TAX MONEY, SOCIAL SOCIETY OR WAR??

       In the US 65% of all the governments available spending is on the military. At present America is fighting in seven countries across the world, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and its latest war machine adventure, Uganda. If we add the “war-on-terror” that is eight brutal ventures through which the military industrial complex is reaping tax payers money and feeding it to their shareholders bank accounts to the tune of more than a trillion dollars over the last ten years. In the UK, a much smaller country, this year alone we have spent £9 billion on two wars, Afghanistan and Libya plus maintaining that illegal missile system Trident.

      Apart from the death, destruction and misery these wars cause to ordinary people, every penny spent is tax payers money and it goes straight to the corporate world's shareholders. What kind of transformation would have taken place in America if that trillion dollars had been spent back into the service of the people who had donated it in the first place through their tax? What changes could we have made in the last year here in the UK, if that £9 billion of our money had been re-invested in our civil society, after all, it is our money, why should we want it to be used to kill and maim and in the process enrich the arms industry.

 

      How can we proclaim to be civilised when we spend such large proportions of our resources on death and destruction in other peoples home lands. It is not as if the world has not got problems of poverty and deprivation to be sorted out. The poverty and deprivation across the world is expected to rely on charity, while wars get the full backing of governments and all the resources they can muster. Ah, that's capitalism for you.

ann arky's home.

OCCUPY.

RUDOLF ROCKER, image from wikipedia.

http://poumista.wordpress.com/2011/10/

Historically the oppressed and the disaffected have rallied to the standard of socialism because of its oppositional position within capitalism – an oppositional position which provides the appearance of a radicalism it did not possess. During periods of revolutionary potential, however, people see opportunities to go beyond attempts to ameliorate capitalism, and to instead abolish it altogether. It is important to realise, however, that this is not usually an apocalyptic conversion into revolutionary activity, but is an emerging process involving continual, but unsuccessful attempts to reconstruct a movement of socialist opposition, find new forms of organisation and activity as well as new forms of protest and expression.

ann arky's home.

PEOPLE AWAKENING - A RADICAL SITUATION.

http://www.bopsecrets.org/recent/awakening.htm

"A radical situation is a collective awakening. . . . In such situations people become much more open to new perspectives, readier to question previous assumptions, quicker to see through the usual cons. . . . People learn more about society in a week than in years of academic 'social studies' or leftist 'consciousness raising.' . . . Everything seems possible -- and much more IS possible. People can hardly believe what they used to put up with in 'the old days.' . . . Passive consumption is replaced by active communication. Strangers strike up lively discussions on street corners. Debates continue round the clock, new arrivals constantly replacing those who depart for other activities or to try to catch a few hours of sleep, though they are usually too excited to sleep very long. While some people succumb to demagogues, others start making their own proposals and taking their own initiatives. Bystanders get drawn into the vortex, and go through astonishingly rapid changes. . . . Radical situations are the rare moments when qualitative change really becomes possible. Far from being abnormal, they reveal how abnormally repressed we usually are; they make our 'normal' life seem like sleepwalking."

--Ken Knabb, THE JOY OF REVOLUTION

http://www.bopsecrets.org/PS/joyrev3.htm#situation

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WE ARE AWARE.

What the ruling oligarchy must now be aware of is that we are aware. We are aware of their lies, we are aware of their corruption, we are aware of their unbridled greed, we are aware of their brutal exploitation of people and planet, we are aware of their money making wars, we are aware of the world wide poverty in the midst of plenty. We are aware that the police are not there to detect crime, but to protect their wealth and their power. We are also aware of the changes we want to make, we are aware of the fact that the present system cannot be sustained, nor do we want it to be sustained. We are aware of the society we want and will create, a society based on the needs of the all the people. We are aware of the fact that this can only be brought about by the destruction of the old profit driven system of greed. We are aware that this will be a hard and sometimes bitter struggle, but we are aware that we are the 99%, so, we are aware that we will prevail and our grandchildren will inherit a world that we are proud to hand them, We are aware that the awareness is global and the world is changing and we are aware that we are that change.

ann arky's home.

GREAT OAK TREES FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW!!

         Glasgow's Occupy protest at George Square on October 15, probably wasn't the biggest in the world, but never the less it was passionate. Speaking to different individuals and groups, the same thing came through, the system wasn't working, it was a rip-off, it was corrupt. They all wanted a change, though most weren't quite sure what that change should be, just that it should be a fairer system that saw to the people's needs and not those of the corporate or financial world. Most had no faith in any of the political parties and didn't trust them to bring about the desired change. In spite of Glasgow's cold and damp ground there were those who seemed quite determined to camp out in October, on the Square's inhospitable grass.

