Today's Topics:
1. Britain, afed: Leicester AF discussion meetings by Nick
(London) (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. Greece, mauroko kkino 1936 - "Black & Red": T-DNA hand NIBE
t else or else the state winks, the para-running - Antifascist
antifascist alarm (gr) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. Workers Solidarity Movement (Ireland): This lunchtime the
High Court ordered residents and housing campaigners of the
squatted Apollo House building to immediately leave or face
arrest. (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Romania, iasromania: PATRIOTISM: A THREAT TO FREEDOM - EMMA
GOLDMAN By RAVNA (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. Poland, rozbrat, National Union of Workers' Initiative --
Racism in Polish, racist state! rozbrat.org (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
6. US, ideas and action: A Grassroots Union During the Working
Class Insurgency of the Early '70s By Tom Wetzel
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
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Message: 1
Organised by Leicester group of the Anarchist Federation: Meetings take place at 7pm on
the last Wednesday of the month at the Regent Sports & Social Club, 102 Regent Road,
Leicester LE1 7DA (a short walk from Leicester train station). ---- 25th January 2017 - Is
the working class movement dead? ---- What is the role of pro-revolutionaries in the
current social, political and economic climate? ---- 22nd February - 100th anniversary of
the Russian revolution ---- What can we learn from it? What has been its effect on the
workers' movement between 1917 and the present day? ---- 29th March - How could a
libertarian communist society meet people's needs and desires? ---- What are the
objections to a communist/anarchist/socialist society and how can they be responded to?
https://afed.org.uk/leicester-af-discussion-meetings/
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Message: 2
It is no coincidence that the fascist worms trying to get out of their holes once again,
using every kind of trick that consistent forces of fascist and anarchist movement not to
stop again "fiesta" them, as they do for some time. So although the fascists call against
immigration and funny and forces movement that put them in place, this time at the
invitation does not refer the gathering place, because every time you tried to xemytisei,
found us in front of them. ---- We know well that when the state evacuates squats
immigrants roof opens the way the fascists to attack. When the state leads the subjects of
migration even deeper into invisibility, then opens the fascists to kanivalisoun (see.
Chios). When the state is rooted misery in the social fabric and misery, then the fascists
trying to unleash their hatred towards humanity, towards the other, to the plebeians and
those who resist.
So when the state goes hand in hand with the deep state is time to defeat barbarism, this
same that have targeted children to win to avenge (whether they are refugee or are
anarchists children) and flushes the dregs of this earth. Whether Frederick for fascists
supposedly indignant unfortunately parents or leftist governments and juvenile prosecutors
in old and new paidoupoleis within dungeons held by counter-terrorism within the camps of
cartons and closed for some schools.
To continue hoped to sweep away our oppressors, to sweep away those who hate humans.
Antifascist preselection 8/1 9.30 in Ag. Venizelos will move wherever the fascists are.
TO AVOID THE xemytisei FASCISTS FROM THE HOLES
TO DO THEIR AFISOUSME inch EARTH
FOR LIFE AND FREEDOM
Collegiality for social anarchism "Black and Red", a member of the Anarchist Political
Organisation APO
https://maurokokkino1936.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/
------------------------------
Message: 3
In response hundreds of people came down the the long vacant office block and formed a
human chain around it. We were there and recorded the entire chain as it surrounded the
block. ---- https://www.facebook.com/WorkersSolidarityMovement/videos/1704363016256171/
---- One of our members present penned the following thoughts; ---- Apollo House is the
single point of light that emerged from an otherwise dismal year, a centennial year of
significance, which gave us so little to be proud of. Homelessness, in spite of being a
significant symptom of all that is wrong in our society, is both ignored and tolerated.
Fortunately the sight of the homeless masses did not get in the way of the centenary
celebrations of what a great little republic we have grown up to be.
The actions of the Irish Housing Network and the alliance of supporters which has become
known as Home Sweet Home, has taken over an ugly brutalist building and former dole office
on Tara Street, and gave homeless people hope of a fresh start. What it has also done is
shone a light on the inhumane bureaucratic approach of this to dealing with people who
live on the streets. Getting people who have no bed for the night, to phone a free phone
number in order to secure one for a single night, only to be thrown back out into the dark
pre-dawn streets to do it all again the next day. Apollo House is the golden lamp that
emerges from 2016 – and that’s why it has touched the people of Ireland, and been so
massively supported. It is an example of what this state should do to support the
dispossessed, and would have been a far more fitting tribute than having parades or concerts.
This is what a Statute Liberty in Ireland of 2017 has to say
‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,’ get them to
individually phone this free phone number, and I MAY give them a rolled up mattress in a
communal dangerous space for one night.’
For the last couple of years the greatest gatherings of humanity at night in Dublin have
all been around the soup kitchens on Grafton Street, College Green and the GPO. Occupying
a building, turning it into a hostel, where you can give people the basic human dignity of
shelter is apparently radical. How have we gotten to a point where this simple solution is
immediately condemned by all authority and where the law, hand in glove with the State,
moves swiftly to spit people back out onto the streets. It is a common story of greed,
exploitation, a hierarchy of interests, and unfortunately for the homeless, they don’t
count. Literally, they are not counted, because that statistic, much like their existence,
is inconvenient but necessary. It all is part of the ideology that is ever present but
never spoken of.
