Monday, June 30, 2008


HOLIDAYS:
HAPPY CANADA DAY:
This year Canada`s national holiday, Canada Day, falls on a Tuesday. The result is that many people fail to have the long weekend that happens if it falls on Friday, Monday or a weekend. But still it is a day off anyways, with fireworks and bad barbecue food(potential new name -'Campylobacter Day'-same initials anyways). Unlike last year, anarchists across Canada are not generally holding "anti-Canada" day protests- which might actually be of some wisdom. If you have little chance of generally having an influence it may be better to not thumb your nose at a very popular holiday. But that is a matter of debate. Here's the skivvy on our national holiday.
....................................

HAPPY CANADA DAY:
Tomorrow, July 1st is Canada Day up here in the land of mosquitoes and 6 months of winter. This is the national holiday of Canada. Canada Day marks the beginning of the Dominion of Canada via the British Noth America act passed on July 1st, 1867. On that day three British colonies, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Canada (consisting of the united provinces of Upper (Ontario) and Lower (Quebec) Canada were united as a "Dominion". The original title of 'The Kingdom of Canada' was rejected. The title of "Dominion" was accepted because of the reference to "having dominion from sea to sea".

The holiday was slow to catch on. On June 20th, 1868 Governor General Lord Monck issued a proclamation calling for a a celebration on July 1st of that year. The holiday was only established as "Dominion Day" by statute in 1879, and no official ceremonies were held until 1917, the golden anniversary of the establishment of Canada. On this date the new Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings was dedicated as a monument to the fathers of Confederation and to the bravery of the Canadian troops dieing uselessly in WW I in the service of British imperialism. It was ten years later in 1927, the Diamond Jubilee, that the next official ceremony was held. On this date the cornerstone of the Confederation Building on Wellington St. was laid in Ottawa and the Carillon in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill was opened.

The official and regular observation of Canada Day only began in 1958. From this date the traditions of fireworks, band concerts and the trooping of the Colours on Parliament Hill began. Beginning around Canada's Centennial in 1967 the presentation of multicultural events began and the celebration became known as "Festival Canada".After 1980 the federal government began to increasingly promote Canada Day celebrations outside of Ottawa. The traditional fireworks were first held in 15 larger cities across the country in 1981. Dominion Day was officially renamed as Canada Day on October 27th, 1982 even though most people had ceased to refer to it as "Dominion Day" many years before.

Most Canadian cities now have Canada Day celebrations, sponsored to a large degree by the federal government. Concerts, pancake breakfasts, carnivals, public citizenship ceremonies and more are organized here there and everywhere across the country. The holiday is celebrated internationally as well, without official recognition, in such places as London, England or Detroit, Michigan. In the latter case it is called the "International Freedom Festival" and is celebrated by a large fireworks display over the Detroit River that separates Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. In Newfoundland the morning of July 1st is held as a remembrance of the huge losses of the Newfoundland Regiment at the Beaumont Hotel on the first day of the battle of the Somme during WW I. Canada Day is "officially" July 1st unless this is a Sunday. When this happens the "official" holiday is held on Monday, July 2nd even though most events still happen on the first.

In Quebec the observation of a holiday on July 1st derives from a totally different tradition. It is called 'Moving Day' there. This day was originally May 1st. This was the date that the feudal seigneurs were permitted to begin evictions of their tenants, after the winter snows had melted(usually, but not always-Molly). This later evolved into a law saying that urban leases had to begin on May 1st and end on April 30th. The date of "Moving Day" was changed to July 1st during the Quiet Revolution and it was also added that leases no longer had to have fixed terms. The tradition, however, has persisted, and July 1st remains a day of great chaos in Quebec. Movers have to be booked three months in advance. They work round the clock and often charge 3 times the normal rate. The day is particularly ugly in Montreal where only about 1/3rd of the people own their own house and where landlords typically don't provide such items as fridges and stoves. Tenants usually have to supply their own, and these appliances have to be moved down and up narrow staircases leading up to apartments several floors up. Look out for falling objects !

If you want to learn more about Canada Day look to any of the following references. The official government site for this day is at http://www.pch.gc.ca/special/canada/index_e.cfm . The site of the National Capital Commission gives the low down on the official celebrations in Ottawa. If you want to see what events are occurring in your area you can search for them at Canada Day.Com. If you want to download free Canada Day graphics they are available at http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/canadaday/default.htm .

