Ward Churchill Speaks at Recreate 68 Rally, End the Occupations

Ward Churchill laying it down. Thanks to Tryworks for the link.

Your Playstation Has Real Blood On It

Your Playstation Has Real Blood On It

(raimd.wordpress.com)

There has been recent interest in the news lately on a report by the liberal activist group Toward Freedom around what has been dubbed the “Playstation War.” It describes how the demand for a key metal used in the Sony Playstation 2 video game console was a driving force in the ongoing wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Stories about the demand for this metal, called coltan, and the wars behind it in sub-Saharan Africa, are nothing new (1). What is new about this report is that it links one specific consumer product to this conflict.

The Playstation video game console, like others on the market, is solely used for leisure and entertainment. Priced for hundreds of dollars and purchased by consumers in Amerika and other First World nations, the Playstation is a byproduct of the leisure time and disposable income available to Amerikans. Along with the console itself there are thousands of video games that are made for it, along with fan magazines and websites. According to the Entertainment Software Association video game sales reached $9.5 billion in 2007, and tens of thousands of people are employed in this industry to meet consumer demands (2). The indirect economics in terms of research and development, sales, advertising, and marketing are also vast. Video games are just one byproduct of imperialist parasitism, and in the case of the Playstation it is a direct contributor to war and suffering.

Imperialism is a system based upon exploitation and war. The production cycle of the Playstation illustrates the rabid bloodshed and exploitation imperialism brings, and the parasitism that it feeds in the core imperialist nations.

The African World War and the Playstation

The conflict known as Africa’s World War has involved eight nations and over 25 militias. It has killed and displaced millions of people over a ten year period, and its effects still linger today. According to Toward Freedom, this war also became known as the Playstation War. They state:

“The name came about because of a black metallic ore called coltan. Extensive evidence shows that during the war hundreds of millions of dollars worth of coltan was stolen from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The UN and several NGOs claim some of the most active thieves were the Rwandan military, several militias supported by the Rwandan government, and also a number of western-based mining companies, metal brokers, and metal processors that had allegedly partnered with these Rwandan factions…. And while allegations of plundering coltan from a nation in desperate need of revenue seem bad enough, the UN also discovered that Rwandan troops and rebels were using prisoners-of-war and children to mine for the “black gold.”

“Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms,” said British politician Oona King, who was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2005.”(3).

Coltan is used to make the metal tantalum, which in turn is used to make capacitors for tiny electronic devices. Up to eighty percent of the world’s coltan reserves lie in the DRC (4). Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of this metal has been stolen from the DRC during this war in order to satisfy the growing demand for electronic items like cell phones, laptops, I-Pods, and video games.

The report links the demand for the Playstation in 2000 to a spike in the price of coltan. At the same time the Rwandan military and its allied militias forcefully took over land in DRC that had coltan mines. A United Nations investigation alleged Western mining companies:

“…directly and indirectly fueled the war, paralyzing the DRC government, and [used] the conflict to keep the coltan flowing cheaply out of the Congo. Some companies were also accused by the UN of aligning with elements of the warring parties.”

Toward Freedom further states:

“David Barouski, a researcher and journalist from Wisconsin, says it is certain that the coltan from this conflict is also in SONY video game consoles across the world. ‘Sony’s PlayStation 2 launch (spring of 2000) was a big part of the huge increase in demand for coltan that began in early 1999,’ said Barouski, who has witnessed the chaos of eastern DRC firsthand.”

Sony of course engages in plausible deniability, saying it cannot really know where everything it manufactures comes from. Really, gee whiz.

Congo’s Long History of Meddling Imperialists

The DRC has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world, despite being so rich in mineral resources. The cause of this contradiction is its long history of being a victim of imperialist intervention. It has long been a site of theft, plunder, and murder by U.$. and Western imperialism. It was once known as the Belgian Congo, named after its former colonial strangler. It achieved independence from Belgium in 1961. Its first leader after independence was Patrice Lumumba, who described 80 years of colonial oppression as a “humiliating slavery which was imposed upon us by force” (5). Lumumba, a national leader too independent for U.$. imperial interests, became a victim of an assassination orchestrated by the CIA and Belgian intelligence shortly after he took power. He was replaced by a subservient kleptocracy led by Gen. Joseph Mobutu, head of the national army. Mobutu and his cronies went on to steal billions from the nation he renamed Zaire, while starving millions of its citizens. Mobutu also allowed the CIA free use of the country as a proxy to destabilize the rest of the region for U.$. interests against the USSR during the Cold War.

