Dion, December 12, 2007: “As I stated on the Bombshell forum Dr.Cam, you are a liar, a hypocrite and no better than the trash that you fight against.”
None Dare Call It Dr. Cam’s Internet Weblog/464/21-Sep-2008 when you cheat at scrabble, you are only cheating yourself
Avant garde, no?
Just had a couple of friendly games of Scrabble with Andy Slackbastard. At least I had thought they were going to be friendly games. Turns out that Andy had thought that I had challenged him in quite a cocky manner. Reckons I said I was going to ‘kick his arse’ and ‘dominate the motherfucking scrabble board, you tiny little bad-at-scrabble man.’
I don’t have any recollection of anything of the sort. Unfortunately there is no emoticon for tipping ones hand back in front of one’s mouth to indicate that you believe somebody has been drinking, otherwise that is what would follow the previous sentence. 😮 >-|
That is a dude with like a cocktail glass just beneath his mouth. :-@
Now you can’t see his mouth because the bottom of the glass is in the way. Perspective.
We are revolutionising emoticons here, people.
Anyway, Andy ended up winning both games. Unfortunately (for him) he achieved this by cheating. Specifically, he disallowed a word in each game that would have won me both.
First game: He had just put down ATTACK. I was going to add SHAQ for SHAQATTACK on a triple word score, but oh no, King Andy of Andytown couldn’t be having that. “What’s a shaqattack?” he asks in his ignorant gormless manner.
Second game: Earlier, I had put down MULL. He’d stayed away from it (thank goodness) which allowed me later to turn it into DAVEMULLIGAN, earning me 50 bonus points for using all seven letters on my rack. “What’s a davemulligan?” he asks in the same ignorant gormless manner. Um, he’s Left Back for the New Zealand All Whites?
I had no idea that Scrabble was such an effective method of revealing character. Luckily I found out that Andy is a liar and a cheat now, instead of further on down the track when he is asking me to store plastic explosives with which he intends to dismantle global capitalism.
FLUSHING, Michigan — Eerie postings fill an online journal — entries that become increasingly angry as the writer vents about being a misunderstood anarchist.
“Now I’m ready to watch the world burn,” a post dated April 18 reads. “I always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt about how they understand me. Most people don’t, hell, even I had to figure out myself from scratch.”
The online musings are believed to be written by Matthew DePalma, a Flushing native who has been federally charged in a plot to bomb the site of September’s Republican National Convention. The journal is written by a person who uses the name “Shades Mcgee” on MySpace, which a friend confirmed is DePalma…
NB. “yeah i got hurt a little last night. Narrowly leaving a party without being severly [sic] beaten or shot. (loaded weapons cocked and ready captained by drunken rednecks)” — is the sentence removed by Shannon. Meaning that the entry is titled ‘Now I’m ready to watch the world burn’, and the first few lines are: “yeah i got hurt a little last night. Narrowly leaving a party without being severly [sic] beaten or shot. (loaded weapons cocked and ready captained by drunken rednecks) well now, I always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt about how they understand me. Most people don’t, hell even I had to figure out myself from scratch…” In other words, Matthew’s readiness ‘to watch the world burn’ was triggered by his belief that he narrowly avoided being beaten or shot by drunken rednecks: not all that surprising, really.
…DePalma was charged by federal authorities Aug. 30. According to a Department of Justice release, the FBI began investigating DePalma in July after he attended an anarchist convention, called CrimethInc., in Wisconsin. While there, he told an FBI informant he wanted to “makes some bombs” and “blow up” things during the convention, according to the release…
Uh-huh. That’s what the FBI are claiming — on the basis of the testimony of a paid informant. Of course, misrepresenting Matthew’s blog entry adds to the public perception that Matthew really was ‘ready to watch the world burn’; or at least, a little part of it in Minneapolis anyways…
The “anarchist convention, called CrimethInc., in Wisconsin” is a reference to a “decentralised anarchist collective” called CrimethInc., and the 2008 Convergence organised by CrimethInc. which took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: the seventh such event organised by the collective. An account of the fifth such convergence, in 2006, is provided in ‘Mississippi Drift’ by Matthew Power (Harper’s Magazine, March 2008 [PDF]). One of those who attended the convergences in 2004 and (it appears) 2005 was “Anna”; “Anna” played a key role in convicting Eric McDavid to twenty years jail.
Sentencing Notes
May 11, 2008
Dear friends,
Yesterday was a difficult day. We all knew what Eric was facing, and we understood the vehemence with which the government was pursuing this case. But nothing could ever fully prepare us for the kind of heinous sentence that Eric received. It is clear from the reports in the media and the statements made by the US Attorneys that Eric was entrapped and used as an example to anyone who dares to dream of how things could be different in this world.
