All posts by The Final Straw Radio

The Final Straw Radio is a terrestrial radio show and podcast started in 2009 featuring information by, for and about anarchists and other anti-authoritarians. The show airs weekly on Sundays from 2-3pm EST out of Asheville, NC, USA.

Hydraulic Fracturing in North Carolina

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An hour with Tamara of Croatan Earth First! We discuss the recent legalization of Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) in N.C. and the dire implications of this practice on our economy, health, environment and future. We talk about energy policy and the relationship between our society and the natural world.
croatanearthfirst.com

Also, Sunday, November 4th, check out the Tree Huggers Ball at Warren Wilson College for Contra dance 6:30-10pm to benefit Coal River Mountain Watch. More info at www.katuahearthfirst.org

Grand Jury Resistance in PNW/ Mountain Top Removal in West VA

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This week’s show features a conversation with Will Potter about political repression against accused Anarchists in the Pacific Northwest. Later, we’ll speak with Bryan of Katuah Earth First! about his participation in a recent action in West Virginia against Mountain Top Removal.

Our first segment of this weeks show is a conversation with Will Potter, award-winning journalist, author and blogger at www.greenisthenewred.com about the JTTF & FBI raids on suspected Anarchists in the Pacific Northwest and the series of Grand Juries now being convened around participation in the May 1st protests in Seattle of this year.

Also, we’ll be speaking with Bryan, a member of Katuah Earth First!, based out of Asheville. Bryan was arrested on July 28th during a non-violent direct action under the banner of Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival (RAMPS). This action briefly shut down and brought attention to the Mountain Top Removal style of strip mining being used at the Hobet mine, operated by Patriot Coal in Lincoln County, West Virginia. We talk about the Katuah bioregion, Fracking in North Carolina and getting involved to save our landbase.

as re: Grand Jury Resistance:
Green Is The New Red
Pacific Northwest Grand Jury Resistance
Donate to Committee Against Political Repression

as re: Mountain Top Removal
RAMPS Campaign
Katuah Earth First!
Earth First! Journal
Dustin Steele of RAMPS speaking out before the action

Playlist for the show can be found at AshevilleFM.

Montreal Student Strikes (part 2)

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This week’s show features the second part of my conversation with Maria about anarchist perspectives on the student strikes in Montreal,
Quebec. Maria continues to draw the history of this last year of student strikes that have developed into a nascent social strike and talks about the call to help block the start of the next semester in early August of this year

The second half of this episode features music from and about the struggle of Miners against the bosses and the state and for survival and self-determination. The playlist can be found here.

Call Out to
block the next semester

Greve
Montreal

STUDENT STRIKE! POPULAR STRUGGLE! / GRÈVE ÉTUDIANTE! LUTTE POPULAIRE!

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This week’s show features a conversation with Maria, an American-born anarchist and former University student living in Montreal, Quebec. Maria shares with us the context of the student and social strikes of earlier this year in this conversation.

Some more resources on the subject include:
Greve Montreal
Montreal Counter-Info
Bloquons la Hausse
Call Out to block the next semester
a good piece on the student movement
The blog of one of the neighborhood assemblies
Sketchy Thoughts

North Carolina Prisoners Initiate Hunger Strikes

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This week’s show features a conversation with Francis Delaney about the Prison Hunger Strikes that were initiated on Monday, July 16 at three facilities in North Carolina. This action seems to have the potential to spread to other facilities because of the apparent universality of the demands (better/more food, access to legal literature, human contact, an end to torture, an end to mail tampering, medical care). We discuss some context for the strikes and how folks on the outside can get involved and show solidarity.
Chapel Hill Prison Books
Triangle Anarchist Blog
Down: Reflections on Prison Resistance in Indiana

The Tinley Park Five and Anti-Racist Action (July 1, 2012)

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The first half of this week’s show features a conversation with Telly of the Hoosier Anti-Racist Movement, an Indiana Anti-Fascist grouping. We’ll talk about the Tinley Park 5, five young men arrested in a suburb south of Chicago and accused of disrupting a white supremacist gathering in early May.

July 21st is the next bail hearing for the Tinley Park 5. July 31st is International Day of Action against Fascism.

The second half of the episode is atmospheric black metal and sludge metal.

https://tinleyparkfive.wordpress.com/
http://antiracistaction.org/

What if we could swish AND fight? (2012 Redux of Stonewall show)

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This week’s show is a conversation with Parks (a member of Tranzmission Prison Project) about Stonewall, the cooptation of it’s rememberance in the form of Pride marches, the split of the liberation movement into the pride movement and continued radical struggles.

The playlist for the show can be found here

“Occupy Everything: Anarchists in the Occupy Movement, 2009-2011”: A Convo with Aragorn!

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This week’s show features a conversation with Aragorn! Aragorn! is an author based out of the Bay Area who is responsible for numerous essays on anarchism, nihilism and indigeneity; was an editor of Anarchy: a Journal of Desire Armed, and currently helps to publish The Anvil Review. More recently, Aragorn! has been working with Ardent Press and edited a compilation on anarchism and the occupy movement entitled “Occupy Everything”, available from Little Black Cart. I spoke with Aragorn! earlier this week about the book and about anarchism in occupy related projects of the past and future around the world.

Correction to my audio intro to Aragorn!: Aragorn! was not an editor at Green Anarchy Magazine, but did contribute content.

http://aragorn.anarchyplanet.org/about/
http://littleblackcart.com/Occupy-Everything.html
http://freehammond.com/

Dean Spade on Critical Trans Politics; Freedom For Chris French

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This week features a conversation with attorney, educator and trans activist, Dean Spade about his new book, “Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the limits of law”, just out from South End Press. Normal Life is a finalist for the 2012 Lambda Literary Awards. Follow Mr. Spade’s writing at http://www.deanspade.net/

Before hearing from Dean Spade, though, we hear from Bailey, who’s doing support for Christopher French, an Atlanta Anarchist who’s facing multiple felony charges and has to raise $25,000 to be bonded out in relation to the recent anti-NATO demonstrations in Chicago. More information about Christopher’s case can be found at:
http://freedomforchris.wordpress.com

Anarchists Against The Wall: Resistance and Solidarity in Palestine (May 20, 2012)

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This week’s show features an interview with Abrasha Blum and Ruth, who work with Anarchists Against The Wall. AATW is a coalition of Israeli Anarchists doing solidarity work alongside Palestinians struggling against the aparthied wall and system in and around the West Bank. As the 45th anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War approaches (June 5th-10th), we talk about Zionism, the Settlers, solidarity and how folks can support the popular struggles for Palestinian autonomy and dignity. If you have the ability to help them cover legal fees, check out awalls.org and donate.

An archive of this show, as well as an extra segment on the Birthright Program and the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement can soon be found on www.archive.org by searching the show title.

Other useful links include:
http://www.icahd.org/ – Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions website
http://www.awalls.org/ – Anarchists Against the Wall website
http://www.popularstruggle.org/ – Popular Struggle Co-ordination Committee website
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/ – Alternative Information Centre
http://www.addameer.org/ – Palestinian prisoner and human rights organisation

http://972mag.com/ – daily commentary from West Bank, Israel and Gaza
http://www.taayush.org/ – direct action group supporting Palestinian farmers particularly in South Hebron Hills

http://www.bdsmovement.net/ – In 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a call for a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights. A truly global movement against Israeli Apartheid is rapidly emerging in response to this call.

http://boycottisrael.info/ – Israelis supporting the BDS call
http://activestills.org/ – Israeli and Palestinian photography collective
http://www.btselem.org/ – Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
http://punksagainstapartheid.com/ – clue is in the title 😉