For sobriety

“When a slave was drunk, the slaveholder had no fear that he would plan an insurrection…. It was the sober, thinking slave who was dangerous, and needed the vigilance of his master to keep him a slave.” -Frederick Douglas

Melting Pot

"There are two types of direct action, inward direct action involves developing a deeper maturity and losing one's anthropocentric view. Outward direct action can take the form of monkey wrenching, protest, civil disobedience or the planting of a tree. There is no sharp break between inward and outward direct action and both are guided by one unyielding principle: nonviolence. Direct action is the realization that we cannot turn away and ignore the earth's problems, we must do something. Everything is inter-connected. by protecting the rain forest we are protecting ourselves, and so by taking direct action one expresses the utmost love for the planet and its inhabitants... Action is the goal, and action itself must be the truth, its own defense, and its own purpose"

(Quote cut from The Philosophy of Punk: More than noise)

Back to the board

"I have never come to terms with the idea that I am 'part of society' and should construct my actions to suit the prevailing moods of conformity, acceptance and achievement. Closed by the rigorous mind training of school and media, the mass mentality of western culture revolves around upholding the past to attempt to secure the future, whilst suffering the present as beyond its control, 'safe' in the hands of government who feed the present to the masses as a product of technological/material/industrial progress"


Dick Lucas (Subhumans/Citizen Fish)

Beware/Be aware of Police brutality

A year ago today Ian Tomlinson died after being hit by a police man who had removed his numbers so he couldn't be identified.
Still no one has been held accountable for his death.
Immediately following this the police were quick to blame protesters for his death, saying they were hindering Tomlinson treatment, and they also claimed to of had no involvement, this was all quickly proved fabricated and lies, as video footage emerged. Clearly showing the policemen lunging out of the lines to for no reason assault Tomlison as he was walking away, with hands in pockets.


A policemen was cleared this week of assaulting a women at a protest following his death, despite there again being footage proving that the police were using excessive force when completely unnecessary.
For some reason slapping a women around the face and then hitting her with a baton for shouting is deemed 'reasonable force'.


I've seen this so much recently after protests, people accused of being aggressive or intimidating, and this justifying the presence of such large numbers of riot police, and then them arresting people. How much of a threat is a women shouting to a line of tooled up armoured (sometimes on horseback to) trained riot police...?

If a protester was to shove a policemen, and claim 'self defence' when questioned, they would of been charged instantly.
The justice system is meant to be for the people. The police there to protect.
Our human right to be able to voice our concerns and show are disapproval of subjects that affect us and the world as a whole are slowly being taken away.
More and more ridiculous laws are being put into place to stifle our right to protest, which in turn are allowing dodgy companies and industries to do as they please (and line the pockets of the government and bankers), without consultation of the public.

You would hope that with all this video footage that is now available after protests that things like this wouldn't be so easy for the police to get away with (they can't take away or break every ones cameras).
This evidence is being overlooked and rejected by judges and courts. It seems that a major problem is that the courts are against the people, we will always being in 2nd place when its us Vs them in court.

In America Oscar Grant was shot dead at point blank range in the back while being pinned face down on the floor.
This again was caught by multiple peoples mobile phones on a busy train station platform, this is one of few such case that have made it to trail, the policemen is awaiting trial for murder. His defence he thought his gun was a tazer...
It is clear from the videos not even a tazer was necessary with so many police on one person.


How can these injustices continue, these are the times we should be sitting up and taking notice. We have a right to protest, and even a right to protest, or challenge the reasons sometimes given when police attempt to arrest you for ridiculous reasons, or supposed 'crimes'.
We need to be letting everyone know that these things are happening constantly, and we have to stop them if we want to remain 'free'.

**Video footage of all these incidents can be seen on you-tube**

Never Forgive. Never Forget.
Jean Charles de Menezes
Killed by two point blank range shots to the head on a London tube, after a police mix up that lead to him falsely being identified as a terrorist suspect.