After passing through the metal detectors downstairs, everyone attending Eric’s sentencing was required, by order of Judge England, to pass through a line of Marshall’s outside the courtroom and undergo the metal detector wand, as well as a complete search of any bags. This ridiculous spectacle was clearly an attempt to harass Eric’s friends and loved ones who came to show their support.
The courtroom was nearly full of Eric’s family and friends. There were not enough seats behind the defense table to accommodate everyone, forcing others to spill over into the prosecutor’s side of the court. Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday.
It was clear from the first few sentences spoken by the judge that his mind was already made up. The same lies that were used at trial to convict Eric were repeated over and over again throughout the sentencing hearing. The government even had the audacity to claim that Eric had never had a re-ocurrance of pericarditis – despite the fact that his lawyer filed a memo with the court in November detailing Eric’s worsening condition. Despite the fact that the jail received so many phone calls from Eric’s supporters during that time that they posted a note on their website specifically asking people to stop calling. They had the audacity to claim that Eric was at no risk of harsh treatment in prison – despite the fact that he has ALREADY undergone 2 1/2 years of isolation at the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Despite the fact that probation recommended a sentence of 156 months (13 years), Judge England deferred (as usual) to the government’s recommendation of 235 months (19 years and 7 months). The length of Eric’s sentence was due largely to the application of the Terrorism Enhancement. The government has argued quite vociferously all along for this enhancement. The basis of their argument is that Eric’s targets included government facilities (such as the IFG) – a point which was never proven during trial, and was, in fact, denied by the government’s own witnesses. But the judge applied the enhancement anyway. The judge ordered 3 years of supervised release after Eric’s sentenced is served, the collection of a DNA sample and registration as an “arson offender”.
Now is the time to be outraged and make noise. The government just sentenced Eric to 20 years for a crime that was never committed. This is the longest sentence we have heard of in an American environmental case. Eric’s case and sentence have illustrated the lengths the government goes to, and how much they can get away with, in their pursuit of those who voice their dissent – who maintain their integrity and stay true to their principles and all that makes them human. Please help spread the word about Eric, his case, and it’s implications for everyone who cares about effecting real change…
The world today seems absolutely crackers; with nuclear bombs to blow us all sky high. There’s fools and idiots sitting on the trigger: it’s depressing, and it’s senseless, and that’s why… the following news item provides us all with a reason to smile!
Queensland coal baron Nathan Tinkler, 32, has unseated Sydney property developer Shaun Bonett for the No. 1 spot on the list of richest Australians under the age of 40.
Mr Tinkler’s $441 million fortune, earned in two years of investing in mines, has catapulted him to the top of 100 young names, according to BRW magazine. He has poured substantial sums of his earnings into horse racing.
Mr Bonett, 37, ranked number six on the BRW Young Rich list this year, increased his real estate fortune to $340 million from $300 million last year.
Three of the five richest young people are hedge fund managers, just as global investment markets peaked over the year. London-based Hilton Nathanson, 38, debuts at No. 2 on $385 million, followed by brothers Angus, 38, and Richard Grinham, 40, worth a combined $368 million…
The party for the young and wealthy continued… with the total value of the list members’ holdings climbing 25% this year, to $6.3 billion from $4.8 billion in large part because of investment gains made at the top.
The increase means the average BRW Young Rich member was worth $72.7 million, up from $60 million…
Entertainer Kylie Minogue is among the best-known women on the list, at number 23 worth $84 million. Actress Cate Blanchett ranked #41, with $48 million.
Overall, the number of women fell to 14 from 18 last year…
“These are feral, low-life people that want society to be in a state of near anarchy for their own private profit,” remarked SA Deputy Premier Kevin Foley.
“Let’s not mince words here. People who say they are ‘developers’ but rely on state violence and environmental destruction to accumulate their wealth are clearly a bunch of people who are dangerous to society.
“These are just capitalists that enjoy disrupting civil society. They do not have one fig of credibility.”
