If, like me, you were more interested in the RNC protests than what was actually going on inside the Xcel Center in St Paul, you probably missed McCain getting Barack-Roll’d, so here it is for you:

In what appears to be the first use of criminal charges under the 2002

Minnesota version of the Federal Patriot Act, Ramsey County Prosecutors

have formally charged 8 alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee

with Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism. Monica Bicking, Eryn

Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert

Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald, and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in

prison under the terrorism enhancement charge which allows for a 50%

increase in the maximum penalty.

Affidavits released by law enforcement which were filed in support of the

search warrants used in raids over the weekend, and used to support

probable cause for the arrest warrants, are based on paid, confidential

informants who infiltrated the RNCWC on behalf of law enforcement. They

allege that members of the group sought to kidnap delegates to the RNC,

assault police officers with firebombs and explosives, and sabotage

airports in St. Paul. Evidence released to date does not corroborate these

allegations with physical evidence or provide any other evidence for these

allegations than the claims of the informants. Based on past abuses of

such informants by law enforcement, the National Lawyers Guild is

concerned that such police informants have incentives to lie and

exaggerate threats of violence and to also act as provacateurs in raising

and urging support for acts of violence.

“These charges are an effort to equate publicly stated plans to blockade

traffic and disrupt the RNC as being the same as acts of terrorism. This

both trivializes real violence and attempts to place the stated political

views of the Defendants on trial,” said Bruce Nestor, President of the

Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. “The charges represent an

abuse of the criminal justice system and seek to intimidate any person

organizing large scale public demonstrations potentially involving civil

disobedience, he said.”

The criminal complaints filed by the Ramsey County Attorney do not allege

that any of the defendants personally have engaged in any act of violence

or damage to property. The complaints list all of alleged violations of

law during the last few days of the RNC — other than violations of human

rights carried out by law enforcement — and seeks to hold the 8

defendants responsible for acts committed by other individuals. None of

the defendants have any prior criminal history involving acts of violence.

Searches conducted in connection with the raids failed to turn up any

physical evidence to support the allegations of organized attacks on law

enforcement. Although claiming probable cause to believe that gunpowder,

acids, and assembled incendiary devices would be found, no such items were

seized by police. As a result, police sought to claim that the seizure of

common household items such as glass bottles, charcoal lighter, nails, a

rusty machete, and two hatchets, supported the allegations of the

confidential informants. “Police found what they claim was a single

plastic shield, a rusty machete, and two hatchets used in Minnesota to

split wood. This doesn’t amount to evidence of an organized insurrection,

particularly when over 3,500 police are present in the Twin Cities, armed

with assault rifles, concussion grenades, chemical weapons and full riot

gear,” said Nestor. In addition, the National Lawyers Guild has previously

pointed out how law enforcement has fabricated evidence such as the claims

that urine was seized which demonstrators intended to throw at police.

The last time such charges were brought under Minnesota law was in 1918,

when Matt Moilen and others organizing labor unions for the International

Workers of the World on the Iron Range were charged with “criminal

syndicalism.” The convictions, based on allegations that workers had

advocated or taught acts of violence, including acts only damaging to

property, were upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court. In the light of

history, these convictions are widely seen as unjust and a product of

political trials. The National Lawyers Guild condemns the charges filed in

this case against the above 8 defendants and urges the Ramsey County

Attorney to drop all charges of conspiracy in this matter.

Source:

Bruce Nestor, President

Minnesota Chapter of National Lawyers Guild

3547 Cedar Avenue South

Minneapolis, MN  55407

I read this Monday, while sitting on top of the web covering the RNC riots.  It’s exactly what some people have been predicting and/or fearing.  From the UK Telegraph:

The Dutch intelligence service has pulled an agent out of an “ultra-secret operation” spying on Iran’s military industry because spymasters in Netherlands believe a United States air attack was imminent.

After I read this, I heard a quick blurb about it on the radio; essentially high-level Dutch intelligence has led them to believe that a U.S.-Israel strike on Iran is planned for sometime in the next 60 days (pre-election, notice) and their spy operation in Iran would have been at risk of being at one of the potential targets, so they yanked him/her.  I’ve been predicting this one- a bomb attack on Iran just before U.S. elections- for over a year, but what I’m suprised about really: the Dutch have high-level spies in Iran?  The Dutch have spies?  That wasn’t in any of the James Bond movies I saw.

Slightly more seriously, it is possible that this is psych-ops aimed at Iran coming from high levels of the CIA or NSA.  Also, it is possible that these wackos are actually getting ready to run bombing missions over Iran (which, I predict, will draw-in Russia quickly, which begs the question of China, which, well, yuck…..)

