As a person who is associated with progressive political groups and an information junkie intrigued with how we as a people create systems of meaning and belief, I sometimes notice patterns to which other people give little attention.
As a progressive who lives in Arizona, I see patterns of extremism all around me, and have reported on this for years. One of the trends that is particularly disturbing to me is the extremely conservative bias in national televised news.
This past week I heard about concern over “anarchists” descending on the RNC in Tampa on MSNBC. The only problem with this reporting is that in 2008 nearly all the people called anarchists at the RNC were not really anarchists, and there was a great deal of misrepresentation of what was going on there in the streets at the 2008 RNC. This sort of militarization of police continues today. 40 to 50 journalists were also arrested and their press credentials confiscated during coverage of protests in the streets of St. Paul. Amy Goodman, and two of her crew, recently received $100,000 settlement per those arrests. Settlements have also been awarded to individuals whose homes were raided without warrants two days before the 2008 RNC.
Is this sort of crap going to happen again? This week, the national news, supposedly left wing MSNBC, reports about anarchist warnings released by the FBI.
So as far as I can tell, MSNBC is covering the possibility of protests at the RNC while not reporting real acts of domestic terrorism. What gives? Two police officers were killed in Louisiana earlier this week and the individuals jailed and charged with these murders are very likely tied to “Sovereign Citizens.” This happens the same week that another “Sovereign Citizen” was in court in Phoenix for killing a Jewish couple in Paradise Valley, AZ earlier this year.
The FBI’s Law Enforcement Bulletin details the Sovereign Citizen group which really and truly is an anarchist group. The FBI is worried enough about this group to have informed notaries about them.
So possible threats, which are of dubious seriousness per previous experience with similar supposed threats from left leaning protesters, are reported, while actual terrorist related events and trials are not even mentioned by the same national networks. Have we forgotten Oklahoma City. Terry Nichols was associated with the Sovereign Citizens. From what I can tell from a simple google search these arrests are happening all over the U.S. Why are we not hearing about them?
Additional Ref: added afternoon of 8/26/2012. “Domestic Terrorism: A Persistent Threat in the United States“
Occupy Tucson needs your help!
Make some calls! NOW! This is from the Facebook Wall:
OccupyTucson needs your help! TPD is utilizing a strategy of financial attrition to kill the movement by issuing criminal citations to occupiers in the who stay in the park past 10:30pm. This citation carries a potential sentence of up to a $1000 fine, up to 6 months in jail, and up to 3 years probation. They are bleeding this movement financially instead of using pepper spray and batons. We need you all to take action now! Below is the link with the phone numbers and email addresses of each of the members of Tucson city council. Call them and demand that TPD stop it’s war of financial attrition against OccupyTucson.
Regina Romero – city council Ward 1
Phone: (520) 791-4040 Email: ward1@tucsonaz.govKarin Uhlich – Vice Mayor and city council Ward III Phone: (520) 791-4711 ward3@tucsonaz.gov —
Shirley Scott – city council Ward IV
Phone: (520) 791-3199 E-Mail: ward4@tucsonaz.govSteve Kozachik – city council Ward VI
Phone: (520) 791-4601 E-Mail: ward6@tucsonaz.govMayor Bob Walkup
Phone: (520) 791-4201 mayor1@tucsonaz.gov
Also: There is a march to City Council starting at 4:30 from Armory Park today if I read the post correctly.
The City Council Meeting does begin this afternoon at 5:30 p.m.!
The City Council meets here: Mayor and Council Chambers, City Hall, 255 W. Alameda, Downtown Tucson
I have linked the image above to the Occupy Tucson site, even though I have been unable to get it to load.
"Chicago 10" Revisits 1968 Democratic Convention and the Festival of Life
Last night I went to see the Chicago 10 (2007) at The Loft last evening. Director Brett Morgan, a combination of historic footage and animation, this project has been panned by corporate media critics and surprisingly suggested as a potential educational tool for parents to use to instruct mature teens about history by other reviewers. Most film review sites seem to have a mixed review.
My original experience with the Chicago 8 (10 now per this movie’s inclusion of defense attorneys Weinglass and Kunsler) is just as divergent from the mainstream as my critique of the movie. I won’t say watch it or don’t watch it although I definitely lean to the former. That is up to you.
What I find most compelling about the film are things that few if any of the “top” reviews choose to comment upon — metacomentary, framing for a new generation, the ability to capture the essence of a very complex time. Actually, for me all the events of 1968, MLK Jr.’s assassination, RFK’s assassination, the Chicago Democratic Convention, will always pale in comparison to my brother catching a gut full of shapnel as he lifted a mortally wounded buddy into a medivac chopper on his birthday on August 4th, 1968. I was 11 years old.
Of course there are the 2008/1968 parallels. War that the country no longer supports, a divisive Democratic party that could end up losing the fall election to the Republican nominee. A profound sense of hope and and equally profound sense of despair that pulsates just below the surface of every political discussion.
The use of now common academic/analytically informed protest tactics and the acute understanding of the role of the media in shaping political thought and dissent was brought to mid/late 20th Century U.S. by the Yippies. The contemporary grandfathers of Billionaires for Bush, CODEPINK, and YellowCakeWalk were Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. (Be careful crossing the street all you street theater of today types.) My life partner in cultural critique says I should mention The San Francisco Mime Troupe.
The concept of “The Jester” who embodies the upside down analysis of things not spoken about in kingdoms and monarical courts is an ancient concept. Successful street theater is the stuff of intellectually trained and culturally astute critics of the powers that be. Laughter mixed with the possibility of death is edgy and illustrates that all humor comes from discomfort.
No other film of which I am aware of so effectively presents the layers of meta-messages that bombarded the TV watching U.S. population in 1968. The trial scenes in the film were exclusively presented as animation — this perfectly addressed the surreal nature of the trial…. of course it also was necessary as there were no courtroom cameras allowed in the winter of 1969 and 70 the date of the trial.
I definitely think that Tucsonans of the activist stripe or anyone interested in the presentation of historic information to contemporary audiences would be rather negligent if they did not take advantage of the local showing of this film on a large screen and get over to The Loft between now and Thursday, May 29th, 2008.