After the Cold War ended Mobutu was of no use to the imperialists, and was finally overthrown in 1997. His replacement also became a pawn of the imperialists. The nation, renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo, was led by president Kabila, who made deals with Western and Amerikan mining companies for access to its valuable mines. He had the backing of neighboring armies who wanted in on its resources. The five-year war that officially ended in 2003 was known as the African World War, the deadliest war since World War II. So far over 5 million people have died as a result. This is just one symptom of the long legacy of imperialism in this region.

Who Plays, Who Works? Electronic Sweatshops

Like almost all consumer products, the Playstation and other electronics are manufactured in Third World sweatshops that take advantage of cheap labor and few regulations.

News reports state that Sony is contracting with Foxcomm, a Taiwanese contractor with factories based in China, to build their new Playstation 3 (6). Other reports about Foxcomm factories that assembled the iPods give an indication of the conditions that these toys are made in. One factory in China has 200,000 workers, and advertises for workers over age 16 (7):

“Inside Longhua, workers labor a 15-hour day building iPods, for which they usually earn about $50 per month. When they’re not on the assembly lines, they live in secluded dormitories that each house 100 people and prohibit visitors from the outside world. The workers are allowed ‘a few possessions; and a ‘bucket to wash their clothes.’”

From one worker:

” ‘We have to work too hard and I am always tired. It’s like being in the army,’ Zang Lan, one of the workers at Longhua, told the Mail. ‘They make us stand still for hours. If we move we are punished by being made to stand still for longer. The boys are made to do pushups.’ ”

The report states the iPod Nano is assembled in a five-story factory that is secured by armed police officers. The super-slim digital music player is said to include over 400 parts which arrive from component manufacturers all over the world (8).

Another factory in Suzhou, Shanghai that manufactures iPod shuffles is completely surrounded by barbed wire. The workers take home $99 a month, with half of that income going to food and shelter. The factory advertises for women workers, because it considers them more honest. China, now under capitalist imperialist exploitation, is touted for its “low wages, long hours and industrial secrecy, [making] the country attractive to business, especially as increased competition and consumer expectations force companies to deliver products at lower prices (9).”

The End Game

“Amerikan imperialism takes the products created by the exploited labor of the Third World and passes it off to Amerika’s aristocratic ‘workers.’ From here, Amerikan ‘workers’ are overpaid to basically tinker around with the products before they are sold. In turn, Amerikan ‘workers’ use their inflated wages to buy these products, thus making possible the final realization of profit for the overall system. In this manner, Amerika uses global exploitation to keep its domestic mall economy afloat and enable its existence as an entire nation of parasites.”

-Parasitism: The Economics of Imperialism (RAIMD) (10)

Amerika’s economy is a service economy. The wealth of this country comes from the exploitation of resources and labor from outside of its borders, all so Amerikans can live overly comfortable lives. The Playstation is no exception. Millions have died and billions suffer for your entertainment. The world’s majority won’t stand for it for too much longer.

Amerikan imperialism will lose in the end. So join with the world’s oppressed majority and become a revolutionary anti-imperialist. It’ll be more fun than your Playstation anyway!

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Sources:

1). http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/5-high-tech-genocide-in-congo

2). http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp

3). Lasker, John. “Inside Africa’s Playstation War.” Toward Freedom, July 08, 2008. http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/1352/1. All info on the DRC and Playstations, except noted, is from the Toward Freedom article.

4). http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section002group3/coltan_mining_in_democratic_republic_of _the_congo

5). http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/history/2007/0627kinshasa.htm

6). http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/09/18/sony-appointed-foxconn-for-ps3-console-manufacturing/

7). http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/06/06/12/ipod_city_inside_apples_ipod_factories.html

8). Ibid.

9). Ibid.

10). http://raimd.wordpress.com/2007/06/22/parasitism-the-economics-of-imperialism/

Put A Little Love in Your Heart… Fight Imperialism!

From the Mouths of Babes…

We at RAIM like trouble-making punk kids. You know, the kind that piss off Cracker invaders who talk shit in the Mexican homeland. Below are some of our favorites.

Some 5 year olds sticking it to some Cracker-ass Minutemen:

A couple of kids stand up to adult Cracker threats:

Remember, the children are our future.