If we turn the clock back only a few months, to October, within the space of two days, we
can reveal what is the motivation of those who pull the levers. On the 10th of October,
Cerberus, a US based private equity firm, (Vulture Capitalists to give them their proper
title) picked up an impaired loan book from Ulster bank for an undisclosed sum. Amongst
that loan book was 900 mortgages of owner occupied houses. Family homes to you and me. 95%
of those homes are in arrears of two years or more, and all would be in court proceedings,
or as the bank call it ‘legal proceedings.’
So what happens now? Well those people get taking to court, by the Cerberus and they’ll
have their houses taken back of them. That creates additional families who end up in
emergency accommodation or worse still, adds to the growing numbers of homelessness.
The next day, on the 11th of October, Simon Coveney, the Minister for Housing, announces...
A 40% increase in homeless funding from €70m this year to €98m in 2017 will ensure that
the increased demand for emergency homeless services is effectively addressed and will
assist in supporting homeless households with long term and sustainable housing solutions.
(Dept. Coveney announces transformational housing budget)
This is the government response to the crisis; to put more money into dealing with the
symptom, rather than tackling the source of this disease, the repossession of family
homes. The Central bank published that by the end of September 2016 the banks/lenders had
repossessed 1,698 principal dwelling houses (Central Bank Statistical Release). When you
strip it back from the jargon, it means that 4 family homes a day being repossessed
according to Focus Ireland. The government response was to give more in relation to
emergency accommodation because as a good friend points out, emergency accommodation
measures are simply ‘good for the market.’ Having a people in total fear of being
homeless, causes people to pay more in rent, and the landlords grin and stuff their
pockets. Interesting to note that our Minister for Housing is a landlord, and here we get
to the crux of this. Having money invested in emergency homelessness, and the money that
goes to hotels, bed and breakfasts, even to the services themselves, means that the market
continues unimpeded by the social implications of the action. Good news for landlords,
hotels, builders and business. It will continue to be bad news for tenants, mortgage
defaulters; people. The ideologues, the neo-liberals, successive governments like to see
the market continue unchecked. That is an ideological decision. It is not surprising that
landlords, bondholders, hotel owners, make those decisions. Capitalism is full flow,
untethered and people are damned into living with the consequences.
It is not complicated to actually tackle this problem, but let us do that and not just
pick up the tab for the symptoms whilst making rich people richer in the process.
Let me bullet point this for all
1. Build more houses
This is a straight forward proposition, which again the ideologues have a difficult time
translating into action. We can only judge them by the fact that they managed a grand
total of 334 social houses in 2015. (The Journal Fact check Feb 9th) And what I mean is
actually build the houses, employ builders to do this job and complete homes for families
who are on the social housing list. Not changing planning regulations so that we can
attract private developers in to do the work for us so that we can then take a few houses
off them at the end of their profitable venture and put them into the social housing stock!
2. Stop the banks from repossessing homes
This requires an understanding of history, but it is recent history. Between 2008 -2014,
Ireland spent €60 Billon support our defunct banking system. (Dr. Julien Mercille –Chapter
3 of the C&AG report 2014) and the interest yearly costs us €1 billon. Given that we know
this, why are the same banks permitted to sell the impaired loans of family homes to
capitalist firms so the vultures can make people homeless? See Ulster bank story: 10th
Oct. referred to above.
The answer my friends, is ideological. Capitalism and the markets are allowed to continue
unchecked. Sure there will be ‘collateral’ damage, people will get made homeless, but in
the short term the narrative is that we are in ‘recovery’. The markets and economy is
recovering, and this we are told of is more importance. There is also a sinister unspoken
moral judgement in the midst of this narrative; that the people who end up living on the
streets have in some way brought this on themselves.
Within the ideology there is this reliance on the experts and we hear frequent calls to
‘logic’. There are spin doctors busily weaving stories about the dangers of simple
solutions to complex problems. The illustration of a complex problem is the fact that it
appears totally illogical that buildings which are unoccupied and in the possession of the
National Asset Management Agency, (us the people) have to be left abandoned when we have a
growing army of homeless in the streets.
That is the beauty of Apollo House, an action that cut through the Gordian knot, and
showed us all the truth and the consequences of their non-interference with the market.
Apollo House is an example of when break through the wall of nonsense propaganda and
expose Capitalism in all its ugly inhumane nature for the beast that it is. The cost of
policies is homelessness, misery, addictions, and lives destroyed. Apollo house exposes
these entrails and damage and make it visible. It screams that something has to be done,
but it does something better. It does not ask permission, it was a call to action, and it
brings with it the promise of a better future.
Apollo house is an example of people themselves putting in place a society, based on the
needs people who have nothing. It is a living embodiment of how society should be run, in
the interests of people, meeting their needs and progressing on towards reaching other
goals. But the ideologues are determined to shut that down. We only win what we can hold
onto, so Apollo house has to be fought for. If it shuts down more will appear, because the
idea at the heart of this is that society has to be run in the interests of people. The
days of feeding the beast of capital are numbered.