Though Glasgow's protest was small it should be remember that this is the first time in the history of the human race that there has been a protest in practically every city on the planet at the same time, on the same matter, all with the same desire, to change a corrupt system. Obviously the people are waking up to the fact that this world-wide corporate system does not work in their favour and has to be changed. By communicating and staying clear of political parties, they will arrive at how they want to change it and with growing numbers, co-operation and solidarity between the various groups and individuals involved, nothing on the planet can stop them.

Great oak trees from little acorns grow!!

FIRES OF THE FUTURE.

I

am fire,

I surge, I hiss,

sometimes bursting forth in a flame

that lights up the world

illuminating unimagined dreams.

Then the black cloak

blankets out the glow.

Again all is dark,

but, still

beneath the surface

I surge, I hiss,

I endure, waiting, seeking,

building up pressure.

One day I will explode

destroying forever

the Tartarean crust of oppression.

I am fire,

I am the people.

ann arky's home.

THE NORMALITY OF MADNESS.

       This is taken from "thenormalityofmadness's blog" and is re-posted here in full, it was first posted 16 March 2011. We have all been there in varying degrees, some linger longer than others, some go further than others. It is a well trodden path.

Our Name:
We are the mad community and some of us are treated as second class citizens because of that. If we are ever to change that simple fact then we have to acknowledge our existence within ourselves.
We are the mad community, but we lack the courage to accept who we are.
We are the mad community; we have no dignity in that fact.
We are the mad community, we are ashamed.
Every human being experiences madness in their lives. Emotions are shared, misunderstood elements in all our minds. Does the severity of your experience of the highs or lows of life count as qualifying rank. Some state ‘We all have madness in our life’, but it appears those who have not been labelled ‘mad’ stand outside and judge those of us who have. Some who have been so labelled ‘mad’ exclude those who have not and parade their pain as a claim of ownership.
We are the mad community all of us equally, why can we not own that fact. If we did some of us would not be:
Buried in policy
Excluded by law
Denied justice
We are the mad community and we must demand equal civil and human rights. If abuse effected us all equally we would have no abuse.
Our Name:
Call it as it is, The Mad Community
Clear, concise, uncluttered, understood, plane speak; no doubt who our voices are raised on behalf of! Ourselves! The Mad Community!
All of us!
If we as a group agree that we are all normally mad then agenda’s disappear. We never again have a problem with our spokespersons except in the ability of those spokespersons to deliver our message.
We are the Mad Community. We are all of this community. We are wider society.

ann arky's home.

BECAUSE OF SOLIDARITY - IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

       

         The eviction of the Occupy Wall St. movement in New York didn't happen, thanks to solidarity. The Occupy Wall St. movement called on support and thousands turned up and the billionaire Bloomberg gang postponed the eviction plans, well done. United the people cannot be governed, solidarity is the key to success when faced with authority, always remember, we are governed by consent, we can always withdraw that consent. Below is a letter from CodePink.

This morning at dawn I gathered with thousands of friends and allies in an emergency action to defend the home and heart of Occupy Wall Street. Just as we have organized against illegal foreclosure of our neighbors, we stood shoulder to shoulder with unions, city workers, and countless community members to prevent Mayor Bloomberg's shameful attempt to evict us from the park under the guise of "sanitation"!
At 7 am, to raucous celebration, the people's microphone announced that the owners of the park had postponed the sanitation plan.

SOLIDARITY.

Thank you for helping make this beautiful victory possible!

While we celebrate how the movement is gaining momentum, we must not disregard the brutality of the Boston and Denver police who descended upon peaceful protesters in riot gear and evicted them in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, Boston and Denver did not have as many people protesting their evictions as we did.

Tomorrow people will be rising up in over 950 cities in 82 countries for a historic global day of action and we need you to join us in the streets to send a clear message that you are fed up with the greed and corruption of the 1%. Join our Anti-War March in New York or find an event in your city.

Onward for peace and justice,

Melanie, CODEPINK NYC Coordinator and OWS Organizer

P.S. Read Melanie's reflections from Occupy Wall Street.

    ann arky's home.

STOP THE WALL STREET EVICTION.

         An urgent appeal from Avaaz to show solidarity with the  Occupy Wall St. movement, in an attempt to stop the police from forcibly removing the protesters.

Urgent -- tomorrow at 7 am, the New York City police plan to evict the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

       The only way to stop the eviction is a roaring outcry to New York's billionaire mayor, Mike Bloomberg, and to the owners of the protest park. We must show them that their global reputations are on the line.