The Ongoing Saga: Why We Say… Fuck the Troops!

Watch the above video and listen to this limey (thats an Engli$h Cracker) fuck cream his jeans as he watches his comrades brutally beat a group of Iraqi kids.

Happy 4th of July, Enjoy the Barbecue!!!

YIPPIE!: A Blast from the Past!

Abbie Hoffman telling it like it is:

Jerry Rubin freaking out the Squares:

History of Amerikkka - Rev. Wright is Right!

Memorial Day: RAIM Remembers

We at RAIM recognize the need to memorialize those who have died in the past. However, we are not having Barbecues to memorialize the pig soldiers of Imperialist Amerika. We will spend our time on memorial day mourning the billions of people murdered by United Snakes imperialism over its bloody existence, and remembering the heroic Men, Women and Children who died in the fight against it.

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Huey P. Newton: “In Defense of Self-Defense”

(In light of ongoing and continuing debates and discussion of nonviolence, and the principle of self-defense, we present an essay written by Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, the most influential revolutionary national liberation organization of recent times. The essay was overly optimistic in terms of the potential of revolution by the Black masses, as the U.$. has since this time bought off much of the Black nation into the labor aristocracy. Nevertheless, Newton gives an uncompromising statement for the right of self-defense of oppressed peoples, and shows the opposition to this is rooted in hypocrisy and white privilege by “progressives” who de-facto support the status quo. - RAIMD).

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"In Defense of Self-Defense" 

Huey P. Newton

June 20, 1967

Men were not created in order to obey laws. Laws are created to obey men. They are established by men and should serve men. The laws and rules which officials inflict upon poor people prevent them from functioning harmoniously in society.   There is no disagreement about this function of law in any circle the disagreement arises from the question of which men laws are to serve.  Such lawmakers ignore the fact that it is the duty of the poor and unrepresented to construct rules and laws that serve their interests better. Rewriting unjust laws is a basic human right and fundamental obligation.

Before 1776 America was a British colony. The British Government had certain laws and rules that the colonized Americans rejected as not being in their best interests. In spite of the British conviction that Americans had no right to establish their own laws to promote the general welfare of the people living here in America, the colonized immigrant felt he had no choice but to raise the gun to defend his welfare. Simultaneously he made certain laws to ensure his protection from external and internal aggressions, from other governments, and his own agencies. One such form of protection was the Declaration of Independence, which states: “. . . whenever any government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundations on such principles and organizing its powers in such forms as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

Now these same colonized White people, these bondsmen, paupers, and thieves deny the colonized Black man not only the right to abolish this oppressive system, but to even speak of abolishing it. Having carried this madness and cruelty to the four corners of the earth, there is now universal rebellion against their continued rule and power. But as long as the wheels of the imperialistic war machine are turning, there is no country that can defeat this monster of the West. It is our belief that the Black people in America are the only people who can free the world, loosen the yoke of colonialism, and destroy the war machine. Black people who are within the machine can cause it to malfunction. They can, because of their intimacy with the mechanism, destroy the engine that is enslaving the world. America will not be able to fight every Black country in the world and fight a civil war at the same time. It is militarily impossible to do both of these things at once.

The slavery of Blacks in this country provides the oil for the machinery of war that America uses to enslave the peoples of the world. Without this oil the machinery cannot function. We are the driving shaft; we are in such a strategic position in this machinery that, once we become dislocated, the functioning of the remainder of the machinery breaks down.

Penned up in the ghettos of America, surrounded by his factories and all the physical components of his economic system, we have been made into “the wretched of the earth,” relegated to the position of spectators while the White racists run their international con game on the suffering peoples. We have been brainwashed to believe that we are powerless and that there is nothing we can do for ourselves to bring about a speedy liberation for our people. We have been taught that we must please our oppressors, that we are only ten percent of the population, and therefore must confine our tactics to categories calculated not to disturb the
sleep of our tormentors.

The power structure inflicts pain and brutality upon the peoples and then provides controlled outlets for the pain in ways least likely to upset them, or interfere with the process of exploitation. The people must repudiate the established channels as tricks and deceitful snares of the exploiting oppressors. The people must oppose everything the oppressor supports, and support everything that he opposes. If Black people go about their struggle for liberation in the way that the oppressor dictates and sponsors, then we will have degenerated to the level of groveling flunkies for the oppressor himself. When the oppressor makes a vicious attack against freedom-fighters because of the way that such freedom-fighters choose to go about their liberation, then we know we are moving in the direction of our liberation. The racist dog oppressors have no rights which oppressed Black people are bound to respect. As long as the racist dogs pollute the earth with the evil of their actions, they do not deserve any respect at all, and the “rules” of their game,
written in the people’s blood, are beneath contempt.

