MEDIA ROOTS — Has the U.S. two-party dictatorship completely saturated Election 2012 media coverage?  Can you recall when you last heard news coverage of any alternative party candidates? 

At least one third-party candidate is resisting this year’s media blockade against alternative Presidential candidates who are not partisans of the Wall Street Democrats and Republicans.  (No, it’s not Ralph Nader, who has done more than his fair share of working for electoral justice.  And, no, it’s not the Green Party, which sold out to the Democrat Party by 2004.)

Considered one of the greenest U.S. mayors, recovering Democrat Rocky Anderson, now with the Justice Party, recently stopped by KPFA (Berkeley, CA) to discuss with Project Censored his 2012 campaign for U.S. President, the collusion between Democrats and Republicans to further parallel plutocratic goals, his history of resistance to U.S. imperialism, and more. 

“[The U.S.] Constitution has been eviscerated while Democrats have stood by with nary a whimper. It is a gutless, unprincipled party, bought and paid for by the same interests that buy and pay for the Republican Party.”  —Rocky Anderson

Messina

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PROJECT CENSORED — “This morning, the theme is Criminalizing Dissent: Updates on the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. 

“Before we get to our first guest today, we have a surprise and drop-in guest.  And we are very pleased to introduce to you; we have live in our studio Rocky Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, who courageously stood up in the Bush years from Utah, one of the reddest states in the Union to call for the impeachment of then-President George W. Bush.  Rocky Anderson is in the [S.F.] Bay Area all weekend doing several events.  And he is running on the Justice Party for President of the United States.  Rocky Anderson, thanks for joining us.”

Rocky Anderson (c. 10:15):  “Thank you, Mickey.  And [it’s] great to see you and Andy here today.”

Mickey Huff (c. 10:18):  “So, we just have a few moments here in the beginning.  Can you tell us a little bit?  Remind people about what you were doing in the impeachment phases when you were pushing for this against George W. Bush and then segue a little bit into what you’re doing now.”

Rocky Anderson (c. 10:31):  “Well, I had huge concerns, of course, even before the invasion of Iraq, given the run-up to the invasion and occupation.  I never call it a war because it really wasn’t a war.  It was completely illegal, [an] aggressive war, if you can even use that term war.  We knew from the U.N. inspectors that the representations of President [G.W.] Bush were a complete lie.  He wasn’t disclosing to us the huge disagreement within the intelligence community with what he was telling us, with what he was telling Congress.  And, so, I was urging everyone that had any leadership position in this country to push back against that run-up to ‘war.’  And then when it became even clearer, not only the lies but the human rights violations, the massive death and destruction in Iraq and the tremendous hatred and resentment throughout the Muslim world, I felt like it was all of our responsibilities.

“And the really frightening thing is those who would say, as mayors did from around the country, they didn’t want to get involved, it wasn’t their job, it was too controversial.  What I saw was this narrowing of people’s lives and leadership to exactly what they saw their role was.  And, all of a sudden, there were no leaders standing up.  It was a dismal eight years; and I was wondering, okay, if it’s not gonna be the leaders, if it’s not gonna be people in elected office, at least the people need to rise up.  We need to be closing down cities.  We need to be out in the streets.  We need to be doing everything we can to stand up against the gross abuses and the whole notion of war of aggression and empire building.  And, yet, this nation, in large part, remained so quiet and complacent—and I must say even the artist community.  We weren’t hearing the mainstream music and the lyrics that drove so much of what we did in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and even during the ‘80s with the disaster in Central America and United States policy there.

“So, I think it’s really heartening now to see the Occupy Movement, to see people becoming more aware, taking action, understanding that our destiny really is in our hands.  And, for more of that, I really urge people to go to our website, VoteRocky.org, and see why it is that the Justice Party was formed.  This isn’t just about moving people around within this perverse game that people play utilising these roles that the Democrat and Republican parties have made up and from which they’re thriving.  We need to get together, organise in every way, do it in a sustained way, not just during an election, but all of us hanging in there to push for major changes in what has become a plutocracy, government by the wealthy, when all of our interests are getting absolutely shafted.”

Andy Roth (c. 13:47):  “This is Andy Roth from Project Censored; and we’re here with Rocky Anderson, Presidential Candidate for the Justice Party.  Rocky, as mayor of Salt Lake City from 2000 to 2008, you’re record on the environment was especially strong.  You certainly weren’t quiet or complacent.  You stood up for the issues.

“Our theme later in the hour, today, is the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.  I just wanted to ask you, very quickly, in the moment or two we have left now.  Do you think it’s right to use terms like terrorist and terrorism to describe members and actions of the environmental movement in the United States?”

