La Tarcoteca

La Tarcoteca

martes, 31 de marzo de 2015

AT LEAST 26 COMRADES ARRESTED ACROSS SPAIN

(What follows is the translation of an article from the media, reproduced from a government press release. We are already aware of at least one other arrest; the case is still very much open. Protests have been called for in various cities tonight. The arrests are connected to the recent Operation Pandora.).
12 People Arrested by the Policia Nacional for belonging to the Grupos Anarquistas Coordinados (GAC)
 Madrid, Barcelona, Palencia, Granada, 30/03/2015
The arrested have been accused of membership in a criminal organization with terrorist objectives, and of committing felonies relating to sabotage and the placing of explosive and incendiary artifacts.
17 searches have been carried out by police, during which another 14 people were arrested for resistance.
Agents with the General Commissary of Information of the Policia Nacional, in collaboration with the Information Brigades in Madrid, Barcelona, Palencia, and Granada, carried out at 6:00 in the morning, an operation resulting in the arrests of 12 people.
17 raids were carried out in total, six of them in Occupied Social Centers [CSOs], where some of those detained engaged in resistance. During the course of the raids another fourteen people were arrested for the felony of resistance.
Those arrested [the original 12] belong to the Coordinated Anarchist Groups [Grupos Anarquistas Coordinados, GAC]. They have been accused of membership in a criminal organization with terrorist objectives, and of committing felonies relating to sabotage and the placing of explosive and incendiary artifacts.
The operation is the fruit of the investigations carried out in the Central Court of Instruction no.6 of the Audiencia Nacional.

Handbook: There is Alternative to banks!!!


Why we need to be defence from banks

Who has the money has the Power. Recovering our capacity of decision
Bank's Power is absolute: political, economic and social. Not much to discuss, our dependence is total. Easy and safe services for costumers. All payment done or data collected by a bank is recorded, share and sell. Taxes payment is automatic. Monitoring and control over each person is absolute.

Instead is imposible to access to the bank companies accounts keep as a proffesional secret, audits are performed by government out of the public eye and in case of faults they pay ridiculus bills. Government access to any bank request as they think they move the economy thanks to the invest they do founding companies. Just one problem, this companies use the money in their own profit, working as one as sharing the same interests. Their financial activities provoques huge changes arround the world. Economy is exchange of goods and services, and there are many ways to get it without to use bank services.

This is just an absurd bank system. There is no real found for citizens.
Another Bank is possible, but not redy at the moment

If we recover our money we recover our capacity to do things, independence and decision. As the financial system is full developed everything we do is in our bennefit. We can start now.

Protect against Crisis and contingences
In our day to day, to live without banks means to be protected from the economical manouvers that use to happend in the world. In september 2014 Sterling Pound fell becouse scotthis referendum, december 2014 rublo fell 60% due to oil, in febrery 2015 euro fell 20% due to Swiss Franc. An economical inestability created by banks. Normal economy is abnormal, the life savings can evaporate in one single bad day. Things can change really fast and we need and can be protect from this situations.

We need another kind of financial services
All we need financial suppor and financial institutions, but there are may ways to do banking, and all are far from the nowaday practices. We need to be protect from this out of control companies.

In this video a discussion about our dependence on banks, also light.

Banks Mean Threats
Macroeconomy
Quantitive Expansion QE- conducted by central banks all over the warld, including UK, USA, UE, Japan, Venezuela, Nigeria... Quick explain: suposse poors have 1 pd and rich 1pd, rate 1:1, 50%, but there is no money to invest. Now government via central banks introduce 1 pd just to invest, and set the conditions to give it to the richs because they are the only people in the universe capable to invest. The rate is now 1:2, 33%, evident lost of purchasing power. we poors are double poor, but keep the same money, £ 1, so government and banks can say we have the same adquisitive power.

Finalcial markets- banks has many kind of products that exchange between them in their own markets, far from the sight of the public. Popular items are CDS, stock options, currency exchange, FRAs, deposit transfer, investment fund, interbank loans... beyond any excuse all these practices are all speculative and serve only to inflate the economical bubble around the world as the one in 2008 that starts with the widespread cuts here in England and have not finish yet.

