The Street Cleaners.

        Trumps victory in America certainly opened the sewer gates and allowed the filth to flow freely onto the streets of America. However, no matter the stench from the neo-nazis, fascists, white supremacists, KKK, and other demented minds, there are those who will take to the streets to clear the filth and allow freedom to breathe. Let's hope this band of street cleaners grows rapidly in every city across the globe, and sweeps the far right sewage back into the cesspool from which they slither.
This from Roar Magazine:

         Since the election of Donald Trump, acts of racist violence have proliferated across the United States. Racists and misogynists feel emboldened to express and act on their views. White nationalist groups and resurgent traditional white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan have used Trumps victory to gain new recruits. All that stands in their way are the groups of anarchists, communists, and socialists who have taken it upon themselves to prevent fascism from becoming a powerful political force in the United States. This film tells the story of what “Antifa" is and why people are using these tactics to confront racism and fascism in the US today.

        Who are the anti-fascists? What motivates them to risk their lives to fight the far right? What is the history of militant anti-fascism and why is it relevant again today? How is anti-fascism connected to a larger political vision that can stop the rise of fascism and offer us visions of a future worth fighting for? Through interviews with anti-fascist organizers, historians, and political theorists in the US and Germany, we explore the broader meaning of this political moment while taking the viewer to the scene of street battles from Washington to Berkeley and Charlottesville.

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk  

Solidarity Is A Weapon.

          A call for solidarity from that "Land of the Free" the good ol' US of A. A country that locks up more of its citizens than any other country on the planet. In this case protesters at the inauguration of the dysfunctional, homophobic, twitter syndrome Trump are facing 75 years in prison, after a mass arrest at that protest. Solidarity knows no borders and is one of our powerful weapons, let's use it now and often.

This from Crimethinc:

       We are calling for a Week of Solidarity with the J20 defendants from July 20 to 27, 2017. July 20 marks six months from the initial actions and arrests during Donald Trump’s inauguration, and on July 27, a motion to dismiss the charges will be argued in court. The case has finally begun to receive the media attention it warrants; with this court date approaching and the cases underway, this is a crucial time for a second Week of Solidarity. Send reportbacks, photographs, and inquiries to J20solidarity@protonmail.com.
       On January 20, 2017, thousands of people came to Washington, DC to protest the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. In the early morning, blockades shut down security checkpoints and discouraged people from attending the inauguration itself, while impromptu marches and direct actions occurred throughout the day. There was a spirit of defiance in the air.
       Iconic images circulated almost immediately, from the punching of white supremacist Richard Spencer to pictures of a limousine on fire. These were only the most spectacular images, however, of a day that was characterized by generalized disruption.
       Midmorning, an “anticapitalist and antifascist” march of several hundred people made clear its opposition not just to Trump but also the system that made Trump possible. Led by banners reading “MAKE RACISTS AFRAID AGAIN” and “TOTAL LIBERATION FROM DOMINATION,” the disruptive march took the streets of DC to the sound of fireworks and anticapitalist chants. After about half an hour, the march was brutally attacked by police, who used chemical and crowd control weapons along with physical force, then boxed in (“kettled”) and mass-arrested people. Everyone on an entire city block was arrested and given the same charge of felony rioting. Approximately 214 arrestees now face a total of eight felony charges, including conspiracy and destruction of property. All of the J20 defendants are now facing up to 75 years in prison.
       A great deal has happened in the six months since the inauguration. Confrontational protests have taken place across the continent, challenging the political landscape shaped by Trump’s election. Participants have stood up to emboldened white supremacists, disrupted airports in the face of anti-Muslim bans, blockaded proposed pipeline routes, set up sanctuary spaces and rapid response networks against ICE deportations, and much more. In turn, states are passing legislation aimed at further criminalizing protest and limiting resistance.

Read the full article for contact details and further info HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk 

Ignore Their Poisonous Patriotism.

