A-Infos (en) Anarchist Age Weekly Review No.546 12th May ­ 18th May 2003

[Phil <philmcc@melbpc.org.au>]

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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
 > PATHETIC
The Coalitionıs 2003 Federal budget is a blueprint for civil insurrection.
The government has, through the budget process, turned its back on the
people who elected it into office. The Howard government has succeeded
(through this budget) in turning the clock back to the 19th century. The
history of the 20th century is littered with examples of civil insurrection,
forcing the State to provide welfare services for the people the governments
theoretically represent.
Deregulation and privatisation, the mantra of late 20th century government,
has seen the State divest itself of its welfare role and revert to its
original function ­ control. Successive Australian Labor and Liberal
National Party governments have succeeded in stripping the bureaucracy of
its social role. They have done this by increasing the power the State,
through the bureaucracy, is able to exercise over the lives of its citizens.
This weekıs budget is a classical example of diverting taxpayersı funds from
the Stateıs welfare arm into its disciplinary arm.
Significantly increased budget allocations to the Australian Defence Forces,
Federal Surveillance agencies and State police forces to deal with the
increased threat of terrorism that has flared up as a consequence of
policies pursued by this government have been funded by the privatisation of
Medicare and the Tertiary Education sector. The Federal government has
abrogated its responsibility to the people it represents by placing the
burden for the provision of many of the necessities of life back onto the
individual. It has strengthened the disciplinary arm of the State at the
expense of its citizensı rights and welfare, mindful that it may require
both civil and defence personnel to come to its assistance if Australians
show their dissatisfaction with this budget by taking part in
extra-parliamentary protest activity.
The 2003 budget calls into question both the role of the State and
government in a post-modern world. If a government elected by the people
refuses to reflect the will of the people it represents, and the State is
unwilling or unable to translate that will into reality, itıs time that the
contemporary role of both government and the State are examined and
challenged.

HEAD OF STATE?
The current controversy surrounding the Governor General, Peter
Hollingsworth, highlights the constitutional problems of having both a head
of State and a head of government. It's interesting to note that most
commentators have wanted the Governor General to resign because the current
problems surrounding the position could damage the office of the Governor
General in the eyes of the public. Having a head of State whose
responsibility is ultimately to a non-elected monarch, not the government of
the day raises serious questions about whether power lies in the hands of
the people through their elected representatives or in the hands of the
bureaucracy, which services the State. Far from being an academic argument,
this argument goes to the very heart of the type of society we are. The
Australian Governor General, as head of State, is not only head of
Australia's armed forces, he also has the power to dismiss an elected
government.
We need to ask ourselves if in the 21st century there is any need for a head
of State who has such far-reaching powers. Peter Hollingsworth could, if he
chose to exercise the real powers he constitutionally possesses, dismiss the
current government and call on the armed forces to maintain order on behalf
of the head of State. Declaring a republic and appointing or electing an
Australian head of State with the same constitutional powers does not
resolve the fundamental question about whether one person in Australia
should have the power that the current head of State possesses.
The question we should, as a nation, be asking ourselves is not whether
Peter Hollingsworth is a suitable head of State under the current
circumstances. What we should be asking ourselves, as a community, is
whether in this day and age there is any role in Australian society for a
head of State whose powers rival those of an elected government.

WAR!!
We're involved in a war that most Australian's don't even know is happening.
The Howard government's agenda pits Australian against Australian, using the
divisions created to implement its privatisation agenda ­ an agenda that is
fashioned to introduce micro economic changes at the individual level. The
current changes to the public education sector are cleverly crafted to
introduce the user-pay principle to every level of tertiary learning.
Using their control over taxation revenue, they have succeeded in making
education in this country a purely financial proposition. Individuals are
now able to obtain the best education money can buy. The only impediment to
an individual having access to higher education is the size of their wallet
­ the greater their access to disposable income, the greater their chances
of buying a degree.
In a move that aims to destroy what little academic independence and
credibility academics and tertiary institutions still retain, the coalition
government has tied 400 million dollars of infrastructure spending in the
tertiary sector to the willingness of university councils to introduce
individual contracts on campus. One of the most important rights enjoyed by
academic staff has been tenure. Tenure gives individual academics and
university departments the power to conduct research and teaching without
interference from university councils, government and the corporate sector.
Academics who have tenure do not have to look over their shoulder wondering
if they will have their job tomorrow if they cross swords with their
department head, corporate sponsors or the government of the day. Tying-in
campus development and infrastructure grants to the introduction of
individual contracts for academic staff is the single most important attack
that governments have launched on the independence of universities in this
countryıs history.
The Howard government is willing to remove what little independence academic
staff enjoy on campus in its quest to introduce changes that will make
universities hostages to the interests of the corporate sector and the
ideological agenda of the government of the day.

