Long Live George Tiller

George Tiller was a brave doctor that performed abortions for women in Kansas. He was shot in 1993 by an abortion opponent but survived. Today, Tiller was shot and killed in his church.

As I like to constantly point out, the right continues to kill people but the left, anarchists, and animal liberation forces bare the brunt of the state's repression (largely for property or monetary damage).

Wake up! Anti-abortion forces have won. The legality of abortions is pointless if they are not available. The Christian fundamentalists have succeeded in creating an environment where performing abortions is just too risky and/or costly for many doctors to consider.

(If anyone can find an online video of The Awful Truth episode "The Terorists Have Won" broadcas in august 2000, please post a link!)

Fox News demonized Tiller to whip up the mood ripe for murder.

Orcinus: Jesus's Jihadis

Recent cases of abortion-related violence

I remember when SHARP acted as abortion clinic security and escorts. Maybe we need to protect any clinics left in our communities.

NO GODS, NO GUILT!
FREE ABORTIONS ON DEMAND!

Cro Mags Jam

Who's going?

Brandon Darby: FBI Snitch

This American Life had an episode about turncoats. The majority of the program featured a piece on Brandon Darby. Darby worked as an anti-authoritarian activist/radical in the Texas and Louisiana and then eventually became a proud FBI informant.
The episode is extremely interesting, insightful, and I encourage everyone to download it or find the podcast.

It describes a great example of attempting to put anarchy into action but falling into the usual trappings. It also illustrates the difficulties in radicals who are not organically part of a community embedding themselves in a community to progress their ideas.

Can Darby's accounts even be trusted? He conveniently links a bunch of boogeymen; as if radicals are naturally in bed with Hugo Chavez, FARC, and use seemingly harmless words as secret code for criminal activity. He reminds me of David Horowitz who has used his leftwing credentials to gain fame as a rightwinger with supposed insight into the left. This fuckin douchebag, Darby, also pulls the tired line that young radicals are simply well-meaning youth who are duped and misled by Machiavellian leaders of anarchy.

Brandon Darby is a dominating egomaniac! The more I listened to him talk and casually brag about how enlightened he is, the more I hated him... and the more I felt bad for Bradley Crowder and David McKay.
Brad and David were entrapped by Darby and the pigs and are now sentenced to 2 and 4 years.



SUPPORT BRADLEY CROWDER & DAVID MCKAY

BRANDON DARBY: PROUD SNITCH INFO SITE





(thanx Frank)

Very Quick Thoughts on Judge Sotomayor

It is outright laughable that rightwingers (many of whom have promoted racism directly and indirectly) would like to now declare Sotomayor a racist. Her statements simply acknowledge that one's heritage and environment affect one's choices and decisions. Uh, ya... of course.
It is White men such as Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh who seem to think that only White men are qualified to frame debates on race and declare who is racist... and that is never a White man apparently.

Of course, Sotomayor has proven herself to not be in favor of an armed populace. She deemed that the Second Amendment does not apply to state and local governments. (A civil right is a civil right, and no level of government should have immunity from the exercise of that right, nor the authority to regulate that right to the level of a privilege.)
I am sure this is enough to send the rightwing gun lobby into a fucking tizzy. It is interesting that so much of the right has a history of waving the flag of state's rights on issues ranging from racial segregation to abortion to recently, federal bailout funds which they called tyranny but is decidedly opposed to state sovereignty with arms.
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Afterall, we are going to need our guns in the upcoming civil war.


(thanx Pranjal)

The Goode Family sucks and so does Mike Judge

(not Old Smoke Mike Judge, the biker poet!)



I didn't watch ABC's The Goode Family. Contrary to common opinion, I don't need to watch a show to write a review about how and why it sux and shouldn't be watched.

As much as I think Idiocracy is funny, Mike Judge is known for promoting rightwing ideology in his work. Is The Goode Family another shoddy attempt at that?

It isn't a matter of The Goode Family being offensive to radicals, liberals, and/or vegans. As much as the rightwingers want humorless liberals to cry about the show, the real problem is that it is so out-of-touch.

