So queries Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. As wonderful as the song is, I found it odd that, as the credits roll at the end of the performance, you can hear Ms. Jones exhorting the crowd to “go out and vote to make a difference.” Isn’t tax resistance more likely to be practiced by those who’ve come to believe that voting can’t make a difference — or, at least, not enough of a difference?
Perhaps it’s understandable considering that the video was recorded in late August 2004, only a couple of short months before the Presidential election that many thought was going to end the Iraq War. But I wonder if she feels differently now, because I can’t think of a more hyped election in my lifetime than that one, where it seemed that so many people were inspired to make a difference through their vote. And yet, it made no difference whatsoever. Four more years of Bush, four more years of war, four more years of torture, four more years of shrinking liberties, four more years of expanding inequality.
Are peaceful people going to make the same mistake again? Do they really believe that cluster-bomb loving, Iraq-War supporting Hillary Clinton is going to make a difference? Hell, we may even wind up with Giuliani in charge, Mr. Firm Hand himself, and even Obama has already talked about invading Pakistan. Really, what political choice do people have who want to stop this war? What if we all stop paying taxes?
There are a group of students at Columbia University that are participating in a hunger strike. They are pissed off about the ongoing problem of racism there, as reflected in recent symbolic attacks directed towards faculty (nooses and swastikas), an ethnocentric curriculum, and the university’s planned expansion into Harlem (which would displace thousands). From their online petition, where I’ve added my name in solidarity with their efforts:
We demand a Core Curriculum that is inclusive not only of the canon of Western European thought, but that seeks to build a deep understanding of the multicultural society that we live in and the power relations that constitute it.
We demand a sustainable expansion that does not displace 5,000 people and bulldoze a neighborhood in Harlem, one of the most important communities in the United States.
We demand an administration that is responsive to institutional racism, supports its students, and proactively works to create a climate in which nooses and swastikas are not the order of the day.
We demand support and autonomy for the Ethnic Studies program, which is crucial to a critical intellectual experience in a progressive university.
We are concerned for both the well-being of the strikers and the campus community, which has been so starved by the indifference of the administration. We express our solidarity with the hunger strikers and urge the university administration to fulfill these demands as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
You can keep updated on all things Hunger Strike at their informative blog. Also, a curious political art installation popped up on the Columbia campus yesterday. I’m not sure if it’s explicitly associated with the hunger strike, but it’s one of the more thoughtful and provocative pieces I’ve seen there.
The piece appeared to be a contemplation on Mexican immigration into the U.S., especially highlighting the horrible conditions that Mexican workers face both in their native country, and as illegal workers here. There were [maybe a hundred or more?] newspapered headstones attached to the chained borders around the grassy areas in the quad, each containing a fact or story about Mexican immigrants. To my knowledge it was only up for a day. I snapped some hurried pics as my camera battery died:
>> UPDATE: Ok, geesh, I just noticed that the bottom picture mentions a town in El Salvador, so the installation was obviously about more than just Mexican immigrants.
There’s some badass war resistance going on in Olympia, Washington. More people are beginning to figure out that if we want to stop this war, we’re going to have to do it ourselves, because it’s increasingly obvious that the Democrats in Congress have no intention of doing so. This means we must directly interfere in the war process by any means available to us — whether war tax resistance, counterrecruitment, or as these fine folks are doing, blockading militarized ports. Unfortunately, violent reprisals by hired thugs (err . . . police officers) are a very real consequence of such actions, and activists who are willing to put their safety on the line are to be applauded for their courage (because they’re awesome!). From Next Left Notes:
Wednesday night over 150 people gathered at the Port of Olympia to demonstrate against the militarization of the port. Demonstrators, both members of PMR (Port Militarization Resistance) and others, decided to block the convoys. People sat down in lines to block convoys leaving the port and cops came in to push them back and assault them. The next several hours saw similar displays of civil resistance. More cops came onto the scene. More convoys left the port, running into resistance on many streets. Several people came close to getting run over by Stryker vehicles that were traveling at high speed. Small barricades went up as well and a number of people defended themselves and their community from the cops by pushing them back. People were chased by cops and in return cops made fools of themselves by tripping over their own feet, falling down and being too out of shape to run after and catch up with the evasive resisters.
Sinn Steiner of Olympia SDS was arrested earlier in the night and a few people were detained. Olympia SDSer Emiliano Guevara was clubbed in the face by cops, causing his lip to split open….
What was amazing about the night was the level of resistance displayed. Never before, in the port actions in Olympia, Tacoma and Aberdeen, have people displayed these levels of resistance, adapting quickly to changing situations and fighting back. There was something beautiful that happened Wednesday night. Liberals, radicals and everyone in between were working together. They were on the same page and because of this they were able to act in the manner they did. It was a true expression – no, a true act of solidarity….
You can read the whole report at Next Left Notes. The above picture is taken from Robert Whitlock’s Flickr page, at which there’s a large photoset documenting the event.
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