INTRIGUING
Reviewing the Australian Electoral Commission's analysis of the 2001 Federal
election results, the most startling figure is the rise in the informal vote
in the Senate election in Victoria. The Senate informal vote in Victoria
increased from 3.8% of the total votes cast at the 1998 election to 5.6% of
the total votes cast in the 2001 election. The rise in the informal vote in
the Senate elections in the other States was only marginally different from
the 1998 election results.
The informal vote in the Senate election in New South Wales was 3.5%,
Queensland 3.0%, Western Australia 3.6%, South Australia 3.1%, Tasmania
3.3%, ACT 2.3% and the Northern Territory 2.8% ­ figures that were similar
to the 1998 results. Voting in the Senate election is relatively easy;
historically the informal rate is lower than the House of Representatives
vote. What are the factors at play to explain this difference with the other
States? In the 2001 Federal election, 60,000 more Victorians voted
informally than was expected. Political commentators normally blame the
complexity of the voting papers for a higher than expected informal voting
rate. As the Victorian Senate ballet paper had fewer candidates than the New
South Wales Senate electoral papers, in these circumstances you would have
expected the informal voting rates to be similar.
Something else is at play in Victoria that is not occurring in other States.
That something else is the participation of Anarchist Media Institute
candidates standing on a vote informal ticket in Senate elections at every
Federal election since 1990. The impact of our campaigns is finally paying
dividends as our questions and doubts about parliamentary politics are
beginning to be taken up by increasing numbers of Victorian electors.
Nothing else can account for the discrepancy in informal voting in the
Senate election in Victoria in 2001, in comparison to other states. People
are becoming disillusioned with an electoral system that promises so much
but delivers so little. Unfortunately, our attempts since 1999 to have a
Vote Informal Today Direct Democracy Tomorrow campaign, to register the
party as a recognised political entity, have come to nothing because people
are not willing to join. Currently the group cannot be registered as a
political party. We have 184 members but need over 500 members to apply for
registration. Registration would allow us to have our partyıs name on the
ballot paper ­ Vote Informal Today Direct Democracy Tomorrow ­ and would
allow us to stand candidates in every Federal electorate, bypassing the need
to find people who are willing to nominate members to stand for election. If
you consider the impact a small group has been able to make in Victoria by
running vote informal campaigns at successive Senate elections, imagine the
impact a registered party called Vote Informal Today Direct Democracy
Tomorrow could have on the Australian electorate at the next Federal
election ­ the sky's the limit.

BAıATH PARTY REHABILITATED
It hasn't taken the United States long to rehabilitate the upper echelons of
the Baıath Party. Faced with a hostile population that is increasingly
turning to religious fundamentalist and radical secular political parties
that were banned and persecuted by the Saddam Hussein dictatorship, the
United States army of occupation has turned to the Baıath Party for help.
Apart from the fifty or so faces on the deck of cards, the United States has
no intention of arresting or persecuting those members of the Baıath Party
that ruled Iraq as their personal fiefdom.
In order to re-establish control over a hostie population as soon as
possible, a population that has not forgotten what happened when they were
"liberated" by United States-led forces during the first Gulf War in 1991,
the United States and her allies have thrown in their lot with the former
Baıath administration. Officials who held influential and powerful positions
within the Baıath Party have been given back their jobs. Some are
administering the same departments they held under Saddam Hussein. The
United States administration wants access to Iraqi oil, the second largest
supply in the world. It wants to build military bases in Iraq. To do this it
needs to form a government in Iraq that is sympathetic to United States
interests.
"Liberation" has nothing to do with giving the Iraqi people the tools to
determine their own future. "Liberation" is all about creating institutions
that bolster the power of the new colonisers. If this means accommodating
the Baıath administration, so be it. Over the next few months, more and more
senior Baıath Party members will be given back their former positions.
Former police officers, security personnel and intelligence officers will
also be given back the positions they held in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Keen to keep a lid on political dissent, the United States occupying forces
will require access to the extensive security apparatus that kept Saddam
Husseinıs regime in power. The United Statesı goals are very similar to
Saddam Hussein's goals; both want to use the resources of Iraq to maintain
their grip on power. Iraqis, unlike their Afghanistan counterparts, have
quickly realised that what is happening in their country will not benefit
them.
Iraq and the Iraqi people have been "liberated" to bolster United States
interests and power in the region. If they're willing to sublimate their
desires and give up their aspirations to determine their own future, a
minority will prosper economically. If they resist, they will meet the same
fate they met under Saddam Husseinıs Baıath Party. Although the rulers may
have changed, little else has changed or will change in Iraq until the Iraqi
people liberate themselves from their new colonisers.