------------------------------
Message: 4
" What is patriotism? It is the love for his birthplace, the place of childhood memories
and the hopes, dreams and aspirations? Is where the specific naivety of childhood,
watching clouds and we were wondering why we can not run so fast. Instead we counted
billions of bright stars, terrified lest each "eye to be," penetrating even lower depths
of our souls? It's where listening to music birds, wings and longed to fly, as they, to
distant lands? Or where the mother was sitting on his knee, charmed by the wonderful
stories about the deeds and achievements? In short, it is the love for the place, each
representing centimeter dear and precious recollections of a happy childhood, happy and
full of play? ---- If this were patriotism, few Americans today it would be required to be
patriots, since the playground was transformed into a factory, plant, and mine, while the
sounds of thundering of machinery have replaced the music of birds. We can not hear any
stories of great deeds, for the stories we tell our mothers today are just about pain,
tears and tribulations.
What then is patriotism?
"Patriotism, sir, is the last refuge of scoundrels," said dr. Johnson. Lev Tolstoy, the
greatest anti-patriot of our times, defines patriotism as the principle that will justify
mass training of criminals; an occupation that requires better equipment for the killing
men than conducting such necessities of life as shoes, clothes and homes; a trade that
guarantees better earnings and greater glory than that of common laborer.
Gustave Herve, another great anti-patriot, correctly called patriotism a superstition -
one far more injurious, brutal and inhumane than religion. Superstition and religion
originated in man's inability to explain natural phenomena. That is, when primitive man
heard thunder or saw the lightning, they could not explain it either, and therefore
concluded that behind them must be a greater force than his. Likewise, he saw a
supernatural force in the rain and the various changes in nature. Patriotism, on the other
hand, is a superstition artificially created and maintained through a network of lies and
forgeries; a superstition that robs man's self-respect and dignity, and his arrogance and
conceit intensifies.
Indeed conceit, arrogance and egotism are essential for patriotism. Allow me to
illustrate. Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each
surrounded by an iron gate. Those who were fortunate enough to be born in a certain place,
it is considered better, nobler, grander, more intelligent than the living beings
inhabiting any other spot. It is therefore the duty of everyone of those who live in that
place chosen to fight, kill and die in an attempt to impose his superiority upon all the
others.
Residents of other places judges in the same manner, of course, with the result that in
infancy, the child's mind is poisoned with horrifying stories about Germans, French,
Italians, Russians, etc. When the child reaches adulthood is perfect enough of faith is
chosen by God Himself to defend the country against any foreign attack or invasion. To
this end Shout for an army and a navy larger, more battleships and ammunition. To this end
America spent a short time in four hundred million dollars. Just think about it - four
hundred million dollars taken from the production people. For certainly not the rich
contribute to patriotism. They are cosmopolitan feeling as well in any country. America
know us very well indeed. Are not our rich Americans Frenchmen in France, Germans in
Germany, or Englishmen in England? And do not waste it with a cosmopolitan grace fortunes
made by American children working in factories and cotton plantations slaves? Yes, theirs
is the patriotism that will make it possible to send messages of condolence to a despot
like Russian Tsar, when any misfortune befalls him, as did President Roosevelt on behalf
of his people when Sergius was punished by Russian revolutionaries.
Patriotism is one that will help the killer sinister Diaz, destroying thousands of lives
in Mexico, or will provide support for the arrest revolutionaries Mexicans on American
soil and will keep them incarcerated in US prisons without the slightest justification or
reason.
But then, patriotism is not for those who represent wealth and power. Good enough for the
people. It reminds you of historical wisdom of Frederick the Great, intimate friend of
Voltaire, who said: "Religion is a scam, but must be maintained for the masses."
That patriotism is rather a costly institution, no one will doubt after following
statistics will consider. The progressive increase spending armies and navies major world
over the past quarter century is a fact of such gravity that it concerned wincing any
student of economic problems. It can be briefly indicated by dividing time between 1881
until 1905 in five years, and by observing spending several great nations for military
purposes during the first and last of these periods. From the first to the last of the
periods observed, costs the UK increased from $ 2,101,848,936 to $ 4,143,226,885, of
France from $ 3,324,500,000 to $ 3,455,109,900, of Germany from $ 725,000,200 to $
2,700,375,600, US from $ 1,275,500,750 to $ 2,650,900,450, of Russia from $ 1,900,975,500
to $ 5,250,445,100, of Italy from $ 1,600,975,750 to $ 1,755,500,100, while those of Japan
from $ 182,900,500 to $ 700,925,475.
Military expenditure of each of those nations have increased in each of the periods of
five years counted. The entire range of 1881-1905 investments British army to have
quadrupled, US tripled, Russia doubled, of Germany increased by 35%, of France by around
15% and Japan with almost 500%. If we compare the costs of these nations for their own
armies with their total expenditure for the entire period of 25 years ending in 1905, the
proportion will increase as follows:
In the UK from 20% to 37%; the United States from 15 to 23; in France from 16 to 18; in
Italy from 12 to 15; Japan from 12 to 14. On the other hand it is interesting to note that
in Germany the percentage dropped from about 58% to 25, the decrease being due to the
enormous growth of imperial expenditures for other purposes, the fact is that military
spending for the period 1901-1905 were higher than for any previous period of five years.
