New And Improved

As well as tweaking the layout a bit, I've also got around to finally adding some links to anarchist-inspired image galleries in my 'Graphics' section.

As far as I can tell, they're all copyright-free, so use 'em to spread the word.

Not Just Good Looks...

I've managed to install Stephen Downes excellent little referrer script on this site, which means I'm no longer reliant on the Truefresco one (which is itself excellent and highly recommended if you want this sort of info and can't install the javascript on your own site, but I still found myself niggled by the ad box linking back to them).

Who's a clever boy then?

Selling Out

I've caught capitalism! Quick, send for the Molotov enema kit!

Not quite, but I have decided to include a page on this site where you can purchase revolutionary apparel and other consumer goodies and support anarchy at the same time. Check out the merchandise link under 'Navigation' in the side bar

What was it Hegel said? Thesis, antithesis, synthesis.

Diebold Defeated

Diebold are probably best-known as the company that manufactured the electronic voting machines recently used in Florida during the US elections. Prior to their use, internal Diebold documents and emails revealed grave concerns with the security of the machines.

What I hadn't realised until today is that Diebold had tried to prevent the dissemination of this info by issuing 'cease-and-desist' letters to ISP's relaying what was published in those documents. Diebold claimed copyright violation under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Center for Internet and Society Cyberlaw Clinic at Stanford Law School took legal action against Diebold after one such letter was received by the Online Policy Group (OPG) and a couple of students. Guess what? They won!

The judge, in the summing up, said

No reasonable copyright holder could have believed that the portions of the email archive discussing possible technical problems with Diebold's voting machines were proteced by copyright . . . the Court concludes as a matter of law that Diebold knowingly materially misrepresented that Plaintiffs infringed Diebold's copyright interest

Diebold have now conceded defeat and agreed to pay costs and damages.

They Lie, We Die

20 years ago today, an 'accident' at the chemical factory in Bhopal, India (then owned by the multinational death corporation Union Carbide) released a deadly gas cloud over the city's inhabitants. Tens of thousand of people were either killed or left severely disabled as a result. To date, no one has been held accountable for these deaths.

First I suggest that you watch this documentary telling the story of that horrific night and it's aftermath.

Then I suggest you visit the International Campaign For Justice In Bhopal, who are still fighting for the victims. Their struggle is ours.

Save The Liberals

I came across this over at Barista today, well made I larf!

Canadian Border Security

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves. "A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumours have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.

In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies. "I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said. "We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The president is determined to reach out.

(Copyright Joe Blundo, Columbus Dispatch)

Fans United

There are several footie-related topics that have caught my attention recently.

First off, Wrexham FC fans in Wales are fighting to save their club from disappearing up a developer's arsehole. You can read more about it on the Wrexham Supporters Trust website. It's particularly nice to note the unity of fans from around the country as we stand together with the Wrexham lads and lasses.

Next up, the long-running saga of Brighton & Hove Albion FC. Fans and club are taking on a local authority in a battle to ensure that a new stadium is built. The club's poet-in-residence Attila the Stockbroker did a ten and a half hour marathon gig on Saturday, which raised over two grand.

Finally, a campaign to put a halt to the vicious sectarianism and racism displayed by some elements in Scottish football. We Support Neil Lennon is taking action to bring an end to the bigotry that stems from the fact that Lennon is a Catholic from the Six Counties (Northern Ireland) who plays for Celtic. Lennon was hounded from the Northern Ireland international side back in 2002 after receiving a death threat from Loyalists prior to a game.

Please take a moment to visit these sites and show your support in whatever way you can. It could be our teams or players one day.

Ooh, Check Me!

I've made it onto an academic site! I am now officially 'one the most visible politically-oriented blogs' in the blogosphere (I may be stretching a point here mind).

Actually, despite my presence, it's a pretty good list of the well-known and obscure (and occasionally fruitloop) in the political blogosphere, left and right. Worth a browse.

The Ashes Of Freedom

It's been claimed that the US military have been using a modern-day variant of napalm in their Iraqi campaign.

D'ya think so?

Send 'Em To The Cemetery

A bunch of Nazi boneheads are trying to stir up shit in the US, by claiming to be distributing 100,000 'white power music' CD's to disaffected working class kids across the country.

