shout-out to arthur silber. i just rediscovered this guy.
it’s not the sex. it’s never the sex.
it’s not the drugs. it’s never the drugs.
it’s not the terrorists. it’s never the terrorists.
…but where can we go? when will it be a place where it really is the sex? where it really is the drugs? where it really is all about the terrorists?!?!
i don’t think that place exists. so where do we go?
from the Red Emma’s/2640 website:
Tuesday May 4, 7:30PM : Know Your Rights! Screening of “10 Rules for Dealing with the Police”
The newest film from the Flex Your Rights Foundation is a primer on asserting one’s Constitutional rights during encounters with law enforcement. This film (made here in Baltimore!) will be shown FREE to the general public, with a moderated discussion and Q&A session to follow the 40-minute film.
this is a companion piece to the first installment of my vasectomy experience writing. if you are bored reading philisophical/psychosocial editorials, then you may want to move on from this installment. it turns out not to be very cheerful, either.
while the first piece focused on the experience of the physical vasectomy procedure itself, i also wanted to dedicate space to describing the intangible, mental/psychological aspects involved in such a procedure. dividing them into distinct writings prevents the muddying of either aspect, in my opinion offering more clarity for each. so here we go. [Read more →]
read an article on the campaign for liberty website this morning about “bush’s ninth year.” not the best way to start the day.
The answer to the Obama problem is the same as it was to the Bush problem, the Clinton problem, and the problem with every president who overstepped his bounds, waged unconstitutional wars, denied due process to suspects, violated the Fourth Amendment and spent so much as to make his predecessor look like a piker — philosophical revolution. Until the American people are swayed by the arguments for sound money, free markets, constrained government, the rule of law and peace in international affairs, they will continue to elect presidents whose distinctions are greatly overshadowed by their similarities with the men they replace. The hope for real change will be dashed, just as it was when Bush embarked on a presidency of unconstitutional terror policies, stimulus, bailouts, and huge expansions of Medicare and other domestic programs. Just as it is now for so many Obama supporters, who have seen their agent of hope and change continue on the path laid out by his predecessor, except with some window dressing and more rhetorical emphasis on social programs and economic regulation.
i can’t help but imagine moving through a swiftly-spinning revolving door in front of a gargantuan new york office building. anyone who dares try and stop the door will only have their fingers cut off. so no one dares.
in september ‘09, let-off studios’ editor was interviewed during the baltimore book festival. in a chance meeting, steve was taking a break from staffing the radical book fair tent and was asked a few questions about the election and subsequent presidency of obama. here’s his response.
as it turns out, the interview is part of a much larger project (thank goodness!) carried out by a staff member of towson university and their students. find out more regarding the obaltimore project and see more interviews.
i read an article this morning about a FEMA documentarian currently living in exile in south america; apparently, he was too good at finding evidence about foul play related to the u.s. government’s collusion with and involvement in the 9/11 attacks in new york city. here’s a fantastic response the documentarian has to an initially benign question, emphasis in bold is mine: [Read more →]
…that there’s so much positive energy and creativity that’s being utilized for only the benefit of those with a lot of money?
…that some of the creative people you know haven’t ever been truly challenged by life?
…it’s sad that people end up with the perspective that, “life sucks, let’s get fucked up”?
…that people are afraid to realize their own greatness?
…that regardless of all the affirmative action programs in the world, true equality does not and will never exist?
prisons are a slave-labor racket; an oxymoron when compared to the idea of justice that they were created to uphold. here are some choice quotes from a recent editorial on the pro libertate blog: [Read more →]
the following is a manifesto created by members of let-off studios. they do not necessarily reflect the opinions and actions of all collective members. [Read more →]
A few months ago I started getting involved with group called “Finding Our Roots: Midwest Anarchist Organizing.” I sat through meetings with the folks that I thought would be on the same page as me. I heard proposals on “Tribal Sovereignty,” “Race and Anarchism,” “Bicycle Workshops,” “Democracy vs. Consensus,” there was nothing about organizing. To them anarchist organizing was about “us” as anarchists or it was about what “others” are or should be doing. They could only talk about the “others” in tribes or in races that weren’t represented; they could only talk about the way anarchists govern themselves and about the culture of the left through bikes or recycling or gardening.I had come to believe that anarchism was about working class power, but the political concerns of these anarchists made me question this belief. I spent years like Mao’s frog at the bottom of a well. I stared up at the sky and saw something so small. I saw the world of the folks at “finding our roots.” My life made me jump out and see the world around. Our struggle is so big. We are so small and we have so much to do. I felt all alone as the ideology of half my life faded away.
although it’s somewhat disappointing to see that this person seems to stratify the concept of ‘anarchist’ while simultaneously proclaiming the world around him is not ‘black or white, but various shades of grey,’ it is still a thought-provoking read. i completely empathize with the disconnect between wanting to work for social change with a handful of others who might be ideologically aligned with you, but who want to spend their time sitting around and smoking pot instead of making a change. it’s so much easier to do work on your own and not rely on others, but the true dilemma is that a single person really isn’t much of a movement.
