leftlibertarian.org

United Students Against Sweatshops is providing support for the CIW. For more information on how readers can help in this effort go to this hyperlink set up by the union.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has launched a National Petition Campaign to end modern-day slavery and sweatshops in the fields! The CIW is launching a national petition drive to demand that Burger King and other food industry leaders work with the CIW to improve the wages and working conditions of the workers who pick their tomatoes, and join with the CIW in an industry-wide effort to eliminate modern-day slavery and human rights abuses from Florida's fields. The petitions will serve as notice that those who sign are "prepared to stop patronizing Burger King now, and other food industry leaders in the future, should they fail to do so."

The campaign comes on the 200th anniversary of the US ban against the importation of slaves, and echoes key strategies of the early abolitionist movement that helped hasten the end of slavery in the 19th century. Much more than an e-campaign, this petition is a living, tangible organizing movement that we encourage our allies to bring to life in their own communities.

We are calling on Fair Food activists across the country to collect signatures in schools, on campuses, and at community gatherings. We will turn in the petitions in a creative mass procession at Burger King headquarters in Miami later this spring. Take Action on this Issue: - Visit to read the petition and sign electronically today; - Visit to learn more about the campaign and how to bring it to your campus and community!

TEXT OF PETITION:

WHEREAS, there is an ongoing human rights crisis in Florida's fields, including:

poverty wages, rooted in an antiquated piece-rate pay system that hasn't changed significantly in nearly 30 years;

* long hours without overtime pay when work is available, unemployment and transience when it is not;

* physical abuse and wage fraud by crewleaders, supervisors, and growers;

* damage to body and soul from back-breaking labor, with no employment benefits such as sick days, paid leave, health insurance, or pensions;

* retaliation against workers who protest or organize to alleviate these inhuman conditions;

* and, most shamefully, modern-day slavery, with six successful federal prosecutions of farm labor operations for servitude in Florida over the past decade, and a seventh just initiated, involving well over 1,000 workers and more than a dozen farm employers;

WHEREAS, by leveraging their high-volume purchasing power to extract the lowest prices possible, Burger King and other food industry leaders profit from and play an active role in creating the miserable conditions in Florida's fields;

WHEREAS, Burger King and other food industry leaders have not only refused to join Yum! Brands and McDonald's in working with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to improve farm labor conditions, but have actually sought to reverse gains made by workers in agreements with those corporations;

WHEREAS, private equity firms including Goldman Sachs, Texas Pacific Group, Bain Capital and others, which are principal shareholders in Burger King and other food industry leaders, have made significant investments in the restaurant industry over the past decade, and have ignored calls by farmworkers and consumers for farm labor reform, while continuing to draw billions of dollars in private profits from their investments;

THEREFORE, I add my name and voice to those of countless consumers calling upon Burger King and other food industry leaders to immediately join with the CIW in efforts to end exploitation in the fields and modern-day slavery in the 21st century. I am also prepared to stop patronizing Burger King now, and other food industry leaders in the future, should they fail to do so. Specifically, I call on Burger King and other food industry leaders to:

1. Pay a penny more per pound for tomatoes and ensure that the increase is passed on to tomato pickers in the form of increased wages; and

2. Work with the CIW to establish and enforce a human rights-based code of conduct, including zero tolerance for forced labor, to ensure fair and safe working conditions

One of my dirtiest secrets is this: William F. Buckley, Jr., who died two days ago, ushered me through the political door that led me rather quickly to radical libertarianism. At 14, I watched Firing Line every week with my dad. By the time I was 15, I had subscribed to National Review and joined Young Americans for Freedom. Through the monthly YAF magazine New Guard, I learned about Ayn Rand and Objectivism; I also began reading columns and articles in that mag by libertarians like Jerome Tuccille and David Friedman and even first heard of Karl Hess in those pages. In summer 1970, at age 16, I attended my one and only YAF leadership conference in Glendale, California; it was at that conference that I met a handful of free market anarchists who stuffed photocopies of Murray Rothbard articles and copies of The Match! into my paws. Within a few months, I’d subscribed to Murray’s Libertarian Forum, read Tuccille’s Radical Libertarianism, attended the notorious Left-Right Festival of Mind Liberation at USC (sponsored by Rampart College and California Libertarian Alliance), and was calling myself an anarchist.

God love ya, Bill. Rest in peace.

