War Means Climate Change.

    I get pissed off by those posh political parasitic bastards, who talk about reducing our carbon footprint, telling us to recycle more, just boil enough water for the cups of tea you need, turn your heating down, (though most of us do that because of the bills anyway). Pointing the finger at us, as problem about carbon emission, then in the next breath, talk of launching another war.

 

A really big carbon footprint.

     Apart from the human misery, the financial cost of war is staggering, it is estimated that the Iraq war cost the US approximately $1.5 trillion with a further $600 billion for after care of veterans. War also has a massive carbon footprint, all the way back to the research and development, production, storage, transportation and exports of the arms industry, to the utilisation in the war zone, all for what? One US M1 tank releases as much CO2 as 10 large Mercedes Benz cars. It was estimated that the detonation of 50 nuclear warheads of 15 kilo-tonnes each, would release  approximately 690 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. This compares with the estimated 250 to 600 million tons of CO2 released during the Iraq war. Modern wars create massive releases of CO2 into the atmosphere, add to this the CO2 emissions from the necessary reconstruction of the destroyed infrastructure after the destruction. Any government pursuing a green agenda could not possibly contemplate war as an answer to any problem. If your are thinking green, then you have to get rid of states, and their continuous wars for power and resources. No matter how much I recycle, how shallow my bath is, how low my heating is, it is totally wiped by any one of our lords' and masters' brutal escapades in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, drone attacks in Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, and Israel's savage war games in Gaza. All of these inhumane and savage, massive carbon footprint, power enterprises, make lots of money for that select few, and that is the real climate problem, it is the system that has to be destroyed.

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

Solitary Confinement Is Torture.

An Appeal for solidarity from Contra Info:

       Since Monday, September 1st, comrade Chiara Zenobi, NO TAV prisoner who is currently held in Rebibbia prison in Rome, has been on yard strike, refusing to go out on scheduled yard time, to protest against the isolation imposed on Graziano Mazzarelli, anarchist kept in solitary confinement at Borgo San Nicola prison in Lecce since his arrest, almost two months ago, who is charged in the same case (attack on the TAV worksite in Chiomonte in the night between the 13th and 14th of May 2013).

       On August 3rd, Graziano was moved to another individual cell, which made his situation even worse. The cells next to his are empty, and he is meant to go out alone in a messy yard. Furthermore his letters are stolen by jailers on a weekly basis, and the simplest daily needs, such as washing dirty clothes, are continuously hindered or delayed.

       Chiara’s refusal to go to the yard continues as long as Graziano is subjected to solitary confinement, a regime desired by both the prison administration in Lecce and the Turin prosecutors who, as often happens in such cases, are shifting the responsibility to each other.

       Since the morning of September 9th, comrades Niccolò Blasi and Mattia Zanotti have been on yard strike, too, while Claudio Alberto joined them on the morning of September 10th. According to recent updates, also comrades Lucio Alberti and Francesco Sala will carry out similar forms of protest against the isolation inflicted on Graziano.

         A call is made to support the initiative of solidarity with Graziano and put pressure on those responsible for this treatment, namely prosecutors Rinaudo and Padalino as well as the prison director in Lecce, Rita Russo, by sending faxes to the prosecutor office in Turin (0114327453) and the prison in Lecce (0832387496). A fax model can be found here in pdf format.

      Below are the prison addresses of the 7 anarchists co-accused in the TAV yard attack case:

Francesco Sala
C.C. Via Palosca, 2 – 26100 Cremona, Italia

Lucio Alberti
C.C. Via Cassano Magnago, 102 – 21052 Busto Arsizio (Varese), Italia

Graziano Mazzarelli
C.C. via Paolo Perrone, 4, Borgo San Nicola – 73100 Lecce, Italia

Niccolò Blasi – Mattia Zanotti
C.C. San Michele strada Casale, 50/A – 15121 Alessandria, Italia

Claudio Alberto
C.C. Via dell’Arginone, 327 – 44100 Ferrara, Italia

Chiara Zenobi
C.C. “Rebibbia” Via Bartolo Longo, 92 – 00156 Roma, Italia

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Liars, Stupid, Or Just Simply On The Take?

