Aaron writes: Hi,

Propaganda Critic (http://www.propagandacritic.com) is a not-for-profit educational site inspired by the pioneering work of the Institute for Propaganda Analysis. The site has been revamped to include updated examples, streaming video clips, and fresh artwork by Carol Lay.

The site attempts to be relatively objective in the choice of propaganda examples, but some degree of bias is inevitable. Targeted toward a general audience, the site has the potential to be a useful resource in many settings.

Best regards,

Aaron

US Military Charged with Operating a Secret Chemical Weapons Program

"Sunshine Project" Provides Evidence for US Violation of International
Law

(Austin and Hamburg, 24 September 2002) -- The Sunshine Project
today accuses the US military of conducting a chemical weapons
research and development program in violation of international arms control law.

The charges follow an 18 month investigation of the Department of
Defense's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD). The
investigation made extensive use of the US Freedom of Information
Act to obtain Pentagon records that form the primary basis of the
allegations. An array of documents, many of which have been
posted on the Sunshine Project website, demonstrate beyond a reasonable
doubt that JNLWD is operating an illegal and classified chemical weapons
program.

Konrad Becker writes:

This is part of a paper on some of the issues discussed at the "Dark Markets" strategic conference. It will appear in the next issue of the Austrian publication "Kulturrisse".

New Media and Dark Ages

Konrad Becker

Post-modernized helplessness with bourgeois disorientation in
neo-liberal markets achieves a lasting atmosphere of lack of
perspectives that not only successfully hinders democratic development
but above all suffocates interest in the political itself.

The
wide-ranging confusion and resignation after the 9-11 outbreak of the
world war against "terror" is related to the inability of left world
views to deal with the polycentricism and hypercontextuality of the new
world. Even if utopias are not highly traded items these days and
stagnation is inflationary, this is not yet the end of history....

The aftermath of the terrorist attacks has revived imperialist ideology in the United States, rather than caused it to query its world role. Writers do not hesitate to draw parallels between their nation and ancient Rome, which they hold to be a model for world domination in the 21st century.

The Westward Course of Empire

Phillip S. Golub, Le Monde Diplomatique (English language version)

A WHILE before 11 September the American historian, Arthur Schlesinger Jr, suggested that despite the "absence of international checks and balances" in the modern unipolar world, the United States would not "stroll too far down the perilous highway to hubris . . . No one nation is going to be able to assume the role of world arbitrator and policeman" (1). Like many American intellectuals, he remained confident about US democracy and the rationality of decision making. And Charles William Maynes, an influential voice in US foreign policy, asserted: "America is a country with imperial capabilities but without an imperial mind" (2).

Fighting For Our Lives.

This free 24-page pamphlet discusses, in simple language, what is anarchist in everyday
life, and how those spheres of cooperation can be expanded. It addresses
common questions that often deter people from exploring anarchist ideas and
approaches, and endeavors to help introduce new terms and possibilities into
the public consciousness -- as well as to celebrate the times when we've
realized those possibilities, for those who have been consciously
participating in the anarchist project for years or decades already.

Discuss & Deploy:

A Convergence of Media and Technology Activists

September 27 -- September 29

http://www.abcnorio.org/conference

ABC No Rio, Autonomedia, FREE.THE.MEDIA!, InterActivist Network, Openflows Networks Ltd and TAO invite you to attend a conference addressing issues related to media autonomy and self-determination.

Discuss & Deploy will explore the convergence of technology, activism and culture, examining what this digital convergence means in terms of public access and the rights of noncommercial networks to exist in the corporate-owned digital world.

The conference will include panel presentations, workshops, and conversations/dialogues on topics including open source software, models of autonomous networks, security culture and more.

Registration is $10--$30 US (sliding scale). Registered conference attendees receive complimentary breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings; free admission to the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Saturday evening; and $1 off all beer and drinks at the Lotus Club.

All panels, discussions and workshops will take place in locations on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York. All venues are within walking distance of each other.

More detailed information about Discuss & Deploy can be found at http://www.abcnorio.org/conference.

MEDIA DEMOCRACY DAY - 18th October 2002



Media / Alt Media / Privacy / Technology / Art / Politics



In our era of rapid concentration and commercialisation of mass media, one major convergence remains: Reclaiming The Media!



Media Democracy Day is an occasion to push for and promote a media system that informs and empowers all members of society. It offers an opportunity to create and link grassroots media projects and build alternatives to the present media monopolies. It will connect existing pockets of critical and creative media projects with broader social movements.

In the early winter of 2001, the Phoenix Anarchist
Coalition began discussions centered around the
creation of a southwest anarchist network. Some
visiting anarchists from New Mexico heard our ideas
and decided they would like to host a South West
Anarchist Gathering (SWAG). More discussions
regarding such a network took place at the Bay Area
Anarchist Bookfair (BAAB) and, of course, at the SWAG
in New Mexico. On the last day of the SWAG,
anarchists from New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado
began planning for the next discussion at the
Transform Columbus Day events in Denver. The group
also decided to follow this up with the actual
formation of the network at another southwest
anarchist conference/gathering in Phoenix, AZ in the
spring of 2003.

Hi folks,

Just wanted to let you know that the following essays have been
reprinted and are now available to download as pdfs from the
Zabalaza Books site:

Federal prosecutors are indicting Sherman Austin, 19 year old founder / webmaster of Raise the Fist (Raise the Fist.com), an anarchist independent media / direct-action network. Sherman is being charged with 2 felony violations for distribution of information involving weapons of mass destruction and alleged possession of weaponry without permits.

Sherman rejected a guilty plea on August 26, 2002 in court, offering him 1 month in jail,
5 months in a half-way house and 3 years supervised release. If found guilty
in trial, Sherman could serve a maximum of 3-4 years in prison.

On January 24th, 2002, Sherman became one of the first victims of the new
USA Patriot Act when 25 heavily armed FBI agents and secret service
surrounded and raided his home in Los Angeles because of his anarchist web
site raise the fist. The entire server was shut down, all
computer equipment along with political literature, even protest signs were
seized and loaded into a big white truck.