Fortunately, the real skinheads are fighting back with 'Project Boneyard', a collection of working class anti-fascist skinhead anthems. Insurgence Records have made a complete CD package available for download and distribution on their website, with the hope that skins and anti-fascists in the States will hand it out to the same target group.

You can read more on the latest activity on the Insurgence forum.

Respect due, so please visit their website and spend a bit of your hard-earned on some great street music.

Free Your Browser And Your Mind Will Follow

Checking my visitor stats like the good old Orwellian I am, I noticed that 49.1% of the people who can be arsed to come here are still using Internet Explorer to browse. More reassuringly, 31.4% are using Firefox / Mozilla, and the rest are using all the usual suspects (although strangely 14.9% are listed as unknown browser - what's that all about?).

So without further ado, I'd like the 49.1% of you to click the button below and metaphorically kick Microsoft in the balls.

And before the rest of you start feeling smug, how many of you are still using Outlook? Oh, the shame! Time to switch to Thunderbird if you wanna be down with the cool people.

This is a public service announcement.

Storming The Bastions Of The Middle Classes

There's been some controversy recently around the actions of some anarchist groups (notably the Wombles) at the recent European Social Forum in London. A load of assorted Trots have been making all sorts of false accusations regarding the invasion of one of the sessions to which toady (or should that be 'newty'?) London Mayor Ken Livingstone had been invited. The same cuddly Ken whose cops had been hassling the radicals for days beforehand, the Red Ken who's sleazed his way back into Phony Tony's pants.

So, although I'm a bit late, for those who haven't seen it, have a look at a video of the invasion. Kinda paints a different picture from the one the revisionist Reds would try and have you believe, no?

Conform. Obey. Reproduce. It's not just a mantra of the capitalists.

In Prison, In Your Name - UPDATE

I have just learned that Lina and Miguel are scheduled to be placed on British Airways Flight BA0249 Heathrow to Bogota, scheduled for Sunday 28th November at 9:55

Please make a protest immediately to BA's Customer Relations Department using the form found here. Urge them to refuse to carry Lina and Miguel as the deportation is illegal.

The MP has also contacted the Minister for Immigration demanding that the two be released immediately and returned home, and has raised a number of questions about the treatment they've received.

Almost earning her salary for once.

**THE LATEST INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE BRISTOL INDYMEDIA SITE**

In Prison, In Your Name

I received this message from my friend J. this morning regarding a disturbing incident in Bristol (UK):

Yesterday morning I was woken by the door bell at 6 a.m. I stumbled down the stairs bleary eyed and opened the door to a Home Office official, Helen Proctor (fuck anonymity), and 7 police officers all dressed up in their protective vests and shiny boots, complete with radios and handcuffs dangling here, there and everywhere.

They informed me that, with their warrants, my house was now under their control and that they were looking to arrest and apprehend Luis, Lina (Virgelina) and their young son Miguel who is 7 or 8.

I have known this family for some three and a half years since they settled in Bristol claiming asylum. When my personal circumstances changed last year and I found myself living alone in a three bed in Easton, I offered to share my house with the family and we have lived together for just over a year now.

The police swarmed round the house waking Lina and Miguel from their beds. Miguel, a bit intimidated to be woken by a load of suited and booted six foot police, put a brave face on it and seemed excited to be having a day off school.

Lina was then informed that she and her son were being taken to a detention centre at Gatwick airport and would be flown to Colombia on Sunday morning.

Having been woken in her pyjamas, Lina was then strip searched and left in her bra and knickers in front of male police officers. Assuming she didn't understand English, the officers stood round discussing the cheek of these 'illegals' daring to exist within our borders before Lina vocally informed them that, not only was she not stupid, but that her family had reported to the police station every month for the past three and a half years and had done nothing wrong and should be treated with a bit of respect. The police reply was 'anything you say can and will be used against you...'.

In fact, they had spoken to Helen Proctor (Home Office) the day before when they all went to sign in at Bridewell police station. Three women from the Home Office had breezed into my house a few days ago asking who was living there, who was I, etc. The family have been in regular contact with their solicitor and had seen them only the week before, their claim is ongoing and, due to underhand and inefficient Home Office procedures, have been denied very basic legal rights (I will include a statement from the solicitors later this morning).