Statistics show that countries where military expenditures are the highest as a percentage
of total national income, are the UK, the US, Japan, France, and Italy, in that order.
Presentation of costs for major navies is equally impressive. During the 25 years ending
in 1905 naval expenditures increased approximately as follows: UK 300%; France 60%; 600%
Germany; United States 525%; Russia 300%; Italy 250%, 700% and Japan. Except Britain, the
United States spends more on the military than any other nation Marine, and this expense
represents a higher percentage of national expenditure than happens any other power. In
the period 1881-1885, expenditure for the US Navy was $ 6.20 of every $ 100 earmarked for
all national purposes; amount increased to $ 6.60 in the next five years, then to $ 8.10
in the next, $ 11.70 and $ 16.40 in the next period 1901-1905. It is morally certain that
investments for the current period of five years will show yet another increase.
Rising costs of militarism can be illustrated by calculating them as a tax per capita on
the population. From the first to the last five-year periods taken as a basis for
comparison given here has increased as follows: In the United Kingdom from $ 18.47 to $
15.51; in the US from $ 5.62 to $ 13.64; in Russia from $ 6.14 to $ 8.37; Italy from $
9.59 to $ 11.24 and in Japan from 86 cents to $ 3.11.
In connection with this rough estimate of the cost burden per capita is the highest
militarism. Irresistible conclusion from available data is that rising costs for military
rapidly than population growth in each of the countries considered. In other words, a
continuation of the increased demands of militarism threatens each of those nations with a
progressive exhaustion of both people and resources.
A terrible waste that patriotism requires should be sufficient to cure this disease even
man with average intelligence. Yet patriotism claim even more. People are forced to be
patriotic and for that luxury charged by supporting not only "defending" them, but even by
sacrificing their children. Patriotism requires allegiance to the flag, which translates
into obedience and readiness to kill a father, a mother, a
brother, a sister.
Usual argument is that we need a standing army to protect the country from foreign
invasion. Every man smart and intelligent woman knows, however, that this is a myth
maintained to frighten and coerce the foolish. Governments the world, knowing each other's
interests, not invade each other. They learned that they can get much more through
international arbitration of disputes than by war and conquest. Indeed, as Carlyle said,
"War is a conflict between two thieves too cowardly to bear alone the fighting; therefore
boys come from different villages, they wore uniforms, equip them with weapons and send
them away like some wild beasts against each other. "It does not take much wisdom to trace
every war in history by a similar case. Take for example our Spanish-American War, a great
and patriotic event, supposedly, in US history. How our hearts boil with indignation
against the terrible Spanish. Indeed, our indignation has erupted spontaneously. It was
fueled by months of newspaper agitation, and long after Butcher Weyler had killed many
noble Cubans and Cuban battered women. However, to do justice to be said that the American
nation was seized with indignation and was willing to fight and fought valiantly. But when
the smoke cleared, the dead were buried, and the cost of the war has reached people
through an increase in commodity prices and rents - that is, when we awoke from patriotic
we suddenly realized that the reason the war spaniol- American was sugar price
appreciation; or, to be more explicit, that the lives, blood and money of the American
people were used to protect the interests of American capitalists, which were threatened
by the Spanish Government. That this is not an exaggeration, but based on irrefutable
facts and figures is best demonstrated by the attitude of the American government against
the Cuban working class. When Cuba was firmly in the grip of the United States, the same
soldiers who had been sent to liberate Cuba were ordered to shoot Cuban workers during the
great strikes of workers in cigar industry, which took place shortly after the war.
Nor are we the only ones waging war for such causes. Curtain begins to be raised to the
motives of the terrible Russo-Japanese War, which cost so much blood and tears. And we see
again how behind fierce Moloch of war is even more ferocious god of Commerce. Kuropatkin,
the Russian minister of war during the Russo-Japanese struggle, disclosed the true secret
behind it. Czar and Grand Dukes investing money in concessions Korean War forced for the
sole purpose of quickly accumulate great wealth.
The argument that a standing army is the best assurance of peace is as logical as the
claim that the most peaceful citizen is one who walks armed hard. Everyday life experience
fully demonstrates that the armed individual is always eager to try their force. The same
is true of historically in the governments. Truly peaceful countries do not waste life and
energy on preparations for war, with
the result that peace is maintained.
However, the cry for an army and a navy largest not due to any external threat. It is due
to fear caused by the growing discontent of the masses and the international spirit among
workers. To meet internal enemy powers are preparing various countries; an enemy once and
being awakened consciousness, will prove more dangerous than any foreign invader.
Powers which have for centuries been involved in subjugating the masses conducted a
detailed study of their psychology. They know that the general public is like a child
whose despair, pain and tears can be transformed into joy with a toy. And the toy is
packed brighter and colors more garish, the more the child will appeal a million heads.
