Hundreds of thousands of protesters wearing black and carrying candles filled the streets of Tehran again Thursday, joining opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi to mourn demonstrators killed in clashes over Iran's disputed election.It all started after their country's presidential election. Apparently, they believed it was rigged. Sound familiar?
The massive protest openly defied orders from Iran's supreme leader, despite a government attempt to placate Mousavi and his supporters by inviting the reformist, and two other candidates who ran against hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to a meeting with the country's main electoral authority.
Many in the huge crowd carried black candles and lit them as night fell. Others wore green wristbands and carried flowers in mourning as they filed into Imam Khomenei Square, a large plaza in the heart of the capital named for the founder of the Islamic Revolution, witnesses said.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Revolution in Iran?
I'm not sure what I think about all of this, but the people of Iran are protesting, marching in the streets of Tehran. More from Breitbart:
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Friday, November 25, 2005
Me in the news
The time has come to reveal my identity- My name's Chris, I'm a high school student living in suburban PA. The following was printed in a local paper called the Intelligencer although I have no memory of talking to their reporters. here goes:'
I'm in the News!
while i never talked to any of their reporters, somehow my story ended up in the Intelligencer. here it is:
T-shirt leads to dress code discussionBy JOHN ANASTASIThe Intelligencer
A recent flap over a North Penn High School student's decision to wear a T-shirt that referred to President Bush as an "international terrorist" prompted one school board member to ask the administration to research the pros and cons of requiring uniforms.
"I'm talking about khakis and a polo shirt here," said Terry Prykowski. "I think it would solve a lot of problems."
School board members did not endorse a uniform policy during Thursday night's meeting, but Prykowski maintained and others agreed that the possibility should at least be part of a larger discussion regarding student dress code.
"I think that is part and parcel of looking at an issue we need to look at," said board Vice President Tim Kerr.
A discussion about uniforms was probably not what Lisa Wildman and her son Chris Schiano were looking for when they came to Thursday night's meeting to protest high school principal Burt Hynes' refusal to allow the teenager to wear the T-shirt in class.
"It was important to me that some action would be taken to prevent a similar situation so someone else's right to freedom of speech is not trampled on as it was in this case," Schiano said.
According to Wildman, Schiano came to school Oct. 24 wearing a T-shirt depicting President Bush and the phrase "international terrorist." North Penn High School principal Burt Hynes told Schiano he had to take the shirt off or turn it inside out, she said.
"Knowing it was his constitutional right, he refused and they kept him out of class for the rest of the day," Wildman said.
.. language=JavaScript>DisplayAds ('Middle');
She added the principal told her he felt the shirt could anger other students, that it contained a "controversial message" and that it was "disrespectful of the president."
"It is our job to teach that we should all get along, though we may disagree," said Wildman.
Eventually, following two letters to the administration and threatened litigation by the American Civil Liberties Union, Wildman said the district backed down and indicated the boy could wear the shirt. But Wildman asked the district to take a close look at its dress code, make sure it is not infringing on students' free speech and ensure that it is being properly enforced.
"As a taxpayer, I'm appalled this violation of someone's right to free speech could have ended up being a costly lawsuit," she said.
Prykowski mentioned uniforms at the end of the meeting, after Schiano and Wildman had left.
"I want to make sure that this doesn't happen again," Prykowski said.
Assistant Superintendent Don Venema indicated he would check into the use of uniforms at other Pennsylvania school districts and take a closer look at North Penn's dress code and report back to the district's education/community/policy committee on Nov. 29.
the end
I'm in the News!
while i never talked to any of their reporters, somehow my story ended up in the Intelligencer. here it is:
T-shirt leads to dress code discussionBy JOHN ANASTASIThe Intelligencer
A recent flap over a North Penn High School student's decision to wear a T-shirt that referred to President Bush as an "international terrorist" prompted one school board member to ask the administration to research the pros and cons of requiring uniforms.
"I'm talking about khakis and a polo shirt here," said Terry Prykowski. "I think it would solve a lot of problems."
School board members did not endorse a uniform policy during Thursday night's meeting, but Prykowski maintained and others agreed that the possibility should at least be part of a larger discussion regarding student dress code.
"I think that is part and parcel of looking at an issue we need to look at," said board Vice President Tim Kerr.
A discussion about uniforms was probably not what Lisa Wildman and her son Chris Schiano were looking for when they came to Thursday night's meeting to protest high school principal Burt Hynes' refusal to allow the teenager to wear the T-shirt in class.
"It was important to me that some action would be taken to prevent a similar situation so someone else's right to freedom of speech is not trampled on as it was in this case," Schiano said.
According to Wildman, Schiano came to school Oct. 24 wearing a T-shirt depicting President Bush and the phrase "international terrorist." North Penn High School principal Burt Hynes told Schiano he had to take the shirt off or turn it inside out, she said.
"Knowing it was his constitutional right, he refused and they kept him out of class for the rest of the day," Wildman said.
.. language=JavaScript>DisplayAds ('Middle');
She added the principal told her he felt the shirt could anger other students, that it contained a "controversial message" and that it was "disrespectful of the president."
"It is our job to teach that we should all get along, though we may disagree," said Wildman.
Eventually, following two letters to the administration and threatened litigation by the American Civil Liberties Union, Wildman said the district backed down and indicated the boy could wear the shirt. But Wildman asked the district to take a close look at its dress code, make sure it is not infringing on students' free speech and ensure that it is being properly enforced.
"As a taxpayer, I'm appalled this violation of someone's right to free speech could have ended up being a costly lawsuit," she said.
Prykowski mentioned uniforms at the end of the meeting, after Schiano and Wildman had left.
"I want to make sure that this doesn't happen again," Prykowski said.
Assistant Superintendent Don Venema indicated he would check into the use of uniforms at other Pennsylvania school districts and take a closer look at North Penn's dress code and report back to the district's education/community/policy committee on Nov. 29.
the end
Thursday, October 27, 2005
The Toledo Anti-racist riots
the following is taken from an email circulated thanks to the comrades at Clamor magazine. There has been a lack of coverage of the events in the independent media, so it make ssense to make this story as widely available as possible. My apoligies to the author if i wasnt supposed to reproduce this.
a Clamor Magazine exclusive by Michael BrooksOctober 2005Read more articles and subscribe online at http://www.clamormagazine.org/This article is available online at http://www.clamormagazine.org/passionsThe images on FOX News were harrowing: rioting blacks kicking in the door of a Toledo bar owned by an 86-year old man, looters throwing furniture out a window, and a building in flames. The mainstream media, dominated by the early FOX coverage, reinforced the notion that urban America is a wild, dangerous place where chaos is only a moment away.This is just the sort of simple message that appeals to law-and-order types, or, for that matter, to hate groups like the National Socialist Movement (NSM) and its colorful spokesman, Bill White.Unfortunately, the reasons for the North Toledo riot last week defy such undemanding analysis.
::: Timeline of the Riot :::
The arrival of NSM in Toledo is directly traced to a series of incidents between a white North Toledo man and his neighbors. Thomas Szych was videotaping teenagers spray painting gang graffiti in an alley when, according to police reports, he pulled a loaded pistol in front of a pair of boys, aged 11 and 14.Szych's weapon was seized by Toledo Police in the August 3 incident, but charges have yet to be filed in the case.A member of Szych's family allegedly contacted NSM about the gang activity in North Toledo, and the white supremacist group announced on October 6 that it was going to march in Toledo in support of the beleaguered white populace.An organizational meeting was held at a west side coffee shop on October 9 with about 15 local anarchist and socialist activists, including local members of the ISO (International Socialist Organization), ARA (Anti-Racist Action), and several trade unions. I was invited as a media observer with the agreement that I would only write in general terms about what I heard and saw. None of the people in attendance were willing to go on record at that early juncture for fear of providing information to their adversaries.Lacking much personal experience in the planning of protests (those I have participated in have been someone else's design), I nonetheless walked away convinced that there would be a serious confrontation on Saturday October 15. The assembled activists spent their time focused on logistical matters, and reached accord on the manner in which the Nazi rally would be approached.These groups were instrumental in developing an organized counter protest, as well as in publicizing the event. George Windau, a local labor activist, said the combined efforts of the aligned groups produced a groundswell of public support.