The oppressor must be harassed until his doom. He must have no peace by day or by night. The slaves have always outnumbered the slavemasters. The power of the oppressor rests upon the submission of the people. When Black people really unite and rise up in all their splendid millions, they will have the strength to smash injustice. We do not understand the power in our numbers. We are millions and millions of Black people scattered across the continent and throughout the Western Hemisphere. There are more Black people in America than the total population of many countries now enjoying full membership in the United Nations. They have power and their power is based primarily on the fact that they are organized and united with each other. They are recognized by the powers of the world.

We, with all our numbers, are recognized by no one. In fact, we do not even recognize our own selves. We are unaware of the potential power latent in our numbers. In 1967, in the midst of a hostile racist nation whose hidden racism is rising to the surface at a phenomenal speed, we are still so blind to our critical fight for our very survival that we are continuing to function in petty, futile ways. Divided, confused, fighting among ourselves, we are still in the elementary stage of throwing rocks, sticks, empty wine bottles and beer cans at racist police who lie in wait for a chance to murder unarmed Black people. The racist police have worked out a system for suppressing these spontaneous rebellions that flare up from the anger, frustration, and desperation of the masses of Black people. We can no longer afford the dubious luxury of the terrible casualties wantonly inflicted upon us by the police during these rebellions.

Black people must now move, from the grass roots up through the perfumed circles of the Black bourgeoisie, to seize by any means necessary a proportionate share of the power vested and collected in the structure of America. We must organize and unite to combat by long resistance the brutal force used against us daily. The power structure depends upon the use of force within retaliation. This is why they have made it a felony to teach guerrilla warfare. This is why they want the people unarmed.

The racist dog oppressors fear the armed people; they fear most of all Black people armed with weapons and the ideology of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. An unarmed people are slaves or are subject to slavery at any given moment. If a government is not afraid of the people it will arm the people against foreign aggression. Black people are held captive in the midst of their oppressors. There is a world of difference between thirty million unarmed submissive Black people and thirty million Black people armed with freedom, guns, and the strategic methods of liberation.

When a mechanic wants to fix a broken-down car engine, he must have the necessary tools to do the job. When the people move for liberation they must have the basic tool of liberation: the gun. Only with the power of the gun can the Black masses halt the terror and brutality directed against them by the armed racist power structure; and in one sense only by the power of the gun can the whole world be transformed into the earthly paradise dreamed of by the people from time immemorial. One successful practitioner of the art and science of national liberation and self-defense, Brother Mao Tse-tung, put it this way: “We are advocates of the abolition of war, we do not want war; but war can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.”

The blood, sweat, tears and suffering of Black people are the foundations of the wealth and power of the United States of America. We were forced to build America, and if forced to, we will tear it down. The immediate result of this destruction will be suffering and bloodshed. But the end result will be the perpetual peace for all mankind.

Immortal Technique: Third World

From his new album, dropping June 24th

Here is an excellent review from the Monkey Smashes Heaven blog:

reviewed by rwp (source:monkeysmashesheaven.wordpress.com)

Immortal Technique comes back blasting after a four-year hiatus. His new album/mixtape, The 3rd World, drops June 24th.

The latest single, which happens to be the title track, is pretty self-explanatory. One of the opening lines is “from where police brutality’s not half as nice, it makes the hood in Amerika look like paradise,” underscoring the stark contrast between the situation faced in the First-World and the Third-World. Tech describes the grim realities of the Third-World to his predominately-Western audience in jarring detail. He uses his place of birth as his frame of reference, prefixing lines with “where I’m from,” referring to Peru—his birthplace. He grew up in Harlem, New York.

It’s refreshing to hear something from Tech that doesn’t mention the Illuminati, George Bush or the word “faggot.” DJ Green Lantern’s cutting-edge production and Tech’s mesmerizing, lyrical wizardry combine to produce an agitational sucker punch. Musically, the track is in the top of its class. This will be a hit among hip-hop fans nationwide as Rock the Bells tour commences this summer.