Macroeconomy- Credit, loans and mortages
All we need financial support, money that we dont have to start our projects. This is use as a wepon by banks as they only grant at their own interest, far away from the public interest. That means that if you are no suitable for a credit, 0 hours contract, chronic disease, disability, you will never have a house, a business or the choice to change your destiny. This practice have to change.

World alternative to banks
There are many places in the world where banks do not have as much power as they have in northamerica or europe. 60% of the South American population or 80% of the African population lives without banks with their own financial services. This fact is linked to underdevelopment as capitalist understand. These economies do not grow as fast as neoliberal economies. Their economies are focus in the local resorces consumption, 5-10 times less tham our, wich make them more resilet to periodic crisis and helps to protect the enviroment.

Credit, Loans and mortages are made through local credit institutions. We can find examples in Peru, the "Cámaras de Crédito Local" Local Credit Council. This video is tricky but show how works the Credit Unions system in US.

Pros and cons of bank services substitution
The most important caracteristic is the Mix of Services requiered to provide the hole pack of services that banks dispose.

There are clear advantages.
- Absolute control of finances- from the begining to the end of the process, knowing that your savings will not be harmful for you, investing your own money in the companies that explode you as weapons industry, nueclear electricity companies, big pharma or volture founds.
- Less goverment control, that means that you can pay the duties (fees, tax, bills) in terms and conditions adecuated to your situation and no so mandatory.
- Decentralization- the money is easier invested in local goods and services.
- Resilence- Mix of services allows that in case of any problem happend just a part of the services are stop, carry on with the others. Ie when a debit card is not working you can not use any of the others bank services.

The downside
- Less availability of services- not all the services are avaliable as easily as banks do.
- Complexity- the mix of services and companies increase the time studying options and services. The choices can not be clear.
- Incertitude- the set of checkings and control for the regular client are strong in banks and insurence in contingency. At the moment some of the alternative services, do not have the required quality, giving problems difficult to solve at times.


Banks Services and substitution

Living without banks means to study its service portfolio and use the alternatives, many of them traditionals. All banking operations can be done without banks. Virtually all banking activities can be replaced by the use of cash, or "0 fee bank accounts".

England is one of the cheapest countries for banking. Even so using alternative services can make you save between £ 200 and 500 per year, maybe more! Bet you did not know. It is called scam.

We recommand and see an important need for a "B account" beside the Current Account: contributions in cash or other products not subject to taxes or bank manipulation. Good luck!

Banks- Transfers Commission: £ 0-20 each at a different bank account
No banks

- Direct Payment on account at the office branch. If monthly payments £ 0-200 annual savings are evident.

Minimizing
- Temporary or paypal accounts. To transfer only the deposited money. The bank can not take extra fee in case there is.
- online Banking. Many services require no commissions.
Essential for the payment of certain bills, tickets or banknotes.

Bank- Commision credit/debit cards. £ 0-10 per month.
No banks
- Use Cash
- Use of prepaid cards and payment

Minimizing
-Use Debit cards keeping the “account to £ 0”.

Banks- Checks Commission by depositing.
Very variable. Very difficult to overcome. The positive is that you can cash it in full in cash without opening account. Payment of fines and fees. Commission on overdrafts and debts. When the balance is negative.

No banks
- Use cash. Direct revenue account.

Minimizing
- Maintain the count to £ 0, remove the fiat money within minutes, rather seconds, that a payment is made. Stay tuned.

Banks- Commission for cash withdrawal. £ 0-5 per operation
No banks
- Use cash.

Minimizing
Many of the payments we have are mandatory bank transfers, as salaries, so the use of banks is essential, what can we do.
- Remove all the cash at once to pay only one time and keep “account at 0”
- Withdraw cash at ATMs without commission.