       Let's flood their offices with phone calls! Avaaz will tell the media about the numbers of calls made, multiplying their impact on the public image of Bloomberg and Richard B. Clark -- the CEO of the company that owns the park. If enough of us call now, we could turn the tide and stop the eviction--but only hours are left!

Call the Mayor and Brookfield Properties Here:

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg: +1-212-NEW-YORK (639-9675) Brookfield CEO Richard Clark: +1-212-417-7063

Brookfield US headquarters: +1-212-417-7000

Brookfield Canada headquarters: +1-416-369-2300

Brookfield Australia headquarters: +61-2-9322-2000

After calling, post a message about how the call went

-- to help Avaaz count the number of calls made, and demonstrate the wave of worldwide support for the protesters.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/emergency_callin_to_stop_eviction/?vl

Suggestions for your call:

Say that you have a message for Brookfield CEO Richard Clark or NYC Mayor Bloomberg (depending on who you are calling)

Stop the eviction of Zuccotti Park

We have a constitutional right to protest.

This is one of the biggest shows of public outrage in decades and these people represent hundreds of thousands across the world who stand with the protesters and the movement for real democracy.

The protesters are cleaning up the park, keeping it clean and safe

http://www.avaaz.org/en/emergency_callin_to_stop_eviction/?vl

We can help make sure the thousands of protesters rights to freedom of speech and assembly are respected by calling Billionare Bloomberg and Brookfield. Forward to everyone!

Emma, Morgan, Maria Paz, Alice, Ben, Rewan and the whole Avaaz team

SOURCES:

Occupy Wall Street protesters fear eviction from park
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/13/occupy-wall-street-protesters-fear-eviction-from-park/

Update: Occupy Wall Street Responds to Bloomberg’s Cleaning ‘Eviction Notice’
http://www.observer.com/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-responds-to-bloombergs-eviction-notice/

ann arky's home.

TIME'S UP!!!

        

          We all know that the banks control the governments, finance rules the world. We all should know that the IMF (International Mankind Fuckers) is a cartel that works to put every country into debt, then demands that the debt mountain be reduced by every country selling of all its publicly owned assets, thus putting more money into the hands of the private sector. Soon the corporate world will own everything and we will have a society without any public assets or public spaces, it will be total corporate fascism. We are nearly there it is on course to happen very soon, unless we do something to screw the system and take control of our own communities and our lives.

         The following is a short extract from a very interesting article, taken from the Freedom Socialist Party, which puts in in plain language, well worth the read.  Of course I'm not saying political parties are the answer, I see them as more the problem, but the article does help explain the methodology behind the corrupt financial system we live under.       

 ------

           Here’s the hitch. Workers, the main consumers, cannot afford to buy endless commodities. In this case, the rock of over-production runs into the hard place of not enough customers. And once again, recession or depression ensues.

The crises of over-production always underlie financial crashes, and the banks cannot fix this problem. But they do prop up their profits through government bailouts and by bleeding the working-class goose that crafts the real golden eggs. The bubbles get bigger, and there are still not enough worker-consumers who can afford to buy, buy, buy.

           Time’s up. The only way out of the quagmire is to dispose of a destructive economic system. Liberal commentators, top union officials and Democratic Party supporters argue for the party to vote for reforms such as more spending to create jobs, meaningful regulation of Wall Street, taxing the rich and corporate giants. Conservative libertarians advise turning back the clock a century or two and going back to “civilized” capitalism without monopolies.

But finance capital has all the power, and there is no way to regulate it within capitalism. For proof, none of the crooks in suits are in jail for their massive, fraudulent sale of questionable mortgage “investments.”

         A whistleblower recently revealed that the Securities and Exchange Commission has been shredding the results of its investigations of the U.S. financial industry for twenty years!

Working people need to militantly organize now in defense of expanded social services, union protections and free speech. In fighting for our rights, we can consolidate the power to overthrow this system and get one that works.

         READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

 ann arky's home.

HATE A BANKER WEEK.

         I found this poster on the internet, it seems the these protesters have found most of the questions regarding this society, but have they found the answer? Certainly bankers are the bad guys in this affair, but it goes a little deeper than that, it is with the system itself that the real problem lies, the bankers were just following the natural path of a corrupt and unjust system. So getting rid of bankers, in what ever way you please, will not put the world to rights. We have to think beyond our anger and focus on our desires, what kind of society do we really want. Do we want one that is based on competition, profit and self-centred greed, driven by wealthy shareholders, where gaps in wealth are unimaginable, and deprivation drags millions of people into despair and an early grave? Or are we going to go for a society based on the needs of all the people, a community oriented society founded on mutual aid, co-operation, justice and sustainability? What's the point of all the occupations in the world if you keep the system and simple ask your lords and masters to, please give us a little more?

