Women Warriors Of The Global Revolution Part 4: ‘Tentmonster’ Sara Kerrison

Occupy Savvy Exclusive! One of the coolest things about activism is that it doesn’t have celebrities – it has role models. Recently, we put 7 poignant questions to five of the world’s most inspiring women. These women hail from Iceland, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and for their profound actions, deeds, words, generosity, heart, and perseverance, we deem them “wahine toa”.

In Aotearoa, New Zealand, we describe a fearless woman of soul and substance, as “wahine toa”. This very loosely translates to “woman warrior.”

The Maori dictionary explains it as;

wāhine: (noun) women, females, ladies, wives.

toa: (stative) be brave, bold, victorious, experienced, accomplished, adept, competent, skilful, capable.

But wahine toa is even more; to us she is;

kaitiaki: (noun) trustee, minder, guard, custodian, guardian, keeper.

She becomes;

ūkaipō: (noun) mother, origin, source of sustenance, real home.

She is “atua” in the sense of; “a way of perceiving and rationalising the world”.

If it were audible; we could almost hear our ladies blushing through the screen. The truth is; they deserve every accolade we can give them, as they live this wild journey called life to the fullest, inspiring so many of us to follow their path, by discovering our own.

These next few days, you will see the same 7 questions posted here, again and again. But you will see vastly different answers. All of a unique and immeasurable insightfulness that is a gift, as a reader, to absorb.

Part One saw us publish the heartfelt words of Turtle Island, Canada’s Min Reyes.

Part Two was an exclusive interview with Iceland’s very own Birgitta Jónsdóttir.

Part Three was an introduction to Aotearoa, New Zealand’s Marama Davidson.

In Part Four we cover an Occupy Melbourne institution that rightly went viral; an original “Tentmonster” – Australia’s Sara Kerrison.

The proverbial meat of this article is going to start unconventionally. By making you wet yourself with laughter. In case you missed it back in December 2011, it is our great pleasure to introduce: the Occupy Melbourne Tentmonsters.

Hands down, the funniest Occupy video you will see. Melbourne Police walk into park in order to evict protesters… fb.me/1boUuBmLz

— The 99% (@AllOccupyNews) December 4, 2011

If you’ve taken the 4 minutes out of your day to watch the above; you will be shocked by the contrast of what happened next. Apparently the Melbourne Police didn’t get the joke. Their retaliation was swift, brutal and left an innocent young girl who had lightened the world with laughter, an extremely public victim of the self-evident Police State.

The sickening assault circled the globe. In one fell swoop Melbourne Police did their international reputation irrevocable damage. The grassroots fallout was instantaneous.

Within hours the entire Occupy movement was expressing both their outrage and their empathy with Sara, then swiftly replicating the “tentmonsters” tactic in spontaneous solidarity actions worldwide; spawning “International Wear A Tent For Human Rights Day“.

There were no longer just tentmonsters in Aussie. They sprung up in locations as far flung from Melbourne as possible; including the Occupy National Gathering (2012) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. In Occupy DC… and at Occupy Santa Cruz, California.

There were even tentmonsters in attendance at the famous Occupy Oakland Port Shutdown II. (Pics courtesy of CIAbook) They even popped up on livestreaming legend Oakfosho’s Ustream, the following January.

With these serendipitous events, Sara was unwittingly thrust into the global spotlight. A Wikileaks activist and Bradley Manning supporter, she had fought injustice but never sought to be the public victim of it.

True occupiers have an innate ability to turn attacks on them into personal and societal victories. Sara did exactly that, putting her profile to good use. She is now a co-litigant representing Occupy Melbourne in the Australian Federal Court in Muldoon Vs Melbourne – a constitutional case that is testing fundamental principles of political communication and freedom of expression.

As Min Reyes said in Part 1 of this series (paraphrasing); the movements come in waves, each a little bigger than the last, all blurring into each other until the individual banners are meaningless and meld into one.

In Part 2 Birgitta Jónsdóttir described the revolution as an ongoing process; where we needed to abandon ego-logy and embrace ecology.

Part 3 saw Marama Davidson deliver the stark reality; we can no longer attempt to be the human boss of Earth. Such wankery is running us into utter ruination.

Here follows Sara’s insightful answers to the same 7 questions we put to the other wahine toa featured in this series.

Q1. Occupy Savvy: Strong women abound in the Occupy and Idle No More movements. Did you ever foresee that you would contribute as meaningfully as you have, to such momentous events?

Sara: Occupy Melbourne was the real catalyst of my participation in social
change. I immediately recognized something in Occupy, some truth in life
and myself that had always been missing and that perhaps subconsciously I
had always been searching for; a sense of community and a belief in my
inalienable right to direct the outcome of my own life. I definitely
didn’t plan to get so involved, but the moment I experienced it I knew
that here is something that EVERYONE deserves to feel! It is moving to be
involved in something much larger than yourself.

Q2. Occupy Savvy: An ONZ admin says “Activism didn’t radicalise me; the state response to activism radicalised me.” Can you empathise with this statement?

Sara: I completely understand, we expressed a similar sentiment after our
eviction in Melbourne because we experienced and witnessed some pretty
brutal things happen to the people we cared about and to everything that
we had built. It was this experience that was instrumental in making me
fully internalize the gravity of the situation, what they are capable of
and how necessary it is for us to persevere. But in the end I feel that
more important than what radicalized me is what keeps me going, and
perhaps it was anger and outrage that ignited me, but it was hope that
kept me going.

Q3. Occupy Savvy: Activism messages appear to be increasingly penetrating the public consciousness. What is your experience of this awakening?

Sara: My personal experience of activism messages being taken on by the public
was when I wrote a short essay about the need for rEvolution which gained
some small notoriety and popularity on the internet. I was grateful that
so many people related to it because it means that many others are having
similar revelations, and realizing the need for us to OPEN OUR EYES!

Q4. Occupy Savvy: What has been your most satisfying moment of the global revolution, to date?

Sara: Even though it is constantly challenging, and sometimes very painful and frustrating, everything about the rEvolution is satisfying, because no matter what happens you know you are involved in such a worthy cause.

Something that particularly touched me was when I saw the videos of the General Assembly at Occupy Wall Street. I was so captivated by this group of strangers, so hands on and involved, so organized and dedicated to their ideals, and so willing to confront hard and real truths about life and the condition of humanity. I was taken aback, because this involvement was a totally foreign concept to me. When the camera swept across the crowd and you saw all of the people, there was a look on each of their faces quite unlike anything I’ve seen before, maybe it was renewed hope.

It’s a simple scene but it really moved me, and I keep coming back to that memory, to remind me to persevere not just against the injustice in the world but for all the beauty that is possible.

Q5. Occupy Savvy: In what way would you most like to see the global narrative shift, from this point?

Sara: I see sustainable self-sufficiency as a practical foundation upon which all great global change can occur. So I want to see solar panels on every roof in every city, water collections in every gutter, vertical farms on the walls of every skyscraper and community gardens in every vacant lot! If each person is able to provide for themselves their most basic needs, society itself will be inadvertently changed, because we will no longer see each other as competitors, and we will have the freedom necessary to interact more meaningfully with each other, our communities and our planet.

And really these ideas aren’t that farfetched! Every single thing that we require to liberate us exists already within ourselves and on our planet. We possess the most awe-inspiring technologies; we could make our reality here into anything that we want! But somehow along the way we managed to convince ourselves that we must work a wage for someone else to pay back the debt of our own existence, and to buy back our freedom. Well our lives aren’t loaned to us by the big banks, so why do we feel we have to spend our lives paying them back?

Q6. Occupy Savvy: What advice would you give to a woman becoming involved in activism for the first time?

Sara: Don’t get distracted by small things such as the police and drama of activist groups. I’ve seen too many activists get sucked into the vortex of interpersonal politics, and use up all of the energy that could have been spent furthering their cause on fighting each other, and eventually self-destruction.

The same goes for the police. They can do things that OUTRAGE you, and yes they can HURT you, and make you ANGRY and make you want to FIGHT BACK. But don’t, it’s just getting caught in their trap. So be gentle with yourself, and take breaks because if you burn out you won’t be helping anyone.

Always listen to people who have the opposite opinion to you, there is no point preaching to the choir. Don’t try to be a badass, and don’t get paranoid about governmental implants involved in your business, because they probably are.

It can all probably be summed up by this Dr. Seuss quote:

“You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot
with your left.”

Q7. Occupy Savvy: In what way have you seen your country change, over the last 18 months? In what way would you see it change, in the next 18?

Sara: I haven’t seen my country change nearly enough in the last 18 months! And I wonder to myself why that is, what it is that we are doing, or not doing in our public advocacy that isn’t persuasive?

Grand ambitions aside, the change I want to see is within the protest culture itself, there needs to be a paradigm shift within activism. A transformation from specific issue-based approaches, to an approach that acknowledges the systemic nature of our problems here on Earth.

Problems that are inherent in the very structure of the system our societies are built on, and that permeate to the core of its people and so warrant an approach in activism that also deals with the issues at their very source and encompasses the entire panorama of problems.

It’s something that I’ve been contemplating for a while but can’t fully articulate yet, but I’d love to start throwing around ideas with any and all people who are feeling the same thing.

