Here at BWM, we think it is important to recognize and let you know about folks who we think are worth doing so. Joel Olson was definitely the kind of person we wish we were able to work or organize with or even meet. Joel had a lot of wonderful things to say and we hope you read about Joel and his writings and pass them on to friends and family.
“Dear Comrades:
It has come to my attention that the esteemed activist, writer, and academic Joel Olson passed away while on sabbatical in Europe.
Joel was Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Affairs at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he
specialized in political theory. A noted expert on racial politics and extremist ideologies, he was the author of _The Abolition of White Democracy_ (University of Minnesota Press, 2004) as well as numerous articles and reviews. Joel was working on a second book, entitled _American Zealot: Fanaticism and Democracy in the United States_, at the time of his death.
During the 1990s Joel was involved with Love and Rage Revolutionary Anarchist Federation and later went on to form Bring the Ruckus! He was a well-known figure in the anti-racist and pro-immigrant movement in Arizona.
Details surrounding Joel’s sudden and very untimely death remain unclear, but it goes without saying that his comrades in the North American Anarchist Studies Network, and throughout the North American and international anarchist community, will very much miss him, and we give our love, sympathy, and solidarity to his family, friends, and loved ones during this most difficult time.”
Nathan
Nathan J. Jun, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Midwestern State University
STEP OUT WITH US: Join the Northern Arizona March for Human Rights!
April 28, 2012
Flagstaff, AZ
3:00 PM
Rally at Wheeler Park then March through downtown Flagstaff.
If you value environmental and cultural justice, please join us on Saturday April 28, 2012 in a march for Human Rights and environmental protection in
Flagstaff, Arizona.
As the struggle to protect sacred sites and migrant rights escalates throughout Arizona we are calling on friends, neighbors, families, students, young, old, to march together for justice & healthy communities.
The Arizona state legislature continues to strip our communities of our right to learn and immerse ourselves in our cultures, have control over our own bodies, and provide healthcare and housing for everyone.
Indigenous Peoples’ religious freedom and cultural survival is threatened by desecration of Holy places such as the San Francisco Peaks, Mount Graham, Red Butte, & South Mountain. Forced Relocation and Coal Mining continues to destroy families on Black Mesa and further Global Warming. Greedy politicians & corporations continue to pollute our neighborhoods and steal precious water.
Thank you for helping to build the movement to protect mother earth and human rights!
(Trigger warning; sexual violence)
A woman is walking through an alley looking dazed and dishevelled. She is wearing nothing but a jacket and a neck brace, suggesting a serious and recent injury. The shaky camera shows glimpses of her panties as she falls up the stairs barely able to stand. The PSA cuts to flashback imagery of rough sex with a
man where the woman’s head (only somewhat suggestively) goes through a wall. Then cuts back to the woman tossing a bag of groceries at her boyfriend, who is jovially repairing a hole in the wall near what appears to be the couples’ bed. What is this advertisement about, you may ask? Violence against women? Sexual assault within relationships? Date rape? One would hope that the goal or reasoning behind subjecting people to such triggering imagery would be clear, right?
Nope. This masterpiece of a public service announcement is actually about the benefits of veganism. After watching it a second time, one can see they are trying to suggest that going vegan will increase the male libido, making you (or your man) able to “bring it like a tantric porn star.”
“To me it’s basically glorifying rape,” says Robin Anderson, a vegan and animal rights activist. “It’s disgusting. It’s perpetuating the oppression of women in our society.”
The ad is just another gem from PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals). PETA is perhaps the most well-known and pervasive animal rights organization in North America with over 3 million members and supporters worldwide. They are well known for controversial, attention grabbing campaigns 
and tactics at demos. From scantily clad celebs to holocaust references to images of women being clubbed to death while wearing fur coats, PETA is perhaps more well known for pissing people off and offending minority groups than, well, you know…animal rights education or activism.
“I’d rather go naked than wear fur” is one of their most well-known campaigns. The campaign features nude photos of celebrities such as Kim Basinger and Pamela Anderson all preaching the evils of the fur industry by bearing their naked flesh. And doing nothing but posing passively. It is worth noting that all the models for these ads are thin, apparently white, able bodied, cisgendered, and adhere to pretty much every societal standard of beauty in existence. It is also worth noting that the vast majority of these print ads contain very little text beyond a catchy headline, therefore relaying very little information about the evils of fur or the animals being killed for the industry.
Did you know that we sell zines in our online store? We want to work up to having an extensive book and zine section, but for now we have a few zines that we
think are must reads. We just got in a new zine titled ‘Toward A Re-Cognition of Choice’. This zine is a collection of writings from political prisoner Eric McDavid, and also includes an exclusive interview between ex political prisoner / ELF activist Jeff Luers and Eric McDavid.
Eric McDavid is a political prisoner, currently serving a 20 year sentence in federal prison for “thought crime.” He was arrested in January 2006 (as part of the government’s ongoing “Green Scare” campaign against environmental and animal rights activists) after being targeted by an undercover informant who formulated a crime and entrapped Eric in it. Eric was targeted by the state for his political beliefs, and his case is important for everyone who dares to stand up.
We are really excited to tell you that every single penny funded by selling this zine will be going to Eric McDavid’s support fund. Pretty cool, right?
SUPPORT POLITICAL PRISONERS
There’s been a lot of debate about the police and the Occupy movement. Are the police part of the 99%? If so, then why have they attacked Occupy protests? How should the movement respond?
Earlier this month, we were able to film author Kristian Williams while he answered these questions in detail while reading a chapter from an upcoming book called ‘We Are Many’ about the Occupy movement being put out by AK Press. We hope you enjoy this video, and we hope you help us spread this video around via your favorite social networking site!