After an entire day of protests, civil disobedience, and rioting, the St paul Police (with federal agents and the National Guard) have entirely sealed off downtown St Paul and are making mass arrests.  Legal observers, street medics, and journalists (including Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman) are among those arrested.

From my coverage over at Integral Psychosis:

1:15 (EST)/12:15 (CEN): A handful of demonstrators have breeched the security fence around the convention center; pepper spray being used heavily; busload of 50 National Guard troops has arrived inside the security perimeter around the Xcel Center.

1:45 (EST)/12:45 (CEN): Protesters have one major intersection held, including a police bus blocked in! cops are regrouping around them.  Journalists (including MSM), clearly marked with credentials, on the streets being pepper sprayed en masse by roving bike cops.  Break-away “Funk the war” march approx 300 people.

2:00 (EST)/1:00 (CEN): A second intersection is being successfully blocked by locked-down protesters; heavy street fighting between cops and black bloc, with at least one officer reported “down”- National Guard and riot cop reinforcements arriving.  Horses being used to ram into folks blocking an intersection (and holding a police bus).

2:30 (EST)/1:30 (CEN):  Intersections of Kellogg & Summit, 7th & Wall, 8th & Wall, Kellogg & Cedar, and possibly more all entirely blocked; there appear to be at least half a dozen fairly well coordinated and tactically organized anti-authoritarian blocks throughout downtown St Paul.  Delegate buses are being blocked from getting to the Xcel Center, with one bus having its windows smashed in.  Heavy street combat between black bloc and riot cops along John Ireland St.  Legal observers now being detained.  Cops in complete disarray and running in odd formations, sometimes right past blockades without even stopping.

3:00 (EST/2:00 (CEN):  Most intersections have been cleared by riot cops; over 100 arrested; delegate buses re-routed out of St Paul; several roving anti-authoritarian blocs continue; cops charging on horses, rubber bullets, tear gas, and tasers being used all over; National Guard arriving at heaviest clashes with concussion grenades; police now driving squad cars into crowds; total fucking chaos in Saint Paul!

Watch it all live (1 minute delay) from the UpTake.

3:15 (EST)/2:15 (CEN):  On-scene lawyers and legal observers being detained and taken away; cop cars being destroyed; rubber bullets and tear gas everywhere; bricks being removed from buildings and thrown at windows.  Injured protester pepper sprayed while down, is detained and being denied medical attention.

3:45 EST)/2:45 (CEN):  Most RNC events & speeches cancelled for the day, Bush cancels RNC appearance, McCain possibly canceling appearance (perhaps acceptance speech will happen in Gulf Coast).  Of course, Hurricane Gustav is being blamed for all this, though many (including some in the MSM) are doubting that’s the only reason.  The permitted anti-war march, including Iraq Veterans Against the War, is underway with approx 10,000 people.  Some intersections still being held.  

4:45 (EST)/3:45 (CEN): Clashes in the streets continue; lawyers being denied access to Ramsey County Jail (where most people are being held); the hospital nearest the protests is on “lockdown” after being inundated with people seeking medical attention from pepper spray and rubber bullets.  Metro Transit services into Downtown St Paul have been suspended.  Convention delegates who were being moved towards the Xcel Center on foot came into face-to-face confrontation with a group of protesters.  Several intersections still being blockaded and black bloc vs riot police and National Guardsmen confrontations continue throughout the city; 300 people are on the receiving end of a horse stampede; street medics are being targeted for arrest.   Unconfirmed reports of live ammo being fired near the Exel Center.

5:45 (EST)/4:45 (CEN):  Very heavy street fighting continues; cops have now blockaded all Northern bridges out of the city and appear to be moving in a highly controlled, “pincer formation” through the city, pushing everyone to the SE towards Kellogg Park.  I’ve now read & heard several MSM reports that “a small handful of protesters turned violent” and that “20 people have been arrested”.  Also, a woman has just been run over by a car (apparently not a cop car, but just a jackass right-winger).  She is in need of serious medical attention, the cops are standing by doing nothing.

6:00 (EST)/5:00 (CEN):  An entire bloc of protesters has been pinned into an intersection and is being arrested (approx 40 folks)- police making the arrests are beating people senseless as they do so, including Democracy Now! journalists.  Tin Can Comms, one of  several live feed demo newslines, is not responding and may be raided has been raided; nine people arrested and charged with “conspiracy to incite riots”; legal observer on hand was denied being shown the search warrant; computers, etc, seized.  Concerns now for other on the ground update centers who may be raided.

