Adbusters - Tactical Briefing #36

Tactical Briefing #36

The Strategic Pincer.

Alright all you existential diggers and expectant souls out there,

Defying all cynicism, the passion on the streets keeps burning … with the crisis of capitalism intensifying people’s rage only grows, erupting in unexpected places like Quebec, Moscow, Mexico, Tel Aviv, Khartoum, Addis Ababa … meanwhile we keep learning new tricks in Madrid, Los Angeles, Greece, Palestine, Manhattan and Hong Kong.

The Zuccotti encampment model may have had its day, but the spirit of our movement lives on in the hearts and minds of hundreds of million of people around the world who know in their gut that the future does not compute.

Now a new operational model is emerging: the strategic pincer —> We attack the global financial system from above with big bang protests, uprisings and revolts —> concurrently we attack the global financial system from below with hundreds of daily move-your-money actions at the 35,000 branches of megabanks worldwide.

The Bank of America has 6,200 branches, Wells Fargo 6,600, JPMorgan Chase 5,500, Citigroup 1,300; Barclays has 4,700 branches in 50 countries, Deutsche Bank 3,100 in 72 countries, HSBC 7,200 in 85 and Goldman Sachs has over 70 offices worldwide … in front of these outposts of global capital we pitch our tents, bang our pots and pans, hold our credit card cut ups … we hand out pamphlets to the customers going in and out … we engage them in passionate conversation and convince them to move their money … we trigger a chain reaction and move $1-trillion away from the megabanks before yearend, changing global banking for good.

With our strategic pincer we beat the shit out of global capitalism over the next few months — metaphorically speaking of course — and then we escalate towards a series of global solutions: a Robin Hood Tax, pushing through a binding accord on climate change and launching hybrid Blue/Green Pirate political parties in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the UK, Japan …

Stay loose, play jazz, keep the faith … Capitalism is heaving and our movement has just begun.

for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ

 

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Adbusters: Prepping for the upcoming G8 and NATO meetings in Chicago

here's a follow-up on my post from january 26 where adbusters calls for support for the #OCCUPYCHICAGO effort to focus world attention on the failure that is capitalism during the g8 and nato meetings in chicago in may...

TACTICAL BRIEFING #26

Anarchic Swarms – The Emerging Model

[...]

The stage is set for a climactic showdown in Chicago.

The crisis of capitalism is deepening. Youth unemployment has reached 50% in Spain and Greece… 30% in Portugal and Italy… 22% in the UK… almost 20% in the US. Hundreds of millions of people around the world are waking up to the fact that their future does not compute… that their lives will be a never ending series of ecological, financial, political and personal crises… and that if we don’t rise up and start fighting for a different kind of future, we won’t have a future.

That struggle ignites again May 1.

#OCCUPYCHICAGO will be the focal point of this global spiritual insurrection… 50,000 of us will converge on the windy city and confront the G8 and NATO leaders with an ultimatum. We will set up impromptu encampments throughout the city and wage a full-spectrum memewar backed up by new tactics of anarchic swarming. Our militant in-your-face nonviolence will inspire thousands of towns, cities and campuses around the world to rise up in solidarity just like they did last October.

This is a worldwide, multi-front mutiny against the way our economic and military leaders are running the world.

[...]

Occupy has taught us all. It innovates, fractures, grows resilient and more diverse. In this spirit we celebrate the Gandhian ferocity of the Zuccottis who launched this movement with their magical assemblies and nonviolent ways … we extol the growing crop of working groups with their desire for a positive program of social and political change. And on the wild side we honor those in Oakland who have lost their fear against all odds. With this rainbow coalition, we hold our heads high and embrace the heady days of Spring.

it'll also be good practice for the upcoming republican and democratic national conventions...

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Powerlessness and Occupy

chris hedges...

