Category Archives: General

Anti-civilization Anarchism: A Conversation with John Zerzan

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This episode features a conversation with Anarchist philosopher, author and radio host John Zerzan. John has authored six books, including Elements of Refusal, Running on Emptiness and, most recently, Future Primitive Revisited (2012, Feral House). Some of his writings have been recently compiled into Origins: A John Zerzan Reader (2010, FC Press jointly with Black and Green Press). His radio show airs every Tuesday at 7pm EST on 88.1 FM on KWVA radio out of U of O in Eugene, Oregon.

This week we talk about Mr. Zerzan’s critiques of Civilization, Domestication, Symbolic Culture, ecological destruction, Patriarchy and other topics.

John Zerzan.Net

For a nice compilation of writings from Individuals Tending Towards The Wild, check out this link at LBC books or find more info at 325 Magazine’s Website.

Continued updates on the PNW Grand Juries

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In march of 2012, the Federal Government initiated a Grand Jury in the Seattle Area to focus on Anarchists. FBI began tailing Anarchists in Portland around this time, and probably in relation. This Grand Jury will likely continue to carry on through at least September of 2013, if not March 2014. Houses have been raided in Olympia/PDX/Seattle, folks have been jailed, some have been pressured into snitching and breaking bonds of trust. Two people are currently being held for refusing to speak to the Grand Jury and a third, Maddy, stands strong on the outside.

This week we speak to 2 people, Corey and Sophie, from the Pacific Northwest about how this case is proceeding, how people keep themselves safer, how we support each other and what solidarity looks like.
https://nopoliticalrepression.wordpress.com/
http://saynothing.noblogs.org/
http://cldc.org/
http://grandjuryresistance.org/educational_materials.html
https://www.wepay.com/donations/33405

Root Force: Demolishing Colonialism at it’s Foundation

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This week we speak with Toby and Ben, two organizers with Root Force about industrial civilization and organizing in solidarity with indigenous communities against the spread of capitalist infrastructure projects in Latin America. We talk about La Parota Dam in Mexico, Anillo Periférico Highway in El Salvador and Corridors of the Future across North America.

Root force aims to stop the spreading of those infrastructure projects (bridges, dams, highways, factories…) that allow for the spread of neoliberal capitalism into comparatively less “developed” environments in hopes of helping protect environments and their stewards and force an economic retraction of imperial projects of the north.

www.rootforce.org

Victoria Law on the Struggles of Incarcerated Women

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This week’s show features a conversation with Victoria Law.

This week we speak to Vikki about the second edition of her book, Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women.” We discuss patriarchy, criminalization & invisibility that is faced by those held in women’s prisons. We also talk about resistance, organizing, support and engagement of those on the inside and about the organizing that formerly incarcerated people do to help their comrades on the inside.

From her PM Press Author’s page:

“Victoria Law is a writer, photographer, and mother. After a brief stint as a teenage armed robber, she became involved in prisoner support. In 1996, she helped start Books Through Bars-New York City, a group that sends free books to prisoners nationwide. In 2000, she began concentrating on the needs and actions of women in prison, drawing attention to their issues by writing articles and giving public presentations. Since 2002, she has worked with women incarcerated nationwide to produce Tenacious: Art and Writings from Women in Prison and has facilitated having incarcerated women’s writings published in larger publications, such as Clamor magazine, the website “Women and Prison: A Site for Resistance” and the upcoming anthology Interrupted Lives.”

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

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.

‘Sup, world.

Welcome to The Final Straw Radio Blog.  This site will function, basically, to make for easier access to the content of the show without having to search all over the place and to continue following it. First, if you happen to be watching, you’ll see past episodes come up starting with our earliest until the site is populated.  Afterwards, we’ll be posting the shows up on the site after they are no longer streaming on AshevilleFM.  Be sure to check out the other great shows on AFM and support our local, independent media project!

If you have content suggestions, we welcome them.  See our Kontact page.

Thanks to the folks at noblogs for hosting us!

Salud y Anarquia!

Life During Wartime: Counterinsurgency in the U.S.

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This week’s show features a conversation with William Munger, co-editor and contributor to the upcoming AK Press book, Life During Wartime (2013). We talk about the application of Counterinsurgency praxis by law enforcement domestically in the U.S. and what that looks like in it’s varying forms.

What is COIN (Counterinsurgency)? How is it being applied to movements and communities in the United States? How do we resist it? These are among the topics covered during the conversation.

Among other things, Will’s research has focused on the case study of the relationship and dialogue developed between law enforcement in Salinas, California and the Monterey, California-based Naval Postgraduate School. This relationship has allowed NPS to conduct the beginnings of a proxy-war on the local Latino populations with a focus on eradicating gang networks. Will’s essay, “Social War in the Salad Bowl” won a grant from the Institute for Anarchist Studies this last year.

U.S. Army Field Manual 3-24: Counterinsurgency Warfare
NPS: Gangs and Guerrillas

The playlist for this show can be found at AshevilleFM

STUDENT STRIKE! POPULAR STRUGGLE! / GREVE ETUDIANTE! 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:

Continue reading STUDENT STRIKE! POPULAR STRUGGLE! / GREVE ETUDIANTE! LUTTE POPULAIRE!

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