Bye Bye NHS, hello corporatism, profit from sickness is the new prescription.

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

There's Lots Of Money In Wars.

 Exported Democracy Western Style.

       Here we go, here we go, here we go, once again the American lead Western war machine is cranking up for another blood bath. This time it is under the guise of stopping ISIS. We have lived through continuous wars, here there and everywhere, we leave shattered, broken countries in our wake. Just as we leave the rubble of one country, we head for another.  We brought "democracy" to Afghanistan, and left Iraq a "democratic" model for the rest of the Middle East, excuse the irony in such a tragic affair. We returned Libya to warring tribalism, support a military take over in Egypt, that is more brutal than the Hosni Mubarak regime, whose overthrow we helped engineer. We support the Syrian Free Army, a ragtag of tribal fundamentalists, who kidnapped the American journalist, Sotloff, sold him to ISIS, who later beheaded him. The difference between ISIS and the Syrian Free Army, is not one of ideology, it is more of territory. People pressure stopped the war monster from bombing Syrian back to the stone age, so now we have found a way to do it through the back door. If our aim really is to destroy ISIS, then all we have to do is stop supporting the ragtag mob of fundamentalists called the Syrian Free Army, and the Syrian regime with the help of Iran, could very rapidly destroy ISIS, while we get on with trying to sort out our own economic problems here at home.

 Enter Freedom.

      Who gains from all this march of destruction by the West? Well looking at the evidence it is certainly not those countries that we have "helped" with our military might. Disaster reigns across North Africa and the whole of the Middle East, to Afghanistan. No, those who gain are the war hogs, the arms industry, the banks, the financial Mafia, the big corporations, these are the power behind the wars, these are the only people who gain. We the people across the globe shed our blood, and country after country crumbles back to a barbaric stone age, all with the moral stamp of bring "democracy" and "fighting terrorism", all pure unadulterated bullshit. It is money and power, and to hell with the people, no matter the country.

A New Way Of Life.

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

Net Neutrality.

It is very important, very, very important indeed.

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

Corporations, Rulers Of The World!!!

      More and more, large corporations dictate what happens in countries across the globe, governments bend to the pressure of big money, and the people suffer. At present there are two pieces of legislation being fashioned that will immensely boost the control the large corporations have over our lives, TPP and the big telecom companies attempt to control the internet. However,  these are not the only two battles for control, it goes on daily as the corporate world rides roughshod over the people and their rights. 

        Drinking water is a necessity, but to corporations profit is more important, as the people of El Salvador are finding out. 

This from the Sum Of Us:

     A major mining company is suing El Salvador for millions -- just for saying no to a dirty mine that would have destroyed its remaining water supply. A mining corporation shouldn't get to decide what laws a country can and can't pass. With just one week remaining before the hearing begins, we need to get OceanaGold to back down now.

Sign the petition asking OceanaGold to drop the lawsuit and respect El Salvador’s decision.

        90% of EL Salvador’s water is already polluted, putting families and communities in danger of waterborne illness, food shortages and the added expense of buying bottled water. If OceanaGold gets its way, it could destroy the last remaining river with drinkable water in this Central American country.

       Already, the mining industry has devastated El Salvador. The community of San Sebastian is being forced to buy bottled water after a mining company contaminated its water supply. Community activists have risked their lives opposing mining companies, including Dora Alicia Recinos Soto, who was shot dead in front of her house while 8 months pregnant and carrying her 2-year-old baby.

        The hearing for the case is in less than a week away, so we have to act now to make sure OceanaGold drops this frivolous lawsuit.

Sign the petition asking OceanaGold to drop the lawsuit against El Salvador for trying to save its water.

