A-Infos (en) Australia - Anarchist Age Weekly Review #531 27th January ­ 2nd February, 2003

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> Anarchist Age Weekly Review http://home.vicnet.net.au/~anarchist/
Number 531 27th January ­ 2nd February, 2003
NO GLOBALISATION WITHOUT DIRECT DEMOCRACY ­ ANARCHIST MEDIA 
INSTITUTE "WE SWEAR BY THE SOUTHERN CROSS TO STAND TRULY BY 
EACH OTHER AND FIGHT TO DEFEND OUR RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES" ­ 
EUREKA REBELLION OATH 1854  HIJACKED 

This year's Australian Day celebrations have been hijacked by
the whitewash brigade. The Australian Day long weekend was
liberally doused with bucket loads of historical whitewash by a
significant proportion of the corporate owned mass media and
the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It seems that the
historical revisionism that has been the central feature of the
ideologically driven ultra conservative Quadrant editorial
group, has found favour in a mass media that appears to have
put its critical facilities in a cryogenic chamber.

Since the High Court of Australia gave rights to indigenous
Australian's in law to land on the 3rd of June 1992 (Mabo
Day), those elements in society that had denied them justice
for 204 years, formed a conservative political coalition to
continue to deny them these rights. This denial of justice has
been achieved through the passage of Federal legislation that
destroyed both, the meaning and the spirit of the Mabo
decision.

This strategy of denial has led to the denigration of the work
of those historians who brought the cultural linguistic and
physical dispossession of indigenous Australian's to the
attention of a public whose opinions about them has been
moulded by a two hundred and twenty five year denial of
historical reality. The current attempts to whitewash this
country's history on Australia Day reinforces the grotesque
caricatures that are re-emerging in the international
community about us as a Nation and a people.

A Nation that denies its history, especially on its National
Day is a Nation that is destined to repeat the mistakes of the
past. Allowing those who advocate a whitewash view of history
to dominate political debate on this countries National day, is
tantamount to accepting David Irving's opinions about the
holocaust as historical reality.


OIL LIBERATION FRONT 
Iım proud to be a member of the Oil Liberation Front, an
international coalition of crusaders who are willing to spill
blood to liberate every milli-litre of oil held by the forces of
darkness the axis of evil. As the self appointed guardians of
goodness, democracy and neo-liberalism, itıs our sacred duty
to conduct jihad to protect our way of life from those who envy
us.

No sacrifice is too much, as a stay at home patriot, Iım willing
to sacrifice the lives of our young men and women to conduct
this holy war against the sons and daughters of the empire of
evil. We must remember war is the lifeblood of the nation,
without war there will not be economic recovery. Those
bleeding heart fifth columnists within our midst need to
understand that oil too has feelings. For generations, the axis
of evil has kept billions of litres of oil imprisoned in dark
dungeons deep in the desert.

It is our duty as the representatives of civilisation on this
planet, to liberate these vast legions from the tyranny of those
barbarians who refuse to extend even the most basic human
rights to our oily brothers and sisters. The doors to their
desert detention centres need to be broken down, oil must be
liberated irrespective of the loss of human life.

As God is on our side, we have every right to use the weapons
of mass destruction that God has given us, to destroy the
spawn of the axis of evil. The oil that we liberate will be
transported to our shores and be assimilated into our society.
We need to remember that without access to vast quantities
of foreign oil, the engines that sustain our way of life would
soon grind to a halt.

As a member of the Oil Liberation Front, I need to ask myself,
not what will the State and its corporate allies do for me but
what sacrifices do I need to make to liberate those vast
reserves oil that are so critical to maintain our way of life. A
way of life that recognises that those who are ruled need to
make sacrifices to maintain those who rule in the lifestyle
they are accustomed to.


MARCHES MEDALS?
It's universally accepted that Country Fire Authority
Volunteers have helped to save life, property and vast tracts
of bushland from the current fires sweeping the country.
Without their participation the loss of life and property, would
have been much greater than has occurred. Volunteer fire
fighters make up the backbone of the fire services outside the
Metropolitan region. C.F.A. volunteers not only risk their
lives and give their time for the good of their community, the
service provides an important focus that keeps shrinking
regional and rural communities, together.

Politicians and the mass media have not been slow in coming
forward and claiming the spirit that they display is an integral
part of the Australia character. Moves are a foot to reward the
fire fighting volunteers with community marches and the
striking of a medal, to repay them for their selfless service to
their neighbours and the communities they live in.