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED ON JULY 1ST:
1398: Legend has it that Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney landed at Guysborough, Nova Scotia on this day. This is unverified.
1492: The King and Queen of Spain give Jews 30 days to leave their Kingdom. This is verified as is the fact that some of the funds stolen from departing Jews were used to finance Columbus' expeditions.
1566: Nostradamus, beloved fad prophet (later to be "profit" for new age charlatans dies). He never saw it coming.
1578: Martin Frobisher lands in Greenland and claims it for England, naming it 'West England'. Frozen fish and frozen chips franchises open soon after.
1812: In the lead in to the War of 1812 Upper Canada gives US citizens 14 days to leave the province. The only country to ever threaten Canada directly tries over the next few years to conquer Canada. Canada fights its first and only defensive war and wins, or at least beats the Americans to a draw. Maple syrup was not renamed "freedom syrup" in the USA at this time.
1837: William Lyon Mackenzie helps form the 'Committee of Vigilance' in Upper Canada, a provisional revolutionary government that is eventually defeated by the British Crown.
1858: First Chinese colonists reach Victoria BC (see later item 1927).
1866: New Brunswick finally officially recognizes Confederation. Looks for an Intercolonial Railroad that costs them a pretty penny and helps them not at all.
1878: The famous anarchist Bakunin dies in Berne Switzerland. "Old Mike's body lies a'molderin' in the grave, old Mike's body lies a'molderin' in the grave, old Mike's body lies a'molderin' in the grave, but his soul goes marching on".
1892:Famous Homestead Strike at the Homestead Steel Mills in Pennsylvania begins. Vigorously contested by both sides.
1892: Gung ho Teddy Roosevelt leads his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish American War. A goofy and exceedingly foolish move that puts his men in position to be picked off by even the notoriously poor shots in the Spanish army. The 10th Calvary, consisting of Afro-American soldiers charges to his rescue and saves his sorry ass. They get none of the credit.
1899:The Gideon Society for Bible distribution is formed. For over a century the Gideon Bible in the drawer of the hotel room gives that eerie feeling that you just don't have words for to millions of travellers.
1900: The storied Fraser River strike of fishermen begins in BC.
1912: The Regina Cyclone roars through downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, killing 28 and leaving 2,500 homeless. Dominion Day is cancelled. Many ex-residents of Regina such as Molly swear that the dump never recovered.
1923: Passage of the 'Chinese Immigration Act' restricting Chinese immigration to Canada in response to hysterical "nativist" sentiment. Finally repealed in 1947, but often referred to as 'Humiliation Day' amongst Chinese Canadians.
1930: A Pontifical Mass is held in the Vatican to celebrate the first canonization of North Americans, the 'Jesuit Martyrs'. Mussolini welcomes Archbishop Forbes of Ottawa with open arms (see next item).
1937: Spanish bishops officially endorse the rebel Francisco Franco in his bid to conquer Spain for right wing terrorism. Dios con nosotros- the old refrain-but also viva la muerte.
1941: The Mackenzie King government brings in Bill 80, sanctioning his promise not to apply conscription for overseas service.
1945: Saskatoon Star Phoenix runs classified ad reading:"For sale, one homemade coffin, never used. Reason for sale: Improved health. Fit 6' 2"."
1962: Algeria wins independence from France despite long running terrorist campaign by the French government.
1966:The USA launches Medicare to provide medical services for people over 65 years. Over 40 years later the program has improved only slightly.
1972:First edition of Ms Magazine.
1973: First Canadian National Lesbians' Conference.
1976: US Air Force base at Goose Bay, Labrador closes. Departure of good ol' southern USA boys from Newfoundland results in first fishery crisis as the 'God stocks' are depleted.
1977: American Indian activist Leonard Pelletier is sentenced to two life terms on trumped up evidence. Protests continue to this day.
1983: Simpson-Sears fined $1 million for misleading advertising, largest such fine in Canadian history. Across the prairies sales of the Sears Catalogue collapse as it is official that it not just as soft as toilet paper.
1989: The Bank of Canada ceases to issue one dollar bills and the Loonie is hatched. The dollar coin pulls the belt market back from the edge of collapse. Pants fall and belt sales rise.
1991: The Warsaw Pact is officially dissolved at a meeting in Prague, Czech Republic. Vodka sales collapse across eastern Europe as Russian soldiers stagger home.
1996: "Horsey Betty", Queen Elizabeth II, unveils equestrian statue of herself on Parliament Hill. Becomes instant "hit" with local pigeon population.


CANADIAN POLITICS:

COMING EVENTS TO SUPPORT U.S. WAR RESISTER COREY GLASS:

This item comes via the Northern Prairie Anarchist board, but is originally from the War Resisters Support Campaign. The latter are a group of Canadian citizens who are in support of the right of American war resisters who have refused to fight America's present illegal wars to remain in Canada. Two events are coming up in the next few days. One is a national day of protest on July 2, and the other is a Toronto event on July 3. Read on.

......................................


From supporters of Corey Glass…

============ =========
http://www.facebook .com/group. php?gid=28919541 984

Communiqué : June 23, 2008

Salut Everyone!

Mike and I first want to thank everyone for joining in to support Corey Glass and for all the letters and calls to our Canadian government.



It’s great to see all the national and international support. It’s simply wonderful.



As all you wonderful people know, we got a huge victory lift when our Canadian Parliament passed with a majority the “war resister” motion, which would allow Corey and the other resisters to stay.



The fight does end there... Since the motion is technically non-binding, we have to put our weight against the Conservative (Tory) government to implement it – and rescind Corey’s deportation order, which is set for July 10th.



The War Resister Support Campaign (WRSC) has been busy little bees targeting Tory ridings to pressure them to implement the Parliamentary motion.



For more info about the vote and the campaign please see, http://www.resister%20s.ca/



Mike and I will also be continuously updating the site with information in these crucial next weeks.



If you’ve ever felt passionate about an issue and wanted to make a difference, this is your time. Get active! Canadian, American, International support is always welcome!



With your help (and yes, I mean YOU cuz all the YOUS add up to one big WE), we can make this right, force the Tories to follow through on Canadian wishes and the Parliamentary motion, and keep Corey and the other resisters in Canada.



To end, here’s two things/dates to remember (more TBA):

1: Everyone can partake in this one on July 2nd: Corey Glass National Day of Action http://www.facebook .com/event. php?eid=26162301 557&ref=mf

2: If you’re in the GTA area: Rally to Stop the Deportation of Parkdale Resident Corey Glasshttp://www.facebook .com/event. php?eid=16815358 663&ref=mf



If you haven’t already done so, please contact Diane Finley, our Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. She can stop Corey Glass’ deportation.(if you’re not in Canada, I suggest email)


Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley

phone 613.996.4974

fax 613.996.9749

email:

finley.d@parl. gc.ca

and

finled1@parl. gc.ca



And contact our Prime Minister, who can direct Finley to act according to our wishes and allow all the resisters to stay in Canada.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