These various groups were able to put aside their ideological differences and focus on a mutual threat: Nazis spreading hate in Toledo, he said. We delivered thousands of flyers to residents in the area publicizing the counterprotest. The coalitions efforts are even more impressive considering the fact that the city of Toledo and numerous community groups had organized an alternative rally called Erase the Hate, which took place at a community center more than a mile from the Nazi rally. Windau said that many people in the community were desirous of directly engaging the Nazis.“The efforts of the people behind the Erase the Hate gathering were well-intentioned, but there was a tremendous amount of support for showing the Nazis that they were not wanted, he said. Our coalition just tapped into the collective anger in the neighborhood.On the morning of the rally several dozen protesters had gathered at a local shopping plaza. Toledo Police chief Mike Navarre stopped and talked with every member of the assembled groups who gathered to oppose the arrival of NSM.Speaking with an anti-racist skinhead, Navarre issued a friendly warning."Its a beautiful day out today, isnt?" he asked. "It is way too nice of a day to be sitting in a jail cell, so lets keep things legal."He warned the protesters that police would immediately meet any deviation from the agreed boundaries of behavior with swift action. Marchers were to stay on the sidewalks, not physically confront the Nazis, and were not to engage in inflammatory rhetoric."We will have no tolerance for criminal activity", he said.The organized protesters, however, would turn out to be the least of Chief Navarre's worries on this sunny Saturday. As the marchers met the first neo-Nazi arrivals, police found themselves sandwiched between an increasingly hostile crowd and a small group of white supremacists.The organized protesters almost immediately began to be joined by residents from the neighborhood, some of whom were dressed in gang colors. By 10:30 AM the combined protesters numbered about 100 people.The attention of the crowd began to focus on the unexpected presence of a half-dozen neo-Nazis near Stickney and Woodward. This did not seem to fit the original plan, in which the Nazis were to stage a short rally within Wilson Park before beginning their march on East Streicher Street.The first wave of NSM eight members merely stood at attention approximately 50 yards from the crowd. NSM leader Bill White was dressed in civilian clothes at this time, chatting into a cell phone.Soon, however, three carloads of neo-Nazis pulled into Wilson Park in full uniform. The crowd, which by now had grown to an estimated 250, became more vocal in its opposition to the group.Bill White reappeared in full Nazi regalia, and he was joined by Ohio NSM operative Mark Martin. Both began to address the crowd, taunting them with racial epithets."Hey! The Toledo Zoo called, and they want their monkeys back", shouted Martin, as the NSM members began making chimpanzee sounds. "Why don't you go cry to your daddy? Oh wait, youre a nigger; you t know who your daddy is!"White suggested that the protesters ought to go back to cooking French fries at McDonalds, since thats all you can do, and led his followers in a series of white supremacist chants.By 11:20, the situation on Mulberry began to deteriorate, as soda bottles and rocks were launched from the back of the crowd. Mounted police and police in riot gear made a few arrests, and many in the crowd saw these arrests as evidence that the police were more interested in the protecting the Nazis."Why did you take that young man?" demanded an older protester. "He didn't do anything!"Bill White and his supporters moved back about 20 yards, and attempted to continue their taunting. Many in the crowd were aghast at the sheer baseness of the race-baiting."Come out from behind the police, motherfucker", said a twenty-something man in gang colors. "You wouldn't be talking that shit if you were out here." "Hey Shaniqua, how many ‘baby's daddies you got?" shouted Martin, creating an African-sounding name for effect. "How many welfare checks do you get every month?"At approximately 11:40, the police began to move the Nazis to a planned press conference in a secure area in a nearby park. The crowd, which was prevented from entering the park, ran down Central Avenue, where they hoped to confront the Nazis on their planned march through North Toledo.They met, instead, the Toledo Police riot and SWAT teams. A tense four-hour standoff began that would see repeated charges up and down Mulberry Street by both sides, and that culminated with the burning of a local tavern and some isolated looting of nearby businesses. 114 protesters were arrested for their activities, and over two dozen police and rioters were treated for injuries at local hospitals.
::: The Curious Mr. White :::
William A. White was born in 1977 and grew up in Rockville, MA. In a 1999 interview with the W, he embraced anarchism after reading Marx and Engel's Cas a teenager.For a period of time he was a writer for Pravda. From the Overthrow website, here is an excerpt of White's resignation letter:Effective immediately please recognize my resignation as corporate officer for Pravda in the USA. I expect my name to be struck from all relevant material. As is clear from the letter I've just sent you . I am discontinuing my column with Pravda.White has alternately described himself a "national socialist," "radical traditionalist," "libertarian socialist," and as a "third-positionist agitator;" he has also been a spokesperson for the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party.There is everything in that last group name but the word Reform, although White has worked on the campaigns of Reform Party candidates in the past, too.In a 2004 interview with the Roanoke News, White claimed he does not hate blacks:"I wouldn't be out here buying and fixing up houses if I had some agenda against the black community," he said. "I don't have anything against black people. The Jews, I despise. They hate me. I hate them. They can kiss my ass."Chameleon might be a better word to describe White, who has morphed from anarchism to communism to national socialism. One researcher, who declined to be identified for this article for safety reasons, said that she believes White is about to assume another political identity."I am not sure what form this will take, but Bill White seems to last only a few years in a given movement before he is tossed out", she said. The man is a sociopath, a patholological liar, and a narcissist."Indeed, many in the white supremacist movement disavow White and NSM, who are often derisively referred to as the Hollywood Nazis for their fascination with brown shirts and shiny boots. Most of the Midwest white supremacist groups declined to participate in the Toledo rally, and even NSM Commander Jeff Schoep stayed away from Toledo.
::: LaGrinka: A Changing Neighborhood in Troubled Times :::
Polish immigrants in the late-19th and early-20th centuries settled in several distinctive neighborhoods. "Lagrinka" is the section of North Toledo that once housed one of the nation's strongest Polish communities. For decades many of Toledo’s industrial workers lived in the neighborhood, and many residents worked in Toledo's famous Jeep plant.The exodus of manufacturing jobs that escalated in the 1970s saw the fortunes of LaGrinka decline. Families moved to the suburbs and to other states, and the neighborhood's tradition of home ownership began to suffer. Today there are many more renters in the area, who ostensibly have less of a sense of permanence and belonging.Unemployment in the Rust Belt city of Toledo is currently running about 7.2%, but in neighborhoods like LaGrinka the number of unemployed persons is much higher. While the US Department of Labor does not provide data for neighborhoods, a state unemployment spokesperson said that she believes that the unemployment rate in North Toledo is more like 15%.Antoine Jones, a resident who says his current means of income takes such forms as odd jobs and hustling, said that employment prospects are particularly bleak for young men in the neighborhood."The only jobs that are out there right now are part-time and minimum wage",he said. "How is someone supposed to feed their family on that?" Prentiss Bishop, another resident of North Toledo, described a recent experience he had. "I managed to get a part-time job with UPS as a loader", he said. "Then last January they said: OK, everyone's laid off now because you were all seasonal. How can you wait around for a job when you are only going to work less than half the year?" The automobile industry in Toledo, once the backbone of a thriving manufacturing economy, continues to lose jobs through outsourcing and streamlining. The new Toledo North Jeep plant, which opened in 2001 with the help of nearly $400 million in local, state, and federal assistance, employs less than 60% of the workforce that worked as recently as 1998 in the old plant. Many employees expect that number to continue to fall.Residents like Bishop are not hopeful for neighborhood prospects to improve any time soon. "Things have always seemed to get worse around here, not better", he said. "Politicians come in and tell us they are going to bring jobs, but where are they? I've never seen any."Poverty figures from the US Census Bureau show Toledo as the 40th poorest city in the US last year. A total of 16.5 percent of Toledoans were classified as living in poverty, and that number is likely much higher in North Toledo.The problem of poverty in Toledo is compounded by a near-continuous drain of affluent citizens to the suburbs and other regions of the country. Toledo lost 5.8% of its residents from 1990-2000, and this trend has not reversed in the new millennium. As a result, Toledo's median family income has steadily fallen, and is only 79.4% of the Ohio average. Poor economic conditions and bleak prospects only tell part of the picture.
::: Strained Relations with Toledo Police :::
I spoke with a number of residents and police officers who indicated that there is room for improvement in relations between residents and police, although it would be an overstatement to compare North Toledo with a city that has a more notorious reputation, such as Los Angeles. Jones said that problems with Toledo's officers are more subtle."You can't even have three people on your front lawn without the police coming up and hassling you", he said. "They think every person in the neighborhood is a drug dealer."Bishop said that the phenomenon of being stopped for driving while black is normal procedure in the racially-mixed neighborhood."Everybody knows it happens, but the police would never admit the truth",he said. "You just learn to deal with it, but some people carry an attitude about it."A TPD command officer, who declined to be named, said that some units have a reputation for being particularly tough."The bike patrol is used in this neighborhood a lot because they can sneak up on people, especially people they suspect of being drug dealers", this source said. "They also tend to be the officers who want to bust people for every little thing, instead of using common sense and choosing their battles wisely."One of the triggers in the October 15 riot seems to have been the early arrests of protesters by Toledo bike cops. The original crowd of 150 people on Stickney Avenue was angered by the arrest of a black man suspected of rock-throwing. The violence that sparked the police to fire teargas, wooden knee-knocker pellet guns, and percussion grenades into the crowd was also preceded by the arrest of another African American man.Another area of concern for some Toledoans is the case of Michael Franklin Green, an activist who was arrested in May for gun possession. Green, who is African American, was initially charged with two felonies, while similar gun cases involving white defendants saw only misdemeanor charges. Amid negative publicity, Green's cases were later reduced to misdemeanors, but many in the African American community saw the case as evidence that there are double standards in Toledo for blacks and whites.In Szych's case, however, no such charges have ever been filed. This has angered many people in the community."That man can pull a gun and threaten two kids in the alley, but nothing happens to him" said a black neighbor who declined to be named. "And you wonder why people are angry?"Activist George Windau said that he has been under surveillance ever since the riot."I have had both marked and unmarked cars outside my house every day", he said. "They follow me to work, and they are there when I get off work. I don't know if they are just lousy at surveillance, or if they are trying to intimidate me."