ANARCHIST QUESTION AND ANSWER
Q.  HUMAN NATURE?
A.  Anarchists are constantly told that anarchism could never work because
we hold naive views about human nature and human beings.  Anarchists naive?
I donıt think so.  Anarchists want to abolish the State because they
understand the limitations of human nature.  Whoıs naive?  The person who
puts their faith in a ruler to do the right thing by them or the anarchist
who wants to abolish the State because they believe that no individual
should be allowed to exercise that amount of power on behalf of other
people.
When you look at the great human tragedies of the 20th century, most of them
are directly related to one person or a small group of people exercising
power on behalf of ten of thousands possibly millions of people.  Anarchists
understand the limitations of human nature.  They have no faith in human
beings who exercise power.  Exercising that power on their behalf, they want
to replace structures and institutions that concentrate power in the hands
of one person or a small group into structures that give all people affected
by a decision the power to make that decision.
So whoıs naive?  The person who believes that a highly centralised structure
controlled by a few people will deliver the goods or the person who believes
that power should not be concentrated in the hands of a few people because
they understand the frailties of human beings.  The answerıs obvious to
whoever wants an answer.  Anarchists want to break down hierarchy and
centralised forms of power that allows a small minority to exercise power on
behalf of a majority.  They want to do this because they understand the very
real limitations of human nature.  Thatıs why they want to abolish
structures that allow one group to exercise power over another.
Those people that display a profound naivety about human nature are the very
same people who dismiss anarchists as impractical dreamers.  Think about it,
whoıs naive and whoıs realistic?  Is the person whoıs willing to allow power
to be concentrated in a few hands hoping that their rulers will do the right
thing by them, naive?  Or is the person who wants to stop society creating
structures and institutions that concentrate power in the hands of a few
rulers, naive?
Anarchists have a clear understanding about the frailty of human nature,
thatıs why they donıt want anybody to exercise power on their behalf and
want to be involved in all the decisions that effect them.

ACTION BOX
"NON PARTY POLITICAL"
In a representative democracy, political action is normally channelled into
electoral politics, each and every issue is manipulated by the major
political parties to suit their electoral ambitions.  The emerging DEFEND
AND EXTEND MEDICARE group in Australia is faced with this dilemma.  Once it
is established it runs two risks, the risk of being seen as the creature of
parliamentary opposition groups and the risk of becoming a recruiting ground
for both major and minor political parties.
Being aware of potential future problems is half the battle.  Groups need to
be structured in such a way so they can move beyond more parliamentary
politics.  Aiming campaigns at opposition parliamentary parties, hoping they
will change legislation is in the majority of cases leaving things too late.
Single issue campaigns, need to be aimed at both changing government opinion
and influencing opposition parties policies.
Establishment of a National organisation should not occur until local
autonomous groups are organised.  Local groups should not be autonomous in
name only, they should have the power to determine their own strategies,
appoint or elect their own spokespersons and delegates and control their own
finances.  One thing that is important is that they share the same vision.
Th sharing of a common vision is what makes the movement what it is.
When the initial meetings are held to formulate that vision, itıs important
that the vision isnıt restricted to just holding the line.  Governments and
opposition parties need to be kept under constant political pressure, a
single issue orientated group can do that by creating a vision that forces
governments to react to you.  In the case of Defend and Extend Medicare, the
vision is incorporated both in the title of the group and its mission
statement ­ Universal Health Care is a Right, Not a Charity or a Luxury.
Whether local autonomous groups thrive and prosper and create an effective
non party political mass movement is dependant on how they interact with
each other.  To a large degree that is determined by the types of structures
they form to coordinate their activities and keep their lines of
communication open.  The most effective way a group can maintain its local
autonomy and plan and coordinate regional and national action is through
adopting the delegate system.  As each new local group forms, it elects or
appoints a delegate/s who is/are recallable to act on their behalf at
regional and national coordination meeting.
In the case of Defend and Extend Medicare, groups will hopefully be forming
within each Federal electorate in Australia.  This structure has been
adopted because many of the changes to Medicare that are proposed, do not
need to be put to parliament, thatıs why as much pressure as possible as
soon as possible, be placed on Federal members especially Coalition members
to ensure that these changes are not implemented.  The best way to do this
is by organising Federal electorate based groups.  Action stems from need,
the best way to service that need is forming groups and organisations that
allow maximal participation from as many people as possible.