Neo-Nazi invasion terrifies villagers, Bristol Evening Post, September 25, 2008: A pub near Bristol International Airport is at the centre of a police investigation after 800 people attended an apparently neo-Nazi rally… The weekend event was booked as a ‘scooter rally’ and was fully licensed by North Somerset Council. But what took place was a raucous event to mark the 15th anniversary of the death of Ian Stuart Donaldson, the former frontman of British neo-Nazi skinhead band Skrewdriver… Stephen Makin, a council spokesman, said: “Anne Carter at the pub was the applicant. She applied on September 2 for the event to take place on September 20 from 4pm to midnight. It was issued as we received no objections. We are now investigating after we received five complaints from residents.” The booking was made by record company ISD, which asked to use the field for a scooter and music festival… Pub manager Ian Saunders said: “I had no idea what it was going to turn into when the man rang to book it. We’ve provided a function room for him a couple of times in the past and everything has been fine until now. If I knew that this would happen I would never have allowed it and anything the police want to do we’ll support them in any way we can.” Brewer Wadworth, which owns the pub, said: “The brewery is not aware of any similar problems that have occurred at this site and will be taking action, where appropriate, to ensure that it does not happen again.”
Village invaded by 800 Nazi thugs, The Sun, John Coles, September 25, 2008: “A VILLAGE expecting a scooter festival found itself invaded by more than 800 Nazi yobs instead. Racist skinheads from across Britain, Germany and Eastern Europe arrived draped in swastika flags. Wearing leather jackets and army boots, they stomped through the streets chanting: “Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil.”
Ian couldn’t drive a car
As we all know
He trusted too much in all his gods
And though he was a human being
We don’t feel any sorrow for him
Now we got rid of one of those cunts
He’s been one of our most important enemies
So we forget our respect for life
Cause all he did was senseless shit
[…]
Now we’re here and having our fun
Having our fun and thinking about him
He’s been the one who misused the word Skinhead
He himself was never one – he was a fucking Bonehead
Following the 2008 Ian Stuart Donaldson memorial gig in Beaconsfield (Victoria, Australia) on September 13 comes news of bonehead celebrations in England: The Bungalow Inn, Redhill, to be precise, on September 20. And once again, management — in this case, Anne Carter — has pleaded ignorance regarding the nature of the event. Apparently, nobody saw any swastikas, and everybody thought ‘Seig Heil!’ was German for ‘More Beer!’. Curiously, The Bungalow Inn has been described as a ‘traditional English pub’; presumably, Hitler-worship is a traditional English pastime. Bands scheduled to perform at the miniature Nuremberg rally were Avalon, Blackout, Bulldog Breed, Brutal Attack, Last Chance, Legion of St George, Unit 28, Whitelaw and Woden. And who knows? Maybe even Kill Baby Kill…
Allegations of the chanting of racist slogans at a “scooter rally” in North Somerset are to be investigated by Avon and Somerset Police.
A video of the event at the Bungalow Inn, Redhill, on Saturday night shows some people wearing Nazi regalia.
Chants including “seig heil, seig heil” can also be heard later on the tape.
Both the licensee and manager deny seeing any Nazi regalia or hearing racist chanting. Both deny supporting Nazi politics.
‘Good faith’
The police spokesman said that they take any reported hate crime very seriously and would be working with the local authority licensing department about the approval of the event.
The pub said the booking was made in good faith for what they believed to be a scooter rally for 500 people.
It is estimated that more than 800 turned up on Saturday night.
It is believed many people at the event had travelled from Europe. Some had Nazi flags draped over their shoulders and were seen in the video laughing and joking.
A family that lived nearby were so frightened they left their home.
Sarah Gooding said: “My daughter was petrified. We ran into the house and I burst into tears.
“I told my husband ‘I don’t feel safe we’ve got to go’. Our daughters were really really frightened.
Licensee Anne Carter said: “It was something we were totally unaware of and not happy to think it was happening on any part of our premises.
“Anything the police want to do we’ll support them in anyway we can.”
Poor old racist Rod; Rod’s been flogging homophobic stickers and assorted other bigoted paraphernalia for years… only now he’s been fined.
Wanker.
one
Gun lobbyist ordered to pay lesbians
The Age / AAP
September 24, 2008
Queensland gun lobbyist Ron Owen has been ordered to pay three lesbians a total of $12,500 after a landmark decision handed down by the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal.
Mr Owen, from the southeast Queensland town of Gympie, also was ordered to publish a statement in local newspaper The Gympie Times within 45 days, stating the tribunal had found he contravened the Anti-Discrimination Act, News Ltd says.
The tribunal found he had displayed a bumper sticker on a vehicle, published a report to the Cooloola Shire Council where he was a former councillor, made a comment in a television interview and published a letter on a website – all of which incited hatred, serious contempt for or severe ridicule of homosexuals.
Mr Owen also had to acknowledge his conduct was unlawful.
The tribunal ordered he should pay Richelle Menzies and Tina Coutts $5,000 each and Suzanne Turner $2,500. A complaint against a fourth woman, Rhonda Bruce, was dismissed.
Mr Owen, who defended the charges, said he would appeal the finding.
