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Politics of the State
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A roundup of recent FBI visits, subpoenas, and other government assaults on the animal liberation movement in August:
From Voice of the Voiceless
New AETA 4 DNA warrant
This week, Joseph Buddenberg of the AETA 4 was the target of a warrant for his DNA. A quote from the agent who authored the affidavit:
"I believe probable cause exists that Buddenberg was involved in the February 24, 2008 altercation at the L.H./J.R. residence in Santa Cruz.... The samples from the bullhorn found in Khajavi's vehicle will yield evidence that Buddenberg was involved in force, violence, and threats involving animal enterprises, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 43 & 371"
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| From NEFAC - by Deric Shannon
Given the public reaction, there are some rather serious problems with the “Ground Zero Mosque” myth that need to be stated (as often as possible)—some obvious and some not-so-obvious and perhaps even some lessons to be learned from it.
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and following the “War on Terror”, “islamophobia” has become an increasingly familiar term in the United States—and with good reason. Crimes committed against Muslims because of their faith rose steadily from 2001 through 2005 according to studies, and they don’t seem to have dropped significantly since [1]. Muslims in the US have reported attacks, racist slurs, police detentions and searches that were unprovoked, employment and housing discrimination, and so on. Since George W. Bush declared his “crusade” against terrorism (a particularly prescient turn of phrase) the xenophobia common in nations at war has amped up here in the United States. |
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| From Christian Science Monitor - by Ross Kenyon
John Boehner accused tea party anarchists of promoting violence. But the truth is that anarchists promote peaceful choices, individual freedom, and opposition to institutionalized aggression.
“I’ve been to my share of tea party events,” House minority leader John Boehner (R) of Ohio told a Monitor luncheon for reporters this summer. “Let me tell you about these events. Yep, there are some disaffected Republicans there. There are always some Democrats there. Always a couple of anarchists who want to kill all of us in public office.”
Huh? Anarchists want to kill all politicians?
A peaceful philosophy
Rep. Boehner’s crude attempt at a joke odiously mischaracterized anarchist philosophy and painted an inaccurate portrait of its core values. Anarchism is an ideology based on individual freedom and opposition to institutionalized aggression, not some insane love of public mayhem.
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| From Rocktown Rebel
"Violent attacks on the high seas without lawful authority have always been piracy under the law of nations" -Benjamin Hatch, lead prosecutor in the Norfolk, VA piracy trial (quoted in the WSJ, August 14th, emp. added)
"I think the military and the government have some things that should be kept secret. [...] There is no 'right to know' secret information." -Jim Hanson, a right-wing blogger, counter-protesting a "Free Bradley Manning" demonstration in Quantico, VA (quoted in CNN.com, August 9th, emp. added) |
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| From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - by Paula Reed Ward
A jury today found David Japenga guilty of breaking the windows of three businesses in Oakland during the G-20 summit last year.
Mr. Japenga, 21, was charged with three counts of criminal mischief and one count each of possessing instruments of crime and making false identification to law enforcement.
The case hinged on the testimony of a state trooper who witnessed the incident. He testified about the suspect, including a detailed description of the his gait, sloped shoulders and shoes, but not his face, which was covered. |
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| In this update:
1. August 23: Pre-trial Hearing for Scott in Davenport, IA
2. August 19-August 26: One More Week of the Conspiracy Tour
3: September 13: Trial Call Starts for Scott
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1. August 23: Pre-trial Hearing for Scott in Davenport, IA
Scott's final pre-trial hearing is happening next Monday! It's currently scheduled to be in court in Davenport, although there's a possibility that it could just be a phone conference. If you're in the Quad Cities area and want to join us in court, come on out! Here's what you need to know:
* When: Monday, 8/23, 11am
* Where: Federal Courthouse, 131 E. Fourth St. |
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| From Guardian - by Adam Gabbatt
Last US combat troops leave Iraq
Operations officially end two weeks ahead of Barack Obama's deadline, leaving 56,000 service personnel in the country.
The last American combat troops left Iraq today, seven-and-a-half years after the US-led invasion, and two weeks ahead of President Barack Obama's 31 August deadline for withdrawal from the country.
The final troops to leave, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, rolled in convoy across the border and into Kuwait this morning, officially ending combat operations, which began in March 2003.
Former president George Bush launched the invasion, saying: "This will not be a campaign of half measures and we will accept no outcome but victory." |
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| Translate of Liberacion Total
Translator's Note: The translation may have errors in spelling or wording.
Represive strike in Chile: 17 house raided and 14 companions kidnnaped by the power
Agents of the BIPE (Police of Investigation) and the ERTA (equivalent to the SWAT) on the other side agents of the GOPE (Especial forces of the Normal Police), LABOCAR (CSI) and the deparment of inteligence of the police and a series of helicopters and police cars whas the armory who used the police for the 17 raids, in Santiago and Valparaiso, during the dawn on the Saturday 14 of August. Between the 17 houses 3 are Squats and Socials Center being the squats La Crota Bike Punk and the Squat Social Center and Library Sacco and Vanzetti in Santiago downtown and the Autonomous Social Center Jhonny Cariqueo in the Pudahuel municipality. Two houses were raided in Valparaiso.
The excuse for this police operation falls in the “Bomb Case”, and 23 of the attacks with explosive registred in Santiago, according with the police version would have direct links with those arrested.
The first raid was in the squat La Crota Bike Punk by the GOPE where the result was 6 companions arrested. Of the six detainees were kidnapped three, a female comrade with arrest warrant and for the other two the police inveted traces of TNT in his hands. |
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| From Mercury News
A county judge on Monday found Wes Modes, a past organizer of the unsanctioned Do It Yourself Parade, guilty of participating in an unpermitted event, an infraction that marks a significant victory for city officials fed up with the anarchist activist.
In lieu of a $250 fine, Judge Jeff Almquist sentenced Modes, who works in the library system at UC Santa Cruz, to 30 hours of community service to be completed within 60 days. Volunteering at the SubRosa Cafe, an anarchist coffee shop and reading room that Modes co-founded, does not count as community service, the judge clarified later Monday. |
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| From Boston Indymedia - by Sublett
Whatever our disagreements about priorities, strategy, organization and more, the one thing all anarchists can agree on is that hierarchies suck. Any organizational structure that privileges a handful of unaccountable leaders to make unilateral decisions for an entire group will be unhesitatingly condemned by virtually anybody who calls herself an antiauthoritarian. Yet fewer of us realize that in addition to being inherently oppressive, hierarchies don't work very well. In spite of the enormous amount of evidence of the inefficiency of bureaucracies, many anarchists seem to believe that corporate and governmental organizations are nearly invulnerable.
The discussion of summit demos provides us with numerous examples of this tendency. At every mobilization, some anarchists claim that we shouldn't bother to even show up because we can never replicate the tactical success of Seattle. Others allow that it might be all right to protest, but that we should restrict ourselves to the tactics of the liberals, forgoing property destruction and the black bloc lest we "turn people off" and "be demonized in the media." In other words, the stay-at-homers believe that the cops are unbeatable and the demonizationophobes believe the corporate media is unbeatable. Neither is the case. Police departments and media outlets are subject to the same fundamental organizational problems as other large bureaucracies, and all the money and equipment in the world can't change that. The events of recent summit demos have made this abundantly clear. |
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