AUSTRALIAN RADICAL HISTORY
"SOCIALISTS"
Australiaıs first Socialist society was formed in Sydney in 1840, it
followed the ideas of Robert Owen.  Its establishment was attacked by the
New South Wales colonial authorities and the media - (surprise, surprise).
The Australian Socialist League was formed on the 5th May 1887 in Sydney
(one year after the formation of the Melbourne Anarchist Club on the 1st May
1886).  In 1889 the Social Democratic League of Victoria was formed at the
Golden Fleece Hotel in Melbourne (some things never seem to change).  German
Socialists had been meeting as a group in Melbourne since 1887.  The first
socialist society in Queensland ŒThe Bellamy Societyı (based on the
teachings of Edward Bellamy ­ an American journalist) was formed in 1890 by
William Lane and published "Looking Backwards" a utopian blueprint of a
future socialist society.  The Queensland Social Democratic Society was
formed in 1892 after the collapse of the Bellamy Society.
A Social Democratic Federation of Australia was established in Sydney in
November 1872.  Delegates attended from New South Wales, South Australia,
Victoria and Queensland.  Over the next few years many of the active
socialists joined the emerging Labor Party, throwing in their lot with the
union movement who were trying to influence their political agenda by
encouraging members of the Australia Socialist League to joining the
emerging Australian Labor Party.  They were so successful the N.S.W Labor
Party adopted the "nationalisation of land and the whole means of
production, distribution and exchange" in the N.S.W Labor Party platform in
1897.  Worried about the infiltration of Australian Socialist League
militants within their ranks and the influence they were having on the
partyıs rank and file, the N.S.W. Labor Party abandoned its flirtation with
socialist ideas and removed the "nationalisation of land and the whole means
of production, distribution and exchange" from its political platform in
1898.
Australian Socialist League militants split from the Australian Labor Party
in 1898 worried that their defeat on the floor of the Labor Party spelt the
end of their internal activities.  After a year of internal debate, a
meeting was called on the 6th May 1899 that led to the formation of the
Socialist Labor Party of Australia. The Socialist Labor Party held a
conference that saw the emergence of the Communist Party of Australia on the
20th October 1920.  They withdrew their delegates at the following
conference next month and set themselves up as one of two communist parties
in Australia.  The A.S.P. Communist Party was based at Goulburn St. Sydney,
while the ŒTrade Hall Redsı based themselves in rooms at Trades Hall.

