Two down, one to go

RNC arrestee Jesse James Forrey has been released.

Scott DeMuth, grand jury resistor now being charged under the AETA, is out.

Carrie Feldman, subpoenaed along with DeMuth, remains in an Iowa jail on contempt charges.

 

Carrie and Scott: grand jury resistance update

I’ve been on the road and haven’t had much of a chance to type up any updates on the ongoing Iowa grand jury resistance (mentioned earlier here), much less any reflections on this targeted repression of activist communities. Frankly, time constraints and internet availability aside, I haven’t much had the stomach for it. It would be reasonable to assume that watching friends ushered off to jail for no damn reason at all would unleash a torrent of rants; in this case, I just felt exhausted. Angry, for sure, but tired. And sad for those loved ones nearby who felt all of this even more acutely, I’m sure.

Instead of some long thing, I’m just posting links for further info below. Stay tuned to TC Indymedia in general for updates. Send Carrie books (per their support site, she wants math and sci-fi especially). Write letters — to Carrie and Scott, to those with the power to call this bullshit off, and to those who have that power but almost certainly won’t. Make phone calls. Talk about grand juries with everyone you know. They thrive on secrecy and the fact that most of us are clueless about just how Kafka-esque they truly are. The Grand Jury Resistance Project is a good start.

Resist. Organize. Fight back.

 

“Robert Erickson’s” Yes-Men moment at MN anti-immigration rally

My favorite action in recent memory: An anti-racist activist infiltrates an anti-immmigration group, gets added to the list of speakers, and stages an elaborate put-on worthy of the Yes Men. TCindymedia’s reportback has much more.

“Robert Erickson’s” message for the rally-goers? Deport all “the illegals” back to … Europe. After all, European immigrants have brought with them waves of crime, crippling disease, and stole Native land and jobs, claiming they are entitled to such things simply because they can lie and deceive their way around the law and customs. They have undermined Native sovereignty and have viewed with scorn the traditional practices and mores of those who were here first. And they do all with this — from genocide to ongoing land and resource theft — with impunity.

Video and the text of the speech after the jump.

 

Testament

More anarchist hip-hop here. Go listen.

 

Call-in day on Monday for Carrie and Scott

Carrie and Scott, the two Twin Cities activists subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Davenport, Iowa, and their supporters are asking for calls to the Attorney’s Office on Monday demanding that the baseless harassment cease.

Monday, November 16, 9 am to 4 pm Central Standard Time

US Attorney’s Office
Cliff Cronk: (563)449-5432

Please call: it’s probably the simplest form of solidarity that exists, but it’s also crucial.

When Carrie first appeared before the grand jury last month and refused to testify (her statement is here), me and two other allies accompanied her. Our silent presence visibly weirded the authorities out, despite the fact that we did nothing but sit in the lobby reading shitty magazines.

Grand juries are supposed to operate in secret; this is their power. Please let them know that scores of friends, comrades, and allies are paying very close attention.

 

Testament v. Cocorosie

The two best hip-hop response tracks of the decade:

Testament calls out Jay-Z and Kanye:

Cocorosie calls out Akon and Snoop:

 

Grand jury fishing expeditions expand

Local accounts indicate that the federal grand jury out of Davenport, Iowa targeting local Minneapolis activist Carrie Feldman has widened its scope and subpoened another member of the local community. I’ll report more, maybe comment on more, when I know more.

In the mean time (and always): Fuck grand juries. Every time. Every question.

Resist. Resist. Resist.

Update: The indymedia story is here.

 

Insta-manifesto!

My goodness, this is wonderful. Insurrectionist blather at your fingertips, modified slightly with every click of “Refresh.”

We live in amazing times.

 

Nostalgia

I remember when this aired, if you can believe it. (Surely no one was alive back then!) I lived in a two-bedroom apartment above, respectively, a shop that sold first communion dresses and pinatas and an untrustworthy Chinese restaurant called “O’Tasty!” 

I remember watching it on this little, stupid television I’d acquired, in my bedroom. I almost certainly was intoxicated. I’d just started listening to Bright Eyes, so it was this huge deal, I guess. It was also my introduction to M. Ward.

All of which is to say, kids are dumb. Good song, though.

 

Poop

It has a blog.