Journal

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:04:49 GMT

So I saw avatar....
complete exotification of peoples, specifically indigenous, and of course a white dude still saves the day.
Fucking shit. Can I ever catch a break?

Also, I need that drug from the movie Equilibrium so I can stop feeling.
It would be helpful when my emotions become out of control.

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:46:33 GMT

punk queers let's put it where it's at
balk or hairy thin or thick you know i like that fat
pull off your punk shirts and let's not hide
let's rework this thing they call pride

-limp wrist

Up the PUNXAssQueers

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:18:48 GMT

I should write a zine.
a personal zine.
but I think my writing is incredibly boring and incomprehensible.

Next summer I plan to be a part of an all lady train ridin' crew, AND we are going to write an epic crush zine.

possibly called "days of war, nights of spice"

a little tribute to the spice girls, and a little joke on crimethinc. Yet, I'm pretty sure we'll change the name since it's not very original, BUT fucking hilarious if you've ever read the book "Days of war nights of Love"

So put your harlequins down and be ready for post-summer twentyten.
In anycase I will alert everyone when its done and whoever wants a copy will get one in the mail or handed to. <3

leaving for Mexico october 11th.

pre-Mexico, epic birthday/going away party/ benefit show/ spin the bottle/ lovin'/ boozin/XXX/cupcake/madness. If anyone has a sweet space they have in mind give me some suggestions.

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:27:29 GMT

Lately I've been feeling in love.

In love with everyone, and of course specific people...

Traveling scared and excited me about making new friends, building relationships, and learning with each other how to live our lives in this fucked up world.

Though I want to be a part of more, I can't deny that I have strong convictions, And I'm prepared to protect my friends and destroy things that stand in our way.

Capitalism, Patriarchy, White Supremacy, Abelism, Homophobia, Xenophobia, industrial civilization.

I can't stand the fact that I have people I care about killing brown people, working shitty jobs to only have another shitty job, cancer and dieseases of all sorts stemming from the pollution and destruction of the earth, the consumption of food created only for the purpose of generating profit, and even if it wasn't those who need healthy foods can't even afford it. And the general hostitlity I feel everyday when someone looks at me whistles/licks thier lips/ and sees me only as the object they're conditioned to percieve me as.

I'm more than that.

And I'm ready to do what I can to subvert the totality.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:22:03 GMT

I love travelin'

I'm so fucking smelly right now.

guilty pleasure

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:14:11 GMT

I love watching old episodes of Roswell!

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:42:39 GMT

Okay I have to spread the good news.

I bought a diva cup and have been using it for three months, and it was the best damn investment (I think) I have ever made.

Its a menstral cup. Basically thats pretty self explanatory, you insert the cup into your vagina and wham! it can stay in for 12hours (over night too). Not only is it super comfortable but your saving money by not buying tampons/pads, but your protecting yourself from the shitty chemicals in those products. Not to mention keeping waste to a minimum.

so here the link to diva cups website. theres a couple other brands our there too. I bought mine from southtown health food store (in chicago)

http://www.divacup.com/

and a tampactivist pdf with facts about tampons, pad and alternatives.

http://www.campusactivism.org/server-new/uploads/brochure.pdf

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:33:48 GMT

sigh. in love. so in love right now. with songs.

saw wingnut dishwashers union

its ridiculous that someone can sing something that you are feeling...exactly!
edit-----sings something you were feeling but couldn't verbalize
this isn't the song I'm talking about, but this one makes me feel pretty damn happy.
everyone should attempt to see him tomo in chicago.

House Show @ 2502 n ridgeway Chicago, IL. 7 PM with the drinking lincolns

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:13 GMT

I'm getting a ukulele

and i'm taking it everywhere with me this summer.
I've already started writing songs.

This is a really good write up

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:06:22 GMT

The news of the riots that followed the shooting of 22-year-old Oscar Grant has sensationally occupied the headlines of Bay Area newspapers and television programs over the last week. These reports have focused almost exclusively on the vandalism of local businesses and cars and have remained chillingly silent on the topic of the police violence that occurred that evening. The troubling assumption made throughout all of the reportage is that the destruction of storefront facades and car windows somehow equates to the horrific execution of Oscar, and that it justified the police violence against demonstrators that night.

As anarchists who were involved in the demonstrations, we fully reject the notion that the vandalizing of private property could ever be weighed against the violence committed against not only Oscar Grant, but against youth of color every day by police and the prison system. This way of thinking, that gives property more value than people, is what allows the violence of the police to become dangerously normalized and unquestioned.