An army and navy represents the people's toys. To make them more attractive and
acceptable, hundreds and thousands of dollars are spent to display these toys. This was
the intention when the US government has equipped a fleet and sent it along the Pacific
coast, that every American be made to feel pride and glory of the United States. San
Francisco spent one hundred thousand dollars for hosting the fleet; Los Angeles sixty
thousand; Seattle and Tacoma about a hundred thousand. I said to house the fleet? To feast
and drink several senior officers, while the "brave boys" had to revolt to get
enough food. Yes, two hundred and sixty thousand dollars were spent on fireworks, theater
parties and carousing, while men, women and children from one end to the other of the
country were left to starve in the streets; when thousands of unemployed were ready to
sell their labor at any price.
Two hundred and sixty thousand dollars! What would not have been achieved with a sum so
enormous? But instead of bread and shelter, the children of those cities were taken to see
the fleet that remain, said a newspaper as "a lasting memory for the child."
The great thing to remember, right? Slaughter civilized instruments. If the child's mind
will be poisoned with such memories, what hope remains for a true achievement of human
brotherhood?
We Americans claim to be a peace-loving nation. Abhor bloodshed; we oppose violence. And
still we trembled with joy at the possibility of designing dynamite bombs from flying
machines upon helpless citizens of. We are willing to hang to electrocute, or lynch anyone
that the economic necessity will risk his own life in an attempt on the lives of some
industrial magnate. Yet our hearts swell with pride at the thought that America is the
most powerful nation in the world, and that will eventually place its sole iron on the
neck of other nations.
This is the logic of patriotism.
Considering the evil results that patriotism is charged for ordinary, nothing compared to
insult and offense that bestows upon the soldier's patriotism - that poor and deluded
victim of superstition and ignorance. He savior of his country, his nation defender - who
has prepared his patriotism? A life of obedience slave, vice and perversion during peace;
a life of danger, exposure and death during the war.
While I was in a recent lecture tour in San Francisco, I visited Fort, the most beautiful
place overlooking the bay and Golden Gate Park. Its use should consist of children's
playgrounds, gardens and music to recreate those exhausted. Instead it is ugly, boring and
gray because the barracks, - barracks where the rich would not allow dogs to live. In
these miserable shanties soldiers are gathered like cattle; here they waste their youth,
shining boots and brass buttons of the senior officers. And here I saw the difference
between classes be robust of a free republic, gathered in line like convicts, saluting
every passing born out of lieutenant found. American equality, degrading humanity and
ennobling uniform! (...)
The men trained in a trade seldom enter the army or navy, but even they, after a military
experience, is considered totally unfit for their previous occupations. Acquiring habits
of idleness and a penchant for sensation and adventure, not peaceful any concern can
satisfy. Release of the military, can not return to any useful work. But usually social
scum, freed prisoners and others like, are sent either to fight for life or their beliefs
in their ranks. They once completed military term, return again to the old criminal life
more brutalized and humiliated than before. It is well known that our prisons are a
significant number of former soldiers; while, on the other hand, the army and navy are
largely crowded with ex-convicts.
Of all the disastrous results that we have just described I'm so none harmful to human
integrity and spirit of patriotism produced if Soldier William Buwalda. Having foolishly
thought he could be a soldier and may exercise rights of man while military authorities
punished him severely. Indeed, he served his country for fifteen years, during which time
his record was impeccable. According Gen.Funston, who reduced Buwalda's sentence to three
years, "the first duty of an officer or enlisted man is an unquestionable obedience and
loyalty to the government, and it makes no difference if the government approves or not."
Thus Funston prints true character of the oath. According to him, the entry into force
repeals the principles of the Declaration of Independence.
What strange development of patriotism that turns a thinking being a loyal machine!
In justification of this highly immoral criminality of Buwalda, Gen. Funston send the
American people that the soldier's action was "a serious crime equal to treason." Now that
consisted in fact this "terrible crime"? Only this: William Buwalda was one of the 1,500
people who attended a public meeting in San Francisco; and, oh, horror, shook hands with
the speaker, Emma Goldman. A terrible crime, indeed, that General calls
"a massive military offensive, infinitely worse than desertion."
There may be an indictment higher against patriotism than that will mark such a man as the
killer, even throw in jail and will steal the results of fifteen years of loyal service?
Buwalda gave his country the best years of his life and even his maturity. But all this
were nothing. Patriotism is inexorable and ask, like all insatiable monsters, all or
nothing. Not admit that a soldier is also a human being who is entitled to their own
feelings and opinions to their own inclinations and ideas. No, patriotism can not admit it.
This is the lesson which Buwalda had to learn; I had to learn a bit high cost, but not
useless. When he returned to freedom, he lost his position in the army, but regained his
self-esteem. After all it's worth three years in prison. The author of a recent article
about military conditions of America, commented on the military power that has on
civilians in Germany. He said, among other things, that if our Republic has no other
purpose than guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens, would have a fair reason for
existence. I am convinced that the author was not present in Colorado during the patriotic
regime of General Bell. And probably would change opinion if they had seen how, in the
name of patriotism and the Republic, people were thrown into cells, dragged, taken across
the border, and subjected to all kinds of humiliation. Nor is that Colorado incident the
only one in the growth of military power in the United States. There is almost no strike
where troops and reservists do not come into rescuing those in power, and they do not
behave as arrogant and brutal as men wearing the Kaiser's uniform. In addition we also
have Dick military law. A forgotten by this?