phone 613.992.4211

fax 613.941.6900

email


Thanks everyone!-Krystalline and Mike
__._,_.___

JAPAN:
AGAINST THE G8 SUMMIT IN JAPAN:
The summit of the G8 countries has begun at Lake Toya, Japan, and the protests against this gathering of the world's ruling class have begun as well. The following update is from today's A-Infos website. Further links are given in the body of this message.
..................................
Japan, Two of Many Updates on the G8 Protests!
Press Release June 27 2008
---- * Japan: International Resistance against the 2008 G8 summit has begun
---- * Camps, demonstrations, action days
---- * Police try to link protests to terrorism and are denying people entry into Japan
---- The protests against the 2008 G8 summit have begun. On Thursday a demonstration took place in Kyoto against the G8 foreign ministers meeting. There are three protests camps in Sapporo, the nearest town to Lake Toya, where the G8 summit will take place from July 7-9. Alternative media centres in Sapporo and Tokyo have been set up and a network of critical lawyers is ready to support demonstrators. Events, conferences and demonstrations are scheduled for the coming week. Many activists from around the world have travelled to Japan, amongst them anarchist and trade union groups from other Asian countries.
A network of NGOs will be lobbying the G8 to alter their political course. The "G8 Action Network" rejects the G8 as illegitimate and groups from this network have organised an "Anti-G8 Tokyo Sound Demonstration" this Sunday. The major international anti-capitalist conference, the "Counter-G8 International Forum" starts on Monday in Tokyo and Hokkaido. As has been the case in the past, many of the groups and organisations are participating in joint mobilisations despite their different positions.
Meanwhile, the police are attempting to delegitimate and divide the movement. More than 40 people were arrested two weeks ago, and squats have been searched. Following a raid on a trade union office in the working class neighbourhood Kamagasaki in Osaka, confrontations with police ensued which lasted for a number of days.
Since Tuesday the controls at the Narita International Airport in Tokyo have been stepped up. Foreigners have been questioned and searched for up to 12 hours. Some have been asked to provide detailed plans of their activities for each day of their stay. In spring this year, the Japanese Government changed the requirements for entry into the country.
Already last August, the German Federal Police (BKA) provided the Japanese investigation authorities with information on the networks and coalitions that participated in the anti- G8 protests in Heiligendamm in 2007. Japanese police travelled to Berlin to learn about measures against summit protests. The BKA'a president Mr Ziercke promised to continue to provide "all relevant data".
During the 2007 G8 summit protests the German police compiled an extensive database with photos and fingerprints, which presumably includes all 1.800 people who were arrested during the protests. Although only a very small number of them were actually convicted of anything this data has not been destroyed. Normally, inclusion in such a database is sufficient to be denied entry into a country during a summit meeting.
Trade unionists of the Korean "Confederation of Trade Unions" have been issued a blanket entry denial. Also the Italian philosopher and activist Toni Negri has been denied entry. Only yesterday two media activists of the Hong Kong collective "In-Media" were arrested at the airport.
The police has issued a number of posters 'warning' the Japanese public about the protests by comparing them to the London 7/7 bombings in 2005. One of the posters depicts a demolished London bus next to a photo of a burnt out car in Rostock. The public is being asked to report suspicious persons directly to the police. Hotels across Japan have been instructed to send photocopies of all passports of foreign guests to the police.
In the coming week there will be protests against the G8 summit worldwide, including in France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Spain and the Basque Country.
*Background*
* Police poster campaign:
MEDIA report:
Japan anti-G8 summit protesters scuffle with police
Anti-G8 summit protesters danced to blaring music and marched down the streets of Tokyo in heavy rain on Sunday, accusing the Group of Eight rich nations of causing poverty and world instability. The protests, which have become a fixture at Group of Eight summits, came as Japan tightened security ahead of this year's July 7-9 gathering in Hokkaido, northern Japan.
Two separate rallies in the nation's capital gathered over 1,000 people, including anti-capitalists, labour union members and protesters from abroad, such as Spain and South Korea.
Security was heavy with hundreds of anti-riot police guarding the streets as protesters walked down Tokyo's central shopping districts, carrying signs proclaiming various agendas such as "shut down G8 summit" and "G8=hunger".
Some protesters scuffled with the police. Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi said two people were arrested. Police could not confirm the report.
"Issues like environmental destruction and poverty in Africa, these are all caused by the G8 governments," said Yu Ando, a 31-year-old working for a municipal government in western Japan.
"I can't stand that they are proclaiming to solve these issues."
For the summit at Lake Toya, about 760 km (470 miles) north of Tokyo, domestic and international NGOs such as Oxfam plan to protest a range of topics including globalisation, the food crisis and wars.
Protests are expected near the summit venue -- where protesters are expected to gather at three camp sites -- as well as in Tokyo and Sapporo, capital of Hokkaido.
But tight security and the sheer cost of travel to the vicinity of the remote summit site could dampen turnout.
Human rights lawyers have said Japanese immigration authorities are making it tough for some activists to get visas by complicating the application process, and media reports said some activists were detained for hours at immigration.
At last year's G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, an estimated 30,000 protesters flocked to the area and entered a restricted zone set up for the summit, as well as blocking land routes into the area.
At Lake Toya, leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States will discuss soaring food and oil prices, along with climate change and African development. Japan has also invited eight other nations, including Brazil, China and India, to hold talks on climate change on the sidelines.


INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-TURKEY:

FREE MERYEM OZSOGUT:

The following item is from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start. It concerns the case of Meryem Ozsogut, a Turkish trade unionist arrested and imprisoned for her union activities in that country.

................................

Act NOW!

Turkey: Free jailed woman trade union leader:

Ms. Meryem Ă–zsögĂĽt, trade union leader and management board member of PSI's affiliate SES in Turkey (the trade union of public employees in health and social services) was arrested on the morning of 8 January following her participation in a press conference on 14 December 2007 to denounce the killing by the police of activist Kevser Mizrak. Ms Ă–zsögĂĽt’s attendance at the press conference was the result of a fax message received by her trade union, requesting that the union participate in the press conference. PSI understands that at no time before or during this press conference did the police or other authorities issue a warning that such a gathering or activity was viewed as 'illegal. Several other people who were arrested at or around the same time as Ms Ă–zsögĂĽt, ostensibly for the same reasons, have since been released. However, Ms Ă–zsögĂĽt remains in custody and her trial has now been postponed several times. PSI remains convinced that the arrest of Ms Ă–zsögĂĽt was motivated solely by her activities as a trade union leader. Her continued detention in one of Turkey's notorious "F-Type", or small group isolation prisons, is further evidence of the Turkish Government’s hostility to trade unionists and its determination to use whatever means at its disposal to repress the legitimate activities of trade unions in Turkey. A response by the Turkish government to PSI’s letters of protest claims that Ms Ă–zsögĂĽt was arrested in connection with "being a member of a terrorist organisation" and "for making propaganda in favour of the terrorist organisation". PSI calls on the Turkish government to secure the immediate release of Ms Ă–zsögĂĽt, to take any necessary steps to guarantee her safety and to abide by the international norms ratified by Turkey.


Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to the Turkish authorities.