          So do we run a hate a banker campaign, or do we occupy everything and change society into something we would be proud to hand to the next generation, a society where we know, all our grandchildren will be nurtured to reach their full potential as decent human beings.

ann arky's home.

POLICE CAN'T BE TRUSTED.

        There will lots of people and groups handing out advice to the Occupy Wall St. movement and no doubt some of it will be positive advice and some will be destructive. However this open letter from "anarchists" is probably the best advice they could get, I sincerely hope they read, digest and act on the sound advice contained in the article. Of course it is not just Wall St occupation that should read and act upon the letter, but all those occupations present and to come, and I have no doubt that there will be many more in the not so distant future, be it street, factory, school, public building or community, the advice holds good.

Short extract of the open letter from: CrimethInc. Ex-workers Collective.

   

Police can’t be trusted.

        They may be “ordinary workers,” but their job is to protect the interests of the ruling class. As long as they remain employed as police, we can’t count on them, however friendly they might act. Occupiers who don’t know this already will learn it first-hand as soon as they threaten the imbalances of wealth and power our society is based on. Anyone who insists that the police exist to protect and serve the common people has probably lived a privileged life, and an obedient one.

Don’t fetishize obedience to the law.

         Laws serve to protect the privileges of the wealthy and powerful; obeying them is not necessarily morally right—it may even be immoral. Slavery was legal. The Nazis had laws too. We have to develop the strength of conscience to do what we know is best, regardless of the laws.

To have a diversity of participants,

      a movement must make space for a diversity of tactics. It’s controlling and self-important to think you know how everyone should act in pursuit of a better world. Denouncing others only equips the authorities to delegitimize, divide, and destroy the movement as a whole. Criticism and debate propel a movement forward, but power grabs cripple it. Th e goal should not be to compel everyone to adopt one set of tactics, but to discover how different approaches can be mutually beneficial.

Don’t assume those who break the law or confront police are agents provocateurs.

       A lot of people have good reason to be angry. Not everyone is resigned to legalistic pacifism; some people still remember how to stand up for themselves. Police violence isn’t just meant to provoke us, it’s meant to hurt and scare us into inaction. In this context, self-defence is essential. Assuming that those at the front of clashes with the authorities are somehow in league with the authorities is not only illogical— it delegitimizes the spirit it takes to challenge the status quo, and dismisses the courage of those who are prepared to do so. This allegation is typical of privileged people who have been taught to trust the authorities and fear everyone who disobeys them.

READ THE FULL LETTER HERE.

ann arky's home.

GLASGOW - CAMCORDER GUERILLAS.

CAMCORDER GUERILLAS : AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
1. GUERILLAS AT DOCUMENT HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL.

           "Disabled people are facing the biggest attack on their human rights since the 1930s"

ANTI CUTS SPECIAL. Capitalism's casino - gambling with human rights
Sunday 23rd October, 12 midday
Film and panel discussion.

           Join us for a screening of our latest film THE BROADEST SHOULDERS find out about Guerillas current film project, highlighting the devastating impact of cuts and privatisation on disabled people talk to people directly affected by the cuts take part in the discussion and discover how you can join us in campaigning against cuts to benefits and services

Feedback from disabled activists after our fringe screening/meeting at the STUC rally against the cuts on 1st October
"inspiring"
"helped put the fire back in our bellies"
"you don't know how much the support from Camcorder Guerillas means to us"

Full Document Programme.

2. NEW GUERILLA WEBSITE GOES LIVE.            Last year our website fell victim to cyberhacking, but we are now back with a bigger and better website. You can watch over 20 of our films online and keep up to date with events, screening and guerilla happenings at www.camcorderguerillas.net You can also follow us on TWITTER @CamGuerillas

3. TRAINING COURSE :

             GUERILLAS OFFER FILM-MAKING COURSE FOR ACTIVISTS.
           We have developed a new training course that enables people to make their own short campaign films, edit and distribute them via social media. All this done in one day, with no specialist equipment or prior knowledge needed. Fees are negotiable, depending on size of
organisation; and training can be adapted to your own needs. Get in touch via info@camcorderguerillas.net to find out more.