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That concludes the fourth part of “Women Warriors Of The Global Revolution”. We thank Sara for repping Australia in this series and for being such a fantastic role model for women in her country. Keep an eye out in the coming days for interviews with the final wahine toa to be featured in this series; a staunch female activist hailing from the United States of America.

This site operates on a $0 budget & so if you loved this article all we ask is that you share it with your friends and family. Help us spread the sentiments expressed by these ladies, around the world. Thank you!

Women Warriors Of The Global Revolution Part 3: Marama Davidson

Occupy Savvy Exclusive! One of the coolest things about activism is that it doesn’t have celebrities – it has role models. Recently, we put 7 poignant questions to five of the world’s most inspiring women. These women hail from Iceland, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and for their profound actions, deeds, words, generosity, heart, and perseverance, we deem them “wahine toa”.

In Aotearoa, New Zealand, we describe a fearless woman of soul and substance, as “wahine toa”. This very loosely translates to “woman warrior.”

The Maori dictionary explains it as;

wāhine: (noun) women, females, ladies, wives.

toa: (stative) be brave, bold, victorious, experienced, accomplished, adept, competent, skilful, capable.

But wahine toa is even more; to us she is;

kaitiaki: (noun) trustee, minder, guard, custodian, guardian, keeper.

She becomes;

ūkaipō: (noun) mother, origin, source of sustenance, real home.

She is “atua” in the sense of; “a way of perceiving and rationalising the world”.

If it were audible; we could almost hear our ladies blushing through the screen. The truth is; they deserve every accolade we can give them, as they live this wild journey called life to the fullest, inspiring so many of us to follow their path, by discovering our own.

These next few days, you will see the same 7 questions posted here, again and again. But you will see vastly different answers. All of a unique and immeasurable insightfulness that is a gift, as a reader, to absorb.

Part One saw us publish the heartfelt words of Turtle Island, Canada’s Min Reyes.

Part Two was an exclusive interview with Iceland’s very own Birgitta Jónsdóttir.

In Part Three we introduce you to Aotearoa, New Zealand’s Marama Davidson.

Our first reaction to hearing of Idle No More was that it was a Christmas present from the universe. Stretched to our limits and battered from the endurance race that was 2012 in activism, to see the first nations and indigenous people begin to rise worldwide flooded us with immense pride and relief.

The people’s cavalry, had arrived.

Privately we joked; “they might be able to mess with white kids from the suburbs; good luck to them trying to infiltrate every marae (indigenous community space) in the country”.

Idle No More clearly heralded the beginnings of the public groundswell we had anticipated for so long.

In our small nation (which yes, does have cities with skyscrapers and ridiculous traffic congestion, as well as countryside, mountains, farmland and endless beaches) there is none of our generation more qualified to represent the concept of wahine toa than Whaea Marama Davidson.

Thus it was innately satisfying to see her so avidly answer the call of Idle No More, for the mobilisation of international indigenous nations.

As Min Reyes said in Part 1 of this series (paraphrasing); the movements come in waves, each a little bigger than the last, all blurring into each other until the individual banners are meaningless and meld into one.

In Part 2 Birgitta Jónsdóttir described the revolution as an ongoing process; where we needed to abandon ego-logy and embrace ecology.

On the other side of the planet, down here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, Marama is cut of similar ideological cloth. Cherishing both history and living culture, she is a heartfelt advocate for kaupapa Maori (indigenous critique), rangatiratanga (heritage), kaitiakitanga (conservation, guardianship) while righteously demanding equality and promoting kotahitanga (unity) in new generations of Kiwis.

A founding member of Occupy Auckland & of Aotearoa In Solidarity With Idle No More; Marama is a high-profile blogger on ONZ admin Martyn Bradbury’s TheDailyBlog.co.nz and a member of Te Whare Porahou, an influential Maori women’s collective.

Here follows Marama’s very gracious answers to the same 7 questions we have put to the other wahine toa featured in this series.

Q1. Occupy Savvy: Strong women abound in the Occupy and Idle No More movements. Did you ever foresee that you would contribute as meaningfully as you have, to such momentous events?

Marama: In the Occupy Movement in Aotearoa, my small contribution was merely to speak up as a Māori woman and for our group Te Wharepora Hou (TWH). TWH is a group of wāhine Māori who support each other to use our voices collectively and individually as we feel the need to. The imperative to speak up recognises that for too long there has been a silencing of the diverse voices and opinions of Māori women, in spite of the incredible staunch wāhine that have been instrumental to positive change in our communities and our nation. Our purpose is to have a say on all issues that impact on the well-being of whānau (family), hapū (extended family) and iwi (tribes) and our natural living system. By this standard we could provide a critique on every issue under the sun and moon but we do what we can when we can. We do not claim to have any mandate to speak on behalf of all Māori but we surely claim our voices as Māori women, as mothers, as grandmothers and as members of our respective whānau, hapū and iwi.

Around the world many other indigenous people and groups were already highlighting the need for the Occupy Movement to decolonise itself. The Occupy philosophy needed to link the very neoliberalism it was opposing to the ongoing colonial imperialism of the indigenous people of each of the lands that the movement was occupying. Indigenous critique was calling for widespread acknowledgement that indigenous peoples had been fighting those very oppressive approaches for hundreds of years. The imperial poison of greed and privilege had now started to negatively impact on almost ‘everyone else’ and it could only benefit and strengthen the movement to accept this. As Māori women, Te Wharepora Hou felt a responsibility to continue that global conversation in Aotearoa and also to support our indigenous relations where ever Occupy was happening in the world. We most definitely saw value in joining in a call to end neoliberalism, but not without the indigenous thought to uphold the truer struggle. And then we realised it was us who would have to provide that very indigenous thought. We did so via blogs, Maori media, press releases, social media interviews, and camping with the movement in Aotea Square. I don’t know if anything we did was meaningful – but it was what we needed to do.

The Idle No More movement however has been one that we have worked tirelessly for to support indigenous uprising and sovereignty around the world through protecting lands and waters. Idle No More is an ongoing strive to decolonise the world and insist on a new way living together that honours our living systems and each other as people. It is the movement that starts with the very critique that we were asking of Occupy. Again Te Wharepora Hou has attempted to raise awareness, provide information and offer a voice while encouraging others to organise their own ways of supporting the movement. There have been many other groups and individuals helping to keep this conversation alive as well, and it is a conversation that needs to go on for decades at the very least.

Q2. Occupy Savvy: An ONZ admin says “Activism didn’t radicalise me; the state response to activism radicalised me.” Can you empathise with this statement?

Marama: As a Māori woman the State response to activism is a stabbing reminder of what lengths they will go to when there is resistance from the ground. Our Aotearoa history is littered with the State flexing its muscles against any uprising that dares question its authority. This has pissed me off since I was a young wee girl when my parents dragged me to watch Merata Mita’s movie ‘Patu’. Observing the violent State response to anti-apartheid protests actually disgusted my young girl spirit. There have been many more moments of such disgust at the State so yes I can definitely empathise with this statement.

Q3. Occupy Savvy: Activism messages appear to be increasingly penetrating the public consciousness. What is your experience of this awakening?

Marama: I can only hope that progressive messages are indeed planting seeds in the garden of public consciousness. Often it feels like a depressing slow uphill climb but the beauty of the awakening is also finding other kindred spirits around the planet, and indeed unearthing them in my own backyard. In the ongoing development of my own critique this kindred networking has been essential to me having a small role in awakening myself and others. I have had ongoing feedback from so many people, particularly women, who are finding their own morning breath as the world around them wakes up to try and change for the better. My experience of the awakening, is that I am starting to wake up. That is the most important awakening of all for me.

Q4. Occupy Savvy: What has been your most satisfying moment of the global revolution, to date?

Marama: I feel like it is more of a global murmuring still as opposed to a revolution, and this might be the healthy way for it to grow peacefully and sustainably. I am not denying the war and violence that exists across communities of the world however the aspirations to change that existence are coming slowly but surely. My most satisfying moments personally are when ordinary people, people who have felt afraid to speak up – have been inspired to speak up themselves finally. I have had mums, or grandmothers, or young women just come and say “I want to be part of this, even from a distance” and that is a win. We need to be inspiring and stirring peoples’ hearts and minds to want to belong to and own their own revolutions.

Q5. Occupy Savvy: In what way would you most like to see the global narrative shift, from this point?

Marama: It is clear that we need to reclaim our place as one small part of the planet living system as opposed to one dominating human race over it. We have totally lost our kinship with our plants, our rivers, our seas, our forests, our animals and each other as inter-dependent species of an intricate and complex survival system. Instead we want to be the human boss of Earth – how wanky is that? More of us need to stop being wankers.

Q6. Occupy Savvy: What advice would you give to a woman becoming involved in activism for the first time?

Marama: The bigger your mouth, the more targeted you will be. That can suck but have a good cry and gather your authentic friends and support network around you – dig deep and keep going. And laugh. Never stop laughing.

Q7. Occupy Savvy: In what way have you seen your country change, over the last 18 months? In what way would you see it change, in the next 18?