“I will keep appealing until the cows come home,” he told the newspaper.
two
Only gay right is to die, says Ron Owen’s sticker
Michael McKenna The Australian
September 24, 2008
GUN lobbyist Ron Owen has been told he is entitled to express his homophobic views, but that he went too far with the bumper sticker: “Gay Rights? Under God’s law the only rights gays have is the right to die.”
Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Tribunal found Mr Owen guilty of inciting hatred against homosexuals with the bumper sticker when he parked his car outside the Cooloola Shire Council officers in Gympie, north of Brisbane.
The publisher of the ultra-right-wing pro-militia magazine Lock Stock & Barrel and former local councillor was also chastised on Monday for comments he made in the ensuing public outcry that engulfed the rural community, The Australian reports.
The former president of the National Firearm Owners of Australia was taken to the tribunal by several local lesbians, who claimed they had been offended despite only one having seen the bumper sticker.
Two of the women were awarded $5000, with a third awarded $2500 in damages.
Tribunal member Darryl Rangiah handed down a 77-page decision, which also ordered Mr Owen to publish a written apology for inciting hatred and causing offence to the homosexual community of Gympie.
Mr Rangiah acknowledged Mr Owen’s right to free speech, but said he had gone too far with the bumper sticker and in ensuing comments made during a television interview, in a report to a subsequent council meeting and in a letter on his website.
“Ron Owen is entitled to be a homophobe and he is entitled to publicly express his homophobic views,” he said. “That much is required in a society that values freedom of thought and expression. However there are limits.”
The tribunal ruled that Mr Owen – while not the registered owner of the car – had use of it and that the sticker went “beyond a mere joke”.
“The ordinary member of the public would, in my opinion, understand that he or she was being urged to hate and to have serious contempt for homosexuals,” Mr Rangiah said.
three
Ex-councillor says paper misquoted gay comments
ABC
September 24, 2008
Former Cooloola Coast councillor Ron Owen, from Gympie in the state’s south-east, has branded the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission the “thought police” for finding he breached anti-discrimination laws over comments made about homosexuals.
Mr Owen has been ordered to make a public apology and pay more than $12,000 compensation to a group of lesbians who complained about a slogan on a bumper sticker.
He says he will appeal against the finding.
Reading from a prepared statement, Mr Owen denied he displayed the bumper sticker and says a local newspaper misquoted him.
“A single Tribunal member of the new thought police can now find me guilty on what they think I think and not on what I say,” he said.
Owen’s Lock, Stock and Barrel is renowned for its promotion of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and advocating the formation of right-wing “guerilla” groups.
At least two issues of the paper have been banned by the Queensland censorship board. One issue explained how to convert a rifle into a machine-gun, and another how to make “two-part” explosives — explosives designed to kill and maim their victims, then explode a second time to kill emergency workers who come to their aid.
Owen is a Gympie gun-shop owner and federal president of the Firearms Owners’ Association. He also leads an outfit called the Home Security Association. It was Owen who claimed that anti-gun sentiment following the Port Arthur massacre was so strong because there are “too many homosexuals in the media, and homosexuals don’t like guns”.
Lock, Stock and Barrel sells car stickers that proclaim “Gay rights — the only rights gays have is the right to die”.
Lock, Stock and Barrel, in its May-June 1995 issue, described the white race as “superior by far” and claimed that 90% of blacks are “retarded to border-line retarded”. Whites should “have stacks of kids and then some more” and make sure their marriages succeed because “sons growing up with their mothers are four times as likely to turn into raging poofters”.
The Sydney Morning Herald on September 5 reported that Owen claimed a majority of the Firearms Owners’ Association had joined One Nation and would campaign “vigorously” for Hanson candidates. “If you think of One Nation as a being, David Oldfield is the head and we are the body”, Owen said.
See also : Walksafe Queensland Anti-Violence Inc provides Queensland communities with information about how to report any level of violence, harassment, threats and verbal abuse towards someone’s sexuality, ethnicity or gender identity within a public setting.
Bonus!