Commune with nature.

Build a cardboard spaceship.

William F. Buckley Jr. died yesterday. Looking over his rich biography, I can't help but take away the impression that one of his goals in life was to make the pro-liberty, anti-state movement safe -- unthreatening to the establishment. This partly explains his early efforts to "purge" Ayn Rand and Murray Rothbard from the ranks of "respectable" champions of freedom. He was particularly hard on anti-militarists (Rothbard and John T. Flynn), although anti-militarism and anti-imperialism are integral to the historical movement for individual liberty.

I realize he expressed admiration for the work of Mises and Hayek, but even if Buckley had gotten everything he wanted politically (perhaps with the exception of drug decriminalization), the status -- statist-- quo would have been left fundamentally intact. He was distinctly unradical, despite the fact that individual liberty has always been and remains a radical idea. While he occasionally and inexplicably embraced the word "libertarian," he advocated totalitarian U.S. government during the Cold War, a showdown with the Soviet Union (which his own early mentor, Frank Chodorov, said would extinguish liberty), and compulsory national service, among other anti-libertarian positions. On top of all this, his pretentious elitist manner, which attracted so many young conservatives, was unbearable.

The primary consequence of his long career (which included a stint in the CIA) was to seduce budding radical libertarians into an insipid "hip" conservatism that functioned largely as a defender of big business and the intrusive national-security state. We are eternally grateful.

From Jason Smathers’s report on Wendy McElroy’s recent anti-voting lecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

You put your trust in the state because it filters out complexities of life you either cannot manage on your own or see no need to. Why do people obey unjust laws? Because — for the majority, in most cases — it’d be a whole lot more problematic and chaotic without the system there. I may recognize that a war we’re involved in is unjust, but I don’t attempt to overthrow the government because the state simplifies my life in ways that more directly affect me.

Well. I, for one, know that if I were an Iraqi child, I would be happy to die so that Jason Smathers can live a simpler life.

The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair and Festival of Anarchy is the largest anarchist event in North America, and an important exchange of anarchist and anti-authoritarian ideas. The Bookfair is for anarchists and non-anarchists alike. There are people involved with the bookfair collective fluent in French, English and Spanish. In past years participants have come from all over this continent and beyond. Founded in May 2000, the MAB is now entering its eighth year. Bookfair events include book and information tables, workshops, readings, films, presentations, walking tours and much more. Once again, the Anarchist Bookfair will be followed -- on Sunday, May 18th-- by a full day dedicated to anarchist-themed workshops and presentations. This call out is being circulated on anarchist news services, websites and blogs. I've edited the original(s) slightly.

[The main space is wheelchair accessible. For more information or to inquire about other accessibility needs, see our accessibility policy or contact the collective.]


The deadline for workshop and presentation proposals for the Bookfair and workshops is March 3, 2008. More info about workshop proposals is available at the above link. For other proposals ? art exhibits, films, or other festival events, or to reserve a table at the bookfair, please get in touch with us before April 1st.


This year's Bookfair poster and flyer, designed by CX, are now ready for distribution! You can view the Bookfair poster on the MAB poster page or at the top of this page. The fair is for anarchists, or just anyone interested or curious about our ideas.The posters and flyers will be distributed around Montreal, and MAB really needs your help. If you live in the Montreal area and can help with the distribution of flyers and posters, please e-mail









Proposals for the Day of Workshops (Sunday) should address an anarchist-themed topic in some depth, and should be intended for people who are already familiar with anarchism, or might identify as anarchists. The collective will accept between 10 to 15 workshops. Workshop proposals for the Bookfair day (Saturday) should be introductory workshops to anarchism, or an aspect of anarchism, and should be aimed at people who are curious about, or new to, anarchist ideas. These workshops should be accessible to non-anarchists. The collective will accept up to 6 introductory workshops.


The deadline for workshop proposals is MARCH 3, 2008*



The heart of the Bookfair is the main auditorium on May 17, 2008 (10am-6pm)
which will include booksellers, distributors, independent presses and
political groups from all over Montreal, Quebec and North America, and
abroad. Please make sure to read our principles here.

Contact us at info@anarchistbookfair.ca to request table space. If you
haven't tabled at the Bookfair before, please include a short description of
your group and the material you intend to distribute at the Bookfair.

The deadline to request a table is APRIL 1, 2008.