Marama: The neoliberal narrative is frightening and has become more and more aggressive. We are so sucked into the vortex of blaming individuals and denying the structural and historical contexts to our social ills. This is why the progressive narrative is essential – we all have a responsibility to bat back the lies whenever possible I believe. Over the next 18 months I would so love to see the current deficit stories being flooded by the insightful critique and analysis of voices that have been quiet in the background so far.

There is real joy for me in the community and grassroots initiatives that have been rising up as well. Community strength can do so much for local neighbourhoods and families to shine despite the oppressive structures that surround them. But we cannot rest our work simply on the hardworking communites. We have to destroy the current constructs for those very communities to really flourish.

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That concludes the third part of “Women Warriors Of The Global Revolution”. We thank Marama for repping New Zealand in this series and for being such a fantastic role model for women in our country. Keep an eye out in the coming days for interviews with two other wahine toa; from the United States and Australia.

This site operates on a $0 budget & so if you loved this article all we ask is that you share it with your friends and family. Help us spread the sentiments expressed by these ladies, around the world. Thank you!

Women Warriors Of The Global Revolution Part 2: Birgitta Jónsdóttir

Occupy Savvy Exclusive! One of the coolest things about activism is that it doesn’t have celebrities – it has role models. Recently, we put 7 poignant questions to five of the world’s most inspiring women. These women hail from Iceland, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and for their profound actions, deeds, words, generosity, heart, and perseverance, we deem them “wahine toa”.

In Aotearoa, New Zealand, we describe a fearless woman of soul and substance, as “wahine toa”. This very loosely translates to “woman warrior.”

The Maori dictionary explains it as;

wāhine: (noun) women, females, ladies, wives.

toa: (stative) be brave, bold, victorious, experienced, accomplished, adept, competent, skilful, capable.

But wahine toa is even more; to us she is;

kaitiaki: (noun) trustee, minder, guard, custodian, guardian, keeper.

She becomes;

ūkaipō: (noun) mother, origin, source of sustenance, real home.

She is “atua” in the sense of; “a way of perceiving and rationalising the world”.

If it were audible; we could almost hear our ladies blushing through the screen. The truth is; they deserve every accolade we can give them, as they live this wild journey called life to the fullest, inspiring so many of us to follow their path, by discovering our own.

These next few days, you will see the same 7 questions posted here, again and again. But you will see vastly different answers. All of a unique and immeasurable insightfulness that is a gift, as a reader, to absorb.

In Part One we published the heartfelt words of Turtle Island, Canada’s Min Reyes.

Part Two is an exclusive interview with Iceland’s very own Birgitta Jónsdóttir.

Birgitta Jónsdóttir is a POETician and activist (member) of the Icelandic Parliament (since 2009), Chairperson for the International Modern Media Institute, Chairperson for Pirate Party in Iceland. (“These titles mean nothing really for I live by the rule of the circle of power“). She is an independent parent of 3 children, and was the first Icelandic female to develop websites.

A volunteer for WikiLeaks in 2010, she co-produced the video Collateral Murder and was on the Bradley Manning advisory board.

Birgitta is also a member of the International Network Of Parliamentarians On Tibet and an avid supporter of the civil liberties foundations EFF & the ACLU.

She describes her current role as “pretty much being the mosquito in the tent“.

This is the second time we’ve had the pleasure of writing about Birgitta. The first being the most popular Occupy Savvy post to date; last August’s “How Did Iceland Sack Its Government?”

It is our privilege to call her friend. Without further adieu; our exclusive interview with Birgitta Jónsdóttir.

Q1. Occupy Savvy: Strong women abound in the Occupy and Idle No More movements. Did you ever foresee that you would contribute as meaningfully as you have, to such momentous events?

Birgitta: In my wildest dreams: NO. I am forever humbled by the fact that my actions have somehow inspired others to act, to be changemakers in a world that so desperately needs for people to claim their responsibility of co-creation before it is too late.

Q2. Occupy Savvy: An ONZ admin says “Activism didn’t radicalise me; the state response to activism radicalised me.” Can you empathise with this statement?

Birgitta: I have always been radical, so it didn’t need any encouragement to carry on from oppressive response. I can empathize with this statement for I saw it happen to many of my fellow activists.

Q3. Occupy Savvy: Activism messages appear to be increasingly penetrating the public consciousness. What is your experience of this awakening?

Birgitta: I define myself as an activist in parliament, the role of activists is to push the threshold of norms; if normality as we know it has become unsustainable and harmful, the need of activists is even greater. I have been told by other parliamentarians that I have changed the parliament by my methods of working there. It says a lot about this change we are experiencing that a person like me is accepted by the mainstream by being voted into the role of the lawmaker. Perhaps that is a signal that the times are changing.

I do at the same time feel that people are losing steam and feel that their activism is not giving needed results of change and feel in some ways that it is useless to engage. Sometimes positive change can take a long time, especially when it means total transformation. I want to urge that we cant give up midstream. We are so many, we have so many great minds, so many visionaries who need to come together in order to draw together the blueprint for the future.

I feel many people understand what is wrong with our societies but I feel we lack joint vision from going from here to solutions. The solutions are all there but we need to draw them together and start to work on them in a joint global effort. It is of utter importance to get people inside the system in order to understand how it works in order to change it.

Q4. Occupy Savvy: What has been your most satisfying moment of the global revolution, to date?

Birgitta: There is not one moment for me, rather the fact that the global revolution is an ongoing process, and the satisfaction evolves around the fact that it is still going on, new countries getting into the loop, new actions, more creativity, to see that many realize it is a long haul.

Q5. Occupy Savvy: In what way would you most like to see the global narrative shift, from this point?

Birgitta: Direct democracy and transparency is key to make the changes we are demanding take root. It is easy to get a revolution going compared to finding solutions in maintaining people engaged and to create social structures based on that engagement.

We need to transform our thought of power and lack of power. Pyramids are not a natural order, the circle of power however is. We need to move from EGOlogy to ECOlogy. Understand that we are all connected and that no individual has all the answers. Move from needing leaders to lead us from the mess and accept that our strength comes from being strong together rather then seeking strong leaders.

We are running out of planet and it is really important to remember that no change starts anywhere except through our own actions.

Q6. Occupy Savvy: What advice would you give to a woman becoming involved in activism for the first time?

Birgitta: Follow your gut, dont think things too much through. Just do it:)

Q7. Occupy Savvy: In what way have you seen your country change, over the last 18 months? In what way would you see it change, in the next 18?

Birgitta: In 2009 we saw some really impressive possibilities for changes in Iceland. Clear demands for fundamental changes were put forward and adopted by all of the political parties who got voted into office in 2009, except the right wing party. The most important demand was that the people of Iceland would write a new constitution by and for the people.

Those that have held the reigns of power since we claimed our independence from Denmark in 1944 have done EVERYTHING in order to destroy this process of modern democracy, and now it looks like they are winning. We have elections late April and ignorant people seem to think they can entrust the very same people who caused this country to have the world 4th largest financial meltdown in recorded history the power to look after their interests.

We have seen many positive changes occurring that would not have been possible unless we had a good crisis. Perhaps the crisis was not bad enough in order to push the needed fundamental changes through. We have seen similar development in other countries. It leads me to the conclusion we need to know exactly what we want in the aftermath of crisis and implement it very fast, just like bad laws and fundamental changes are imposed during times of shock.

Iceland has been made into some sort of poster child of the revolution, and i guess many feel they need to see prove that activism and revolutions change things for the greater good. The fact of the matter is however, that we are far from a poster child. We are far from having achieved the things set in motion during times of crisis. But if we are fortunate enough to understand when crisis will hit again that we need different approach to democracy, our current system is outdated because of many factors, if we are wise enough to offer alternatives that the common people can rally behind we will change things and transform politics as we know them.

I am a pragmatic anarchist and I understand and accept that many do not want to spend their time as responsible citizens, they want to transfer their power to someone else, thus I want to help create the tools in order for this transfer of power to be truly democratic and revokable. This is why I have helped create a Pirate Party in Iceland, in order to experiment with liquid democracy from our own internal work to the representatives in parliaments.

I understand that the suffering of others is my suffering, I understand that despite the fact I live on an island that we are not islands, but interconnected, and that the fate of humanity rests on those that are willing to accept the responsibility of co-creating our societies.

It is time to zero the dysfunctional self serving systems and create smaller systems that will be crafted from our love for our societies and respect for ecology, and the fact that we are all equal in the circle of power.

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To us, the best way to finish an interview with Birgitta is by sharing her poetry. It is the raw narrative of revolution. Once again, she has blessed us with a piece. A living reminder, that some things have no monetary value. Gifts of the heart are priceless. For us this poem is a taonga – a sacred treasure. Thank you Birgitta.

Changes – by Birgitta Jónsdóttir

Something big is happening
Gaia has regained her consciousness
her way of surviving

A picture
growing in my mind

A whole universe of possibilities
to make the invisible seen

Be a part of
this movement
of awakening

Learn to listen to our mother’s voice
through her infinite creations

I keep making the picture bigger
so I won’t lose myself

Earthquakes move through me
volcanic eruptions of insight
as the revolution
of silent changes
begins.

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If you haven’t seen “The Mouse That Roared”, a background documentary about the Icelandic Revolution; it is a must-watch. Embedded below for your viewing pleasure!