  BOOK REVIEW
"WE ARE WINNING!"
- The Battle of Seattle ­ A Personal Account, 1st Published by Riot Tourists
May 2000.
ŒWe Are Winning!ı documents the experience of 4 British eco-anarchists in
Seattle over the period 20th November ­ 5th December 1999.  Planning for
direct action on the 30th November was coordinated by DAN (Direct Action
Network).  DANıs aim was "to mobilise their communities to creatively resist
the World Trade Organisation and organise large scale street theatre and
mass non-violent direct action, to shut down the WTO ministerial" meeting in
Seattle.  DAN organised a convergence 10 days preceding the main action.
Workshops were held about blockades, what to do if arrested and illegal
briefings.  The main purpose of the 10-day convergence was for people to
meet each other, reinforce established affinity groups and form new ones.
The convergence was organised in such a manner as to allow maximal
participation by affinity groups.  A spokes-council meeting was held each
evening, representatives from established affinity groups reviewed what
happened that day and what should happen the next day.  The area round the
conference centre was divided into 13 Œpie slicesı.  A coalition of affinity
groups (cluster) was responsible for activity within that Œpie sliceı.  As
the blockade gained momentum on the 30th November, peaceful demonstrators
were tear-gassed, pepper sprayed, shot with rubber bullets, baton charged
and arrested.  By 4.00PM a state of emergency was called, a curfew imposed
by 7.00PM and the National Guard was called that night to deal with the
situation.
The authors examine the role of the Black Bloc in the shutdown and the
largely negative reaction to their presence by many of the demonstrators.
They give an excellent account of the escalation of the violence used by the
State against essentially peaceful protestors.  One of the more interesting
parts of this pamphlet is the section on jail solidarity and how
demonstrators neutralised the brutal tactics used by the State to intimidate
and break down the spirit of the 700 people arrested.
Did we win in Seattle?  I donıt think so.  When you examine how the State
mobilised and used its forces to attack peaceful demonstrators before
September 11th, itıs apparent that the State will use every means at its
disposal to crush dissent, especially after September 11th, believing it has
almost universal support to deal with dissidents in the most brutal manner
possible.  The importance of Œthese battlesı lays in the damage the
over-reaction of the State causes among ordinary people who mistakenly
believe that the police are their police, the government is their government
and the State is their State.  The loss of credibility that government,
corporate sector and the State suffer in such situations, helps to build the
resistance movement that is needed if we are to break the power they
exercise over us and the rest of society.
ŒWe Are Winning!ı is available from riot_tourists@disinfo.com or write to
them at Wild Fire Collective, P.O. Box 3249, Brighton East Sussex, BNI4SN,
BRITAIN.

PERSONAL OBSERVATION
She must have been all of two, tiny jet black hair but she knew what was
important in life.  Her mother heavily pregnant with her mother in tow, had
temporarily lost sight of her daughter as she pushed her shopping trolley
down the next aisle looking for those essential groceries that eat up so
much of the weekly budget.  The trolley was full of blue and white items.
The occasional flash of colour buried amongst the blue and white looked like
a pot of gold at the end of the elusive Tattslotto rainbow.
Tiny tot rejoined her mother and grandmother hiding something behind her
back, she'd done her own shopping, no blue and white plain wrapped items for
her.  She had other ideas, she wanted to live, play, she knew what was
important in life.  No budget or money worries for her, she saw, she wanted,
she acquired.  It was obvious that the little scenario that was about to be
played had been played out before.  Her mother looked at her, she smiled
back, that two year old smile that melts everyone's heart except a mother
who's burdened by the realities of life.
By this time she had hidden her precious cargo behind her T-shirt, she
smiled again. The little party progressed up the aisle, as soon as her
mothers back was turned she threw it into the shopping trolley.  With a
wisdom born of experience, her heavily pregnant mother, stopped and turned
"what did you put in there?". Tiny tot held her ground and said nothing.
Tiny tots mum picked up a flash of gold among the blue and white and placed
it among,. the tinned tomatoes. Tiny tots face took on the burdens of the
world, the smile was replaced by a frown, tears started rolling down her
puffed pink checks, her world had disintegrated. She fell onto the ground
and began sobbing, heads turned round to see what the commotion was all
about, older shoppers smiled, recognizing the tells tale sounds of juvenile
consumers passion thwarted, younger shoppers just wanted her to stop.  Her
mother pregnant belly peeking out of a smallish t-shirt moved on, the
sobbing came to an abrupt halt.
Tiny tot got to her feet and disappeared down the next aisle to lust over
those splashes of gold that she'd repeatedly seen on television. Dreams so
tantalising close, strategically placed in aisles so a two year old could
grab them. Poverty, the only barrier between her and commercial nirvana.
Commercial reality stepping in between a daughter and her mother on mothers
day, setting the pattern for years to come, Corroding away that special
relationship between a daughter and her mother