::: Understanding the North Toledo Riot :::
The violence on Mulberry can be written off to the confluence of many factors, and quite a few leaders view the riot as an aberration. Many community leaders also seem willing to go along the editors of the Toledo Journal, a black-owned local newspaper:But the white professional counter-protesters on their own side of Stickney Avenue may have done more to stir the passions of the mostly African American crowd last Saturday, resulting in the small-scale riot that gained the attention of national media and some international news outlets.An interesting contrast can be found between this view and that of Bill White, the Roanoke, VA spokesperson for the neo-Nazi group that attempted to stage the Toledo rally. The NSM's White argued that the Jewish communists started passing out eggs and rocks to the black juveniles. The black kids started throwing them at the police.This patronizing attitude among both the neo-Nazis and the local elites seems to be in agreement: black protesters needed white agitators to guide them and provide them with a political voice.What I observed and the protesters I interviewed are in stark contrast with these condescending views. Participants in the protest and the violence were fully cognizant of their reasons for being at the event. Many expressed anger that the city of Toledo would allow the Nazis to stage a rally in a racially-mixed neighborhood in the first place, and people were outraged that the police would allow the members of NSM to spew forth racial epithets at the crowd.The single most important factor in the escalation of neighborhood awareness of the rally, in my opinion, was the ubiquitous cell phone. The growth of the crowd is directly proportional to the number of phone calls that were made by the initial neighborhood protesters. As I looked back on the photographs, I began to see that the earliest residents on the scene were making a lot of text messages and phone calls to alert their friends about the location of the rally.Furthermore, it is absurd to characterize this as a racial riot; participants were black, white, and Latino. Most seemed to believe that they were either defending or taking back their neighborhood, and were angry that outsiders could come in and try to take over the area in which they live. I, as a white member of the media, would have been an early target if this disturbance was racial in nature, but I experienced no animosity in the crowd that day, and people were actually courteous.At one point I was standing next to a teenager who hurled a chunk of concrete toward the police. As he went into his best Pedro Martinez impersonation, his throwing arm bumped into me."I'm sorry, man", he said. "You all right?"For a rowdy mob that was, in the coverage of FOX, supposedly out of control, there was an element of decorum and normalcy that seemed strangely out of place.Even the looting and burning of a local bar has a context that cannot be understood from the images beamed from a circling helicopter. Residents and police officials agree that the business was long known as a hangout of the white politicians and policeman, and was viewed by some in the black community as a beacon of exclusivity. "That bar was always a white cop bar", said one Toledo officer. "Everyone knows it, but no one wants to talk about it because the owner is an 86-year old man, and people feel sorry for what happened to him."My suspicion is that the violent members of the mob, while engaging in activity that went into the realm of the illegal, knew exactly what they were doing. To deny that rioters possessed a political consciousness is not only shortsighted, but is also an activity that is itself a form of subtle racism.It is convenient to assign blamementality protest and the ensuing violence on outside, largely white agitators, for then we can ignore the underlying social problems that create feelings of hopelessness and despair in communities. By making groups like ARA and ISO the scapegoats for the riot, community leaders in Toledo and every other American urban setting - can continue to ignore festering problems.This mentality also helps elites avoid asking the tough questions about a system of socioeconomic organization in millions are denied access to the critical tools money, education, and health care necessary for success in this era of hyper-capitalism.The arrival of the neo-Nazi group NSM to Toledo on October 15 brought to the surface a host of underlying problems that Toledo shares with countless other American cities. Unfortunately, it appears that many people would rather continue to wear blinders than to confront the harsh realities of modern American capitalism.
::: About the Author :::
A newly-inducted member of the Jewish/communist/liberal media conspiracy, Michael Brooks blog has become a sort of de facto clearinghouse for information about the North Toledo riot. He will continue to provide analysis and information related to the riot as long as it is needed. View his blog at http://www.historymike.blogspot.com/
a Clamor Magazine exclusive by Michael BrooksOctober 2005Read more articles and subscribe online at http://www.clamormagazine.org/This article is available online at http://www.clamormagazine.org/passionsThe images on FOX News were harrowing: rioting blacks kicking in the door of a Toledo bar owned by an 86-year old man, looters throwing furniture out a window, and a building in flames. The mainstream media, dominated by the early FOX coverage, reinforced the notion that urban America is a wild, dangerous place where chaos is only a moment away.This is just the sort of simple message that appeals to law-and-order types, or, for that matter, to hate groups like the National Socialist Movement (NSM) and its colorful spokesman, Bill White.Unfortunately, the reasons for the North Toledo riot last week defy such undemanding analysis.
::: Timeline of the Riot :::
The arrival of NSM in Toledo is directly traced to a series of incidents between a white North Toledo man and his neighbors. Thomas Szych was videotaping teenagers spray painting gang graffiti in an alley when, according to police reports, he pulled a loaded pistol in front of a pair of boys, aged 11 and 14.Szych's weapon was seized by Toledo Police in the August 3 incident, but charges have yet to be filed in the case.A member of Szych's family allegedly contacted NSM about the gang activity in North Toledo, and the white supremacist group announced on October 6 that it was going to march in Toledo in support of the beleaguered white populace.An organizational meeting was held at a west side coffee shop on October 9 with about 15 local anarchist and socialist activists, including local members of the ISO (International Socialist Organization), ARA (Anti-Racist Action), and several trade unions. I was invited as a media observer with the agreement that I would only write in general terms about what I heard and saw. None of the people in attendance were willing to go on record at that early juncture for fear of providing information to their adversaries.Lacking much personal experience in the planning of protests (those I have participated in have been someone else's design), I nonetheless walked away convinced that there would be a serious confrontation on Saturday October 15. The assembled activists spent their time focused on logistical matters, and reached accord on the manner in which the Nazi rally would be approached.These groups were instrumental in developing an organized counter protest, as well as in publicizing the event. George Windau, a local labor activist, said the combined efforts of the aligned groups produced a groundswell of public support.
These various groups were able to put aside their ideological differences and focus on a mutual threat: Nazis spreading hate in Toledo, he said. We delivered thousands of flyers to residents in the area publicizing the counterprotest. The coalitions efforts are even more impressive considering the fact that the city of Toledo and numerous community groups had organized an alternative rally called Erase the Hate, which took place at a community center more than a mile from the Nazi rally. Windau said that many people in the community were desirous of directly engaging the Nazis.“The efforts of the people behind the Erase the Hate gathering were well-intentioned, but there was a tremendous amount of support for showing the Nazis that they were not wanted, he said. Our coalition just tapped into the collective anger in the neighborhood.On the morning of the rally several dozen protesters had gathered at a local shopping plaza. Toledo Police chief Mike Navarre stopped and talked with every member of the assembled groups who gathered to oppose the arrival of NSM.Speaking with an anti-racist skinhead, Navarre issued a friendly warning."Its a beautiful day out today, isnt?" he asked. "It is way too nice of a day to be sitting in a jail cell, so lets keep things legal."He warned the protesters that police would immediately meet any deviation from the agreed boundaries of behavior with swift action. Marchers were to stay on the sidewalks, not physically confront the Nazis, and were not to engage in inflammatory rhetoric."We will have no tolerance for criminal activity", he said.The organized protesters, however, would turn out to be the least of Chief Navarre's worries on this sunny Saturday. As the marchers met the first neo-Nazi arrivals, police found themselves sandwiched between an increasingly hostile crowd and a small group of white supremacists.The organized protesters almost immediately began to be joined by residents from the neighborhood, some of whom were dressed in gang colors. By 10:30 AM the combined protesters numbered about 100 people.The attention of the crowd began to focus on the unexpected presence of a half-dozen neo-Nazis near Stickney and Woodward. This did not seem to fit the original plan, in which the Nazis were to stage a short rally within Wilson Park before beginning their march on East Streicher Street.The first wave of NSM eight members merely stood at attention approximately 50 yards from the crowd. NSM leader Bill White was dressed in civilian clothes at this time, chatting into a cell phone.Soon, however, three carloads of neo-Nazis pulled into Wilson Park in full uniform. The crowd, which by now had grown to an estimated 250, became more vocal in its opposition to the group.Bill White reappeared in full Nazi regalia, and he was joined by Ohio NSM operative Mark Martin. Both began to address the crowd, taunting them with racial epithets."Hey! The Toledo Zoo called, and they want their monkeys back", shouted Martin, as the NSM members began making chimpanzee sounds. "Why don't you go cry to your daddy? Oh wait, youre a nigger; you t know who your daddy is!"White suggested that the protesters ought to go back to cooking French fries at McDonalds, since thats all you can do, and led his followers in a series of white supremacist chants.By 11:20, the situation on Mulberry began to deteriorate, as soda bottles and rocks were launched from the back of the crowd. Mounted police and police in riot gear made a few arrests, and many in the crowd saw these arrests as evidence that the police were more interested in the protecting the Nazis."Why did you take that young man?" demanded an older protester. "He didn't do anything!"Bill White and his supporters moved back about 20 yards, and attempted to continue their taunting. Many in the crowd were aghast at the sheer baseness of the race-baiting."Come out from behind the police, motherfucker", said a twenty-something man in gang colors. "You wouldn't be talking that shit if you were out here." "Hey Shaniqua, how many ‘baby's daddies you got?" shouted Martin, creating an African-sounding name for effect. "How many welfare checks do you get every month?"At approximately 11:40, the police began to move the Nazis to a planned press conference in a secure area in a nearby park. The crowd, which was prevented from entering the park, ran down Central Avenue, where they hoped to confront the Nazis on their planned march through North Toledo.They met, instead, the Toledo Police riot and SWAT teams. A tense four-hour standoff began that would see repeated charges up and down Mulberry Street by both sides, and that culminated with the burning of a local tavern and some isolated looting of nearby businesses. 114 protesters were arrested for their activities, and over two dozen police and rioters were treated for injuries at local hospitals.
