What happened to Feminism?

Pimps n Hoes, some would say they don’t approve of the theme and impose a boycott. Is there an ethical justification for lucrative prostitution? Though it is visibly apparent and biologically affirmed that the overall male physical strength is significantly superior to the female one, it seems that its significance is such that it has made the rampant male sexual thirst an act executable by force upon the female body. That act, commonly known as rape has historically been condemned yet clandestinely practiced widely by its very condemners. Even today we are not lacking in examples, we all know why religion has always been so implanted in education. Let us not forget that cases of child sexual molestation by use of force on boys and girls alike has most recently been practiced largely by priests.

Amongst the consequences of the superiority of male physical strength we also have the female dependence upon male protection in the domain of prostitution. In order for females to offer the sexual disposal of their body’s in exchange for money are forced to seek the protection to prevent or mostly to avenge physical abuses and rip-offs. Hence the sadly inevitable concept of Pimps n’ Hoes. The size of the commission pocketed by the pimp can unfortunately be made the entire sum that the “hoe” earns by use of the unjustly advantageous physical superiority of men. However this is greatly facilitated by the fact that prostitution is so widely condemned (mainly religiously) that it is commonly outlawed. This brings prostitution into the darkness of the black market. The drug and sex trades are the most dangerous to indulge in, not just due to police repression but also due to their disproportionate economic value which cause the defence of their practice from cops to competition to be of a very high level of violence.

Sex, drugs, money, and guns are due to prohibition tightly associated.

I say fuck that shit! Legalisation allows regulation, physical and legal security but more importantly for trade unionism. Dutch whores are fully unionised which means their labour rights are recognised and they get a full deserved salary of which they only pay a small portion to the state in the form of taxes: The state being their “pimp”.

In my view that is a wiser option to black market prostitution which in most cases lets male domination prevails. We can see that the male dominated prohibitionist state often claims a sexually equalitarian title but clearly lets male physical force take the lead and turns a blind eye on its use.

However the male attitude to female rights can only really change if there is a conscience of sexual inequality that is fervently opposed by all women. As in the class struggle; class conscience must be acquired by the working classes through education and action taken against the upper classes by the oppressed. A pacifist approach to the class struggle does not imply the murder of the entire upper class so much as to promote and realise an equal redistribution of the wealth and power to more autonomous groups within the working class. That pacifist approach applied to the feminist struggle would be to opt against getting rid of the problem of male physical oppression by killing all men and establishing a purely and orthodox “feminist society”. Unfortunately the term “feminism” seems to have become tainted with that radical violent approach just as Stalin tainted the class struggle with a fiercely authoritarian and repressive reputation.

“Whenever you ask girls whether they consider themselves feminists or not, most of them deny any association with the aforementioned term”. Has the system or the sexist male elements within it really managed to make the defense of their own rights a derogative term even to women? Have women come to accept male domination or do they find a sexual attraction to it? It certainly surprised one or two parents that the theme for a girl’s party be “pimps n’ hoes”, some to the extent of forcing a boycott of it on their kids. Surely that is an exaggerated approach because a party’s all about joking around and having a good time to ignore the politics of it for one night and enjoy satirising the concept.

But my question remains largely unanswered; what did happen to feminism anyway? Why accept the denial of pursuing studies to girls in increasingly Islamic governed countries? Why accept male sex appeal as a marketing tool in selling the female body in publicity? Why listen and dance to Snoop Dogg’s music when he appears in one of his video clips holding women by a leash attached to a dog collar around their neck!?

WHY IS THIS ARTICLE WRITTEN BY A MAN IN THE FIRST PLACE!?!

By BRWG

Medical Marijuana Is Not a Libertarian Cause

“Medicine by regulation is better than medicine by referendum.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said that during arguments in the much-watched medical-marijuana case, Ashcroft v. Raich. Breyer, in other words, prefers that any change in the government’s prohibition of marijuana use be accomplished by an appeal to federal drug-enforcement authorities rather than by a public vote in the states, as occurred in California.

But what he is really saying is that medical oppression by an elite is better than medical oppression by the mob. Are those our only choices? Why must we have medical oppression at all? Why not medicine by free individual choice, or self-medication? The fact that this is not even on the table shows how far our society has moved from its individualist foundations.

America: the land of the “free”. They’re ‘free’ people but not free to make their own decisions about how they wish to be medicated. The way I see it, they have two choices if they need some sort of medication. They can take it the government’s way and pop pill after pill, whilst mixing medications, and then suffer the negative side affects. Or, they can go against the government and smoke weed. While weed also has side effects, these are fewer and they are not nearly as dangerous as most of the drugs that the government declares legal.