An unlucky in most of our authors is that they are absolutely ignorant of current events,
or that dishonesty will not talk about these issues. And so it happened that military law
Dick was passed hastily through Congress with little discussion and even less publicity -
a law which gives the President the power to transform a citizen peacefully in a murderous
bloodthirsty, supposedly that defense, really to protect the interests of that particular
group whose spokesman is going to be President.
Our author claims that militarism will never become as big power in America as abroad,
since it is voluntary to us, while it is mandatory in the Old World. Two very important
things look, however, take into account Mr. First, that conscription has created in Europe
a deep-rooted hatred towards militarism among all classes in society. Thousands of young
recruits enlist in protest and, when you get into the army will use every opportunity to
defect. Second, that the compulsory feature of militarism is the one who created an
extraordinary anti-militarist movement, feared by European Powers far more than anything
else. After all the greatest bulwark of capitalism is militarism. When the latter is
undermined, capitalism staggers. Indeed we have compulsory military service; ie men are
not usually forced to enlist in the army, but I developed a more severe and rigid force -
necessity.
There is a fact that during industrial depressions there is a huge increase in the number
of enrollments? Occupation militarism maybe it's not profitable nor honorable, but it's
better than wandering the country in search of work, queuing for bread or sleeping in
municipal shelters. After all means thirteen US dollars per month, three meals a day and a
place to sleep. And even necessity is not a strong enough factor to bring in the army an
element of nature and humanity. No wonder that military authorities complain about "bad
material" which enlists in the army and navy. This recognition is a very encouraging
signal. It proves that there are still enough of the spirit of independence and love of
freedom that the average American would rather risk starvation than to wear the uniform.
Men and women who think around the world begin to realize that patriotism is too narrow
and limited a conception to meet the needs of our times. Centralization of power spawned a
sense of international solidarity among the oppressed nations of the world; solidarity
that represents a greater harmony of interests between worker in America and his brothers
abroad than between the US and his compatriot miner operator; a solidarity that is not
afraid of a foreign invasion, because it will bring all the workers at the point where
they will say to their masters, "Go and kill yourself. We have done it long enough for you. "
This solidarity consciousness awakens even the soldiers, and they are part of the great
human family. A solidarity that has proven infallible more than once during the fighting
of the past, and that was the impetus that led the soldiers Parisian Commune of 1871, to
refuse to obey when they were ordered to shoot at their brothers. It gave them courage men
who rebelled on Russian warships in recent years. Will result in the
last uprising of all the oppressed and downtrodden against their international exploiters.
The proletariat of Europe has realized the huge force of that solidarity and as a result,
inaugurated a war against patriotism and its bloody specter, militarism. Thousands of
people filled the prisons of France, Germany, Russia and the Scandinavian countries, for
daring to defy outdated superstition. Nor limited to the working class movement; included
the representatives from the areas of life, its main exponents being men and women
prominent in the arts, science and letters.
America will have to follow suit. The spirit of militarism has already permeated all
aspects of life. Indeed, I am convinced that militarism is a greater danger here than
anywhere because of many bribes that capitalism gives those who want to destroy them.
The beginning was already made in schools. Obviously the government claims Jesuit
conception, "Give me the child's mind and will shape the man." Children are trained in
military tactics, military achievements glory is magnified in curriculum and young minds
are perverted to suit the government. Moreover, the country is called the youth to join
the army gaudy posters and navy.
"A good opportunity to see the world!" Cried the speculator government. Thus innocent boys
are morally mistaken to believe in patriotism and military Moloch wander conquer the nation.
American worker suffered greatly at the hands of the soldier, state and federal, that is
quite justified in disgust and opposition to the parasite in uniform. In any case the mere
denunciation will not solve this big problem. What we need is a propaganda education
soldier: anti-patriotic literature that will light the real horrors of his occupation, and
that will awaken the conscience of its true relationship to the man whose labor sustains
its existence. Exactly this is the authorities fear most. Already constitute high treason
as a soldier to attend a radical meeting. Without doubt will also mark as high treason and
read by a soldier of a radical pamphlet. But then not scored authority from ancient times
to progress every step as a betrayal? But those who strive earnestly for social
reconstruction can afford easily however; for it is probably even more important to bring
truth into the barracks than the factory. When we have undermined the patriotic lie, we
will be released path for that great structure wherein all nationalities are united in
universal brotherhood - a truly free society.
