Protest Tom Ridge

Love the graphic.

But I'm afraid Tom Ridge and the Office/Department of Homeland Security aren't the agency behind the mass detentions of "suspected terrorists." The detentions are being carried out by the FBI under the direction of the Attorney General, John Ashcroft--neither of which are directly accountable to Homeland Security. So if you just ask him about the detentions, I'm sure his answer will simply be that they're not being done by his office.

If you want to have a real impact, try asking something more pointed. Like, has the fear and resentment bred by such massive detentions reduced the willingness of immigrants and foreign nationals to step forward and assist investigators? Or, have the massive detentions ordered by the Attorney General led to any useful information or captured any confirmed terrorist operatives, and can you cite any specific examples?

Both Justice and Homeland Security have been major players in the police-state roundups and "culture of fear." Most of the INS moved from Justice to Homeland Security. Now, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is responsible for interrogating and detaining individuals -- in particular thousands of men from predominantly muslim nations called for "special registration" -- suspected of immigration violations, "terrorism," etc. Its functions include immigration and customs investigations, air and marine interdiction, the Federal Protective Service, detention and removal, and immigration and customs intelligence.

They're opening the doors (and doing a security check) at 11 AM. Just thought y'all would want to know.

All those Commonweath club ads on buses and such around town have been really pathetic, so when I saw this I busted up laughing.

Someone should make a poster of it and spread it around

Just cross out the common part

You can download a flyer for the Wed. protest at http://www.actionsfbay.org/images/pdf-files/ridge_halfpg.pdf Make some copies (you'll have to cut them in half to make the handbills) Any BART station at rush hour is an effective place to leaflet.

Other quick & simple things you can to help this important short notice protest:

* Activate your groups phone tree - or volunteer at the ANSWER office to make alert phone calls. Spend 30 min., 1 hr. or 3 hr. calling as many people as possible who want to know about the demonstration so they can attend. The office is at 2489 Mission St. Rm. #24. Cross street is 21st. Check in with the Volunteer Coordinator who can help you 10 am - 9 pm and get mobilizing!

* invite your co-workers to go to the demonstration on your lunch hour.

* Email this message to your address book when you are done reading it.

* Call ten of your friends or family and invite them to the 11:30am demonstration at California and Mason St. at the Mark Hopkins Hotel,
San Francisco

a reply to the reader who stupidly called it the "wealth club." a quick glance at the Commonwealth Club's site shows that they present a pretty diverse roster of speakers: Norman Mailer, Dennis Kucinich, Ariana Huffington, Jane Goodall ...

You know the one I'm talking about, it summed up everything i knew was wrong with burnola inc.

Commonwealth club is a psuedo-intellectual feel-good wankfest for all those who choose to live life with their eyes glued shut to realities they think they can explain away behind closed doors

As bad or good as they may be, any show of discontent towards the police state, in theory anway, should increase the likelyhood of it's collapse. If we want to get rid of fascism we can't choose our alliances as freely as we'd like.

I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna show up to support the Commonwealth Club... I'm going to show I DON'T support the police state. I think it's just self-marginalization to refuse to attend because it's sponsored by a group that supports a cause we (all at some level) support, simply because it isn't radical enough.

This add cracks me up!

Why is Indymedia allowing this self promoting clown who hasn't done shit since his way overblown self aggrandizing MYEP campaign, to continue to self promote?

Come on Keating get off your feeble pseudo intellectual ass and do some hard work for a change, and instead of just shooting off your mouth and sitting around being contrary about everything and everybody for the sake of contraryness.

How about actually doing some real work with real people that actually has some quantifiable effect, of changing something in the real world and in real peoples lives? How about cutting the incessant "look at me I have the perfect anarchist/communist theory" yammering. Stop resting on your illegimate laurals, acting like a gadfly looking people to buy you free beer.

man I really thought you had that domain running... come on already...

I doubt many people in SF even know what keating looks like (I thought the photo was a stock image) - let alone remember his myep. Upon reflection I thought that whole hoo-haa was more desparate filler for the sfweekly after dave eggers left.... it seemed like lots of hot air, I didn't see SUVs in flames on 21st street and it seems like theres more lofts than ever these days, although the arsenal on 14th and mission is still empty - (exploratorium's new home anybody?)

as for the commonwealth club - oh god the name alone should irk even the most radical republican, let alone the lefties. I've listened to many speakers and questioners - leaves a lot to be desired, it seem whoever selects the questions doesn' t try very hard to vet out the fawning sycophants - that larry harvey interview (and advert) in particular hightlighted the sickening nature of unbridled backslappery under the guise of "public" speaking and inquisitive questioning... send in the clowns please.

Have patience. It will happen.

So where are all the protestors now that the U.S. is going to Liberia? Or is it OK to send troops to Africa but not the Middle East?

People have told me that this Keating/Makhno person isn't even real and was just a creation of Laurel Wellman and the the SF Weekly. Apparently she rode the hoax to a cushy new job at the SF Chronicle. Didn't Wellman even call fake pro- and anti- yuppie demos just to get more publicity for the SF Weekly? What gives?

Regardless, even if this Keating guy really does exist and is some kind of Anarchist, he couldn't be such a dupe--or egomaniac--to promote his own image so shamelessly. Or could he--oops, I mean Lauel Wellman?

chronwatcher

He's not dead. He's in the hills. He'll be back if we need him.

ah ha! he's up in the hills in piedmont drinking white zinfandel, watching his stock portfolio go down the drain and peddling his sparticist rag to other yuppies. even though he's an objective counter-revolutionary, it's a lot better than the days he was pandhandling on polk st. and sniffing sterno.

smash-the-state

. . . f*cking sheep, eating babies, and worshiping the devil.

But we overlook all that because all artists have their little quirks, and whatever else he is, he's a truly great artist.

Check out this Rapidograph study he did of his momma:

http://www.indybay.org/news/2002/05/127278_comment.php#127768

This is years old. Did anything happen at the event? Anybody heckle Ridge?

And is this the same guy in the photo?