It's strange that among all the kudos that has been paid to
them by Federal and State politicians and the media, that
nobody has called for the improvement of workers'
compensation payments to the families of C.F.A. volunteers,
who die while fighting these fires and to those that are
injured, some permanently, while protecting their
communities. The current workers' compensation scheme
leaves much to be desired, not only do C.F.A. volunteers
gladly give up their time, but the families of those who die and
those that are injured and cannot return to work, have to
battle with a workers' compensation system that does not
meet both short and long term needs.

The best way that C.F.A. volunteers can be rewarded for their
efforts is not by a march or a medal, but by Federal and State
politicians, the mass media and the community, putting their
money where their mouth is and providing a decent and
equitable compensation system for volunteer fire fighters.


INTERFERENCE 
If I denied the Holocaust, I would deserve the odium that
would be heaped on me. The Holocaust is a fact, it occurred
within our living memory. When the Howard government
through the Arts Minister Rod Kemp establishes a review
panel, appoints its members and sets the agenda to review the
content and relevance of the National Museum of Australia's
exhibitions and programs, especially its indigenous exhibits
and programs, there is barely a whisper of protest.

The Howard government has consistently through its
legislation, denied this country's indigenous past. Its latest
attempt to commit historical genocide and re-write history
should be vigorously resisted. When governments become
involved in the historical debate and use their considerable
resources to support one side of an argument, it's time that
questions were asked about their motives.

This latest attempt to re-write the history books and deny this
country's past, will have long term ramifications for all of us.
The ability of curators in State funded museums and art
galleries to have the power without government interference
to independently set up exhibits and programs is a
cornerstone of the artistic freedom of expression that is
fundamental in a society that calls itself democratic.

The establishment of an indigenous gallery in the National
Museum of Australia is enshrined in the 1980 National
Museum Act. An act, that was passed to redress the historical
genocide that had occurred when this countryıs history was
discussed. Governments should stay at arms length from the
day to day workings of art galleries and museums. If they
don't, we run the very real risk of seeing the National Museum
of Australia set up a permanent exhibition about John
Howard in Canberra, that rivals the exhibition of Kim il Sung,
the "great and dear" leader in Pyongyang, North Korea.


ITıS SIMPLE, STUPID
I never cease to be amazed by peoplesı stupidity. It seems
there is a great deal of confusion about George F. Bushıs (F
stands for fraudulent) reasons for launching a war against Iraq.
People canıt seem to get their head around the reasons why
the United States should launch a war against Iraq. Well itıs
very very simple, even a 3 year old child would be able to
grasp the logic behind the reasoning for the invasion. 

There are good people and bad people. Obviously the United
States, Britain and Australia are full of good people, while
Iraq is full of bad people. Thatıs why the United Nations has
kept a 13 year embargo against Iraq that has resulted in the
deaths of over 500,000 Iraqi children. (Not my figures but the
United Nations figures). Now as these children were born to
bad people, their deaths are no great loss to the world. Well,
you wouldnıt equate the deaths of their children to the deaths
of our children, would you? As we are all aware, good people
have good weapons of mass destruction and bad people have
bad weapons of mass destruction. As the voice of reason,
democracy and civilisation, we have a God given right to have
weapons of mass destruction at our disposal to use against bad
people.

We also need to remember there are good United Nationıs
resolutions and bad United Nations resolutions. Good United
Nation resolutions are those that concern Iraq and bad ones
are the ones that concern Israel. Thatıs why the United States
has almost single handedly been able to stop the passage of
any United Nation resolutions that would give even a
modicum of justice to the Palestinians. If you learn to think of
the world in terms of good and evil, it wonıt take you long to
understand the reasons John Howard and George Bush want
to invade Iraq. Youıve seen enough B-grade Westerns to know
that the good have a God given right to do whatever it takes
to defeat evil. If that means using nuclear weapons or starving
people into submission, so be it. God has given weapons of
mass destruction to the good people in the world (they know
who they are), so they can use these weapons to destroy evil. If
you take the trouble to look at the world as a struggle
between good and evil it wonı
 t!
 take you long to dig that flag out of the cupboard and wave it
vigorously as we pursue and destroy the evil in our midst. 


ANARCHIST QUESTION AND ANSWER
Q. What is the fundamental difference between anarchism
and other political ideologies?
A. There are many political and social movements in the
world who claim they want to establish an egalitarian
community. Some want to do this by seizing State power,
others believe they can do this by being elected into office.
Anarchists are the only ones who believe you can only
establish an egalitarian community by abolishing the State.
Anarchists want to establish an egalitarian community
because only by greeting such a community, will individuals
have the freedom to develop to their fullest potential.
Whether who controls the State is determined by elections or
force is not the critical issue. The critical issue is the State
itself. Who controls the State is not the main issue. What is
important is that the State apparatus gives individuals and
small groups the power to determine what will happen to
millions of people. Whether people elect or donıt elect their
leaders is not the central issue. The central issue is what
power are leaders able to exercise. Saddam Hussein a
 n!
d George Bush are two sides of the same coin. Both control
the State apparatus and are able through their decisions to
effect the lives of the tens of millions of people.