Videogum wrote a very insightful review of the show:
Sure. Lord knows there is plenty of hay to be made with the left. The best intentions often sound silly and naive when explained or embraced by someone who doesn't really understand what they're talking about.
But these jokes fall flat. For one, they're totally dated. People recycle now, Mike Judge. People also drive hybrid cars. Neither of those things are inherently silly or make a good wink-wink nudge-nudge punchline. People shop at Whole Foods and they use reusable shopping bags. Lots of people.
But all of this really takes us back to the question of who this show is for, because if it's for people who don't know about urbane, pretentious, liberal living, then these broad stereotypes are probably hilarious, or at least reinforcing of previously held misconceptions. But with an audience like that, you don't need to get as specific as this show does. Jokes about organic produce and Al Gore are probably enough. The wealth of detailed, highly targeted jokes on this show actually requires an audience of the people it's making fun of, which as I already mentioned is not impossible, but then you have to actually get it right.

USA Dept of Defense & Summer Movies

The upcoming G.I. Joe feature film was originally set to be a sort of international peace keeping force. The US Department of Defense didn't like that and focused on helping the US militarized film version of Transformers 2.
Rightwingers threw the expected fit that G.I. Joe, the Real American Hero, would consider anything but unilateral action. So, after some pressure, the international friendly aspect was lightened and the USA might-makes-right aspect was emboldened. This delighted the DOD.

The DOD is heavily involved in all films that even mention the military. If you do not please them, you get no help with any use of equipment input on realistic tactics.

It is interesting that a concept about alien robots fighting eachother could so easily be transformed into a commercial for the US military.

I Want To See These Films

R.I.P. Ronald Takaki

Ron Takaki was one of the most preeminent scholars of our nation’s diversity, and considered “the father” of multicultural studies. As an academic, historian, ethnographer and author, his work helped dispel stereotypes of Asian Americans. In his study of multicultural people’s history in America, Takaki seeked to unite Americans, today and in the future, with each other and with the rest of the world.

I hold a special place in my heart for Takaki because I witnessed firsthand how much he, himself, and his work meant to my Asian friends/comrades who knew him.

Do not let the rightwing fuckers make "multiculturalism" a bad word.

Barça!!

Let me just quote Mr. Mike Thorn:

Such a stunner. Barça played how i always knew they could and have shut up the entirety of the naysaying English press. Henry, Eto'o, Iniesta, Puyol, Xavi, Pique... Everyone just ran circles around the much ballyhooed Red Devil side, and it was the little magician, the genius of Argentina who soared through the air at the 70th minute delivering the final death blow, a stunning absolute dagger of a strike... Man United went spiraling down in a twitching, frustrated pile of yellow cards.... you could see the gallows reflected in the eyes of Ronaldo and Rooney. Goodbye Sir Alex! Goodbye Reds!

And let me add that Ronaldo played like a spoiled brat who deserved a smack.

The Girlfriend Experience

recommended.


After seeing nothing but "fanboy" films for a while and being overly critical of them, it was very enjoyable to see an entirely different sort of film.

I feel like when film's are offered such deep and lush subject matter as comic books or TV series, they take the top layer and disregard anything deeper. On the other hand, Soderbergh creates a very layered and realistic environment for this film. It didn't hurt that subject matter like "open" relationships and prostitution fascinate me.

UPDATE: Abducted Melissa Roxas Surfaced

Her companions, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc, still remain unaccounted for!

A detailed account about the circumstances of Roxas surfacing is still forthcoming.

American Activist, Melissa Roxas, abducted in Philippines.

We are calling on the Arroyo regime to immediately surface and release Melissa Roxas, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc which were abducted by Philippines government forces.
Roxas, a volunteer health worker, was abducted last May 19 at around 1:30 pm in Sitio Bagong Sikat, Bgy. Kapanikian, La Paz, Tarlac. She was with two other volunteers, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc.
Based on reports filed by the human rights group Karapatan and the La Paz police, Roxas and her companions were taken by at least 8 fully-armed, bonnet-clad men on board two motorcycles and a Besta van without any plate numbers.