The Letter

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoĂ°an
Republic of TurkeyAnkaraTurkey
cc Mr Besir Atalay,
Minister of Interior
Mr Faruk Çelik, Minister of Work and Social Security
I write to urge you to secure the immediate release of Ms Özsögüt and to take any necessary steps to guarantee her safety.
I have been informed that Ms Ă–zsögĂĽt was arrested following her participation in a press conference on 14 December 2007 to denounce the killing of Kevser Mizrak. Ms Ă–zsögĂĽt’s attendance at the press conference was the result of a fax message received by her trade union, requesting that the union participate in the press conference.
I understand that at no time before or during this press conference did the police or other authorities issue a warning that such a gathering or activity was viewed as 'illegal'. I have been further informed that several other people who were arrested at or around the same time as Ms Özsögüt, ostensibly for the same reasons, have since been released. However, Ms Özsögüt remains in custody and her trial has now been postponed several times.
I call on your Government to secure the immediate release of Ms Özsögüt, to take any necessary steps to guarantee her safety, to take the appropriate steps to ensure that all public sector workers are fully guaranteed their right to organise, form trade unions and carry out legitimate trade union activities both in law and in practice without State interference.
Yours sincerely

Sunday, June 29, 2008


CANADIAN POLITICS-ONTARIO:
SUPPORT ONTARIO ABORIGINAL LAND CLAIMS:
The following story and appeal is from the Canadian branch of Amnesty International. It stems from the ongoing dispute between the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation and the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and the government of Ontario over the granting of mining rights in the traditional territories of these communities. Community leaders who had been imprisoned over their peaceful opposition to mining exploration on their lands were freed On May 28th after an appeal of their sentences. But the struggle to protect their land continues.
..................................
Injustice in Ontario: Mining Act in conflict with Indigenous rights



Sign the petition to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty
Update: Imprisoned leaders from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation in northern Ontario and the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation in Eastern Ontario were freed from jail on May 28 after an appeal court reduced their sentence to time served.
Chief Donny Morris, Deputy Chief Jack MacKay, Samuel McKay, Cecilia Begg, Darryl Sainnawap and Bruce Sakakeep were convicted of contempt of court for continuing their peaceful opposition to platinum exploration on their traditional lands despite a court injunction in favour of the mining company.
In a similar case, Ardoch Algonquin spokesperson Bob Lovelace was jailed for contempt over his community's opposition to uranium exploration on land that is subject to long-standing land claim negotiations.
The Court of Appeal heard that the six month jail sentences originally handed down against the protesters were unprecedented.
While the release of these leaders is welcome, it does not resolve the underlying conflict that lead to the protests. Minerals exploration should not be permitted unless the rights of Indigenous peoples are respected and upheld.
Ontario’s Mining Act allows exploration activities, including aerial surveying, felling trees, blasting and drilling, trenching and the construction of temporary roads and shelters, without any public consultation or environmental assessment. Such provisions are incompatible with other responsibilities of the province, including its higher duty to respect and uphold Aboriginal and Treaty rights.
Canadian courts have said over and over again that there is a clear, constitutional obligation for governments to carry out meaningful consultation and accommodation before any decisions are made that could impact on the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples. The purpose of such consultation is to identify and address any Indigenous concerns.
This did not happen before permits to explore for platinum were granted in the KI case. And it did not happen before uranium exploration began in lands subject to a long-standing Algonquin land claim.

Take action
In March, more than 30 environmental organizations, faith groups and social justice movements sent an open letter to Ontario Premier McGuinty. The letter called for a just resolution of the causes of the KI and Ardoch disputes so that the imprisoned leadership can be freed. The letter also called for comprehensive reform to the Mining Act so that no further conflicts are created.

Please add your voice in support of this important message by signing our online petition
Hon. Dalton McGuinty
Premier, Government of Ontario

Dear Premier McGuinty,I urge your government to take immediate action to:
Enter into good faith negotiations with the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation and Ardoch Algonquin people in order to reach a just resolution to the current conflicts that ensures that their rights are fully respected and upheld.
Instruct officials in the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines to ensure that no more mineral exploration permits or mining leases are granted that violate constitutionally protected Indigenous rights, including the court-recognized right to consultation and accommodation.
Comprehensively reform the Ontario Mining Act, including the free entry system, in consultation with Indigenous peoples and with affected stakeholders. Reform must include protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples in national and international law and independent environmental assessment of the cumulative impacts of proposed exploration and mining projects.
To join this campaign and send the letter above go to THIS LINK.

Saturday, June 28, 2008


ANARCHIST THEORY:
GRADUALISM AND REVOLUTION:
The previous post brought one of my major themes to mind. The degenerate state of Cuba today is not, in my opinion, just because the change in government was the accession of a new managerial ruling class to power- as Marxist "revolutions" always are. The fact is that the managers have come to power through most of the world by "peaceful" (let's leave their wars aside) means. They rule in western/developed countries today under social democratic and corporate forms, and their rule is much more benign than that of the rulers of Cuba. Why the difference ? Can I suggest that the role of 'revolution" naturally leads to a repressive regime if it succeeds ? Can I also suggest that such a path to anarchism would lead to a similar regime, no matter how the defenders of anarchism might like to deny it ? The history of the Spanish Revolution is instructive in this matter, though the Spanish anarchists never degenerated to the level of the average(every?) communist. But degenerate they did, and they carried the seeds of managerial rule in their syndicates.
So why do I propose a gradual approach to anarchism ? One of the main reasons is the historical record of 'revolutions". The recruitment of 'revolutionaries" in the historical record is actually quite "cleaner" than what many modern-day anarchists propose, being as it basically consists of a core of "failed intellectuals" who think they should have the power to direct the people that they look down upon. The horrifying thing about the pseudo-revolutionaries who often affect the anarchist name-particularly in the USA- is that they abandon even this mendacious goal. They go directly to the so-called "heart of the matter" in their Bakunist illusion that what has traditionally been called the "lumpen-proletariat" is some sort of "revolutionary constituency' or-worse- some bizarre sort of "revolutionary leadership". The whole idea that criminals that undergo a "jail house conversion" to anarchism in the hope of getting letters and donations is exactly as absurd as the far more common jail house conversion to Jesus in hope of getting parole(there is no more solid concentration of "born again Christians" than in maximum security). The intellectual level of the average convicted criminal is slightly below that of a newt, and it is indeed possible that some of these slugs may be under the delusion that there will be an anarchist "revolution" in the next few years that will free them to be predators once more. Can my anarchist comrades wake up ? Not likely !
What can I say about "revolution" ? One of the main things that I can say is that the sort of -people that are necessary to carry a revolution to success (something quite different than what my deluded comrades think today, aside from the fact that more intelligent people would send the "jail-house intellectuals" on as many suicide missions as they could to get rid of them as fast as they could), are not exactly the most desirable people to build a libertarian society- or to live with period. The success of "revolution" depends upon a cadre of hardened psychopaths who will put the ideological goal beyond any mere personal feelings such as "mercy". THAT is what revolution means. THAT is its reality beneath the romance. I personally want no part of it.
The end result of the regime that follows a 'revolution" depends very much upon the ability to kill the revolutionaries. Without such an extermination the regime that would result would be horrific for the population. Who would you trust to carry out such a purge ? The Spanish anarchists did indeed get control of their nuts with only a few executions- yes they happened, no matter how much some might like to deny it; the Spaniards had our own problem in a minor way-.Personally I prefer no executions. Quite frankly I have met no leftist, anarchist or otherwise, in my over 40 years of this game that I would trust to have any better judgement than myself of how to solve this problem. Give me the power of life and death and I'd make some very good choices-I have none of the average leftist illusions-, but eventually I'd be corrupted as well and would have to be killed as well, after I'd made a very good job of cleaning the slate. Call me Robespierre. I'd be totally ruthless in defense of the revolution. I've met non-political people in my life who would be better judges, but I am sure that they would not sign up for such a dirty,filthy,brutal job.
Well, I have a better and more obvious solution.No "revolution". A gradual evolution towards anarchism whereby ordinary, people gradually collectively take control of their lives and eat away at statism and the corporate economy. THIS is Molly's anarchism !
CUBA;
CUBA AND GAY RIGHTS:
To say the least Molly hardly finds the following item "surprising". Managers may come to power in many ways, as they replace the capitalists as a ruling class. When they come to power via a "revolution", as what happened in Cuba, the new ruling class will generally be much more conservative than one that has come to power via a natural evolution. Thus the fact that the Cuban "peoples' dictatorship" (sic) is far more opposed to gay rights than other social democratic regimes that have recently come to power in South America. It's one of the unforeseen (to those who believe in "revolution") consequences of "revolution", whatever the ideology of the revolutionists. The following is a Molly translation of a recent item from a Spanish language item at the A-Infos website. What I can say is that, as the dictator lies dying piece by piece, like his fascist progenitor Franco did, that the people of Cuba will gradually attempt to expand their realm of freedom. Soon there will be no more communist dictatorship for our paleolithic leftists to "support". Look for them to find good things about the hereditary monarchy of North Korea.
..................................