The solicitor spoke to Helen Proctor (HO) and insisted that they had no right to enforce any removal proceedings, if they intended to do so he must be informed. Ms Proctor promised the solicitor that they had no intention to remove the family, a promise broken less than 24 hours later.

When I quizzed Ms Proctor on this I was told that an executive decision had been made later that evening, conveniently out of office hours. In fact, it turned out they had informed the solicitor, as they are legally obliged to, by sending a fax to his office at 3 or 4 in the morning, enforcing the 'removal' (kidnap?) two hours later.

Lina and Miguel had time to get dressed and pack one bag before being formally arrested, they were then bundled into waiting cars amidst a military style operation where the road was blocked off and cars called up by radio. They were not allowed to contact anyone (except their father and husband, who was also on warrant for arrest), they were expected to abandon all their belongings and bank accounts, Lina's friend up the road (a young mother herself) and my 53 year old mother were denied access to my house to offer any support (although my mum was allowed in for a few minutes if I stood outside in the dark and cold). In short, they were to 'disappear'.

I defy anyone to understand just how traumatic this kind of treatment is. Luis was not arrested but, in a total state of fear and anxiety was intent on presenting himself to the police to join his family. Luckily, he waited to see his solicitor at 9.30 a.m. and was able to sign the legal aid papers necessary to get a High Court order to halt the removal. He then attempted to find out at which police station he needed to present himself in order to join his family and was eventually told that Lina and Miguel were already on a transport to London (you know the ones, prison vans with blacked out windows and individual cubicles). Luis was told he could make his own way to the Gatwick detention centre or report to Heathrow on Sunday morning.

Luis is an honest, law abiding family man who was breaking down and desperate to join his family. As the morning went on and the frantic phone calls mounted up we began to hear from advocacy groups that once the Home Office had the whole family in custody, the chances of their seeing the light of day in the UK again were next to nothing. Now Luis sits shaking and sobbing uncontrollably whilst his many friends in Bristol are racing round sobbing uncontrollably and trying to halt the devastation being wrought on his family.

As soon as we could, me and Lina's friend (who'd had to watch as Lina and Miguel were driven away with only the merest of hugs) raced up to Gatwick, arriving about 5 a.m.

Tinsley House is situated at the end of the Gatwick runway, it is not a detention centre, it is a very secure prison with nice carpet and a few pictures on the wall in the visiting area. Incidentally, it is run by Wackenhut - made infamous as part of the US privatisation of prisons when they were effectively banned from operating prisons due to the number of murders, riots, escapes and abuse by prison guards.

Having spent a few months pleasuring her majesty at HMP Gloucester last year, a category B prison, I can personally attest to the mental anguish imprisonment causes. Regardless of the surroundings or treatment, having a door closed on you and having your liberty and social contact restricted is something people should be very thankful they don't experience.

The conditions at Tinsley House were horrific to see, especially as the Home Office like to assure us that these people are not criminals. Their mission statement reads something like 'we will ensure that captives are held safely and securely and will be cared for humanely'. But the visiting conditions and restrictions were no different from those I endured at a category B prison except you are allowed more time (capacity permitting).

The scowls and intrusion of the shaved head, tattooed, military reject guards were no different to an HMP, visitors aren't allowed to sit next to detainees (read as 'prisoners') but instead must sit opposite across a numbered coffee table, no food, drink or fruit is allowed in (no fruit is available inside, vitamins not allowed ?!).

The worst thing was watching Miguel flinch every time a guard crept behind him and having to be frisked every time he moves from one area to another. Is there any civilised nation on the planet that regularly frisks children under ten ?

Lina's solicitor threatened the Home Office with a High Court order to prevent the deportation and they capitulated to the extent that they told Lina that she is entitled to claim asylum. However, this is part of a underhand fast track process whereby she is interviewed this morning, having received medication in order to sleep, and they are then detained (being moved to Oakington near Cambridge this afternoon) for 7 days at the end of which a yes or no decision is made. The solicitor describes this process as obstructing his client's ability to receive any appropriate representation, expert testimony, etc.

My fear is that the Home Office could at any moment rush a decision through and proceed unbeknownst to anyone on the outside.