Rocky Anderson (c. 14:24):  “Absolutely not.  It is such a perversion of our language.  And these people are brilliant at the way they frame things.  It’s like calling what we’re doing around the world a ‘war on terrorism’ when, in fact, what we’re doing is terrorising the lives of millions of people and really creating so many obstacles to real security, probably for generations. 

“But, you know, you hear war on terror, war on drugs.  George Lakoff points out in his excellent book Don’t Think of an Elephant; he talks about how the Right is so successful in framing issues by the use of these kinds of terms.  Think about it.  And one of the examples he uses is tax relief.  Well, right there it connotes that taxes are a bad thing and something we should be relieved from.  And what happens on the Democrat side?  They end up using the same terms.  They’ll use the same vocabulary.  And it’s not just a matter of timidity.  It’s a matter of collusion between the two parties.”

Mickey Huff (c. 15:31):  “Well, that’s the voice of Rocky Anderson, running for [U.S.] President on the Justice Party.  Rocky, could you give the website one more time?”

Rocky Anderson (c. 15:37):  “Yes, it’s VoteRocky.org.”

Mickey Huff (c. 15:40):  “Okay, so that’s the voice of Rocky Anderson.  He’ll be at 10am at Provo Park [in Berkeley, CA] rallying with fired steelworkers.  This evening, I believe, you’ll be at the Occupy the Truth: Whistleblowers Conference at UC Berkeley.  I’ll make announcements for that.  I don’t believe you’re on the programme, but I believe you’ll be there, if people want to meet and talk with you.”

Rocky Anderson (c. 15:54):  “No.  But there will be great friends of mine on the panel.”

Mickey Huff (c. 15:59):  “Daniel Ellsberg, Ray McGovern.”

Rocky Anderson (c. 16:02):  “And these are messages that need to get out to all the American people because what we’re seeing under this [Obama] Administration is a more aggressive campaign against those who are responsible for getting the truth out to the American people and people around the world and, yet, all of the illegal conduct, including cold-blooded murder that’s being disclosed by these people, nobody’s doing anything about that.  The real perpetrators, again, under our two-tiered system of injustice in this country are not being held accountable.”

Mickey Huff (c. 16:35):  “That’s Rocky Anderson.  Thanks so much for dropping in.”

Rocky Anderson (c. 16:37):  “It’s great to see you.  Thank you so much.”

Mickey Huff (c. 16:38):  “Again, this is the Project Censored show, free speech radio, KPFA.  We’ll be right back with the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, Will Potter, and Odette Wilkens.  Please stay with us.”

Learn more about Rocky Anderson at www.voterocky.org

Transcript by Felipe Messina for Media Roots

Photo by Flickr user NikiSublime

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MEDIA ROOTS — Judi Bari was an activist, a person of conscience, who exercised her First Amendment rights toward socioeconomic justice for much of her life.  She was one of the leading organisers to popularise environmental activism with Earth First!, which influenced the environmental activism contributing to the historic 1999 WTO resistance in Seattle, as well as the more recent Occupy Movement.  On May 24, 1990, a motion-triggered car bomb exploded under Judi’s car seat, as she and Darryl Cherney drove through Oakland en route to Santa Cruz during the Redwood Summer organising tour.

Judi Bari’s story, one of solidarity and collective action, has been documented in an important new film by Mary Liz Thomson (Director/Editor) and Darryl Cherney (Producer) entitled “Who Bombed Judi Bari?”  The documentary film will have its world premiere next week at the 2^nd Annual San Francisco Green Film Festival taking place March 1-7.  The world premiere screening will be on Friday, March 2, at 5pm (1746 Post Street, SF).  With the full production team in the house, this screening will likely be filled to capacity.  So, advance tickets are recommended for those interested in attending.

This is an important film for all because it speaks directly to our human rights in the face of state belligerence.  If we don’t care to question culpability when our neighbours are attacked, particularly where the state has motive to repress, we are unlikely to encourage future generations to take principled stands for socioeconomic justice.  From JFK, X, Ché, MLK, Fred Hampton, and countless others to 9/11, as the state obfuscates and destroys evidence outright, lack of curiosity becomes erosive to our humanity. 

Perhaps, we are learning.  In the case of the 1990 attempt on Judi Bari’s life, the FBI was thwarted in its plans to destroy all of the evidence.

According to Democracy Now:

“A U.S. federal judge in California has ordered the FBI to preserve evidence in a 1990 car bombing that nearly killed two members of the environmental group Earth First! The FBI was planning to destroy all evidence in the case, even though agents had never determined who carried out the attempted assassination of environmental activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney. The FBI initially arrested the activists for building the bombs themselves, but the pair later sued the FBI and won more than $4 million in damages.”