        I think everybody agrees that the world we live in has changed dramatically over the last ten years or so. What seemed stable now looks unstable, systems that were said, would bring peace and prosperity to everybody, are now showing their inherent flaws, and divisions are widening. The populace are aware of the glaring inequality that has rapidly widened, with the rich and powerful becoming richer and more powerful, while they the ordinary people slide further down the slippery slope to poverty and deprivation. The power mongers are worried that this awareness will lead to them losing control, and they are snarling at each other with greater viciousness and ferocity, smouldering wars are warming up, barriers are rising between the rich and powerful factions. Nationalism is their chosen weapon to rally the population to support them against the "evil and dangerous" other, to help them gain control and protect their own little empire. The system of globalisation is breaking down, and like a wounded beast, that is when it is at its most dangerous. The lines of old empires are being redrawn, the battle lines are being laid down, and the blood of our children will be expected to defend them, as of empires before. We must never again allow our children's blood to be the cement of their greed driven system of exploitation for wealth and power.

       We must see this world without borders, one world, one people, as the economic system that has dominated our lives starts to unravel, it must be seen as an opportunity to refocus, rethink the direction we want the new world to take. We must refuse to fall for their divisive strategies, ignore their nationalism and poisonous patriotism. Unity between all people is the only rational answer to our problems, we have nothing to gain by hating our neighbours. As the system of economic greed and and insanity crumbles, let's do what we can to hasten its final destruction by co-operation, unity and solidarity between all the ordinary people of this tiny planet.

      Wherever you look the “patriot” card is being played more often. Whether it is in the brash version of Trump’s “America First”, or the authoritarian menace of Erdogan and Putin, the game is essentially the same. The aim is to divert attention from the real crisis onto the “other”, the foreigner. The politics of prejudice have always been part of the capitalist game but now the situation is more desperate. Finding a scapegoat is a lot easier than solving the real economic problem.

Read the full article HERE:

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The Anarcho Tourist Review.

 

         The March issue of The Anarcho Tourist Review Is available as a PDF free download HERE:

        Well worth a wee read, here is the introduction and contents:

Introductory notes
         Clearly we are living in critical times. Even from abroad, it’s clear to see that the election of Trump, coming as it does in the epicenter of Imperial power, signifies that we are at a major historical turning point. One might even say that the post-modern era is ending. All the beliefs and practices that we once presumed normal are dissolving and giving way to a social outlook that may previously have been dismissed as irrelevant.
        For one, Trump’s victory totally stunned an impotent post-modern Left, but it did not really surprise any of us. To be honest, those who predicted otherwise were shocked, first and foremost, only with how out of touch they were with social reality. This is the first time in recent memory that a Western superpower has elected a head of state that represents such a clear departure from the politics of ‘business as usual’, even though this new direction is doubtlessly towards something quite foreboding. What is now undeniable is that, rather than going with a more conventional option, people are evidently calling for something much crazier.

         On top of this, the rise of Trump is only one of the many symptoms of an era that seems to be defined, more than ever, by the slow-motion collapse of civilization in general. The wars are becoming ever more widespread and violent, environmental disasters multiply whilst the fish are disappearing from the oceans, and, in combination with protests that are growing ever more violent, there is ever less hope of society and its Left gaining a few more years of peace with its hypocrisy and pacifism. As things descend into chaos, leftists present themselves as skilled strategists by telling people to peacefully vote in (generally rigged) elections for thirdplace parties…
         We can only hope that now the mask is off the illusions of easy solutions will also disappear. There are no more charismatic candidates to delicately conceal the dystopia that we were already living in anyway. The state and society have taken further steps toward totalitarianism shedding their few remaining inhibitions along the way. In such times the only honorable response to the state and its class of rulers can be resistance. Those invested in the existence of the state can plead patience if they want but the ultima ratio of princes and peoples is sorting from its long slumber: popular uprising is the only solution to today’s problems, the only way to end this depraved and crumbling oligarchy.
        Meanwhile, with attention switching to the core capitalist states Greece seems to have drifted back to the periphery of interest. For some Leftists, the situation is an embarrassment best not mentioned. By this point few are paying attention to the latest re-run of negotiations, the government’s stage managed heroic resistance is just as boring as the next inevitable honest compromise is spineless. Those who do glance at Greece after two years of Syriza see a population demoralized, disorientated and demobilized. The great humanitarians have become the prison guards of Europe while large layers of society get ever poorer. They have done nothing but pave the way for the restoration of the old regime which waits excitedly in the wings.
       However, we do not have to look far for a response to this bleak picture. We see it in the honest defiance of the political prisoners, the barricades of Exarcheia, continued resistance to austerity, and the everyday humanity and solidarity which contrasts with the government’s hypocrisy. These call us to rethink, regather our strength and continue along the difficult path of struggle that lies ahead. In these difficult times, let’s focus on pluralism, respectful disagreements, and positive acts. With that being said let’s go on . . .