Banks-study and opening of credit Commission: £ 500-1500 per operation.
No banks
- Use of cash. Cameras local credit

Minimizing
- Micro-patronage / crowfounding / bonds
- Contributions from members
- Contributions from subscribers
All these activities will also pay taxes, so the only way to avoid this is to pay in cash.
Not valid on purchase of personal property such as a house.
Never ever go to fund or hire-purchase in shops (computers, cars, forniture)! It is a simple trap!

The Cryptocurrency can mitigate the effect of taxes.

Banks- Currency exchange Commission. £ 0-5, and 2-5% per operation
Minimizing
- Exchange office. Are companies very commun. You have just to find the better offer.
- Criptocurrency. With only reliability of a fair, reliable, and delocalized electronic currency, barely exchange fees.
System: install the manager app and open an account, buy Cryptocurrency , you travel to other country and exchange the Cryptocurrency for local currency in a branch office.
- Online Transfer- exchange companies settled in differents contries that are able to bounce the money from one to othe in the way you paid up to 90% less commission that in banks. Ie Transferwise.com
- Gold. System: Purchasing gold for the value to be transferred, make the trip and change when arrival. Surely you come out winning. 1 oz, 31.1 g, a miserable coin is exchanged for £ 799,59.
Problems with availability of offices and payment fees.

Banks- New commissions.
The imagination of bank to make money grow is incredible. Some of this are: extra Paper statements 1pd each, Copy of issued statements 1pd each, Automatic transfer facility £ 7-25 each, Bank Drafts: Original request for a Bank Draft 20pd, Cancelling a Bank Draft 10pd, Posting a warning on a lost or stolen Bank Draft £ 20; Electronic Payments into your account £ 0-30 each, Electronic Payments from your account £ 0-30 each...

Minimizing
-”account with £ 0”. Open up an account at the receiving entity maintaining 0pd and using it just to do payments. Savings of between £ 0 and 100 per year.
Take care, some banks retain legally the money some days to verified the operation wich could redirect your money and loose it.

As we have seen almost all daily activities of banks can be made through alternative, implying a change of habits. If we stopped smoking, drinking and eating junk food we can stop destroying our future just leaving banks.

There are still important points to resolve in terms of the banks that have not yet been adequately resolved: Credit financing.

Alternatives to banks

Cash. OK
Advantage
The advantage is clear, the cash is managed personally and use unique and exclusively in our transaction without paying extra fees or other charges. That represent a proffit between 120 and 500 pd per year. It may not seem like much, but it's almost a monthlys salary for many families.
We all lived like this before 1975 when the 1st credit card and Cash Machines was introduced.

Issues
Problems with contingencies.
Discomfort in displacement to do payments. Ideal if you do not plan to travel.
Problems of availability and access to bank branches. The current trend in banks is to close branches and replace it all for Cash machines or online banking, becoming a serious problem in some localities.
There are home deposit problems, having to rely on unwieldy amounts of cash at home.

To face the cash payments we recommend taking one day a month to deal with the payments all together and thus reduce the wear and cost of travels.

Online only-payment-accounts. OK
Virtually you can buy now everything you want on the internet, so it is very useful for online payment. What is not helpful are the charges or control over person. There are only-payment-accounts, no deposit accounts, such as Pay pal, Neteller, Skrill ... a lot. It is a bit cumbersome but is streamlined with a little practice.
https://help.bwin.com/es/general-information/payments/payment-methods

Alternative monetary reserves. OK
If you need to have a deposit, for example in case of contingency or to invest in a home or business, the best option is a mixed solution: Social Currency, Cryptocurrency, natural money (gold, silver, platinum, time, seeds...). Use current currency is a counterproductive error.

Prepaid debit cards. OK
They work just like mobile cards. Shopping card that is associated with a password. Pay and you get access to card payment and online banking. It's that simple.The difference with the debit card is that you do not need a to have a bank account or contract and you not pay commissions for maintenance.

Although is not a very requested service is available in all banks and other companies.