7:00 (EST/ 6:00 (CEN):  Police and National Guard have entirely sealed off Downtown St Paul and are making mass arrests, including DN! host Amy Goodman.

(This seems like it’s worth keeping an eye on. – promoted by JulieWaters)

Over at my blog, Integral Psychosis I posted daily- and in some cases with multiple updates- what I could find (and what I heard from friends on the ground) about the protests at the DNC.  My plan was/is to do the same for the RNC.  However, I thought I had a few days to post about other stuff, clean the house, work in the garden, and finish re-siding my garage.  Boy was I wrong.  Activists, folks concerned with police oppression (and political oppression of minority ideas), and those interested in seeing just how f*@!ed-up the system is when you believe a better, and entirely different, world is possible, will probably find this interesting; here’s my post from last night (with numerous updates from this afternoon):

I’ve still got a few posts I was hoping to get up over the next few days, before I switch into RNC protest coverage.  Seems me and the St Paul PD aren’t on the same page.  A story hit Infoshop a day or two ago predicting emanate preemptive arrests of protest organizers in St Paul and other “anarchists”, and well, turns out they weren’t just being paranoid:

As of 11:45 PM MTN time, word from the Twin Cities Indy Media site is that at least one person has been arrested following a police raid of the convergence center, where activists have been meeting and planning for the upcoming RNC.  At least a dozen SPPD officers raided the facility with guns drawn and blocked off the street which accessed the center, detaining everyone who was inside.  Individuals and their possessions were searched, ID’s were scanned and names (etc) were taken down; anyone willing to have their picture taken was released immediately.  The report as of 10:00 PM (local time) is that the police had no warrant.  From TCIMC:

At 9:15 Friday night, the Saint Paul Police entered all doors of the RNC Convergence Space in St. Paul, MN with guns drawn. The Space serves as a community center and organizing space for the upcoming protests against the Republican National Convention. At the time of the raid, people were sitting down to dinner and watching a movie.

The police presented no warrant at the time of the raid, but claim that they have a warrant to search the space for “bomb-making” materials. No “bomb-making” materials were found. Rather, the police barked orders for everyone, including a 5 year old child, to get on the floor with their faces to the ground. Everyone inside was put in handcuffs.

In the hours following, the police photographed everyone inside the space and recorded information from their Identification cards. The police took all personal laptops and hard drives.

One female activist was sexually harassed by a cop who groped her crotch.

The police are claiming that the space must be closed down due to “fire code” violations. According to City Council member Dave Thune, the police do not have the authority to enforce fire code. Only the Fire Department has the power to enforce this code.

A statement released from the RNC Welcoming Committee (an umbrella group co-ordinating many of the planned RNC protests):

“The Ramsey County sheriff’s dept and the SPPD raided the RNC convergence space and detained over 50 people in an attempt to preempt planned protests of the rnc on Monday.

Looking for items found in any twin cities house like jars, paint, and rags, this attempt to portray us as criminals and destroy our credibility has already backfired as evidenced by the masses who have come to support us.

We are now accused of a simple fire code violation, which is outside the scope of the sheriffs department and clearly not justified provocation for a forceful raid with guns being drawn. Children and elderly people were inside the convergence center when the police violently busted down the doors. The police may claim that the raid was executed according to protocol – however, the violence inherent in this action may only be a hint of the violence to be expected on Monday and beyond, and is only a hint at the violence perpetrated daily by the police.

The convergence center is simply a gathering place and is not used for illegal actions – it is a place for workshops and trainings. Tonight we were watching films and sharing food.

This action will not deter us from our plans to protest the RNC on September 1st. We want to invite all people who oppose this police oppression to join us on Septemeber 1st. See you in the streets.”

Awesome.  Now, I’m glad I wasn’t in Denver, but I’m really starting to regret not being in Minnesota.  Much more to come.  The RNC Welcoming Committee has a Saturday morning press conference scheduled.

IMPORTANT UPDATE!:  The raids have continued this morning.  At least three seperate houses in Minneapolis & St Paul have been raided by police, sherifs, FBI agents, and members of the Dept of Homeland Security.  At least one person from Food  Not Bombs has been arrested and charged with four counts of conspiracy, and now TCIMC is reporting that at least another three people have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to incite riots.  Legal observers and lawyers have been on the scene, but it appears to be entire chaos in St Paul.

Also, at least two organizers associated with the convergence space that was raided last night have reported that, while being detained by the police at the convergence “someone” broke into their homes and cars, taking nothing but clearly opening file cabinets and boxes and rifling through various documents and personal belongings.

