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Begin forwarded message:

From: Ricardo Dominguez <[log in to unmask]>
Date: October 29, 2006 8:33:14 PM PST
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: <underfire> Electronic Blockade Of Mexican Embassy and More
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]

Hola all,

After this short introduction to Electronic Civil Disobedience (ECD) you will
find an important call to action against the Mexican Goverment that we ask all
of you participate in.

Gracias,
Ricardo Dominguez
Electronic Disturbance Theater

<<<<What is ECD?>>>

Electronic Civil Disobedience [ECD] is a legitimate form of non-violent, mass
direct action utilized in order to bring pressure on institutions engaged in
unethical or criminal actions. Within the electronic environment, ECD aims to
disrupt the operation of information and capital flows of carefully selected
target sites without causing serious damage. Currently based on, but not
limited to, the tactical use of blockade and trespass, ECD acts as a mechanism
through which the value system of the state (to which information is of higher
value than the individual) is inverted, placing information back in the service
of people rather than using it to benefit institutions. ECD is the
extra-parliamentary expression of mobile, international networks acting in
support political objectives that appeal to the spirit of universal rights and
freedoms.

ECD is the continuation of the process of adaptation and evolution begun by
civil disobedience theorists and practitioners. The variants of ECD thought and
practice reflect this evolutionary process while drawing strength and insight
from historical successes and failures of civil disobedience movements.

There are three primary trends in ECD theory: those who advocate the replication
of street based demonstration on the Internet, those who endorse the practice of
politically motivated hacking and computer break-ins, and those who articulate
the need for creative hacker driven solutions rather than disruptions. These
three schools of thought should not be seen as entirely separate from one
another but as rather broad categories within which there is considerable
overlap.

Most of the theorization regarding ECD comes from the Critical Art Ensemble;
they were the group that coined the term “electronic civil disobedience”.
Critical Art Ensemble suggests that ECD mirrors the methodology of traditional
forms of civil disobedience:

*ECD is a nonviolent activity by its very nature, since the oppositional
forces never physically confront one another. As in CD[civil disobedience], the
primary tactics in ECD are trespass and blockage. Exits, entrances, conduits,
and other key spaces must be occupied by the contestational force in order to
bring pressure on legitimized institutions engaged in unethical or criminal
actions. Blocking information conduits is analogous to blocking physical
locations; however, electronic blockage can cause financial stress that
physical blockage cannot, and it can be used beyond the local level.*

This is crucial because power and capital, the most prestigious elements of
capitalist society, have become increasingly “nomadic” and are thus difficult
to track down and expose. Traditional civil disobedience, they argue, has been
increasingly ineffective because it cannot effectively challenge the nomadic
nature of power.

Blocking the entrances to a building, or some other resistant action in
physical space, can prevent reoccupation (the flow of personnel), but this is
of little consequence so long as information-capital continues to flow.

This is where the distinction between ECD and traditional street-based protest
comes to the forefront. The electrohippies (an ECD Collective) explain:

*Electronic communications and the new media represent a new space within
society that we have to utilise as we would the street or the council chamber.*

By targeting information rather than architectural structures the electronic
activist may achieve a considerably more effective results. Furthermore, such
resistance is not confined with State boundaries and thus allows activists to
challenge capital mobility in ways that tradition forms protest cannot affect
in any meaningful way. This line of thought is echoed, ironically, by military
theorists, particularly the RAND Corporation. The RAND publication “In Athena’s
Camp: Preparing for Conflict in the Information Age” articulates the philosophy
of electronic activism:

*It means disrupting or destroying information and communications systems.
It means trying to know everything about an adversary while keeping the
adversary from knowing much about oneself. It means turning the ‘balance of
information and knowledge’ in one’s favour, especially if the balance of forces
is not. It means using knowledge so that less capital and labour may have to be
expended.*

Although framed under the rubric of cyber-war (preparing and conducting military
operations according to information-related principles) and net-war (information
war conducted to influence what people “know” or think they “know”) the amount
of emphasis such theorists place on the ability of diverse and redundant
networks to disrupt the information flows of command and control and public
opinion clearly establishes the importance of electronic activism, particularly
applicable to the emergence of hacktivism.

The actualization of ECD in this regard has been an attempt to blockade
electronic targets through mass participation. Stefan Wray, a member of
Electronic Disturbance Theater, explains:

*In early 1998 a small group calling themselves the Electronic Disturbance
Theater had been watching other people experimenting with early forms of
virtual sit-ins. The group then created software called FloodNet and on a
number of occasions has invited mass participation in its virtual sit-ins
against the Mexican government.

EDT members created FloodNet to direct a “symbolic gesture” against an
opponent’s web site. FloodNet is a Web-based Java applet that repeatedly sends
browser reload commands. In theory, when enough EDT participants are
simultaneously pointing the FloodNet URL toward an opponent site, a critical
mass prevents further entry. Actually, this has been rarely attained. Given
this, perhaps FloodNet’s power lies more in the simulated threat.