If they did not exercise control over the State, what they said
and did would not have such a profound impact. What sets
them apart from us mere mortals is their ability to use the
State apparatus to further their individual agendas.
Irrespective of who seizes power or who is elected to office
while the State exists, the threat of having tyrants exercising
power is a real possibility. Concentrating power in the hands
of an individual or a group of people is a mistake.
Concentrating power in the hands of the State gives
individuals the mechanism by which they can implement their
ideas.

Anarchists overcome their potential problems by abolishing
the structures which give individuals power. Direct democracy
leads to the initial weakening of the State apparatus and
would in time lead to its eventual abolition. Placing power
back in the hands of individuals undermines the need for a
centralised State apparatus. The destruction of centralised
authority will lead to the creation of decentralised structures
that will allow people to make and carry out decisions without
the need for rulers. Chaos is not the inevitable consequence of
the destruction of the State. Institutions will be established
which will allow people to carry out the functions carried out
by the State, without having to face the problem that
individuals or groups could seize centralised power and
re-impose their will on the people.


ACTION BOX
PUBLIC MEETINGS
In these days of instant communication, very little emphasis
is placed on the role of public meeting in the struggle for
egalitarian social change. The internet, mobile phones, fax
machines and even letters and books may be important as far
as communication is concerned, but they run a second best
when it comes to putting together the nuts and bolts you need
to create a vibrant extra parliamentary movement. Public
meetings can be that "je ne sais quoi" (pardon the mutilated
French spellings) that helps to form the bonds that are needed
to create lasting useful creative organisations. The Anarchist
Media Institute has designated 2003 as the year when we will
try to revive the public meeting. During this year we will
attempt to host a series of public meetings about anarchism
within metropolitan Melbourne and its outer envoirns. We
encourage other anarchist groups to reclaim the public
meeting as a tool for communication and organisation. The
Anarchist Media Institute encourage
 s!
 readers of the Anarchist Age Weekly Review and people who
listen to the Anarchist World This Week who live within a 100
kilometre radius of the Melbourne G.P.O., to contact us if
they want to organise a public meeting about anarchism in
their area.

If they can organise the space, we can provide the speakers,
help with the cost of the venue and help to advertise the
meeting. Currently we are helping one group to hold a monthly
public meeting and have the energy and resources to hold at
least another 3, possibly 4 public meetings a month. If you
donıt live within a 100 kilometres of the Melbourne G.P.O., we
can still help, although we cannot provide speakers on a
regular basis, we may be able to send out speakers for a
special meeting. We can use the Anarchist World This Week,
our radio program that broadcasts across Australia on the
National Community Radio Satellite and the Anarchist Age
Weekly Review, a national anarchist newspaper to advertise
public meetings and events.

So instead of sitting there wondering why the revolution has
passed you by, do something about it and organise an
anarchist public meeting in your neck of the woods. Even if
the meeting is unsuccessful, you at least know that youıve
given it a go. Waiting for the corporate and State dominated
media to take up an issue, is tantamount to waiting for pie in
the sky. If you think about it, why would you expect the very
people youıre agitating against, to raise one finger to help
make the new world in your heart a reality.

Think about it, want to introduce anarchist ideas to your
community, give us a call or email or telephone us and weıll
see how we can help. At the very least, we can offer advice on
how best to tackle the problem. ­ SEIZE THE MOMENT,
GHANGE THE FUTURE.


AUSTRALIAN RADICAL HISTORY
THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH ­ SIX FOOT OF
IT.
The seamenıs union was about the only union that didnıt
make wage claims during the First World War. For their
troubles, seamen who become sick during the 1918 post war
epidemic (which incidentally killed more people worldwide in
a few months than died during the whole of World War One)
were offloaded at the first port of call and were expected to
find their own way home at their own expense.

In December 1918, the Seamen Union demanded a 50% wage
increase and went to arbitration expecting that their loyalty
during the war would be rewarded. Unfortunately the seamen
had forgotten the first lesson of capitalism, the meek shall
inherit the earth, their demands were rejected by Justice
Higgins. For their sacrifices, he rewarded them with an 11%
wage rise. Faced with this unsatisfactory situation, the
seamen elected a militant unionist, Tom Walsh, as their
Federal Secretary.

