Filed under: Anarchism, Anti-War, Capitalism, Cartoon, Environmental Activism, Recommended Reading | Tags: comic, ecocidal, enviromentalism, funny, green, joke, laugh, minimum, police, Protest, security
Usually radical attempts to ape mainstream culture go awry. We usually just don’t have enough of us paying attention to basic culture in order to set up anything strictly for fun.
Minimum Security however appears to have dodged that bullet, and has been posting green-anarchist leaning comics since 2007. The comics manage to be clever, entertaining, and rarely preachy. Addressing issues like the perils of working with the liberals, the hypocrisy of most “green” business, and the futility of most mainstream protest, Stephanie McMillan has been keeping it real while keeping it entertaining.
Filed under: Anarchism, Capitalism, Cartoon, Environmental Activism, Gender, Health, Race | Tags: aim, american indian, debt, Food, healthcare, indian, na, native american, native peoples, taxes
Is it weird that I think he may be on to something?
Filed under: Breaking News, Capitalism, Environmental Activism | Tags: bp. exxon. mobil, deepwater horizon, gulf coast, gulf of mexico, oil, oil spill, shell
In case you haven’t been paying attention- the Gulf Coast is fucked. Royally. A number of people are taking to the streets and doing something about it.
Now, for the most part we like protest. It is good when people feel strongly enough about something to actually DO something about it instead of just bitching.
But are we missing the point? BP aren’t the only bad guys here, they are just the ones getting caught (right now anyway). So if we boycott BP, shame BP, or otherwise chastise them, we really aren’t changing anything are we? We are just giving Exxon a bigger share, and lining Shell’s pockets.
In this case, like so many others, we need to keep our eyes on the real issue- our entire corrupt society, not just one broken cog.
Filed under: Capitalism, Cartoon, Environmental Activism | Tags: cap and trade, carbon offsetting, climate change, climate crisis, copenhagen, enviromentalism, global warming, polution
A global Cap and Trade agreement is currently on the forefront of many capitalists solution for climate change.
Don’t totally understand what Cap and Trade is?
http://ordinarywords.com/capandtrade/
Filed under: Environmental Activism, Video | Tags: 2012 Olympics, REM it's the end of world as we know it
I got this from submedia
Filed under: Anarchism, Anarchists You Should Know, Capitalism, Environmental Activism, Law Enforcement | Tags: activist, Anarchism, anarchist, anarchy, battle of seattle, earth liberation front, elf, g-8, international day of action against global capitalism, oregon, prisoner, reclaim the streets, rob los ricos, robert thaxton, world trade organization, wto
Robert Thaxton (born December 31, 1959) is an anarchist theorist and activist sentenced to seven years in prison for an incident at a Reclaim the Streets protest in Eugene, Oregon on June 18, 1999. Many have argued that his sentence was excessive and was intended to intimidate other protesters.
Thaxton (who also used the name Rob los Ricos) participated in the “International Day of Action Against Global Capitalism”, a Reclaim the Streets action in Eugene. On September 3, 1999, he was convicted of assault and riot, based on the charge that he threw a rock at a police officer. His plea of self-defense was rejected. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. While there were protests in more than 140 cities around the world that day against the G-8 summit being held in Cologne, Germany, Thaxton is said to have received the longest sentence of any participant. That protest was said to be an important precursor to the 1999 protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle, Washington.
During his imprisonment at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Oregon, he has tangled with prison authorities, who charge that he is involved with the Earth Liberation Front. A long time author and political organizer in cities throughout the United States, Thaxton is also notable as one of few publicly acknowledged people of color imprisoned for his activities in the high-profile 1990′s Pacific Northwest anti-globalization movement. His case, actions and writings have also been important in the movement’s discussions of non-violence and prisoner support.
Rob is the author of a zine entitled Manufacturing Dissent and co-author, with fellow prisoner Jeff Luers, of Heartcheck. Rob is reachable at #12112716, MCCF, 4005 Aumsville Highway, Salem, OR 97310.
Filed under: Anarchism, Environmental Activism, Organizer Resources, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: Anarchism, anarchist, anarchy, book, books, crimethinc, Emma Goldman, free, libraries, library, Noam Chomsky
From CrimethInc.:
Libraries are truly wonderful: free-to-use public spaces, filled with thousands of books from every gamut of human existence, existing to serve anyone who walks through their doors.
Of course, a library is only as good as the books on its shelves, and we are making every effort to get our books onto the shelves of as many libraries as possible. We have spent a fair amount of our resources towards this direction (obtaining ISBN numbers, making the books available from a major book distributor, etc.) but the final move is up to you.
Even if we had the desire, there is no way we would be able to institute a marketing campaign on the level necessary to get the attention of librarians and convince them to stock the books as is the norm in the book industry; so as usual, we are taking a nontraditional, grassroots approach that uses generosity and voluntary action in place of money and marketing sleight of hand.
Libraries are delightfully responsive to properly filled out book request slips, and in fact a fair amount of books purchased by libraries are the result of requests made by library patrons. Simply go to the library, ask for book purchase request forms and fill them out properly (see right), and odds are the library will procure the books you request. Of course, the more people who request the book at any given library, the more likely it is they will pick it up. Also, you can do this at several libraries in your city, including both public and university libraries.