 Contents:

A Tale of Two Cities: Paris and Athens

A Semi-Concrete Organizing Proposal

Anti-Capitalist Tactical Spectrum

A Parliamentary Dead End

An Anarchist Affection for Democracy

The Return of  Nation-State

The Conspiracy theory

Some theses on Neo-Fascism

Orchomenos

Anarcho Tourist Reviews

Continue reading HERE: 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk
 

A Fatal Malaise Of A Civilisation.

 

 

        My previous post was in response to the coming UK general election, but this farce, this charade, this competition of liars, is not confined to the UK, it is a world wide illusion, a disease of humanity, a disaster of gigantic proportions, that is rapidly destroying our planet. We recently had "an election" that put a narcissistic unstable moron on the throne of the most powerful imperialist power on Earth. While waiting for the stage production from the UK theatre of lies, we are having the French presidential election spewed over us. None of these events have any possibility of solving the problems we face as a civilisation, all are concerned with the control of power in their personal fiefdoms. All they do is gratify a few messiahs and aggravate the problem that we as a civilisation are now facing.

      The following is from an interview first translated by Ill Wind Editions:

By the way, the book, "The Coming Insurrection" if you haven't yet read it, is well worth getting your hands on.

         Editor’s note:   The trial of Julien Coupat and Mathieu Burnel, known as the “Tarnac affair”, has dragged-on for over eight years now. On the 10^th of January, the Court of Appeals deemed that it was no longer to be classified as a terrorism case. Assumed by many to belong to the Invisible Committee—whose first opus, The Coming Insurrection (2007), was a resounding success—they here take a critical look at the presidential campaign. Their newest book, Maintenant [Now], is due to hit the shelves next week.
***
         Le Monde: What do you make of the presidential campaign?
What campaign? There was no campaign. There was a soap opera, a fairly worn-out one at that, to tell the truth, full of twists and turns, scandals, dramatic tension and suspense. Much brouhaha, a tiny frenzy, but nothing that managed to pierce the wall of generalized confusion. Not that there is any lack of followers for each candidate, tossing-about with varying degrees of fanaticism in their virtual bubbles. But this fanaticism only deepens the feeling of political unreality.
        A graffiti that went up in Place de la Nation during the Mayday demonstration last year stated: "There will be no presidential election”. It suffices to project ourselves ahead to the day after the final round of the election to grasp what’s prophetic in this tag: whatever happens, the new president will be as much a puppet as the current one, the legitimacy of their governance will be just as lacking, just as minoritarian and impotent. This fact isn’t solely due to the extreme withering of politics—to the fact that it has become impossible to believe honestly in all that is done and said there—but is likewise due to the fact that politics is a derisory means of confronting the depth of the current disaster.
        What can politics and its proclamatory universe do when confronted by the concomitant collapse of ecosystems and subjectivities, of the wage society and the global geopolitical order, the meaning of life and the meaning of words? Nothing. It only adds to the disaster. There is no "solution” to the disaster we’re going through. To think in terms of problems and solutions is only one more aspect of this disaster, a way of safeguarding us from any serious questioning. What’s called into question by the current state of the world is not merely a political system or a certain form of social organization but a whole civilization, that is to say, ourselves, our ways of living, of being, of relating and thinking.
        The buffoons who mount their platforms to boast of the “solutions” they’ll be strong enough to enact once elected are only pandering to our need for illusion, our need to believe that some kind of decisive change exists that would spare us, and spare us above all from the need to fight. All the “revolutions” that they promise us are only there so that we may avoid changing who we are, to relieve us of any physical or existential risk. They’re candidates for the deepening of the catastrophe. Seen in this light, it would seem that for some people the need for illusion is virtually insatiable.------

Continue reading HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Why I'm Not Anti-Trump.