As soon as he was elected, Walsh held a delegateıs conference
to find out what the seamen wanted. The list of demands
drawn up by the seamen included a minimum wage of 14
pounds a month, a shorter working week, a 6 hour day while in
port, decent food and living conditions and adequate
compensation in cases of sickness and death as well as a place
on the ship to wash their clothes. The employers and the
government rejected the seamenıs claims. The seamen went
out on strike and ships began to pile up at Australian
wharves. Although the government offered the seamen
arbitration, they refused. Tom Walsh issued a challenge to the
government to imprison him for refusing to attend arbitration
talks. The government obliged the courts, sentencing him to 6
months jail for his efforts on behalf of the seamen.

The jailing of Walsh led to a complete shutdown on Australian
ports. The seamen were adamant they would never return to
work until they achieved justice. Reeling from the effects on
the economy, the government relented and met most of the
seamenıs demands. Although they had won the dispute, they
refused to return to work until Walsh was released from jail.
Faced with economic collapse and mass layoffs, other unions
placed pressure on the seamen to return to work. As soon as
they returned to work, Tom Walsh was released as "an act of
leniency" on the part of the government.

Itıs interesting to note that as the Australian shipping
industry is destroyed by the Howard government and the
Australian shipping trade becomes dominated by foreign
interests, most of the demands Australian seamen won in
1918 have been overturned. Today, many seamen working on
ships, flying flags of convenience, work under conditions that
rival those found at the beginning of the 20th century. History
has shown over and over again that itıs only those who seize
the moment and take militant action, who have any hope of
obtaining justice in a capitalist society.


BOOK REVIEW
"OBSOLETE COMMUNISM"
"The Left Wing Alternative",

Daniel Cohn-Bendit Gabriel Cohn-Bendit, Translated by
Arnold Pomerans, 1st Published 1968, Library of Congress
Catalogue Card No.69-18158. France 1968 created a new
chapter in the history of revolution. Although the events of
May and June 1968 failed to dislodge the French State, they
destroyed the credibility of communism as a revolutionary
ideology. The lesson of France 1968 that we need to remember
is that radical egalitarian revolution can occur anywhere at
any time. Societies that seem impregnable have the seeds of
their own destruction growing within them. Radical
revolutionary change is not only desirable but possible,
whether it occurs or not depends on people themselves
breaking the intellectual, physical and cultural chains which
bind them with the forces that oppress them. France 1968
forever changed the idea that revolution in an industrial
parliamentary democracy is impossible. Daniel and his
brother Gabriel put their thoughts down on paper in a 5 week
period jus
 t!
 a few months after the tumultuous events of May/June 1968,
to leave a permanent record of why they believed revolution
was possible in an industrialised parliamentary democracy
and more importantly why May/June 1968 failed. They have
convincingly shown that at the very moment the State had
been stripped of all its credibility, the traditional Left joined
with the State to defeat those who challenged it.

The book was written to expose those who preach radical
change but want to seize State power and replace one ruler
with another. The State, the Trade Unions and the
authoritarian left have much more in common than people
realise. The 1st section of the book examines ŒThe
Strategy and Nature of the Revolutionary Movementı looking
at the role both the students and workers played in the
upheaval. The 2nd section deals ŒThe Strategy of the
Stateı in dealing with this challenge to its authority. The 3rd
section examines the counter-revolutionary role of the French
Communist Party, a party that was more interested in
securing votes at elections than in joining a movement for
radical revolutionary change it didnıt control. The final
section 4th section deals with "The Strategy and Nature of
Bolshevism" as a political ideology.

"Obsolete Communism" is as important a book in 2003 as it
was in 1968. Although communism is no longer a viable
political ideology, the traditional and the post 1968 Left, still
cling to the idea that revolutionary change comes from
capturing State power not abolishing it. "Obsolete
Communism" continues to be a useful addition to
revolutionary literature because it has shown that there is
very little difference between the government, opposition
political parties and institutions and organisations that
attempt to represent workerıs interests. Australian activists
only have to cast their minds back to the Crown Casino
blockade in Melbourne on Sept 11th 2000, to understand that
governments, oppositions, trade unions, the State and
corporate sector have much more in common than people
realise. "Obsolete Communism" should be available from your
local library. If you canıt find it there, try a second hand
bookshop or one of those old Left wing bookshops that still
manage to eke ou
 t!
 a living in Australia.


PERSONAL OBSERVATION
Have you noticed that as you get older, a word, a picture or a
smell can trigger off a childhood memory. Listening to a
program on Radio National, thoughts about a childhood
friendship came flooding back, pushing the radio program into
the background. Adrian lived in a little house on the corner of
the street next to the Milk Bar and bus stop. I canıt exactly
remember when I first met him, maybe I met him whilst
waiting for the bus to go to primary school. His parents
migrated to Australia from the Dutch East Indies when
Indonesia gained independence in 1949. I have no recollection
of his parents, brothers or sisters, but I have many
recollections about Adrian.