My personal plea is that the Feds and cops chill out for a couple days: I’m trying to get ready for a BBQ over here and staying glued to my computer for updates and developments is not particularly helpful.

UPDATE #2:  Raids on known homes of activists and radicals have been continuing throughout the Twin Cities in Minnesota all morning and afternoon (the latest one I read about includes cops drawing automatic weapons!); other than last night’s raid on the convergence center, public spaces, such as Twin Cities IMC, aren’t being raided but have seen city and State regulators come through looking for code violations to shut them down.  

UPDATE #3: Members of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) were kicked-out (!) of the police press conference regarding the raids and arrests earlier today.  Also, there is no certain number of arrests made (that I’ve seen) but my casual count from a handful of sources would put the number around a dozen, and growing.  In addition, it is being reported that journalists from Indy Media and Democracy Now! have been detained.  A 4:00 PM (MTN Time) press conference has been scheduled (the one planned for this morning doesn’t seem to have happened, most likely because everyone was being detained by the police.

Pop on over to the above link to my site for continuing updates.

( – promoted by odum)

Cross-posted from Integral Psychosis

At 5:45 AM on August 15, Beijing time, five pro-Tibet activists unfurled a 375 square-foot banner that read “Free Tibet” in both English and Chinese over a “Beijing 2008 Olympics” billboard in Beijing, just in in front of the State Television’s new headquarters downtown in the Chinese capital.  Institute of Social Ecology Board Member Bianca Bockman and recent UVM graduate Sam Maron were two of the three-member support team that assisted a Canadian woman and a British man who climbed the billboard to drop the banner.  Shortly after it was dropped, large numbers of Chinese police were seen gathering near-by and after about 30 minutes, the five activists were arrested.  Their whereabouts are still unknown at this time.

(I’d post a pic or two of the banner, if someone can remind me how to do so).

Update:[The latest update I’ve seen is that all five are quickly being deported, as has been the case with nearly a dozen other protesters who have staged “pro-Tibet” street theatre and sit-ins throughout the Olympic Games so far…. I for one haven’t seen or heard anything about these protests, but apparently Americans, Canadians, Britons, and Australians are in Beijing in some considerable force protesting; stay tuned for more hopefully]

As some of you may remember, I reported earlier about the group of Burlington-area activists who had held a sit-in/lock down at the offices of weapons contractor General Dynamics and the local State’s Attorney who had vowed to “put an end to civil disobedience in Chittenden County” through prosecuting them to the fullest.  Well a couple of days ago I got an email update which said, in part:

As many of you know, our sentence included “restitution” to General Dynamics for alleged overtime fees for security guards, along with a six month deferred sentence (probation), and 50 hours of community service.  (Two of the activists) refused to pay General Dynamics, and were cited for Violation of Probation.

At their Violation of Probation arraignment, the judge couldn’t find probable cause because of obscure wording in the statute that doesn’t recognize failure to pay restitution as a violation.  Despite this ruling, the judge was furious with the two for not paying and charged them with Criminal Contempt of Court.  Heading into their CoC hearing, which was August 4, the lone two of the original ten who had the time, energy, and willingness to fight on were fully expecting to be convicted to 6 months in jail without a jury trial, as is apparently fairly standard for such situations.  As the two said in the email:

(We) refused to pay because we felt that in doing so, we would be giving in to the very company we originally opposed, and would be violating our values in a fundamental way.  While we accept that our actions are accompanied by serious consequences, and made our decision with this knowledge, we think that the latest developments have shed light on some interesting aspects of the so-called “justice system”.

Now I’ve just received an entirely unexpected follow-up email:

Court went in a fairly surprising direction.  (We) went expecting and prepared to go to jail, and the judge made it known that she was not in favor of “letting us off the hook”.  TJ Donovan, (the same State’s Attorney who previously vowed to do away with civil disobedience in his district), argued in our favor, stating that he didn’t think it would be beneficial to give us a criminal record, and that although he disagreed withour methods, he thought that “sticking to our principles was commendable”.

In the end, the deal that was worked out has the two activists paying double the amount of money originally sought by General Dynamics to a charity that aids the families of armed service personnel, which the judge reluctantly agreed to.  As their email continued:

I feel I must give thanks where they are due, and say that TJ Donovan truly helped us out this time.  Hooray for fewer dollars going to General Dynamics!

Great news for these incredibly brave and principled activists, and good on TJ Donovan for doing the right thing.  Now, if we could just keep any more money from going to the manufacturing of weapons, and if we could just end the wars and the logic which require such weapons to be made….