There isn’t really anything negative to say about this particular track. Its calculated, tongue-in-cheek humor is impeccable and guaranteed to grab the attention of anyone within a listening distance. It’s very rare, if not unprecedented, that a rapper focuses his attention on the Third-World.

“Revolution will come where I’m from, the Third-World son” couldn’t be more correct. It is doubtful that Immortal Technique has a consistent, worked out view on the labor aristocracy, but, at times, his lyrics are internationalist. This is definitely a notch above the Amerika-first, chauvinist current in the Amerikan so-called left. For the same reasons, this song is a notch above Tech’s previous work.

Tech also addresses neo-colonial, comprador rulers in the Third World. Just because Third World states are led by non-Whites does not mean that Whites aren’t still pulling the strings. Third World states have nominal independence. In reality, they are controlled by imperialist capital:

“They might even have a Black president but he’s useless because he does not even control the economy, stupid.”

This is the best material from Immortal Technique yet.

Muqtada Al-Sadr Interview

Iraqi resistance leader Muqtada Al-Sadr recently declared “open war” against the occupation forces of U.S. imperialism. He leads the Madhi army that remains a large part of the Iraqi resistance. He has clarified his call recently in a statement calling for Iraqi unity, to focus on the Amerikan occupiers.

Here is a recent interview of Al-Sadr.

Good analysis of the Sadrist movement from Monthly Review Zine:

The Sadrist Revolt
by Richard Seymour

p.s. : RAIMD will probably get attacked again for anti-Amerikanism, publishing this interview, you guys are not nice, blah blah blah. Yet this is just one voice of a movement that is fighting Amerikan aggression, and it is real, and it is winning. We reflect that reality.

p.p.s. Hate mail and death threats, while not appreciated, will be graded for spelling, grammar, form, and originality.

For all those visiting from the b.s. “truthalliance” article

This is a message for all those new visitors coming here from the piece of fiction written by the “truthalliance.net.” RAIMD will come out with a statement later on the slanders and outright lies that have been spread about us by the idiot who is doing pig-like work against R68. Just to be clear, RAIMD said nothing attributed by us in that crap article.

While you are here, take time to educate yourself on real anti-imperialist politics. We hope some of you get away from the white supremacist right wing politics inherent in the “truther” movement and get on the side of the oppressed of the world.

White trash throw hissy-fit over Absolut Vodka Advertisement, re-unified Mexico

A hellofabunch of Amerikkkans are having spasmic fits over an Absolut Vodka ad that features the previous borders of Mexico before the U.$. invasion, land grab, and occupation of 1848. Under pressure, Swedish-based Absolut pulled the ad. (see: “Absolut apologizes for Mexican vodka ad,” ).

The crack analysts as Monkey Smashes Heaven look at the wider implications of the vodka ad controversy and what it means for Amerikkka:

White trash throw hissy-fit over Absolut Vodka Advertisement, re-unified Mexico

(source: monkeysmashesheaven.wordpress.com)

Controversy has erupted in White Trashland over a recent advertisement for Absolut Vodka. The ad features a map of Mexico prior to the losses in territory suffered between 1836 to 1848. In little over a decade, White settler imperialists stole and occupied roughly half of Mexico. Texas, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and Colorado continue to be occupied to this day.

Predictably, racist pundits like Michelle Malkin are using the ad to whip up anti-Mexican sentiment. (1) The Drudge Report made sure to link to the L.A. Times’ blog where the story originally appeared. The L.A. Times’ blog post is sardonically entitled, “Mexico reconquers California? Absolut drinks to that!” (2) Yet more evidence of the Mexican reconquista plot planned by Lin Biao, executed by MECha. If only. (3)

Read the rest here.

Beyond Chicanismo: 40 years of radical activism

Don’t miss it.

Fight on the Mexican side! St. Patrick’s Battalion by David Rovics

International: $300 Million from Venezuela to Colombian Rebels a Fake

March 8th 2008, by Greg Palast - OurFuture.org

Do you believe this?

This past weekend, Colombia invaded Ecuador, killed a guerrilla chief in the jungle, opened his laptop – and what did the Colombians find? A message to Hugo Chavez that he’s sent the FARC guerrillas $300 million – which they’re using to obtain uranium to make a dirty bomb!

That’s what George Bush tells us. And he got that from his buddy, the strange right-wing President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe.