The bookfair will again be displaying artwork relating to
anarchism and anti-authoritarian, autonomous or anarchist-supported
struggles. Please consider proposing an exhibit of photos, posters, original
art, repros - anything within the parameters of the Bookfair that can be
mounted on a wall or placed in a corner!

The Bookfair will also have a film room running all day,
showing films related to anarchism or anarchist-supported struggles, that
fall within the principles of the Anarchist Bookfair.

The deadline for art exhibit and film proposals is APRIL 1, 2008.



In addition to the Bookfair and Day of Workshops, the entire month of May is part of a Festival of Anarchy, with diverse anarchist-themed events occurring at different venues in Montreal. The Bookfair collective compiles a Festival of Anarchy calendar, but we count on you to organize the actual Festival of Anarchy events. Get in touch to reserve a date for your event in May (calendar dates are on a"first come first served" basis).

The deadline to submit Festival of Anarchy events, to be included in our
public calendar, is APRIL 1, 2008.



If you would like to receive Bookfair publicity -- flyers or posters -- by regular mail or electronic mail, to distribute in your community get in touch. Also, please specify whether you want publicity materials in English, French or both.

If you are from the Montreal area, and would like to help with local poster and flyer efforts, please pass on your email and/or phone number and specify in what areas you can poster. If you would like to support the Bookfair collective in general, with organizing tasks between now and the Bookfair, get in touch!



If you have other ideas for the Bookfair or Festival of Anarchy, don't hesitate to get in touch with a proposal! Contact us to receive regular updates and announcements by e-mail.

The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair and Festival of Anarchy is the largest anarchist event in North America, and an important exchange of anarchist and anti-authoritarian ideas. The Bookfair is for anarchists and non-anarchists alike. There are people involved with the bookfair collective fluent in French, English and Spanish. In past years participants have come from all over this continent and beyond. Founded in May 2000, the MAB is now entering its eight year. Bookfair events include book and information tables, workshops, readings, films, presentations, walking tours and much more. Once again, the Anarchist Bookfair will be followed -- on Sunday, May 20 -- by a full day dedicated to anarchist-themed workshops and presentations. This call out is being circulated on anarchist news services, websites and blogs. I've edited the original(s) very slightly.



Bookfair Poster:


[The main space is wheelchair accessible. For more information or to inquire about other accessibility needs, see our accessibility policy or contact the collective.]


The deadline for workshop and presentation proposals for the Bookfair and workshops is March 3, 2008. More info about workshop proposals is available at the above link. For other proposals – art exhibits, films, or other festival events, or to reserve a table at the bookfair, please get in touch with us before April 1st.


This year's Bookfair poster and flyer, designed by CX, are now ready for distribution! You can view the Bookfair poster on the MAB poster page or at the top of this page. The fair is for anarchists, or just anyone interested or curious about our ideas.The posters and flyers will be distributed around Montreal, and MAB really needs your help. If you live in the Montreal area and can help with the distribution of flyers and posters, please e-mail





The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair and Festival of Anarchy is the largest anarchist event in North America, and an important exchange of anarchist and anti-authoritarian ideas. The Bookfair is for anarchists and non-anarchists alike, in French and English (and other languages too), with participants from all of North America and beyond. Founded in May 2000, the Bookfair is now entering its ninth year. Anarchist Bookfair events include book and
information tables, workshops, readings, films, presentations, walking tours and much more.

Once again, the Anarchist Bookfair will be followed - on Sunday, May 18 - by a full day dedicated to anarchist-themed workshops and presentations. As in the past, the "Festival of Anarchy" will take place in May, with diverse events organized by anarchist and anti-authoritarian groups.



Proposals for the Day of Workshops (Sunday) should address an anarchist-themed topic in some depth, and should be intended for people who are already familiar with anarchism, or might identify as anarchists. The collective will accept between 10 to 15 workshops. Workshop proposals for the Bookfair day (Saturday) should be introductory workshops to anarchism, or an aspect of anarchism, and should be aimed at people who are curious about, or new to, anarchist ideas. These workshops should be accessible to non-anarchists. The collective will accept up to 6 introductory workshops.


The deadline for workshop proposals is MARCH 3, 2008*



The heart of the Bookfair is the main auditorium on May 17, 2008 (10am-6pm)
which will include booksellers, distributors, independent presses and
political groups from all over Montreal, Quebec and North America, and
abroad. Please make sure to read our principles here.