He introduced me to eel fishing. On weekends and the school
holidays, weıd spend hours in the bush behind where we lived,
fishing for big slimy black eels. Occasionally weıd catch one,
bundling it into a wet jute sack. Weıd run with our prize to
the home of a Polish couple, who had escaped the horrors of
1940ıs Europe, to experience the flies, dust and racism of late
1950ıs Australia. I think he humped sacks of flour in a small
mill somewhere on the edge of the city. I distinctly remember
seeing him cycle off to work, a handkerchief tied to his head,
in the early hours of the morning. He was knocked off his bike
a few years later and died alone in the dust, but thatıs another
story.

His eyes lit up when he saw us, heıd grab the bag and unload
its contents in half a 44 gallon drum that was filled with
water. Behind the drum, rows of bottles with pieces of pickled
eel glistened in the sunlight. Heıd go into the next room,
mumble a few words of broken English (the lingua Franca
among the Australia dispossessed of the 1950ıs) and throw us
a six pence, if he was half drunk and he normally was by 6pm,
heıd throw us a shilling. Weıd scramble for the money,
running past his wife, whoıd shout at us to take the eel back
and give him his money back. Weıd grab the money and spend
it at the corner shop on lollies and ice creams. I could go on
and on but I wonıt bore you with the details of my childhood.
Iım sure youıve got enough of your own stories to fill a few
books. As Adrian and I got older and went to High School, we
as most friends do, drifted apart.

In 1973 maybe 1974 while watching the evening news, Adrianıs
picture flashed up on the screen. It seems he had graduated as
a Science teacher the year before and was teaching a class
that afternoon, when an experiment he was conducting went
horribly wrong. An explosion occurred which literally ripped
out his intestines. Somehow he survived the initial explosion
and was taken to hospital where they did what they could,
pumping blood into him at an extraordinary rate. I understand
he died 24 hours later. Picking up the local rag a day or two
later, I noticed a big fuss was made about the fact that the
hospital used 100 litres of blood to keep him alive. A record
for the time I understand, to them he was just another story,
something to fill the spaces between the advertisements and
wrap up the fish and chips. To me he was a friend.


STOP PRESS
FINANCING THE WAR
The price of gold has jumped 30% over the past year. As
preparations for the war against Iraq reach fever pitch the
price of gold continues to escalate. The US holds 8149 tons of
gold in reserve, to support the value of its currency. It has by
far the largest stockpile of any country or organisation in the
world. Germany has 3445 tons while the International
Monetary Fund has 3217 tons held in reserve. As the call and
preparations for war gather pace, investors are dumping
stocks and shares and moving into gold. 

As the price skyrockets (itıs expected to reach US$400 per
ounce before the US invades Iraq), the US government will
begin selling some of its gold reserves at these inflated prices
to finance its war effort in Iraq. The cynical way the gold
market has been manipulated to finance the war is one of the
untold stories of the US campaign. The US government has
driven the price of gold up by slowly escalating tensions in the
Middle East. As the US President and his inner cabinet are
the only ones who know when and if they will invade Iraq,
their financial advisors are sitting in the box seat as far as
making decision about when to sell and buy gold stocks.

Once the initial shock of the invasion subsides and the US
government controls Iraqıs oil fields, the prices of gold will
drop considerably. When the price drops, the US Reserve
Bank will once again enter the gold market and rebuild its
supplies. Whether this scenario occurs or not will to a large
degree depend on the amount of resistance that the US meets
in Iraq. A long drawn out war will have a major effect on the
Wall Street markets. If stock prices fall too low, the US will
need to hold on to its gold reserves to prop up its economic
system.

The type of campaign the US will launch in Iraq and the
resultant civilian casualties that will occur will be determined
by economic not strategic, military or humanitarian factors.
The US needs to bomb Iraq back into the dark ages by using a
massive deployment of firepower to ensure a rapid victory.
The number of civilians who will die from this campaign has
more to do with the fluctuations of the gold prices than any
concern about freeing the Iraqi people from a dictatorship.


Joseph TOSCANO/LibertarianWorkers for a Self-Managed
Society.

REVIEW - FILM
FRIDA
Dir: Julie Taymor. 2002. Mexico/USA 
For a Hollywood film - this one certainly packs a punch.
Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's tragic traffic accident shown
early in the film, crippled her for life; she visits the US and
France, has a life-long bumpy love affair with muralist Diego
Rivera and desires some amazing women (!)...This films is
quite enthralling.

