OP/ED: Sherman Austin, Raise the Fist!

Sherman Austin, at the time a teenager in California, was arrested for possible threats to the government, and no one even knew. Possible threats?!?!?! It's time to get on our sopaboxes people, and not let them push us off!

Its almost too much. the fact that this was not more public is drving me crazy. I feel horrible, ignorant, and oblivious for not finding out about this sooner, but I thought that some more people should read up on this too.

This is The Sherman Austin Story

�First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist, so I said nothing. Then they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat, so I did nothing. Then came the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist. And then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did little. Then when they came for me, there was no one left to stand up for me.� - Pastor Martin Niem�ller on moral failure in the face of fascism

Though only a teenager, Sherman Austin was still quite capable of communicating his politically progressive ideas. After all, he was raised in Los Angeles by his mother, Jennifer, to feel free to speak his mind about any issues of the day.
As an anarchist, Sherman opposed �all forms of political, economic and social hierarchies.� And he condemned violence in any form, whether by �bin Laden or the USA.� But make no mistake about it, RaiseTheFist.com was a website where George Bush and his cronies were catching holy hell from an assortment of contributors for the war in Iraq and for other foreign and domestic policies.
In January 2002, about 25 heavily armed FBI agents raided the Austin home, ransacking it while interrogating the terrified teenager for over five hours. The FBI seized the whiz kid�s network of computers in order to take down his rabble-rousing website, accusing him of disseminating bomb-making information."
"Sadly, the badly intimidated pacifist anarchist agreed to a plea bargain in reaction to a threatened enhancement of the charges against him to �terrorism,� which could have added another 20 years to his sentence. In open court, the judge then shocked everybody by ignoring the plea deal that had been worked out, and by tripling Austin�s sentence and throwing away the key."
"The court psychiatrist testified that he posed absolutely no threat to anyone but rather was likely to be - himself - adversely affected by further incarceration due to his peaceful nature.
"What has this society regressed to if the Patriot Act is being implemented in such patently partisan fashion to silence foes of the administration?


Infoshop.org

Just go from this site and youll be linked to hundred of sites about the case. Its an outrage.WAKE UP! This is happening now and this is happening to you.

In this day and age, what are free thinkers, free speakes, and anarchists of the body, mind, and soul to do when a peaceful man is sentenced to jail and completely beaten down by the government who picks and chooses its battles?

There are some who will say this is an attack on minorities, but I don't believe it has anything to do with that. This has to do with the tyrannical state our contry is slowly evolving into. And what are we doing? NOTHING! It's as if we've finally taken off the rose-tinted glasses, yet we're still blind! Why wasn't this more public? Why don't more people know?

Why why why why why?

Unfortunately, answers to our questions will not help us now.

Now is the time to stand up and demand that this be stopped. I'm not saying that we weren't trying before, and I'm not saying we should blow anything up or become window-smashers, but we've got to do something we haven't tried before.

And if it won't start with our adults, it willl start with the minors.

We refuse to get off our soapboxes, for the revolution has begun.
*****
An interview with Austin-
Counterpunch.org
Infoshop.org

Another interview-
Indymedia.org

His site; just go and see what happens-
www.raisethefist.com...

[Edited on 9-3-2004 by Banshee]

i posted this in a thread, but someone said we should get it onto ATSNN so more people can be exposed to it. thats why its here, sorry for the double posting

This should be a special feature on ATSNN. Some kind of editorial or something...News guys thoughts??

there is an opinion/editorial section on ATSNN, but i dont think this ones being accepted

nevermind it was, and thanks banshee for making it all professional like by adding punctuation and capitalizationi owe you one

I'd like to see everyones thoughts and input on this. I'm going to drop an email to Michael Moore and Bill Mahr, maybe they will make mention of it. (assuming they read the emails) We'll see I guess.

a basic rundown for people who dont want to read the whole story


and here he is-

does anybody even care about this? or care enough to say something? to do something?

or is this happening to you too

There is a catergory for this, OP/ED, Opinions and editorials. I have not seen that many members submit to this though. However i suggest that anyone submitting to this, does their research, and backs up thier theroies on the subject. Being as that the opinions of members on this site is a driving force to Deny Ignorance, I would like to see more members submit.

I know if I personally find something I think should be upgraded, I will u2u a MOD if I believe it is in the guidlines of Posting, or I will u2u the poster to help them get it into the ATSNN posting guidlines.