Lina, Luis & Miguel are a model family that would put many of us to shame. They have had permission to work whilst their claim was processed (something that is now denied to all refugees) and they have supported themselves as they have tried to get back on their feet. Luis, a mechanical engineer, has been washing pots for the privileged students of Clifton College and Lina, with her degrees in public accountancy and auditing, has been the smiling face on your Ikea checkout.

They have taken nothing but poor treatment from this country. Miguel has been a joy for his teachers at St Nicholas of Tolentine and speaks Bristolian more fluently than his parents' own language, Lina has persevered for over two years with her English classes.

Their particular experiences back home in Cali, Colombia are not for me to go into. The details are traumatic and personal but, sadly, all to common in a town and country where kidnapping children and shooting people dead are everyday occurrences. Thankfully, you and I will never be able to fully appreciate the circumstances this family fled from.

It has been hard to watch this family live a temporary existence for the past three and a half years, jumping through hoops for a Home Office that's more interested in statistics than realities, an immigration service that is such a mess that individuals within it can lie, patronise and intimidate those that it is meant to help, and in a society that rarely talks about refugees except in the most bitter fashion.

I will update this later, but in the meantime I would like to remind you that this is being done by YOUR government, with YOUR money and in YOUR name. I urge you, I implore you, to take action.

J. has suggested that a letter along the following lines be sent to the local MP:

Rt. Hon. Jean Corston MP
PO Box 1105
Bristol
BS99 2DP
Friday 26th November 2004

(Insert your address here)

Dear Ms. Corston,

I am writing with some urgency concerning a friend / neighbour / colleague. I was appalled to learn today that UK Immigration Officials and Police arrived at 6 a.m. this morning (Thursday 25th Nov) to detain for deportation purposes Virgilina ('Lina') Castaņo, her son Miguel, and her husband Luis Orozco Collazolos. Lina was searched and forced to dress in front of a male police officer, and comments were made about the abuse of the immigration system by people such as Lina by these officers.

They seized Lina and Miguel, though her husband Luis was not at that address at the time, so was not detained. He is broken hearted to be separated from his wife and child, and deeply stressed by the harshness of the detention and deportation order. They all live in profound fear of being returned to Colombia (which they fled after his father, brother and brother-in-law were killed by paramilitaries because of his environmentalist activities).

The solicitor had been assured that there would be no detention or attempt at deportation as Lina was attempting to make a first application in her own right (apparently she had been impeded by Home Office officials from doing so by a series of delays and lies). We will do all we can to get this decision turned around.

I urge you to ensure that Lina and her child are released immediately from Tinsley House near Gatwick where they are detained, and returned to their home in Bristol as Lina's application is being processed. The actions of today offend against natural justice and human rights, and are destructive to this family's well being. I am appalled by this action.

I formally request you to raise questions in the House to the Home Secretary about what appears to be a deliberate policy that denies asylum seekers the right in law to make new applications, through the device of delaying tactics and blatant lies. Such policies and practices that are emerging as a systemic pattern not only disgrace this country and our Labour Government (which I have supported until now but am currently reviewing), but also violate principles of natural justice and human rights legislation, especially where children are concerned. I believe it is deeply offensive to British child protection legislation. I look forward to hearing from you what urgent action you will take for these constituents of yours.

Yours sincerely

Please send a copy of any correspondence to her London address:

Rt. Hon. Jean Corston MP
House of Commons
Westminster
London
SW1A OAA

You can also email Jean Corston directly, or fax her assistant on (+44) 0117 939 9902

Sometimes we need to get our hands dirty with MP's. Just don't forget to scrub yourself with a wire wool brush and a bottle of Dettol afterwards.

Hooray Henry Hippies

On Monday night I had the misfortune to see part of a Channel 4 series called The Haven. The programme took a look at the 'spiritual community' at Findhorn in north-east Scotland.

I visited the Findhorn 'community' several years ago whilst up seeing a mate in Inverness. Back then I though the people living there were a bunch of pretentious, clueless middle-class tossers. It was a beautiful place alright and, if you have the right money, accent and connections, must be a great place to live. Unfortunately these are things I don't possess in the same way as the so-called 'community' at Findhorn.

This impression was borne out by a recent conversation with a work mate, a working class Brummie. Back in the 60's she had gone to Findhorn with her husband and a caravan in tow to join in what they thought would be a welcoming experiment in alternative social organisation. What they experienced was exclusion for being working class, penniless (by the Findhorn elite's standards) and, oh the shame of it, only having a caravan to live in. They didn't stay long.