Brighton and Hove Rainbow Chorus : Homophobia (Chumbawamba)
There is no horror, no cruelty, sacrilege, or perjury, no imposture, no infamous transaction, no cynical robbery, no bold plunder or shabby betrayal that has not been or is not daily being perpetrated by the representatives of the states, under no other pretext than those elastic words, so convenient and yet so terrible: “for reasons of state”. ~ Mikhail Bakunin, Federalism, Socialism, Anti-Theologism, 1867
On ‘Hot Docs’, SBS, Tuesday evening…
Strange Culture : Traces the surreal nightmare of the internationally-acclaimed artist and professor, Steve Kurtz. Early on the morning of May 11, 2004, Kurtz woke to discover that Hope, his wife of 27 years, had died in her sleep. When police and paramedics arrived, they discovered petri dishes and sophisticated scientific equipment. Although Kurtz explained that the paraphernalia was part of an exhibition on genetically modified food, the police were not convinced and called the joint terrorism taskforce and the FBI, and Kurtz was detained as a suspected “bioterrorist”. In fact Kurtz and Hope had campaigned against genetically-modified food via their art and the bacteria found in the Kurtz home had been purchased online for arts sake. Was Kurtz’s freedom of expression being silenced in a bureaucracy gone mad in a post-9/11 world? Was this a corporate-backed attack on Kurtz? Or was the FBI completely ignorant about the art world? Acclaimed actor Tilda Swinton stars in re-enacted scenes. (From the US, in English) (Documentary) M CC WS
After four years of political persecution by the US Government, in June 2008 Steve finally had all charges against him dropped. The Critical Art Ensemble Defense Fund published this press release upon the Government finally ceasing their campaign of harassment and vilification :
ARTIST CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES IN PRECEDENT-SETTING CASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2008
ARTIST CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES IN PRECEDENT-SETTING CASE
Department of Justice Fails to Appeal Dismissal Kurtz Speaks about Four-Year Ordeal
Buffalo, NY–Dr. Steven Kurtz, a Professor of Visual Studies at SUNY at Buffalo and cofounder of the award-winning art and theater group Critical Art Ensemble, has been cleared of all charges of mail and wire fraud. On April 21, Federal Judge Richard J. Arcara dismissed the government’s entire indictment against Dr. Kurtz as “insufficient on its face.” This means that even if the actions alleged in the indictment (which the judge must accept as “fact”) were true, they would not constitute a crime. The US Department of Justice had thirty days from the date of the ruling to appeal. No action has been taken in this time period, thus stopping any appeal of the dismissal. According to Margaret McFarland, a spokeswoman for US Attorney Terrance P. Flynn, the DoJ will not appeal Arcara’s ruling and will not seek any new charges against Kurtz.
For over a decade, cultural institutions worldwide have hosted Kurtz and Critical Art Ensemble’s educational art projects, which use common science materials to examine issues surrounding the new biotechnologies. In 2004 the Department of Justice alleged that Dr. Kurtz had schemed with colleague Dr. Robert Ferrell of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to illegally acquire two harmless bacteria cultures for use in one of those projects. The Justice Department further alleged that the transfer of the material from Ferrell to Kurtz broke a material transfer agreement, thus constituting mail fraud.
Under the USA PATRIOT Act, the maximum sentence for these charges was increased from five years to twenty years in prison.
Dr. Kurtz has been fighting the charges ever since. In October 2007, Dr. Ferrell pleaded to a lesser misdemeanor charge after recurring bouts of cancer and three strokes suffered since his indictment prevented him from continuing the struggle…
Note that, not content with arresting Steve for a bogus crime within hours of the tragic death of his wife Hope, in a further act of bastardry, the enormously brave and resourceful men and women of the FBI also took it upon themselves to lock Steve’s cat Bean in the attic — without food, water or companionship. Bean the cat was recovered — and has since moved away. “We took him to Canada, where he’d be safe,” says Kurtz, smiling (When Big Brother Eats Pizza at Your House, Amanda Ripley, Time, July 14, 2008). Note also that over the last four years The Age has provided intensive coverage of Steve’s case: a review of Strange Culture by Phillipa Hawker (July 23, 2008) and a review by Robert Nelson of an exhibition (January 19, 2005).
Currently, eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee are facing charges under the Minnesota state version of the Patriot Act. To be precise: “conspiracy to commit riot in the furtherance of terrorism.” According to one source: ‘The complaint in the case of the RNCWC 8 (shades of the Chicago 8, from another political convention brouhaha) contains lurid allegations about kidnapping Republican delegates, throwing Molotov cocktails, attacking law enforcement officers and burning tires on the freeway. The allegations are based on statements made by police plants in the group — CRIs, “confidential reliable informants”.’ (First they came for the anarchists, Mordecai Specktor, September 16, 2008). Mordecai’s article is noteworthy for the fact that his son, Max (19), is one of those facing charges. It’s also noteworthy for the fact that — once again — the old li(n)e about dirty filthy protesters throwing urine at police has been trotted out:
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher proudly displayed 5-gallon pails of “urine” at a press conference following the raids. The anarchists ostensibly were fashioning IUDs (improvised urine devices) to use against cops and Republicans, according to the police authorities. The search warrants for the Aug. 30 SWAT team raids specified “urine and feces.”