So: After the fact, Colombia justifies its attempt to provoke a border war as a to stop the threat of WMDs! Uh, where have we heard that before?

The US press snorted up this line about Chavez’ $300 million to “terrorists” quicker than the young Bush inhaling Colombia’s powdered export.

Read the rest here

Northern Cheyenne Freedom Movement: Camp Freedom

The Northern Cheyenne (Tsisistas and Suhtaio) Nation Camp Freedom was established on Medicine Wolf Paradise Acres on January 30, 2008. Camp Freedom will open on April 4th, 2008 in conjunction with Great Grandfather Chief Little Wolf’s Homecoming Pow-Wow and Festival! By honoring our Great Chief we are honoring ourselves as the Great Cheyenne (Tsisistas-Suhtaio) People! We will never forget that he and Great Grandfather Chief Dull Knife brought us Home to our Beloved North Country! We welcome ALL People who seek Freedom and Independence to come join us! Contact us at cheyennefreedom@yahoo.com if you would like to help.

Check out cheyennefreedom.wordpress.com for updates

Upcoming Ward Churchill Lectures

For a second semester some fine students from CU-Boulder are hosting a lecture series by Ward Churchill. Class begins next Tuesday. Below is the tentative schedule with room numbers.

2/26/2008    7:00 PM  10:15 PM  Hellems Room 199  Confirmed
3/4/2008     7:00 PM  10:15 PM  Hellems Room 252  Confirmed
3/11/2008    7:00 PM  10:15 PM  Hellems Room 252  Confirmed
3/18/2008    7:00 PM  10:15 PM  Hellems Room 252  Confirmed
4/1/2008     7:00 PM  10:15 PM  Hellems Room 252  Confirmed
4/22/2008    7:00 PM  10:15 PM  Hellems Room 252  Confirmed
4/29/2008    7:00 PM  10:15 PM  Hellems Room 252  Confirmed

Rip Down Imperialist Walls!

In the last few days, the Palestinians in Gaza tore down the prison wall of the Israeli occupiers. Essentially turning occupied Gaza into a concentration camp, this was meant to starve Palestinians for the crime of resisting colonization of their own land. But oppressed people don’t sit down and take it, they resist! This wall was blown up! And the people were able to get necessary supplies in Egypt that Israel has been keeping out, so they can live another day. Oppressed people will not be imprisoned in their own land! All imperialist walls will come down!

Slave Farm “Marade” “hijacked” … about fucking time

Slave Farm “Marade” “hijacked” … about fucking time
by a RAIMer

Okay, here’s the deal. Denver has a farce MLK celebration every year: The Marade, brought to you by State Farm insurance. Of course, local “good neighbor” corporate insurance company doesn’t give a shit about Black people. In the Marade mix are many sell-outs, reformists and city officials. The Marade is a photo-op for these greedy bastards.

[State Farm Safety Patrol]

Now, we are not fans of King’s politics. We lean more toward Robert Williams and the Black Panther Party in its revolutionary years. But, the Marade should be opposed, if merely on the grounds of historical accuracy. The only thing the Maraders know of King’s politics is the “I have a dream” speech, incidentally, so does State Farm according to their signs: “We share the dream — State Farm.” Another irony is that King Soopers was the other major Marade sponsor. It was King Soopers security guard Deshazer, an off duty pig, who called a Black disabled elderly woman and her daughter “niggers” in 2006. When Loree McCormick Rice and her 12 year old daughter Cassidy complained, Deshazer called the pigs. (1) This led to a beat down of McCormick and her daughter behind the store. Both suffered injuries, the daughter’s collarbone was broken. Some of the images were caught on the store security tape.

In 1967, King was a critic of the Vietnam War and correctly called the U$ “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” The City banned overt political banners, so this King quote would, ironically, not be permitted in the Marade. King’s politics, which were not good to begin with, have been made worse, sanitized by liberals and reformists.

It was cold as fuck.

[Shareef speaks at the anti-Marade]

The Marade gathered at City Park around 9AM. There was a counter gathering that attempted to draw people away from the Marade (brought to you by State Farm). A small crowd gathered to listen to anti-Marade speeches calling out the bullshit version of history spewing from the main fountain area where the Marade had gathered. A couple hours later, the Marade headed for the Capitol, Civic Center park. Several long-term stalwarts of the Denver activist scene decided to attempt to take the front of the Marade with anti-war and anti-police banners.