Another example of the oppression of medical marijuana is to do with a woman who lives in America. She has many diseases and disabilities. So many problems, in fact, that there is no medication that will work for her sickness. No medication except marijuana that is. The American government decided that what she was doing was illegal and she is now undergoing many court hearings because the ‘man’ wants to send her to jail. She can’t eat unless she has some THC in her body because it acts as an anti-nausea drug. The pain that she feels is also unbearable unless she’s vaporised some ganja.

Meanwhile, America is being hypocritical; as Cypress Hill would say: “They’re slinging sacks behind our backs”. There are 5 people who currently receive marijuana for medicinal uses from the US government. Just another example of how the USA doesn’t make sense.

by The Budman

This piece, by Draloo Wekim is entitled Plan Nine, a wink to the 1959 horror flick « Plan Nine From Outer Space". Woolard's work is extremely political, but what really makes it exceptional the artist himself. His website ( www.draloo.com) is full of information on him and his work, but also incorporates pages from another website, Scariens.org, a large section on Scarienism and the "Scarien Creed", some form of Semi-spiritual theory that promotes 'Spiritual Anarchy' against the 'Rupublicats'. This 'Creed' features prominently in Draloo's work and in the theory behind it. . The 'Scarien Liberation Army', a possible reference to the 1980s group the Symbionese Liberation Army, encourages resistance to the American State and corporate power. Draloo Wekim’s postcards are interesting, both stylistically and conceptually. Draloo broadcasts his postcards throughout the USA and encourages others to do this as well. For a full set (5) of Draloo postcards e-mail: together.we.are.many@gmail.com

Democracy?

Communism and anarchism are branded idealistic because human nature is egoistic and eager of power, but reading a definition of democracy I can’t but mock its… innocence? What is democracy if not another illusion? I’ll tell you what it is: a fraud. Democracy, as defined conventionally, does not exist in the Western world.

US-model democracy –for, after all, the US is the democracy of democracies isn’t it?– is a system that promises freedom and doesn’t deliver it. The blanket that hides a rancid imperialism with the typical crusade-like religious overtones and fanaticism implied. Fanaticism to combat fanaticism: 9-11 is responded with the massacre of 3,000 civilians in an innocent country, Afghanistan. It is remarkable that direct imposition from the mother of democracies is a necessary condition for the good working of the system. The results can be appreciated in Iraq, and they are self-explanatory. On the other hand, Hamas’ absolute majority in Palestine does not evidence the will of the people, but the result of terrorist pressure… Obviously, before spreading democracy and freedom throughout the world, the US should worry about making their own “democracy” worthy of that name.

Because power abuses are not the mere slips of a few “bad” men; they illustrate the corruption, degeneration and failure of, not just American, but Western democracy (for Europe readily consents and even cooperates). The point is not to blame Americans for this or that (although the promotion of ignorance is influential), but to bring the system down. We cannot allow its universalisation as the definitive form of government, predicted by the propagandists of democracy. It is known that all empires fall. And the empire of democracy is digging its own grave in the Middle East. But let us not remain passive and indifferent while this empire falls and another one takes its place. Let us accelerate its collapse and be able to remember it as the last one.

One of the first steps to let the hypocritical politicians, the populist mass media and the hidden industries and companies that move them in the background know that we are sick of their “democracy” is to refuse to vote. To vote is not only to recognise yesterday’s accepted evil as today’s good, it’s also cooperating with the evil. What does it matter who we vote anyways? Does it change anything? All democratic parties, if only for the fact that they support this false democracy, essentially defend the same injustices.

The solution must not be found within the democratic system. However, the way I see it, straight social revolution cannot succeed in the present because the worker of today, despite the fact that his situation has changed little, is unconscious, kept in a state of hibernation. A social revolution risks the fate of previous ones: to be poisoned by capitalism and become all it seeks to destroy. A fundamental preliminary step is to reject the system within ourselves, with all the consequences. We must liberate our minds, for democratic imperialism, not content with the physical subjugation of other people, also attempts to control its own subjects’ minds. This action alone, the first stone of the building, signifies quite a challenge for a young person of shallow and selfish ambitions, imbued in capitalist culture, like you and I are meant to be. But it can be done. We shall not stand up for a specific party to move conformist masses towards a lie. What we defend above all is individual and global freedom, which essentially go together. Currently an illusion, yes, and quite an exemplary one too, worthy of our attention and efforts. But one that must become reality and that will never be a fraud.

- a Zappatista

The following is a declaration of independance originally posted here.