::: The Curious Mr. White :::
William A. White was born in 1977 and grew up in Rockville, MA. In a 1999 interview with the W, he embraced anarchism after reading Marx and Engel's Cas a teenager.For a period of time he was a writer for Pravda. From the Overthrow website, here is an excerpt of White's resignation letter:Effective immediately please recognize my resignation as corporate officer for Pravda in the USA. I expect my name to be struck from all relevant material. As is clear from the letter I've just sent you . I am discontinuing my column with Pravda.White has alternately described himself a "national socialist," "radical traditionalist," "libertarian socialist," and as a "third-positionist agitator;" he has also been a spokesperson for the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party.There is everything in that last group name but the word Reform, although White has worked on the campaigns of Reform Party candidates in the past, too.In a 2004 interview with the Roanoke News, White claimed he does not hate blacks:"I wouldn't be out here buying and fixing up houses if I had some agenda against the black community," he said. "I don't have anything against black people. The Jews, I despise. They hate me. I hate them. They can kiss my ass."Chameleon might be a better word to describe White, who has morphed from anarchism to communism to national socialism. One researcher, who declined to be identified for this article for safety reasons, said that she believes White is about to assume another political identity."I am not sure what form this will take, but Bill White seems to last only a few years in a given movement before he is tossed out", she said. The man is a sociopath, a patholological liar, and a narcissist."Indeed, many in the white supremacist movement disavow White and NSM, who are often derisively referred to as the Hollywood Nazis for their fascination with brown shirts and shiny boots. Most of the Midwest white supremacist groups declined to participate in the Toledo rally, and even NSM Commander Jeff Schoep stayed away from Toledo.
::: LaGrinka: A Changing Neighborhood in Troubled Times :::
Polish immigrants in the late-19th and early-20th centuries settled in several distinctive neighborhoods. "Lagrinka" is the section of North Toledo that once housed one of the nation's strongest Polish communities. For decades many of Toledo’s industrial workers lived in the neighborhood, and many residents worked in Toledo's famous Jeep plant.The exodus of manufacturing jobs that escalated in the 1970s saw the fortunes of LaGrinka decline. Families moved to the suburbs and to other states, and the neighborhood's tradition of home ownership began to suffer. Today there are many more renters in the area, who ostensibly have less of a sense of permanence and belonging.Unemployment in the Rust Belt city of Toledo is currently running about 7.2%, but in neighborhoods like LaGrinka the number of unemployed persons is much higher. While the US Department of Labor does not provide data for neighborhoods, a state unemployment spokesperson said that she believes that the unemployment rate in North Toledo is more like 15%.Antoine Jones, a resident who says his current means of income takes such forms as odd jobs and hustling, said that employment prospects are particularly bleak for young men in the neighborhood."The only jobs that are out there right now are part-time and minimum wage",he said. "How is someone supposed to feed their family on that?" Prentiss Bishop, another resident of North Toledo, described a recent experience he had. "I managed to get a part-time job with UPS as a loader", he said. "Then last January they said: OK, everyone's laid off now because you were all seasonal. How can you wait around for a job when you are only going to work less than half the year?" The automobile industry in Toledo, once the backbone of a thriving manufacturing economy, continues to lose jobs through outsourcing and streamlining. The new Toledo North Jeep plant, which opened in 2001 with the help of nearly $400 million in local, state, and federal assistance, employs less than 60% of the workforce that worked as recently as 1998 in the old plant. Many employees expect that number to continue to fall.Residents like Bishop are not hopeful for neighborhood prospects to improve any time soon. "Things have always seemed to get worse around here, not better", he said. "Politicians come in and tell us they are going to bring jobs, but where are they? I've never seen any."Poverty figures from the US Census Bureau show Toledo as the 40th poorest city in the US last year. A total of 16.5 percent of Toledoans were classified as living in poverty, and that number is likely much higher in North Toledo.The problem of poverty in Toledo is compounded by a near-continuous drain of affluent citizens to the suburbs and other regions of the country. Toledo lost 5.8% of its residents from 1990-2000, and this trend has not reversed in the new millennium. As a result, Toledo's median family income has steadily fallen, and is only 79.4% of the Ohio average. Poor economic conditions and bleak prospects only tell part of the picture.
::: Strained Relations with Toledo Police :::
I spoke with a number of residents and police officers who indicated that there is room for improvement in relations between residents and police, although it would be an overstatement to compare North Toledo with a city that has a more notorious reputation, such as Los Angeles. Jones said that problems with Toledo's officers are more subtle."You can't even have three people on your front lawn without the police coming up and hassling you", he said. "They think every person in the neighborhood is a drug dealer."Bishop said that the phenomenon of being stopped for driving while black is normal procedure in the racially-mixed neighborhood."Everybody knows it happens, but the police would never admit the truth",he said. "You just learn to deal with it, but some people carry an attitude about it."A TPD command officer, who declined to be named, said that some units have a reputation for being particularly tough."The bike patrol is used in this neighborhood a lot because they can sneak up on people, especially people they suspect of being drug dealers", this source said. "They also tend to be the officers who want to bust people for every little thing, instead of using common sense and choosing their battles wisely."One of the triggers in the October 15 riot seems to have been the early arrests of protesters by Toledo bike cops. The original crowd of 150 people on Stickney Avenue was angered by the arrest of a black man suspected of rock-throwing. The violence that sparked the police to fire teargas, wooden knee-knocker pellet guns, and percussion grenades into the crowd was also preceded by the arrest of another African American man.Another area of concern for some Toledoans is the case of Michael Franklin Green, an activist who was arrested in May for gun possession. Green, who is African American, was initially charged with two felonies, while similar gun cases involving white defendants saw only misdemeanor charges. Amid negative publicity, Green's cases were later reduced to misdemeanors, but many in the African American community saw the case as evidence that there are double standards in Toledo for blacks and whites.In Szych's case, however, no such charges have ever been filed. This has angered many people in the community."That man can pull a gun and threaten two kids in the alley, but nothing happens to him" said a black neighbor who declined to be named. "And you wonder why people are angry?"Activist George Windau said that he has been under surveillance ever since the riot."I have had both marked and unmarked cars outside my house every day", he said. "They follow me to work, and they are there when I get off work. I don't know if they are just lousy at surveillance, or if they are trying to intimidate me."
