Comments on: Hundreds of Billions of Dollars http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/ This website will function as a clearinghouse for bulletins from participating cells, enabling readers to keep abreast of their activities and, more importantly, coordinate activities with them. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:45:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Going It Alone: Anarchist Action at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions at subMedia http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-17324 Going It Alone: Anarchist Action at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions at subMedia Mon, 11 May 2009 22:13:28 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-17324 [...] anarchists have undertaken to organize militant action in the US in several years. Two weeks later, the global economy collapsed, followed shortly by anarchist-initiated rioting in Greece dwarfing anything in Denver or St. Paul. [...] [...] anarchists have undertaken to organize militant action in the US in several years. Two weeks later, the global economy collapsed, followed shortly by anarchist-initiated rioting in Greece dwarfing anything in Denver or St. Paul. [...]

]]> By: CrimethInc. Far East Blog » New Poster: Crisis is Business as Usual http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-16850 CrimethInc. Far East Blog » New Poster: Crisis is Business as Usual Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:49:11 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-16850 [...] A brief introduction to the sources and implications of the economic crisis [...] [...] A brief introduction to the sources and implications of the economic crisis [...]

]]> By: farmer http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-15550 farmer Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:27:44 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-15550 My wife and I are using this opportunity for cheap land to start a farm. We have worked in agriculture for years and bounced around various activist communities in Seattle and Detroit. We have always tried to inspire people to 'leave Babylon' and come start a collective farm, but no one was interested in putting money where their mouths were. Now we can afford to do it on our own and are hoping to lead by example. If this crisis turns out to be a deep depression one of the above posters is absolutely correct; you will not want to be in the city. But in a situation where you can support your own most basic needs without and assistance from the outside world. Hopefully our endeavor is a success at least by providing us the means to expand and increase our capacity to support more people. So if the bottom really does fall out we will be able to take people forge a good life for ourselves, independent from the capitalist system. My wife and I are using this opportunity for cheap land to start a farm. We have worked in agriculture for years and bounced around various activist communities in Seattle and Detroit.
We have always tried to inspire people to ‘leave Babylon’ and come start a collective farm, but no one was interested in putting money where their mouths were. Now we can afford to do it on our own and are hoping to lead by example.
If this crisis turns out to be a deep depression one of the above posters is absolutely correct; you will not want to be in the city. But in a situation where you can support your own most basic needs without and assistance from the outside world.
Hopefully our endeavor is a success at least by providing us the means to expand and increase our capacity to support more people. So if the bottom really does fall out we will be able to take people forge a good life for ourselves, independent from the capitalist system.

]]> By: lobsterbeard http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-15478 lobsterbeard Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:26:42 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-15478 I tried to post this a few days ago, but it didn't work for some reason. Glad you liked the post Pseudonym. Here are some links: Greek anarchist neighborhood: http://www.anarchistnews.org/?q=node/1206 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exarcheia And 2 million foreclosures: http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20070608_nationdoomed.htm http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/29/subprime.congress/index.html I tried to post this a few days ago, but it didn’t work for some reason.

Glad you liked the post Pseudonym. Here are some links:

Greek anarchist neighborhood:

http://www.anarchistnews.org/?q=node/1206
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exarcheia

And 2 million foreclosures:

http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20070608_nationdoomed.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/29/subprime.congress/index.html