I probably can't articulate the importance of this situation as well as my good friend, Sergio. So I will just post what he wrote:

Historically, speaking out against the government of the Republic of the Philippines has never been easy, but since the time our current "leader" President Gloria Macapagal-​Arroyo (GMA) assumed office in 2001, activists hailing across many sectors of Philippine Society—workers​,​ clergy, lawyers, peasants, teachers, students, women, and beyond—have disappeared, or worse, been murdered. KARAPATAN, a Philippine-​based progressive human rights organization, reported that from Jan 2001 to Oct 2007, there were a total of 887 victims of extrajudicial killings, and 185 victims of enforced disappearances, with the grim note that among these cases, not a single perpetrator had been convicted and brought to jail. What did these people have in common? They all spoke out against the GMA government.

Now the issue hits home even harder. Five days ago on May 19, a fellow American-born Filipino / Fil-Am activist from my home"town" Los Angeles, Melissa Roxas, was abducted by the Philippine military along with Filipino organizers Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc. Melissa is a founding member of the LA-based cultural group, Habi Arts whose work paralleled that which Jo and I do here in the Bay.

Follow  on FACEBOOK

From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry

Apparently Justin Pearson (The Locust, All Leather, Some Girls, Holy Molar, Swing Kids, The Crimson Curse, Head Wound City, Ground Unicorn Horn, Struggle, and Three One G) has written his memoirs, "From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry", to be published by Soft Skull Press.

Other than that, I have no info.

What if?..

What if those NY terror suspects had been White?

A federal law enforcement official described the plot as “aspirational” — meaning that the suspects wanted to do something but had no weapons or explosives — and described the operation as a sting with a cooperator within the group.
U.S. Attorney Troy Eid of Colorado announced his decision not to pursue the case of the white-supremacists who were caught trying to kill Barack Obama in Denver. He called their plot "more aspirational than operational".
It is a pattern of letting rightwingers get off easily.
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What if Adam Lambert had won American Idol?

Ya, what if a highly favored conservative Christian surprisingly lost to a gay (or even speculated gay) contestant on a TV show? I think we know what would happen given when a rightwing Christian homophobe who was not favored lost a TV contest, the rightwingers had a fit.

The Palestinian Struggle and the Anarchist Dilemma

In the endgame of Zionist Israeli genocide against Palestinian, it is crucial to lend our support for the struggling Palestinians while avoiding the pitfalls of First World paternalism. Unfortunately, a lot of post-left anarchists seem to take the convenient position that it incorrect for anarchists to support any Palestinian struggle that doesn't look how they want it to.

Uri Gordon, an Israeli anarchist ddresses this issue in his book, "Anarchy Alive!". Chapter 6 is titled, “HomeLand: Anarchy and Joint Struggle in Palestine/Israel.”

READ A DISCUSSION OF URI'S WRITING HERE

Tokyo!

24 loves torture and hates abortion

Popular TV show 24 is nothing more than an indoctrination tool of the neo-con rightwing.

The show tells us that our unsuspecting brown neighbors could be terrorist sleeper cells. It tells us that torture is cool and produces legit results.

24's season 8 finale sneakily told the audience that abortion is murder.
"You not only killed my wife, you killed my son!" a character yelled as he sought retribution for the killing of his pregnant wife.

You can read the rightwing blogosphere's take on it. They understood the meaning.
_____

I can't believe there hasn't been more of an uproar over the government's creating laws that punish killers for taking two lives if the victim was pregnant. I think most people think that is too heinous to speak out about. Too heinous to appear as if cutting the killer any slack. However, if we want abortion to be safe and available, we must retain a consistent vigilance. You can't kill someone who isn't born.

The Problem With USA Soccer

Actually... The problem with USA soccer's audience(s).

A family wrote an open letter regarding their being turned off by the "mob mentality" at a Portland Timbers game. The letter blames The Timbers Army for antics that "have the potential to turn off the same kinds of fans (read: families) that would help the organization financially thrive should the MLS dream come through."

They continue:
"Minor league sports and Portland in general always has had a bit of an accepted counter culture. I get that, but MLS and fans will NOT fill your new stadium with a cheering section behind the net dropping F-BOMBS in their chants all night long. You have some of the foulest fans in all of sports. This is not England and you should not tolerate Portland Timbers Hooligans. On three occasions I had to move my boys further away from your "fans". "

To further clarify their position and drive it home to me, a Bay Area football supporter, they add:
" I've supported the San Jose Earthquakes, the Chico Rooks (USISL) and the Blazers. Not one of these ownership groups would tolerate what I witnessed behind the net...
Your future rides on your ability to sell seats and there are simply not enough soccer drunks in Portland to pay the bills. Your target market is the large family willing to drop a couple hundred bucks on tickets and then fill up on concessions and gear."