This text is copy-right free, so if you want to use it for a flyer or something you can. Also if you want to modify it you can. Itd be nice however if you did not take all the credit for it.

"We are the workers of the world. We are the oppressed, the poor, the hungry. We are those who have known no freedom but that which has been given to us from the plate of our Masters. We hereby declare independence from those who wish to keep us down. We declare a Free State one in which equality and freedom reign masters of all. We declare ourselves free from Capital and those who serve it. We bow down to no god or master. We hold our heads high with dignity as we say “Ya Basta!” In this declaration we henceforth declare ourselves to be independent from any State. Due to Capitals Insidious and all-permeating nature we do not establish our own physical State. Instead we create a world of freedom in our own hearts and minds. Wherever we are we are free of the bonds of slaver that not so long ago held us down. We declare ourselves independent and free, unbound by the laws that ensure that we are chained down. We declare ourselves independent of these gods that ensure we remain docile. We declare that the only laws which we will follow are those that will ensure that our freedom will not die. We declare that the only masters or governments we serve and follow are those in our hearts and consciousnesses. Bourgeois, Capitalists, Cops, Oppressors be prepared for we have declared our independence of you and we will fight to protect our precious freedom.

Having taken note of our independence we now ask you to note our grievances and demands. These are many, as many as there are oppressed, beaten down and starving people. However we have reduced these to a more acceptable number.
1. We indentify power and its distribution as the source of many of the problems our brothers and sisters face today. Thus we demand that this power be broken down and redistributed back to the people.
2. We identify material positions as the source of power. Thus we demand a redistribution of this wealth in order for everyone to be able to live in dignity and equality, the two things that ccan guarantee our freedom.
3. We identify the police and armed forces of every country as the force legitimising the conservation of the status quo and as tools of reaction against our freedom. Thus we demand that the standing forces and police of every country be demobilised and their weaponry confiscated and destroyed.
These are our first demands. Non-compliance with these demands will be perceived as an aggressive attitude to our idependence and will place the perpetrators of sucha threat in a de facto state of war with all those that seek freedom."

- RzBz

Shopping Spree
How to Get Free Books, CDs, and Movies from Focus on the Family & Thereby Taking Money out of the Pockets of Anti-Gay Bigots in 12 Easy Steps

BY NOEL BLACK

Gay marriage is on the ropes and you may be feeling despondent about the tedious process and dim prospects for any kind of meaningful change in the near future. And why wouldn't you? There are a total of eight states in the U.S. that don't have Defense of Marriage amendments either on the books or in the works, and Massachusetts is still the only state that permits same-sex marriage. The Washington State Supreme Court handed down its anti-gay-marriage decision several weeks ago and Washington's gay community is licking its wounds and contemplating an incremental push for civil unions.

When I'm feeling despondent over the state of gay rights in Americaâor the concurrent assaults on reproductive freedom, science, and rational thoughtâthere's just one thing that helps me overcome my feelings of despair: getting free shit from Focus on the Family!

Few people know that Focus on the Familyâthe powerful evangelical Christian para-church based in Colorado Springsâwill give you, absolutely free of charge, books, CDs, and DVDs. Usually people pay for these products, and the millions of dollars raised helps Focus on the Family produce yet more books and CDs featuring Dr. James Dobson and other Focus "experts." (Focus on the Family's experts, when they're not chatting on the phone with Karl Rove, run around the country teaching people how to stop being so gay and when it's appropriate to kick their kids' asses.)

Not only does ordering free stuff from Focus on the Familyâsent to myself or people I don't likeâsatisfy a deeply juvenile impulse, it has the added benefit of taking money directly out of homo-hater Dobson's pocket. The one drawback is that getting free shit from Focus on the Family is a tad time consuming and a bit tricky, but it's well worth the effort.

Here's how to do it:

1. Go to www.family.org and you will see their home page.

2. Once you're at the home page, look for the "Resources" link in the blue bar on the left-hand side, right above the "Search" box, and click it.

3. Under the "Resource Category" menu on the left-hand side, you'll notice categories such as "Homosexuality." Go ahead and click that for shits and giggles.

4. It's time to start shopping! Scroll down a little bit and feel the homophobia flow. How about a nice copy of A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality? Go ahead and click the "Add to Cart" button.

5. Now comes a tough decision: Do you have the book sent to yourself so you can sell it on eBay for cash (my personal favorite) or do you keep it on your mantel as a high-larious conversation piece to point at and laugh when your friends and family come over? Or do you send it to a jerk? I always opt for sending it to myself. Yes, you may end up on the Focus on the Family mailing list (though I've been doing this for some time and have never received anything beyond what I ordered), but reading Focus on the Family's junk mail is a good way to keep tabs on their activities and it will cost them even more money in postage.

