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Russians Resist Ukraine Invasion – 7500 arrests

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UPDATE (March 6) – UK Guardian now reports over 7500 arrests throughout Russian – click here for full UKG report.

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Click here for original Feb 24 story

(February 24) The UK Guardian reports 1700 arrests in the Russian Federation in protest of Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine. Pjotr Sauer and Andrew Roth report from Moscow:

“Vladimir Putin has said there is broad public support for the invasion of Ukraine that he announced just before dawn on Thursday morning. But by evening, thousands of people in cities across Russia had defied police threats to take to central squares and protest against the military campaign.

“Police had made at least 1,702 arrest in 53 Russian cities as of Thursday evening, according to the OVD-Info monitor, as they cracked down on the unsanctioned protests. Most of the arrests were made in Moscow and St Petersburg, where the crowds were largest.”

Image: Moscow protester, February 2022 – by Konstantin Zavrazhin

Climate Justice, Culture

Steve Nadel – Presenté!

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Our old activist comrade and my close friend Steve Nadel passed away in early December 2021. Steve was 68, and had been in good health until a stroke in October.

Here’s a tribute from the Bay Area Sunflower Alliance

In my circles, Steve marched with Teen Earth Magic in the 2011 Solstice in the Streets event. We traveled together to Nevada Test Site several times for actions in the 1980s. He helped defend Peoples Park in the 1990s, and organized around Richmond Oil Refinery in recent years. He was also the Funky Nixons’ number one roadie!

Some folks from the old days knew Steve from Livermore Action Group, a 1980s Bay Area anti-nuke and anti-intervention coalition. The character Mort in my book Direct Action is based on Steve – http://DirectAction.org/book

Those who worked with him regarded Steve as one of the sharpest and clearest thinkers we ever met. I wish we’d pressed him to write more. He co-edited Direct Action newspaper in the 1980s and GroundWork magazine in the 1990s – click for back issues.

He consistently called old friends together for holiday BBQs, and hosted a Monty Python-infused party each year at Thanksgiving. 

He’ll be missed by friends and by many on the activist front.

What is remembered lives – Steve Nadel, presenté!

– by George Franklin/Luke Hauser

Climate Justice

Forest Defense – Logging Alert near Mendocino Woodlands

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The decades-long effort to limit logging in Northern California’s Jackson State Demonstration Forest, which contains Mendocino Woodlands, is currently facing vast areas of active and proposed new cuts.

Mendocino Woodlands is home to four Reclaiming witchcamps as well as dozens of other grassroots camps and retreats.

Read a report from forest defender Fly.

Photo courtesy SaveTheRedwoods.org

Climate Justice, Culture

Last Wild Witch – on Youtube!

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Starhawk’s classic eco-fable for all ages – read by Georgie Craig. With surrealistic illustrations by Lindy Kehoe.

Youtube – with all of the pictures!

In the heart of the last magic forest lives the last wild witch…

Will the children of the perfect town find their inner power and let a little magic into everyone’s lives?

Resources & Downloads

Magical Writer Mini-Intensive

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Two Sundays – July 11 and July 25 – Noon-2pm PDT via zoom

Plus daily exercises, shares, etc

with Irisanya & George

Questions/Reg = MagicalWriterSF@gmail.com

Magical Writer Booklet: https://directaction.org/magicalwriter/

Want a boost for your Summer writing? We sure do!

How about a mini-intensive that breaks through writerly isolation, supports our creativity – and maybe even produces something we want to share?

We’ll meet twice – Sundays July 11 and July 25, Noon-2pm PDT, via zoom. In between we’ll stay connected via daily writing exercises, shares, challenges, and prompts.

Cost: $49-199 sliding scale. Some partial scholarship assistance available. Please place yourself generously to support our sliding scale – thanks!

Class taught by Reclaiming teachers in accord with Reclaiming’s Principles of Unity: 
https://reclaiming.org/principles-of-unity/

Questions/Reg = MagicalWriterSF@gmail.com

Magical Writer Booklet: https://directaction.org/magicalwriter

SUMMER SYLLABUS

Session 01 – Sun July 11 – the circle gathers. Sharing our hopes, projects, & plans. Setting an intention for the next two weeks.

