Protecting the Protection Racket

You gotta laugh, because it you didn't you'd cry. Here's snippets from a mainstream media report about the Disarm DSEi protests upcoming (6th till 10th Sept). Lots of people from my stomping ground of Bristol will be attending the protests and the South West is home to lots of arms companies. Even the moral vacuum that is @Bristol gets money from an arms company! My comments are also included for the sake of being fair and balanced:

More than 3,000 security guards and police officers will be deployed in London next week to protect Europe's biggest arms fair amid warnings of potentially violent protests.

Protect an arms fair! Haha, the irony. Life imitates art. For those who’ve seen Dr.Stangelove it's a repeat of the scene where the President berates squabbling generals with the rebuke; You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!

The Met said: "It's a big event, very high-profile and seen as controversial, so we expect it to attract a large number of demonstrators…."

SEEN AS CONTROVERSIAL? It's not seen as controversial, it IS fucking controversial. This is where people buy weapons to fuel conflict. Still you’d expect the police to be seen as having no moral compass.

"… We have been planning this for a year because of the high level of protest expected, including plans for a day of direct action."

Pity you could not have spent all that time doing something about the drugs problem that ripping our inner cities apart. But then the police do have to be seen as having priorities. Anyhow, who pays for all this policing?

An MoD spokesman said its involvement in the exhibition was part of its support for the legitimate British arms industry.

Is it seen as legitimate? And if so by whom? The arms industry is nothing more that a massively public subsidised protection racket. Strange how the normal rules of capitalism will apply to the workers in Dyson factories but don’t apply to the arms industry.

A spokesman for the organiser of the arms fair, Spearhead Exhibitions, based in Surrey, said it was "100 per cent" confident that police would ensure the security of the exhibitors and visitors.

So who's going to ensure the safety of the civilians in Sierra Leone or any other Warzone where these arms will end up? The Met? No. We live in a society where the sellers of weapons are legitimate and those trying to stop them are labelled as violent.

World turned upside down.

Checkmate in Saudi Arabia
On the stage of history, the definition of events carries great importance. For the definition informs the words and phrases that document. The documents of events carry the news beyond the immediate area of influence into the wider world and so inform the response. In Saudi Arabia we are told that there is a terrorist threat. That word 'terrorist ' carries the connotations of a tiny group of extremists struggling using the weapons of fear and destruction to get their message out, to lash out at the society they perceive is corrupt or attacking them. This is the definition of the violent events in Saudi Arabia; terrorism. And while in one respect I can agree with the term, there certainly was terrorism ongoing in King Fahd’s realm; I think were being fooled if we still think it just terrorism.

The definition of events carries great importance, and what is happening in Saudi Arabia needs redefining; for terrorism now read insurrection, guerrilla conflict and a looming civil war. The small explosive devices targeting westerners in the past have given way to massive car bombs intended to destroy whole complexes. The random targeting of infidels has given way to targeted military strikes. A good example would be the bombing of the 12th May bombings of expatriate compounds. Research by From the Wilderness uncovered information that the target of the bombing was anything other than a random release of pent-up fury towards the west. The bomb targeted the employees of the Vinnell Corporation (now a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman). The corporation is considered one of the best paramilitary training enterprises in the world and is linked to other mercenary firms as well as the CIA. There are in the Gulf to train the Saudi Gestapo. From a military perspective this action has many historical parallels in the annuals of insurrection, such as the (original) IRA killing 14 British Officers of the Secret Service during the Irish war of independence against the British in 1920. When you are stepping up for a war, you need to blind your enemy; Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese strategist put it succinctly, "Intelligence is the most important work, because the entire force relies on it for every move."

While granted, in the past the tactics of Bin Laden's people have been to hold to ransom the Saudi sate, in hind sight this seems to be been nothing more that the preparation time. As Saudi Arabia (with the US and Pakistani states) funded the militant Islamic fighters during the 1980s, they were unwittingly busy building the forces who would one day be turned against them. The corrupt Saudi royal family was always the target and being cunning, the Islamic militants used the decade of electro-pop to get armed, experienced, motivated and effective; at the expense of their target. Sun Tzu, also noted this strategy; "Clever leaders endeavour to use their opponent's resources."

An unexpected hiccup in the plans to overthrow King Fahd was the presence of a US military garrison placed in the country during the first Gulf War. Bin Laden raged against his former allies over the infidel troops on holy soil. In religious terms he might have found the infidels presence a abominations, but militarily it must have been a disaster. Without the removal of the US troops, he could not make his move. Thus he set about forming an international group, but with a covert localised aim; the removal of foreign troops from holy soil. Into this fight he recruited others of like mind. The events of September 11th, whether deliberate or not, has seen the US troops being pulled out of Saudi Arabia. What began as a terrorist campaign is now going guerrilla; typical example is on the day I write this 5 Saudi security forces being killed in a shootout. Three days prior to this, four policemen and a Muslim militant were killed in clashes in Riyadh. I believe the evidence points to this being the opening stages of a civil war , ask Sun Tzu; "Those who are victorious fight like pent-up waters that seem to burst down a gorge from high above. Such a position can defeat any opposing force." Thus is the war of states the fuel for the war within states. In the global game of chess Bin Laden has got the Saudi’s in check.

Hot Hot Summer
Its hot, but I'm still on the net (why??!)....couple of things that are interesting and I’ve come across on the web. First is a really interesting radio show on Slave Revolt Radio where the hosts, two genial former Black Panthers chat with some people from NEFAC (North Eastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists) – it’s a kind of old-school revolutionary theory of Marxism meets the new(ish) generation of Anarchists. Unlike many meetings of Marxists vs. Anarchists is genial and informative affair and makes interesting listening. The shows two hosts come out with top-sound bite after top sound-bite (“I don’t care who you are, the book is your friend”).