Please note: Focus on the Family won't send you more than $100 worth of materials for free in any given shopping trip, so be sure to keep it reasonable and return often.

6. Select "Add New Shipping Address" and click "Proceed to Checkout." Or, hell, continue to shop and pick up a box set of The Chronicles of Narnia on CD.

7. The next screen will ask you to sign up for an account and give your information. Don't worry, they don't ask for your credit-card number. Enter whatever name and address you like, because you won't be paying.

8. Once you've filled out all the required fields (you can also create a fake e-mail account if you're super paranoid), click "Proceed to Checkout" one more time. You'll now find yourself at the "Here Is Your Cart" field. Annoying thing alert: You may have to reenter your info again after this field to actually set up your account. But just keep going until you get to the "How Much Would You Like to Donate?" page.

9. So, how much would you like to donate? Zero dollars, obviously. Don't be fooled by the field in the lower-right-hand corner that shows you the suggested donation amounts. Simply select "Enter other total amount" and enter 0.00 as the amount you would like to pay. (Don't put in a dollar sign or it will ask you for credit-card information!) Proceed to checkout.

10. You'll now be led to a screen that will try to make you feel guilty about the amount you haven't donated. But don't feel bad! Just proceed to checkout again.

11. Jesus! Here you are on the twelfth step and you still don't have your self-hatred materials! And you thought preventing homosexuality was supposed to be easy! Click "Checkout Now" and you're done.

Congratulations!

You have just removed a few dollars from the coffers of a major anti-gay organization. You can further capitalize on your brief investment of time by selling the item/s on eBay. You'd be surprised how much money you can getâa friend of mine makes a few hundred extra dollars every few months on this perfectly legal activity.

And if your conscience begins to bother you, think of it this way: Focus on the Family would probably like for you to have the materials anyway, because there's that minute chance that, once in your hands, the materials may inspire you to have a personal relationship with Jesus.

Finally, don't forget to pass this information on to all your friends. Proselytizing isn't just for Christians, you know. Go gay!

Right now i am unable to update this website as regularly as i would like. However let me bring to your attention the Indymedia website that is covering the ongoing (genocidal) war in Lebannon. Also of note is the text entitled "Daddy, why did Israel do this to us?" by Raida Hatoum.

I highly advise you get involved in your community to bring this war to an end.

Firstly i'd like to appologize for not updating Rioter's Blog more often, but what with the hoilidays and so on i really havent been bothered to. However fro those of you who have nto been really following whats been going on outside of your homes ill do a quick run down of the dismall situation in the world today.

A few months a go hope ran in the air. From the streets of Paris to those of Atenco, Mexico a few months ago the world was vibrant wiht resistance. This has all evaporated into thin air as throughout the globe the orces of ruthless reaction and deadly repression roll on into the soft belly of innocence, gutting it and leaving its still-warm twitchin body for dead. In recent weeks we have witnessed as from the streets of Mexico, to those of Beiruth the million little deaths of democracy at the hands of smiling tyrants.
Most urgent is the situation in Lebannon. There hundreds are displaced and tens die each day under the treads of the mighty Israeli war mahine. Since earlier on this year, this fanatically religious terrorist state has been reinforcing its offensives on the native Arab nations that surround it. Palestine especially has suffered tremedously in the past few months as the Israelis have cut off their supplies, deprivin g tens of thousands of the basic necessities such as water and food. Most hospitals have either been bombed or are disfunctional due to the lack of electricity. In fact no one has any electricity in Gaza after the Israeli aviation destroyed every electricity plant in that area. In complete disregard for the legal deomocratic process in place within the Palestinian "controlled" areas by bombing, repetedly, the buildings of government. And they still manage to attempt to convince the world that they are the victims, that they are prey to dastardly acts of terrorism that fully justiy destroying the lives of scores of civilian palestinians, including but not limited to children, women and old men. But what is the worse thing? That the hipcrites sitting in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Washington have almost convinced the world they are under attack? Or the idiotic excuse they used to kill so many thousands? That one soldier, a non-commanding officer, was captured by Palestinian militants. After this event a righteous storm of unbriddled fury swelled throughout the world. indignation that a soldier was captured? in a war? Who are they kidding? Do they really beleive that the public will swallow this? perhaps the worst thing of this whole sorry affair is that the sheepish public did beleive it was a legitimate excuse...
Now it is upon Lebanon that Israel has turned its holy wrath. Provoked or not this attack upon the Lebanese people has already killed thousands and dsplaced many more. is there no respite for the imperialist biggots?