Wow! It might be difficult to find one who doesn't understand football more or who doesn't want to get it.
However, it would seem this is the target audience of MLS. It certainly has been the target audience of clubs like San Jose Earthquakes. It is also what is wrong with soccer in this country and what will ultimately not help broaden the sports appeal.

The Timbers Army politely responded and told this letter writer a thing or two.

Thor & Loki

(and I did try to find a decent pic of Loki NOT wearing the cape of the sorcerer supreme)

Homage To Catalonia The Movie

George Orwell's Homage To Catalonia is set to be made into a major motion picture. Colin Firth and Kevin Spacey are set to star in it.
I have little to no faith that the film will adhere to Orwell's revolutionary spirit. Variety already describes the film as "the real-life story of how he and his wife Eileen traveled to Barcelona to fight Stalinism." Which, of course, is completely untrue. While Orwell and his wife, Eileen O'Shaughnessy were staunch anti-Stalinists, they went to Spain to fight Fascism and joined the POUM.

"Like cyanide to a Tamil Tiger"

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have conceded defeat and laid down their weapons.


The Tamil Tigers fought to protect the country's Tamil minority from discrimination at the hands of the successive Sinhalese majority governments that have ruled the country since independence.
The Tigers advocated equality for women from both male oppression and social oppression. This support for equality attracted many women into the LTTE ranks.
They pioneered the use of suicide attacks and every Tiger wore a small glass vial containing a lethal does of cyanide.


I may not have even known where Sri Lanka was if Duran Duran had not filmed some of their videos there.
I was introduced to The Tamil Tigers struggle via the romantic lyrics of Torches To Rome.

"Given the choice, I'd rather die by fire
like cyanide to a Tamil Tiger."
-Young Arsenal

In recent years, M.I.A. has become a popular voice of Tamils and decried Sri Lanka's campaign of genocide against them.

The Tigers made some serious errors that eroded support. I can't deny that. Nonetheless, this post-modern world feels a bit sadder with another liberation struggle crushed.

Yo dont be calling me desperate
When i'm knocking on the door
Every wall you build i'll knock it down to the floor
See me see me bubbling quietly
See me see me acting like you ain't met me
Hands up
Guns out
Represent the world town
-World Town

Burning Fight: More thoughts + More Photos

I am still clinging to the warm fuzzy feeling left from last weekend's Burning Fight California book release show(s). Reading the book is great.
I always felt like the younger kids and/or people not around in the 90's scene had a skewed vision of that decade. It seemed to be colored most by capitalism. "The winner gets to write history." It felt as though the scene that I experienced and loved was forgotten. It wasn't in the history books... Well, now it is! Having the era of HC that meant so much to me codified in a book actually seems to validates it. It validates me.
Thank you Burning Fight.

As promised, Matthew Miller has uploaded his MASSIVE collection of photos he took in California. Check them out! Quite impressive.
Thank you Matt!

Fri. 29 May @ 924 Gilman

7 Generations
Amenity!
The debut of Lockstep!

Boy Scouts Paramilitary

While the rightwing nuts whine about supposed Liberal or Socialist youth indoctrination camps...

The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America, is training kids in military skills to be used against "terrorism" and illegal immigration!
The training includes chasing down border crossers and "taking out" shooters.


“Put him on his face and put a knee in his back,” a Border Patrol agent explained. “I guarantee that he’ll shut up.”

“I like shooting them,” Cathy said. “I like the sound they make. It gets me excited.”

In a competition, one role-player wore traditional Arab dress. “If we’re looking at 9/11 and what a Middle Eastern terrorist would be like,” Deputy Lowenthal said, “then maybe your role-player would look like that. I don’t know, would you call that politically incorrect?”

The Homeland Security Department, have helped shape the program’s focus and see it as preparing the Explorers as potential employees.