::: Understanding the North Toledo Riot :::
The violence on Mulberry can be written off to the confluence of many factors, and quite a few leaders view the riot as an aberration. Many community leaders also seem willing to go along the editors of the Toledo Journal, a black-owned local newspaper:But the white professional counter-protesters on their own side of Stickney Avenue may have done more to stir the passions of the mostly African American crowd last Saturday, resulting in the small-scale riot that gained the attention of national media and some international news outlets.An interesting contrast can be found between this view and that of Bill White, the Roanoke, VA spokesperson for the neo-Nazi group that attempted to stage the Toledo rally. The NSM's White argued that the Jewish communists started passing out eggs and rocks to the black juveniles. The black kids started throwing them at the police.This patronizing attitude among both the neo-Nazis and the local elites seems to be in agreement: black protesters needed white agitators to guide them and provide them with a political voice.What I observed and the protesters I interviewed are in stark contrast with these condescending views. Participants in the protest and the violence were fully cognizant of their reasons for being at the event. Many expressed anger that the city of Toledo would allow the Nazis to stage a rally in a racially-mixed neighborhood in the first place, and people were outraged that the police would allow the members of NSM to spew forth racial epithets at the crowd.The single most important factor in the escalation of neighborhood awareness of the rally, in my opinion, was the ubiquitous cell phone. The growth of the crowd is directly proportional to the number of phone calls that were made by the initial neighborhood protesters. As I looked back on the photographs, I began to see that the earliest residents on the scene were making a lot of text messages and phone calls to alert their friends about the location of the rally.Furthermore, it is absurd to characterize this as a racial riot; participants were black, white, and Latino. Most seemed to believe that they were either defending or taking back their neighborhood, and were angry that outsiders could come in and try to take over the area in which they live. I, as a white member of the media, would have been an early target if this disturbance was racial in nature, but I experienced no animosity in the crowd that day, and people were actually courteous.At one point I was standing next to a teenager who hurled a chunk of concrete toward the police. As he went into his best Pedro Martinez impersonation, his throwing arm bumped into me."I'm sorry, man", he said. "You all right?"For a rowdy mob that was, in the coverage of FOX, supposedly out of control, there was an element of decorum and normalcy that seemed strangely out of place.Even the looting and burning of a local bar has a context that cannot be understood from the images beamed from a circling helicopter. Residents and police officials agree that the business was long known as a hangout of the white politicians and policeman, and was viewed by some in the black community as a beacon of exclusivity. "That bar was always a white cop bar", said one Toledo officer. "Everyone knows it, but no one wants to talk about it because the owner is an 86-year old man, and people feel sorry for what happened to him."My suspicion is that the violent members of the mob, while engaging in activity that went into the realm of the illegal, knew exactly what they were doing. To deny that rioters possessed a political consciousness is not only shortsighted, but is also an activity that is itself a form of subtle racism.It is convenient to assign blamementality protest and the ensuing violence on outside, largely white agitators, for then we can ignore the underlying social problems that create feelings of hopelessness and despair in communities. By making groups like ARA and ISO the scapegoats for the riot, community leaders in Toledo and every other American urban setting - can continue to ignore festering problems.This mentality also helps elites avoid asking the tough questions about a system of socioeconomic organization in millions are denied access to the critical tools money, education, and health care necessary for success in this era of hyper-capitalism.The arrival of the neo-Nazi group NSM to Toledo on October 15 brought to the surface a host of underlying problems that Toledo shares with countless other American cities. Unfortunately, it appears that many people would rather continue to wear blinders than to confront the harsh realities of modern American capitalism.
::: About the Author :::
A newly-inducted member of the Jewish/communist/liberal media conspiracy, Michael Brooks blog has become a sort of de facto clearinghouse for information about the North Toledo riot. He will continue to provide analysis and information related to the riot as long as it is needed. View his blog at http://www.historymike.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
On the "Anarchist" Cookbook
Following are 2 separate articles reviewing the classic. One was found on flag.blackened.net, the other at spunk.org. The latter will come later as the Spunk library is censored by my school's ISP. I'd like to say that even if you are looking for "recipes" for smoke bombs, napalm, etc., please use a reliable source.
Recipes for Nonsurvival
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell Reviewed by experience goaded
Taken from: "New Libertarian", Volume V, Number III, April 1988. Write - 1515 West MacArthur Blvd., #19, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
This version corrected and updated, April, 2002, after conversations with Esperanza.
This book has been called a "Manual of terror" by Max Geltman, writing in National Review (July 22, 1971). I find this phrase aptly descriptive, but not in the same sense that Mr. Geltman would have us believe.
This "cookbook" consists of three basic parts: an introduction by Professor Bergman entitled "Anarchism Today," and two much longer sections by William Powell on drug and explosive manufacturing.
If ever there were an example of Orwellian doublespeak, this is it! "Anarchism Today" is basically an interpretation of the philosophic roots of anarchism, awkwardly coupled with sketchy references to current events. Almost all of the intellectuals discussed are from the nineteenth century; and there is virtually no mention of the writings from 1930 to present. This may be expected from someone who appears to have briefly studied the topic while at college during the 1920's, and thereafter relied only on superficial newspaper accounts. Bergman should have been aware of Albert Jay Nock, for example, and anarchists today are certainly aware of Murray Rothbard, Karl Hess, etc.
Bergman considers Nihilism to be a form of Anarchism, and Anarchism a form of radical revolutionism. He interprets Marxism in an anarchistic light, and correctly suggests that Communist governments today are feudal/ reactionary. However, his emphasis on the Marxist element in anarchist intellectual tradition is clearly one-sided. A more through and fair analysis can be found in Native American Anarchism (1932) by Eunice Minette Schuster.
Bergman's emphasis on the Nihilistic and destructive aspects of Anarchism I find disturbing. This emphasis seems to arise from the axiom that the State is all, so to oppose the State is to oppose everything. Anarchists do not have to propose a concrete alternative because that would be authoritarian.
The rest of this book consists mainly of drug and explosive recipes relayed to us by William Powell. His motivation for doing so is supposedly to allow the "silent majority" access to information which he claims only the radical groups now possess. The idea of a "silent majority" comes from classical Greek literature and in that context referred to the dead who are the real majority. If you follow the steps outlined in these recipes, you may soon join them! The Library Journal (March 15, 1971) puts it this way:
"Much of it is so sketchy as to be harmless, but there are a number of booby traps still for the nitwit who wishes to try them. There are drug making recipes...that may make one very ill...there are also a number of stunts which could backfire on the idiot who tries them."
Lets get down to specifics.
Ed Rosenthal told me that he had spent a lot of time trying to track down the rumors of pot growing in New York sewers. Well, I just may have stumbled on the origin of the "New York White" rumors. Despite what Powell may think, plants are not as adaptable as alligators and need light to grow. Another choice quote: "...strangely enough, insects ignore marijuana and do no harm." Strange indeed.
The DEA has a Precursor Control Program watch list. This means that if you buy large quantities of the common precursors to illegal chemicals, the Federal Government may take an interest in your activities. Several of the chemicals on this lists are used in Mr. Powell's LSD recipe, such as Acetonitrile, Trifluoroacetic Anhydride, Dimethylformamide, and Diethylamine. Benzene is also on the list, and my also arouse the interest of the EPA because it is a known cancer-causing agent.
Much the same can be said of many of his other recipes, and in some cases the precursors are as hard to get as he final product. For instance, his recipe for DMT starts out with indole, which is quite hard to get. Much better methods using L-Tryptophan (available in most health-food stores) are covered in Synthesis (1973 - present).
Powell suggests ground up nutmeg for a psychedelic experience. Nutmeg has a poor dose/toxicity ratio! However, the oil extract of Nutmeg, containing myristicin, can be used in the synthesis of MMDA - a better and mellower high than MDA. See Journal of Psychedelic Drugs (Vol. 8, #4, October-December 1976).
On page 58 of Powell's cookbook, Nalline is described as "...a freak - a drug someone forgot to make illegal." Perhaps they forgot because Nalorphine is a powerful narcotic antagonist, which tents to produce violent convulsive reactions in morphine addicts. (See the Merck Index.)
For more information on drugs, see The clandestine Drug Laboratory Situation in the U.S. Journal of Forensic Sciences (January 1983, p. 18- c31.) This article, obligingly written by the DEA chief, reports that none of the 17 labs busted the previous year were successful in producing what was intended to be produced. The busted chemists were relying on recipes from popular "underground" drug manufacturing books. It was noted that such books contain errors which prevent the manufacture of the desired chemicals, while at the same time drawing the attention of government authorities because of the precursors recommended.
Let's now examine his recommendations for manufacturing explosives:
His methods for producing Mercury Fulminate is incomplete and dangerous. Between steps 2 and 3, the solution should be cooled. Do not breathe the fumes. See A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry by Sir Edward Thorpe.
Powell's recipe entitled "How to Make TNT" is also quite dangerous and incomplete. In step 1, mixing sulfuric acid and nitric acid will likely result in fulmination and red toxic fumes. Also the crude method he describes does not cover the removal of the Ortho-Dinitro groups. If this were not done, the TNT would be extremely unstable. However, they can be removed with great ease by heating the crude material with aqueous sodium sulfite. See Chemistry of Explosives by George Wright, University of Toronto, in Organic Chemistry (p. 974).
The description of picric acid does not sufficiently emphasize its unstable nature. For example, storing it in a cracked glass container may cause it to explode. See Thorpe's However, on page 120 he describes two relatively safer and easily obtainable chemicals (potassium bichromate and potassium permanganate) as very sensitive, unstable, and too hazardous to work with.
He does have a couple of pages on general safety precautions, but the language suggests that they have been lifted from a military manual. Also, he uses the German spelling for some chemicals. If you attempt to order chemicals from an American company using German spelling, your order would likely be looked at with suspicion.
The Anarchist Cookbook was originally published in 1971; the review by the Library Journal, which exposed these dangerous errors, came shortly thereafter. I wonder why it has gone through 26 printings without these errors being corrected. My theory is that Mr. Powell is not an anarchist, but in reality is spreading disinformation to potential enemies of the government. At the time of original publication, Mr. Powell was an unknown 21-year-old college freshman. Where did he get access to this "information"? He says, from radical friends on both the left and right.