      The government of El Salvador has already denied OceanaGold a mining license for its El Dorado mine, because it failed to comply with national regulations protecting human rights and the environment. But instead of conceding to this democratic decision, OceanaGold is now relying on dangerous “Investor State Arbitration" -- rules created under international trade treaties that allow foreign corporations to sue national governments for billions just to get their way. OceanaGold has repeatedly proven it cares only about profits -- not the people of El Salvador. Now, it's time the company listened.

Add your voice to ask OceanaGold to drop the lawsuit against El Salvador for trying to save its water.

       We know we can win this fight, because public pressure has worked before. After thousands of us spoke out about Rio Tinto's involvement in a destructive Alaska mine and helped get Indigenous activists to their annual shareholder meeting, Rio Tinto pulled out. And when we focused public pressure on Infinito Gold over a $1 billion lawsuit against Costa Rica, the company dropped its claim to $94 million -- not enough, but some reprieve for the community fighting this mining giant. This is another fight for people over profits, and together we can force OceanaGold to back down before it’s too late.

Thank you for all that you do,
Paul, Ledys, Emma and the rest of us

     For more information: Gold Mining Company Wages $301 Million Lawsuit Against El Salvador, Global Research, March 17 2014.
El Salvador groups accuse Pacific Rim of 'assault on democratic governance', The Guardian, April 10th 2014. 

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Internet Freedom At Stake.

       Urgent action needed: Big Telecom giants are about to force many of your favourite websites into an Internet slow lane,¹ making them buffer sporadically, and return errors.

This is the big one.

         Right now, a high profile case is playing out² that could set a global standard³ and enable your Internet providers to force your Internet use into a slow lane and make accessing services more expensive.

The clock is ticking: Key decision-makers are about to make a landmark ruling on this Internet slowdown,⁴ so we have to raise a loud global call⁵ by the crucial September 15th deadline for public input.

       To fight back, we need you to add your voice to a global movement of Internet users sending decision-makers a powerful message in the final days of public input. Can we count you in, ?

        This ruling will determine whether you can access whatever you want, whenever you want at full speed – whether that’s Netflix, your favourite online comedy site, or your online banking.

But now, Big Telecom wants to take away that choice, and turn the Internet into Cable TV 2.0, where whole websites will be slowed to a snail’s pace.

The clock is counting down: it’s up to you to stand up and be counted in the fight against Big Telecom’s Internet slow down.

        The effects of this landmark ruling will be felt worldwide.⁶ You may not live in the U.S., but many of your favourite websites do.

We’re counting on you. Your OpenMedia team puts together sophisticated tools and platforms to amplify your voice when it matters most – and this is certainly no exception.

     Join with Internet users around the world in the largest digital rights campaign the world has ever seen. We don't have much time: speak out now before the crucial deadline.

Thanks for continuing to step up when we need you the most,

Steve, Josh, and Meghan, on behalf of your OpenMedia team

P.S., The fight for net neutrality is the fight for Internet freedom. We’re up against some big industry players around the world – but with your support, we can ensure the Internet remains an open platform that fuels the type of society we aspire to. Please consider donating today to keep us going.

Footnotes
[1], [4] Net Neutrality, Monopoly, and the Death of the Democratic Internet. Source: Motherboard
[2] U.S. extends deadline for 'net neutrality' comments to Sept 15. Source: Reuters.
[3] Decision-makers in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and the European Union are considering implementing rules that could either safeguard the open Internet, or hand power to giant telecom conglomerates. Also: “A significant chunk of global Internet traffic flows to and from the United States, and limiting the flow of traffic will have knock-on effects”. Source: Hub Communications.
[5] Countries including the U.S., Canada, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, and The Netherlands have passed rules to prevent telecom giants from discriminating against different types of content flowing across their networks. Get more info by clicking on each country above.
[6] Why U.S. net neutrality debate matters globally. Source: The Hill Times.

We are an award-winning network of people and organizations working to safeguard the possibilities of the open Internet. We work toward informed and participatory digital policy. You can follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. We rely on donations from people like you to operate. Even the smallest contributions go a long way to make your voice heard. Please consider donating today.  Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Corporate Greed And Right-wing Governments.