At the time of this writing, the police officer that executed Oscar Grant in cold blood still walks the streets without criminal charges, while some of those arrested during the demonstration are locked away in prison awaiting trial and will likely face harsh sentences. The violent system that so quickly punishes those who demonstrated while simultaneously protecting the murderer of Oscar Grant should be the target of our collective criticism and condemnation, not the angry youth who reacted to the shooting in the streets that night. While Bay Area journalists have presented themselves as being objective reporters of the aforementioned events, their reports and broadcasts repeatedly reveal their bias in favor of the police when recounting the evening of the demonstrations. The endless images of smashed windows and burned cars, and the litany of condemnations of "lawlessness" and "destruction" serve to obscure the most violent events of the night, and indeed the only violence perpetrated against human beings: the brutal police beatings of protesters. One witness described a police officer beating a protester on the head so severely his bike helmet was split in two. Another described how police made over 70 protesters lie down on their stomachs in positions that eerily echoed Oscar Grant's pose as he was shot. A visibly pregnant woman was screaming in pain after being attacked by police. It is clear to us that the police were protecting private property and not human beings that night. We are disgusted by this, and we condemn Bay Area journalists for being complicit with police violence by attempting to justify their actions.

A very distorted and troubling view of what constitutes violence in our society is perpetuated by the current coverage. A car does not scream in agony when it burns, and similarly a storefront facade does not sob when its plate glass window shatters to the sidewalk below. It is true that the cost of replacing cars and windows may be a burden for the working-class people who were affected, and that is certainly regrettable. However, there is simply no comparison between those costs and the brutal consequences of police violence. The youth who were brutalized by police the night of the demonstration will have to live with their injuries and traumas for years to come, and Oscar Grant cannot be replaced. We call on the public to recognize the real violence in our society – the violence of the police, the prisons and the politicians. As long as police and corrupt politicians protect the cop that killed Oscar, as long as youth of color are continuously attacked and criminalized by the police and court system, as long as property is valued over people - we will not grieve over the property vandalized on Wednesday night.

Signed,
Bay Area Anarchists

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:14:11 GMT

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:30:31 GMT

watch a couple min of this please. It's a talk about the greenscare and the realities of calling people "eco-terrorists" and the implications it has for activists.

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:34:30 GMT

cinematic masterpiece

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:15:14 GMT

I have to say, trampolines are pretty awesome.

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:59:55 GMT

To those of you in Chicago:

I'm thinking about starting a critical mass in beverly, beginning at beverly park just a good place to start.
Probably in June. Do people thinks thats a cool idea? I mean, it will probably be a one time thing...unless others want to keep doing it.

(and people don't have to wait till june, they could start one this month.....)

FYI about Critical Mass

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:49:07 GMT

Due to a friends suggestion of making a summer reading list I decided to make one. I know it's rather nerdy but whatever. I'm only picking 10 because that's a decent number, and in honor of the song "10 things" by Paul Baribeau. So without further ado heres my summer reading list/10 books I want to read before I die:

1) In the time of the Butterflies- Julia Alvarez
2) Anarchy in the time of Dinosaurs- Crimethinc workers collective
3) Getting OFF: Pornography and the end of Masculinity- Robert Jensen
4) Quiet Rumours: An Anarcha-Feminist Reader- Dark Star Collective (editor)
5) In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women- Alice Walker (possibly read The Color Purple again because its such a good book), or anything written by Alice Walker for that matter.
6) Doris: an anthology 1991-2001-Cindy Gretchen Ovenrack Crabb
7) Freedom, Equity, and Solidarity-Lucy Parsons
8) Our Enemies in BLUE-Kristian Williams
9) As the World Burns: 50 simple things you can do to stay in Denial (a graphic novel)-Derrick Jensen & Stephanie McMillian
10)Please Don't Feed the Bears (A vegan Cookbook)- A collection of zine's turned book. There are also a lot of little blibs in it about veganism too.

Wow this is quite a list :D
and here is a youtube video of Paul Baribeau (sorry that the quality isn't very good)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:05:50 GMT

So I've gotten tired of drinking/smoking up. I mean I don't mind doing it when the opportunity presents itself, but in terms of planning to get drunk or doing it all the time, ick.

What I mean is I really hate it when kids or people do nothing but drink as a leisure activity, and then thats ALL they talk about.
it just gets REALLY annoying after a while.

I guess I'm sick of dealing with rich/mostly white/preppy people from school, and thats all they do.
It just seems like they're wasting time.