Messina

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“Who Bombed Judi Bari?” trailer

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SFGFF — This is a raw, personal and at times abrupt film, with a protagonist and story vitally important to American justice and the struggle for the environment.  Judi Bari was an environmental and social justice activist who popularized protests against clear-cutting (e.g. at Headwater Forests) together with the organization EarthFirst! in the 1980s and ’90s.  At times, she (and others) proceeded despite threats of death and violence.  Then, on May 24th, 1990 in Oakland, CA, a bomb explodes in Judi’s car and she suffers debilitating injuries along with confidant, and the film’s producer, Darryl Cherney.  In the aftermath FBI and local police accuse the team of bombing themselves.  It chronicles the rise of a powerful movement as well as the circuitous court cases that followed the blast.  Chock full of archival news footage, interviews and statements by Bari, viewers follow a path from non-violent eco protests to an ostensible assassination attempt on Judi’s life with an associated cover-up – ending with a surprising resolution.

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“Redwood Summer: Where the 90s Begin,” by Mary Liz Thomson, et al. (1990)

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Photo by Flickr user Gary Soup

MEDIA ROOTS — After a two year campaign, The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) has finally persuaded Trader Joe’s to sign on to a fair food agreement that will change the working conditions and lives of tomato workers in Immokalee, Florida.  The coalition consists of over 4,000 farm workers who incur unfair wages and dangerous working conditions.  Since its creation in the early 90s, CIW has successfully campaigned against these unjust practices, giving workers the opportunity to have a comfortable working environment.

Trader Joe’s has joined in with a collection of food service providers who have agreed to follow a fair standard of labor practices, as well as a price premium for workers.  The agreement also suggests a healthy and ethical relationship between workers, tomato growers, and food industry bosses.  Interestingly, the original support for the campaign came from fast-food corporations, such as Taco Bell, Burger King, and McDonald’s.  Other food service providers included in the agreement are Bon Appétit Management Co, Compass Group, Aramark, and Sodexo.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has worked incredibly hard for over twenty years to ensure justice to farm workers in Florida.  With the inclusion of southern Mexican music and reworked Lady Gaga songs, the CIW has galvanized tens of thousands of people all over the country in their campaign for labor and food justice.  At an event in October, 2011, the CIW organized a large-scale action at the headquarters of Trader Joe’s in Monrovia, California.  A group of clergy stood by the side of many farm workers, leading hundreds of protestors through the streets to the front doors of the building.  The action led to a successful dialogue between the CIW and Trader Joe’s officials. 

“I was so happy to hear of the news,” CIW supporter Natali Rodriguez explains. “It just goes to show that grassroots organizing and the power of the people really can make a difference in the world.”  Rodriguez has participated in numerous CIW actions and was also present for the large action at the Trader Joe’s Headquarters. 

Trader Joe’s has set a precedent that will hopefully encourage others in the food industry to increase their standards of labor practices.  “It shows the power of movements that are led by people who are most affected by the issue, in this case farm workers, and also the power of having strong allies,”  Tim Carlson adds.  “The supermarket industry better watch out.”   It’s inspiring to know that organizations like the CIW are diligently fighing for the rights of community workers by pressuring the food industry to create a more ethical and responsible relationship between their workers and products.”

Written by Zena Andreani for Media Roots

Photo by flickr user NESRI

MEDIA ROOTS — Despite the national economy still tenuously hanging on life support and many cities financially flatlining, police departments throughout the U.S. still creatively invest enormous amounts of money in futuristc, “non-lethal” crowd control weapons.  As we arrive at a point in U.S. history when true democracy is fleeting and the 1% breed new ways of absolute control, the necessity to appear less heavy handed in response to large street protests becomes paramount.  U.S. power brokers seek ever devious ways to bend protesters to their will, whilst maintaining a positive image in the global media machine.

U.S. cities, such as Pittsburgh and Oakland have already introduced their citizens to the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), a devastating weapon capable of causing permanent hearing damage.  The latest addition to this high tech class of police weaponry is the Silent Guardian.  The Silent Guardian emits a high powered beam of heat, much like a microwave.  The beam can generate temperatures over 120° Fahrenheit. 

During an era marked by popular unrest, we must ask ourselves, how safe do we feel being increasingly confronted by police weaponry more appropriate for armies and battlefields?  As U.S. imperialism delivers deadlier and more efficient violence across the globe, how easily can the same hardware and methods seep into civilian policing at home?  The distinction between the police and the military is fading as our two-party system criminalizes dissent and transitions toward paramilitary domestic repression.  With the G8/NATO summit coming to Chicago in May likely to be met with mass protest, U.S. citizens may get a more accurate glimpse of what’s to come in the land of the free and home of the brave.