The French Surrealist Breton showcases Kahlo as 'exotic'
discovery like Black dancer Josephine Baker. US Capitalist
tycoon Rockefeller is patron of, then censors Diego's mural in
New York. Exiled Russian 'revolutionary' bureaucrat Trotsky
is hilariously transformed into sex-seeking old codger ! These
'stars' come and go. More lasting is Frida's interest in
indigenous local's everyday and her family's life. 

I found myself wondering ... did she read the anarchist
B.Traven's jungle novels and Mexican tales ? )

Frida's art is highlighted and put into perspective.
Imaginative use of architecture (brilliant house colours &
plants! ); 'morphing' special effects makes paintings become
alive and life scenes become art objects. Enchanting music
and singing; bright bursts of animation and collage all
illuminate the tale.

There are so many films with US or European male heroes,
rarely artists, mostly predictable victorious action heroes, SO
it is a welcome relief to see a woman with such a strong
personality.

See it cheap on Mondays here in Melbourne or await the
video. Entertainment: **** Politics ****

NOTE: Director Julie Taymor made a confronting version of
Shakespeare's Titus, it's now available on video.


BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE
Director: Michael Moore. 2002. USA
Theme: US capitalism's contradictions like banks that give
you a free gun when you open a bank account !

Mission: Find out why there are so many murders by guns in
America ?

Exposed: Charlton Heston and National Rifle Association
exploiting fears.

Animated history course on exploitation of Black slavery and
modern urban paranoia. Marilyn Manson & Trey Parker
(South Park) both hot hate objects of the fundamentalist
Christian right. Manson as a freak was bullied at school.
Parker went to Columbine, the High school where many
students were infamously shot dead. Columbine is a Company
town, home to Military madness, Missile making corporate
greed and politics. K-Mart bullet sale profits. Michigan
Militia tales of Timothy McVeigh and similar conspiracy
fuelled militarised militants. Canadians have lots of guns but
not so much fear & hate, even do not lock up their homes!

Result: Great; painful but funny doco.

Highlights: Animated history about exploitation of Black
slavery and legacy of modern urban paranoia. Michigan Militia
tales of Timothy McVeigh and similar conspiracy fuelled
militarised militants. Moore uses the "What a Wonderful
World" tune by Louis Armstrong and then a version by the
Ramones to show violent US foreign policy.

A popular satirist, MM continues his excellent contemporary
America warts and all doco efforts Roger & Me, TV Nation,
The Big One, and The Awful Truth. His writings Downsize
This ! & recently Stupid White Men are also great reading.
MM's public talks, with lots of comical story style, are also
worth checking out. Alternative Radio distribute these
recordings.

Melbourne radio 3CR played them while the rest of the media
served up a fast buck$ diet of US Corporate trivia and War
Government propaganda. MM is a flawed individual, eats bad
food and dresses like a slob but charms. MM remains a sports
shooter and member of the NRA thus confounding the
gun-lobby & pacifist critics alike !

TRIVIA: Like the RapStar Eminem - Michael Mathers -- both
MM's emanate from Michigan. They have seen their
communities devastated and are angry, but are accessible
because they express with a sense of humour ! Another MM is
the Michigan Militia which lacks humour.... Cheap at the Art
House flix on Mondays in Melbourne. Video and TV showings
may be delayed.

Entertainment **** Politics ****


REVIEW - BOOK
MINORITY REPORT
Philip K Dick, Gollancz Press 2002 ISBN 0575 074787
This edition of short stories by the late US author Philip K.
Dick is a welcome addition to the list of reprints of older
progressive libertarian sci-fi writers like Douglas Adams, John
Brunner, Ursula Le Guin, Michael Moorcock, Marge Piercy
etc.

The paperback contains some of Dick's earliest stories
written from 1953 to 1967. The majority of these tales, which
include Minority Report, The Imposter, Total Recall aka We
can Remember It For You Wholesale, have strongly anti state
themes as well as recently been made into films; albeit
watered down. 

Phildickian heroes are flawed and fatigued individuals who are
trying to survive in extremely difficult circumstances. One
particular story Oh To be A Blobel is a quirky story of how far
someone will go to make a buck.

Faith of Our Fathers set in Hanoi, tells of the dilemma of a
high government official trying to further his career and at the
same time his only assistance comes from dissidents who are
helping him take drugs to counteract the drugs the state feed
to everyone via the water supply. Stimulating holiday reading,
available for loan from your local library.