The security and surveillance state has a vast arsenal and array of tools at its disposal. It operates in secret. It dissembles and lies. It hides behind phony organizations and individuals who use false histories and false names. It has millions of dollars to spend, the capacity to deny not only its activities but also its existence. Its physical assets honeycomb the country. It can wiretap, eavesdrop and monitor every form of communication. It can hire informants, send in clandestine agents, recruit members within the movement by offering legal immunity, churn out a steady stream of divisive propaganda and amass huge databases and clandestine operations centers. And it is authorized to use deadly force.

How do we fight back? We do not have the tools or the wealth of the state. We cannot beat it at its own game. We cannot ferret out infiltrators. The legal system is almost always on the state’s side. If we attempt to replicate the elaborate security apparatus of our oppressors, even on a small scale, we will unleash widespread paranoia and fracture the movement. If we retreat into anonymity, hiding behind masks, then we provide an opening for agents provocateurs who deny their identities while disrupting the movement. If we fight pitched battles in the streets we give authorities an excuse to fire their weapons.

[...]

We must assume we are targets. And we must fight back by relying on our strength, which in the great paradox of resistance movements is embodied in our weakness. This does not mean we will avoid being repressed or persecuted. It will not keep us safe from slander, lies or jail. But it does offer the capacity to create internal divisions in the apparatus of the oppressors rather than permit the oppressors to create internal divisions within the movement. Divided loyalties create paralysis. And it is our job to paralyze them, not allow them to paralyze us.

the assumption that we are targets is both a safe and a correct assumption... there's a big difference in basing an assumption on multiple observations of reality and making an assumption based purely on paranoia...

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Why we absolutely must proceed non-violently

lurking immediately below many of the fears of the occupy movement, one of which is being co-opted by one of our political parties, is the profound fear of being co-opted into using violence...

gene sharp, the near-hermit who has authored what are called the handbooks of the "color revolutions" and is known for his espousal of non-violence (see here), talks with rt... he calls occupy a "symbolic protest"...

worth watching...

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Occupying our democracy

Robert Reich: "The REAL Public Nuisance"

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At UC Davis, police pepper spray peaceful students like they're spraying noxious weeds

from angry black lady at balloon juice via atrios...

This is what non-violent resistance in the face of egregious police brutality looks like.

be sure to stick with the video until the end...

UC Davis Chancellor’s office (530) 752-2065

UC Davis police (530) 752-1727

The officer who pulled out the pepper spray was Lieutenant John Pike. 530-752-3989 japikeiii@ucdavis.edu

if the ptb think that this kind of over-the-top police brutality is going to make the occupy movement go away, they're got another think coming... it's horrendous, truly abominable behavior...

from firedoglake...

UC Davis Chancellor Called to Resign After Police Pepper Spray Students

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The state would like us to be violent

rebecca solnit posting at common dreams...

The state would like us to be violent. Violence as cooptation tries to make us more like them, and if we’re like them they win twice—once because being unlike them is our goal and again because then we’re then easier to imprison, brutalize, marginalize, etc. We have another kind of power, though the term nonviolence only defines what it is not; some call our power people power. It works. It’s powerful. It’s changed and it’s changing the world.

[...]

The powers that be are already scared of the Occupy movement and not because of tiny acts of violence. They are scared because right now we speak pretty well for the 99%. And because we set out to change the world and it’s working. The president of Russia warmed at the G20 Summit a week or so ago, "The reward system of shareholders and managers of financial institution should be changed step by step. Otherwise the 'Occupy Wall street' slogan will become fashionable in all developed countries." That’s fear.

[...]

This movement is winning. It’s winning by being broad and inclusive, by emphasizing what we have in common and bridging differences between the homeless, the poor, those in freefall, the fiscally thriving but outraged, between generations, races and nationalities and between longtime activists and never-demonstrated-before newcomers. It’s winning by keeping its eyes on the prize, which is economic justice and direct democracy, and by living out that direct democracy through assemblies and other means right now.

i truly wish that this movement was indeed "winning"... unfortunately, i think it's got a very long way to go... it's most distressing seeing the occupy folks kicked out of oakland and portland and other cities... it's also distressing when i attend gatherings at occupy reno and see people floundering... it's been a very encouraging start, perhaps the most heartening thing i've seen in my lifetime, but right now it feels very, very fragile to me... there needs to be something really big happen to stimulate things to go beyond where they are at the moment... i'm certainly not talking about violence or anything cataclysmic but something big nonetheless...