https://iasromania.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/patriotismul-o-amenintare-pentru-libertate-de-emma-goldman/
------------------------------
Message: 5
The mouth of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, Mariusz Blaszczak could
hear that the events in Elk - the riots and destruction of a catering facility, after the
death of a young man - an isolated incident. When the minister spoke those words we had to
deal with the destruction of a catering facility in Lublin, the appearance of abusive
inscriptions on the wall of a mosque in Gdansk, and at least one confirmed case of assault
on a foreigner. For the accompanying events, media atmosphere, or heating racism and
Islamophobia by right-wing and nationalist portals, and comments openly to encourage
lynchings. ---- Power, however, still pretending that nothing happened, that in Poland
there is no racism. This too is found in Western Europe and is the result of the failure
of the policy of multiculturalism. For just such a reckless and ideological statements
again he won the Law and Justice deputy. He is echoed by the Minister of Justice -
Zbigniew Ziobro - which downplays the importance of racist symbols, and can have the same
phenomenon of racism, in the end, in the opinion of the Minister, it becomes the only
opposition to "the mixing of races." The authority, which has effectively orientated
countrymen against accepting refugees, today seems to be doing a step further deepening
atmosphere of intolerance and legitimizing the problem of racist violence. Clearly cited
by the Ombudsman, police statistics confirming the increase in crime and violence of the
racist base, in the language of power, quickly become mere "lewackim" gibberish, aimed to
harm the image of the country.
Measure power passively look at the so-called opposition parties. Perhaps this is due to
lack of courage to challenge the policy antyemigracyjna, or to admit that racism easiest
to develop in countries affected by the economic crisis. Ultimately, this economic reasons
several million Polish citizens decided to look for work in the countries of Western
Europe, and today against the rising tide of xenophobia, they also meet with racist
attacks, even in the UK.
In the current atmosphere that evokes the pogroms, it is especially important to apply
critical of the current policy of the EU Member States systematically avoiding
responsibility for the situation of refugees in the Middle East. Of course, at the
forefront of the Poland and Hungary, which alone have not implemented the program
reception. Thus, avoiding bear political responsibility for the destabilization of the
region including military actions and political US and NATO, which gave blind support of
successive Polish governments has led, among others, the war in Iraq and the development
of ISIS. At the same time effectively utilizing the deepening since 2008 economic crisis,
to prevent the implementation of the policy proimigracyjnej and control xenophobic moods
perfectly checkers in the role of the tools of social divisions in the workplace and on
the streets. Pursue policies of fear is an effective tool for building social consensus on
the increasing attacks and a distraction from the economic and political causes of the
crisis. It builds an atmosphere to justify racism, xenophobia and attacks on immigrants.
Our overwhelming response to the increasing violence against foreigners is essential.
Islamophobia and racism are used in the control system, which aims to introduce power.
Every year, the Polish borders exceed thousands of immigrants. This group includes both
victims of political conflicts and economic immigrants. Every man and woman has the right
to move and live anywhere in the world.
The division of people because of religion, country of origin, skin color or economic
status we consider unjustified and dangerous. Then, when the extreme right-wing sentiment
fueled antyimigrancja hysteria, politicians are pleased with the growing social divisions
through which it becomes impossible solidarity struggle for a decent life regardless of
skin color, religion, social status, gender or origin. Manipulated by the right-wing and
neo-fascist environmental public opinion, the scapegoat of every crisis is taking immigrants.
It is not immigrants are the problem, but the government, which benefits from the
so-called. "Refugee crisis" and builds on it a dangerous political capital.
For us, foreign cultural nationalism, followed by up racism and xenophobia.
"Our" civilization is one in which everyone is equal. We demand that the authorities of
the city of Poznan have implemented a local policy on migration, which will provide
foreigners residing for years in Poznan, access to equal rights, regardless of their
economic status and origin. We demand the answer to the so-called "migration crisis"
through the launch of programs receiving refugees.
Solidarity our weapon,
class struggle is not national!
http://www.rozbrat.org/publicystyka/walka-klas/4505-rasizm-po-polsku-rasizm-pastwowy
------------------------------
Message: 6
The creation of new grassroots unions was often a feature of the periods of working class
insurgency in the USA, when there were high levels of strikes. Hundreds of thousands of
workers joined unions with a more grassroots character during the period 1909 to 1922, and
again in 1933 to 1937. ---- There was a less well-known working class insurgency in the
USA also in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. There were typically about 300 strikes a year in
the ‘70s - far more than today. Many of these strikes were wildcat strikes. For example,
in 1970 there were three national wildcat strikes...on the railways, the postal system,
and over the road trucking. The postal strike was...and still is...the only national
postal strike in the history of the post office. Workers won a historic 14 percent wage
hike against Richard Nixon who tried to use the army to move the mail.
Many of the wildcat strikes of that period were strikes against the union bureaucracy as
much as against the employers.
Although there were not the huge numbers of new grassroots unions formed in the ‘60s-‘70s
as in the earlier period, there were a few projects of this kind, like the Dodge
Revolutionary Union Movement in Detroit. Another example was the Service, Office and
Retail Workers of Canada - an independent grassroots union formed by Canadian
socialist-feminists.
The ‘60s and early ‘70s was especially a period of insurgency for public sector workers in
the USA. This is the story of one of the early unions of teaching assistants, which were
part of the building of teacher unionism in that period.
In the Los Angeles area, there was a student support group for workers in local strikes
which produced a newsletter called "Picketline." At this time radicals were aware of the
student/worker action committees that had been formed in France in May 1968. For example,
this student group recruited students from UCLA where I was a student to picket for
workers in the national truckers wildcat. A judge had issued an injunction preventing the
drivers from picketing. So students picketed the trucking companies...and the workers
stood on the other side of the street cheering.