?

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, its the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead

'His' story

Maybe it is time to take a look at the past and lead by example?
You can see what was done right and what was done wrong, and in turn see what lessons can be learned from it all.
We fought to get the vote I honestly don't believe it should be thrown away so easily.

The current system is a joke, with politicians seemingly only becoming politicians for purely selfish reasons (that extra house for members of parliament and the associated perks).
Something has to be done to change it, and soon. The power needs to be taken back!
It is not up to governments and councils to decide what happens without consultation. They are meant to be there for the people, to make sure are voices are heard in this world being over-run and dominated by just a few companies, and billionaires.
They should be asking us what we want, and then acting on it.
Not taking money from fat cat multinationals to carry out there dirty work, to increase their profits, and keep the 'little people' under control, so they can use them to work for next to nothing in their fields and factories.
Governments for the masses not the few!

Reason to fight!

There seems to be this assumption that protesters are all unemployed, on benefits, crusty, unwashed, squatter, drug takers.
For one if your off your face you're not going to get much done, and protesters come in all shapes and forms....
Action is necessary for change in so many instances.
I didn't believe it when they said Hitler comes into nearly all online debates on QI but its actual true :s
Breaking the law is not always a bad thing.
There were many 'laws' that people broke in Nazi Germany that were necessary to fight fascism. People of all political beliefs (anarchists, communists, socialists, different religions) all joined together to fight against what they saw were unjust laws.
People need to stand up to the things they see as unjust in society, in every aspect of life. Some people are talkers, some are fighters, others mere supporters, but everyone is a step in the right direction for positive change for all people.

Same Shit, Different Day

*A little similar in content to my last post.
But it's something that continues to bug me as every day I'm hearing the same shit*

Mere shouting outside places, and throwing stuff at windows/politicans is not enough.
As I'm seeing non-stop at the moment, people who shout, or 'kick up a fuss' are just being brushed aside, rubbished, and ignored as left wing loonies. Even by the most liberal or apathetic out there, who are usually on everybody or nobodys 'side'.
They are labelled as; Naive, idealistic, uninformed, unrealistic, crusty hippies, and told to get with the 'real world', and just accept it.
This is usually followed by why don't you go live in China or North Korea and see how much you like it...
This should be a opportunity to prove to people that there is a point, for people to actually get there voices heard, and show that we are not all 'middle class art students', as I keep seeing protesters labelled as.

Maybe some type of alternative mass meeting is needed? To try and make people question why they are accepting this current 'democratic' system, to highlight what many are not being shown through the normal media channels .
We should be taking back democracy. It was put in place for us the people, to have our voices heard.
To allow us to not be controlled by the ones with the most money and power.
There is no point in everyone wasting there votes with a 'Vote Nobody' ballot, because right wing fringe partys are not doing this. They are taking full advantage of disillusioned people for their own benefit.
We should not be standing by letting them steal working class votes with lies, and racist propaganda.

Change

Wanting to make a difference, and change things that you see as unjust and explotative doesn't make you a loonie, naive, uneducated, out of touch, unrealistic, or any other term that is launched at people trying to do so.
Hope as to be held on to, that belief that things can be changed.
If everyone believed that there's no point in fighting because you wont make a difference, nothing would ever change, and nothing would of ever changed in the past.

Against the stream

Do not wait for your news to come to you.
Go and find it yourself.


Dora Alicia Sorto Recinos - Anti mining campaigner in El Salvador murdered on the 26th of December for protesting against Canadian company Pacific Rim's attempts to open a mine in her area, she was 8 months pregnant and holding her 2 year old son when she was shot dead while walking home from doing her laundry. The third person murdered in December.
Why was this no where to be seen in the news? And how can things such as this be allowed to continue, without any protest, or intervention?