________

And I ask you- where are OUR training camps?!

Support Anarchist News Dot Org

A great source of news/information is Anarchist News Dot Org.
I highly encourage you to check them out.
I also encourage anyone who can to give them some needed money.

_____

An example of some news I got from Anarchist News Dot Org today is that Alliance Defense Fund, a notorious anti-womyn, anti-queer, racist organization is suing Bash Back!, Bash Back! Lansing and some individuals because they cannot get criminals charges brought against them.
I am curious how this will play out. Suing a decentralized anarchist group.
ADF deserves some more 'attention' from us.

metal = funny

Always shower before eating cake


Aside from everyone already hating Lars, don'tcha get the feeling a crazy Euro still lives deep inside his egomaniacal brain?

"The Body"

Don't worry, I am still an anarchist but Jesse Ventura is just so enjoyable to listen to.

Not About Asher Roth

This goes out to all my FRIENDS who think it is ok to be racist, sexist, and/or homophobic because it is just funny.

"...deliberately acting racist as a way to show that we're not racist, because we think we need to prove to everyone that being past racism means being freed from the unfair burden of ever having to care how we affect eachother."

Burning Fight Weekend

Brian Peterson wrote a book about 90's hardcore entitled Burning Fight. As part of the book release celebration, a show was put on at Pomona's Glasshouse on 5/9/09.

We drove down to Southern CA and met up with Mr. Ben Edge for the amazing weekend.

The festivities kicked off with a "secret" show at The Che Cafe in San Diego on 5/8/09. There was a long line of people waiting to see if the alotted friends/family spots were not all taken. We were lucky enough to get in on such a list. ;) I don't know how many people sell out The Che but it was packed full, the stage was difficult to see, and people were climbing on and hanging from the rafters.

The following day, it seemed like thousands of HC kids had taken over Pomona. Along with this show being the West Coast book release, it was also a benefit for The Che, Planned Parenthood, and other organizations in Eric Allen's name. I saw friends old and new. As with the night before, the crowd was great. I just wish The Glasshouse had a sound system fitting a venue that size and got rid of the lame ass barricade and power hungry staff/security.

PORTRAITS OF PAST:

It is always great to see such nice guys who I have known for so long. I thoroughly enjoyed their sets which were very similar to the ones played at their initial reunion shows. Rex (guitar) was one of the top performers on stage either night. Their inclusion (at the request of Jose Palafox after Jenny Piccolo's cancellation) helped make the night feel like the 90's for me.

THREADBARE:

Threadbare had never made it to California while still together. Their arrival was highly anticipated by many. That vocalist sure can fuckin scream.

UNDERTOW:


When I first moved to CA in 1991, I met a girl who made me a mixtape to bring me up to speed on HC. The band which instantly clicked for me was Seattle's Undertow. It was great to see them pull this reunion off so tight. While many of the vocalists were shaking off the rust from the years, Pettibone shown through like the well oiled metal machine he is. Their set was the highlight in Pomona!

SWING KIDS:

I saw Swing Kids once at Gilman during what the drunk punx called "chaos days." It was extremely violent and I even grabbed the mic at one point to yell at people. I wasn't sure how much the Unbroken crowd would actually go off for Swing Kids but they sure fuckin did. They sounded better than I ever remember them sounding in the 90's. I could definitely feel the jazz influence. The droning cover of "Warsaw" closed Pomona's show with an emotional ferocity that suited them well.

UNBROKEN:

When I first saw Unbroken in the mid-90's, I was shocked and confused by the pompadours and western shirts. Cue Morrissey's "My Love Life"... Some influences ride a wave and then fade. It is safe to say that Unbroken didn't create a wave but an undying influence in HC aesthetic equal to that of Youth Of Today. This was more than obvious in the audience that was a sea of pomade and Moz worship. I couldn't see anything but piles of bodies at The Che. At The Glasshouse, Unbroken brought out Eric Allen's mother who thanked everyone. The spirit of Eric Allen, Unbroken's guitar player who committed suicide, was undeniable throughout Unbroken's set. Everyone went nuts.