       Turkish companies, like companies everywhere, rub their hands with greed driven glee, as their government moves ever more to the right, they jump in and try to crush any workers organisation that they consider might impede their ever increasing exploitation of the workforce.



 This appeal from IUF:

       Union members at the Turkish Sütas dairy company are fighting for their rights against mass intimidation by management including dismissals, criminal complaints to the prosecution office, police raids on the union offices and the dumping of 13 tons of liquid manure on the sit-in area across the factory gate where the dismissed workers were picketing.

       The IUF-affiliated Tobacco, Drink, Food and Allied workers Union, TEKGIDA-Is, began organizing workers at Sütas dairy company in 2012. The company responded with mass dismissals targeting union members between October 2012 and August 2014, leaving 83 workers and their families without income. Many workers are harassed and compelled to resign from their union membership by threats and calls to their families. To break the workers' picket management poured 13 tons of liquid manure on the area.
     You can support their struggle for union rights and recognition. CLICK HERE to send a message to Sütas management calling on the company to reinstate the 83 dismissed union members, stop harassing the workers who want to join the union and recognize TEKGIDA-Is.

     And if you have not yet had the opportunity to do so, please take a moment to support the German Food Workers and their members' fight for a first collective agreement with the transnational catering and retail giant Autogrill - CLICK HERE!

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

The 9/11 Anniversary.

      In a couple of days it will be the anniversary of 9/11, an event that resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people, an event that should make the international community drag the American state to the International Court of Justice. A horrific event for which America should be held to account. If you are confused by my statement, you are probably thinking of 9/11, 2001 where a handful of crazy nut cases brought down the twin towers in New York, killing almost 3,000 innocent people. I am of course talking about 9/11 1973, a bloody event that was organised, funded and supported to the hilt by the American state. The military coup in Chile by General Pinochet, which resulted in the death of a freely elected president, burning of books, thousands of "disappearances", thousands more executions, and years of brutal repression, all with the blessing of Dr. Henry Kissinger, America's fascist strategist, and the full backing of the American state apparatus. 

 

From Mickey Z:

“Make the economy scream…”
       When the 1970 Chilean presidential election rolled around, Salvador Allende was still a major player and, despite another wave of U.S.-funded propaganda, he was elected president of South America’s longest functioning democracy on Sept. 4, 1970.
        However, he had a new and powerful enemy: Dr. Henry Kissinger.
The 40 Committee was formed with Kissinger as chair. The goal was not only to save Chile from its irresponsible populace but to yet again stave off the Red Tide™.
      “Chile is a fairly big place, with a lot of natural resources,” explains Noam Chomsky, “but the United States wasn’t going to collapse if Chile became independent. Why were we so concerned about it? According to Kissinger, Chile was a ‘virus’ that would ‘infect’ the region.”
       At a Sept. 15, 1970, meeting called to halt the spread of infection, Kissinger and President Nixon told CIA Director Richard Helms it would be necessary to “make the [Chilean] economy scream.” While allocating at least $10 million to assist in sabotaging Allende’s presidency, outright assassination was also considered a serious and welcome option.

Read the full article HERE:

      So, when our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, start spouting there usual platitudes on 9/11, and our pompous parasitic politicians, wax lyrically on the horrible event in New York, remind them of that even more brutal and blood event, perpetrated by America on the people of Chile some 28 years earlier.  It was a longer lasting and more savage 9/11, than the one in New York.

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

Workers Know Your History, The Bevin Boys.

      “The Bevin Boys” are a little known group of young men who were conscripted during the second world war, but didn't wear a uniform.
           At the start of WW2, the government were keen to get as many young men into the forces as possible, so conscription was enforced. They did realise that certain industries were essential to the “war effort” and so those working in those industries were exempt from conscription. However they were so dim they didn't list coal mining as one of those industries, they failed to realise that without coal the other industries would grind to a halt. So they scooped up all the young miners into the forces, then it dawned on them that the coal output was falling. By 1943, the country was running out of coal to keep the factories in full production, the mining work force was sadly depleted and those miners left in the pits miners were old school, strike prone and ageing.
         In December 1943, Ernest Bevin, the minister for labour, devised a ballot scheme, known as the Bevin Ballot Scheme, whereby men aged between 18 and 25, when they registered for National service, could be picked by lottery to work in the mines, they were known as "Bevin Boys". 48,000 young men found themselves working down the coal mines, irrespective of their ambitions, training or experience.