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That concludes the second part of “Women Warriors Of The Global Revolution”. We thank Birgitta for repping Iceland in this series and for all the time she has invested in us. Keep an eye out in the coming days for interviews with other wahine toa; from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

This site operates on a $0 budget & so if you loved this article all we ask is that you share it with your friends and family. Help us spread the sentiments expressed by these ladies, around the world. Thank you!

Women Warriors Of The Global Revolution Part 1: Min Reyes

Occupy Savvy Exclusive! One of the coolest things about activism is that it doesn’t have celebrities – it has role models. Recently, we put 7 poignant questions to five of the world’s most inspiring women. These women hail from Iceland, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and for their profound actions, deeds, words, generosity, heart, and perseverance, we deem them “wahine toa”.

In Aotearoa, New Zealand, we describe a fearless woman of soul and substance, as “wahine toa”. This very loosely translates to “woman warrior.”

The Maori dictionary explains it as;

wāhine: (noun) women, females, ladies, wives.

toa: (stative) be brave, bold, victorious, experienced, accomplished, adept, competent, skilful, capable.

But wahine toa is even more; to us she is;

kaitiaki: (noun) trustee, minder, guard, custodian, guardian, keeper.

She becomes;

ūkaipō: (noun) mother, origin, source of sustenance, real home.

She is “atua” in the sense of; “a way of perceiving and rationalising the world”.

If it were audible; we could almost hear our ladies blushing through the screen. The truth is; they deserve every accolade we can give them, as they live this wild journey called life to the fullest, inspiring so many of us to follow their path, by discovering our own.

These next few days, you will see the same 7 questions posted here, again and again. But you will see vastly different answers. All of a unique and immeasurable insightfulness that is a gift, as a reader, to absorb.

We are kicking this series off with the answers of Canada’s very own Min Reyes.

Min is described by Wikipedia as a ‘political commentator’ but she has been much more. She was an early participant in the social media blitz that has formed the backbone of the communications networks of the 99% in all its forms.

Without discrimination, she has been a conduit, a voice, for those who without her may not have had one.

From her incredible compositions at her blog 404 System Error, to her 135,000 tweets, Min has experienced – and amplified – the highs, lows, ebb, flow and slow crescendo, of the global revolution.

It is our privilege to call her friend. Without further adieu; our exclusive interview with Min Reyes.

Q1. Occupy Savvy: Strong women abound in the Occupy and Idle No More movements. Did you ever foresee that you would contribute as meaningfully as you have, to such momentous events?

Min: I have had the privilege to meet and learn from great women and men through Occupy and Idle No More movements. I have never really defined myself nor my ‘social and political’ roles based solely on my race, age, class or even gender. While I am not undermining the arguments for feminism nor the efforts of those who day after day are working for social justice for women, I must state that I have tried to maintain a sense of self through the numerous factors that influence my perspectives such as my surroundings and my experiences in their totality. I have learned that choosing one particular aspect to define my role in any given social movement tends to be rather exclusive and thus limiting, often resulting in the creation of an “other”.

In regards to contribution, I do not honestly believe I have meaningfully contributed yet as I am constantly re-evaluating my role in this long journey. As my perspectives and understanding of my surroundings (including social and political spheres) shift, so do my priorities and course of action. I do not believe I have ever set out a specific goal to achieve in terms of “social movements,” but perhaps that’s exactly what keeps me going and evolving as needed.

I am not sure exactly how I would have contributed – if at all – to the larger goals of these movements. But I know that having engaged with them in one way or another has greatly helped me identify and overcome a lot of my personal limitations, assumptions, and shortcomings.

Q2. Occupy Savvy: An ONZ admin says “Activism didn’t radicalise me; the state response to activism radicalised me.” Can you empathise with this statement?

Min: Radicalism has been a concept appropriated by those who are invested in maintaining the current disruptive status quo. I guess in this context, the concept of “radicalism” is not much different than that of “terrorism.” In order to maintain the current system and culture of war, both concepts must remain vague, to potentially apply to none while applying to all.

The only aspect that changes is the increasing elusiveness of the so called “enemy”, by design.

I think a lot of us are responding to radical government policies that undermine human rights and dignity, environmental sustainability, and peace. I myself refuse to adopt the narrative of those invested in criminalizing citizens who are expressing legitimate concerns. Thus I will NOT say that the state or its actions have radicalized me.
Let’s keep the facts straight and simple: money in politics, corruption, and greed have radicalized politicians, the very people who have promised to serve and protect the people. In Canada, even petitions are now considered forms of “attack” by the current government. Who are the radicals here?

Q3. Occupy Savvy: Activism messages appear to be increasingly penetrating the public consciousness. What is your experience of this awakening?

Min: People are waking up to global patterns of oppression and corruption. We are beginning to realize that there is a much larger system working above the imposed boundaries of geography and nationality, limitations that do apply to citizens though.

I have never considered what I do as activism per se. Many of us shy away from the term activism because it implies we are taking on more than we are required to. We are not only exercising our rights but we are, more importantly in my opinion, fulfilling our responsibilities as global citizens.

In regards to movements I am learning that they materialize in waves. The Arab Spring, Spanish Revolution, Greek Revolution, European protests against austerity, Occupy, Maple Spring, Idle No More, all seem to be manifestations of the same global revolution. And whereas at the onset they do seem to form under banners, the spirit of the revolution can no longer be contained under one specific banner. This revolution no longer belongs under one specific banner… it’s all banners coming from all sides creating a tidal wave. No one owns it, no one can claim it… everyone is becoming a part of it. And I believe it will only grow from here as more and more people become affected by the current broken system.

Q4. Occupy Savvy: What has been your most satisfying moment of the global revolution, to date?

Min: I don’t necessarily have a specific favourite moment… Personally I find that the effects have been cumulative in the sense that global awakening has many faces, many voices, and numerous moments. Each moment, each voice, just strengthens my resolve and belief that we are as a species on the right track.

Q5. Occupy Savvy: In what way would you most like to see the global narrative shift, from this point?

Min: Wherever we look today, narratives are divisive, fragmented, reduced to extreme polarities. This is not only true of politics and mainstream/corporate media but also within social movements and progressive groups. This zero sum game approach dominates our debates.

We seem to lack the willingness to find compromise. What is more important, we seem to have forgotten the merits of meaningful listening. Whether in politics or in social movements, everyone has something to say… but far too few are actually willing to listen to and elaborate on opposing and dissenting views.

I would like to see a global narrative revolving primarily around human dignity; a narrative that is constructive rather than destructive, holistic rather than fragmented, inclusive rather than exclusive. But before we even get there, we need to find a way we can actually build a new narrative based on mutual respect, understanding, and most of all, listening. I guess we need to learn to meaningfully communicate before we even decide what we want to communicate about…

Q6. Occupy Savvy: What advice would you give to a woman becoming involved in activism for the first time?

Min: Be true to yourself. It is easy to fall trap to group think and confirmation bias. Every so often, remind yourself that this journey of change begins within oneself. Keep an open mind and be, above all, honest to yourself.

Don’t despair when faced with challenges. When tired, take a break. Make sure you take the time to enjoy your life so that you don’t lose sight of what you are fighting to protect. Constantly ask yourself whether the choice you are about to make is driven by love or fear, recognize that these are the two driving forces.

Q7. Occupy Savvy: In what way have you seen your country change, over the last 18 months? In what way would you see it change, in the next 18?

Min: Canada is undergoing some radical policy changes under the current conservative government. But I remain optimistic as more Canadians are becoming aware of the social, economic, and political implications of these changes.

Although Occupy Canada, the Quebec student movement, and Idle No More have been defining movements, there have been many countless other protests and demonstrations that have helped maintain momentum and increased local awareness and engagement throughout Canada.

I have no blueprint for change. All I wish is for Canadians to become a little more aware and engaged especially in issues related to human rights and dignity. I think it’s time for Canadians to take on a greater sense of responsibility on important issues at home but also abroad.

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That concludes the first part of “Women Warriors Of The Global Revolution”. We are extremely proud of Min for repping Canada in this series. Keep an eye out in the coming days for our interviews with four other wahine toa; from Iceland, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

This site operates on a $0 budget & so if you loved this article all we ask is that you share the articles in this series with your friends and family. Help us spread the sentiments expressed by these ladies, around the world. Thank you!

Harry Fear Speaks: Eye-witnessing “Pillar Of Cloud”

Last night Harry Fear addressed a packed-out lecture theatre in Auckland, New Zealand. We were privileged to attend.

At 16 as a student, Harry Fear was inspired by reports from John Pilger of the situation in Palestine and Gaza. With an interest in political science, the people of Gaza and their plight struck a chord in Harry’s heart.

Harry has gone on to become intrinsically involved with Gaza, Palestine, the situation there and the lives of the people. He was in Gaza for the full 7 days and 3 hours of the most recent continuous ‘state terrorism’ attack as local Palestinians call the latest Israeli incursion on Gaza. Harry was broadcasting 24 hour live updates of the situation from Gaza via live stream, he was as he said, ” in the 2nd safest house, in the most safe district” and yet despite only having been in Gaza for around 3 months, he lost friends, co workers and witnessed terrible destruction.