STOP PRESS
CURRENCY SPECULATION
The rapid rise of the Australian dollar in relation to the United States
dollar over the past 12 months from 55c to 65c has very little to do with
economic fundamentals.  Listening to the economic gurus, you could be
forgiven for thinking that the rise in the Australian dollar was due to good
economic management.  Good economic management?  Who is kidding who?
Australia, a middle sized economy with a manufacturing and export base, is
the perfect target for currency speculators.
Currency speculation not economic fundamentals, is the single most important
factor that determines the level of the Australian dollar.  Over and over
again speculators have made a killing artificially driving up the price of
the Australian currency, bailing out when the currency reaches a specific
level and then re-buying the currency when its price drops back to a
realistic level.  Trillions of dollars are pumped into the currency market
every day.  The money thatıs pumped into these markets, builds no
businesses, creates no jobs, is not used to build infrastructure.  It is
simply and purely money thatıs used to artificially manipulate currency
markets and create profits for speculators.
The tragedy about currency speculation is the effect it has on ordinary
people going about their everyday lives.  Rapid rises and falls in currency
rates, makes life very difficult for manufacturers workers and exporters.
The insecurity created by currency speculation creates both job losses and
business closures.  The greater the variation the greater the effect on
peopleıs lives.
Currency speculation is neither inevitable or necessary, governments can
take measures to limit the amount of money channelled into the currency
markets.  Speculation on a countryıs currency is one of the few financial
transactions in life that does not attract a fee let alone a GST charge.
One way a country and its citizens could benefit from currency speculation
is by applying a tax on money that flows through their currency market.  A
1% levy would yield enough income to make access to health care a right not
a charity or a luxury.  A 1% levy would be able to pay for decent nursing
home accommodation for every elderly or disabled Australian who needs it.
Itıs time currency speculators paid for the privilege of making money by
manipulating a countryıs currency.  Applying a small levy on every dollar
that flows through the markets would more than pay for any of the adverse
effects that currency speculation can and does cause.  The sooner a levy is
applied the sooner problems directly caused by currency speculators will
disappear.

Joseph TOSCANO / Libertarian Workers
for a Self-Managed Society.





ANARCHIST PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED THIS WEEK
CNT No.287 February 2003, Organo de la Conferedacion Nacional del Trabajo,
Avda Constitucion 21,9a, 18014 Granada, SPAIN, Tel:958289009, Fax:958288992,
jlgrua@ugr.es redaccion@periodcocnt.org
LE MONDE LIBERTAIRE No.1318 1st ­ 7th May ı03,  145 Rue Amelot, 75011 Paris,
FRANCE, Tel:0148053408, Fax:0149299859
ROJO Y NEGRO No.152 FEB Œ03, CGT, C/-Compania9, 10 1zda, 31001
Pamploma/Iruna SPAIN, Tel:948224766, Fax:948212399,
email:suscripciones@rojonero.info
TIERRA Y LIBERTAD No.174 Winter  Œ03, Periodico Anarquista, Apartado 7.056
de Madrid, 28080 SPAIN, Tel:917970424, Fax:915052183,
tierraylibertad@nodo50.org
UMANITA NOVA Vol 83 No.15 20th April Œ03, 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
INTERNATIONALISM NO.124 JAN/FEB ı03, Publication of the Internal Communist,
Current in the US, P.O. BOX 288, NEW YORK N.Y., 10018-0288, UNITED STATES
www.internationalism.org