 

       Experiencing the anti-Trump hysteria I'm filled with mixed emotions ranging from sadness, disappointment and anger. This seemingly world wide anti-Trump cacophony is certainly being fed by our lie machine, the babbling brook of bullshit that is our mainstream media. Every outlet has some point of ridicule, outrage or amazement, at the latest revelations coming from that dangerous, moronic, irrational fundamental Christian, Trump, and the world jumps on the bandwagon. It somehow creates the illusion that if we could only get rid of this idiot, it would be a tremendous victory for democracy. Of course their solution is to replace the rabid fundamental Christian with a elitist variation such as the war warmongering duplicitous billionaire Clinton, who, steeped in a life of duplicitous deals, backed Obama's murderous foreign policy to the hilt. There is world outrage as Trump imposes travel bans on Muslims, but where was that outrage while Obama was killing Muslims, aided and abetted by the hypocritical Clinton. This anti-Trump campaign directs our anger from the real problem, the system that allows a bunch of billionaires to control our lives. Get rid of Trump, impeach him, legally challenge him, and have him removed tomorrow, and the American military imperialist power will still be out their killing and maiming civilians, destroying cities and plundering the wealth of the world to fatten that bunch of billionaires that pull the strings to their own personal advantage. Replace Trump by who you wish, and they will make sure they do nothing to hinder the system of American imperialism from continuing to exploit and plunder the planet. So I'm sad that so many people are working so hard to get rid of Trump believing that solves the problem. I'm disappointed that so many people can't see beyond the cult of leadership, I'm angry that so many people think that the pre-Trump option was a desirable era. So much energy being spent that could be directed against the root cause of our problems, the system, and it is being wasted on trying to change the label. Changing the label on a bottle of poison, doesn't change the contents.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

The Coming Winter!!

Winter

Dark malefic clouds crowd the sky

winds carry the stench of carrion to every nostril,

the crazy ape has followed the faculty of hawks.

All around stand crows, magpies, jackdaws, vultures,

edacious eyes anticipating their putrid feast.

A weary Cassandra laments;

doves, hearts weeping for a better yesterday

forsake their olive branches.

    There have been protests in America and elsewhere against the Trump presidency, with the usual calls that the protesters are just sore losers. However, this election was different, this is the gloves off, bare knuckles, raw capitalism at the fascist end of the spectrum. It is a flag waving triumphalism that will embolden the far right across the globe. They are already raising their ugly heads above the gutter in Europe and elsewhere. You can be sure that when fascism snakes its way into our lives it will not be wearing jackboots, it will be lead by men in suits. Now more than ever, is the time for those who want freedom and justice for all, to come together and make their presence felt, from the workplace to the community, and on the streets. If not us, then who? If not now, then when? Just remember, all of the meagre rights we have were not won in the corridors of power, they were won on the streets, the factories and the communities, those in the corridors of power had to be dragged kicking and screaming to accept these rights.

 This from The Agency:

      On January 20, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. There to protest the know-nothing real estate mogul’s ascent to office will be many of the people he’s insulted and denigrated over the past year and a half: women, people of color, Muslims, immigrants – representatives of the majority of the population of the U.S.

Many of us protesters are anarchists.

Why anarchists?
       Because this election really was different. It fed off and helped spread a new strain of racism, misogyny, and ultra-nationalism that’s receiving answering salutes from countries all over the world, from France to Hungary to the Philippines. We’re not here to protest just another in a long line of American warlords. We’re here to call a halt to New American Fascism and the hatred at its heart.
       In the 18 months since Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the White House, we’ve seen Muslims and Hispanics terrorized. We’ve seen the legitimate anger of Black Lives Matter countered by a vicious backlash. We’ve seen a concerted and expanding effort to roll back the social acceptance that transgender people have just begun to make. We’ve seen a wealthy white man flaunt his privilege in ways that demean women – with only the mildest and rare peeps of protest from the Washington political establishment.
       Trump didn’t create this ugliness, but he’s become its focal point, its megaphone, and its chief recruiting tool. He’s made racists and xenophobes feel powerful. He’s made sexists and homophobes feel justified. He’s given the corporate agenda to disempower and impoverish working people a smoke screen of phony populism to hide behind.
       We’ve seen it too many times before in too many places to ignore it this time: a right-wing demagogue manoeuvres into power. Sensing the opportunity of a lifetime, a greedy and ruthless economic and political elite falls into line behind the new leader. Minorities and the economically vulnerable are the first to suffer. Eventually, everybody does.
        This election could be just the beginning. France, Germany, and Hungary are just a few of the countries with national elections coming up in 2017 where the racist right is expected to make big gains. Now is the time to send an unmistakable message that fascism is not the answer. But we won’t do that in a voting booth. We’ll do it in our homes, our communities, and in the streets. We’ll do it by promoting the vision of a society without the State, without bought-and-paid-for politicians, without capitalism. The opposite of what we’ve got now.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Obama, No Prince Of Peace, No Pope Of Hope.