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If OWS pulls hundreds of thousands of people together, if it leaps across class lines, then the corporate state is probably finished

chris hedges...

The power elite are frantically searching for the ideological weapon that will discredit the movement. But the clarity of the protests, the painful personal stories of dislocation that are the heart of its message, and, most important, the self-discipline, despite police provocation, which has kept these protests nonviolent have advanced the movement and discredited the forces of control. The power elite, held together by the glue of force and fraud, are seeking ways to communicate in the only language they know they can master—unrestrained force. And as we enter the second month of demonstrations, the power elite fear that the core message and the calls for resistance, which resonate with a majority of Americans, will lead to a direct confrontation with the corporate state. If the movement starts to pull hundreds of thousands of people together, if it leaps across class lines, as I saw during the peaceful revolutions in East Germany and Czechoslovakia, then the corporate state is probably finished. Our corporate overlords know this. And they are doing everything in their power to make sure this does not come to pass.

despite my reluctance to use the word "hope" after being taken to the cleaners by mr. president hopey-changey, i am hoping the ows movement continues to strengthen even as the winter winds start to blow and the temperatures drop... of one thing i'm sure, even if it grinds to a halt, things will never be the same going forward...

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Peaceful, lawful protest -- if it is effective -- IS innately disruptive of "business as usual." That is WHY it is effective.

naomi wolf reminds us of what the first amendment really means and why it is such a strong tool in our push back against the super-rich elites who are doing their damnedest to vacuum up every last scrap of the world's money and power...

from the huffington post via information clearing house...

I want to address the issue of "disruption," as Bloomberg is sending this issue out as a talking point brought up on Keith Olbermann's Countdown last night: the neighbors around Zuccotti Square, says Bloomberg, are feeling "disrupted" by the noise and visitors to the OWS protest, so he is going to crack down to "strike a balance" to address their complaints. Other OWS organizers have let me know that the Parks Department and various municipalities are trying to find a way to eject other protesters from public space on a similar basis of argument.

Please, citizens of America -- please, OWS -- do not buy into this rhetorical framework: an absolute "right to be free of disruption" from First Amendment activity does not exist in a free republic. But the right to engage in peaceable disruption does exist.

Citizens who live or work near protest sites or marches have every right to be free of violence from protesters and they should never be subjected to destruction of property. This is why I am always saying to OWS and to anyone who wants to assemble: be PEACEFUL PEACEFUL PEACEFUL. Be respectful to police, do not yell at them; sing, don't chant; be civil to pedestrians and shop owners; don't escalate tensions; try to sit when there is tension rather than confront physically; be dignified and be nonviolent.

But the First Amendment means that it actually is not up to the mayor or the police of any municipality, or to the Parks Department, or to any local municipality to prohibit public assembly if the assembly is peaceful but disruptive in many ways.

Peaceful, lawful protest -- if it is effective -- IS innately disruptive of "business as usual." That is WHY it is effective.

[...]

Most of us need to remember, or learn for the first time (since this information is usually concealed from us) that the First Amendment, and the Constitution in general, supersedes all the laws of municipalities in violation of the constitution, as stated in the 1925 Gitlow v. New York ruling. So the First Amendment supersedes the restrictive permit laws now being invoked against protesters. The First Amendment was designed to allow for disruption of business as usual. It is not a quiet and subdued amendment or right.

[...]

Bloomberg is flat wrong, and he doubtless knows it but hopes you won't notice: New Yorkers have no right to be free of any disruption from the peaceful but disruptive free-speech actions of their fellow citizens, and how New Yorkers lawfully and peacefully assert their First Amendment rights is actually not up to him. There is a higher authority than Michael Bloomberg, or than the NYPD, or even than the guy in the white shirt who signaled to his colleagues to handcuff me earlier this week when I stood peacefully on a sidewalk, obeying what I had confirmed to be the law: and that higher authority is called the Constitution of the United States of America.

our super-rich elites and their bought-and-paid-for governmental puppets (one and the same in bloomberg's case) will stop at nothing to maintain their twisted status quo...