However, [Bruce Nestor, attorney for Max’s codefendant Monica Bicking and president of the Minnesota branch of the National Lawyers Guild] said that the “urine” seized was mostly “kitchen gray water” and had nothing to do with any of the defendants. Nestor also noted that “common household items” — glass bottles, rags and charcoal starter fluid, found in different locations in various houses — have repeatedly been referred to in news reports as bomb-making materials…
With regards the Minnesota version of the
Uniting and Strengthening America by
Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism
Act of 2001, Mordecai writes:
The prosecution of Max and the others, as Hedges noted, is the “first time criminal charges have been filed under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal Patriot Act. The Patriot Act, which was put in place as much to silence domestic opposition as to ferret out real terrorists, has largely lain dormant. It has authorized the government to monitor our phone conversations, e-mails, meetings and political opinions. It has authorized the government to shut down anti-war groups and lock up innocents as terrorists. It has abolished habeas corpus. But until now we have not grasped its full implications for our open society. We catch glimpses, as in St. Paul or in our offshore penal colonies where we torture detainees, of its awful destructive power.”
See also : RNC protesters recount police tactics, Jana Hollingsworth, Duluth News Tribune, September 23, 2008: “…Joel Kilgour said national news media only vaguely touched on the experiences of protesters, and used the word “riot,” when civil disobedience was more accurate. He marched in the Poor People’s march, and said the heavy police presence was unnerving. “They had a $50 million budget and it seems they were trying to justify that budget and arresting hundreds of people that didn’t need to be arrested,” he said, noting that many police officers were friendly and helpful. But some appeared as if they would shoot pepper spray if asked even the most benign question, he said. Children were part of the permitted march, which passed riot police poised with tear gas, he said…”
A few months ago, in May, Eric McDavid (30) was sentenced to twenty years jail on the basis of the testimony of his two co-accused — Zachary Jenson and Lauren Weiner — and, crucially, the testimony of a paid FBI infiltrator named “Anna”, whose spirited contribution to combating subversion was recently celebrated in Elle magazine. Funnily enough, Tom ‘Baby, I’m An Anarchist’ Gabel of Against Me! has written a song dedicated to “Anna” titled — appropriately enough — “Anna Is a Stool Pigeon”.
For further information on the Green Scare, see Will Potter’s terrific blog:
Note that this list is in no way inclusive — there are, unfortunately, many more…
Bombs & Shields and Break the Chains are also useful sources of information on resistance and repression (er, respectively).
In other news (to me), on August 19, 2008, Lacey Phillabaum was sentenced to three years in a federal prison and ordered to pay $6.1 million in restitution for her role in the arson in 2001 of property belonging to the University of Washington. For the same crime, on July 18, 2008, Jennifer Kolar was sentenced to five years in federal prison, five years of probation and ordered to pay $7.1 million in restitution. In February 2008, Kolar and Phillabaum were key witnesses in the trial of Briana Waters. On June 20, 2008, Waters was sentenced to six years in federal prison and ordered to pay $6 million in restitution. “Waters was the first of 18 suspects indicted on charges of involvement in the Earth Liberation Front, a militant Northwest underground group that between 1996 and 2001 claimed it carried out more than a dozen acts of arson and sabotage against targets deemed a threat to the environment or animals. Damage was estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. Targets included a slaughterhouse, timber-company headquarters and a ski lodge at Vail, Colo.”
Bonus!
“Sometime during a busy day of policing the Camp For Climate Action, near Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent, an officer dropped a so-called ‘Pocket Legislation Guide on Policing Protest’ [PDF]. The document, issued by the National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit (NETCU), gives an overview of legislation the police can use to stifle all forms of legitimate protest. The document, which is supposedly not for public consumption, was subsequently posted on Indymedia UK by a camper attending the Climate Camp…”
Damn. Apparently there’s some kinda “financial crisis” going on. Meaning: the rich and powerful have had to resort to the always generous — in this case, US — corporate welfare state for a bailout. Y’know, just like poor folks do. Anyway, Paul Bowman done gone and invested some of his intellectual capital in explaining the ‘internal mechanics’ determining the seemingly crazy antics of finance capital, and I reckon his analysis is alright.
This is the first part of a series of articles investigating the capitalist financial markets from a critical perspective. With such a large topic it is tricky finding a route into the subject and a plan of enquiry. The chosen road is to start with a look at the financial markets, particularly focusing on the mechanics of some of the instruments that have led to a momentous transformation of the workings of global financial markets in the most recent decades.