[Local rebels, Daniel and Glenn, make trouble.]

Because of city security, it was not possible to take the very front of the Marade. The Marade was led by a marching band. Between the band and the bulk of Marade marchers, the local activists pushed through security with anti-war and anti-police banners. Security continued to threaten the activists, but eventually pulled back and allowed the anti-war activists to occupy a wide area of space between the leading marching band and the bulk of the Marade. The pigs followed the anti-war activists in several unmarked black blazer-type trucks the whole time of the march.

(Larry, who was recently assaulted by the pigs, on the left.)

This action was a good example of how groups with widely different politics and approaches can work together tactically.

1. http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_4534061

[Please credit RAIM-Denver when using photos]

“Take Back” MLK Day March

There is an alternative march to the Trickenlooper-approved State Farm commercial (The MLK Day “Marade”) going down on Monday Jan 21st. Organizers are billing this as a march in celebration of ideals the MLK Jr. upheld. RAIM-Denver will be there doing our thing.

Gather at the water fountain in City Park (near 18th and Detroit) at 9:00 am.

Freedom! Lakota Sioux Indians Declare Sovereign Nation Status

More info: Lakota Freedom Delegation

Source: Lakota Freedom Delegation media page

MEDIA ADVISORY Immediate Release: 19 December 2007 Media Contacts: Naomi Archer, Communications Liaison (828) 230-1404 lakotafree [at] gmail.com Freedom! Lakota Sioux Indians Declare Sovereign Nation Status Threaten Land Liens, Contested Real Estate Over Five State Area in U.S. West Lakota Satisfies Treaty Council Mandate of 33 Years, Drafted by 97 Indigenous Nations Dakota Territory Reverts back to Lakota Control According to U.S., International Law Washington D.C. – Lakota Sioux Indian representatives declared sovereign nation status today in Washington D.C. following Monday’s withdrawal from all previously signed treaties with the United States Government. The withdrawal, hand delivered to Daniel Turner, Deputy Director of Public Liaison at the State Department, immediately and irrevocably ends all agreements between the Lakota Sioux Nation of Indians and the United States Government outlined in the 1851 and 1868 Treaties at Fort Laramie Wyoming. “This is an historic day for our Lakota people,” declared Russell Means, Itacan of Lakota. “United States colonial rule is at its end!” “Today is a historic day and our forefathers speak through us. Our Forefathers made the treaties in good faith with the sacred Canupa and with the knowledge of the Great Spirit,” shared Garry Rowland from Wounded Knee. “They never honored the treaties, that’s the reason we are here today.” The four member Lakota delegation traveled to Washington D.C. culminating years of internal discussion among treaty representatives of the various Lakota communities. Delegation members included well known activist and actor Russell Means, Women of All Red Nations (WARN) founder Phyllis Young, Oglala Lakota Strong Heart Society leader Duane Martin Sr., and Garry Rowland, Leader Chief Big Foot Riders. Means, Rowland, Martin Sr. were all members of the 1973 Wounded Knee takeover. “In order to stop the continuous taking of our resources – people, land, water and children- we have no choice but to claim our own destiny,” said Phyllis Young, a former Indigenous representative to the United Nations and representative from Standing Rock. Property ownership in the five state area of Lakota now takes center stage. Parts of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana have been illegally homesteaded for years despite knowledge of Lakota as predecessor sovereign [historic owner]. Lakota representatives say if the United States does not enter into immediate diplomatic negotiations, liens will be filed on real estate transactions in the five state region, clouding title over literally thousands of square miles of land and property. Young added, “The actions of Lakota are not intended to embarrass the United States but to simply save the lives of our people”. Following Monday’s withdrawal at the State Department, the four Lakota Itacan representatives have been meeting with foreign embassy officials in order to hasten their official return to the Family of Nations. Lakota’s efforts are gaining traction as Bolivia, home to Indigenous President Evo Morales, shared they are “very, very interested in the Lakota case” while Venezuela received the Lakota delegation with “respect and solidarity.” “Our meetings have been fruitful and we hope to work with these countries for better relations,” explained Garry Rowland. “As a nation, we have equal status within the national community.” Education, energy and justice now take top priority in emerging Lakota. “Cultural immersion education is crucial as a next step to protect our language, culture and sovereignty,” said Means. “Energy independence using solar, wind, geothermal, and sugar beets enables Lakota to protect our freedom and provide electricity and heating to our people.” The Lakota reservations are among the most impoverished areas in North America, a shameful legacy of broken treaties and apartheid policies. Lakota has the highest death rate in the United States and Lakota men have the lowest life expectancy of any nation on earth, excluding AIDS, at approximately 44 years. Lakota infant mortality rate is five times the United States average and teen suicide rates 150% more than national average . 97% of Lakota people live below the poverty line and unemployment hovers near 85%. “After 150 years of colonial enforcement, when you back people into a corner there is only one alternative,” emphasized Duane Martin Sr. “The only alternative is to bring freedom into its existence by taking it back to the love of freedom, to our lifeway.” We are the freedom loving Lakota from the Sioux Indian reservations of Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana who have suffered from cultural and physical genocide in the colonial apartheid system we have been forced to live under. We are in Washington DC to withdraw from the constitutionally mandated treaties to become a free and independent country. We are alerting the Family of Nations we have now reassumed our freedom and independence with the backing of Natural, International, and United States law. For more information, please visit our new website at www.lakotafreedom.com. ##

