
Each baton round is filled with small discs, like little hockey pucks, made of the appropriate material.
When officers skip the rounds off the ground in front of rioters, the discs separate from the round and
tend to hit multiple targets. Or, if they hit someone directly, the round breaks apart into the separate
discs on impact, dissipating a lot of the kinetic energy. It hurts, but it has less chance of doing damage
than if it were a solid chunk of the material. The object is to cause enough pain to get the rioter to
comply with the officers.
Bean Bag Round - Square-shaped bean bags (long-range, but they tend to be inaccurate;
Sponge Round - Bullet-shaped round with a sponge tip (all-purpose, with middle-grade range and accuracy)
and accuracy) (Can you say BMX chest protector under your sweatshirt)
Stinger rounds - A Stinger round is loaded with small, rubber pellets that disperse on impact.
Pepperball rounds - A paintball gun is slightly modified to fire pepper-spray pellets instead of paintballs.
When these strike someone, the severe burning sensation in the eyes and nose will incapacitate most people
without doing permanent harm. When children or elderly people might be present in a crowd, the police can
instead use water pellets. It still stings to get hit with water pellets, and sometimes people are afraid
they have actually been hit with pepper spray, so the crowd disperses.
Ferret rounds - Ferret rounds are made to penetrate windows or wooden barricades, where they can then
deposit a load of gas. These are used to flush people out of barricades and other standoff situations.
Dye rounds - Sponge rounds, ferret rounds and pepperball rounds can all be filled with marker dye.
These are used to mark certain people in a crowd so that other officers can identify them or so that
they can be caught later in case they flee the scene. In a riot, the leaders are often tagged with
marker-dye rounds so the arrest team can pick them up later.
Gas rounds - These rounds are loaded with a gas that causes severe irritation to the eyes, nose and throat,
and even causes contact skin burns in some cases.
O.C. gas - Oleoresin capsicum, or pepper spray
C.S. gas - Chlorobenzylidene malonitrile, a form of tear gas
Officers don't like to use gas rounds, because they know they're going to experience some of the effects
of the gas themselves. Still, they wear gas masks and goggles to protect themselves in case the need arises.
Zip Ties- Are used instead of handcuffs because of the quantity they can carry at once.
All information obtained publicly through http://people.howstuffworks.com/riot-control1.htm
Riot Control Tactics
The tactics used to control riots in the past were simple -- they were based on the fact that the police were almost always better-armed than the rioters. The tactics they used basically consisted of forming a line and charging into the crowd. Today, the police are still well-armed, but tactics have advanced significantly.
When a riot is in full swing, police will deploy in a square formation with a command team at the center. The command team is protected on all four sides by echelons of troops deployed in groups of 10 or 12 officers. There is also an arrest team at the center of the square.
This tactical unit is very mobile and able to adapt on the fly to changes in the situation. If a threat suddenly appears behind or to one side of the unit, then the echelon facing that direction is designated the front of the unit. The entire team can then change the direction it's facing without a lot of maneuvering. Also, the echelons can cover each other when the team moves to take advanced positions. If the unit is under attack, the whole team does not move together: One echelon moves while the others provide covering fire or an actual physical screen (with riot shields). Then another echelon moves up into position.
The echelon is not meant to be an impenetrable wall of cop. In fact, the riot squad often leaves an escape route to let rioters run past the squad. The officers can adopt a passive position, in which they spread out and leave several yards between each officer. The crowd can then easily filter through them. If a particularly violent group moves toward the officers or they spot specific suspects they want to arrest, they can quickly close the gaps and form a tight line.
As the unit moves forward into a crowd, it will prod and push at anyone who doesn't respond to orders to move away by the time the front echelon reaches them. If they still refuse to move, the unit continues moving forward, but the front echelon opens up and passes around the protestors. Once the protestors are inside the square, the unit stops, the front echelon reforms and the arrest team processes the rioters. When they're done, the unit can continue moving.
Let me know in the comments section if you want more articles like this one and the Now You See Me, Now You Don't post.
Riots broke out wednesday night in Oakland, Ca over the fatal shooting of 22 yr old Oscar Grant Haward. Oscar was shot in the back while on the floor, already detained by BART officer Johannes Mehserle. A small group of anarchists made an appearance at the protest. Police cars were attacked and other vehicles set ablaze. Police officers shot tear gas and and fired bean bags with shotguns into the crowd. The crowd eventually dispersed. Mahserle resigned just prior to an internal affairs investigation on the situation. This should have been a much larger turnout than it was, we should learn from our brothers in Greece.
‘Land of the Free’ Has World’s Largest Prison Population In the US, over 2.3 million people live behind bars. That’s 750 individuals per 100,000 people, or one out of every 99.1 citizens. In 2008, this registered a total cost of nearly $50 billion, which is an increase of nearly four-fold from twenty years ago- and also over six times the rate of increase in the amount spent on higher education. According to the Pew Center, the increase is mostly due to harsher sentencing requirements, which have had little or no impact on the rate of re-incarceration. Also according to the Pew Center, while one in 30 males aged 24-30 are in prison, for black males, the number is one in nine. These numbers put the US far ahead of it’s nearest rivals in this department. China, the closest contender, with her massive population of over one billion people, holds only 1.5 million of them in prison. US-Chinese relations have often been strained in the past by US objections to the Chinese’s use of prison labor.But in the US, the sale of prison labor is a multi-billion dollar industry, publicly subsidized by the US taxpayer, with all profits made private, and practically no protection or basic human rights afforded to the workers. Prison laborer is used to manufacture everything from license plates to automotive parts, from Gameboy games for Nintendo to lace for Victoria’s Secret, or shrink-wrapping computer parts for Microsoft. It doesn’t stop there- a glut of private interests and corporations ‘lease’ prison labor from State and private prisons alike. Prison laborers make significantly less than minimum wage for their labor, receive virtually no safety protections, are not allowed to unionize, and face terrible consequences if they refuse to work; these are including but not limited to additional time on their sentences, solitary confinement, and the old stand-by, violence.
Let us not forget that recently, US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and US Vice-President Dick Cheney became the first men in the long history of their lofty positions to be indicted while holding them- for nothing less than profiteering from exactly this type of prison labor.http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AI11B20081119