        This of course this meant that the young men were usually billeted in camps, of Nissen huts near the mines, freezing in winter and stifling hot in summer. When Bevin was asked whether young recruits could have a psychological examination to see if they were temperamentally suited to coal mining, his reply was a simple one word reply, “No”.
        Bevin Boys throughout the war, were unfairly seen by many of the public as conscription dodgers, deserters or conscientious objectors. They were labelled cowards and had white feathers given to them or stuck on their clothing. As they were billeted within mining communities, many of whose sons were in the services, they were also seen as likely to stay on and steal their sons jobs. If a Bevin Boy was killed in a mining accident his family received no compensation and those invalided out had no pension. Some were not demobilised until 1948 because the country was still short of coal. Their treatment on most occasions was deplorable. But that is how the state works when it finds the need, in this system, people serve the state, it is never the state serving the people.

From The Telegraph:

     The alternative was prison. "Some Bevin Boys did choose prison," he said. "It was a complete change of life. We worked in the depth of the earth in cramped, damp conditions. Travelling on leave, we were not even allowed a cup of tea on the train because we had no uniform. Some Bevin Boys were much abused because it was thought we had run away from the Services."
     Some of the men were psychologically scarred by their experiences. Maurice Sheppard, of Durham, recalled: "In 11 months in the mines I lost three stone in weight. I was sent home to see a specialist and diagnosed with 'inward claustrophobia'."
      He was given a special boot allowance because his boots rotted away so quickly in the wet pit, and his digs were so damp that his clothes acquired a green mould.

Read the full article HERE:

        The scheme also affected apprentices, who could be conscripted during their apprenticeship or having completed their apprenticeship at their chosen trade, could find themselves down a coal mine, with no guarantee that they could return to their trade. This sparked the 1943/44 apprentices strike.

From Marxist.com

The reaction of the young apprentices quite astonished everybody. Everyone was completely taken by surprise when they found that, in fact, these young apprentices, who may have been young in years, were quite old in their experience of the class struggle. Because it was their fathers and relatives who worked down the mines and they were fully aware in fact of the kind of work that was done there. A surprising figure, which was actually revealed by the industrial reporter of the Daily Express, was that during the first year of working down the mines, approximately one third of young workers were actually maimed or killed and it was pointed out that it was more dangerous and you were more likely to be actually injured or killed during your time in the mines then it was if you were in the armed forces.

Read the full article HERE:

       The strike did eventually break up but what did come out of it was that no apprentice would be conscripted during their apprenticeship. 

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Mass Production, Or Self Sufficiency?

       Is our way of life acceptable, or is it a means of our own demise? How do we sort out the mess we have created? We should remember that spaceship Earth has no escape capsule. Mass production, or co-operation and self sufficiency?

Industrial Civilization, Meat Production and Consumption from αδάμαστο on Vimeo.

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

A Society Of Lies, More Lies, And Damned Lies.

      Most informed people in this society know it is a society of lies, more lies, and damned lies. That's how the system works, sleight of hand, fiddled figures, smoke and mirrors and wild propaganda. If the truth were told, the whole pack of cards would come crumbling down, people just would not accept the fact that  all the wealth we produce is shovelled into the coffers of the corporations and their merry band of pampered parasitic managers. 

       There are those who say the system is broken, far from it, it is doing what it is meant to do, syphon wealth upwards. One reason this robbing, plundering system survives, is the fact that the majority seem to accept the illusion that it can do the opposite.