*** entertainment *** politics


ANARCHIST PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED THIS WEEK
FREEDOM Vol.64 No.1, 11th Jan 2003, 145 Rue Amelot,
75011 Paris, FRANCE, email:Freedomcopy@aol.com

LE LIBERTAIRE No.230 Dec Œ02, Revue de synthese
anarchiste, B.P. 745, 76060 Leitavre Cedex FRANCE
Tel:(0148414594), www.le-libertaire.org,
libertaire@normandnet.fr

LE MONDE LIBERTAIRE No.1302 & 1303 9th,-22nd Jan ı02,
145 Rue Amelot, 75011 Paris, FRANCE, Tel:0148053408,
Fax:0149299859. Radio Libertaire Paris 0143718940, (Le
Monde Libertaire now available in glorious colour)

UMANITA NOVA Vol 62 No.43, Enrol 22nd Dec..ı02,
Settimanale Anarchico, C.50 Palermo 46, 10152, Torino
ITALY. tel/fax (011) 857850 Mobile 338-6594361
email:fat@inrete.it


OTHER PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED THIS WEEK
WORKERS NEWS Vol.34 Dec ı02, Gefont, P.O.Box10652,
Manmahan Labour Building, Putali Sadak, Gefont Plaza,
Kathmandu, NEPAL, Tel:+9771248072, Fax:+9771248073,
info@gefont.org www.gefont.org

DEBT ELIMINATION APPEAL ­ Our debt stands at $972.45

We need to raise $210.00 per week in order to cover typing,
printing, postage and radio program and ongoing campaign
costs. How much we are able to do depends to a large degree
on the level of our finances. You can help by A)-Subscribing to
the Anarchist Age Weekly Review $10.00 = 10 Issues, $50.00 =
50 Issues, B)-joining our Dollar A Day group or C)-donating
money or stamps. Think about buying your local library or a
friend a subscription to the A.A.W.R. If sending less than
$20.00 save on banking costs and send us 50 cent stamps.
Otherwise make out cheques and money orders to
LIBERTARIAN WORKERS and send to P.O. BOX 20,
PARKVILLE 3052, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.

Debt 29-01-2003 $972.45


ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS
THIS WEEK'S STORIES: Some Fires Are More Important
Than Others...Bosses Agree, There's No Comparison Between
Our Pay & the Plebs'...A Terrorist Is Someone Who's On
Their Side...Lying Gets the Swoosh of Approval...Train
Drivers Refuse to Move Ammunition for Gulf War...Quote of
the Week (wrong!). A resident of public housing in Canberra
says that during the Canberra bush fires, firefighters arrived,
started unrolling hoses, then left to protect a farm instead
when the fire approached. The man said that the ACT govt
has been trying to get rid of the Uriarra public housing
settlement for years. (ABC radio).

Unions say that the top 100 chief executives of Aust
companies have received pay rises of 38% in the past 12
months, while employers are opposing a $25 weekly pay rise
for ordinary workers. Chief executive of the Australian
Chamber of Commerce & Industry Peter Hendy, says it
appears the campaign is a back-door attempt to rein in
corporate salaries. Mr Hendy said that would be "really
opening a pandora's box". (ABC news website, Jan 16).

A report by Human Rights Watch says that the US govt is
ignoring repression by governments, as long as they support
their "war on terror". The Bush admin. is pushing for
increased military ties with the Indonesian military in the
name of the 'war on terror' & has expanded its Intıl Military
Education & Training program, which brings foreign military
officers to the US to be trained. (Herald Sun, Jan 15, East
Timor Action Network & Indonesia Human Rights Network
(US), Jan 23).

Multinational Nike may be using 'free speech' as an excuse to
lie about its operations in the Third World. The company says
that its defence of its alleged sweatshops in China, Indonesia
& Vietnam is protected speech under the US Constitution - &
therefore that they can't be sued for false advertising, even if
their statements are lies. The case arose from allegations of
physical & verbal abuse, sexual harassment & unsafe working
conditions made against Nike during the early to mid-'90s.
The company repeatedly denied the allegations, despite a
leaked internal audit of a Vietnamese factory by the
accountancy firm Ernst & Young, which contradicted Nike's
public statements of denial. Many leading US media
companies are supporting Nike, including The New York
Times & CNN. (The Age, Jan 13).

A group of British train drivers have refused to move a freight
train carrying ammunition believed to be intended for British
forces being deployed in the Gulf. Railway managers cancelled
the Ministry of Defence service after the crewmen said they
opposed Tony Blair's threat to attack Iraq. (The Guardian
(UK), Jan 9).