The “account to 0 or Zero account”. OK with reservations
Open an account in the bank, you will need a minimun money. Remove it an keep 0. You just make the income immediately before use. So that the maintenance costs is 0 and you prevents the bank take money for fines and overdraft by not giving time to execute the commands. Some times the bank retain the money. Be aware of wich situations. Bank keeps control and monitoring the movement of person.

Standing orders- Cancel it and do it manually. You can save £ 10-20 per month.

Negotiate Commissions- The use of bank accounts can be useful in certain circumstances, but the collection of fees is abusive. Sometimes you can negotiate with the bank dependent commissions. No matter what they tell you, before signing, the £ 0.00 charges has to be specified in the contract. Study it or they will piss you off.

Even with 0 charges is convenience to have a cash balance of £ 0.
It is better to be frighten because you have to make a payment, such as a tax, tham because of the bank has already done it for you and you have no money for other contingencies, such as food, gas or electricity.

Problems of Availability- sometimes you need to do physical cash entry into your bank account to do some payments.

Online Banking. OK with reservations
All banks offer online banking service. This is generally crages less commissions, but is not entirely free. Although useful for payments is recommended as in previous situations the account to 0 to avoid shocks ath the end of month.

Business Transfer national and international "money". OK
Again, we repeat: in real life no money is transferred, currencies are exchanged through encryption. Transporting money in a bag and go to an exchange office does not seem a good idea since electronic transfers have advanced, minimized the collection of fees and now are in a good position in the market:
http://trucoslondres.com/transferencias-internacionales-gratis/

Financial Products: X Discarded
Without further.

Stock market: X Discarded
The Stock Market is the most manipulated of all times Institution. Your bets are controlled by computers. Their prices manipulated by larger groups. Think for a moment to have a stock is little more than investing in toilet paper with the difference that you do not end up with an ulcer. It is not a place for beginers and weekend investors.
http://www.tradingdefuturos.com/como-funciona-la-manipulacion-profesional-en-la-bolsa/

Investment funds: X Discarded
Leave the money to a satrap of the HSBC, Lloyds, Santander, Barclays or any of the other banks is little more than remove yourself the health, education, justice and social services at once. It's say they are right and you give them money for their lobbies make laws and hunter politicians to bring it to the Parliament an made them more rich. Is to participate in the creation of economic bubbles that will send you to ruin. Just do'nt do it.

Foreign currency: X Discarded
Maybe in the past diversify our money in different currencies could be an option. A combo of coins could make us keep purchasing power. But in modern times, the currency war, fall oil prices, deflaction, overproduction, paralysis of the global economy, bet your saves in other crazy countries with their crazy statements and no less crazy central banks is little more than throwing money down the drain. The coins are strong or weak compared to each other, but behind there is an economic solvency. In times of crisis such as this, is a Russian roulette.

Art / collecting: X Discarded
Art investment is to invest in fashion, which involves speculating and generally ruin. Fashions change with the wind and needs someone to appreciate it. In times of famine fuck off bourgeois art. Having a collector's item is an investment in future. Generally supposed to keep the object still for long awaiting to be revalued. We still remember in 90s the bubble marvel comics! What a world.

Properties: X Discarded
Having the energy invested in property / land is a big problem. With a great value are hardly interchangeable rigged and carry large tax burdens indicating that the property is not yours, it belongs the State.
Profit is only obtained if property provides a service or holds any economical activity.
It is hardly convertible. It is fully controlled by the state.

It is not known why economists consider property as an asset, ie a private possession that can be exchanged for money at any time, when in fact it is a passive, belongs to the banks and the state and are paying taxes for it all lifetime. Solution: squat.

sábado, 28 de marzo de 2015

International support call: Kobane’s Second Phase, Resistance and Necessities

After 134 days of fierce resisting and defending. The women, men and their combatants with the support and solidarity from millions of people around the world had finally defeated the vicious attack from ISIS and liberated their town Kobane.

This was not just a defeat for ISIS and it's dream to establish an Islamic Kelifat. But it had also destroyed the ISIS's ally the current Turkish government's dream to resurrect a Neu-othman empire.