Our Lords And Masters. (apologies to the hogs)

This from The Void:

      The body established to lie on behalf of the fraud ridden welfare-to-work industry have launched a new campaign on the back of a report so breath-takingly dishonest it would make Iain Duncan Smith blush.
     According to the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), the floundering Work Programme has been a huge success and is set to add £18 billion to the economy.  This is based on a report which ERSA commisioned from a consultancy company called Europe Economics who have mangled the figures in an attempt to hoodwink the DWP into giving Work Programme providers like A4e and G4S even more tax payer’s cash.

Read the full article HERE:

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

Enslave The Unemployed, Hide The Homeless.

       How does Cameron and Osborne, the Financial Mafia's two UK hit-men, help the most vulnerable in our community? Well they are trying workfare, where people work for free, to be honest, this is more an attempt help their corporate buddies and to legalise slavery. Then there is "sanctioning" this is where they take the poorest in the community and remove whatever little income they have, making the individual destitute. However these policies tend to cause another symbol of a country's poverty to appear, begging. To our pompous privileged Oxbridge parasites, begging sends out the wrong message, it exposes their claim of growth and prosperity as myth. So how can they help those unfortunate individuals who find themselves sitting in all weathers begging to survive? Well according to the powers that be,

"Begging will not be tolerated in the City of Westminster or any other London borough. Wherever possible people begging will be arrested and ASBOs sought where appropriate."  Problem solved, poverty eradicated. Or more accurately, imprisoned, moved on to another area, hidden from the affluent centres. We must keep the centres of consumption nice and pleasant, for the more affluent and of course those lucrative tourists. 

     The article in the The Huffington Post has an array of photos of people sleeping rough in London in numbers that are an affront to any civilized country, and an indictment of this system of rule by the financial Mafia. The system will not sort out the reason for sleeping rough, it will merely intimidate, threaten, harass, move on. Push them deeper into the darker recesses of this corrupt system, and when out of sight, they can display their myth to the world, that we are a very affluent society. 

 

     We are a very rich country, a country overflowing with wealth and resources, every penny of which was created by the ordinary people of this country. However it has been purloined, plundered and stolen, and now lies in the hands of those who sweep the poor under the carpet, while implementing policies that create more poor. It doesn't have to be this way.

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

    

My Country Is The World.

      The world is my country, humanity my family. One world, one big village, one large family, all equal under the sun, no gods, no masters. Thanks Janice for this one.

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

Be True To Yourself.

       Our pompous parasite class of privileged millionaires, and their mouthpiece, that babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, continue their attempt to glorify and justify, the imperialist bloody land grab of 1914/18 with a biased phoney history. We will have distorted documentaries, plays and ceremonies, about how it was all justified, in an attempt to defend democracy. Of how we were the honourable side, and the other side were a despicable sub-human species. The reality was, those sent by the UK imperialists, to do the killing were bus drivers, farm labourers, office workers, shop assistants, plumbers, engineers etc., who they were sent to kill, were, bus drivers, farm labourers, office workers, shop assistants, plumbers, engineers, etc.. None of whom had ever known democracy in their entire life, all of whom, on both sides, were struggle to create a democracy, something the Imperialists could not tolerate.

     Prior to the Imperial slaughter of 1914/18, the UK, like the rest of Europe, was in turmoil, here in the UK from 1900 to 1914, the country was racked by a continual series of strikes that were noted for their militancy and refusal to follow union leaders dictates.

Troops paraded in the streets of Liverpool in an attempt to intimidate workers, 1911.

        This militancy shook the British capitalist state to its foundations and forced the Liberal government of Herbert Henry Asquith to increasingly turn to military means in an attempt to halt the strikes. While the most famous examples of Government militancy was the despatching of two warships up the River Mersey following the 1911 strike of seamen there are also plenty of other examples such as the use of troops during the rail strike of 1911 in an attempt to keep scab trains operating. This period saw workers militancy break out of the boundaries of bourgeois legality and begin to start to develop towards a more critical consciousness which questioned the very basis of capitalist rule.

