Monday, April 30, 2012

Clarion Call

On Indian Country Today, Steven Newcomb examines the history of terrorism as a method employed by empires and dominant states against Indigenous nations and peoples. As the foremost tool for enlarging their territories and maintaining control over them, terrorism by empires and states deploys the psychology of fear against all opponents. In the case of the American Empire, that takes the form of national security laws like the one President Obama signed in December, allowing him to detain US citizens without charge or trial.

As Newcomb notes, national security laws in the US are a well-designed plan to silence dissent, and as the successor to the British Empire in North America, the American Empire is rooted in the terrorism of its imperialism. For Indigenous nations in the United States, the extinction of civil rights by President Obama should be a terrifying warning; for Indigenous activists, it is a clarion call for Common Sense Security.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Turnkey Totalitarian State

As noted on Antifascist Calling, the electronic police state depends on weaponized data -- pristine, trial-ready evidence, obtained and constructed from blanket surveillance -- to enable criminal prosecution of dissidents. Described by NSA whistleblower Wiliam Binney as on the verge of becoming a turnkey totalitarian state, the US Government now has the capacity to crush dissent with ease. The question AC asks, is whether anyone will notice.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Freedom Train

On April 30, First Nations will embark on a Freedom Train from British Columbia to Toronto, where on May 9, they will bring their message to the Enbridge stockholders' meeting that the Enbridge Northern Gateway project has been banned from their territories. Enroute, the delegates will be joined by representatives from the 100 First Nations across Canada who've enacted laws banning the Enbridge pipeline and oil tankers from their lands and waters. As Yinka Dene Alliance and Coastal First Nations note, the project will not be permitted to proceed, and Enbridge stockholders need to know this.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Good Advice

As noted on Climate Connections, when you get serious about environmental activism, the FBI has a way of making your life uncomfortable. And when you become an effective organizer, the FBI can make your life downright risky. For those who are in it for the long haul, Common Sense Security by Sheila O'Donnell remains good advice. For those who are wondering how it came to this, The War Against the Greens by David Helvarg tells the tale of how American government and industry colluded to destroy the environmental movement.