The attack on Kobane was a proxy war launched by ISIS on behalf of the regional regimes and others against the bravery people in Kobane and the Democratic Self administration (DSA).

This war has left a great impact on people of Kobane socially and psychologically and including the people who left the town and sought refuge in the neighboring regions.

The war is not over yet. The ISIS is still intimidating and threatening the villages around Kobane with their frightening missions and propaganda. Obviously, this threat will remain until their total eradication from the region.

We are now in the second stage of resistance and that is to deal with the aftermath of the war. Clearing the land mines, unexploded bombs and explosives. Clearly, this operation cannot be achieved by the people of Kobane. This needs technical support and expertise.

To rebuild Kobane: the people of this town need the international solidarity from the vast majority of people in the world in order to save the Democratic Self Administration. This is the only way to protect the revolution there. Asking the international finance bodies and big corporations to help with the rebuilding of the town is not the best option. In fact this approach as the history tells us might well results in destroying the revolution altogether.

Some suggestions for the international solidarity and support in reconstruction of Rojava :
1- Forming committees and associations to collect money, reconstruction materials and cleaning the environment especially in Kobane .

2- Opening bank accounts for donation and making contribution under the control of the Rojava Solidarity groups in towns and countries.

3- Forming different groups and committees in the towns of any countries where is possible to collect anything, any materials that Rojave needs for reconstruction. Ensuring that whatever has been collected will be transferring quickly and safely to Rojava. Setting up storages on the borders of Kurdistan region of Iraq, Iran and Turkey before transferring them to Rojava through opening of humanitarian corridor.

4- Collecting medicine and hospital equipments to all three Cantons of Rojava: Jazeera, Kobane and Efrin.

5- Building schools, hospitals, play fields and special places for rehabilitation and psychological supports of war's victims and refugees.

6- Providing independent telephone lines and Internet connection to all three Cantons : Efrin, Jazerra and Kobane, not relying on neighbouring countries lines any more, the lines and Internet connection should be outside of their control.

7- Allowing the volunteers who can help physically and mentally to go there in order to participate directly to support people and also helping in reconstruction of Kobane and the rest of Rojava.

8- Allowing the volunteers who are expert in energy fields, agriculture, industries and building construction to participate and offer whatever they can.

9-Any steps that will be done must be in consultation with the local people in Rojava who involved in Communes and the rest of the other local groups with coordination with people of DSA and they should be the decision makers.

10- We see the participating and solidarity to Rojava as an anarchist natural practical duty. We hope the above suggestions and some more from other comrades be put in practice. We believe this practical work should not be just related to Rojava , but can be considered to anywhere in this world especially those places that has been destroyed by war. This can be an evident that anarchists work in rebuilding the society in every aspects of life.

We believe that nothing is perfect and immune from criticism, so do these suggestions. We hope our suggestion create debates and discussion among all the anarchist comrades . We also like to stress that our suggestions are not just about Kobane / Rojava because there is possibility that we face the same duty in elsewhere in this world in nearest future.

Kurdistan Anarchist Forum (KAF), 4th Feb 2015


To know more:

jueves, 26 de marzo de 2015

Birth of the Central American and Caribbean Anarchist Federation!

After several months of preparation, pre-congress debates and the call to the first conference to the constitution of the Central American and Caribbean  Anarchist Federation FACC, some comrades from diverse countries and realities of the ​​Central and Caribbean area  (and international observers) have meet in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros on 21st and 22nd of March this year 2015, to share ideas, know each other and set the differences and similarities. And we are satisfacted after founding the FACC! A channel for solidarity and the cooperation of the anarchists in the area, transcending the constrainings borders that capitalism and the States impose on us. A federation of trends that seeks to fan the relationships between the various groups in the region and its diaspora.

Initially members who are part of the Federation are: Alfredo López Libertarian Workshop TLAL from Cuba, Dominican Libertarian Kiskeya, Comrades from Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Bonaire and Miami (There are groups that wanted to participate in the FACC, even to members, but due to different situations could not assist and be part of the Federation so far).