Trick

Originally posted by TrickmastertricK
There is a catergory for this, OP/ED, Opinions and editorials. I have not seen that many members submit to this though. However i suggest that anyone submitting to this, does their research, and backs up thier theroies on the subject. Being as that the opinions of members on this site is a driving force to Deny Ignorance, I would like to see more members submit.

I know if I personally find something I think should be upgraded, I will u2u a MOD if I believe it is in the guidlines of Posting, or I will u2u the poster to help them get it into the ATSNN posting guidlines.

Trick

huh? this is an OP/ED. sorryijust dont get what youre trying to say

Your right, this should not be allowed to happen and something should be done and I believe that (raisethefist) has done quite a bit. Was looking around for any Petitions but no luck finding any. I believe a lot of people care Scat, just to let you know youre not alone.

I care Scat, and I have been aware of this travisty of justice since it's occurance well over a year ago, maybe two. Similar happenings are occuring all across the whole nation. Here in California, they can pick you up on the street, handcuff and detain you for no reason. Hold you as long as they want, fingerprint and photograph you, all along never reading you your rights [I suppose because you don't have any] Interogate you and relaease or hold you with no outside calls allowed and the trick is they never arrest you. I have been subjected to it, and it is very disturbing to say the least. Very Gestapo like. I am glad I am old.

TUT TUT

This is the sort of thing that royally P*I*S*S*E*S me off!!! The judge and prosecutor in this case need to be fired from their positions and REMOVED FROM THE BAR FOR LIFE!!! They have no business being in jobs which affect the lives of others! These are the very sort of high and mighty B*A*S*T*A*R*D*S that bring down the wrath of the law on some poor shmuck to make an example out of them while ignoring blatant lawbreaking by their cronies and friends.

r-r-r-r-r-r-r-right There are two sides to all stories people, you've only heard one. While I confess to know less about this issue than I'd like to, I've had enough first-person encounters with "anarchists" to have some idea of the issues here. Anarchist groups are very often clearly engaged in planning violence. I've seen it and experienced it here in NYC. If memory serves me correctly, Austin's website functioned as an ad-hoc portal to several organized anarchist groups. While I admire and appreciate Austin's desire to speak up and be heard, when one is involved in the planning of violence that crosses state lines, there is a significant amount of risk of being fingered for a federal crime. It's pretty simple. If Austin was so non-violent... why was his URL: "RaistTheFist.com" certainly an intelligent non-violent person concerned with social change could think of a far more effective URL. "He inspired so many young people all over the world to consider anarchist ideas"... PUKE! "Anarchist ideas"... give me a break.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
r-r-r-r-r-r-r-right

There are two sides to all stories people, you've only heard one.


While I confess to know less about this issue than I'd like to, I've had enough first-person encounters with "anarchists" to have some idea of the issues here.

Anarchist groups are very often clearly engaged in planning violence. I've seen it and experienced it here in NYC. If memory serves me correctly, Austin's website functioned as an ad-hoc portal to several organized anarchist groups. While I admire and appreciate Austin's desire to speak up and be heard, when one is involved in the planning of violence that crosses state lines, there is a significant amount of risk of being fingered for a federal crime. It's pretty simple.

If Austin was so non-violent... why was his URL: "RaistTheFist.com" certainly an intelligent non-violent person concerned with social change could think of a far more effective URL.

"He inspired so many young people all over the world to consider anarchist ideas"... PUKE! "Anarchist ideas"... give me a break.

The word "anarchy," and "anarchist," is highly misunderstood, because the idea itself has been demonized. Most probably, the depopularization of the concept of "anarchy," vis a vis the "violence factor," was accomplished by oligarchical forces in their typical "problem-reaction-solution," scenarios. The elite plant their own agents say at an IMF meeting protest, they "overturn a car," or something. Then the "police," start attacking grandmothers and ministers at the protest. Naturally the agents who do the "violence," are protected by those police since they most likely ARE the police. Do not ignore the COINTELPRO syndrome.

Okay now you are wondering in the context of "anarchy," what's good about it?

Take a look at the dimensions of "anarchy," in a country such as Norway.

www.anarchy.no...

(Anarchy and anarchism mean "system and management without ruler(s), i.e. co-operation without repression, tyranny and slavery".)


It means the local control, non submision to distant elites who care nothing about you except as someone they leech.

So lose the anarchy phobia already, as a proper view of anarchy means to pull the plug on as much as possible upon any distant snobbish elite that has been ruining the world for thousands of years.