       It is fascinating, but sad, how our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media shapes perceptions, how by selective reporting and exaggeration, and selective ignoring, they can create an alternative vision to the reality we live under. Now as Trump moves into the White House and Obama moves through the exit, there is a wave of sadness at losing a liberal rational president of peace. However, President Obama was no white dove, no prince of peace, his legacy is one of escalating state assassinations across the globe. Mr Obama was a president who was at war longer than any other American president in history. He authorised approximately ten times more drone strikes than George W. Bush.

       The independent, nonprofit Bureau of Investigative Journalism puts the total number of people killed at roughly the same number, 2,753, but its estimate of how many of them were civilians six times higher than the Obama administration’s estimate. Even more chilling from a constitutional perspective is that the Obama administration has — with little to no complaint from the American people or the other two branches of government — deliberately targeted and killed US citizens in drone strikes, without those individuals ever having been given their constitutional right to due process of law.

        Obama played the populist card when he withdrew vast number of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, but fanned out the area in which he used the more surreptitious air-strikes. He took is silent assassinating drone strikes and expanded them outside the “war zone”, of Iraq and Afghanistan, to countries America had no war with, such as Pakistan and Yemen. Recent figures show that Obama had dramatically upped the number of bombings for the year 2016 to more than a staggering 26,000. Of course we are told by that babbling brook of bullshit, that these were all in the name of peace, and for the well-being of the people of those countries. It is estimated that the “coalition” who are involved in the Middle East have during 2016, drop almost 31,000 bombs, all in the name of peace and the well-being of the people, of course, of which the Obama contingent were responsible for 79%. The number of bombs is likely to be an under estimate as a strike can be multiple bombs. Apart from the horror, bloodshed, death and destruction from such numbers, look at each bomb as costing approximately, around £500,000, add that up, and think how else could that money have been spent bring peace, and helping the well-being of the people. 

       It is reported that “Incoming US President Donald Trump has said he will wage war on Isis, vowing to "bomb the s*** out of 'em". My heart goes out to those poor unfortunate people who happen to inhabit that area where ISIS is active. You can imagine what such a remark would do for the arms industry, yes, you are right, their shares have rocketed. In this society war is a very lucrative business, it is touted as creating jobs, but more important, creating even more wealth for the obscenely wealthy. So Obama will be applauded by the establishment for doing a great job.

 Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Who Writes The Future?

       Well it is almost time, The curtain is about to go up on the greatest horror show on earth, Trump is about to crowned King and be lead by the hand to take his place on the throne of the largest military empire on the planet. All the loyal courtiers are sitting in-waiting, ready to play out his every command. We the passive audience are sitting expecting our emotions to be pummelled by the most frightening horror show on earth. Sadly this is not a theatre show, this nightmare is for real, but thankfully, we don't have to be that passive audience. We don't have to follow their script, we the people can write our own script, we don't have to play their vile game to their rules, we can create our own game and write our own rules. The future has not yet been written, we the people should its authors, not a megalomaniac, sabre rattling, warmongering, xenophobic, power hungry, cabal of billionaires. Trump is not an anomaly, he is the natural progression in the march of corporate power, the wealth that shapes the state, and the state is their vehicle to exercise that power. The future is open, how will we shape it? By passive acceptance, or pro-active determination to walk our own road, and forge that better world for all our people. Now, decisions must be made.  

This from Anarchist News:

Our work has begun: the future is coming.