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I am not moving

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Stiglitz offers a teach-in at Occupy Wall Street

joseph stiglitz is one of my heroes... he's the one who should be leading the economic efforts of this country and not geithner...

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Anonymous, LulzSec hacktivism and "The Plan"

following on to my earlier post from marcy...

an anonymous manifesto...



followed by sam seder describing the recent attempted takedown...



followed by "the plan"...

"The Plan": One Year. Three Phases. A World of Change.

This Plan will commence on the 15th of June, 2011 and continue for approximately one year, in the course of three separate phases.

Phase One begins now.

In this time, you are encouraged to educate yourselves on the injustices in this world.

Seek out iterations of freedom and human rights.

Become familiar with the corruption within your system.

Discover the enemy of true freedom.

Discover the oppressors.

The most important step of Phase One is to spread this message by sharing this video and those that preceded it.

Make your own films or videos, artwork, music, literature - resonate the voice of freedom and justice through your own creativity and bring others to this movement.

[Graphic: If the government shuts down the Internet, shut down your government].

Street artists: You have the ability to bring millions with your art and message, in your own populated centers. Your canvas is there.

My friends, begin your work. Write the tales of injustice and oppression in your blogs. Tell your friends how we can break free from this system of enslavement.

Depict the images of freedom and truth, through your art and film.

Spread the message of The Plan with your graffiti.

Share this message with the world and bring them to stand amongst us, as we rise up from the ashes of the downtrodden and unprivileged.

Tell the elite we are here and we are coming for them.

Spread the message through blogs, social networking and video diaries.

Remember, words often have two meanings, in the enunciation of the truth.

Let the truth be heard. Educate yourselves in ways of becoming more self-sufficient.

Learn and acquire the tools to free yourself from the system.

Invest more heavily in precious metals, rather than stocks, paper fiat currencies, or other products of the financial establishment.

Discover your green thumb and appreciate your ability to grow your own produce.

The sky is the limit and the only barrier is your own reliance on a system that thrives on your dependence.

Hackers within Anonymous: Begin selecting low-priority targets that have violated freedoms, both in the online realm and in the offline realm, as well.

[Graphic: Initiate low-priority cyber offensive/defensive]

Stand with our friends, taking their stance in the world and ensure that they are supported, by any means necessary.

As always, remain vigilant.

We all must all learn to "Walk the walk," if you will.

We can all tell tales of grandeur and extravagance. It is time we start becoming our own legends.

It is time we all start bettering ourselves, first, so that we may focus on the greater challenge at hand with intelligence and confidence.

As of this 15th day of June 2011, we are pleased to bring to you the beginnings of a web platform, for us all to meet and converse; to share ideas and recommendations over the course of the next year and the Three Phases, that will be unfolding:

whatistheplan.forumotion.com

If you feel as we feel and have found something inside you, pushing you toward acting upon The Plan, go there and become an active member.

Educate yourself and share your thoughts and ideas with others, so that you may help others on this same journey.

Continue to spread this video by all possible venues and ensure we are all doing our part to bring the same opportunity to all that we can.

Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can accomplish something real.

Phase Two will be initiated in approximately 5 months (November 2011).

Continue your efforts and the focus of Phase Two will be presented when that time comes.

We expect there will be large numbers of people participating in The Plan, by that point. We will prevail.

So, if you see nothing; If the crimes of these governments remain unknown to you, then we would suggest that you allow this year to pass unmarked.

But if you see what we see and if you feel what we feel and if you would seek what we seek, then you, too are Anonymous.

Stand by us this year, as we execute "The Plan" and together, we shall give them a year that shall never, ever be forgotten.

We are Anonymous, united as one, divided by zero.

Phase One initiated. The resistance is here:

www.whatistheplan.forumotion.com

Sign up and become an active member today.

Share this message and "The Plan" with everyone you can.

i'm liking it so far...!

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