4. SPECIAL EVENT TOMORROW.
Internationalism From Below - from John Maclean to Tahrir Square?

7pm-10:00pm, Wednesday 12th October 2011
Kinning Park Complex, 43 Cornwall Street, Glasgow, G41 1BA
FREE Film and discussion event, including screening of Visit Dungavel,
Monster of the Glen.
Full programme.

CAMCORDER GUERILLAS - GET IN TOUCH

EMAIL info@camcorderguerillas.net
TEL 0141 332 9775
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER@CamGuerillas

WATCH OUR FILMS ONLINE
www.camcorderguerillas.net

CAMCORDER GUERILLAS
CCA, Centre for Contemporary Arts,
350 Sauchiehall Street. Glasgow, G2 3JD

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THE MEDIA - WAR CRIMINALS.

          Julian Assang at the London anti-war rally October 8th, on one of my pet hates, the duplcious, corrupt, war-complicite, mainstream media. The corporate world's tool for diverting the population's attention away from their dirty, dangerous, planet destroying, greed driven activities. The power elite's creator of charades, illusions and peddler of myths. The enemy of the people.

ann arky's home.

HMP - SURVIVAL GUIDE.

          At time when more and more of us are likely to fall foul of "The Law" this little booklet could be of considerable help. It's free, there for the downloading worth publicising.

Hi there,

          I've just finished writing an article entitled HMP - A Survival Guide. It's a free booklet designed to help anyone who is expecting to receive their first custodial sentence; from what to take and what to expect to how to conduct yourself, better your experience and stay strong.

         It's written in a style intended to be digestible for those who need it the most and I believe it has the potential to help a lot of people at a time that can be the hardest in their life thus far.

It's also available as a downloadable pdf and issue article from www.prisonism.info.

        If there is anyway you can support this project (link to it, blog it, give it to people who are at risk of going to prison) or if you have any feedback or suggestions as to how I could best distribute it to potential inmates I'd very much appreciate it.

Please let me know, Carl Cattermole

--
Carl Cattermole

www.prisonism.info

 

ann arky's home.

THEY CALL IT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!!

        An appeal from Amnesty International.

Stoning.

       It’s designed to cause maximum suffering. It generally takes between 20 minutes and two agonising hours to kill someone. Those sentenced to death are more likely to be poor and marginalised, particularly women.

And as you read this, 14 people in Iran are at risk of this inhumane death.

Take action: stop stoning 

How to stone someone to death.

      Stoning is mandatory under Iranian law for men and women convicted of ‘adultery while married’.

The Penal Code explains in chilling detail how to carry out the punishment, from how deeply to bury the victim in the ground to the size of the stones to use: not so large as to kill too quickly, not so small as to cause too little hurt.

Watch Shappi Khorsandi explain how a stoning is carried out 

How to help stop stoning.

        However, right now the Iranian authorities are reviewing that very document - the Penal Code - which details all the country’s criminal law. They can and should remove stoning from it.

With your pressure we can encourage them to end this barbaric practice, once and for all.

Call on the Iranian authorities to stop stoning

Thank you,

Clare Bracey
Death Penalty Campaigner

 ann arky's home.

CELEBRITIES, SEX AND SLEAZE.

           The Occupy Wall St. movement in America just keeps growing and growing but the media coverage is minimal. How can they ignore such a vast event in their own back yard yet claim to be bring you the news as it happens? They will give you lots of details of celebrities, sex and sleaze and bring you the latest sports results, but on no account bring you information that might help you to sort out the problems in this type of society. Gather your information from the mainstream media and you will be blind and impotent, they are a tool of the corporate fascist system that we live under. They do a wonderful job of creating illusions, of weaving impossible dreams before your eyes, they legitimise greed and excess, they glorify war, they bury reality beneath a sludge of pointless drivel. This is their job and they are very good at it, the world they portray is never the real world where we the real people live.

@OccupyTheHood, Occupy Wall Street from adele pham on Vimeo.

ENDLESS BABBLE.

The questions arise. Why war and hunger?

Why does poverty continue to linger?

Why such need in a world of wealth?

Why put a price on a child’s health?

Confused and angry the public stand

gazing in disbelief at this pathetic band.

Those shiney politicians designed by spin

their street credibility paper thin,

the great persuaders looking the mood

struggling so hard just for our good!

Masters of the art of wheeling and dealing

exceptional experts at legal stealing.

Enter the Media, drowning us all in trivial text,

everything you need know

of scandal and sport, crime and sex.

Together they create a world of confusion

all fashion and style, a vicious illusion.

So no matter how often we point at need,

we always drown in a sea of greed,

no debate entered into, no answers found,

the waffle the babble goes round and round.

ann arky's home.