]]> By: ismac76 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-15476 ismac76 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:38:40 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-15476 These neighborhoods described (ala Greece) are aka base communities and are essential to any dual power strategy. some ideas.... people with good credit , looking to actualize this concept could look into forming land trusts to shelter those among us with bad credit, provided they aren't purely leeches or scammers who will suck the organization dry. A means of production (some kind of business) attached to the base community (I once read about watchmakers in the Jura region of Switzerland who were anarchists, prob in the 19th c.) that has the capacity to provide for basic human needs, with those who are deeply indebted could then further default on their loans and further destabilize the situation. This would be a fitting response in the class war to the debt bomb and its bailout (if the people who can best afford to pay for their messes are let off the hook so why should any of us honor our debts to any of their institutions?), and would have the unintended effect of limiting those escaping from debt from the excessive consumption that is not only consuming the earth and it's life support systems, it already kicked their ass and fuels the corporate/police state. The trick would be to own nothing on paper, so there is nothing to garnish, nothing to be sued for(debtors prisons may however return if this idea actually worked). If members identities were protected and there was no other reason to go looking for them (like egregious criminal stuff ) maybe they could disappear into a hole in the capitalist fabric. This would also give members little incentive to rejoin civil society at large. FYI, buy guns ammo, and reloading equipment with those credit cards before you walk away. B/C If anything really does destabilize, if the economy suddenly can't or won't produce enough food, clothing SUV's and trinkets,you'll want to be in an eco-fortified villiage, not the regular kind. All I'm saying is that ignorance and violence have been brewed on a vast scale in this society and don't expect some 1000 years of peace right after this behemoth sinks. Maybe some people will turn out to be better than expected, maybe a sense of community will come together. Realistically, though expect people to act totally spastic, irrational and evil(I know it's a dualistic word, forgive me, I was raised here). It's far better to be let down on the latter than to expect the former. Now is no time for solutions with magical thinking worked into the logic. If you're the one with all food and stuff, from hard work and permaculture thinking, when walmart is burnt out and empty, eventually your collective efforts may recieve attention of a similar kind from people who are in "survival mode". which brings me back around to destabilization in the first place..... dual power is about easing that transition, building that community 1st so it can give people some idea of why they shouldn't kill each other when the mob mentality takes over. So we can protect ourselves and maintain autonomy when faced with that mob mentality. another thought.... If you are willing to risk the wrath of the IRS, protest this give away by exempting yourself from federal withholding if you aren't already. This is a good transitional tactic if some debt shelter communities were to emerge. Of course you may give them cause to hunt you down if you don't pay it next april, It might be worth a discussion of pros and cons. Of course it may not matter when we compete with zimbabwe for worst inflation on the face of the earth after we realize the effects of the other countries no longer subsidizing our binges. That alone has more potential to destabilize our country than anyone seems to be letting on or recognizing. Their incentives for buying our shit mopping treasury instruments again? These neighborhoods described (ala Greece) are aka base communities and are essential to any dual power strategy.
some ideas….
people with good credit , looking to actualize this concept could look into forming land trusts to shelter those among us with bad credit, provided they aren’t purely leeches or scammers who will suck the organization dry. A means of production (some kind of business) attached to the base community (I once read about watchmakers in the Jura region of Switzerland who were anarchists, prob in the 19th c.) that has the capacity to provide for basic human needs, with those who are deeply indebted could then further default on their loans and further destabilize the situation.
This would be a fitting response in the class war to the debt bomb and its bailout (if the people who can best afford to pay for their messes are let off the hook so why should any of us honor our debts to any of their institutions?), and would have the unintended effect of limiting those escaping from debt from the excessive consumption that is not only consuming the earth and it’s life support systems, it already kicked their ass and fuels the corporate/police state. The trick would be to own nothing on paper, so there is nothing to garnish, nothing to be sued for(debtors prisons may however return if this idea actually worked). If members identities were protected and there was no other reason to go looking for them (like egregious criminal stuff ) maybe they could disappear into a hole in the capitalist fabric. This would also give members little incentive to rejoin civil society at large.
FYI, buy guns ammo, and reloading equipment with those credit cards before you walk away.

B/C If anything really does destabilize, if the economy suddenly can’t or won’t produce enough food, clothing SUV’s and trinkets,you’ll want to be in an eco-fortified villiage, not the regular kind. All I’m saying is that ignorance and violence have been brewed on a vast scale in this society and don’t expect some 1000 years of peace right after this behemoth sinks. Maybe some people will turn out to be better than expected, maybe a sense of community will come together. Realistically, though expect people to act totally spastic, irrational and evil(I know it’s a dualistic word, forgive me, I was raised here). It’s far better to be let down on the latter than to expect the former. Now is no time for solutions with magical thinking worked into the logic. If you’re the one with all food and stuff, from hard work and permaculture thinking, when walmart is burnt out and empty, eventually your collective efforts may recieve attention of a similar kind from people who are in “survival mode”.
which brings me back around to destabilization in the first place…..
dual power is about easing that transition, building that community 1st so it can give people some idea of why they shouldn’t kill each other when the mob mentality takes over. So we can protect ourselves and maintain autonomy when faced with that mob mentality.