      This then was the democracy that existed in the UK prior to the 1914/18 imperial bloody greed fest. Today we are still struggling to create that democracy, and today like then, it is the capitalist class that stands in our way. If only once again, the workers would create that 1911 critical consciousness, and that breaking out of the bourgeois legality.
       When we hear our lords and masters talk of war as a solution to their problems, we would do well to remember the words of Eugene V. Debs, as he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and stripped of his citizenship, in that "Land of the Free", the good ol' US of A, for speaking out against that all encompassing 1914/18 imperialist slaughter.

      “They have always taught and trained you to believe it to be your patriotic duty to go to war and to have yourselves slaughtered at their command. But in all the history of the world you, the people, have never had a voice in declaring war, and strange as it certainly appears, no war by any nation in any age has ever been declared by the people … Do not worry over the charge of treason to your masters, but be concerned about the treason that involves yourselves. Be true to yourself and you cannot be a traitor to any good cause on earth.”

Patriotism

No, I shall not die for the fluttering flag,

if truth be known, ’tis nothing but a multi-coloured rag

held aloft by some foolish hand

inciting worker and peasant to kill

on some green and wooded hill,

peasant and worker from some other land.

Nor shall I shed blood for the fluttering rag

that brings out fools to stand and brag

of brutal deeds painted grand,

deeds where rustic and craftsman lie so still

killed by my brothers' misguided hand.

No allegiance have I for the Nation

this man made autocratic creation

that divides my brothers in a world so small,

binds us to a country's cause, right or wrong,

bids us follow its drum, sing its song,

then sheds our blood in some border brawl.

No, I'll be no slave to flag or nation,

have no ear for power oration,

though its iron heel is on my breast,

my back feels its leather thong,

at patriotism's barracoon, I'll be no guest.

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

No Human Can Be Illegal.

     For three days now some refugees have been protesting against their treatment, by staying on the roof of a hostel in Berlin, from which they were to be evicted.

          A call for solidarity and the latest from Contra Info:

 

       On the 28th of August there was an evening demo from Frankfurter Tor with around 500 people. cops tried to break it two times. they beat up people. one arrest was confirmed. the demo was crumbling after the arab group (antiimperialist communist group, which also organised the ‘revolutionary may 1st demo’) announced that the cops attempt to storm the hostel roof. people with bicycles left and rushed to the junction in Gürtelstraße. it caused an alarm also at the junction where protesters were because nobody, apart from the arab group, had heard anything about it.
        At around 9.30pm, after the demo arrived at the location, same as usual, speeches, slogans, marginalised political groups presenting their banners, etc. there was lot of free food, which people also took well, but soon afterwards they started leaving again, and before midnight only few people remained. a sign of solidarity was expressed by a neighbour who made kind of a laser show beaming the slogan “no human being is illegal” on his balcony. he later came down when he saw that refugees who tried to get some sleep at the junction had not enough blankets, and went through the barriers giving them two thick ones. then, when he wanted to pass through the barriers, the cops hindered him and prompted him to show his ID, which he had not on him. they made a fuss until his wife shouted: “could you let my husband inside again?…” they let him pass but he was forced to get inside home, get his ID, go down again and show it to the cops. meanwhile the refugees on the roof started continuously drumming (probably on pots), gave light signals and also shouted from the rooftop. protesters replied by shouting back slogans, blowing whistles and there was also one megaphone. but soon cops disallowed all of that.
     Also, a couple of nazis showed up. comrades recognized at least four. three of them appeared in the middle of the road in the Scharnweberstraße standing there and shouting a nazi slogan, while one passed by in a car, but was recognized too late. for sure, there were far more of them who went unrecognized (the protest is directly at the border of their stronghold district Lichtenberg).
    During the 29th and the 30th of August, the situation remained relatively unchanged. authorities still starve refugee protesters on the hostel roof in Gürtelstraße, and support of demonstrators is still low.
      There’s a call for a demo tomorrow, Sunday the 31st at 5pm in Warschauer Straße, Friedrichshain.

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