The federation is based on the principles of consensus, solidarity and the accepting of the diversity of individuals and groups in their trends and practices. Is focus on the critical actions and study within the two regions. Is characterized by being a federation with a horizontal organization.

According to decisions taken by consensus, it was agreed that the membership criteria are:

    - Individuality and / or collective calls itself anarchist.

    - That the individual or group acts horizontally.

    - That one actual member of the federation be guarantor of individuality or collective applicants.

    - That There are unanimous consensus for entry of individuality or group to the federation.

    - The applicant will have to wait a maximum of two months time to achieve unanimity in consensus.

The Federation has one consensually committee at the moment, the Communications Committee, and three committees created by volunteer individual : "Anti-repressive" Committee, "Anti-nationalist" committee  and "Self-management" committee.

The formation of the Federation marks a milestone in the history of the anarchist movements in the regions, given that never before existed a space to share experiences and work together.

We have chosen the path of freedom and horizontality and expect our allied comrades from all over join us in this new journey to an ancient ideal that is constantly renovated, to the anarchy!

Source: Ha nacido la Federación Anarquista Centroamericana y del Caribe - Portal OACA seen at El Libertario

martes, 24 de marzo de 2015

«Last Call», The Manifesto

The Manifesto

(en español)(em português)(in Deutsch)(en français)(in italiano)(στα ελληνικά)(en català)(en galego)(euskeraz)(en asturianu)(en aragonés)(en Esperanto

This is more than an economic and political crisis: it’s a crisis of civilization.

ultima-llamada-v0-2-640x927A large portion of European citizens hold the belief that our present consumerist society can (and must) “progress” into the future. Meanwhile, a majority of the inhabitants of the planet can only dream of attaining the same level of material comfort that we have. However, our level of production and consumption has been achieved at the cost of exhausting natural (including energy) resources and by disrupting the equilibrium of Earth’s ecosystems.
But this is old news. The most lucid researchers and scientists have been warning since the 1970s that if humans were to maintain the current trends of growth (economic, demographic, resource use, pollution and increase in inequality), the most probable outcome during the 21st century is the collapse of civilization.
Today, there is mounting evidence indicating that the path of unlimited growth is similar to a slow motion genocide. The end of cheap energy, the catastrophic scenarios of climate change, and geopolitical conflicts over natural resources illustrate that the years of seemingly unlimited progress are forever gone.
To cope with this challenge, the flimsy mantra of sustainable development is not enough; nor is betting on eco-efficient technologies or a supposed transition to any “green economy”. Indeed, all these versions of friendly development disguise plans for the general commodification of natural resources and ecosystemic services. Technological solutions, to both the environmental crisis and the decline in energy production, are insufficient. Further, the ecological crisis is not an incidental problem, but an essential one that is affecting many societal issues: food, transportation, industry, urbanization, military conflicts… In fact, it concerns the foundations of our economy and our lives.
We are trapped in the perverse dynamics of a civilization that does not work if it does not grow, even if growth destroys the resources that maintain the civilization. Our culture, completely addicted to technological and market solutions, has forgotten that, in fact, we are inherently part of an interdependent ecosystem.
Our production- and consumption- oriented society cannot be sustained by the planet. We need to construct a new civilization capable of securing the dignity of a huge, and constantly growing, human population (which today comprises more than 7.2 billion) in a world of diminishing resources. This would be possible only after radical changes in our lifestyles, forms of production, urban design, and organization of territories. We need a society that focuses on recovering an equilibrium with the biosphere by using research, technology, culture, economy, and politics to advance towards this end. However, to do this we will need all the political imagination, moral generosity, and technical creativity that we are able to deploy.
Such Great Transformation would need to confront two obstacles: the inertia of the capitalist lifestyle and the interests of privileged groups. However, to avert the chaos and barbarity that would ensue were we to maintain our current trends, we need both to rupture the political hegemony that currently predominates, and to establish an economy focused on satisfying social needs within the limits imposed by the biosphere rather than on the accumulation of private profit.
Fortunately, more and more people are resisting the attempts of elites to make the public pay the consequences of the crisis. Today, in Spain, the awakening of dignity and democracy emerged from the 15M movement (during the spring of 2011) that is creating a constitutional process that opens up possibilities for other forms of social organization.
However, it is fundamental that the various projects working towards social alternatives become fully aware of the implications of the limits to growth. This is the only way they will be able to design sound proposals for durable social change. The economic and political crises can only be overcome in tandem with the ecological crisis. In this sense, old Keynesian policies are far from adequate. Those policies led us, in the decades following the Second World War, to a cycle of expansion that has brought us to the brink of exceeding the planet’s limits. At this point, any new cycle of expansion is unfeasible: there is no material basis, ecological space, or natural resources to sustain it.
The 21st Century will be decisive in the history of humankind. It will be a great test for cultures, societies, and even for the species as a whole. It will be a test that will decide our continuity on Earth and the appropriateness of qualifying future social organization as ‘human’. We face a transformation akin to major historical events such as the neolithic revolution and the industrial revolution.
But just beware: The window of opportunity is closing. Certainly there are many social movements around the world pursuing environmental justice (the organization Global Witness has registered almost a thousand environmentalists murdered during the past decade, killings during demonstrations against mining or oil projects, or against people defending their land and water). But we have at most five years to settle a broad debate about the limits of growth, and to construct democratic ecological and energy alternatives that are both rigorous and feasible solutions. We should be able to convince large majorities willing to promote a change in economic, energy, social, and cultural models. It is not only about fighting against the injustices resulting from the exercise of domination and the accumulation of wealth; we are speaking about defining a new model of society that acknowledges reality, makes peace with nature, and makes possible a good life within the ecological limits of the earth.
One civilization is ending and we must build a new one. Doing nothing, or too little, will lead us directly to social, economic, and ecological collapse. But if we start today, we can still become the protagonists of a society that is united, democratic, and in peace with the planet.
— Written at many locations around the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic and Canary Islands, during the summer of 2014.
The solution to this crisis is very easy...
Cartoon by El Roto: «The solution to this crisis is very easy: we just have to consume more to reactivate the economy and consume less not to spoil the planet»