I like. Listen to it on Radio4All.net

Plus I notice that 'The Terminator' is standing for office in California. I wonder if all the right-wing commentators who lambasted actors like Suzan Sarrendon & Martin Sheen for his anti-war stance, declaring that "actors should stay out of politics" are now going to turn on right-winger Arnie? We'll see, but a doubt it - still they can at least claim that Arine is not an actor and so they're not being hypocritical....

Die-Hard Drug Policies
Finally there is some movement on the ineffective drug policy pursued for so long – and yet again the old-skool political has-beens are once again rattling their chains.

The Independent are reporting that the National Lottery's Community Fund has awarded a £500,000 grant to fund a scheme that will provide drug addicts with heroin. To me this seems a positive step; "If the results are positive, the trial could encourage the Government to adopt a system of clinics where drug users would be able to obtain and inject free heroin. Researchers hope that the trial will prove effective in treating long-term addicts, who cost society an estimated £35,000 a year each through crime, welfare and health care.” But unsurprisingly the knee-jerk Tories are up in arms; Greg Knight, the Tory spokesman on Culture, said: "The National Lottery is there to help the original good causes of heritage, arts and sporting charities. If this grant goes ahead, it will serve as another example of the Government's failure to keep the lottery focused on these original good causes."

Yeah well Greg, a brief message – get lost. I checked out your appallingly designed website to see what qualified you to comment on drug issues, and while some my disagree, I personally don't think that being legal representative to Showaddywaddy and an enthusiastic advocate for the car industry qualify you to stick your nose into the issue of drug use.

And before any Neo-Labour people start patting yourselves on the back over drugs issues; don't. Your murderous government just OK-ed giving money to the Colombian government, which will help fund the narco-terrorist traffickers known as the AUC; "Blair has orchestrated an international breakthrough on behalf of Colombia's ultra-right Uribe government. The UK has opened the door for the worst human rights offender in the Western hemisphere to receive a new round of international loans."

Nb. Bush, Bertisconi and now Uribe; what is it that compels Das Blair to join with the far-right?

The Growth and Growth of Bristol Indymedia
This article is being written from the perspective of an Indymedia volunteer, a reader of the site and a writer on the site. This gives a perspective from inside and from the outside of which to write about and comment upon it.

Bristol Indymedia was founded by local activists with help from the London Indymedia collective. It's been going for over a year now and has a very definite local agenda. This direction was established at the initial public meetings that established the site. The discussion centered on the idea that for the site to truly be called 'Bristol' it had to reflect Bristol and the surrounding area. Great strides are made to moderate and manage the site so as to ensure that local voices are the loudest. That's not to say the site does not feature news from outside the area, but always we encourage contributors to seek a local angle on international events. A critic might say that this would leave us as nothing more than an online version of a local paper; but we believe we are far from it. To illustrate this it is worth pointing to some of the successes of the site:

Bristol Indymedia gave an open forum to anti-war voices during the recent conflict. Bristol's media outlets; Evening Post, Western Daily Press and Venue are all owned by Northcliffe Newspapers, as in line with the group editorial position, devoted most of its war coverage to International events from the Gulf. Coverage of anti-war voices was marginal at best. Events such as the historic 10,000 people at Fairford or the blockading of Bristol city center on the day war broke out were covered extensively by the people who attended and so the site reflected far more coverage that was allotted in the mainstream media.

Coverage and debate of the drugs/crime issues has been extensive on the site, which again, reflects the reader/writer concern. In the main this coverage has been written by the people who live in the areas affected by the crack epidemic within the city and so the voices have had an immediate authenticity not found elsewhere.

Local media has also come under scrutiny. It is interesting to note that the site is frequently visited by the local mainstream media as well as other institutions such as the police and council; indeed the police have been known to post articles on the site. It is arguably inevitable that local media would come under such scrutiny given its one-way consumption method. As such lively debate frequently explodes on the accuracy, impartiality and quality of the mainstream media. The most notable of these debates was local opposition to HTV's 'Currie Night' TV program, which engendered a lively debate between the site users and the HTV management.

Once other important development that must be afforded space is Al-MuaJaaha, the Iraq Witness. Here we see grass roots inter-community organizing at its best. The Indymedia software and tech-know-how, fund-raising, combined with Bristol anti-war activists and Iraqis, living both in the UK and in Iraq, together have created what is arguably Iraq's first ever truly open, free and democratic media outlet. Without a strong community and support base here in Bristol, the project could not have happened. Without the international peace movement and its links and without dedicated Iraqi writers on the ground in Baghdad, the project would never have happened. The project has happened and goes from strength to strength!

Recently the site's volunteers have been pushing further the local nature of the site and to date it seems to be paying off; there has been a marked increase in comments, local groups using the site and exclusive local coverage of events. The future also looks bright as the addition of a calendar system is allowing the site to respond to user requests for a forum for publicizing events. Bristol Indymedia also organized the 'Communtiy Media Day' in June 2003, which was a huge success in bringing together local media outlets such as The Spark, Bristle and plugincinema.com as well as national groups such as Undercurrents and Talkiokie. The event both was platform for debate on independent media as well as a skill sharing opportunity which allowed everyone to pickup some media skills; this being the greatest success of the local and international Indymedia movement - the blurring of the line between consumer and producer. It allows ordinary people the opportunity to cease being a passive participant in the forces that shape their community, and start being an active voice.