The statistics for Gaza are horrifying; the people of Gaza are under constant military attack from Israel, it is only the frequency and intensity that varies, the number of innocent civilians; including children, women, elderly, killed and injured without mercy continues to
grow everyday as Israel continues to breach cease-fires and truces. Gazans are captives, they cannot leave Gaza and inside Gaza they face a war of attrition as well as constant military bombardment from air, land and sea.

Palestine has been under siege by Israel for 65 years.

Without personal insight from brave hearts like Harry, it is very hard to comprehend just how deep the level of human suffering goes in Gaza. Everyone in Gaza, without exception, suffers the effects from the trauma of living under constant threat, constant harassment, constant bombardment.

Amazingly despite living under the most incredibly difficult circumstance, Harry shared how resilient, how steadfast, how true the people of Gaza are, how the this latest attack on Gaza from Israel has only served to make Palestinians even more resistant, how Israel is coming more to world attention for the atrocities they carry out against the people of
Palestine.

The depth of feeling Harry has for the people of Gaza was conveyed in the personal stories he shared with us tonight. Many thanks to Harry Fear for speaking for those who have had no voice and for having the courage to share his personal story.

Thanks to: Kia Ora Gaza for their continued efforts sending aid into Gaza, to Roger
Fowler for a wonder introduction and for sharing his personal experience

Additional thanks to Students for Justice in Palestine, Hela Rahman and all organisers and hosts of the event.

Thanks also to Billy Hania from Palestine NZ.

Pictures of the event and further indy coverage can be found on the Facebook event page.

“Test Their Logik” visit Aotearoa New Zealand

This month, we were blessed to host revolutionary rap artist Testament from Test Their Logik.

Hailing from Turtle Island (Canada), Test (as he is affectionately known) played a series of shows throughout the country, and held a series of talks on the Canadian Keystone XL pipeline blockades – a series of massive environmental defense actions that have spurred solidarity events in several countries.

His fierce live performances were ecstatically received by the NZ activist community and below is some short videos taken at his two Auckland gigs – one at the old SJD pad in Mt. Eden and the other at The Wine Cellar in St. Kevin’s Arcade, Auckland.

Enjoy!

Test gets the crowd to shout-out to Idle No More:

Must-see Test Their Logik music videos: the 1st is a compilation made by Occupy Denver to compliment the song “Red N Black Yo”:

The piece de resistance is this pre-2012 U.S. presidential election release: “Democracy’s Bankrupt”. We absolutely adore this video.

What A Tangled Web They Weave; FBI And DHS Involved In Questionable Events In New Zealand

How FBI & DHS Interference In New Zealand Has Brought A Government To Its Knees – Thanks To Their Persecution Of Kim Dotcom & Occupy.

Occupy New Zealand Media sews together the continually unfolding drama of which key players include:

1. Kim Dotcom; founder of Megaupload.com; German self-made multi-millionaire, legal resident of New Zealand.
2. The FBI; who (allegedly without sufficient due process) flew 10,000+ miles to New Zealand to raid Dotcom’s New Zealand residence, confiscate his belongings & threaten him with extradition to the U.S., branding Dotcom a criminal, ala Julian Assange of Wikileaks
3. John Banks; ex New Zealand Minister of Police, Local Government, Tourism, Sport and Civil Defence, ex Mayor of Auckland, current sitting Minister of Regulatory Reform (!!) and Small Business . Also happens to be the elected official for the electorate seat that holds the balance of power in the current New Zealand parliament. His most recent in a string of scandals is the result of doing some “small business” with Kim Dotcom that has landed him in extremely hot water politically.
4. John Key; Prime Minister of New Zealand, leader of the National Party, ruling by a shaky coalition that is a seat or two away from oblivion. Ex Merrill Lynch trader, Bank of America shareholder, ex Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of America.
5. Janet Napolitano; Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and recent visitor to New Zealand. On May Day, to be precise.

It is only characters of the above renown and prestige that could provide a more riveting plotline than any mere fiction could produce. What we report here is a sequence of media events; the progression of the story in the eyes of the New Zealand public and the experience of helping to break the story internationally.

ACT ONE: This entire story runs parallel to the Occupy movement establishing in Auckland and many other cities in New Zealand; and the violent police & private security evictions of them. US Marines establish a 2,000 strong base in nearby Australia, and it is reported in the mainstream media that US marines arrive in New Zealand to train New Zealand Police to use beanbag shotguns and other “less lethal weaponry”. Tension begins to heat up in the population due to a restrictive domestic political agenda of corporatisation, privatisation, austerity and the general bleeding of public assets into private hands. Seemingly out of the blue, the FBI arrive in New Zealand and raid Kim Dotcom. He is held in jail in Auckland Central Remand Prison. He retaliates for poor prison conditions and lack of attention from John Banks who he had financially supported by outing him for corrupt fundraising tactics.

SCENE ONE: April 28: It begins.
Domestic political scandal had been quietly brewing around John Banks for some time, with a high-profile Occupy Auckland activist & anti-corruption campaigner, Penny Bright, openly calling for his prosecution over the signing of incorrect financial statements involving an investment company, Huljich Wealth Management, which was a part of a slew of financial institutions that went under during the “financial crisis” in New Zealand, resulting in substantial losses to public investors. Despite the grass-roots knowledge of his corruption, the corporate media largely bury it as Banks is seen as somewhat of an institution of New Zealand politics, a favourite of Prime Minister John Key and seemingly untouchable. Until Kim Dotcom, from prison, discloses that John Banks had not only solicited Dotcom for campaign contributions, but instructed him to divide sums up into multiple parts, so that he could declare them as… ANONYMOUS!

When this news emerged, normal, every day, middle of the road New Zealand got a glimpse of the common depravity of stalwarts of New Zealand politics that shook them to their roots. En masse, they decried Banks & in the following domestic media flurry that immediately ensued, Occupy New Zealand, through the power of social media, played a major role in documenting & vocalising the outrage of the public.

Courtesy of Occupy New Zealand Facebook: www.facebook.com/OccupyNZ
” John Banks in major political corruption scandal – his conviction could force NZ by-election. John Banks is currently facing a triple whammy situation. Firstly; his having signed off on false financial statements as a director of Huljich Wealth Management; closely followed by the revelation that he received a $15,000 campaign donation from Sky City, who he is currently supporting in having laws changed for their commercial benefit; and now thirdly, Kim Dotcom has come forward with the allegation that Mr. Banks schooled him on how to break up campaign donations so that he wouldn’t have to declare them.

All of this on the back of the now-famous “cup-of-tea tape” where John Banks & John Key tried to hide from the public, the contents of a conversation they had, at a press-conference THEY had themselves called. ”

According to the NZ Herald: “(Banks) said his contact with Dotcom was limited to a total of 20 minutes conversation and he had been to Dotcom’s mansion in Coatesville only once for dinner. But film of the event – Dotcom’s birthday party – showed Mr Banks making a toast to the tycoon. Footage showed Mr Banks raising a glass and saying, “I’m going to propose a toast to Kim Dotcom. Please fill your glasses and stand. Happy birthday and best wishes to Kim Dotcom, Mona and his family.” “Staff at the mansion said it was one of three visits.” So he is lying about the depth of his relationship with Kim Dotcom to distance himself from the charges against Kim? Shady.

“Bodyguard Wayne Tempero was present, as was one of Dotcom’s butlers. His company chief financial officer also attended briefly. “He mentioned the elections were coming up [and] he was raising money for his campaign,” Dotcom said. “He said it was hard to raise money in New Zealand, the mayoral campaign was coming up and he’s trying to raise funds for that. I kind of liked the guy. I said, ‘I’m happy to help.’ I told Wayne to write a cheque for $50,000. His [Mr Banks’] eyes got a little bit bigger at that moment.”
Mr Tempero asked the chief financial officer to come into the room to write the cheque.
“John said, ‘Wait a minute’,” Dotcom recalled last night. “‘It would be good if you could split it up into two payments of 25 [thousand dollars], then I don’t declare publicly who made it’.”
Dotcom said one cheque was made out in his own name, or the name of his company Megastuff Ltd, and the other in Mr Tempero’s name. “He [Mr Banks] called me a few days after the cheques entered his bank account and he thanked me personally.”

THIS, ladies & gentlemen, is a simple example of the thousands of ways per year that our country gets sold out by corrupt politicians. Time to end the ridiculous charade that is the Act Party & get someone into the job who isn’t there just for the $$$$$$$. SHAME ON YOU JOHN BANKS!”

SCENE TWO: April 29: Banks dodges the media.
“According to the NZ Herald, John Banks isn’t returning their calls. Wonder why? Maybe John Key hasn’t worked out what to make John Banks do yet? Surely once the orders come down, he’ll hold a press conference. Hopefully some of the mainstream media at said press conference will ask the hard questions? Or will they just whitewash it? Will you ask him about his directorship of the Huljich Wealth Management Fund, anyone? John Banks signed prospectuses containing false information that resulted in massive financial hardship if not bankruptcy, for many New Zealanders; yet remains in a powerful position in NZ politics.

Now we discover not only has he declared a $15,000 donation he knew full well was from Sky City (Casino) as ‘Anonymous’ – a corporation that he is currently campaigning to have government regulations changed for, for their express financial benefit – but it turns out that of all people, he took $50,000 from Kim Dotcom?