Some of the students who were doing this were graduate students who worked as teaching
assistants at UCLA. In 1970 they decided "Hey we're exploited too, so let's start our own
union."
In September 1970 I went to the initial organizing meeting for this union. There were
about 40 people in the room. So that was our initial union, our organizing committee.
There was a group at UC Berkeley also trying to form a TA union at this time and they had
gotten a charter from the AFT, so that is what we did at UCLA. But we soon ran into
bureaucratic manipulation by the AFT full-time officials.
So at that point, we disaffiliated from AFT and became an independent union - Student
Academic Employees Union (SAEU). We re-structured the union. In each department, there was
a departmental organization. These typically worked through periodic assemblies. The
assemblies elected the shop steward. The executive committee of the union was made up of
all the shop stewards plus the secretary-treasurer, who was elected union-wide. There were
no paid positions or paid staff.
During its early years, the union had maybe as many as 80 to 100 members. This was in a
"bargaining unit" with maybe 1000 people (including research assistants and bibliographers
and readers as well as TAs). We prosecuted grievances on our own - no lawyers or paid
staff, using the existing UC grievance system. For example, the theater arts department
was paying its TAs reader pay but requiring them to hold office hours, attend the
lectures, etc. We won on that grievance. One of our early campaigns was against
departments forcing people to work for free. The English department did this on the
argument it was part of your education as a future professor. I talked to my coworkers
about this but didn't seem to get much interest in joining the union in my department
(philosophy).
Finally, the faculty in my department proposed to hire two women as TAs without pay. They
were married and their family income was too high to qualify for a TAship under the rules
then in force.
Apparently, people had actually paid attention to what I was saying because I had people
coming up to me saying "We must have a meeting!" So I called a meeting which 23 of the 24
TAs in my department attended. I was working on this with two other libertarian socialists
and we prepared beforehand a proposal for an ongoing assembly-based departmental
organization. I presented the proposal at that meeting, which was accepted. We also
elected someone to negotiate with the faculty over a solution to the grievance. In this
case, we easily got the faculty to agree the two women would be hired as TAs...getting
their job experience...but would be paid the same as everyone else.
Nowadays this kind of union would be called a "minority union." Back then it was called an
"organizing union" because you are using both one-on-one conversations as well as meetings
and building campaigns around issues to build the union. The early '70s was a period when
there was a fairly high level of student radicalization, and also UC in that period was
fairly inexpensive so we had more students of working class origin than may be the case
today at UC.
The union had people with a wide variety of political views. There were independent
Marxists, members of the International Socialists, members of the Progressive Labor Party,
supporters of the Communist Party, a "Socialist-Humanist" group among history graduate
students, and a number of libertarian socialists. However, people generally supported the
militant and grassroots character of the union.
In its meetings, we often came to agreement on some proposal just by talking it through.
If we didn't reach agreement this way, then a vote would be taken. The union used majority
vote democracy to make decisions.
The union's big growth came in a major struggle against University cutbacks in 1976-77.
The administration proposed to eliminate undergrad tutoring, which was used mainly by
working class students, especially students of color. At the same time, they were
proposing to eliminate 10 percent of all TA positions. The biggest hit would be the
foreign language departments where the TAs usually taught the courses. The university was
proposing to abolish all introductory foreign language instruction. During this period the
union mounted a mobilization campaign. This included weekly production of a newsletter
"Don't Mourn, Organize!" and weekly speakouts in the quad in front of Royce Hall. The
Progressive Labor Party became something of a problem in this period as they tried to
dominate the speakouts and use them to expound their sectarian agenda. So the union had to
enact some rules to run the speakouts in a democratic way so no one would dominate.
During this period membership in the union rapidly built up to about 350 members. This was
about 75 percent of all TAs in social sciences, languages and humanities. With this level
of majority support the union was finally in a strong enough position to call a strike.
The union did not just demand that there not be layoffs. They also demanded that the
tutoring for undergrad students be retained. This was a demand for our students. Because
of this demand, the minority student organizations organized a 1000-strong demo in support
of the union on the first day of the strike. The strike took place for one week and the
union picketed all entrances to the campus. They were able to turn back many Teamster
delivery drivers, disrupting deliveries to the campus. Members of my own department did an
occupation of the chancellor's office to disrupt business there.
After the first week the administration began to make noises backtracking: "Maybe we can
find the funds to only eliminate 5 percent of the positions." At that point there was a
debate in a mass meeting of the union. More militant members who had been involved in the
occupation of the chancellor's office voiced opposition to stopping the strike. But a
majority voted to end the strike. By the end of the semester the university had completely
backtracked and no longer was proposing cutbacks in positions. So the union won on its
main demand. This union did not obtain a contract with the university. It's aim was to use
direct action to gain concessions directly, to force the university to not do certain
things. This is very basic direct unionism in action. The president of the union during
the strike, Reece Newman, is still a libertarian socialist today.
The SAEU of the 1970s is a very definite contrast to the highly top down and bureaucratic
UAW TA union that exists at UC today.
http://ideasandaction.info/2017/01/grassroots-union-working-class-insurgency-early-70s/
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