Cross-posted from Integral Psychosis



A couple of days ago (on my blog) I posted about the recently revealed documents that showed Maryland State Police monitoring and infiltrating anti-war and other leftist political groups, despite the fact that no crimes and criminal activities were taking place (and as the Baltimore Sun‘s article points out, reasonable suspicion of a crime is required, by law, for police to take such actions).  The crux of my point in regards to the story was that people and groups who find themselves with a surplus of power and authority- specifically governments- are inherently un-“democratic” in that they will always seek to intimidate, prosecute, and do-away with beliefs and opinions which run counter to their own “official” politic.  Though in the U.S. the official line maintains that we are a “free” society of “free” people, the reality is that such freedom is mostly- and increasingly- limited to those who support, or at least accept, capitalism and the prevailing mood of the moment.

With this all in mind, I’m going to take the Maryland State Police spying story and bring it closer to home for us Vermonters.  The other day I ran into Matt, AKA Santa Clause, the infamous Governor Douglas pier.  He recounted for me the story of a few nights prior, when the vehicle he was a passenger in was pulled over by Montpelier Police late in the evening.  Though he had no ID on him (he wasn’t the driver) when he gave the officers his name they wondered aloud why his name was so familiar- eventually realizing why.  As Matt tells the story, the MPD were in fact quite sympathetic to his pie-fully sweet action of dissent during the Independence Day parade, and even cracked a few jokes with him and the other passengers.  However, one of the officers did say this: “You know, you’re on the FBI’s Terrorist Watch list now.  You’re going to have a really hard time getting on a plane or a Greyhound Bus.  We have nothing to do with it- it’s an FBI thing.  Just watch out for yourself.” (I’m paraphrasing from Matt’s story, obviously I don’t know the officer’s exact words).

Lets take a minute to think about this here.  A Federal Terrorist Watch List, meant to monitor and keep track of the activities of groups and individuals who are allegedly bent on killing innocent people, now includes the name of a 20-something kid from rural Vermont who just happens to disagree with the dominant political paradigm, who was willing to take a pastry to a person of authority in a symbolic act of rejecting a politic that he finds morally repugnant and inhumane.  This is what we’ve come to here in the States: a society so afraid, so insecure, so philosophically dogmatic that any action which is deemed unacceptable by those in power- regardless of the actual context or legitimate ideas meant to be put-forth by such an action- is “terrorism”.

I, for one, do not feel any safer knowing that this is how the Fed portends to “protect” me and my neighbors from the actual dangers of the world.

( – promoted by odum)

I’ve just received word that Former Army Spc. 4 Thomas James, who served 16 months of combat in Iraq (including several months after his supposed return date thanks to the back-door draft known as “stop loss”) is “seriously considering” a run for the U.S. House and his supporters are now actively seeking signatures to place himself on the ballot as a Progressive Party candidate for Vermont’s lone Congressional seat, which is now held by Dem Peter Welch.

The email I just got explains that James is a resident of Barre, currently working at a local organic farm, and is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.  He is running largely on a platform which demands an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops and civilians contractors from Iraq, and that the troops be taken good care of upon their return.  He is also demanding the the Executive Branch be held accountable for its Constitutional violations.

The email I received on his behalf says James charges that Rep Welch be held accountable for his failure to act on election-time promises to do everything in his power to end the war in Iraq, with the email I received noting that Welch voted twice to continue funding the war before a high-profile public campaign forced him to vote “no”.

Unseating an incumbent has proven nearly impossible in Vermont, but it would seem that James’ entry into the House race could make for some really interesting campaigning.

(I was just about to post about this.   – promoted by JulieWaters)

Douglas pied at the Montpelier July 4th parade (by, of all people, Santa Claus)!

…. I’ll hopefully have some pics by tomorrow for y’all.

Snippets from the

Times-Argus article:

Douglas was not injured in the incident and eyewitnesses said the pie appeared to be whipped cream only.

“He was unfazed” by the pie, (Douglas’ campaign manager) said. “He wiped off his face and kept marching.”

This is not the first time a Vermont politician has been attacked by pie-thrower.

During the 2006 campaign for U.S. Senate, Rich Tarrant was also hit with a pie while he marched in the Montpelier Fourth of July parade. It does not appear there were charges filed in that case, and the pie tosser was not identified.

In recent years, politicians, columnists and celebrities whose positions have come under scrutiny have been the targets of pie-throwers, including Microsoft’s Bill Gates, and New York Times writers Thomas Friedman, Ann Coulter, among others.

The high-profile prank is seen by some as a symbolic political statement.