Another example: I've been a vegan for pretty much all of my adult life. My choice, a moral value and one that I'm happy to talk about if asked but, other than that, it's generally an unmentioned part of my everyday existance. Anyway, at the Findhorn cafe I figured it would be one of the few places I could get soya milk for my cuppa. Result! Soya milk no problem.

The tea arrives and I take a look for the sugar. There's a pot of honey on the table, no good for this consciencious vegan, so I politely asked at the counter for some sugar. You should've seen the filthy look I got, like I was lower than a piece of shit on their (no doubt hand-made by Amazonian Yanomamo) dead cow shoes. I was sharply informed that they didn't 'do' sugar and that there was honey at the table. Stating the bleedin' obvious that vegans don't 'do' honey I was told that the 'vegans' at Findhorn did exactly that by the icy bitch behind the counter. So we left, tea-less and decidely less relaxed than when we'd arrived.

The council estate English, ragged black combat clothing and purple mohawk probably didn't help.

The next day I returned, ordered tea with bean juice, waited for it to arrive and then pulled a 2lb bag of Tate & Lyle's finest white from out of my rucksack. For added effect I put 3 spoonfuls in my cup (I'm normally only a one-spoon man), stirred and contentedly slurped my way to the bottom.

I'm sure when I left they put on biohazard suits to collect the cup and had a shamanic cleansing ritual at the table I'd used.

Watching The Haven merely confirmed that things had worsened in the meantime. The accents and accompanying whinges were unbearable. Ooh, the hardships of living in a detached 8-bed country house. At one point one of the 'members' was trying to organise the 'volunteers' (who, incidentally pay a fucking huge wedge for the privilege) in the kitchen and, failing abysmally, angrily stuck his knife into a chopping board. OHMYFUCKINGGOD! Immediately all work stopped, a woman started crying and made a formal complaint, group hugs were organised, the member was called before a committee of other members to justify his actions and then everyone got back together for some crystal healing therapy. Dinner was probably about 6 hours late that night.

These people need to get real. Their isolation from the everyday struggles of people the world over makes them no better than the boardroom execs in their gated marinas or the parasites in Buckingham Palace. They cry over a knife being stuck in a chopping board whilst mothers in Fallujah are having to bury their kids. They commission designer 'natural' eco-homes for hundreds of thousands of pounds whilst millions the world over have nothing more than a piece of cardboard between them and nature. How do they sleep at night? What 'alternative' does this cosy little country club for wealthy hippies really offer? It's just another ghetto for the rich.

I'm reminded of some rather fitting words by those good ol' anarcho rabble-rousers CRASS:

while the world was being fucked by fascist regimes/
they talked of windmills and psychedelic dreams

Just needed to get that off my chest.

Look Ma, No Hands (Or Legs Or Arms Or...)

i believe the american people are decent and not without humanity. they have not seen what is being done in their name. maybe we don't live in a world that can do without war. i do know that people need to know what war means before they decide.

a lot of people have sent me pictures of september 11th. please stop. i lived in lower manhattan on 9/11. i've seen it in real life.

the people in these pictures are just as important as the men and women that died on september 11th. a mother who loses her child suffers the same no matter what her nationality might be. she doesn't want a lecture on politics or religion. she wants her son back.

So says the creator of Fallujah In Pictures.

J. sent me the link and had this to say:

...the idea of ignoring these images (& the abominable recent history of the Fallujah siege, the water supplies cut off, civillians sent back to conflict area (men 15-45), indisriminate shelling and sniping, medical supplies denied to city, etc. et-bloody-cetra) put me in mind of the german apologists some 60 odd years ago. I guess you don't need shiny black boots and a funny 'tache to be a fascist, but then we'll probably have the luxury of realising that in a few years time.

One Law For Them...

A U.S soldier has been charged with the pre-meditated murder of a wounded Iraqi man in a mosque yesterday.

A U.S. military statement said that the charges against Second Lieutenant Erick Anderson were only allegations and he was presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

And now, over to our correspondent in Guantanamo Bay...

Land Of The Free?

(Graphic by Dave Ruderman)

Well, it's a start...

Dial 999 For Help

A state of emergency has been declared in Iraq.

A bit late methinks.