another thought….
If you are willing to risk the wrath of the IRS, protest this give away by exempting yourself from federal withholding if you aren’t already. This is a good transitional tactic if some debt shelter communities were to emerge. Of course you may give them cause to hunt you down if you don’t pay it next april, It might be worth a discussion of pros and cons. Of course it may not matter when we compete with zimbabwe for worst inflation on the face of the earth after we realize the effects of the other countries no longer subsidizing our binges. That alone has more potential to destabilize our country than anyone seems to be letting on or recognizing. Their incentives for buying our shit mopping treasury instruments again?

]]> By: What the hell is going on with the economy? « flux 64 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-15454 What the hell is going on with the economy? « flux 64 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:52:10 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-15454 [...] What the hell is going on with the economy? Hundreds of Billions of Dollars [...] [...] What the hell is going on with the economy? Hundreds of Billions of Dollars [...]

]]> By: SalmonGod http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-15452 SalmonGod Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:59:53 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-15452 $700 billion dollars to be spent in corporate bailout At the same time, the United Nations calls for .001% of that to save millions of people from imminent starvation. Will America come to their rescue? It's hard to produce a more obvious and massive scale demonstration of the values of American authority. <a href="http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=United_Nations_requests_US$700_million_in_aid_for_East_Africa_to_avoid_famine&curid=113373" rel="nofollow">UN requests US$700 million in aid for East Africa to avoid famine.</a> $700 billion dollars to be spent in corporate bailout

At the same time, the United Nations calls for .001% of that to save millions of people from imminent starvation. Will America come to their rescue?

It’s hard to produce a more obvious and massive scale demonstration of the values of American authority.

UN requests US$700 million in aid for East Africa to avoid famine.

]]> By: Pseudonym http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-15451 Pseudonym Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:44:38 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-15451 As usual, brilliant and concise commentary. I look forward to the return of CSA and the discussions it fosters. I hate to be a pain, but are there any links to verify or provide more info on the two of seven million loan defaults and the greek anarchist neighborhoods? Personally, I'm excited that you mention the neighborhoods. This is something that I've been thinking a lot about lately, particularly in reference to the European focused articles in Rolling Thunder 5. I would like to have a discussion on the strategic and ethical pros and cons of moving to already established anarchist neighborhoods, assuming they want an influx of anarchists. Moving to a neighborhood may be much more economically feasible than purchasing land that the state may or may not decide to let us keep (I69/eminent domain anyone?). In what ways can anarchist resistance be more effective by adding to established anarchist neighborhoods and abandoning those previously lived in? In what ways is it more effective to stay and build those communities and neighborhoods? Perhaps there is a better forum for this discussion, but for now I encourage people to discuss this issue and the points raised in the above article. -p As usual, brilliant and concise commentary. I look forward to the return of CSA and the discussions it fosters. I hate to be a pain, but are there any links to verify or provide more info on the two of seven million loan defaults and the greek anarchist neighborhoods?

Personally, I’m excited that you mention the neighborhoods. This is something that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, particularly in reference to the European focused articles in Rolling Thunder 5. I would like to have a discussion on the strategic and ethical pros and cons of moving to already established anarchist neighborhoods, assuming they want an influx of anarchists. Moving to a neighborhood may be much more economically feasible than purchasing land that the state may or may not decide to let us keep (I69/eminent domain anyone?). In what ways can anarchist resistance be more effective by adding to established anarchist neighborhoods and abandoning those previously lived in? In what ways is it more effective to stay and build those communities and neighborhoods?

Perhaps there is a better forum for this discussion, but for now I encourage people to discuss this issue and the points raised in the above article.

-p

]]> By: b. traven http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/09/24/hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars/comment-page-1/#comment-15442 b. traven Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:49:37 +0000 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/?p=371#comment-15442 Stories about the RNC solidarity actions in Pittsburgh, referenced in the recommendations above, can be found here: http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=2008083120243184&query=pittsburgh http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20080901052144720&query=pittsburgh Stories about the RNC solidarity actions in Pittsburgh, referenced in the recommendations above, can be found here:

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=2008083120243184&query=pittsburgh
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20080901052144720&query=pittsburgh

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