At first sight, this approach may seem odd, perverse even, like examining the internal workings of a clock as a prelude to discussing the social relations of time. However this “inside-out” approach is justified by the fact that as well as a system of social relations, capitalism is also a system with internal mechanics. Those mechanics evolve in response to the historical development of struggles over exploitation, but what new directions the new mechanics make possible in terms of capitalist strategies, in turn, shape the new struggles of today and tomorrow. The next article in the series will place these market mechanics in their fuller historical context. But for now let’s start by investigating the mechanics of capitalist financial markets…
More blah on the ‘financial crisis’ is provided by the goddamned commies at the World Socialist Web Site:
US jobless rate soars as foreclosures break new record, Bill Van Auken, September 6, 2008 : “In a stark indication that the crises gripping the US housing market and the financial sector are spreading throughout the economy, unemployment figures for August rose far more sharply than expected, hitting a five-year high…” US government’s over mortgage giants to stave off financial meltdown, Bill Van Auken, September 8, 2008: “In the biggest government intervention in the American economy since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the US Treasury Department announced Sunday that it is effectively nationalizing the two mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…” Record corporate bailout reveals the bankruptcy of American capitalism, Barry Grey, September 10, 2008 : “The US government takeover of the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has dealt a shattering blow to the ideology of market capitalism, which has been used for decades to justify a relentless assault on the working class and a vast transfer of wealth to the American ruling elite…” US bailout of mortgage giants sets stage for wider financial crisis, Barry Grey, September 12, 2008 : “Since the Bush administration announced on Sunday the US government takeover of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in the largest corporate bailout in American history, developments have underscored the profound and systemic nature of the crisis that precipitated the action…” The Wall Street crisis and the failure of American capitalism, Barry Grey, September 16, 2008 : “The end of Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, two of the largest Wall Street investment banks, one week after the government takeover of the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, marks a new stage in the convulsive crisis of American capitalism…” US Federal Reserve announces $85 billion bailout of insurance giant AIG, Bill Van Auken, September 17, 2008 : “Following emergency consultations between the Federal Reserve, the US Treasury and the Democratic leaders of both houses of Congress, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday night announced a bailout of the Wall Street insurance giant American International Group (AIG)…” Panic sell-off on Wall Street, Barry Grey, September 18, 2008 : “Collapsing confidence in the US and global financial system precipitated a panic sell-off of shares on Wall Street Wednesday, as all of the major indices registered drops in excess of 4 percent…” The American “financial tsunami” hits Asia, John Chan, September 18, 2008 : “The American financial crisis has sent shockwaves throughout Asia over the past few days as governments, banks and corporations scramble to cope with plunging share prices, international financial turmoil and the prospects of a serious downturn in the US and other major economies…” Europe gripped by fear of global crash, Stefan Steinberg, September 18, 2008 : “Europe’s ruling elite has reacted with shock and disbelief to what they fear will be the most serious crisis for world capitalism since the Wall Street Crash of 1929…” Global financial storm hits Australian economy, Mike Head, September 19, 2008 : “The deepening financial turmoil in the United States and worldwide is sending tremors through the Australian banking system and share market, and shattering what remains of the claims that the local capitalist economy would be protected by booming exports to China and other Asian markets…” Banks race to profit from US bailout, Barry Grey, September 23, 2008 : “The announcement of a virtually open-ended government bailout of Wall Street has set off a frenzied competition among the biggest banks and financial firms to grab the lion’s share of the super profits to be reaped from the program…”
The cavalry arrives:
US government to bail out Wall Street, Barry Grey, September 20, 2008 : “The Bush administration on Friday announced plans for a massive and unprecedented federal bailout of the US banking system. In separate appearances Friday morning, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and President Bush announced a series of measures to shore up collapsing financial markets and called on Congress to pass legislation next week to use, in Paulson’s words, “hundreds of billions” of taxpayer dollars to buy virtually worthless mortgage-backed assets that cannot be sold on the market from banks and other financial institutions…”
Markets have inherent and well-known inefficiencies. One factor is failure to calculate the costs to those who do not participate in transactions. These “externalities” can be huge. That is particularly true for financial institutions.
Their task is to take risks, calculating potential costs for themselves. But they do not take into account the consequences of their losses for the economy as a whole.
State capitalist institutions [are] designed in large measure to socialise cost and risk and privatize profit, without a public voice.
Hence the financial market “underprices risk” and is “systematically inefficient,” as John Eatwell and Lance Taylor wrote a decade ago, warning of the extreme dangers of financial liberalization and reviewing the substantial costs already incurred – and also proposing solutions, which have been ignored.