The Minuteman Manual is listed in the bibliography. The original Minutemen were colonial American revolutionaries. In the '60's there was a radical offshoot of the John Birch Society called the Minutemen; they have since been disbanded by the FBI. It is not likely that the 1960's Minutemen would have handed out their manual to a long-haired 21-year-old college freshman. Also, the John Birch Society and the Minutemen are opposed to the United Nations, and Powell's father was a powerful bureaucrat in the UN propaganda ministry (see Newsweek April 12, 1971.) Things are getting curiouser and curiouser!
This same William Powell has also written a book entitled Saudi Arabia and its Royal Family (1982). It consists of interviews with members of the Saudi royal family and other observations gathered while teaching at the University of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It does not seem likely that the Saudi royal family would give such generous treatment to a real anarchist. Reading the Saudi book, I came across some interesting quotes (p. 17):
"Were something or someone to cut the flow of oil from the Arabian Gulf, the result would be truly apocalyptic for the United States, Western Europe, Japan, and much of the developing world...In a worst case scenario, all gasoline available would go to essential services such as the military, the police and fire departments, and the transportation of foodstuffs. Most nonessential businesses and industries would close. Unemployment would skyrocket."
"All major cities would, in all probability, have to be placed under martial law. Curfews would be enforced at gunpoint...Inflation would metamorphose...Into a lethal epidemic. We would enter a wheelbarrow economy like that of Germany prior to Hitler's rise to power."
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. While his pessimistic analysis does not take full account of the market's ability to conserve and switch to alternate fuels, I think a more important point is that Powell seems to believe that government is as essential as the transportation of foodstuffs, and that it can help solve the fuel crisis through the Draconian methods he describes. If governments were to run out of gas tomorrow, anarchists would be dancing in celebration.
(Mr. Powell's talk of martial law is not fantasy. Executive Order #11490, signed by Richard Nixon in October 1969, allows the president to assume dictatorial powers after declaring a "national emergency.")
It just doesn't add up, unless an alternative theory is developed to explain these anomalies. My attempts to get the other side of the story from the publisher were met with a stone wall of silence. My suggestion is that much of Powell's disinformation and influence may have come from the Trilateral Commission and/or the CIA. A U.S. Air Force combat controllers group studying guerilla warfare similarly concluded that the book is disinformation, probably CIA. This theory would seem to dovetail with the National Review article which presented The Anarchist Cookbook at face value, and even included a patronizing reference to 'the boys at Harvard'. It is well known that W.F. Buckley, the National Review editor, is a Yale graduate and once served the CIA in Mexico. (E. Howard Hunt, of Watergate fame, was CIA paymaster in Mexico City at the same time Buckley served.)
I would like to quote Mr. Powell from the April 12, 1971 issue of Newsweek: "My book places power in the hands of the individual, where it belongs. The right calls it communist, the leftists call it profiteering, the liberals call it Neo-Nazi."
And this reviewer calls it bullshit!
-Esperanza Godot
Esperanza Godot is a nom de guerre of a Conter-Economics Entrepreneur in the Washington-Portland area. Alas, we cannot publish a biography of him, like others in our series, but I'm sure you'll agree he deserves our title of "Libertarian Entrepreneurs! #3."
- Samuel Edward Konkin III.
March 2002, a note from the author Esperanza Godot:
You might want to mention that L-Tryptophan has been taken off the general market by Feds. One batch made in Mexico was contaminated, and they used that as the excuse. It can still be purchased from chemical supply houses (for non-consumption uses) but customer info might be turned over to the feds. Nowadays, people over 40 take melatonin to induce sleep. L-Tryptophan first produces seratonin, causing alertness and happy feeling. In a few hours it turns into melatonin.
2003 Note from the author Esperanza Godot:
The FDA has once again allowed L-Tryptophan to be sold in the U.S.
and here's the other, delayed some time by our good friends at Websense enterprise.
Re: ANARCHIST COOKBOOK
Everybody, If you have any interest in Anarchism, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! If you already have a copy, throw it away. This book has nothing to do with Anarchism, and it is dangerous in several ways. Let me identify a few for you...
1) The guy has no idea what he's copying in the bombs/explosives section. He copies from a number of sources, so you get hilarious (not hilarious for the people who get injured, I guess) contradictions- onone page a particular explosive will be described as stable and safe,and two pages later it will be listed among unstable or unsafe explosives.
2) The book contributes to the popular misconception that Anarchists are just bomb-throwers. There is nothing of Anarchist philosophy. There is nothing about community organizing. There is nothing about helping fellow human beings.
3) When the chemistry gets complicated, the author has even less of an idea what's going on. The drug section is a mess. He has copied things from weird sources, and he has copied them incorrectly. Often, he omits really important information. The LSD "recipe" is the worst of the lot.
4) The lists of Anarchist publications contains NO EXTANT PUBLICATIONS. Every one of them is defunct. Also, NOT ONE OF THEM described itself as an Anarchist publication back in the days when these publications actually existed. Now, _The Match_ has been published continuously since before the _Cookbook_ was written. Yet _the Match_ is not mentioned in the _Cookbook_. Hmmm. And _The Match_ calls itself an Anarchist periodical. It always has.
The _Cookbook_ causes problems for the publishers of Anarchist newspapers and magazines in the following way... Any time one of these publishers brings copies of one of these publications into a bookstore to be sold, the newspaper or magazine will be put on display, and then the _Cookbook_ shows up next to it. This discredits the other publications, since the _Cookbook_ is such a piece of shit. Please, if your local bookstores are decent enough to actually carry anarchist publications, take the time to go in and explain to them that the_Cookbook_ does not represent Anarchists. Ask them not to put this book on display next to Anarchist publications. Ask them to put up some kind of warning that states that the book is dangerous (because of the recipes, which could get you killed) and that it is not in any way Anarchist. Consider typing up your own warning and inserting it into the books.
If you ARE interested in explosives, there are much better sources, with accurate and complete instructions on how to make, pack, shape, and store explosives.
I would like to ask, if you are interested in blowing stuff up,that you not bother with Anarchism. Anarchists have to be concerned with building structures which can effect positive social change, and which have real grassroots control without any hierarchical structure. Yes, Anarchists must be able to defend themselves, and yes, Anarchists must be able to present a credible threat- power concedes nothing without a demand- but blowing stuff up and killing a cop here or there will not help anyone.
It has been suggested that the _Cookbook_ is a product of American Counterintelligence or Law Enforcement. I think this could be true. Whether or not the FBI is involved, the _Cookbook_ serves their needs. It discredits Anarchism by perpetuating the common myths about Anarchists. This only helps the authoritarians. If you REALLY want to buy a true Anarchist Cookbook, write to Food Not Bombs and ask for their handbook. It contains a lot of information on how to start and maintain a food recovery program and how to deal with police harassment, among other things. It contains vegetarian recipes for feeding large numbers of people. There are no bomb recipes, but there are guidelines for setting up a program which can actually help other people.
Food Not Bombs can be reached at
3145 Geary #12, San Francisco, CA 94118
Telephone (415) 330-5030
Is there a FAQ? There really ought to be something about the _Cookbook_in it if there is...--
Mark aka John Brown :-b
-------------------------------------------
Much Madness is divinest Sense-
To a discerning Eye-
Much Sense- the starkest Madness-
'Tis the Majority
In this, as All, prevail-
Assent, and you are sane-
Demur- you're straightway dangerous
And handled with a Chain
---Emily Dickinson
-------------------------------------------
THE END
Recipes for Nonsurvival
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell Reviewed by experience goaded
Taken from: "New Libertarian", Volume V, Number III, April 1988. Write - 1515 West MacArthur Blvd., #19, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
This version corrected and updated, April, 2002, after conversations with Esperanza.
This book has been called a "Manual of terror" by Max Geltman, writing in National Review (July 22, 1971). I find this phrase aptly descriptive, but not in the same sense that Mr. Geltman would have us believe.
This "cookbook" consists of three basic parts: an introduction by Professor Bergman entitled "Anarchism Today," and two much longer sections by William Powell on drug and explosive manufacturing.
If ever there were an example of Orwellian doublespeak, this is it! "Anarchism Today" is basically an interpretation of the philosophic roots of anarchism, awkwardly coupled with sketchy references to current events. Almost all of the intellectuals discussed are from the nineteenth century; and there is virtually no mention of the writings from 1930 to present. This may be expected from someone who appears to have briefly studied the topic while at college during the 1920's, and thereafter relied only on superficial newspaper accounts. Bergman should have been aware of Albert Jay Nock, for example, and anarchists today are certainly aware of Murray Rothbard, Karl Hess, etc.
Bergman considers Nihilism to be a form of Anarchism, and Anarchism a form of radical revolutionism. He interprets Marxism in an anarchistic light, and correctly suggests that Communist governments today are feudal/ reactionary. However, his emphasis on the Marxist element in anarchist intellectual tradition is clearly one-sided. A more through and fair analysis can be found in Native American Anarchism (1932) by Eunice Minette Schuster.
Bergman's emphasis on the Nihilistic and destructive aspects of Anarchism I find disturbing. This emphasis seems to arise from the axiom that the State is all, so to oppose the State is to oppose everything. Anarchists do not have to propose a concrete alternative because that would be authoritarian.