After Dotcom was arrested, John Banks claimed to have barely knew him. So why was John Banks chauffeured around in private helicopters to Dotcom’s palatial estate? Making toasts at his birthday party? Telling him to cut checks into $25,000 “anonymous” pieces?
Now let’s not forget the good old Teapot tapes. John Banks was caught out by media he and John Key had called to a press conference which they turned into a quasi-private bitching session and then went to ridiculous lengths to cover up. Just as they will now try to cover this up.

John Banks isn’t some first term list MP… he is the former Mayor of Auckland and Minister of Police. If he’s managed to pull off all of the above, in only a couple of years; what the hell did he do to our city & country in the rest of his career? That we may never know about. It seems Mr. Banks is entirely symptomatic of an Old Boys Network gone wild – cocooned in their own perceived invincibility, but now getting their world’s rocked by the 99%.
If we can get even one mainstream journalist to actually investigate the above issues further, we are about to be down by at least one corrupt politician. Congratulations Aotearoa!! ”

SCENE THREE: April 30: Right-wing mainstream media burst into defensive action. Occupy New Zealand retaliates via Facebook.

“Listening to NewstalkZB right now – Leighton Smith is in the middle of a full-blown damage-control divert-and-cover-up propaganda operation in defense of John What-Helicopter Banks, whose political future is currently teetering on the edge of oblivion after his being busted for a sequence of dodgy shonky $$$-hungry dealings.

Leighton opens his show by claiming that he doesn’t want to talk about Banks – he wants to talk about anonymous donations. Then goes on to wax lyrical about the many reasons why political donations should be allowed to be anonymous; slipping in a caller or two that say exactly the same thing as he, then conveniently reading several emails he claims to have received (probably straight from Banks electoral office!!) reinforcing the same principles.

“But what about the right to privacy?” Leighton asks. Doesn’t a person have the right to privacy anymore? He draws parallels between donating to politicians and donating to charity – claiming that if the SPCA will let you donate anonymously that you should be able to anonymously donate to politicians.

Well I have news for you Leighton Smith. Read it twice then read it thrice. SKY CITY IS NOT A PERSON!!!!!!!

When Sky City donate a figure that ends in a bunch of zeros to a politician; then that politician (in this case John Banks) runs around campaigning for regulatory change that will enhance the profits of Sky City at the cost to the health and wellbeing of the New Zealand public – the issue isn’t whether they should be anonymous. The issue is when that politician should resign. And the answer to that question is: AT 9AM THIS MORNING.

Instead, said politician is being openly applauded by Barry Soper; who himself is supposedly a political observer & investigative journalist, yet who frequently appears on NewstalkZB bestowing sage wisdom upon shonky politicians who have got themselves in a jam.

Soper’s advice to John Banks on this morning’s program? “If he continues to claim he doesn’t know where it came from then he is within the law.”

Everyone who saw John Banks on Q & A on TVNZ yesterday knows full well he is lying. To see the clip for yourself Google TVNZ On Demand then go to the Q & A program for yesterday, Sunday 29/04/2012.

It is a rare sight these days to see Paul Holmes put in a credible performance as an interviewer; but even Paul was emboldened by John Banks utter refusal to address any question containing legitimate queries about his situation. His answers were obvious diversions from the questions and most tellingly, he refused to contradict anything that Kim Dotcom has said about him to date.

At this point two things are patently obvious –
1. John Banks is a political dead duck in the water
2. National & ACT (foolishly) didn’t see this coming, and will try any desperate undertaking that might either delay the inevitable ousting of John Banks while they frantically scramble to find an equally pliable Plan B for Banks’ ministerial portfolios, for his Epsom electorate, and to hold together their shaky coalition majority, lest this all spiral into them losing the big prize – the Beehive.

While Leighton Smith probably thinks he is doing a stellar job of convincing the last remaining portion of NZ society that doesn’t have access to the freedom of information of the internet – his own diversion tactics & fallacious arguments only show his contempt for the intelligence of his audience; the degree of his own political corruption and the lack of journalistic fibre of the organisation that employs him.

We can do much better than NewstalkZB New Zealand, and in the coming years we will. Thanks to the rising tide of new media eclipsing corporate media; these clowns are on their way out.

**(Shonky dealings known of thus far; Banks signing of Huljich Wealth Management Fund false financial statements; the Teapot saga; failure to declare Sky City donation while advocating regulatory change to suit them; and now finally, sucking up to Kim Dotcom for $50k, getting chauffeured around in his private helicopter then claiming to not even know him.)

ACT TWO: It had been common knowledge for some time that John Key is effectively a Wall Street shill of a Prime Minister; he had sided with Hollywood and bartered New Zealand tax-payer dollars in a union-busting move against a potential labour dispute; but he had sold himself as the poor child of a state home who had made good and enjoyed extremely high levels of public favouritism due to a domestic media grown utterly complacent to the point of negligence. The icy hand of privatisation had reached even the state media organisations, who discovered their staff being cut in all the wrong places, and investigative journalism eventually became purely reporting whatever came off the AP fax or whatever their few meagre crews are pre-assigned by bosses to attend. Although that complacency served the 1% in initially suppressing the size, spread and achievements of the Occupy movement in New Zealand, the lack of ability to get decent coverage forces a new wave of journalism into existence; one staffed entirely on a voluntary basis, by average citizens, ourselves included.

SCENE ONE: May 1: The DHS comes to town for May Day. New Zealand bloggers explode.

” Well surprise surprise. Our Wall Street banker Prime Sinister got his economic policies from… Wall Street, according to this article. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1201/S00050/nz-asset-sales-policy-began-on-wall-street.htm ”

” From Tumeke – John Banks Must Stand Down!!! http://tumeke.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/mr-key-stand-down-john-banks-or-you-are.html ”

May 2: ” Pic of Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security & our Prime Sinister John Key, taken today. Cos now the US Marines got done training our police in Oakland/NYPD-style police tactics; she’s here training him.

“02 May 2012. Prime Minister John Key with United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.”

” A RECENT HISTORY OF SUSPECTED AMERICAN FBI & DHS INTEFERENCE IN NEW ZEALAND SOVEREIGNTY. Lets see how long this post can stay visible on the main page for. Drilling aside; immoral as it is. Mining aside; immoral as it is. Has anyone else noticed: (in chronological order)

1. FBI arrive in NZ & raid Kim Dotcom. He is threatened with extradition to the USA.
2. Occupy Auckland’s four 24/7 simultaneous occupations (Aotea Square, 2.0 Queen Street, Te Huinga Waka aka Victoria Park & Occupy Albert Park) are aggressively steamrolled by police and private security forces working together; some of whom are wearing fake badge numbers (at least 3 officers wearing “Z557” as captured on amateur video here (from approx 07:30: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rarpSu2Iw-c ).
3. During the evictions police arrest Penny Bright – one of the most visible campaigners for justice over John Banks & Don Brash signing incorrect financial returns as directors of Huljich Wealth Management Services
4. All personal belongings seized during the evictions are transported to a hangar at Hobsonville Airbase for “storage” despite the fact that this is MILES away & there is probably hundreds of closer facilities. This is the same airbase FBI choppers & other air transport vehicles were seen flying in & out of.
5. Shortly after the evictions it is reported that Occupy in New Zealand is over & that the FBI have returned to the U.S.
6. Kim Dotcom, after months of remand time served & having all his possessions & wealth ceased by the authorities, leaks the fact that John Banks is one extremely shady politician, to say the least.
7. After making a fool of himself in the media repeatedly, Banks finally issues semi-denial of the accusations of the content of his phone calls / meetings with Kim Dotcom.
8. Kim Dotcom says the contents of the conversations are on tape.
9. The NZ Herald reports that the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – despite there currently being 135 cities in General Strike in America and massive domestic American police operations ongoing – arrived in New Zealand yesterday (1st May NZST)
10. Late last night it is reported that Kim Dotcom is getting a bunch of his vehicles and stuff back. HMMMMMM……..food for thought. ”

” The clowns we call our political leaders. From left to right – John Key’s lackey, John Banks; George Wood’s lackey, Lesley Opie; George Wood – current Auckland Council member, ex mayor of the North Shore, current Chairman of the Community Safety Board & frequent Occupy Auckland Facebook troll; and finally, John Key. My what a foursome.” “Occupiers and a few others will understand the full significance of this image… ;-)”

SCENE TWO: It emerges the FBI did not follow correct legal procedure & the certainty of Dotcom’s conviction becomes increasingly less likely. The viral Banks-Key-Dotcom memes begin.

May 3: ” And the plot thickens… they never should have arrested Kim Dotcom in the first place. Apparently it was a gross abuse of resources for the FBI to storm on in here & attempt to take everything from him. Wonder where that leaves good old John Banks & JK? http://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-prosecution-is-lawless-and-unconstitutional-law-professor-says-120502/

And please enjoy this comprehensive assessment, containing a ton of related information about Dotcom’s notoriety, and the M.O. of National when doing an Allan Hubbard on unsuspecting successful independent businessmen; http://laudafinem.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/kim-dotcom-john-banks-the-invisible-ministers-and-the-unraveling-of-yet-another-national-party-conspiracy/

Reading between the lines of this NZH opinion piece: “Banks took in $520,086 in anonymous donations that year. But Brown, who beat him, also used measures available to local candidates that parliamentary candidates do not enjoy. His return included $499,000 from a trust set up to take donations without revealing the donors.”