_____

There were way too many photographers/videographers for my taste. One photographer whose work I really dig, Matt Miller, had multiple flashes set up through both venues that just ended up blinding the audience every time they went off. It was so annoying, many people shouted for him to turn them off in San Diego. I even asked him face-to-face to do so but he just insisted the photos would be good. (I will post a link to his Southern CA photos as soon as he posts them.)

It is as if documentation of the event was more important than experiencing the event. Society Of The Spectacle, anyone?

_____

Some reflection on my weekend made me realize how much this HC subculture really is a culture... My culture. I felt like I belonged. It is difficult to now re-enter the "normal" world and 'fake it.' I don't want to lose the feelings I felt this past weekend. I wish we had viable excuses to have such huge events that bring us all together more often. It was wonderful seeing you all, friends... brothers and sisters.

_____

I encourage you all to check out the Burning Fight book. It is an exhaustive amount of info and has something for anyone who was involved in or is interested in hardcore punk from the early to mid 1990's. Glancing through it as I have, I was reminded of all kinds of stuff I had forgotten. Hardcore didn't die in 1986.

__________

In addition to all the hardcore, we also found more than enough time to gorge our bellies full of amazing vegan food. For the highlights:
M CAFE
PURE LUCK
STEPHANIE'S BAKERY
MADELEINE BISTRO

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I used photos by myself, Keith Barney, and Dan Rawe.
Thank you: Mel, Ben, Florence, Mark Undertow, Jose Palafox, Alison, and everyone else.

Star Trek: My FanBoy Review & The Loophole I Love

I am a Star Trek fan. A pretty hardcore one. A "trekkie" or "trekker" or whatever weirdos want to call us. Like any good fan, I saw the new film, Star Trek, on opening day.

I understood this was a re-envisioning of The Original Series (my least favorite of all Trek series or films). I understood it involved time travel (a plot device I abhor). So any expectations were only high in regards to the new look and feel. I wanted to like it very badly and I did like it almost all the way through.
I couldn't help but feel like the film was throwing out overly obvious bones to fanboys in hopes of hooking us where the fast paced action and hot young crew did not. Of course, The Original Series and all Trek films with this crew were heavy on the camp and humor, so I rolled with it.

In the end, I felt like a snobbish jaded fanboy who complains about everything. I just could not get over the fundamental changes made to Spock and his world, Vulcan. I looked and looked for a way to let it go and just like the damn film. I think I found it...
In most cases in sci fi and films in general when time travel occurs it is to stop any changes from affecting the known future. Any changes either end up in some sort of "destiny" loop or are minor. Star Trek's villain succeeds in altering the timeline significantly! From there on out, it is not the timeline we know of Trek... It is, yes, an alternate reality!
J.J. Abrams is so good at loopholes!

Of course, I might still ask why this film was even made.

LA Weekly: The best review I have found
Videogum: A good Star Trek analysis
The Onion: Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As Fun and Watchable

I also encourage any fan of Trek to find the online comic prequel. That ruled!

Burning Fight

It's been a while... See you all soon.

A Brief Chat v.2

Due to some difficulties and shoddy linking...

Everything Is Dangerous posted a "brief chat" between a guy named Joshua Stephens and my friend/comrade, Harjit Singh Gill. The dialogue brings up some points that very much need addressing within North American anarchist circles. I HIGHLY encourage you all to check it out, engage the discussion (online or better yet- in person amongst friends/comrades), and help build a future.

"I think it’s imperative anarchists and socialists of all stripes up the ante on their level of understanding with regard to capitalism. Pretending it will collapse while we sit on our hands is naive at best."

"Much of the most visible self-identified anarchist milieu in this country was produced by the punk scene. And the punk scene largely provides what is a generally age-appropriate politics of negation. It's necessary, at a certain stage, to say "no" or (better yet) "fuck you" to any number of traditions, institutions, etc. that get hoisted onto us. Straighedge, veganism -- things that have served me quite well, mind you -- are effectively a politics of what one doesn't do. They line up nicely with the purity/athenticity debates that result when perfectly reasonable skepticism about co-optation devolves into mindless pablum. But eventually, one has to come around to grapple with what one is willing to say "yes" to."

" The terms of the conversation need to be less about the righteousness of hedonistic and individualist impulses, and more about our collective responsibility."