[Cuba] The government aborted gay march
-----------------
The demonstration was called by the Cuban Commission on Human Rights for sick people with HIV and Sexually Transmitted Diseases(A Molly interpretation) Eni, the Cuban League Against Aids Foundation "Elena Mederos," the Foundation LGTB (lesbian gay bisexual transgender) "Reynaldo Arenas, the Cuban Movement for Homosexual Liberation, Collective Transsexual Havana Cultural Center LGTB y. the Gay Political Organization Presidio "Reynaldo Arenas in Memorian ". The First Gay Pride Parade, as it was called by its organizers,was planned to take place since the Don Quixote Park, located at 23 and J streets in the El Vedado neighborhood in until the Ministry of Justice ,agreed to demands of the Cuban government.
Gay Universe: A detainee in Cuba in Gay Pride parade
Nearly 20 people(Molly Note-great social changes always begin with small numbers of courageous people) were gathered in Havana under the slogan "For the respect for sexual diversity ", without police repression. Due to the poor attendance, after waiting half an hour, they proceeded to disperse on their own initiative. However, a few hours later
the president of the Cuban League against AIDS, Ignacio Estrada,was arrested. He was, coincidentally, one of the most prominent conveners of the march(how communist of them-Molly).It is still not known whether he was released. According to statements via telephone by Fidel Valdes, a member of one of the groups participating, the small attendance at the demonstration was due to visits by selective Officers of the State Security Department to well-known figures of the local the gay scene. It was also known that a group of transvestites that travelled inland with the intention to participate in the so-called First Lesbian Gay Pride march, was detained at the terminal at the time of arrival at the capital; being released hours later.
Molly Note- the paleolithic leftists here in North America do major efforts in terms of lieing on behalf of the Cuban dictatorship. Sometimes their gymnastics can be amusing, as when Maoists, with a lack of any thuggish murderous regime to support, are reduced to supporting the Cuba that they formerly denounced as "revisionist" at the same time as it is more and more involved in capitalist partnerships(never say such a bad word). or when leftists here in NA continue to trumpet the "superiority" of the Cuban health care system while at the same time doing their little "solidarity bit" to gather expired !!! medical supplies to ship down to this "superior" system. I shit you not. That is what these people do and they have no idea of the contradiction in their efforts. May I say that the Cuban ruling class doesn't have to depend upon such charity. No expired materials for those managers. They get the same quality that managers of social control receive up here or that those rich people from here can buy from the Cuban ruling class while the average Cuban is denied. Love that "socialism".

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:
EVIDENCE FOR EARLY LIFE ON EARTH-ON THE MOON !!!:
The following is a thought provoking article from Space.Com.
............................

Bits of Ancient Earth Hidden on the Moon
Some scientists believe that at least one meteorite found in Antarctica preserves evidence of ancient life on Mars. Now, work by a team of English scientists reinforces an earlier suggestion that evidence of life on the early Earth might be found in meteorites on the moon.

The original idea was presented in a 2002 paper by University of Washington astronomer John Armstrong, who suggested that material ejected from Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment (a period about four billion years ago when the Earth was subjected to a rain of asteroids and comets) might be found on the moon.

Armstrong's suggestion was interesting, but whether a meteor ejected from the Earth might arrive intact on the moon remained an open question.

New research by a team under Ian Crawford and Emily Baldwin of the Birkbeck College School of Earth Sciences used more sophisticated means to simulate the pressures any such terrestrial meteorites might have experienced during their arrival on the lunar surface. This confirmed Armstrong's hypothesis. In many cases, the pressures could be low enough to permit the survival of biological markers, making the lunar surface a good place to look for evidence of early terrestrial life.

Any such markers are unlikely to remain on Earth, where they would have been erased long ago by more than three billion years of volcanic activity, later meteor impacts, or simple erosion by wind and rain.
Crash landings
Given that material from early Mars has been found in meteorites on Earth, it certainly seems reasonable that material from the early Earth could be found on the moon. Indeed, Armstrong's paper estimated that tens of thousands of tons of terrestrial meteorites may have arrived there during the Late Heavy Bombardment.

However, there is a problem: The moon lacks any appreciable atmosphere. Meteorites arriving on Earth are decelerated by passing through our atmosphere. As a result, while the surface of the meteorite may melt, the interior is often preserved intact. Could a meteorite from Earth survive a high-velocity impact on the lunar surface?

Crawford and Baldwin's analysis, based on commercially available software called AUTDYN, used finite element analysis to simulate the behavior of two different types of meteors impacting the lunar surface.

Armstrong's group performed a crude calculation indicating that pressures experienced by a terrestrial meteorite arriving on the moon probably would not be enough to melt it. Crawford and Baldwin's group simulated their meteors as cubes, and calculated pressures at 500 points on the surface of the cube as it impacted the lunar surface at a wide range of impact angles and velocities.