As a result of your actions, anyone will be able to find out about and read these books for free, and if you ask me, I think we owe it—to all of the shy teenagers, homeless philosophers and desperate seekers—to all who are looking to the shelves for a way out of this reality. Ideas should never be held hostage by the dollar sign, and we thank you for helping us to make these free for anyone to read, in every city, in every library.
Practical Tips
The key ingredient in having success at this is to fill out the form as perfectly and completely as possible—presenting an appealing and simple task for the librarian to follow through on. Use neat handwriting and provide answers to every question on the form. HERE we have included all the information as it should appear on the form to facilitate an error-free database look-up. Most request slips ask for your address and sometimes library card number, etc., it is best to fill this out as truthfully as you feel comfortable with. Also, if you are not a member of the library, it would help to become one before filling out the form, and it is free anyway! The more serious they believe your request to be, the more likely it will be filled. OK, that should cover all the bases—I am sure you could have figured out all this on your own, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to go over it. Good luck, and carry forth!
It can’t hurt! And it doesn’t have to just be CrimethInc. books. Think your library could use something a little more spicy? Is Mr. Noam Chomsky conspicuously absent from the shelves? Then request it! Plus once it is on the shelves you can leave a note card inside in an attempt to reach out to interested parties in your area!
Filed under: Anarchism, Anarchists You Should Know, Environmental Activism, Law Enforcement | Tags: alf, animal liberation front, arson, craig marshall, earth liberation front, elf, free, jeff, jeff "free" luers, luers, oregon, political prisoner, Prison, suv
Jeff “Free” Luers is an anarchist and environmental activist from Eugene, Oregon currently serving a twenty-two year prison sentence for arson. In 2000 he set fire to three SUV’s as a protest against global warming along with Craig Marshall, who was sentenced to five and a half years. Supporters argue that he is a political prisoner, due to his abnormally long sentence; they point out that sentences for arson and even crimes such as rape are generally much shorter, and that Luers was not endangering any human being, only destroying property in an act of direct action.
Jeff Luers describes the motivation for his act: “In an act of resistance designated to raise awareness and draw attention to a problem that affects every human being, every animal, every plant, and every form of life on this planet. I am speaking of global warming, air, soil and water pollution. We are in the midst of a global environmental crisis.”
He has become a cause célèbre among anarchists, radicals, anti-prison activists, and people associated with the Earth Liberation Front despite the fact that he has denied concrete affiliation with the ELF.
Each year since his imprisonment, there has been some call to action in his support around the anniversary of his sentencing. On June 12th, 2004, there were demonstrations in several places in the United States, along with events in other countries. There were also a number of concerts, video showings, and dinners to raise support for Luers. In Moscow, supporters spray painted “Free Jeff Luers!” on a wall outside of the American Embassy. The FBI issued a warning to various businesses and media outlets that actions it calls “eco-terrorism” might have occurred around this date. No such actions occurred, and activists claimed that the FBI was using scare tactics to intimidate its opponents. A similar “Weekend of Resistance” took place from June 10th to 12th of 2005, with actions occurring worldwide.
Filed under: Environmental Activism, How-To | Tags: fridge, green energy, hot water, off the grid, refridgerator, solar energy, solar hot water heater
Something we haven’t brought you in a long time: A How To!
Admittedly this isn’t the simplest of projects, and probably not for everyone. But it is a re-appropriation of “junk” materials, it takes the means of production to the consumer, and will save you a pretty penny on your energy bills.
As and aside, we haven’t tried this yet on our own. So don’t blame us if it doesn’t work.
Filed under: Capitalism, Environmental Activism, Food, Organizer Resources, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: bookmooch, books, library, radical
Bookmooch is a not-for-profit book website where users can list books they own, but don’t want, and exchange them for books they do want. This can be a valuable resource for organizers, or people looking to get their hands on text that otherwise (for financial or political reasons) would be out of their reach.
For example, as you can see HERE, HERE, and HERE, there are plenty of radical texts available on this site for free. Not Wikisource free, where you have to read it off the computer or pay to print, but a real, honest bound book, simply for getting rid of a book you didn’t want anymore anyway.
Here is how it works: When you join BookMooch, you can list books you have available that you are willing to part with. If someone wants a book (and they will, I have only been a member for a few weeks and I already have sent/received eight books) you’ve listed, they request it through the website and provide you with their address. You then ship it (usually only $2-$3 within the U.S.) to them, and you receive one point. With that point you can browse the website, find something you want, and request it, continuing the cycle.
I know that sounds complicated, but trust me, it is very intuitive, and most importantly very easy. But this resource isn’t just for spreading radical literature. Even if you only list Michael Crichton books, and only request Rachel Ray cookbooks*, you are still fighting rabid consumerism, helping artists, and doing something better for the environment. How? Firstly you are focusing on using resources efficiently rather than blindly buying. Since you are giving an otherwise unwanted book an new life, you are keeping it out of the landfill, and you aren’t giving your money to the mega-conglomerate bookstores that are slowly driving neighborhood bookstores out of business.
So, you get a book for free (well, the cost of shipping), clean out room in your back room, and support alternatives to capitalism? Sounds like a good day to me!
*Actually this is a delicious recipe. Enjoy.