[Edited on 31-3-2004 by SkipShipman]

As I mentioned, my experience with "anarchists" is first-hand, on two occasions, here in NYC. Once during one of their pre-event meetings, and the other during a street protest. I have no misconceptions. [Edited on 31-3-2004 by SkepticOverlord]

the url raisethefist is not referring to violence. It means just what is says. Raise your fist in the air. Above your head. A way to stand and show you are angry with the way things are in this country. Raise your fist and shout out how horrible this country is becoming.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
As I mentioned, my experience with "anarchists" is first-hand, on two occasions, here in NYC. Once during one of their pre-event meetings, and the other during a street protest.

I have no misconceptions.

[Edited on 31-3-2004 by SkepticOverlord]

I agree with the stipulation that of course, even "anarchists," don't know what they are talking about because they do not even know what "anarchy," in it's definition actually is.

It is not lawlessness but agreement and cooperation without distant elites that "rule," and "tax," with repression hence turning most people into "slaves," who are unaware of their actual state of being.

The most elementary diagnosis of the Federal Reserve System indicates our collective bankruptcy due to compound interest and its infinite growth to favor the few.

How the heck did a few European families and a few token US families gain the ability to create money out of nothing and charge interest forever, while financing and creating wars lacking any actual self maintenance for those fighting it? Here we are, still paying for WWI, WWII, and the possibility of WWIII. A master crook couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect crime, nor a way to gain more influence with hot air and paper. You create the collateral with all your future hopes, dreams and work, and they continually collect massive rewards.

Where are my Corporate Checklisting books to start a Federal Reserve Bank, I want the same deal under law.

I agree with skip, the word "anar" is completely taken the wrong way. Most people hear the word and think "no law, no cops, no justice, violence, death, chaos." Sheesh, there's even a painting "Funeral of the Anarchist......" (Dont remember the danme of the anarchist or the artist, my bad) and all it is is fire and chaos.

But this is truly the literal sense of the word. It's like Deomcrats and Republicans, who have actually switched ideals, according to the two parties orginal ideas and view points....Republicans are ACTUALLY "democrats" in thei views and democrats are actually "Republican" in their points of view.

Anarchist. It's short. It's easy. It rolls off the tounge. It's spelled cool. Hell, whatever the reason, this is the term to describe a person and their mind and viewpoints...not literally as someone who lives somewhere with no law or order. It's like the word pancake. ALL CAKES ARE MADE IN PANS! What makes a pancake any different from a regular cake? Literally, they are on in the same. But they aren't.

But again, you're right, alot of "anarchists" are pissed off rich white boys who like to burn thins and break away from their roots. They overturn dumpsters, light things on fire, and are your everyday window smashers. These guys are stupid and put the name to shame.

Ever heard the song Nazi Anarchist? or Anarchist Nazi? I don't remember the exact name of the song but its very good...check it out. Basically it says once you start getting violent, you've become what you're supposed to be against, and thus only hurt what you're supposedly trying to accomplish.

Sherman Austin had a WEBSITE.

Who knows? He might have been a dumpster turning window smashing loser like alot of cats i know. But he wasn't arrested for breaking and entering. He wasn't arrested for beating up a cop. He wasn't arresting for storching a Starbucks and spray painting traffic signs at WTO protests.

He was arrested for having a website.

Welcome to Farenheit:451. Except instead of wiping out an entire genre, it seems as if people are picking and choosing what material from any genre is to be burned..

Stitch up my lips, nail down my hands, douse my eyes with kerosene and fill my legs with sand.

Siply put, censor me as much as you can so that I can't try to change anything. Whether it will hurt you or not.

That's what this is about: censorhip. Book burning. Literally. There was book burning up in Pennysylvania not too long ago at a church.

The thing that scares me is...the idea for a BOOK BURNING (can anyone say NAZI GERMANY?) was suggested by....get this........

the church youth group.

If my peers, my friends, the people I've sat beside in class learning the beauties of America and freedom of speech and religion and the horrors of stripping someone of their rights......if these are the people burning the books and setting other viewpoints ablaze....then we're in for a whole mess of trouble. To me, its alot scarier than literal anarchy.

Originally posted by tracer
Your right, this should not be allowed to happen and something should be done and I believe that (raisethefist) has done quite a bit. Was looking around for any Petitions but no luck finding any. I believe a lot of people care Scat, just to let you know youre not alone.

Thanks.
I've got two petitions in the works...kind of. They aren't really petitions, but my band has a song called "Free Sherman Austin" haha kind of obvious title and another song that we're working on with no title but goes a little something like this:

stitch up my lips, nail down my hands
douse my eyes with kersone and fill my legs with sand

condense my prose, burn all my poetry
forget your first ammendment and replace it with tv