Federation of Revolutionary Anarchist Collectives writes
The following is the text from a new poster from the Federation of Revolutionary
Anarchist Collectives (FRAC). The poster is the first in a series and
is in both english and spanish. If you would like more information
on FRAC or would like to find out how to get a copy of the poster please
email: nightvision@ziplip.com or write:
FRAC
PO Box 4502
East Lansing, MI 48826
************************************************** *****
No to Capitalist War, Yes to Anarchist Revolution!
You are holding the first in a series of posters produced by the Federation
of Revolutionary Anarchist Collectives of the Great Lakes Region (FRAC).
We are anarchist revolutionaries who struggle to put militant grassroots
action at the heart of social movements in our region and across North America.
The impending war on Iraq and the ongoing "war on terrorism" threaten the
lives and freedoms of millions. At the same time, they damage the prospects
for building a revolutionary movement to challenge white supremacy, patriarchy,
capitalism and the state. We oppose the war being forced down our throats
by Bush and the rest of his lot.
This poster examines the root causes of the impending war, possible methods
of resistance here in North America, and our vision of a free society. We
encourage you to place it in a prominent place where its message can be seen
by as wide a range of people as possible. At the end you will find contact
information for FRAC; check us out if you like what you see.
Permanent War, Limitless Greed
They used to say, "War is the health of the State," and this is still true
today, at least financially. The economy has been badly shaken since September
11, 2001, leaving huge numbers of people without work and no unemployment
check to soften the blow. "Consumer confidence" is low, and company after
company is declaring bankruptcy. It’s no secret that the major corporations
in the US, and their friends in Congress and the White House, hope a war
will spur the economy to new heights, as happened in World War Two at the
end of the Great Depression. War means money changing hands between governments,
defense contractors, and other corporations. And this war in particular is
connected to oil, which is especially convenient for the many North American
corporations that have ties to the petroleum industry. Profits all around
we are told, maybe even eventually for workers who, in the trickle down system
may somehow find new, higher-paying jobs in an expanding economy.
At least as important as money (and connected to it in lots of ways) is power.
Iraq has been thumbing its nose at the US and UN for over a decade, and the
US has recently decided to call this defiance "terrorism". The word offers
a convenient excuse to expand North American imperial control by making an
example of Iraq: do what we tell you or we’ll bomb your country to hell.
Other countries (most likely North Korea is next) can look forward to similar
treatment, as can popular movements of workers and oppressed people all over
the world, including inside the US. If Bush and his friends have their way,
permanent war will become the way of the future, guaranteeing the US both
incredible power and a booming economy. That’s the plan anyway.
But resistance to US-led global capitalism is on the upswing worldwide, and
not always in positive forms. The US strategy of permanent war is risky:
it could bring great benefits, but it also will anger poor people worldwide
and thus help recruit for groups like al-Qaeda and Hamas, who are themselves
enemies of freedom, just like Bush. There is no reason to support a tyrant
like Hussein, and the coming war will most likely create other similar dictators,
instead of eliminating them. And in the name of safety, incredible damage
will be done to the natural environment through oil spills and fires, depleted
uranium weapons, and the risk of releasing biological and chemical weapons.
The war will likely make the world less safe and less free, more hungry and
more sick.
In the US, war might "help the economy", but it will certainly result in
bad news for working people everywhere: the worst news will be death, in
the form of casualties of war. But there will also likely be higher prices,
weaker unions (as if they weren’t pro-business enough already), more unemployment
in non-military areas of the economy, further cuts in the social safety net,
and other signs of crisis. At the same time, we will witness the continuation
and even expansion of the recent mass round-ups and detentions of immigrants.
While the worst effects of war will be reserved for the people of Iraq, the
negative consequences will be felt everywhere, even in places like Chicago,
Cleveland, and Lansing, MI.