Be sure to sign the petition bellow:

http://fromisraeltolebanon.info/

By 1^Зпэмұ
By RzBz

Graffitying

One of the greatest advantages of tagging, graffiti or writing is that it is one of those things that most people don’t know whether to condemn or not, so people will think twice before denouncing you. None the less it requires some organization and ethics so that you don’t end up in jail or give a negative image to the community as whole. The first thing to do is meet up with other artists. This has several advantages. If you cannot draw nor have no artistic skills they will be able to teach about some techniques. Also they will know how to operate spray cans and things. The most important advantage though is that you'll be able to go on "bombing" raids (this is what some people call graffiti) on your own. Going on your own may seem like a good idea (no need to coordinate, less crowds and so on) but eventually you will be caught, due to the facts you cant be looking out for yourself AND create appreciable pieces of work. Not only this but you a lone person is more dubious than a group. A good number for a graffing "cell" is 3. This enables one person to work comfortably, one person to look out and another to assist the first. Taking turns is a good idea so that no one person is bored or tired of what they are doing. Good places to meet fellow artists will vary from city to city but looking for your nearest graph shop is good. There you'll be able to meet fellow graphers without having to ask awkward questions. A good place to network in Geneva is the 242 (242 shop - rue du vieux-billard 4 / 1205 geneve) street-shop. It sells tons of good materials and attracts a large crowd from the urban underground artistic community. You should be able to find someone to work with.
Your gear is essential to any successful operation. The first thing you’ll need is "writing" equipment: spray paint is ideal, because of its versatility and rapidity of use. A problem with spray paints is their size and the noise they make. Special bags can be bought or made, and pocket cans purchased though. Regular paints would work as well but spray paint is really a must. Stencils are good if your going to be doing many of the same throughout your area and work fast and well once you know how (www.stencilrevolution.com for more info on that). A respirator is very useful so you don’t hurt your lungs but cost a lot and are difficult to make. You should also plan to take gloves and a hat. Your clothes should not be too showy and cover at least your fore arms and legs. Once you and your partners are geared up you should try to fin the time you can all go. A good moment is around 3 or 4 in the morning if you’re going to go to a major urban or residential center as this is the time people are least alert. If not you can plan to go some time after midnight at least, once again not to get caught. At least for the first few times, try to go with someone more experienced than you. Get around fast is essential if you plan to hit large areas fast. Good means include bicycles, roller skates and skate boards if you don’t have a car or can’t use one. OF course a car would be best because you can relax and spray calmly; waiting for each layer to dry inside your vehicle, but this may not be convenient in some situations. The essential thing is not to get caught of course. IF you do get busted attempt to remain calm: avoid antagonizing the police officer or rent-a-cop and avoid breaking down and crying. This way they may just let you off. Avoid having any personal items such as ID cards on you as they may fall out. Try to keep up the artistic or intellectual value of your work or it will get quickly buffed over. Try to get recognition by keeping the same style for most of your work. Always try to find the best location such as high places, government buildings, trains ect. so that your work gets a maximum of coverage.
There are a few rules you should remember when painting on walls:

- Never hit any place you know cannot afford it (especially poorer areas)- Never Vandalize: tagging should not solely destructive- Try not to paint over other artists work (unless it’s fascist or bad) - Don't boast- Don't steal other artists work
-Rzbz

First up is another collage i made. That's a refugee child in case you were wondering. it sould be the right sizae and fomat for most screens as a back ground. It is rather fancy and rather not very good, but i try.

This is an advertisement for this very website. Feel free to print one or two if you want ot show your support and stick them up wherever you feel like. im also working on some neat little stickers. E-mail me if you want some.
This is another collage. It is even poorer than the previous one.

Sorry.
Once agian the right size for a Back ground.
Tune in Monday for another update.

Talking of which Rioter's Blog Updates Bi weekly, on the weekend and on wednesday or thursday.

We still need writers so please feel free to send us your articles, recipies drawings, ect...

"EZLN calls for International Support

Zapatista Army of National Liberation
May 3, 2006

Compañeros and Compañeras around the World:

This is Insurgent Lt. Col. Moise's speaking to you,

Today we have entered into a Red Alert.

Our compañeras and compañeros from Texcoco near San Salvador Atenco (State of Me'xico) were attacked. This is a place where our compañero Subcomandante Marcos has just visited. We are calling for a national and international mobilization against the government of Vicente Fox for May 4th beginning at 8 in the morning in front of Mexican embassies.

Up to this point we do not know how many dead and injured there might have been because our brothers and sisters from Atenco were confronted by the forces of the bad government and they defended themselves.