Contact us at info@anarchistbookfair.ca to request table space. If you
haven't tabled at the Bookfair before, please include a short description of
your group and the material you intend to distribute at the Bookfair.

The deadline to request a table is APRIL 1, 2008.



The bookfair will again be displaying artwork relating to
anarchism and anti-authoritarian, autonomous or anarchist-supported
struggles. Please consider proposing an exhibit of photos, posters, original
art, repros - anything within the parameters of the Bookfair that can be
mounted on a wall or placed in a corner!

The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair will also have a film room running all day,
showing films related to anarchism or anarchist-supported struggles, that
fall within the principles of the Anarchist Bookfair.

The deadline for art exhibit and film proposals is APRIL 1, 2008.



In addition to the Bookfair and Day of Workshops, the entire month of May is part of a Festival of Anarchy, with diverse anarchist-themed events occurring at different venues in Montreal. The Bookfair collective compiles a Festival of Anarchy calendar, but we count on you to organize the actual Festival of Anarchy events. Get in touch to reserve a date for your event in May (calendar dates are on a"first come first served" basis).

The deadline to submit Festival of Anarchy events, to be included in our
public calendar, is APRIL 1, 2008.



If you would like to receive Bookfair publicity -- flyers or posters -- by regular mail or electronic mail, to distribute in your community get in touch. Also, please specify whether you want publicity materials in English, French or both.

If you are from the Montreal area, and would like to help with local poster and flyer efforts, please pass on your email and/or phone number and specify in what areas you can poster. If you would like to support the Bookfair collective in general, with organizing tasks between now and the Bookfair, get in touch!



If you have other ideas for the Bookfair or Festival of Anarchy, don't hesitate to get in touch with a proposal! Contact us to receive regular updates and announcements by e-mail.

Here's a couple of items from across the pond in jolly old England. The comrades at Class War are wondering what the monarchy has done for the environment except increase the scatological level wherever they go. Apparently Charles has even been making noises about how Islam would be a solution to the "problems" of the United Kingdom. Yuck! Of course the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ( changed to "Windsor" by George V after WW1 due to anti-German sentiment) was on good terms with the old Ceausescu dictatorship in Romania so this shouldn't be surprising (She gave him a Rolls-Royce automobile, one of several luxury cars "donated" by a variety of world "leaders", etc. In 1989 the people of Romania finally exacted their own solution for "big government". Well Lizzie did strip him of his Knighthood the day before the execution...how mean...). I'd like to send both of these turkeys to Afghanistan and I'm sure many weary citizens of the UK would insist they take Blair and Margaret Thatcher too. While we're at it send along some of our "conservatives" here in Canada. On the brighter side a well known crook who went around calling himself a forensic expert in English courts has finally been put on the receiving end of British "law and order". Rumpole would have been pleased.


KING OF THE GREENS?

In January Prince Charles and his other half Camilla flew out to New York to collect the Global Environmental Citizen prize from Harvard Medical School. Now, you as well as us here at the Class War news desk may be wondering what the fuck any Royal has ever done for the environment. When they're not touring up and down the country in petrol guzzling cars they're charging around the countryside shooting the fuck out of anything that moves! But this really takes the biscuit; the dozy parasites took 14 staff with them on their two day jaunt to make sure they were pampered 24 hours a day! The staff included two valets, a dresser, a hairdresser, a butler, a doctor, two private secretaries, assistants, a press secretary, senior press officer and the list goes on. They had to hire an entire business class jumbo jet for this retinue.
Your taxes hard at work.


IN A HIGHLY unusual case a forensic expert has been exposed as a liar and a conman; nothing that unusual there then, but in this case he was sent to prison for 5 years. Gene Morrison, 48, of Hyde, Cheshire, bluffed and lied his way through hundreds of trials, for almost three decades, fooling judges, barristers, solicitors and their clients into believing he was qualified. Morrison left school with no qualifications but gave evidence in cases involving armed robbery, rape, death by dangerous driving, unexplained deaths, drugs offences and questioned paternity. He had told one grieving couple that the unexplained death of their son was suicide and charged them £16,500 for work they had never commissioned. 700 cases in which Morrison gave evidence, are now being reinvestigated by the police. If he gave evidence against you, we strongly suggest you see a solicitor as soon as possible.