Fight the Power

Greed is the only conspiracy. Sure, some billionaires may be plotting to take control of everything they can, other billionaires may be satisfied with what they already have. It doesn't really matter either way. It is the very fact that billionaires exist at all that is limiting the potential of the human race on planet Earth. The focusing of planetary wealth into the hands of so few human beings is erecting a social hierarchy similar to the feudalism of the Middle Ages. Billionaires & Millionaires are the divine annointed ones of modern times. They have the wealth, the resources and (therefore) the power not unlike feudal Kings. Their Lords and Vassals are politicians, lawyers, trustees, and managers. The rest of us are the serfs, but we are kindly referred to as 'workers' or 'consumers'.

Call this gloomy scenario whatever you like... The New World Order, Armageddon, Capitalism gone astray... when you put it under the microscope what we have brewing on planet Earth is a modern corporate form of feudalsim.

Is this the best humans can do? Of course not.

Arguably, this budding feudalism has its roots in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, thus it is only about 150 years old... which is historically very young. The worst events to transpire in this slow take over of planet Earth's wealth and resources have really only happened in the last 57 years (systematically since the end of WWII). This feudal trend is most reversable while the events guiding it are fresh in the minds of the living. Should the trend be allowed to become myth, however... that's when the "futlility factor" sets in. How can you fight engrained mythology?

Freedom, once an assumption in the USA, is under attack on all possible fronts. The groups you can link to from this page focus on protecting various aspects of personal freedom – from religious freedom to abortion rights, from championing sovereignty issues to limiting the encroachment of corporate advertising upon our quality of life.

Emerge from the slime. Be more than a serf...

Get informed and GET INVOLVED!!

  Official website of reknowned musician, artist and social activist Michael Franti. If you haven't heard Spearhead, you're missing out on one of the most innovative bands to come around in many many years.

related article:

Louder Than Bombs – A profile of Michael Franti from Progressive Magazine.

---

Preserve and Protect Free Speech on the Net
For free speech to thrive it must be decentralized, and not become subject to authorative approval (such as the FCC) or corporate domination (like tv/radio). You may think net regulation is about stopping pornography from getting into the hands of children, but you're wrong: Net regulation is about getting censorship laws on the books where they can easily be tinkered with and added to in the future to include most anything the powers that be (or the loudest, best funded minority) fear. Without guaranteed freedom of speech on the net, the people/causes on this page would have one less voice, for there are politicians in this nation who would love to suppress the messages these links contain.

Independent Media Center
What initially began as a grassroots, street-level media outlet covering the WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle ("N30" in activist circles) has matured into a wonderful international non-corporate media entity. IMC covered the World Bank / IMF shindig in Washington DC ("A16" in activist speak) and recent May Day protests around the globe. See large anti-corporate protests happening on your TV? hear about them on NPR? Visit the IMC website to learn the protestors' message directly from protestors' themselves. There's no reason to have these important activist ideas interpreted for you by over-paid, blow-dried corporate news anchorpeople and reporters. Decide for yourself! IMC provides the global microphone... the activists themselves step up and shout.

Currently, there are a dozen or so IMC outlets around the world including sites set up in Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Boston. IMC also has a Satellite Feed site with info and instructions on how you can gain TV access to their documentaries and live efforts.

Adbusters Culture Jammers Headquarters
"We will take on the archetypal mind polluters... and beat them at their own game." If you haven't heard of Adbusters, you are missing the revolution.

®™ark
A corporation set up to finance the deliberate subversion and undermining of other corporations using the tools and mechanisms available in modern corporate America. Financed the famous Barbie Liberation Organization (BLO) incident where 300 talking Barbie and GI Joe dolls had their voice boxes switched and were shipped to market. Keep an eye on this group... I predict these cats are among the creative founders of the post-revolution renaissance which the world will experience once Capitalism is put to death once and for all.