Stay tuned compañeros and compañeras.
We will be in contact when necessary. "

-This was released on the Third of May 2006. I realise its abit late but these events were of major importance. I was unable to report on them in the newspaper at the time. If you want more information on theis visit www.ezln.org.mx .

More events of importance are renewed violence in the French Banlieues. Int he night of te 30th to the 31st the marginalised area of montfermeil saw many confrontations between the police and masked youth. In between 200 and 300 young people attacked the police in the area after the police had arrested a young man and his mother. This was perceived as yet another police provocation in an area that saw the birth of the riots last autumn. This area has virtually no public transport to the city of Paris. only an erratic bus service connects this area to the outside. this is seen by many of the inhabitants as a step to exclude the poor from Paris. During the violece several cars were burnt and six Policemen were injured. Many people were arrested, mainly for throwing rocks. One of the young men that had been with the two electrocuted last year and had set off the first riots was arrested.
Nicolas Sarkozy has been attempting to dress these events up as racial riots. He has stated that those rioting are mainly young Blacks and Aravs, two large minorities in France. He has also stated that the riots are the work of organised criminal organisations ina n attempt to take full control of the "Cités", implying that all Blacks and Arabs are criminals. The fact is that these riots are the consequence of the politics of the government and parts of french society who seem to be attempting to minimise the problems of poverty by placing it to the sude and carefully ignoring it.
Nicolas Sarkozy seems poised to take ofver the government from Jacques Chirac, at the expense of VIllepin. This definitely confirms frances shoft to the Right, exposed during the last elections with Le Pen's assention to the second electoral round fro presidency. Sarkozy's UMP party is ideologically close to Le Pen's Front National.


All images ar copyright to their respective owners

This is a collage of various pictures i made. the images are porbably copyright to someone. By the way the man lying on the floor is Carlo Giuliani. He is dead. Read the short peice entitled "Why they killed Carlo " In one of my previous posts.

Incidentaly this image should be large enough for most desktops. Feel free to use to that purpouse. Or any other for that matter.

This is another comic, on war this time. Same author as the previous one.

To enlarge any of these pictures just click on them.

This is a comic about religion. If i have offended any one: tough poo. this is is hitherto unpublished so once again make the most of it.

Rebel dignity

There are those who will never be crushed. There are those who even dead continue fighting. There are those who cease to be human and become an idea, a concept, a revolution. There are those whose names are forgotten but whose actions linger on.

In southern Mexico over fifteen years ago there was a group of men and women that congregated. They remembered. They remembered that they had not always been oppressed; they remembered when there had been a time when their people had lived in dignity. It was this memory that animated them, that directed their movement at the beginnings. They were indigenous man and women who had remembered this. Then they remembered that once they had fought. They had fought oppression like the one they were living now. They remembered that they had fought the Spanish conquerors. They remembered that their forefathers had stood up and fought. They also remembered that again they had fought the continuers of the conquistador tradition in Mexico, many years after. They remembered that man that had stood out amongst so many heroes: Emiliano Zapata, who had shouted out: “Land and Liberty!” He was long dead, but his memory remained and it was these memories that united these shadows that collected in the dusty and disused corners of the Mexican South. It was these memories that, like a magnet brought these people together in the darkness. The anger had been breeding for a long a time. Now it crystallized into a thought, an organisation an aim.

For a time they stayed in the dark of the forest, forgotten, pushed aside by the government. But in cool darkness of the undergrowth they planned, they plotted. Silently they moved from township to Run-down Township. They spoke to the men and women there. They organised. They thought. They formulated plans. And they came to the conclusion that they would need to fight. The anger was too great. The unhearing ears of the government too deaf. And so they gathered support. Hundreds, and soon thousands drifted towards this group that now had a plan, an aim and a name. The Zapatista Army for National Liberation. Thousands of Zapatistas infiltrated the corrupt police in Chiapas. On New Years Eve they volunteered to take a shift no one else wanted. On January the First 1994 the insurrection occurred. Almost as if in dream the police stations were seized and the army gained control of large swathes of the state.