The rest of this book consists mainly of drug and explosive recipes relayed to us by William Powell. His motivation for doing so is supposedly to allow the "silent majority" access to information which he claims only the radical groups now possess. The idea of a "silent majority" comes from classical Greek literature and in that context referred to the dead who are the real majority. If you follow the steps outlined in these recipes, you may soon join them! The Library Journal (March 15, 1971) puts it this way:
"Much of it is so sketchy as to be harmless, but there are a number of booby traps still for the nitwit who wishes to try them. There are drug making recipes...that may make one very ill...there are also a number of stunts which could backfire on the idiot who tries them."
Lets get down to specifics.
Ed Rosenthal told me that he had spent a lot of time trying to track down the rumors of pot growing in New York sewers. Well, I just may have stumbled on the origin of the "New York White" rumors. Despite what Powell may think, plants are not as adaptable as alligators and need light to grow. Another choice quote: "...strangely enough, insects ignore marijuana and do no harm." Strange indeed.
The DEA has a Precursor Control Program watch list. This means that if you buy large quantities of the common precursors to illegal chemicals, the Federal Government may take an interest in your activities. Several of the chemicals on this lists are used in Mr. Powell's LSD recipe, such as Acetonitrile, Trifluoroacetic Anhydride, Dimethylformamide, and Diethylamine. Benzene is also on the list, and my also arouse the interest of the EPA because it is a known cancer-causing agent.
Much the same can be said of many of his other recipes, and in some cases the precursors are as hard to get as he final product. For instance, his recipe for DMT starts out with indole, which is quite hard to get. Much better methods using L-Tryptophan (available in most health-food stores) are covered in Synthesis (1973 - present).
Powell suggests ground up nutmeg for a psychedelic experience. Nutmeg has a poor dose/toxicity ratio! However, the oil extract of Nutmeg, containing myristicin, can be used in the synthesis of MMDA - a better and mellower high than MDA. See Journal of Psychedelic Drugs (Vol. 8, #4, October-December 1976).
On page 58 of Powell's cookbook, Nalline is described as "...a freak - a drug someone forgot to make illegal." Perhaps they forgot because Nalorphine is a powerful narcotic antagonist, which tents to produce violent convulsive reactions in morphine addicts. (See the Merck Index.)
For more information on drugs, see The clandestine Drug Laboratory Situation in the U.S. Journal of Forensic Sciences (January 1983, p. 18- c31.) This article, obligingly written by the DEA chief, reports that none of the 17 labs busted the previous year were successful in producing what was intended to be produced. The busted chemists were relying on recipes from popular "underground" drug manufacturing books. It was noted that such books contain errors which prevent the manufacture of the desired chemicals, while at the same time drawing the attention of government authorities because of the precursors recommended.
Let's now examine his recommendations for manufacturing explosives:
His methods for producing Mercury Fulminate is incomplete and dangerous. Between steps 2 and 3, the solution should be cooled. Do not breathe the fumes. See A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry by Sir Edward Thorpe.
Powell's recipe entitled "How to Make TNT" is also quite dangerous and incomplete. In step 1, mixing sulfuric acid and nitric acid will likely result in fulmination and red toxic fumes. Also the crude method he describes does not cover the removal of the Ortho-Dinitro groups. If this were not done, the TNT would be extremely unstable. However, they can be removed with great ease by heating the crude material with aqueous sodium sulfite. See Chemistry of Explosives by George Wright, University of Toronto, in Organic Chemistry (p. 974).
The description of picric acid does not sufficiently emphasize its unstable nature. For example, storing it in a cracked glass container may cause it to explode. See Thorpe's However, on page 120 he describes two relatively safer and easily obtainable chemicals (potassium bichromate and potassium permanganate) as very sensitive, unstable, and too hazardous to work with.
He does have a couple of pages on general safety precautions, but the language suggests that they have been lifted from a military manual. Also, he uses the German spelling for some chemicals. If you attempt to order chemicals from an American company using German spelling, your order would likely be looked at with suspicion.
The Anarchist Cookbook was originally published in 1971; the review by the Library Journal, which exposed these dangerous errors, came shortly thereafter. I wonder why it has gone through 26 printings without these errors being corrected. My theory is that Mr. Powell is not an anarchist, but in reality is spreading disinformation to potential enemies of the government. At the time of original publication, Mr. Powell was an unknown 21-year-old college freshman. Where did he get access to this "information"? He says, from radical friends on both the left and right.
The Minuteman Manual is listed in the bibliography. The original Minutemen were colonial American revolutionaries. In the '60's there was a radical offshoot of the John Birch Society called the Minutemen; they have since been disbanded by the FBI. It is not likely that the 1960's Minutemen would have handed out their manual to a long-haired 21-year-old college freshman. Also, the John Birch Society and the Minutemen are opposed to the United Nations, and Powell's father was a powerful bureaucrat in the UN propaganda ministry (see Newsweek April 12, 1971.) Things are getting curiouser and curiouser!
This same William Powell has also written a book entitled Saudi Arabia and its Royal Family (1982). It consists of interviews with members of the Saudi royal family and other observations gathered while teaching at the University of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It does not seem likely that the Saudi royal family would give such generous treatment to a real anarchist. Reading the Saudi book, I came across some interesting quotes (p. 17):
"Were something or someone to cut the flow of oil from the Arabian Gulf, the result would be truly apocalyptic for the United States, Western Europe, Japan, and much of the developing world...In a worst case scenario, all gasoline available would go to essential services such as the military, the police and fire departments, and the transportation of foodstuffs. Most nonessential businesses and industries would close. Unemployment would skyrocket."
"All major cities would, in all probability, have to be placed under martial law. Curfews would be enforced at gunpoint...Inflation would metamorphose...Into a lethal epidemic. We would enter a wheelbarrow economy like that of Germany prior to Hitler's rise to power."
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. While his pessimistic analysis does not take full account of the market's ability to conserve and switch to alternate fuels, I think a more important point is that Powell seems to believe that government is as essential as the transportation of foodstuffs, and that it can help solve the fuel crisis through the Draconian methods he describes. If governments were to run out of gas tomorrow, anarchists would be dancing in celebration.
(Mr. Powell's talk of martial law is not fantasy. Executive Order #11490, signed by Richard Nixon in October 1969, allows the president to assume dictatorial powers after declaring a "national emergency.")
It just doesn't add up, unless an alternative theory is developed to explain these anomalies. My attempts to get the other side of the story from the publisher were met with a stone wall of silence. My suggestion is that much of Powell's disinformation and influence may have come from the Trilateral Commission and/or the CIA. A U.S. Air Force combat controllers group studying guerilla warfare similarly concluded that the book is disinformation, probably CIA. This theory would seem to dovetail with the National Review article which presented The Anarchist Cookbook at face value, and even included a patronizing reference to 'the boys at Harvard'. It is well known that W.F. Buckley, the National Review editor, is a Yale graduate and once served the CIA in Mexico. (E. Howard Hunt, of Watergate fame, was CIA paymaster in Mexico City at the same time Buckley served.)
I would like to quote Mr. Powell from the April 12, 1971 issue of Newsweek: "My book places power in the hands of the individual, where it belongs. The right calls it communist, the leftists call it profiteering, the liberals call it Neo-Nazi."
And this reviewer calls it bullshit!
-Esperanza Godot
Esperanza Godot is a nom de guerre of a Conter-Economics Entrepreneur in the Washington-Portland area. Alas, we cannot publish a biography of him, like others in our series, but I'm sure you'll agree he deserves our title of "Libertarian Entrepreneurs! #3."
- Samuel Edward Konkin III.
March 2002, a note from the author Esperanza Godot:
You might want to mention that L-Tryptophan has been taken off the general market by Feds. One batch made in Mexico was contaminated, and they used that as the excuse. It can still be purchased from chemical supply houses (for non-consumption uses) but customer info might be turned over to the feds. Nowadays, people over 40 take melatonin to induce sleep. L-Tryptophan first produces seratonin, causing alertness and happy feeling. In a few hours it turns into melatonin.
2003 Note from the author Esperanza Godot:
The FDA has once again allowed L-Tryptophan to be sold in the U.S.
and here's the other, delayed some time by our good friends at Websense enterprise.
Re: ANARCHIST COOKBOOK
Everybody, If you have any interest in Anarchism, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! If you already have a copy, throw it away. This book has nothing to do with Anarchism, and it is dangerous in several ways. Let me identify a few for you...
1) The guy has no idea what he's copying in the bombs/explosives section. He copies from a number of sources, so you get hilarious (not hilarious for the people who get injured, I guess) contradictions- onone page a particular explosive will be described as stable and safe,and two pages later it will be listed among unstable or unsafe explosives.
2) The book contributes to the popular misconception that Anarchists are just bomb-throwers. There is nothing of Anarchist philosophy. There is nothing about community organizing. There is nothing about helping fellow human beings.