In-Between – daily exercises & writing prompts; chances to share about the process and challenges of writing; new inspirations and micro-success stories; and generally feeling our connection with others on our meandering path.

Session 02 – Sun July 25 – celebrating our efforts (including the places it got hard). Bardic circle (optional sharing). Next steps and personal intentions. Ways to stay connected.

Teachers

Irisanya Moon (she/they): Irisanya is a Moon Books author, writer, and Reclaiming teacher who has published four books and is working on two more.

George Franklin (aka Luke Hauser) teaches magic and writes fiction, nonfiction, and lots of emails. Find my books (print or free downloads) at: http://directaction.org/freebies

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Black Lives Matter, Climate Justice, Culture, Immigration

Youtube: History of Direct Action

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History of Nonviolent Direct Action in the US: https://youtu.be/s6XTNv2Caus

A brief excursion through 200 years of US activism, with a focus on post-1980 nonviolent activism.

I originally made this video in connection with my book “Direct Action,” and updated it following the Fall 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. 

It offers one version of the nonviolent activist lineage that helped shape today’s protest movements.

– George Franklin aka Luke Hauser aka…

Photo by Janet Delaney – Livermore 1983.
Culture, Satires

Trump Statue – Let’s Buy It!

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Apologies for yet another Anarchist-A-Go-Go fundraiser – there’s so much to buy these days! – but really, this is the ultimate expression of the Trump presidency. It needs to be preserved for future generations.

Artist Tommy Zegan, a former youth minister who ironically now lives on the south side of The Great Wall, told Politico Playbook that he spent six months creating the golden idol, and previously attempted to donate it to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort but was thwarted by security.

Zegan is asking a paltry $100,000 for what art experts unanimously agree will be considered his masterpiece.

Sadly, the glistening gold-leaf skin tones don’t photograph well. But the flag-motif boxer shorts sure do!

Back in the day, my friend Larry got sent home from high school for wearing a flag T-shirt. It was considered “desecration” of Old Glory. Imagine the response if he’d paraded the halls in flag underwear?

So please – ante up now. Send small unmarked bills or large chunks of 70% dark chocolate to:

Anarchist-A-Go-Go@scammail.com

Photo courtesy NY Post, which probably thinks it’s a great work of art.

Culture, Satires

Launch Elon & Bezos Now!

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I’m launching an Anarchist-A-Go-Go campaign to send Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk into space. One way.

It’s a win-win. Musk, as he has made sure we know, is devoting his prodigious hucksterist skills to lining his pockets by putting rich people, including himself, into orbit. And Bezos, that renowned tree-hugger, is close behind. Here’s his motto, from the BlueOrigin website: “Earth, in all its beauty, is just our starting place.”

Can you imagine a better slogan for cosmic imperialism? Teddy Roosevelt, eat your heart out!

Bezos, who got rich selling stuff, and Musk, whose sold us on Paypal, have allegedly made the world a better place – for capitalism, if not for humans. Probably they deserve our undying gratitude.

But I don’t anticipate any further social contributions of this magnitude. I think we can let them go. In fact, let’s give them a gentle assist.

It’s easy – take all of the money you were going to spend on Amazon or invest in Elon’s company and send it to my campaign instead! Any surplus funds will be used to send Trump and Giuliani along afterward.

Sorry, we do not accept paypal. Please email small, unmarked bills to our gmail account.

Culture

McConnell Makes a Hostage Video

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The Guardian’s Lloyd Green calls Mitch McConnell’s belated criticisms of Trump for inciting the January 2021 DC riot a “hostage video,” spoken immediately after the KY Senator voted to acquit Trump of inciting the same riot.

Click here to read Green’s Guardian article

As usual, McConnell looks like a baffled caterpillar (see below). This is a man whose single political achievement has been to pack the Supreme Court with Trump-annointed mediocrities. I almost pity a GOP stuck with this toad in leadership for six more years.

Check out Green’s piece, which also refers to McC as “a rent-collector in a banker’s shirt.”

Confused Caterpillar photo: US Senate TV