Seasons greetings, piggies

Here are two graphics from some international folks.

An image is worth a thousand words, eh?

Seasons greetings, Amerikkka

Nuff said.

Beyond Chicanismo: Simon Sedillo on Immigration, Border Issues, and Neoliberalism

Beyond Chicanismo Presents: Fears of Aztlan, fears of the Reconquista

Fears of Aztlán, Fears of the Reconquista: Why do WASP’s think they can be Native Americans?

FEATURING DR. ARTURO J. ALDAMA.

DR. ARTURO J. ALDAMA TO SPEAK AT AURARIA CAMPUS.

WHO: Dr. Arturo J. Aldama was born in Mexico City, and grew up in northern California. He has BA in Ethnic Literatures/ English from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He went on to receive both his M.A. and his Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, 1993 and 1996, respectively. He served as an Assistant-Associate Professor of Chicana/o Studies at Arizona State University (1996-2003) and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara 1999-2000.

His publications include:

* Disrupting Savagism: Intersecting Chicana/o, Mexican Immigrant and Native American Struggles for Representation; Duke University Press
* Ed, Decolonial Voices: Chicana and Chicano Cultural Studies in the 21st Century; Indiana University Press
* Violence and the Body: Race, Gender and the State; Indiana University Press
* Associate contributing editor, Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Art: Artists, Works, Culture, and Education, Bilingual Review Press

He was elected as the Rocky Mountain Regional Delegate of the Modern Language Association. He made an experimental digital short on the “ism’s” that Chicanas/os and immigrants negotiate on a daily basis, called Border Haiku: Scenes of Everyday Life with David Martinez. His most recent project is to serve as senior subject editor and contributor for the Encyclopedia of Latina and Latino Popular Culture, a 400,000 word, multi-volume project that is the first of its kind.

Future projects include books on the politics of subaltern representation for Latino immigrants and criminalized youth, a study of time and violence, and a book length collection of essays with images with Dr. Elisa Facio as co-editor called Hidden Legacies/ Enduring Struggles: Ethnic Histories and Cultural Survival in Colorado. The volume will consider the rich and complex histories and struggles for cultural survival in the Native American, Mexican-Chicana/o, African American, and Asian American communities in the Colorado Borderlands.

WHAT: A Discussion On Fears Of Aztlán, Fears Of The Reconquista: Why Do WASP’s Think They Can Be Native Americans?

WHERE: AURARIA CAMPUS, TIVOLI ROOM 440/540.

DATE & TIME: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2007. 11:30 A.M.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Sponsored by: The MSCD Department of Chicana/o Studies,

Los Herederos of Change & Esperanza, and Conscious Journey.

also…

THE BEYOND CHICANISMO ORAL HISTORY PROJECT PRESENTS:

¡NO SOMOS CRIMINALES: FACTS & MYTHS ON LATINA/O IMMIGRATION!

FEATURING DR. ARTURO J. ALDAMA.

WHO: Dr. Arturo J. Aldama was born in Mexico City, and grew up in northern California. He has BA in Ethnic Literatures/ English from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He went on to receive both his M.A. and his Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, 1993 and 1996, respectively. He served as an Assistant-Associate Professor of Chicana/o Studies at Arizona State University (1996-20