Resisting the War, Fighting the System
What to do about the coming war? We cannot stand in solidarity with the people
of Iraq (or of Latin America, Africa and Asia, all eventual targets of Bush’s
permanent war) and be passive resisters. While going to protests can be reduced
to a welcome diversion from our everyday existence, flowers, banners, and
weak slogans are insufficient for the task of stopping the coming war.
In limiting itself to traditional demonstrations, the peace movement seems
self-satisfied and disconnected, as if doing the right thing were merely
a matter of public statements instead of action. We have to recognize the
reality of what we’re up against. Flowers cannot stop the billions of dollars
spent on military support of regimes as bad as Hussein’s (except they happen
to be our friends, like Hussein used to b e). Placards alone will not defeat
the Patriot Act and the Homeland Security Act, and empty slogans haven’t
stopped the sanctions and bombing of Iraq over the last decade.
Instead, we should be building an anti-war movement that takes direct action
to stop the coming war. Mass demonstrations, if they become militant, can
show popular anger at the US. Graffiti and other street art can build awareness
of dissent. Building and land occupations, strikes and workplace actions
have the chance to take resistance to another level, both more militant and
more popular. Direct action against the military, along with anti-war actions
by soldiers themselves, can help expand both the resistance and mainstream
awareness of it. Connections can be made to other struggles, around police
brutality (the local face of the US superpower), welfare "reform" and anti-sweatshop
campaigns (US economic control in miniature), ecological destruction (including
attacks on water treatment plants and oil refineries), domestic violence
(the macho violence of capitalist war reflected back into the home), and
fighting other wars fueled by capitalist globalization (in Palestine, Colombia,
Chiapas). Over time, a revolutionary movement can develop. Nothing is guaranteed,
but the first steps can be the most important. If we construct a real alternative
to both imperialist war and authoritarian dictatorship AND WE FIGHT TO WIN,
Capitalism, Patriarchy, White Supremacy, and the State can be defeated.
For a Free Humanity, For Anarchy
We’re tired of not having control over our own lives. Our existence in this
capitalist system revolves around working to make ends meet. Since so much
of our time is focused on work, we have little or no time for the things
that are important to us: communicating with other people, spending time
with our families, discussing what is going on in our own communities, and
changing all the destructive things in our lives.
Women, children, and men, the majority of people here and worldwide, will
remain tied down by the system until we rise up, destroy what is keeping
us under control, and at the same time rebuild society. We aim to build a
community of resistance, whose ultimate goal is a revolution. This involves
large- and small-scale actions to destabilize the power structure, while
simultaneously constructing the new world in the shell of the old. Taking
over industries and resources, establishing popular militias against and
in place of police and military, and building the power of oppressed and
marginalized communities against white supremacy, patriarchy, and the state.
The United States government and all other nation-states would be destroyed
and replaced with true democracy and internationalism.
We fight for a world where we are free to run an orderly society, an order
we create collectively. Assemblies and committees of everyday people can
and should make the important decisions about community life, and can build
federations with parallel groups in other areas to make decisions at a regional,
continental, and global level. There will not be one person or group running
the show; power will be spread and shared within and among communities. Freedom
for all will be rooted in autonomy and justice for people of color, women,
and queers. The words community, solidarity, and equality will actually mean
something again. People will work together, help each other out, and accomplish
things, for the benefit of a society that we build together.
Our hope for the world may not be perfect or free of violence, but capitalist
war as we experience it today will no longer destroy the lives and happiness
of millions. The machine of poverty and marginalization, the main means by
which capitalism continues to grow, will be destroyed, because food, clothes,
and housing, not to mention music, books and art, will be made and distributed
because they are needed, not because they can make a profit. This future
is not only possible but also necessary if humanity and the planet are to
survive.
If you agree with us, get in touch!
Federation of Revolutionary Anarchist Collectives - Great Lakes Region
FRAC
PO Box 4502
East Lansing, MI 48826
nightvision@ziplip.com
January 25, 2003
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