Temporary Autonomous Zone
Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism... Check out this enlightening series of essays, nay – full on discertations – detailing the socio-political worldview of Hakim Bey (referred to as the "Marco Polo of the subunderground" in Bob Black's Beneath the Underground).

Keep Abortion Safe & Legal
This is a page of pro-choice links. Abortion will not stop if it is ever made illegal in the United States. Abortion will merely become a black market commodity (no amount of 'additional police officers' has ever been able to halt the trade of the black market). Think about it... illegal abortion is dangerous, it jeopardizes the lives of twice as many beings as legal abortion does: The fetus and the pregnant woman.

Also see: Michael Moore's Pro-Choice Underground

Free Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier
He's a Native American man who is 20 years into a life sentence for the shooting deaths of two FBI agents on Indian land. Peltier's lawyers have evidence that his trial was a farce, that he was merely a victim of the 'someone must pay' mentality that always pops up when cops are killed. Amnesty International long ago declared Peltier a political prisoner and many US politicians have publicly stated they believe Peltier should be granted a re-trial, if not fully pardoned. Read the book In the Spirit of Crazy Horse or watch the documentary "Incident at Oglala" for information and enlightenment.

Free Political Prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal
Writer and journalist Abu-Jamal's story is similar to Peltier's... only more recent. He is accused of killing a police officer. A major witness, who initially testified against Jamal, has now come forward and admitted she was nowhere near the murder when it happened but was threatened into testifying by police officers. Jamal is on death row and has already had one stay of execution.
Also see:
Mumia Abu-Jamal links (Pacifica Radio)

Free the West Memphis Three
In May of 1993, the mutilated bodies of three 8 year old boys were found in the woods near West Memphis, Arkansas. Extremely inept police work, dangerously prejudiced assumptions and an obviously coerced testimony led to the conviction of three (then) teenage boys. Jessie Miskelley and Jason Baldwin are serving life sentences. Damien Echols is sentenced to die by lethal injection. Important evidence supporting these boys' innocence is being ignored by the judge and prosecutors of this case. This story is the basis for the HBO documentaries "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" and its recent follow up "Revelations: Paradise Lost 2".

China Out of Tibet
In the '40s, China invaded Tibet and since then has systematically dismantled the once peaceful, sovereign Buddhist nation. A pattern of brutality and genocide has unfolded over the decades garnering worldwide attention and launching a consumer boycott of Chinese goods. Tibet's Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders are exiled in India. Over the years a great deal of media has been generated about Tibet. Raptorial recommends reading anything written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and watching the brilliant film "Kundun" by director Martin Scorsese.

Indonesia Out of East Timor
In the '70s, the colonial government of Indonesia asserted control over a small autonomous region populated by people indigenous to the island nation. Over the years since then, a devestating pattern of oppression and violence has been inflicted upon the East Timorese. Freedom of speech has been tossed aside (journalists have actually been executed here), martial law declared and college campuses are often surrounded by military tanks to ensure no protests break out. Every US president who has held office since this began has continued to trade arms to the Indonesian government. Many of these US weapons are used against the people of East Timor.

Global Vision
"Globalsvision is an independent film and television production company specializing in information, entertainment and educational programming for both domestic and international markets." South Africa Now and Rights & Wrongs: Human Rights Television are two of the excellent series Globalvision has produced along with three highly acclaimed documentary films for PBS' Frontline.

Arm the Spirit
"..an autonomist/anti-imperialist information collective based in Toronto, Canada. Focuses include: political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more."

Elected Officials Issues & Action Guide to Media Enter ZIP Code: or Search by State Select An Issue Area: Enter ZIP Code: or Search by State

Participate!
These links will get you on your way to becoming a registered and participating voter/citizen. Free services provided Capitol Advantage and Election.com.

The White House
Please E-mail the "President" of the United States about any or all of the above. "President" G.W. Bush and his eventual succesor need to know that the public is aware of what is happening around the world even though corporate media outlets in the US don't always (or ever) give air time to human rights stories.