ROAD Kingston

An Analysis of the Strategic Opportunities and Challenges Presented by the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions

Prepared as a contribution to In the Middle of a Whirlwind: 2008 Convention Protests, Movement and Movements, a project coordinated by Team Colors and published by The Journal of Aesthetics and Protest

The Short Answer

If you plan to attend the demonstrations at the Democratic or Republican National Conventions, you should already know what you intend to accomplish there and how you will go about it. If, for example, you intend to blockade a street, you should already be in a committed affinity group, have picked out a location, and be hammering out the details. Things never go as planned, but preparation helps get things off on the right foot. If you haven’t done any of this yet, there’s still time, but get a move on—one thing that has been proven not to work at mass mobilizations is for everyone to show up hoping everyone else has done the work.

Doubtless, there will be some—perhaps ten, perhaps ten thousand—for whom the conventions are a life-changing experience, and others for whom they will be non-events. We get out of life what we put in. But one has to prioritize—so how important are these conventions, anyway?

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From the Tyendinaga Support Committee

(May 4th, 2008) Eight days ago, on Friday, April 25th, 2008, my husband, Shawn Brant, was arrested and detained on assault and weapons charges. Since that time, Commissioner Julian Fantino and the Ontario Provincial Police have issued numerous public statements that have wildly and, it seems, purposefully misstated the events leading to my husband’s arrest, and sought to vilify and criminalize him personally.

I believe it is important to the public good for people to understand the circumstances that have lead to Shawn’s incarceration at this time. Read the rest of this entry »

The so-called Voice of Canada announced that the National Post has extended a special Friends of National Post offer to members of their website, as well as members of Gary McHale’s site Caledonia Wakeup Call. Both sites host consistent law and order conservative viewpoints on the situations regarding land claims and indigenous resistance in Ontario and Quebec. They are hiding under a new facade, called ‘Canadian Advocates for Charter Equality.’ Gary McHale, who actually picked up and moved to Caledonia to cause shit, likes to rant about ‘native terrorism’ in particular and how white people are so oppressed. See for yourself. There also exist many anti-McHale sites…

What does this say about the National Post?

By Tom Quiggin natsecintel@hotmail.com
International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT)
P.O.Box 167 Herzliya 46150, Israel

Source: http://friendsofgrassynarrows.com/item.php?802F

In 2010, Canada will host at least three major events with a significant
international profile. These are the Winter Olympics, the G8 meetings and
the Security and Prosperity Partnership meetings. Even though these events
are two years or more away, numerous groups have already begun violent
activities and further organization. All of this may occur against the
background of a troubled global picture that will have further
radicalizing effects here in Canada. Key among those issues are Canada’s
role in the NATO mission in Afghanistan, the ongoing war in Iraq, as well
as a series of issues and events related to the so-called “War on Terror.”

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