DEBT ELIMINATION APPEAL - Our debt stands at $1526.50
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OBITUARY
Karen Joyce WALTERS
Born 3rd July 1959 ­ Melbourne
Died 1st April 2003 ­ Melbourne
It was 1.30 in the afternoon when Jeremy heard that unmistakable knock that
usually spells trouble. Opening the door, he was confronted by 2 police
officers.
"Are you Jeremy Dixon?"
"Yes".
"Do you know Karen Walters?"
"Yes, before you go on Iıd like to inform you that I know my rights."
"We donıt care about that. Weıre here to tell you that Karen WALTERS was
found dead in Barkly Square a short time ago."
In the space of a few seconds, the certainties of Jeremyıs life had
evaporated.
Karen Joyce Walters was born to her 17-year-old mother, Billie Smith, and
her 16-year-old father, Billie Smithıs boyfriend Doug Wainright, on the 3rd
July 1959 in Melbourne. She was put up for adoption after her father lost,
at the races, the money they had put aside for their wedding. She was
adopted by Garnett Walters and Marie Jenkins who she always regarded as her
real parents. She met her biological father and her half brothers and
sisters in her twenties. She grew up in Ivanhoe with her adopted brother,
attended the local primary school and spent a short time at Ivanhoe Girls
Grammar followed by a few years of Latrobe High School. During a troubled
adolescence, she spent a number of spells in a psychiatric hospital. Karen
began an apprenticeship as a florist although she had always wanted to be a
doctor.
She gave birth to her first son, Christopher, in 1981. That same year she
began a linguistic course at Latrobe University. As a teen, she had belonged
to the Collingwood branch of the Labor Party. At Latrobe University, she
threw herself into radical politics, alternating between socialist and
anarchist groups, and became a member of the anarcho-feminist collective
based in Collingwood in the early 1980s. Jeremy first met her at a picket
line at the Latrobe student union in 1984. During the latter half of the
1980s, she described herself as a lesbian separatist and was active in
lesbian separatist circles in Melbourne. In 1987, she had a second child,
Elizabeth (Polly). In the late 1980s, she began experimenting with heroin ­
"the cool thing" to do in some of the circles she found herself moving in.
She moved back to her parentsı home in the early 1990s to nurse her mother
during her final illness. It was during this period that she found herself
addicted to heroin and fought a 10-year battle to kick the habit, finally
getting off the methadone program in July 2002.
Karen began a long-lasting relationship with Jeremy Dixon in 1994. Although
troubled by severe asthma, she was keen to have further children. They had 2
children: Euryeic who is now 7, and Ridi who has just turned 2. She was
active in the vivaids movement as well as the anti war movement. On the eve
of her death, she and Jeremy made a "Stop The War Machine" banner for the
anti war demonstration in Melbourne on the 31st of March.
In the latter part of her life, Karen worked in a call centre. She was so
disgusted by the conditions she and her fellow workers had to endure that
she joined the union and actively campaigned to have other call centre
workers join. For her troubles, she lost her job.
Itıs relatively easy to list the milestones in a person life; itıs much more
difficult to gain an understanding of the person themselves. Karen flirted
with religion. At one point, she thought about becoming a Buddhist nun,
feeling she could easily embrace the central tenets of Buddhist philosophy.
She was a troubled soul battling her own internal demons whilst extending a
helping hand to those around her. She believed in universal and
unconditional love, and being a genuine pacifist, had contempt for physical
violence. She strongly believed that death does not have to part us from
those we love. Jeremy remembers her as a social person, glowing with a gin
and tonic in her hands, moving among the people she liked.
LEST YOU FORGET  - FOR KAREN WALTERS
I remember your long fingers,
Your elegance straight from the heart,
Smoking cigarettes and telling truths,
Because you know them first hand,
And that time I caught your crying in the bedroom.
You smiled like an actress
And didnıt miss a line I asked you then.
What is the choice? And you said
Sometimes you can forget for seconds at a time
Your last words to me were:
Andrea you have to take care of yourself,
A message that contained the truth
Three days later you are dead
For how long did you forget?
- By Andrea SHERWOOD
Karen Joyce Walters is survived by her partner Jeremy, their two children,
Ridi and Euryeic, and her two other children, Polly and Christopher.

ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE OBSCENITY OF THE WEEK
Has been awarded to the Bush administration for earmarking funds to develop
a "tactical" nuclear weapon that can be deployed by infantry soldiers to
deal with those situations when the mother of all bombs wonıt do.

You are invited to A gathering of women.
Please tell other interested women you know.
Where: 18 Clarke Street, North Coburg.
Tel 9350 2190 to confirm or enquires.
When: from 12pm, Saturday, 31st May 2003.
Why: To catch up, sing songs, swap potions, tell tales, cuddle kids, make
plans, grant wishes, make magic, soothe sores, feast fantastically.
Who: All women, all kids.
@ Press women re-union.,  @nti-state screen-printing women re-union.
C@ntankerous magazine re-union.,  @ House Women's Space re-union.
BRING: Food drink for shared feast at 1pm.

ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS
Where are the weapons of mass destruction?
THIS WEEK'S STORIES:  Govıt Takes Lead From Church On Sexual Abuse...Well
Done Them, Says Them...Workplace Discrimination Still Common...Terrorism In
Middle East Fails to Provoke US Invasion...US Big Business Rebuilds...Quotes
of the Week.
Ex Anglican Archbishop & Governor-General Peter Hollingworth told the PM
that heıd been accused of RAPE - but this info was kept from the public for
2 months, before it reached the Vict Supreme Court. Parliamentary Speaker
Neil Andrew said "criticism of the G-G will not be tolerated", under rules
which ban any 'disrespectful' comments about the Queen or Governor-General.
(The Age, May 10).
The Victorian Govıt effectively paid itself $4.6 million in bonuses for
running train & tram services & gave private companies nearly half a million
dollars, despite a drop in commuter satisfaction. The latest report into
public transport performance reveals that M>Train received $3.5 million in
'punctuality & reliability' bonuses, V/Line received $522,000 & M>Tram
$589,000.  Private companies Connex & Yarra Trams received $479,000. The
report showed a large drop in commuter satisfaction with services over the
same period. (The Age, May 10).
Women, migrants, & members of ethnic minorities are still the victims of
workplace discrimination, according to a new report. The report by the Intıl
Labour Org said discrimination was becoming "subtle, less visible & more
insidious".  Aust. sources said discrimination is often disguised as
complaints about performance. Report author Manuela Tomei said "thereıs not
one country in the world that can say it is free of this problem". (MX, May
12).
Foreigners entering the Gaza Strip will have to sign a declaration that the
Israeli Army isnıt responsible if it shoots them.  Visitors will also have
to declare that they aren't peace activists. The declaration by the Israeli
Army came a few hours before an autopsy on UK cameraman James Miller, which
showed that he was almost certainly killed by an Israeli soldier.  The
Israeli Army had denied this. Another UK citizen, Tom Hurndall, is in a coma
with severe brain damage.  Mr Hurndall was shot in the head by another
Israeli soldier as he tried to protect a child from gunfire. A mentally
disabled Palestinian man was also killed by Israeli troops in the occupied
Gaza Strip.  ŒThe Ageı described the man as "wearing traditional Arab robes
& walking near a border crossing" when Israeli troops shot him.  The Israeli
military said they "considered the man a potential threat" & that he didnıt
stop when told to. (The Age, May 10).
The Halliburton Co. has been given a contract worth nearly US$90million
(AUD$140.2 million), catering to US troops & officials in Iraq. Dick Cheney
was CEO of Halliburton until he resigned to become George Bush's running
mate,& hence VP of the USA. Halliburton itself estimates that its
're-building' has injected only $US100,000 into the Iraqi economy. (The Age,
May 10).
Quote of the Week: "I can predict now that the next time there's a terrorist
attack, the perpetrators will say it's in reprisal for what US & the
coalition did in Iraq - I want to predict that right now". - John Howard.
After the war in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the
Australian govt's support for the US govt had made Australia more of a
terrorist target.  The govt later denied any connection between govt policy
& the Bali bombing.
We had a great day," said Sgt Eric Schrumpf of the US Marines last Saturday.
"We killed a lot of people." He added: "We dropped a few civilians, but what
do you do?" He said there were women standing near an Iraqi soldier & one of
them fell when he & other Marines opened fire. "I'm sorry," said Sgt
Schrumpf, "but the chick was in the way". (reported by John Pilger in the
Mirror (UK), April 5).
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 ATNTF, forward it on to people or lists who might be interested
in it or post it on your local Indymedia http://www.indymedia.org.  Some
other Aust anarchist contacts: Love & Rage is a new anarchist, non-profit
record label.  The first CD is currently available by mail order.  20 songs
for $10 within Aust, $15 in NZ, $10 in the USA, $10 in Canada, 5 pounds in
Britain, or 10 euros in the rest of Europe.  Other countries, or enquiries
from shops & distroes, email us & ask.  Address for orders is PO Box 1191,
Richmond North VIC 3121 (Aust).  Please make cheques or money orders out to
J. Hutchings.  Website http://www.loveandrage.rocks.it,
http://www.angry.at/thegovernment - anarchist website with fliers for
download, contacts etc.  Please note, this is the same website that was at
the address http://www.angry.at/politicians. http://www.angry.at/racists -
Anarchist/anti-racist music site with free mp3s, Real Audio, Real Video,
internet radio, band interviews etc.  Also incl the text of 'Escape', an
anarchist novel - http://www.geocities.com/skipnewborn/novel.doc
http://www.dolearmy.org  info for unemployed people.
http://www.activate.8m.com - anarchist magazine aimed at teenagers. ATNTF
appears in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review
(http://www.vicnet.net.au/~anarchist - PO Box 20 Parkville VIC 3052) & The
Ham (http://www.theham.cat.org.au).
Media outlets mentioned in ATNTF are sources - items arenıt direct quotes
from news media.  Background info may have been gathered from sources in
addition to media outlets cited.  Where no source is cited, the info has
been gathered from direct sources.


  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


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