<<<<CALL TO ACTION>>>>

Electronic Blockade of Mexican Embassy and
Consulate Websites From: "Reclaim The Commons"
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, October 29, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Electronic Blockade of Mexican Embassy and Consulate Websites In
response to a call to action to remember Brad, show solidarity with the
teachers and protesters of Oaxaca, and attempt to interrupt the invasion
of Oaxaca that Fox is beginning, join this electronic blockade of the
websites for all of the Mexican embassies and consulates in the United
States and Canada.

http://www.mountainrebel.net/oaxaca/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

EMERGENCY OAXACA MOBILIZATION; End to the repression and
killings! SUN 6 PM, OCT. 29TH & MON, OCT. 30th 7 AM ~ NYC Indymedia
journalist Brad Will, shot dead by paramilitaries From: "Martin Eder"
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, October 29, 2006 12:10 pm
To: [log in to unmask]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

BREAKING NEWS: Four murdered in Oaxaca, 26 wounded including
NYC Indymedia journalist Brad Will, shot dead by paramilitaries

EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION
SUNDAY 6 PM, OCT. 29TH
http://www.activistsandiego.org/wwwboard/viewtopic.php?t=14737

Place: SD Mexican Consulate (in Little Italy)
1549 India St, San Diego, CA 92101

Then tomorrow rally to shut down the Mexican Consulate

MONDAY in AM , OCT. 30th AT 7 AM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

San Diego progressive activists,

The crisis of repression today is in Mexico, a country increasingly
engaged in the struggle for social justice.

As you may have heard (no thanks to the mainstream media) one of the most
monumental grassroots movements is going on in the capital city of the
state of Oaxaca, city of Oaxaca led by striking teachers and supported by
broad sectors and a people's assembly... all aimed a bringing down the
repressive and corrupt regime of PRI governor Ulisis Ortiz Ruiz.

Rumors of attacks by government troops and paramilitaries have swirled for
the last 10 days - now it has started and off to a deadly start will the
death of 4 and injury of 26 more, the jailing of leaders, etc. The deaths
included the assassination of Brad Will of Indy Media New York a
well-known videographer and IMC journalist. Read more below. .

Martin Eder for Activist San Diego

_______________________________________

Sunday's demonstration is co-sponsored by members of:
Activist San Diego
San Diego Indy Media
Organic Collective
Oaxacan organizations
Schools for Chiapas
San Diego Socialist Unity
Electronic Disturbance Theater

We are DEMANDING:
End to the repression and killings!
Support APPO and the striking teachers!
Immediate removal of Oaxacan PRI governor Ulisis Ortiz Ruiz!

For more information call Martin at 619-871-9354

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Background Information:

NYC Indymedia journalist Brad Will, shot dead by paramilitaries in Oaxaca,
Mexico, Oct 27 http://publish.nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/10/77757.html

Oct 29 09:25AM: Increasingly urgent situation in Oaxaca. First-Hand
Account of the Attack That Killed Brad Will
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/10/77849.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MONDAY in AM , OCT. 30th AT 7 AM

*Call to Action Across the US
Against Mexican Consulates*

CALL TO ACTION to shut down Mexican consulates, that should be circulated
- and translated into Spanish, please! - everywhere:
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/10/77827.html

For more updated news on the situation in Oaxaca in English, please check:
http://nyc.indymedia.org AND http://narconews.com

ATTN Companer@s!

This is a call to action to remember Brad, show solidarity with the
teachers and protesters of Oaxaca who are under attack, and an effort to
interrupt the invasion of Oaxaca that Fox is beginning.

On Monday morning, October 30th, Mexican consulates around the US will
attempt to open their doors, to continue business as usual. But they will
not succeed in doing so, because we will be there to stop them. At every
embassy, at every consulate, we will be there, to remember Brad, to
support the teacher's strike, to fight alongside Oaxacans in their
struggle for self-determination and autonomy from the corrupt Mexican
government. This call to action against consulates is in line with what
companer@s from the APPO have already called for earlier this week before
this shooting.

We already know of many groups who are planning for Monday, and every day
following if necessary. Please spread this call to action as wide as
possible. Spread the word: to activists, teachers, students, earth
firsters, latino social services centers, places where day laborers
gather, anti-racist action groups, food not bombs chapters, peace and
justice organizations, Zapatista solidarity groups, anarchist people of
color chapters, people you work with, your neighbors. Copy and paste this
the whole world wide, and do so quickly. And please translate a version
of this to Spanish as well, and spread it around!

A directory of all the locations of all the Mexican consulates in the US
and Canada can be found at:
http://www.mexonline.com/consulate.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seige Under Way in Oaxaca

Photos:

http://tinyurl.com/ygtzck

http://tinyurl.com/yhb4r4

Message From Richard Myers:

Brad Will, New York Documentary Filmmaker and Indymedia
Reporter, Assassinated

Right now, in this very moment, state policemen dressed
in civil clothes are attacking the barricades
maintained by the Oaxacan people and their teachers.
They are shooting them with machine guns and the
teachers and the people are defending themselves with
stones and machetes. It is a real massacre organized by
the ulises ruiz administration (Oaxacan Governor).
There are many teachers hurt and at least one American
reporter from New York City (Indymedia), killed by the
State police.

News stories on the killings are available on the web
sites of Indymedia
http://www.indymedia.org/en/index.shtml),
NarcoNews

http://www.narconews.com/ the Mexico City daily La
Jornada (http://www.jornada.unam.mx:8080/ultimas), El
Universal
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/noticias.html

_______________________________________________
Under Fire http://underfire.eyebeam.org
16 October - 10 December 2006
International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville
all writings copyright individual authors
no commercial use without permission
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