Too many people sit around completely oblivious to what is going on in the world around them, on both a local and global level.
A large factor of this is that they just don't see it in whilst going about there everyday lives. It's not on the news, its not in the papers, and none of their friends have mentioned it in there latest face book status'.
If you want to know whats going on beyond your four walls beyond something about some footballer or golfer cheating on his wife, or the obvious fact that the weather outside is bad, then go and look beyond the the usual forms of mass media.
If you don't want to know... then why the hell not??
It obviously seems nicer to live in your bubble, but one day no matter what you do you'll experience real pain, and your bubble will pop! This is inevitable, and you will not know what to do.
Understand this now, learn about how to deal with it, and it will help you in the long term.
You will be able to understand what you can then contribute. There is no point in living life for yourself.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned

I'm currently stressing out about money.
Money is a stupid concept. We allow it to control our lives. We allow it to control our feelings. It makes us depressed, and makes us scared for what lies ahead. The imminent doom if we do not pay up what we owe.
I've just realised I'm going to have to use pretty much all my spare cash for the next few months trying to sort out what I owe on just one of my cards. I should not allow this to get me down, but money also allows us to have fun, to go places, to socialise. This is so ridiculous.

For a distraction I'm looking at images that will distract me from these thoughts of downfall.
Beauty you don't have to pay for.

Never Enough

I've spent a lot of the last few weeks being extremely vexed at about every news story I've seen, every animal rights video, and far right group page. It just doesn't make sense, if only there was a sentence or something that you could say and make people see the error of there ways...

I become even more enraged on Saturday after reading a blog of the singer Kelis'.
It was the most ridiculous excuse for wearing fur I think I've ever read (well one that wasn't a load of incoherent loony babble as you see on many groups and forums online).
Accusing animal rights campaigners of not caring about anything but animals, and most of the proceeding comments after the blog seemed to turn it into some kind of race issue. These are all separate issues, that are just as worthy, there is no more worthy group, suffering on all fronts should be stopped.
Wearing a fur is merely to show wealth and status, to separate yourself from the poor people you supposedly think are more worthy of peoples attention.
How about you don't spend thousands on dead animals to stroke your ego, and instead dress in a less vain manner and invest in organizations that help people from deprived areas, or battered women?
You have been lucky enough to be placed in position where you can use that position to influence major issues in the world, and help as much as possible.

Article is on her myspace blog

This was the best reply I read;

"It's sad that your knee jerk reaction has made you defensive and blinded to the consequences of your vanity. No compassionate human should boast about inflicting harm on innocent creatures. That just degrades you. The opportunity to respond to the PETA letter was an opportunity to show some class and prevent the violence and inequities that permeates our culture. Like it or not you are now a member of the privileged class (how many working families can afford a fur coat?) and can use that position to improve the world. By walking around in a fur coat all you are doing is flaunting your wealth and setting a poor example of how people can aspire to their better selves.

I applaud you for your social concerns, but violence begets violence. Whether it's against African-Americans, women in the middle east or animals.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its ..animals.. are treated”. Mahatma ..Gandhi .."

I then spent a lot of Sunday trying to think of the perfect non-arguable reply I could, that i would so love to give to Kelis, and other celebrities who try to excuse their wearing fur as some kind of freedom of choice.
Your freedom ends where anothers begins, that what I was always taught. Be in man, woman, or animal.
Probably what made me most angry is that people always throw the 'shouldn't you be sending your money to humans who need it instead of animals' or fight for something worthy like Haiti or sweatshops etc.
It just shows how little people actually know, as many animal rights activists are also active or allied with many other human rights organizations. Such as Anti racist/fascist groups, fighting to stop the slave/child/sweatshops that probably made your fur coat and expensive trainers, groups against the arms trade which kills and maims thousands ever year, as well as countless other organizations and charitys.

Injustice is injustice, in any form!!

Focus the real blame!

