Re: [pf] The Media is only telling you what they want you to know

· The second item below is the new one, from Bruce Thorpe.  D.

At 09:29 7/8/2000 -0700, Betsy wrote:
>As a person who has been arrested and who has been close to the arrests of
many peaceful street demonstrators in various actions in my city, I am not
at all surprised that this woman would keep her name anonymous. Be
suspicious if you will, but also know that COINTELPRO is not dead and
police "undercover" work against groups that protest and anyone associated
with them has ratcheted up in recent months (since Seattle) to an alarming
degree.
>
>In Minneapolis last week there was a meeting of the International Society
for Animal Genetics that drew protesters who oppose genetic engineering and
corporate control of agriculture, who support animal rights and who object
to the heavy funding of scientific research by corporations that want to
patent life. The police prepared for the demonstrations ...

And at 15:56 8/8/2000 +1200, with subject Re:[GV]Betsy, on:
unConstitutional treatment of protesters: GOP Convention, Philly:
>
>1. The police and city officials not only exaggerate but lie to influence
how the public responds and drive a wedge between people who aren't
protesting and those who are. I know there were plenty of people from all
over who came to Philly to protest the Republican convention, but I'll bet
there were a lot more local Philly and NJ folks there than what the police
and media (who get their info from the PD) would have people believe. At
the recent protests here, police put out the same message, informing
residents that they were "protecting our city" from these outside
agitators.  ...


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At 17:52 8/8/2000 +1200, Bruce Thorpe <.-.-.@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>kia ora Greenviews,
>I found this discussion fascinating and very confused. The general tone
>that street protest is played by a set of rules like a football match,
>is to oversimplify the dynamic role street protest has in the real world.
>Protests of this kind are not justifed or discounted on the basis of
>who keeps to some set of rules.
>They are about the human beings putting their bodies on the line for
>what they believe is right. Of course it not a one sided event, these
>protest positions are taken in a context of political and police
>confrontation, in this case, with cohorts of policemen carrying batons,
>shields and wearing helmets with full face visors.
>Lets face it folks such a confrontation is about taunting the police and
>creating images of repression and heroism. It can be: 
>stonethrowing by schoolkids at armoured cars, as in Palestine and Ireland, 
>or rich kids against tanks like Tianamen Square 
>or countless other street protests worldwide. 
>I think it is a powerful tool that can ignite the public conscience. If
>the physical willingness to die in a ditch is present in numbers this
>stratagem can succeed in modern times. It depends on the involvement of
>media who in general respond well to this particular challenge. 
>
>It has to be remembered that the question being asked is how committed
>to oppression is the political order behind the police in the street.
>In this case the political order under test is the municipal authority,
>Philadelphia's mayor and police chief presumably. it probably will play
>serious brutality short of murder if the protestors can be seen as
>"outsiders." The key police and protest tacticians will understand this
>instinctively.
>The police will intimidate, beat up and build their own team morale
>while blaming the protestors. The protestors will try to turn the
>"outsiders" charge back at the Republican conference, and try and get an
>overreaction that will polarise the public.
>Death will be avoided by the police as it would be counterproductive and
>would seriously damage the Republican Party's electoral chances in the
>near future, and at that point  the rules would change and the local
>cops would be demonised. 
>It is interesting that so many U.S. citizens can wax pugnacious when the
>police are mean to political activists but are pretty supine when shown
>videos of police gangs kicking unresisting black men. 
>Bruce T.
>

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To: Positive Futures list
From: Priscilla Richter <.-.-.@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [pf] The Media is only telling you what they want you to know
Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 06:06:31 -0700

Betsy wrote that COINTELPRO is not dead -- she is correct.  In the late
sixties and early seventies, COINTELPRO effectively dismantled the civil
rights and anti-war movements. With the kinds of technology available
today, it won't take them nearly as long to dismantle the forces that have
united to fight the injustices inherent in globalization and in our
political processes.  I think that this is well worth heeding.

Blessings, Priscilla

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sent on by David.
(David MacClement) davd@ihug.co.nz 
http://www.emucities.com.au/member/davd/index.html
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