MR

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ZNET — But the prohibition on such repression enforced by those traditions has had an ironically negative and authoritarian aspect in the context of concentrated capitalist and imperial power. It has provided a great incentive for corporate and state authorities to invest heavily in the deadly arts and sciences of propaganda and manipulation. It has encouraged “the 1%”and its servants to develop quieter methods of “taking the risk out of democracy” (Alex Carey) by “manufacturing [mass] consent” (Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky) through public relations, propaganda, media control, education control, highly controlled and personalized election spectacles, among other “soft” forms of population management. At the same time, the proscriptions against sheer repression have also incentivized American authorities to develop more subtle, technically sophisticated forms of repression that operate behind the scenes (the surveillance cameras that are ubiquitous in England and ever more prevalent in the U.S. are a key example) and to deploy forms of coercion that prevent or discourage citizens from assembling and protesting without creating provocative images of state brutality.

The legal and cultural ban on outwardly murderous rule in the nominally free and democratic U.S. has compelled elites and their servants to develop new, less provocative  ways to “incapacitate” angry and active citizens – more quietly sinister methods of repression that are deadly for democracy:  penned-off “free speech zones” and “frozen zones”[54] (where protestors are denied access to those they seek to influence),  “rubber bullets” that hurt and harm but do not generally kill, “concussion grenades” that disorient and confuse without generally shattering skulls,  tear gas and pepper spray that sends protestors running, Tasers that stun but do not generally kill[55], sonic canons and other acoustic devices that make your eardrums feel like they are splitting, and perhaps – someday soon to be deployed in freedom’s “homeland” – Raytheon’s perfectly named (for the purposes of my argument) “Silent Guardian,” which noiselessly seems to cook human skin and eyeballs and has the capacity “to inflict limitless, unbearable pain.”

Repressive acoustic and heat ray technologies can bring special technical dividends for those who wish to coerce without seemingly overly coercive. As Xeni Jardin explained as LRAD-toting troops with the Louisiana National Guard patrolled otherwise abandoned and black New Orleans in September of 2005: “Crowd control is a constant challenge to law enforcement — how to stop potential troublemakers without endangering those who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rubber bullets can kill, tear gas drifts with the wind.”[56] Jardin might have added that mass billy-clubbing looks really bad on YouTube in an allegedly free society; so does the close-range pepper-spraying of the faces of young sitting protestors (as occurred at the University of California at Davis and went viral on television and internet last November).[57] Who can forget the live-televised police riot images of from the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention – the wildly swinging police batons landing on the skulls and torsos of white middle class reporters and youth as the crowd chanted “The Whole Word is Watching”[58] (the chant was revived during last fall’s pepper-spray incident).[59] It’s not for nothing that Wall Street super-titan and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his NYPD forced news helicopters to land and ordered a de facto media blackout[60] when they went in for the kill on Occupy Wall Street’s original camp last November.

Better to blare and/or cook the right of public assembly to death in carefully focused and targeted ways without actually killing (Tiananmen Square 1989) or beating (Chicago 1968) anyone (or too many people) if you can help it. And without letting the acrid taste of your repression drift into comfortable middle class neighborhoods as occurred during the break up of the mass marches against the World Trade Organization in Seattle in November of 1999.[61]  Smart repressors keep it as clean, quick, and contained as possible.

Read more about paramilitary consequences for civilian rights.

©2012 ZNET

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Photo by Flickr user geeves

MEDIA ROOTS — Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman are the directors of the limited theatrical release documentary film, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, which earned a 2011 Sundance Award and a 2012 Academy Award nomination.

The film tells the story of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and touches upon the question of whether the ELF were ‘terrorists’ or not. Yet, one person’s ‘terrorist’ is another person’s freedom fighter.  Fight for freedom, yes.  Fight crime, yes.  But fighting terrorism is something few disagree with, like preventing lunatics from attacking and endangering innocents.  But the ELF were not terrorising the general public.  The general public had never even heard about the ELF and their desperate efforts to mitigate or prevent the clear-cutting destruction of the natural world until police got caught pepper spraying and targeting those radical environmentalists.

Andrew O’Hehir reviewed the film for Salon:

“Radicals perform a social function that they themselves often view with contempt, and one that is similarly misunderstood by people in the political mainstream who almost always see radicalism as crazy and counterproductive. People who chain themselves to old-growth redwoods — or, for that matter, to the doors of abortion clinics — hardly ever get what they want in the short or medium term, since what they want is generally unrealistic, and often amounts to a revolutionary change in the social order. But in posing an unrelenting and quixotic challenge to the consciences of their fellow citizens, radical activists often nudge us along toward more modest, incremental changes. Does anyone dispute that facts on the ground with regard to environmental policies and abortion rights have changed, thanks in part to the actions of activists many people view as deranged?”

Read more and find out how to view the film here.

Messina

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If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

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Watch Protest in Downtown Eugene on PBS. See more from POV.

 

Police pepper spraying radical environmentalists in Downtown Eugene

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