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:07:41 GMT

So my mom and I went downtown yesterday, and we drive by a bus stop that has an advertisement of a girl with a shirt that says "Stop and Think"

H&M is selling shirts where 25% of the profit goes to HIV/AIDS "prevention projects"
ON the web site it says "SHOPPING HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT!"

seriously? shopping doesn't do shit, besides make you feel better that some money went to foundations instead of the cheaply paid worker. And sure H&M has this little blip on their web site about trying to make sure there factories have safe working conditions, but ahh yes, thats probably just a PR ploy. Because they want you to shop MORE!

Stopping sweatshop labor, and the spread of HIV/AIDS is not going to end by shopping

So what I'm trying to say is wearing a shirt that says "stop and think" made by H&M makes you look like a fucking dumbass.

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:14:07 GMT

my cupcakes:

chocolate cake + peanut butter frosting + chocolate swirls - animal products = magic

mmm I love the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World"
So many delicious recipes.

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:41:33 GMT

movie:chasing my tail
starring:bike punx
directed by: kera

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:02:52 GMT

Everyone Meet Bike

oh no! Richard is going to eat the puppy!!

jk

yes...I live with a puppy

MY home my get a new member of the household!!

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:30:40 GMT

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:11:39 GMT

so I bought cool runnings on DVD.

Its my valentines day present for myself.
awesome

everyone should go :) click on the picture

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:38:34 GMT

OH COMe on read it! I helped put it together!

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:19:48 GMT

A statment on the elections by Activate: Grand Rapids SDS

It's 2008, and the writing is on the wall--it's "vote or die" as we
enter the "most critical election year in recent memory." Everywhere
we turn, we are told to vote for a candidate that has made a litany
of grandiose (or not so grandiose) proclamations and promises. We're
told to fall behind a particular candidate--often chosen by the media
before the people even get a voice--to bring about the ever elusive
"change" that we all know is needed. Stale and poorly written
"policies"--reducing lives to numbers--by candidates hand-picked from
the elite who will never address the oppression that so many of us face in
our daily struggles.

Unfortunately, if we stop and think about it--it's pretty unlikely
that one candidate is going to bring about a major change in society.
In a world plagued by systemic problems--war, poverty, racism,
sexism, and homophobia--it is unlikely that a candidate is going to
address any of these issues. And, deep down, we know they won't. For
decades--despite the millions of dollars and hours spent on the
presidential elections--things have been getting progressively worse.
Yet, every four years we do the same thing, we reduce our politics--
and what we hold in our hearts--into a choice between two--maybe
three--candidates for president.

We've put an extraordinary amount of energy into elections. We've put
our faith and energy into checking boxes and pulling levers, reducing
our idea of political involvement to just voting. However, the
inefficiency of voting is clear. We can vote once, twice, maybe three
times a year--but we can organize within our communities and act
anytime--anywhere. Moreover, as a tactic that is relied on almost
exclusively--voting has not been particularly successful. The history
of social struggle in the United States teaches us that major
victories--from the labor movement to the Civil Rights movement--were
won in the streets, not at the ballot box. We've forgotten the
innumerable and creative ways that we can change the world and in the
process have forgotten that voting by itself is not activism. Radical
change comes from struggle, organizing, and movement building--it
comes from the grassroots, not from politicians.

This year, it's time to break out of the ballot box. Let's push
ourselves in new directions. But first, let's be clear that we're not
telling you not to vote--and we're not telling you to vote, either.
Instead, we're asking you--as an individual, as part of a community,
as part of an activist group, or as someone who just has a hunch that
things need to change drastically--to think about how we can
transform ourselves, our communities, and our world for the better.
With so much focus on the elections, how can we encourage folks to
get involved beyond simply voting? Can we strategically use popular
movements to pressure candidates and demand more? How can we build a
new world? Is it even possible for our current system to incorporate
all of our ideas for change--and do we even want it to?

These questions--along with countless others--are on our minds.
ACTIVATE--as a group of folks who have been involved in organizing
around the Iraq War for nearly two years--is thinking about how we
can strategically use the election year to expand the idea of
participation, achieve real change, and build a movement
infrastructure that exists well beyond the so-called "campaign
season." We're open to ideas, thoughts, and criticism--and we'll say
more about our plans in the future.

For now, let's all remember that our dreams will never fit in their
ballot boxes.

In Solidarity,
- ACTIVATE (Grand Rapids SDS) - www.activategr.org