Download the Manifesto (in Spanish)

Some signers of the manifesto:

Ada Colau, Alberto Garzón, Antonio Turiel, Antonio Valero, Arcadi Oliveres, Belén Gopegui, Cayo Lara, Enric Duran, Esther Vivas, Ferrán Puig Vilar, Florent Marcellesi, Joan Herrera, Joan Martínez Alier, Joaquín Araujo, José Manuel Naredo, Juan Diego Botto, Juantxo López de Uralde, Justa Montero, Marina Albiol, Olga Rodríguez, Pablo Iglesias Turrión, Teresa Forcades, Teresa Rodríguez, Xosé Manuel Beiras, Yayo Herrero… (See full list where you can also sign at the bottom simply by leaving a comment)
Other versions in English:

viernes, 20 de marzo de 2015

USA-Venezuela Crisis: Among the White House arrogance, Miraflores demagoguery and imperialist brawls

Source- El Libertario seen in La Tarcoteca: “Crisis” USA-Venezuela: Entre la prepotencia de la Casa Blanca, la demagogia de Miraflores y las reyertas inter-imperialistas

Data and facts deny the claim that the "imperialist" interests were threatened in Venezuela with the arrival of the so-called Bolivarian government. As reality shows, the presidencies of Hugo Chavez and Maduro have deepened the extractive role assigned to the country by capitalist globalization, which together with financial and speculative capital, continue to earn big profits in Venezuela. Just two examples. The first a looks at the Chevron report: The Bolivarian connection (at http://bit.ly/1AeNjRt), expossing the fabulous expansion of this US transnational under the so-called "Socialism of the XXI Century". The second is evident in what the "fracking" issues, denounced by the president of PDVSA as a "weapon of capitalism" but unabashedly used in Venezuela by state oil (see http://bit.ly/1E4AZoi and http://bit.ly/1l0RBr2).