BY now the anger of the indigenous Mexicans had a face and a name. The army marched on the capital, Mexico. At first it seemed like a conventional army, invading a land it had no right to hold. But the Zapatistas had a weapon the conquering armies of Spain, France and corrupt capitalist imperialism had never had. They had the weight of memory. They used as a great club, smashing the threatening vision of hundreds of masked men marching across the country. For as they took town after village after town they allowed the people there to refuse and fight their rule. They allowed the towns to rule themselves. They did not conquer. The liberated in a way no army has ever done. As the fire spread across Mexico sparks flew off in the winds of change and settled around the globe starting fires, small or large, in the USA, Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. These fires were never to go out, even as the Zapatistas were crushed by the armies of corruption, by the American backed Mexican troops. As entire villages were destroyed by the advancing tanks, around the world the flames of dissent were already burning. The flames have never gone out. They have grown stronger even as the Zapatistas were pushed back into the Jungles of Chiapas, Mexico. The fires blazed in Genoa. The fires blazed in Nairobi. The fires blazed in Paris. The fires Blazed in Washington. The fires Blazed in Seattle. And the fires blaze on, constantly stoked by change, and fuelled by revolt, anger and discontent. The sparks were not lost. They found try tinder around the globe that was ready to go up. The Zapatistas started a fire that now reaches across the globe. A fire of red flames. A fire who sounds like hope. A fire that creates even as it destroys.

A fire that will not be put out now it has started.

By RzBz

Exclusive to Ritoer's Blog so make the most of it!!

Why they killed Carlo Giuliani

In July 2001 the rich and powerful of the world collected like vermin in Genoa. The eight most corrupt, power hungry, powerful men in the world congregated in this small costal Italian town in the intention of dividing up the world like one big pie. This yearly event had always brought controversy, protest and often violence. However Genoa was going to be a turning point for anti-G8 protests. Because in Genoa we were explicitly shown exactly what these men were prepared to do. Because in Genoa, on that hot summer day Carlo Giuliani died. HE was shot in the face by the neo-fascist Italian police when they opened fire on the crowed attempting to disrupt the conference of the Few, the conference of the Powerful. As if to make sure that the sprit of the movement was dead, the Carbineri drove over his body in their Land Rover.

Who exactly Carlo Giuliani was is not relevant. The governments tried to add insult to injury by calling him a vagrant. But the fact is that Carlo Giuliani died fighting against a system that he believed was unjust. This was the first time this kind of event happened in Europe. It is almost certainly not the last time. Five years on very little has changed. Europe has continued its great rightwards drift, while in the USA the Christian right, in all its fascistic glory is sliming its way into every nook and cranny of society. Skinheads walk the streets of the West, while black men and women, Asian, African and Latin American migrants are shot in cold blood and impunity. In Brazil revolutionaries are tracked down and shot, accused of being part of a problem the system created. In Korea the expansion of US military base threatens the livelihoods of hundreds. In Western Africa ant-IMF protesters are shot and killed by the police. The Oppression will not stop until the criminals and the societies they seek to protect are destroyed, taken down brick by brick. Justice for all the Carlos who has died over the years will only be brought once those corrupt men in their seats of power are brought to popular justice for mass homicide. Only once these men and the system which allows them to continue to rule us all is destroyed, only then will the people know, peace, only then will they know rest from the relentless pace of profits, productivity and money imposed by these people. Only then will we know equality and freedom from want. Only then will misery and starvation disappear. Only then will men women and children finally know something else but the crushing jaws of capitalism…

So we must fight back, with our words, with our music, with our drawings with our actions. Unless we do this many more of us will be crushed under the steel boot of the Market and Imperialism…

- RzBz

Trust, Power and War

Society is built on trust. Everyday, we trust other people to be honest and do their work truthfully so that everybody else has a certain level of security. On the plane, you trust that the pilot will get you safely to the desired destination. At home, you trust that electricity will be provided faithfully. And yet, when these trusts are broken, there emerges from the depths of society the unruly tension and chaos that underlies all human existence. What happens when the plane is hijacked? And when the lights go out for good? What happens when a miscalculation causes a building to collapse on top of hordes of innocent and unsuspecting people? Therefore, if trust is so fundamentally important, why is it that the people who rule nations, who make the important decisions, who pick and chose in an almost totalitarian manner the lives of their citizens, are the ones who are the most untrustworthy?

Honest politicians? That's an oxymoron. And yet, we must admit that it is in human nature to make mistakes. You and I make them everyday and are always anxious to be forgiven and allowed another chance to prove ourselves. But the mistakes made by politicians have macabre and extensive consequences. War, terrorism, totalitarianism, massacres - these have all been attributes of government policies (not neccessarily mistakes) in the past. So what exactlly is the problem here? It is not the fact that politicians make mistakes, they are human, they are naturally prone to do so. The problem lies in their power. If their power was not so great, their mistakes would not have such grave and large-scale impacts. While George Bush and his cabinet may have made a mistake (or so they claim now that it is strategically useful to do so) in invading Iraq and forcing modern imperialism on the basis of non-existant weapons of mass destruction, this mistake would not have been possible had the president of the United States been attributed a lesser lever of power.