In the most extreme case they tested (vertical impact at a speed of some 11,180 mph, or 5 kilometers per second), Crawford reports that "some portions" of the simulated meteorite would have melted, but "the bulk of the projectile, and especially the trailing half, was subjected to much lower pressures."

At impact velocities of 2.5 kilometers per second or less, "no part of the projectile even approached a peak pressure at which melting would be expected." He concludes that biomarkers ranging from the presence of organic carbon to "actual microfossils" could have survived the relatively low pressures experienced by the trailing edge of a large meteorite impacting the moon.
Hard to find
Finding terrestrial meteorites on the moon will be challenging. Crawford suggests that the key to finding terrestrial material is to look for water locked inside. Many minerals on Earth are formed in processes involving water, volcanic activity, or both. By contrast, the moon lacks both water and volcanoes.

Minerals formed in the presence of water, called hydrates, can be detected using infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Crawford and his co-authors believe that a high-resolution IR sensor in lunar orbit could be used to detect any large (over one meter) hydrate meteorites on the lunar surface, while a lunar rover with such a sensor "could search for smaller meteorites exposed at the surface."

Other planetary astronomers view the issue more conservatively. Dr. Mike Gaffey of the University of North Dakota Space Studies department argues that while "debris from a large terrestrial impact could have reached the moon ... it's highly unlikely that it would be in sufficient concentrations to be seen" using orbital instruments.

He believes that the meteorites would be shattered into small pieces by the impact, and then subjected to a form of lunar weathering due to the solar wind and a continuous rain of micro meteoroids that hit the moon. Instead, he suggests that any surviving material from Earth would be fractured into small pieces embedded in ancient lunar soils, some of which might be exposed at the surface by later meteor impacts.

Crawford concedes that point, and suggests that it might be necessary to dig below the surface to find terrestrial meteorites. He adds that collecting samples, observing them on the lunar surface, and picking those that warrant a return to Earth for detailed analysis "would be greatly facilitated by a human presence on the moon."

The last U.S. astronaut to set foot on the moon, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, was a geologist. If current NASA plans for a return to the moon later in this century are fulfilled, perhaps Dr. Schmitt's successors will search for hydrated rocks, which might unlock the mystery of how life began on the Earth.

LONDON ONTARIO:
RESTRICTIONS ON DRIVE THRUS:
The following item is from the London Ontario Indymedia site. It's all about restricting further development of drive-thru restaurants in the city of London. The reason that Molly reproduces this little bit of statist propaganda here is for reasons of contrast. The "left", as it is, has pretty well given up on influencing the ordinary person. One may say that this is because of the class composition of "the left", being as it is part of our present ruling class. In lieu of populist campaigns "the left" has taken to trying to influence government agencies, with which they have a much greater affinity in terms of life styles and beliefs than they do with the great unwashed. Thus, even if the cause is laudable the left corrupts it by speaking to the wrong audience. Molly will state this bluntly here- IF YOU CANNOT CONVINCE THE ORDINARY PERSON TO AVOID DRIVE-THRUS BY SPEAKING TO THEM DIRECTLY THEN ANY ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE GOVERNMENT IS HARMFUL RATHER THAN USEFUL-BECAUSE,BECAUSE,BECAUSE SUCH ACTIONS REINFORCE THE CENTRALIZED PLANNING THAT IS AT THE HEART OF THE "ECOLOGICAL CRISIS". WE WILL CONTINUE TO PLAN OURSELVES INTO OBLIVION IN THE ABSENCE OF REAL DEMOCRACY-ALL WITH VERY GOOD INTENTIONS,OF COURSE. The following very well intentioned plea is a good contrast to the anarchist approach. Its leftism, with its appeal to guilt and the reliance on the coercive power of the state is the precise opposite of what anarchists should advocate. The cause may be good, but it ignores the issue of local community and the growth of restaurants in same, something that can only be a long term organizing matter. The recourse to government may seem like a convenient quick fix, but it is doomed from the start.
But enough of my yelling. Here's the news item.
.........................................
Seeing the Big Picture on Drive-Thrus and the Need to Start Somewhere

By: Tony Weis
Seeing the Big Picture on Drive-Thrus and the Need to Start Somewhere

In the increasingly heated debate over whether or not the city of London should establish a moratorium on new drive-thrus, an advocate for the moratorium was recently told by a vocal opponent (a city counselor) that they had lost sight of the ‘bigger picture’ of jobs and economic growth. Advocates for the moratorium have also been criticized by some activists who suggest that prohibiting future drive-thrus is a marginal issue amidst so many other ‘bigger’ problems.

Conversely, the intensive public relations campaign led by Tim Horton’s has sought to narrow the discussion of the issue down to a claim – based on the report of a paid consultant – that drive-thrus are environmentally benign when compared with crowded parking lots. This spin is reminiscent of efforts by big oil companies to pay for scientific studies which, for more than a decade, helped to justify inaction on climate change.

And in classic ‘greenwashing’ style, this has been coupled with an appeal to people’s sense of entitlement. For instance, one radio ad evoked an image of a mother driving around with four children during a blizzard and therefore needs a drive-thru, with the implication that it is outrageous to suggest that people might be deprived of their right to fast food without leaving their cars. Another tactic of the drive-thru lobby has been to fear-monger that all drive-thrus could be closed, though this is not what is before Council. To this end Tim Horton’s packed the chambers for the June 17 Council discussion by paying employees for their attendance.

For many reasons then, some ‘big picture’ context for this debate is sorely needed.

We – and here I’m grouping Canadians along with the US, as the consumption levels are similar – represent less than 5 percent of humanity that consumes over one-quarter of the world’s oil, and contributes to more than one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, of which carbon is the most significant.

According to the most recent Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme, Canada’s per capita carbon footprint is more than twice that of the average European, roughly five times greater than the world average, and more than 20 times that of many developing countries.

And this average world carbon footprint is already vastly too high, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC last year described the “warming of the climate system” as scientifically being “unequivocal,” based on evidence “from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level.” The report called for swift and dramatic emission reductions if the planet is to avert the most dangerous fallout.

If we place the average carbon footprint of Canadians in the context of the IPCC’s sustainable emissions targets, we need to make per capita emissions cuts on the order of 90 percent. A converse way of putting this is that if the rest of the world emitted at Canadian levels, we would need roughly nine more atmospheres!