Quote of the week: "The people can always be brought to the
bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell
them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers
for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It
works the same in any country." - Nazi leader Hermann
Goering.


anarchist news service write to James, PO Box 503, Newtown
NSW 2042 or email james.hutchings@ato.gov.au contact us to
get ATNTF emailed directly to you.
If you like All the News That Fits, forward it on.
www.angry.at/politicians - new anarchist website with fliers for
download, contacts www.angry.at/racists -
Anarchist/anti-racist music site with free mp3s, Real Audio,
Real Video, internet radio, band interviews etc. Also includes
the text of 'Escape', an anarchist novel -
www.geocities.com/skipnewborn/novel.doc, www.dolearmy.org
- information for unemployed people, .www.activate.8m.com -
anarchist magazine aimed at teenagers. All the News That
Fits appears in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review
(www.vicnet.net.au/~anarchist - PO Box 20 Parkville VIC
3052) & The Ham (www.theham.cat.org.au), as well as
Melbourne Indymedia (www.melbourne.indymedia.org).

Media outlets mentioned in All the News That Fits are
sources - items are not direct quotes from news media.
Background information may have been gathered from sources
in addition to media outlets cited. Where no source is cited,
the information has been gathered from direct sources. 

RECLAIM THE RADICAL SPIRIT OF THE EUREKA
REBELLION
Celebrate on the 3rd December 2003 The 3rd December 2003
marks the 149th Anniversary of the Eureka rebellion. This
year a federation of groups will be celebrating the anniversary
at Ballarat and around Australia. If you wish to keep up with
whatıs happening or belong to a group that wants to affiliate
with the organisation write to us at P.O. Box 20, PARKVILLE
3052, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA for details about
affiliation.

Current affiliate groups: ** ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE
** LIBERTARIAN WORKERS FOR A SELF MANAGED
SOCIETY Groups that are considering affiliation: ** BAYSIDE
ANARCHIST GROUP ** ITıS OUR ABC ** PEOPLE
AGAINST REPRESSIVE LEGISLATION If you want to join
the mailing list in 2003 and keep up to date with whatıs
happening, send us 10 ­ 50cent stamps

178 MEMBERS ­ 372 TO GO BEFORE WE CAN APPLY TO
REGISTER AS A FEDERAL POLITICAL PARTY Politically
manipulated and scorned? Sick of being a peripheral player
every time a Federal election comes around, then join:- VOTE
INFORMAL TODAY, DIRECT DEMOCRACY TOMORROW -
a "political party" that is putting the boot into the Australian
Parliamentary Process. Send a stamp self-addressed envelope
to VOTE INFORMAL TODAY DIRECT DEMOCRACY
TOMORROW PO Box 20, Parkville. 3052. Melbourne.
Australia Telephone (03) 9828 2856 (24 hour answering
service). We will send information about how to join this
unique 21st century Australian phenomena. DON'T PUT IT
OFF JOIN THE PUSH FOR CHANGE NOW. Written and
authorised by Joseph Toscano (National Convenor 205
Nicholson St Footscray 3012 Melbourne Aust.) Current
membership 178. We need 550 members to apply for
registration as a political party, so that members can stand at
the Federal election in 2004 and show Australianıs that
Parliamentary Democracy is no
 t!
hing more than two minutes of illusory power.


ITıS OUR ABC / PEOPLE AGAINST REPRESSIVE
LEGISLATION
Will be meeting behind the FLORAL CLOCK IN ST.KILDA
ROAD, MELBOURNE AT 11.30 AM ON WEDNESDAY 5TH
OF FEBRUARY 2003 TO DISCUSS TACTICS FOR 2003.

STAMP APPEAL - We spend over $500.00 on postage stamps
per month. If you are writing to us or have any spare stamps
floating about stuff them into the envelope and send them to
us. JOIN our $5.00 a month group and send us a book of 10 50
cent stamps every month. Every little bit helps.

EMAIL MADNESS - Have access to cyberspace? Want to
help us save on printing and postage costs? Then why donıt
you receive the Anarchist Age Weekly Review by email?
INTERESTED?? Then email us at anarchistage@yahoo.com
and arrange to have the weekly emailed to you.


ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE OBSCENITY OF THE
WEEK
Has been awarded to John Howard, our beloved Prime
Minister for unilaterally sending Australian troops to support
George Fraudulent Bushıs attempt to hijack Iraqıs oil
supplies for their own use.

If You Like What You Have Read, Photocopy This Publication
and Leave It In Doctors, Dentists, Vets Waiting Rooms and In
Railway Stations, Bus Stops, Libraries and Restaurants Etc.
The articles in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review reflect the
personal opinions of the authors, they do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the publishers, the Libertarian Workers
for a Self-Managed Society/Anarchist Media Institute. 

All material in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review can be used
by anarchists, anarchist collectives and non-profit
organisations as long as the source of the material is
mentioned in the article. The Anarchist Age Weekly Review
reserves all rights as far as commercial publications are
concerned.


ANARCHISM ­ ADVANCING IN DIVERSITY STRIKING IN
UNISON ­ YAMAGUCHI KENJI
WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY ­ THE ANARCHIST
CENTURY
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~anarchist/

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