The threat became more severe when the Clinton administration repealed the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, thus freeing financial institutions “to innovate in the new economy,” in Clinton’s words – and also “to self-destruct, taking down with them the general economy and international confidence in the US banking system,” financial analyst Nomi Prins adds.
The unprecedented intervention of the Fed may be justified or not in narrow terms, but it reveals, once again, the profoundly undemocratic character of state capitalist institutions, designed in large measure to socialise cost and risk and privatize profit, without a public voice.
That is, of course, not limited to financial markets. The advanced economy as a whole relies heavily on the dynamic state sector, with much the same consequences with regard to risk, cost, profit, and decisions, crucial features of the economy and political system.
~ Noam Chomsky, Viewpoints: Where now for capitalism?, BBC, September 19, 2008
On the demise of the Glass-Steagall Act:
After 12 attempts in 25 years, Congress finally repeals Glass-Steagall, rewarding financial companies for more than 20 years and $300 million worth of lobbying efforts. Supporters hail the change as the long-overdue demise of a Depression-era relic.
On Oct. 21 [1999], with the House-Senate conference committee deadlocked after marathon negotiations, the main sticking point is partisan bickering over the bill’s effect on the Community Reinvestment Act, which sets rules for lending to poor communities. Sandy Weill calls President Clinton in the evening to try to break the deadlock after Senator Phil Gramm, chairman of the Banking Committee, warned Citigroup lobbyist Roger Levy that Weill has to get White House moving on the bill or he would shut down the House-Senate conference. Serious negotiations resume, and a deal is announced at 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 22. Whether Weill made any difference in precipitating a deal is unclear.
On Oct. 22, Weill and John Reed issue a statement congratulating Congress and President Clinton, including 19 administration officials and lawmakers by name. The House and Senate approve a final version of the bill on Nov. 4, and Clinton signs it into law later that month.
Just days after the administration (including the Treasury Department) agrees to support the repeal, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, the former co-chairman of a major Wall Street investment bank, Goldman Sachs, raises eyebrows by accepting a top job at Citigroup as Weill’s chief lieutenant. The previous year, Weill had called Secretary Rubin to give him advance notice of the upcoming merger announcement. When Weill told Rubin he had some important news, the secretary reportedly quipped, “You’re buying the government?”
Man Shoots Neo-Nazi in Self-Defense
UCSJ
September 22, 2008
A man who appeared to be from the Caucasus shot an alleged neo-Nazi while waiting for a metro train in St. Petersburg, according to a September 22, 2008 report by the Newsru.com web site. On September 21, paramedics brought a 22-year-old man to the hospital suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach. He claimed that the shooter opened fire without provocation [seeJock Palfreeman], but police sources say that metro video cameras clearly show five young people dressed like “members of informal groups” (a common euphemism for neo-Nazis) approach the shooter and start to menace him. Not taking any chances in a city where neo-Nazis have murdered several minorities in recent years, the man fired into his assailants and then fled the scene. A report the same day from the local Fontaka.ru news web site reported that the young people may have already assaulted another man at the station when they approached the shooter.
Obviously, this man is a liar, a hypocrite and no better than the trash that he shot.
Collectively run by volunteers, Black Rose is a not-for-profit anarchist space offering a huge range of books, zines, videos, DVDs and CDs to borrow or buy. We are located at 22 Enmore Rd, Newtown [Sydney] along with Little Fish Gallery and Newq.
Opening Hours
o 11-7 Thursday
o 11-7 Friday
o 11-5 Saturday
o 11-5 Sunday
Accessibility: There are three steps at the entrance. The toilet is not easily accessible.
Regenerating Rebellion
Regenerating Rebellion is a one day gathering built on the hope that comrades can gather together and develop a critical understanding of capitalism and perhaps sketch a few paths to a better kind of society. It is being held on the 4th October at the University of Wollongong, starting at 10pm, in building 19 room 1030. Our political orientation is ‘from below and to the left’. This blog exists to help facilitate the discussion. The collective can be contacted at regeneratingrebellion[at]mail[dot]org.
Student Housing Action Cooperative (SHAC)
The Student Housing Action Cooperative (SHAC) are a group of students who have formed together to take action on student housing affordability. As well as raising awareness and petitioning universities and government we have recently taken possession of four double story terrace buildings that have been vacant for three years. The property – situated at 272-8 Faraday Street, Carlton – is owned by the University Of Melbourne and we are currently in negotiations with them to have it turned into a student run housing co-operative.
Two Greek anarchists are making molotov cocktails. One says to the other: "So who will we throw these at then?" The other replies: "What are you, some kind of fucking intellectual?"