Cars are a large part of this. In 2003, Canada had 561 passenger cars for every 1000 citizens, one of the highest levels in the world, along with very high levels of per capita mileage driven and oil consumed. In contrast, many low income developing countries have 20 passenger cars or less for every 1000 citizens.

The inequality of this picture does not end with uneven consumption. The IPCC has long drawn attention to the fact that there is a highly uneven vulnerability associated with climatic change, as many of the world’s poorest nations (and particularly the poorest people within them) will be most adversely affected by rising climatic variability, higher temperatures, and increasing risk of drought and water stress, with obvious impacts on food security and malnutrition. Sub-Saharan Africa faces some of the greatest risks, the immediacy of which cannot be overstated; the IPCC projects that “yields from rain-fed agriculture [which represents much of African agriculture] could be reduced by up to 50 percent by 2020.”

It is urgent that Canadians face up to our grossly outsized and destructive carbon footprint. Obviously, placing a moratorium on new drive-thrus in London is not, in itself, going to do this. It is a small part of many large changes that are needed in how our economy functions and how our cities are planned. But these changes need to start somewhere.

London already has 160 drive-thrus. Whether in blissful ignorance or conscious disregard, to continue to act like we are simply entitled to more –and by implication more urban sprawl, more cars, more oil, and more greenhouse emissions – constitutes a planetary arrogance of frightening proportions.

And let us be clear that this has nothing to do with jobs. Corporate fast-food chains do not create any more jobs than do independent, community-centered cafes and restaurants closer to people’s home and workplaces. Rather, they represent an approach to urban planning that is centered on oil and the primacy of the automobile.

The City of London has the opportunity to take a very important first step in overcoming this outmoded approach, and beginning to envision the future of our cities in a way that is denser, less resource intensive, and ultimately more in step with our responsibilities as global citizens.
In this, we could be very proud to see elected councilors give London a leadership role on a Canadian scale.

Tony Weis: Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario. Tony is also author of: The Global Economy: The Battle for the Future of Farming

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-WINNIPEG:
HAPPENINGS DOWN AT THE DRAG:
It's the dog days of summer, but down at the Mondragon Bookshop and Coffee House here in Winnipeg things are still happening. Here's a little run down for the next two weeks or so.
...........................
Music, speakers, and other happenings at the Mondragon and our surrounding community.
To have your event posted email mondragon@mondragon.ca.

Mondragon and the Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre present: Ghost Bees on a Cd Release Tour with Fall Horsie and local blue grass sweethearts The Magnificent Sevens and YARR pirates Ursula!! Venue: Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre This show will be amazing; don't miss out!!

We hate the state as much as the next anarchist so we decided to take the day off and burn some flags........or other things. See ya Wednesday!

Yep, you heard it here first; we're gonna do the Folk Fest booth again this year. We'll be closing down the restaurant in the city on Saturday so get your southern frieds before then......or brave the festival!!

From 6-8pm join members of Fair Trade Manitoba for info and a short presentation at seven o'clock. Folks will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues of fair trade.

SASKATCHEWAN:
BIKING IN REGINA:
The following item is from the Act Up In Saskatchewan website, something like a Saskatchewan Indymedia (without the usual nuts). It concerns Molly's old stomping grounds- Regina Sask.(where I learned to never look anybody in the face unless I was sure that I could beat them up). As I often say to people here in Winnipeg, "I spent 14 years in "beautiful" downtown Regina. In this country most people get less time for killing somebody". It is encouraging to see that even Regina sees the need for bicycle transport. We'll see if this thoroughly statist initiative has any effect.
.....................

Better biking brainstorm
Transport 2000 and Regina Eco-Living are sponsoring a Better Biking Brainstrom that will look at questions like: What are the city's plans, what improvements can we propose and what actions can we take? "This is your chance to voice your opinion on recreational and community cycling in the City of Regina," the organizers say. All suggestions will be taken to city hall. The brainstorm session will be held Thursday, July 3 at 7 p.m. at Knox Met Church, 2340 Victoria Ave.
Contact: Jim This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ">
caar@accesscomm.ca

CANADIAN POLITICS:
PAVING THE WAY FOR THE AMERICAN EMPIRE:
The following item is from the Harper Index, a website that is devoted to keep an ever aware eye on the machinations of 'Sneaky Stevie' and his Conservative coterie.
................................
Foreign takeovers welcomed by self-serving panel on competition
Corporate ringers told Harper what he wanted to hear - from an interview with Mel Watkins.
function
OTTAWA, June 26, 2008:
- A panel of top Canadian business executives appointed by Stephen Harper last year to take the heat off the government in the wake of a wave of foreign business takeovers, has recommended more of the same.

The Competition Policy Review Panel has recommended that the federal government water down most foreign investment controls and allow the mergers of major banks.

The report says Canada needs to reduce barriers to economic competition and embrace globalization. "The panel believes that Canada needs to be more open to competition," said panel chair L.R. "Red" Wilson, Chairman of the Board of CAE Inc. and former president and CEO of Bell Canada Enterprises.

One of Canada's leading experts in foreign ownership believes the report is the work of business "ringers" who told Harper what he wanted to hear and believed in the first place.
Economist Mel Watkins told Harper Index.ca in a telephone interview, "My biggest fear [when the panel was set up] was that they would produce a report that was utterly self-serving for the business community. That's precisely what they've done." He says the report is "a wish list for business."

The report proposes to make it easier for Canadian companies to be taken over, says Watkins in every case except for cultural institutions. It recommends allowing any acquisition of a company worth less than a billion dollars to go ahead without government review. Current takeovers of companies are examined at the $250 million level.

Another recommendation aimed at making takeovers easier is to put the onus on government to prove the takeover could threaten national interests. Currently, companies involved must prove it does not.

"Nearly 16,000 acquisitions have taken place, and they haven't turned down one until recently," says Watkins, pointing to the rejected sale of aerospace manufacturer MDA Canada as the sole exception. He calls the policy switch pretty preposterous.

The language of the report, entitled "Compete to Win," speaks to its political nature, says Watkins. "It sounds like a book by Don Cherry, full of sports and hockey analogies like 'A good defence is a good offence' and 'We have to play more at the other end of the rink.' It's as if the future of this country depends on Sports Canada."

He finds the most interesting aspect of the report is its repeated focus on the "insufficiency of entrepreneurial ambition in Canada," a notion with which he agrees. He attributes this insufficiency to the kind of colonial thinking and practices encouraged by the report.
"We've always thought of ourselves as part of another empire," says Watkins. "So we have a Canadian business class that has no sense of itself. If you want to create a stronger business class in this country it has to be encouraged to think of itself as separate from the US. The solutions offered by this report don't speak to any kind of strategy like that."