        We’ve had almost two months for it to sink in: Donald Trump is the president-elect of the most powerful military power on Earth. As anarchists, we know the cliche that whomever we vote for, the government always wins. But still, for most of us, this election has felt different. Wren Awry has collected this short anthology of anarchist responses to the election that we hope will help us consider what to do in the near future. Some of it is strategic musing, some of it is emotional. Some of it has been published by us or elsewhere already, some of it appears herein for the first time. Feel free to print out a copy of the included PDF.
Zine includes:

“the good comrade check-in call, 11.11.16” by odessa aït jerrar
“They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds” by Wren Awry
“Actions Speak Louder Than Votes” by Margaret Killjoy
“Only a Bold and Popular Left Radicalism Can Stop Trumpism and the Rise of Fascism” by Laurence Davis
“Trump’s First Hundred Days and the Fascist Agenda” by Alexander Reid Ross
“The Days After the Election and the Days Before the Revolution” by Anarchist Resistance NYC
“Everything I Need to Know About Trump I Learned From Playing Skyrim” by Gutter Punk Josh

and art by Someone Else and Theo Thirdaye

http://www.tangledwilderness.org

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Interesting Times Ahead.

         I have never said much about Trump, what can you say, except that he is the manifestation of the inherent insanity within in the system. We can be sure that his rule on the throne of the American Empire will not be a quiet one.

     This summing up of his coming reign, from 325, by American, William T. Hathaway, gives us some idea of the "interesting" times ahead, and how we got here.

      “May you live in interesting times” was a curse the ancient Chinese hurled at their adversaries, wishing them strife, oppression, and struggle. It applies to us now because for all the uncertainties a Trump presidency holds, it will certainly be an interesting time, filled with opportunities for resistance and perhaps revolution.
Big T’s pedal-to-the-metal exploitation of humanity and the planet will accelerate the vicious policies of his two predecessors, poisoning the environment, forcing our financial will around the world, killing thousands of people in imperialist wars, manipulating other nations, modernizing our nuclear weapons, and jailing dissenters at home. Fortress America will continue to expand globally as prison, sweatshop, and fire base.
       After all our years trying to change this country, how could we end up with this?
     To answer this question and avoid falling into catatonic despondency or self-destructive rage, we need an historical perspective. What we are experiencing now is the long war the ruling elite is fighting to maintain its grip on the world. The current phase began with the collapse of Keynesian capitalism, which flourished from the 1950s into the ’70s, when the primary consumer market was in the capitalist headquarter countries of North America and Western Europe. Corporations were able to stimulate domestic consumption and quell worker discontent there by acceding to labor’s demands for better wages and conditions. That led to a 30-year bubble of improvement for unionized workers, predominantly male and white, that began to collapse in the ’80s as capitalism gradually became globalized.
        Then to maintain dominance Western corporations had to reduce labor costs in order to compete against emerging competition in low-wage countries such as China, India, and Brazil. Also international consumer markets became more important than the home market, but reaching them required low prices. So capitalist leaders reversed hard-won reforms, forcing paychecks and working conditions in the West down. And they tried to keep control of crucial Mideast oil resources by tightening their neo-imperialist hold on that region: overthrowing governments, installing dictators, undermining economies.
     This aggression generated armed resistance: jihadist attacks against the West. Our response has been the current holy war against terror. All of this horrible suffering is just one campaign in capitalism’s long war for hegemony. Any dominator system — including capitalism, patriarchy, and religious fundamentalism — generates violence.

Continue reading HERE:

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No One Is Coming To Help Us!!

 

         I have not said much about the Trump affair, as it is difficult to grasp what has happened and why. One thing we can be sure of, there is a emboldened and growing far right, not just in America, but here in the UK and across Europe. We can debate the reasons why and come to different conclusions, but what we can't do is ignore this rise. To me it seems obvious that the people would be come disenchanted with the system, as it was never intended to see to their needs in the first place. The problem seems to be that in looking for answers, people have not picked up our ideas, we have to ask ourselves, why not? Resolving that question would be a good place to start. 

       We will have to find answers in our communities  and to a degree do what the far right is doing, tap into that anger and disenchantment. The following extracts are from an interesting article by First of May Anarchist Alliance

       The surprise victory of Donald Trump this past Tuesday has quickly presented people in this country (and around the world) with a vastly different political landscape than we had expected. We are seeing a rise in right-wing attacks as the far right is emboldened by the victory, much like what happened earlier this year after the success of the Brexit referendum in the UK. The incompetence and capitulation of the Democratic Party has forced many of its former supporters to recognize that the fight against the far right cannot be won by liberal electoral politics. This new reality forces anti-authoritarians of all stripes to rise to the challenge of building strong movements for working class self-defense in this new atmosphere.