So Brown could have had those donations from ANYONE? Say, from donors who were ALSO backing his opponent? Seem far-fetched?

In the USA corporations & rich-listers are well-known for hedging their bets by backing both candidates. Surely that couldn’t happen in little old New Zealand?

Would that explain why Len Brown is about as left wing as sitting Chairman of the Community Safety Board George ‘They should bring in the water cannons’ Wood?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10803057 ”

SCENE THREE: Pretty much every media commentator and freelance journalist in New Zealand jumps in the fray, but as usual Occupy New Zealand Facebook provided the most comprehensive summary of them all, with a plethora of associated links.

May 6: ” We grew up in a New Zealand with ethics. That stood up to U.S. political bullying; that retained our own sovereignty with regards to womens rights, gay rights, military regulation & our environment; that didn’t change our laws to mirror our imperial overlords but to embrace progressive social change. We were taught to be proud of those differences and also proud that such a small country could push back against huge empires. Inevitably, with each initially unpopular stance we took; other countries caught on, and we gained international respect for our geopolitical risk-taking.
Well now we live in a day and age where commentators on both the right & the left are outright saying that we have sacrificed our sovereignty to the Americans over the Kim Dotcom saga. That the NZ Government failed to protect a legal resident & now that a U.S. judge has indicated the case may never go to trial; our government may be found liable in civil court. You have to read Rodney’s Herald opinion piece to understand it. The level of rhetoric has been elevated to an extent where both Rodney, on the far-right, and Matt McCarten, of the left, are essentially saying the same things. Why? Because corruption is corruption, no matter where on the political spectrum you sit.

Rodney’s opinion here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10803744

Matt’s here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10803840

And this tasty morsel: apparently the dodgy dealings surrounding the Dotcom case are not restricted to politicians: the Crown Law office “knew” that correct procedures were not being followed, on the morning of the raid on Dotcom’s NZ rental property. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10803433

“I would have thought John Key would be a bit more pragmatic. I think John Key has been entirely out of step with the public.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10803602 You have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the article to get to that quote, but its truth is undeniable.

John Key says he’d never heard of Dotcom til the raid; then refuses to stand down Banks during investigation? Tops it off with claiming to not know the Wellington Hikoi Against Asset Sales was happening on the very steps of the Beehive?

At this point we’re half expecting John Key to start denying knowing John Banks. Can things really get any more incredulous?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10803831 ”

ACT THREE: Due in part to the attention of the global Occupy movement, John Banks, Kim Dotcom and New Zealand go viral for all the wrong reasons. Again, Occupy New Zealand Facebook documented the media whirlwind that encompassed the globe – being carried in countless major corporate publications internationally. Yet astonishingly John Banks, openly protected by John Key, remains in power to this day.

SCENE ONE: May 7: ” KIM DOTCOM RELEASES JOHN BANKS MUSIC VIDEO CLIP!!!!!!! This is the FUNNIEST most utterly HILARIOUS thing we have seen throughout the John Banks saga. Spread far and wide. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6871058/Kim-Dotcom-releases-John-Banks-song

“Is John Key Having A John Howard Moment?” More like John Key is having a John Banks moment… http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1205/S00015/is-john-key-having-a-john-howard-moment.htm ”

May 9: ” Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee. “I can’t believe Key (and of course, his manipulative media muppet mates) continues to defend the indefensible in the case of that lying dog- Banks. Local body electoral law is clear, any donation over $25,000, cannot be anonymous and donations under this amount where the donor is known cannot be listed as anonymous.
The very reason for this law, is to give the public transparency around what entities are making large donations to political candidates and parties, so that any conflicts of interest can be identified.
What we have in the Banks/Dotcom case is what is beginning to look like exactly what the electoral law is there to prevent- a candidate effectively lobbying on behalf of a donor in return for a large stack of cash.
What it looks like here, is that Banks has said ” Hey Dot, we better break that donation up into 2 lots of $25,000, so that when i lobby my mate Maurice on your behalf nobody is able to see that i’ve been motivated to do so by your generosity, you sly old German sausage.”- and i paraphrase just a bit.
Banks’ position as a Cabinet Minister is now clearly untenable, he may still have the Prime-minister’s confidence but he no longer has the public’s confidence. What’s more he doesn’t have the necessary level of credibility and integrity to hold Ministerial office, if indeed he ever did.
The longer The King of Crony Capitalism, aka John Key stands by his man the more his perceived credibility and integrity will suffer.”

May 10: ” Oh dear… it appears Banks’ corruption & Key’s protection of him have finally hit the international media… *gasp*
Always interesting to see how our leaders are portraying our country to the world. We’ll be posting a selection of these international articles, starting with this one, from the British newspaper The Guardian. Enjoy! http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/may/07/kim-dotcom-john-banks-video

This one from a little closer to home… The Australian, on dodgy Banks, shonky Key & Kim Dotcom pwning them. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/nz-minister-john-banks-faces-his-own-dotcom-crash/story-e6frg6so-1226350163398

Ouch. From Bangkok to Spain to Britain to the States… ouc Prime Minister & John “What helicopter?” Banks are the laughing stock of the international political scene. http://newspano.com/news/kim-dotcom-donation-claims-rock-new-zealand-coalition

Here comes the right wing P.R. job – always be suspicious of an article that begins with the official corporate apologist soundbyte – and check out who owns the newspaper. This, the most corruption-friendly piece we’ve seen so far, comes from Bloomberg’s “Business Week”. (Yes, Bloomberg, as in, Mayor Bloomberg of NYC, who has just spent seven months having the NYPD beat, taser, detain, falsely arrest, and sexually assault unarmed peaceful protesters). It appears this piece is as good as its’ going to get for our own dodgy politicians. Good question for Key next time one of you journo’s who obsessively read this page (but are too scared to like/share it): “John Key, have you ever personally met Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City?” http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-29/dotcom-s-political-donation-up-to-police-says-n-dot-z-dot-s-key

This is the most comprehensive international print article we’ve seen so far, including links to Banks’ appalling media performances & a lot of background information. Never heard of this news site before but definitely one to bookmark. http://www.grab-all.com/news/new-zealand/1129439/maurice-williamson-banks-lobbied-on-behalf-of-dotcom

Oooh fascinating. According to New York Magazine; “Amnesia” is just the beginning. So Dotcom really isn’t done with Banks, Key et al. http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/05/kim-dotcom-working-on-movie-book-and-album.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nymag%2Fvulture+%28Vulture+-+nymag.com%27s+Entertainment+and+Culture+Blog%29

John Key & John Banks even made it into the Hollywood Reporter. For all the wrong reasons. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kim-dotcom-song-amnesia-political-scandal-320970

Wow. New York Magazine. The Hollywood Reporter. The Guardian. And even Radio Samoa!!!! Is there a country left in the world that doesn’t know we are run by morons?To finish up our international Banks & Key scandal print journalism collection, here is two fantastic opinion pieces we came across. The first, cleverly points out:

“I see that Mr Key has been complaining to anyone who will listen about how hard done by he is, and that nobody understands any more. Well let me remind you, John Key, that you didn’t become Prime Minister by accident. You made a lifestyle choice and now you have to live with it, and if you don’t like it any more you should take yourself off the generous taxpayer-paid benefit you’re on and go get a real job. These f***ing government beneficiaries are all the same.” http://www.imperatorfish.com/
*Cheer*!
The second comes at the issue from several new angles & is well worth reading: http://gregroughan.com/2012/05/09/the-dilbert-management-theory-of-john-banks/
Kia ora koutou, enjoy the rest of your evening Aotearoa 🙂

Penny Bright – asking the kind of questions that Leighton Smith didn’t have the guts to ask the Prime Sinister John Key when he appeared on Newstalk ZB today. Instead, they talked about why it is wonderful that the government is accepting bribes from corporations. They called it a “win-win” situation. We call it the death of democratic principles. In the meantime, the unfortunate electorate of Epsom is still under the representation of a political dead-weight while the M.P. for Helensville… doesn’t even live there. He lives on the opposite side of Auckland in a multi-million dollar mansion in Parnell. One of the many reasons they call him Shonky John Key.
Penny says – “The Banksie BRIBERY scandal is still bubbling away ………………..
What hasn’t yet had the MAN ON THE MOON headlines on this issue – is – what is the difference between Taito Phillip Field and John Banks?
Taito Phillip Field was sentenced to SIX years jail upon conviction of bribery and corruption charges, for providing immigration assistance to Thai nationals in return for work on his properties.
John Banks provided ‘immigration assistance’ and Coatsville property purchase assistance to a German/ Finnish national, in return for a $50,000 Auckland Mayoral campaign donation?
perception …. perception …. perception ….
The difference, Taito Phillip Field is ‘brown’ and ‘dodgy’ John Banks has political protection at the highest levels from NZ Prime Minister ‘shonky’ John Key?
(Please be reminded that John Banks and Don Brash have never been CHARGED, let alone convicted, as former fellow Directors of Huljich Wealth Management (NZ) Ltd, for signing Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered propectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009 which contained untrue statements….)
NZ is the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ – according to Transparency International’s 2011 ‘Corruption Perception Index’ – based upon the subjective opinion of anonymous businesspeople……
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner'”
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/give-a-grrl-a-banner/ ”

SCENE TWO: As the New Zealand public hits the point of political scandal overload, the National Party and John Key begin an aggressive pre-Budget unveiling of draconian austerity measures, cuts to public services and advancement of their “partial” privatisation of state assets. All without so much of an acknowledgement as to the unravelling geopolitical situation and issues with corporate-capitalism, nor of the mounting domestic dissent and protest that is an ongoing backdrop to this saga. John Key gets caught out lying about being unaware of the location of a massive protest march that attracted thousands onto the very steps of his Parliament, involving many political parties, unions and concerned members of the public. His credibility continually erodes in the eyes of the public and the media, now realising that they were no longer solely driving the conversation, begin to shake off the dust and take them to task. For the first time since the establishment of Occupy in New Zealand, some issues begin to get a more open & fair coverage. Despite this, citizen journalism continues to provide a faster response and more comprehensive pool of information than mainstream media can keep pace with.