He is critical of the lack of attention the report plays to the resource sector in improving Canada's competitiveness. "If your fate is to be well endowed with resources, why don't you make it a central part of your business plan to strengthen that sector. We just let them go. Canada doesn't have any strategy in the resources sector, and this report fails to produce any. Instead they just mumble the usual cliches about working smarter and all that."

Watkins says the report is written "in a kind of curious vacuum" without any reference to "what is going on in the world, where quite a few crises are taking place." Instead of opening up the banking sector in the midst of serious financial crises, "I think we should be looking at how to protect it." The report, he says, has no recommendations on how to make more effective use of Canada's energy resources in the face of crisis or how to increase Canada's energy security.
"The other big crisis is ecological and climate change," says Watkins. "These words never appear in the report. The attitude is "Globalization! Let's have more of it. It doesn't seem to understand that we have a number of problems happening due to the amount of globalization we now have introduced. If we have more, it will worsen."

Links and sources



MOUVEMENT ANARCHISTE DU CANADA/CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

CAUSE COMMUNE #21:

Le camarades Québecois de la NEFAC continuer à lutter le bon combat, et ils ont mis en évidence la 21e édition de leur journal Cause Commune. Il est disponible pour télécharger via Internet dans un format pdf. Bonne lecture.

The Québec NEFAC comrades continue to fight the good fight, and they ahve now brought out the 21st edition of their journal Cause Commune. It's available for download via the internet in a pdf format. Good reading.

....................

Cause commune no 21

Le numéro 21 de Cause commune, le journal de la NEFAC au Québec, est maintenant disponible sur le web.

4000 exemplaires papier de ce journal sont distribuĂ©s gratuitement par des militantes libertaires, membres ou non de l’organisation. Cause commune se veut un tremplin pour les idĂ©es anarchistes, en appui aux mouvements de rĂ©sistance contre les patrons, les proprios et leurs alliĂ©s au gouvernement. Si le journal vous plaĂ®t et que vous voulez aider Ă  le diffuser dans votre milieu, contactez le collectif de la NEFAC le plus près de vous.





Un pdf à basse résolution --format tabloïd-- est disponible. http://www.nefac.net/files/CC21.pdf

Au sommaire du no 21 (format HTML)

* Le Camp des «4 sans»: Se mobiliser pour le droit au logement

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2402

* Le «Droit de citĂ©»

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2401

* L'anarchie de A Ă  Z, «T» comme Terrorisme

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2400

* Vers une nouvelle organisation révolutionnaire

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2399

* La rage du peuple

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2398

* Pendant ce temps... en France

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2397

* Des anarchistes changent le nom d’une rue du Vieux-QuĂ©bec

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2396

* Punk/OĂŻ : Larmes aux poings

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2395

* Hip-hop : Désobéissance

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2394

* Livre : Le Mouvement masculiniste au Québec

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2393

* Une scierie en grève à Valcourt

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2392

* À la défense du droit à l'avortement

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2391

* Journée historique, répression des flics

http://nefac.net/fr/node/2390
http://www.nefac.net/
.......................................

Common Cause No. 21
The latest number of Common Cause, the newspaper of the NEFAC Quebec, is now available on the web.


4000 paper copies of this newspaper are distributed free by libertarian activists, both in and outside the organization. Common Cause is a springboard for anarchist ideas, to support the resistance movements against the bosses, owners and their allies in government. If you like the newspaper and want to help distribute in your community, contact the NEFAC group nearest you.
A low-resolution pdf - tabloid format - is available. http://www.nefac.net/files/CC21.pdf


Contents of No. 21 (HTML format)
* The Camp "4 sans"(I have trouble trasnlating this-Molly): Mobilizing for the right to housing http://nefac.net/fr/node/2402
* The "Freedom of the City"
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2401
* The anarchy A to Z, "T" as in Terrorism
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2400
* Towards a new revolutionary organization
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2399
* The rage of the people http://nefac.net/fr/node/2398
* Meanwhile ... in France
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2397
* Anarchists change the name of a street in Old Quebec
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2396
* Punk / OĂŻ: Tears the fists
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2395
* Hip-hop: Disobedience
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2394
* Book Review:
The Men's Movement in Quebec
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2393
* A sawmill on strike in Valcourt
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2392
* In defence of the right to abortion
http://nefac.net/fr/node/2391
* On This Day in History(this a rather free translation-Molly ) Police repression http://nefac.net/fr/node/2390
http://www.nefac.net

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-GREECE/BANGLADESH:
IMMIGRANT BANGLADESHI WORKERS IN ATHENS FIGHT BACK WITH INDUSTRIAL ACTION:
The following report is from the LibCom website, a British anarchist communist board. It's about an industrial action in Athens, Greece over sweatshop conditions and physical attacks on the workers.
..........................
Clothing company beating of Bangladeshi workers in Athens met with wildcat collective action

Bangladeshi workers in clothing sweatshop in Athens, Greece, were attacked by company thugs for refusing to work on Sunday. When their co-workers walked out in solidarity, the company fired 120 out of 180 of the working force. In response the workers have sealed the factory off forcing the company to withdraw the lay-offs and negotiate.

On Monday 23 of June 2008 Bangladeshi foremen and thugs in the pay of the “LADY FASHION” clothing sweatshop in Votanikos, Athens, attacked Bangladeshi immigrant workers who had refused to work in the previous day (Sunday being an official day-off in Greece), using iron bars and wooden clubs.

In response to the violence, 100 out of 180 workers walked out, with the consequence of them being declared laid-off by the company. Workers claim that on the 20th of June, The Union of Bangladeshi Workers (which has close links with PAME, the rather authoritarian Communist-Party controlled union umbrella) had managed to secure unpaid salaries of 1,5 month, a fact that infuriated the direction of the company which has persistently refused to pay the immigrant workers on time.

Working conditions in the sweatshop have been known to be appalling: up to 12 hours of daily work, 10 hour work on Saturday and 5 hours on Sunday, without the company paying the workers social security (IKA) monthly dues as is obliged by the law. As further response to the bosses’ violence and lay-offs, on following day,Tuesday the 24th, the workers gathered early in the morning and sealed the factory gate, inhibiting all production in the company’s premises.
As a result, all 120 lay-offs have been recalled with the direction promising to pay all worked hours and social security debts so far, and refrain from further violence.