It is the captialism system and the fat cat bankers that are the real problem.
This is where your anger should be focused.
Not on immigrants, muslims, foreigners, the poor, terrorists, asbo kids, people on the dole, and whatever else you are lead to believe.
These are distractions to attempt to make us miss the real enemy, and let them carry on lootiing third world countries and profiting of working class labour.
These bankers and other captialists are getting fat off of our tax money, bank charges, oil, minimum wage workers, and child/slave laboour.
Soldiers are lead to there death in a false quest to liberate, and protect us from 'terror', when all they're truly doing is making it safer for companies to go and rape foriegn lands of the natural resources.
The real terror is captialism.
Greed kills.

Failed society

I've been wanting to write something new for the past week or so, I kept thinking about writing something about straight edge, but It's been so cold I can't even think about that. So instead I have something that I saw that I thought if read might make people think (pics below). The best way to make people see injustice, and what exactly is wrong with something you disagree with is to word your argument correctly when you're aiming it at people who couldn't give a shit. If its worded correctly, they should have no sensible come back. There usual reaction is to insult you, and your beliefs in the most derogatory way. Which usually shows most for the ignorant narrow minded bigots they are (its just a shame so many people think this way), and should also make the most liberal people question what they are doing and believe. In order to change things people have to stop preaching to the converted. There is no point in playing fundraiser gigs to raise awareness to just a group of your mates who already think the same way as you. Things need to become more forward, and the messages needs to be spread surely, thickly, and quickly. Apathy has a hold of so many.

Love is...

"Ignorance is not bliss, it is oblivion"

Now follows a spew of brain juice.

The above becomes ever clearer by the day, and I lose faith in the world.

I want to get up and do something productive, stand up, stand out, but then I see the apathy of the majority, and any hope for things to change are quashed.

Modern life is apathy, it is empty, pointless and ignorant of what surrounds it.

I am no better than all I hate as I do nothing to make a physical change.

I believe so strongly for and against so much and yet do nothing.

Reasoning.

Why am I vegan?

It would not only be selfish of me to believe I should be able to eat meat, but ignorant, and cruel.

Allowing something to be murdered when there is a perfectly good alternative. There is no reason to eat meat. So what if you like the taste?? So what? Anyone who says they love animals cannot eat them!

To believe you have more right on the planet to live is arrogant. Why do you believe you are superior? Why do you have the right to have something killed for your food, for your drink, to wear as a pair of shoes or a coat?

Every being on the planet is equal, we all bleed the same colour, we all love, we all feel pain, we all feel fear.

There is no difference in my eyes in the mass enslavement of animals for food etc, than in human slavery and exploitation.

Working animals and exploited and used just as child labourers in sweat shops.

And just as millions were born into slavery to work in be it egypt or the cotton fields of the so called 'free' americas (where you still die if you cant afford your basic diabetes medication), animals are born to die for our own greed and gluttony.

Why I don't believe in testing on animals?

Most people agree it is wrong that companies should test on animals for beauty products etc, but then do a u-turn on what they just said when it comes to for medical reasons.

There usual reply is usually that if it helps us to fight against cancer 'n' stuff its ok.

Why? Why does that make it ok??
So you believe we have more right to a good life than a dog or a rabbit?
Why do the majority form this opinion? This still puzzles me greatly. As I cannot even comprhend eating an animal. If there are alternatives (let alone the fact that I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing something had been killed for me). When did we as humans begin to believe we were 'in charge' of the world, and it was ours to destroy for our own 'progression'.

Animal testing is only done cos it is cheaper than the alternative, and as usual, companies are cutting corners, so they can rip people off with their over priced patented medicines which they then refuse to give away to people who really need them.

If these companies truly cared about saving lives drugs would be free. It is all about profit. Thousands die from cureable diseases. Thousands die from starvation that doesn't need to happen. There is enough for everybody, and a vegan diet is also far more sustainable.

*This is all straight from my head to the page - no editing - my arguments are not very bulked up, or elaborated on yet, but this is the begining, this is also to answer my own questions in an attempt understand the world, and figure out what I need to do*