May 15: ” John Key taking swipes at a corporate media that dares question his intentions and failings. The media are “in a more aggressive and hostile mood towards us”, but Key does not worry about the media “despite what they think”. “I am not that bent out of shape about that – I expected it,” Key said. Although the mainstream media in NZ has a long history in mispresenting “reality” it’s comforting to see them make Key squirm…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6924197/Key-bemoans-hostile-media  …not to mention the countless bloggers and citizen journalists keeping the pressure on.
Media By Us….Not Media Bias! ”

May 21: ” PROTEST TODAY! ‘Do the ‘Honorable’ thing John Banks! RESIGN! NOW! 12 noon till 2pm outside the electorate office of John Banks (27 Gillies Ave ) calling for his RESIGNATION of – the not so ‘Honorable’ MP for Epsom, because he is not ‘fit for duty’ as an MP – let alone a Minister. Have you seen http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/give-a-grrl-a-banner/ This shows some of the banners we’ll have on display – today! 🙂
How come Taito Phillip Field got sentenced for SIX years for ‘bribery and corruption’, for providing ‘immigration advice’ to Thai nationals in exchange for work on his properties – while ‘dodgy John Banks gets political protection from ‘shonky’ John Key, after giving ‘immigration assistance’ and Coatsville property purchase ‘assistance’ to a German/ Finnish national, in return for $50,000 donated to ‘Banksie’s’ 2010 Auckland Mayoral campaign fund? What’s the difference – apart from Taito Phillip Field being brown?
Isn’t it painfully obvious? That this MINORITY National Government has only 59 out of 121 MPs – so has no mandate for assets sales. That’s why John Key continues to defend the indefensible, and ‘have confidence’ in the ACT MP for Epsom, who is helping to make New Zealand ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’ and absolute laughing stock, as per Kim Dotcom’s John Banks song – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CvRSZxqk_I which has now had over 140,000 hits worldwide.

OPEN LETTER TO JOHN BANKS: left at his electorate office by members of the public protesting political corruption. Full details from Penny Bright:
“FYI – below is a copy of the letter that was pushed into the gap between doors at John Bank’s empty Epsom electorate office at 27 Gillies Ave, today, Monday 21 May 2012.
“OPEN LETTER TO THE ‘HONORABLE’ JOHN BANKS, MP FOR EPSOM 21 May 2012
Today, there is a protest being held outside your electorate office at 27 Gillies Ave, Newmarket from 12 noon till 2pm. The purpose of this protest is to encourage you to do the ‘honorable’ thing, and resign forthwith as the ACT MP for Epsom, and leave the NZ House of Parliament, before you bring it, and this country ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt in the world,(http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results) into further international disrepute. How can you honestly consider yourself to be ‘fit for duty’ as either an MP or a Minister of the Crown? Why is it that former Labour MP Taito Phillip Field got sentenced for SIX years for ‘bribery and corruption’, for providing ‘immigration advice’ to Thai nationals in exchange for work on his properties – whilst yourself, the Minister of Regulatory Reform is effectively getting political protection from NZ Prime Minister John Key, after you have given ‘immigration assistance’ and Coatsville property purchase ‘assistance’ to a German/ Finnish national, in return for $50,000 donated to your 2010 Auckland Mayoral campaign fund, and gifts valued at over $500 which you failed to declare? Are you aware that Kim Dotcom’s ‘John Bank’s song’ has had over 140,000 ‘hits’ on You Tube,
in my opinion, helping to make NZ an international laughing stock? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CvRSZxqk_I
It is also of great concern to me, as a fighter also against ‘white collar’ crime, that ACT’s ‘one law for all’ has yet to apply to both yourself and Don Brash, current and former Leaders of the ACT Party.
As former fellow directors of Huljich Wealth Management (NZ) Ltd, you both signed Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009, which contained untrue statements, but you were never charged for so doing. This is a strict liability offence under s58(3) of the Securities Act 1978, but neither the old Securities Commission, the Finance Markets Authority (FMA), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) , nor the NZ Police arguably ‘did their job’ and charged yourself or Don Brash.
John Banks, you are now the Minister of Regulatory Reform, yet four different ‘regulatory’ bodies failed to act against you, someone, who arguably couldn’t properly run a Kiwisaver Scheme, yet now has a key Ministerial post and you are supposedly helping to run the country ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt in the world’
(Copies of this correspondence are available on www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz )
Have you been politically protected at the highest levels, because this minority National Government has only 59 out of 121 MPs, thus no mandate for assets sales, because there is not a majority of National MPs, so is dependent on your pivotal vote?
Is this why NZ Prime Minister John Key is arguably continuing to ‘defend the indefensible’ and still express ‘confidence’ in you, although former MPs, Richard Worth and Pansy Wong appear to have lost his confidence over a lot less?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’’
www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com ”

SCENE THREE: With the impending delivery of National’s budget on May 25th 2012, a budget that Key desperately needs Banks to aid in pushing through, it becomes clear that despite multiple police investigations into Banks and protesters campaigning literally on the doorstep of his empty electorate office, he will not step down. The collateral damage to Key is enormous and the immediate political future in New Zealand, unclear. We will keep you posted. 🙂

What -is- clear to us is that Occupy, social media, citizen journalism, Kim Dotcom and you and I are part of a true emancipation of knowledge, information, shared existence, extra-communication and societal evolution of which few mainstream sources are prepared to acknowledge outside of a monetary context. Nine months ago, the vast majority of citizen journalists were not citizen journalists; the livestreamers were not livestreamers; the Occupy media teams were not accredited journalists who wrote about the DHS, FBI & global politics; we were unemployed students, geeks, stay at home mothers, grandmothers, amateur photographers, just wanting to contribute something meaningful to this unprecedented global movement.

Solidarity to all out there who are doing the same under strenuous conditions and thank you to the international Occupy movement for your amazing support. Much love.

OCCUPY NEW ZEALAND – OCCUPY AOTEAROA – The Land Of The Long White Cloud

Michael Moore & Susan Sarandon: Under Surveillance

With the Murdochs all over the news (how ironic) as their corrupt empire continues to implode, Michael Moore and Susan Sarandon are interviewed about the prevalence of surveillance of Americans & in Sarandon’s case, reveal that they too have lost their personal privacy for daring to have a political voice, as their Government is voyeur to their every move.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/apr/23/michael-moore-phone-hacking-fox-news?fb=native

 

Kim Dotcom Slams US Government Over Arrest

Kim Dotcom hasn’t said much since his arrest in January over allegations of copyright infringement, but in one of his first sit-downs since making bail, the Megaupload mastermind is outspoken about one thing for sure — that his arrest was political.

For his involvement with the file-sharing storage site Megaupload, international authorities held Dotcom for five weeks without bail.

Now finally out and able to enjoy life alongside his expecting wife as he awaits his next hearing, Dotcom is quick to condemn the entertainment industry and the politicians they’ve purchased for a legal proceeding that he explains to New Zealand’s 3news as simply crazy.

Read More: http://rt.com/usa/news/kim-dotcom-itnerview-political-645/

Wikileaks Release The Global Intelligence Files – 5 Million Private Global Intelligence Group Emails

Today, Wikileaks started to release what they call ‘The Global Intelligence Files’ which is an archive of 5 million emails from a “global intelligence” company called Stratfor, based in Texas. The emails are between various executives, diplomats, lobbyists, etc, including infamous warmongerers & CEO’s of major banking, weapons, defense contracting firms & political organisations.

The emails detail some of Stratfor’s underhanded dealings as well as information gathered by them. Information which includes $384 billion in drug money laundered by Wells Fargo, one of the Big 5 banks in the United States, evidence of insider trading by the ex CEO of Goldman Sachs, and the mindblowing fact that the US & Israel have known the Iranian Nuclear infrastructure was already completely destroyed as of November, 2011.

Despite their current claims that Iran is an imminent nuclear threat. (The same rhetoric & false premise that was used to justify the pre-emptive strike on Iraq a decade ago.)

Refer to the link below for what has been released so far.

 http://wikileaks.org/gifiles/releases.html