3) When the chemistry gets complicated, the author has even less of an idea what's going on. The drug section is a mess. He has copied things from weird sources, and he has copied them incorrectly. Often, he omits really important information. The LSD "recipe" is the worst of the lot.
4) The lists of Anarchist publications contains NO EXTANT PUBLICATIONS. Every one of them is defunct. Also, NOT ONE OF THEM described itself as an Anarchist publication back in the days when these publications actually existed. Now, _The Match_ has been published continuously since before the _Cookbook_ was written. Yet _the Match_ is not mentioned in the _Cookbook_. Hmmm. And _The Match_ calls itself an Anarchist periodical. It always has.
The _Cookbook_ causes problems for the publishers of Anarchist newspapers and magazines in the following way... Any time one of these publishers brings copies of one of these publications into a bookstore to be sold, the newspaper or magazine will be put on display, and then the _Cookbook_ shows up next to it. This discredits the other publications, since the _Cookbook_ is such a piece of shit. Please, if your local bookstores are decent enough to actually carry anarchist publications, take the time to go in and explain to them that the_Cookbook_ does not represent Anarchists. Ask them not to put this book on display next to Anarchist publications. Ask them to put up some kind of warning that states that the book is dangerous (because of the recipes, which could get you killed) and that it is not in any way Anarchist. Consider typing up your own warning and inserting it into the books.
If you ARE interested in explosives, there are much better sources, with accurate and complete instructions on how to make, pack, shape, and store explosives.
I would like to ask, if you are interested in blowing stuff up,that you not bother with Anarchism. Anarchists have to be concerned with building structures which can effect positive social change, and which have real grassroots control without any hierarchical structure. Yes, Anarchists must be able to defend themselves, and yes, Anarchists must be able to present a credible threat- power concedes nothing without a demand- but blowing stuff up and killing a cop here or there will not help anyone.
It has been suggested that the _Cookbook_ is a product of American Counterintelligence or Law Enforcement. I think this could be true. Whether or not the FBI is involved, the _Cookbook_ serves their needs. It discredits Anarchism by perpetuating the common myths about Anarchists. This only helps the authoritarians. If you REALLY want to buy a true Anarchist Cookbook, write to Food Not Bombs and ask for their handbook. It contains a lot of information on how to start and maintain a food recovery program and how to deal with police harassment, among other things. It contains vegetarian recipes for feeding large numbers of people. There are no bomb recipes, but there are guidelines for setting up a program which can actually help other people.
Food Not Bombs can be reached at
3145 Geary #12, San Francisco, CA 94118
Telephone (415) 330-5030
Is there a FAQ? There really ought to be something about the _Cookbook_in it if there is...--
Mark aka John Brown :-b
-------------------------------------------
Much Madness is divinest Sense-
To a discerning Eye-
Much Sense- the starkest Madness-
'Tis the Majority
In this, as All, prevail-
Assent, and you are sane-
Demur- you're straightway dangerous
And handled with a Chain
---Emily Dickinson
-------------------------------------------
THE END
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
What about Haiti?
While the US is supporting undemocratic regimes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and elsewhere, there is another, often ignored even by the left, closer to home. Just a few years ago, US troops forcefully ousted elected Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide and installed a puppet regime. Haiti is today at best a military dictatorship, with all the human rights violations that ensue. Despite what the state department may have you believe, Haiti is not an experiment in democracy. more at http://haitiaction.net/
Thursday, July 21, 2005
conditions necessary for ending the war
most of this was inspired by an article i read in a recent issue of International Socialist Review (isreview.org). The prerequisites for the ending the war in iraq, as based on observations of Vietnam and elsewhere:
1. Resistance at home, within the occupying country (aka US!)
2. Resistance within the occupying armed forces
3. Resistance within the occupied country.
It seems that resistance at home is small, but persistent and slowly gathering strength. Resistance within the army, navy, etc. is very small, but definetly present.
As we all know, regardless of whatever disagreement we have with them over tactics, resistance within Iraq is alive and well, despite a lack of a unified front. It seems to have been proven throughout history that popular insurgencies within occupied countries always win out in the end, simply because of their ability to grow despite strategical and military setbacks.
(that last bit was paraphrased from the great Noam Chomsky.)
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
More News From the EZLN
Again, none of the work here is mine, but reproduced from www.indymedia.org. This is sort of a follow up to my previous post.
EZLN announces new strategy
From June 29, the EZLN started to publish the results of its internal consultations, as a series of texts that form the Sixth Declaration from the Lacandon Jungle. They made it clear that the Red Alert declared on the 19th was a preventive measure to be able to consult their support bases with security. The new political initiative is based on an approach to social movements, from Mexico and elsewhere, that share the same aims as the indigenous zapatistas and are fighting the effects of neoliberal globalization. "Perhaps united with other social sectors who suffer from the same wants as we do, it will be possible to achieve what we need and what we deserve," says the Declaration.
The EZLN made a commitment to send support material, according to their capabilities, to the peoples and organizations in Mexico and abroad that struggle against neoliberal globalization. The support consists of coffee and crafts, so that fighters all around the world have a way to finance their struggles. Inside Mexico, the General Command of the EZLN will start a peregrination for an indefinite period of time to search for allies in the struggle of resistance to neoliberalism and for a new constitution that guarantees: home, land, work, food, health, education, information, culture, independence, democracy, justice, freedom and peace. They also declared the intention of holding a new Intercontinental meeting by the end of the year.
Before the Red Alert, the other indigenous communities of Mexico that were assembled at the National Indigenous Congress (CNI) in Yucatan released the Declaration of Zirahuen, which reveals the intention for more coordination of the indigenous struggle though the adhesion of all ethnic groups that are part of the CNI to the La Realidad-Tijuana Plan, created by the EZLN in 2003. The La Realidad-Tijuana Plan has as one of its agreements the promotion of self-government and self- management forms in all of the Mexican territory, according to each one's ways.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
CRIC Communiqué
This is reproduced directly from the Independent Media Center (www.indymedia.org). I have posted it here to increase its exposure over the 'net.
CRIC Communiqué
Originally published in Spanish by the CCRI-CG the EZLN
Communiqué from the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee –
General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
Mexico.
June 19, 2005
To the People of Mexico:
To the Peoples of the World:
Brothers and Sisters:
As of today, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation has declared, throughout all rebel territory, a GENERAL RED ALERT
Based on this, we are informing you:
First - That at this time the closure is being carried out of the Caracoles and the Good Government Offices which are located in the zapatista communities of Oventik, La Realidad, Morelia and Roberto Barrios, as well as all the headquarters of the authorities of the different Rebel Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities.
Second - That also being carried out is the evacuation of the members of the different Good Government Juntas and the autonomous authorities, in order to place them in shelter. Now, and for an indefinite time period, they will be carrying out their work in a clandestine and nomadic manner. Both the projects as well as the autonomous government will continue functioning, although under different circumstances than they have been up
until now.
Third - That basic community health services will continue functioning in the different Caracoles. Civilians will be in charge of these services, and the CCRI-CG of the EZLN is distancing them from any of our future actions, and we are demanding that they be treated as civilians and with respect for their life, liberty and goods by government forces.
Fourth - That there has been a call-up of all members of our EZLN who have been engaged in social work in the zapatista communities and those of our regular troops who have been in their barracks. In a similar fashion, all broadcasts by Radio Insurgente, "The Voice of Those Without Voice", in FM and in short wave, have been suspended for an indefinite period of time.
Fifth - That, simultaneous with the publication of this communiqué, national and international civil societies who are working in peace camps and in community projects are being urged to leave rebel territory. Or, if they decide freely of their own volition, they remain on their own and at their own risk, gathered in the caracoles. In the case of minors, their departure is obligatory.
Sixth - That the EZLN announces the closing of the Zapatista Information Centre (CIZ), not without first thanking the civil societies who have participated in it, from the time of its creation until today. The CCRI-CG of the EZLN formally releases these persons from any responsibility for the future actions of the EZLN.
Seventh - That the EZLN releases from responsibility for any of our future actions all persons and civil, political, cultural, citizens and non-governmental organizations, solidarity committees and support groups who have been close to us since 1994. We thank all of those who have, sincerely and honestly, throughout these almost 12 years, supported the civil and peaceful struggle of the zapatista indigenous for the constitutional recognition of indigenous rights and culture.
Democracy!
Liberty!
Justice!
From the Mountains of the Mexican Southeast.
By the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee – General Command of
the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos
Mexico, in the sixth month of the year 2005.
Monday, June 13, 2005
pix from March 20th protests
The following are some shots I took at the March 20th protests commerating the invasion of Iraq. I'm possibly the crappist photographer in the universe(you can tell as my thumb is in most of the photos), but I sure as hell can try anyway.
That's it.
Also. there is a protest this Sat., May 14 in Malcom X park, commerating the tragic MOVE bombing.
More at: http://www.onamove.com/
There is also a protest in Independence Mall the next day, to show the true costs of the wars in Iraq & Afganistan.
http://www.countingthecost.org/
later
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