Why the turn form neo-liberalism to xenophobic nationalism?

      Another narrative states that in the rust belt as in Europe, the devastating effects of decades of austerity, neoliberal trade agreements, and an orientation towards multinational corporations have been challenged. That challenge in the U.S. and elsewhere has come in the form of xenophobic nationalism. There is a significant amount of truth to this as well, but it can’t explain much of Trump’s success without acknowledging the serious appeal that open white nationalism and misogyny has gained in this election.Perhaps the most revealing aspect of this moment is that after spending months describing Trump as a grave threat to the lives of women, people of color, queer and trans people and the disabled, the entire Democratic Party has immediately capitulated to him. They have made clear that they always held preserving their broken system to be far more important than our lives. Many among their base are for the first time seeing the party’s true colors, and are reaching out to radical organizations in the interest of carrying on the fight that the Democrats so quickly abandoned. Already we are seeing attacks on muslims, immigrants, people of every color besides white, queer and trans people. This is not abstract, it is already happening. We should expect more of this and must make organizing to oppose it a top priority.

So, what do we do?

 We are encouraged that so many have taken to the streets across the country. We hope more will do the same. Trump’s attacks in the form of policy and his supporters physical attacks and intimidation, must be opposed from day one.

Our organizations must be effective. The sense of despair many are feeling is grounded in the reality of an ascendant far right. Right now, they face little resistance. The sense of urgency many of us have felt is a recognition of the need to build that resistance. It is time for us to take up that task, to find new comrades ready to fight, and to fight. No one is coming to save us–we cannot use the electoral system to fight the far right effectively. It’s time to stop waiting and defend each other in the streets!

What Needs to Be Done: 1. No to National “healing”, working with, or a grace period for the Trump Regime 2. Take to the streets – build a militant resistance 3. Build working-class defense organizations that resist racist attacks, sexual assault, immigration and homeland security raids and deportations, police brutality and state repression 4. Agitate and organize for workers actions – including a general strike against Trump 5. No to containment of the struggle back into the Democratic Party, electoralism and the Non-Profit Industrial Complex

A PDF of the full article can be read HERE:

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Ground Hog Day.

     So Trump wins, so one figure head of a corrupt corporate regime is replaced by another. He will of course carry out the dictate of the all powerful corporate military industrial complex that is the power in America, just as previous presidents before him have done. He may get some sweeties and toys thrown to him, just to keep him happy at the end of his leash. Remember all the yeeha and wooping, the cry "change has come" at the election of Obama, but the wars continued, the bombings went on, and the drone assassinations actually increased, Guantanamo Bay is still there, and the American people still got poorer. America continued to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign states across the planet, shaping and moulding them to suit its economic plans. What do you expect to change, America has been, and still is, a powerful imperialist bully and will continue to behave like one. Iraq, Libya and Syria were public beatings of three sovereign nations that were not playing ball to the rules of the American economic policy. Others will suffer the same fate if they walk the same path. You can put a field mouse or a wolf in The White House, and America will continue to be the imperialist tyrant that it always has been.

      Our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media always play elections up as something momentous, the possibility that the people are going to create some great change, your vote counts is the cry, and after all the hullabaloo, things go on in the usual capitalist/imperialist manner.  The people get screwed, the rich get richer, wars continue to suit the rationale of the biggest bully in town. One thing we can all be sure of, Mr. Trump will come out of this much richer than he went in, that will be the only real change to our Ground Hog Day. 

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Break The Silence.

        In this world there is no peace, there never has been. The violence of empires have ravaged millions of people, as power mongers savaged neighbours and far flung countries. In the modern world it continues, we either have “big” wars, that kill millions, or what I call “pygmy” wars, that kill hundreds of thousands. Bombs, drones and missiles rain down on Africa and the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan, are peppered with drone kills. While in Europe and America the talk is of having peace since 1945. In the usual sabre rattling and tough talking about the threat from Russia and China, the West parades its military might along the borders of Russia and surrounds the coasts of China with America’s naval arsenal. It would appear that our lords and masters, armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons of mass destruction, are spoiling for a fight. 