The US government uses the excuse of human rights to punish officials of a regime that is diplomatically inconvenient, while restored relations with the government of Cuba. Both manouvers being both played almost simultaneous and both sought to please various factions of ruling power in U $ A. Such sanctions prompted the Venezuelan official response, requiring visas for all American origin people trying to visit the country (as Brazil and Bolivia settled before) and the entry prohibition of some US officials. The replica of Obama administration was oversized: Declaring Venezuela as "an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy for the United States", activating mechanisms under the  International Emergency Economic Powers Law, whereby the president can impose economic sanctions without the approval of Congress. In recent years, USA has qualified Iran, Burma, Sudan, Russia, Zimbabwe, Syria, Belarus and North Korea in similar ways. A whole hyperbole that not even the American Chief believes. Moreover, sanctions are announced for low profile figures of the Venezuelan state bypassing the most relevant.

As Latin American libertarians we can not forget all imperialist intervention initiatives undertaken by the United States against the countries of the region from the S. XIX. Each and every one of them - military invasions with subsequent territorial occupations, coups, financing paramilitary compulsive collections of alleged debts, among the most serious - have originated a loud and clear rejection from anarchism. The same repudiation would be if such situations happend in the future against any area of ​​Latin America.

The Venezuelan government and its apparatus of national and international propaganda claim that this sanctions constitutes a "declaration of war" against Venezuela and is the prelude to a very unlikely "American military attack". However, despite this alarmist forecast, Miraflores takes no consistent political-diplomatic action according with what it preaches, the split of relations, closure of their embassies and consulates in US territory or the suspension of bilateral business. Obama said that trade ties, which is well known and documented so large they are (see http://bbc.in/1EyLWDP) is not interrupted.

Indeed, the reaction of the White House is profitable for Nicolas Maduro, at a time when the Venezuelan president has the lowest rates of popularity since 1999, the country suffers the highest inflation in the world and is being implemented a progressively economic package unloading the cost of the crisis in the population. Maduro use the argument of "imperialist invasion" as an excuse to increase repression to silence any dissent and implement structural adjustment, masked with anti-imperialist rhetoric to warm the political theater and false polarization, making time to try to convince the increasingly distrustful inherited Chavez about the benefits of a project that claims to be socialist but dragging the worst vices of his opponents assumptions clearly state capitalism popular support. At the request of the enabling "anti-imperialist" law to the National Assembly underlies the probability intensify measures left on the backs of the majority the weight of the crisis, overlapping trasdeclaraciones type Cipriano Castro [economic minister] urgent decisions topping national assets such as financial swap to materialize with the gold of the Public Treasury (see http://bit.ly/1xc0d1q).

Venezuela suffers imperial meddling, silenced by the Bolivarian propaganda apparatus but clear whoever wants to see them: the handover of territory to Chinese capital for his outrageous exploitation and the exorbitant arms purchases to the Russian Federation are two examples. In that same vein, I would not be surprised if after this fuss of embassies and foreign ministries, Washington preventive response to the action carried on several fronts in Latin America its potential adversaries imperial hegemony is concealed. The real understanding of the current dynamics of global capitalism involves understanding that while the US is the center of the network flows political, economic and financial power, that role is fulfilled amid tensions with other large states aspiring to the throne or at least a bigger slice in the pie of oppression and exploitation.

Moreover, and as we have always done from El Libertario we denounce to this sector of the opposition that welcomes any initiative from the Yankee government and aspires to its most active and direct involvement in the Venezuelan situation [militar intervention]. Given this and other proposals that are build on the statist tradition our choice is clear: we reiterate the need to build a social libertarian alternative facing not only the Bolivarian authoritarian capitalism but to the restructuring of the traditional political parties - also pro-capitalist - and its cheats games with the electoral representation excuse.

Colectivo Editor de El Libertario – Caracas, 11 de marzo de 2015