We must question then, why there are a few, elite individuals making the choices and decisions for a society? Why can the society not do so itself? America is just one extreme example of this hidden dictatorship, and it is one that we should hope we shall not see emerge in our own respective countries.

What is the solution? The solution is a society where everyone works for the better good of everyone else. Where everyone has a voice and that voice is loud and clear, not feeble and ignored as it tends to be in the nations of today. And the demoliton of singular power would aid this cause greatly. We cannot trust individuals to make the decisions for us - we must make them ourselves, collectively. And though this may seem a herculean feat, it can be achieved, through the highest form of democracy - but only once absolute equality is an established and consistent feature of society.

R.A.P

Wheatpasting

Wheatpaste, otherwise known as Marxist glue, due to its affinity to being used by leftwing organizations, can be used to stick paper onto a wall, and with luck, it’ll stay there for a long time, especially if cooked and applied right. Wheatpaste is made extremely easily with common household items, and can be made in ten minutes flat. The basic principle behind it is the mixture of flour and water to make a thick sticky paste, that when dry acts as; you guessed it, glue. The actual process comprises of the following:

1. measure out 1 cup of water and 3 tablespoons of flour
2. set the water on the stove, but don’t let it boil
3. mix the 3 tablespoons of flour with a bit of water, to make a creamy consistency, make sure there are no lumps, because those are a hassle
4. once the water is almost boiling, add the flour/water mixture to the almost boiling water and mix thoroughly
5. bring the water/flour mixture to a gentle boil, letting it bubble for a minute or two

Now its done. Pour it off into something and clean the pan and you are set. There are various other things you can do to the wheatpaste, such as add sugar for strength, or add some wood glue, but that’s just some people. I keep it simple.

As for application, I find the easiest method is to pour it into one of those squeezy ketchup bottles so you can squirt it on a wall, then using a brush to smooth it out. Otherwise a jam jar full of it and a paintbrush will do just fine. For proper application, apply a layer of wheatpaste behind the paper, place the paper down, and then apply another layer of wheatpaste to make sure it sticks well. Make sure to cover all the edges so no one can rip down the wheatpaste. It should dry in a couple of hours, and hopefully be permanent.

You can paste up pretty much any kind of paper, but the best kind is thin newsprint paper, or anything thin pretty much. Even thicker paper works, but its hard to keep all the edges down. There you have it, how to make and use wheatpaste. Now go color up our cities please.

from Rioter's Block # 7

The USA, the distribution of power and Lies

The Very first Lie: The USA is democracy

The USA is not a democracy. In a democracy, the people are ruled by men and women who were voted in by their people. In the USA this cannot be considered the case. In the USA and indeed much, if not all, of the Western World, the people are directly influenced to take decisions concerning who they elect by the media. The media hold the main source of power in that depending on what the Media say the people will take decision. Seeing as the media in general are the only source of information concerning these matters the people of any media-centric country will ultimately hold the power. For example if the main television network decides to support a given candidate, then people who watch that television network will also begin to support him. However a more balanced view could come from the other networks that could support another candidate or give more objective news. However due to basic law of supply and demand these ‘independent’ networks will have to align them with what their consumers want. And if a large section of the potential audience is conditioned to believe one thing the networks will have to cater for this belief and support it to be able to feed their families. Far from is it to make some ranting raving anti-American comment. It is not the United States which is the problem, nor even is it the people who govern it. These are just symptoms, the visible gangrene of a problem much deeper and much more powerful than one imagines. The real issue is system-wide.

The Second Lie, as told by the Revolutionaries

Many liberals, socialists, angst-ridden teens and “alternative types” can sustain quite a long rant about how evil and wrong the United States and its leader, President George Walker Bush, are. However this is a lie or a mistake. The United States are just the apparent tip of an iceberg that stems worldwide and permeates the very fabric of “civilized” society. As given by the example of the Media ima Western-style, media-centric democracies, and the entire system is ruled by the laws of the market. This is one of the hallmarks of neo-liberalism as denounced by the Zapatistas. The Market is allowed to influence the way people make decisions. The Media is just one of the most prominent examples but there are many more. Thus attacking the USA and demonizing its leaders is more or less an act of ignorance. The world is not controlled by the USA but the Market. And the Market is controlled by the large turns-national companies that know no borders to their expansion. They are the ones that are real in charge and it is to them and their, bloated, cruel ambitious Coos that people will turn to when push comes to shove. It is all the Mc Donald’s, Coca Colas, Shells and Altheas that must be destroyed or at least limited before change can occur.

-RzBz

From Rioters Block #6 published may 3