      This from:

     A World War has begun. Break the silence, by John Pilger:

       How many people are aware that a world war has begun? At present, it is a war of propaganda, of lies and distraction, but this can change instantaneously with the first mistaken order, the first missile.
       In 2009, President Obama stood before an adoring crowd in the centre of Prague, in the heart of Europe. He pledged himself to make "the world free from nuclear weapons". People cheered and some cried. A torrent of platitudes flowed from the media. Obama was subsequently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
       It was all fake. He was lying.
      The Obama administration has built more nuclear weapons, more nuclear warheads, more nuclear delivery systems, more nuclear factories. Nuclear warhead spending alone rose higher under Obama than under any American president. The cost over thirty years is more than $1 trillion.
        A mini nuclear bomb is planned. It is known as the B61 Model 12. There has never been anything like it. General James Cartwright, a former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said, "Going smaller [makes using this nuclear] weapon more thinkable." 

        The perception that somehow the Democrats in America are more liberal than the Republicans doesn't seem to stand up to scrutiny. 

          This is the country where toddlers shoot their mothers and the police wage a murderous war against black Americans. This is the country that has attacked and sought to overthrow more than 50 governments, many of them democracies, and bombed from Asia to the Middle East, causing the deaths and dispossession of millions of people.
        No country can equal this systemic record of violence. Most of America's wars (almost all of them against defenceless countries) have been launched not by Republican presidents but by liberal Democrats: Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama.

        When will we ever learn, when will we finally rid ourselves of this army of power hungry, greed drive parasites, that control all aspects of our lives. When will we bury in the dustbin of history, this group that sees all humanity as expendable in their pursuit for power, control and wealth.

         Today, the long sleep may be over. The young are stirring again. Gradually. The thousands in Britain who supported Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader are part of this awakening - as are those who rallied to support Senator Bernie Sanders.
        In Britain last week, Jeremy Corbyn's closest ally, his shadow treasurer John McDonnell, committed a Labour government to pay off the debts of piratical banks and, in effect, to continue so-called austerity.
          In the US, Bernie Sanders has promised to support Clinton if or when she's nominated. He, too, has voted for America's use of violence against countries when he thinks it's "right". He says Obama has done "a great job".
          In Australia, there is a kind of mortuary politics, in which tedious parliamentary games are played out in the media while refugees and Indigenous people are persecuted and inequality grows, along with the danger of war. The government of Malcolm Turnbull has just announced a so-called defence budget of $195 billion that is a drive to war. There was no debate. Silence.
          What has happened to the great tradition of popular direct action, unfettered to parties? Where is the courage, imagination and commitment required to begin the long journey to a better, just and peaceful world? Where are the dissidents in art, film, the theatre, literature?
           Where are those who will shatter the silence? Or do we wait until the first nuclear missile is fired?

Read the full article HERE:

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THE MAN WHO WOULD BE PRESIDENT!!

      

       There is a lot of talk of billionaire Donald Trump running for the Republican nomination for president. One thing about America, it can turn up some real weirdos for the presidency. We should be concerned, to give somebody the biggest arsenal in the world we should at least consider their suitability. It's our lives they're messing up. However, you don't have to say anything about Trump to criticise him, he does that very well every time he opens his mouth. Here are just a few of his remarks on the world situation.

On Libya: “I would go in and take the oil --- I would take the oil and stop all this baby stuff.”

On Iraq: “We stay there, and we take the oil --- In the old days, when you have a war and you win, that nation is yours.”

What America must do: “Stop what's going on in the world. The world is just destroying our country. These other countries are sapping our strength.”

On the rising price of oil and OPEC: “I'm going to look them in the eye and say 'Look fellows you've had your fun. Your fun is over' ”

What he thinks about the ordinary people: Well apparently he will not shake hands with ordinary Americans when out canvassing, saying, “You catch all sorts of things.”

Having claimed that he was responsible for making Obama produce his birth certificate, I think it is only fair that he should come clean on his hair. Is it really his? Or is it an unnatural immigrant and has no right to be there?

      Is this the best that the American political class can come up with, is this the pinnacle of their elite?

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