Telling the Truth....

The US and Russia: Democracy in Check
By Brandon Batzloff
Editor, Free Voices
At the end of September, 115 politicians and foreign policy experts signed a letter that was delivered to the heads of NATO and European Union States.Ê The letter criticized Russian President, Vladimir Putin's recent moves to end Democratic process in Russia.Ê One of the recipients of the letter was George Bush, jr.Ê As a man who has moved to end Democratic process in his own country, it would have been very hypocritical of Bush to condemn Putin for his actions.Ê Consequently the only rebuke was Bush stating that he hopes Putin does not abandon Democracy upheld by checks and balances within the Russian government, but even this was ironic Continue Reading

Armed Federal Agents Shut Down Free Radio Santa Cruz
by Steven Argue
Santa Cruz, CA
On Wednesday September 29th, a morning raid carried out by armed Federal Marshals and agents of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) stormed Free Radio Santa Cruz, toppled their broadcasting antenna, and stole $5,000 worth of radio equipment. Free Radio Santa Cruz is a low-power non-commercial radio station that has been broadcasting non-corporate news, poetry, and music for the past ten years. Through Free Radio local anarchists, liberals, and socialists (including this author) have been defiantly claiming airwaves that the U.S. government claims belong only to the big, and mainly corporate, radio stations. Continue Reading

Be the Wind: On the Upcoming Elections
By Starhawk
San Francisco, CA
As you read this, a mother in Iraq is newly wailing over the body of a dead child. ÊA nineteen year old kid who used to be the star of his basketball team is being sent home without legs. ÊA father in Guantanamo hasnÕt seen his kids, or sunlight, for three years. Another chunk breaks off the polar ice caps and the heat trapped by greenhouse gases churns the atmosphere into new swirls of turbulence like those that unleashed four hurricanes in one season in the Caribbean. ÊAs I type this sentence, another worker loses her union job, another child is shot in Palestine, another farmer somewhere drinks pesticides in despair. Continue Reading

Backtalk....

Draft Voted Down, But Will It Come Back?
RE: Kerry's Militaristic Intent
By Brandon Batzloff
Editor, Free Voices
Tension has been mounting for some time over the possibility of a military draft. Congress decided to allay those fears on October 5th. The compulsory military service bill known as the "Universal National Service Act of 2003" has finally been put to rest by a vote of 402-2 in the House of Representatives. Does this really end the danger surrounding the draft, or is it just an election ruse? Continue Reading

Last Word....

This is the lucky thirteenth issue of Free Voices! Unfortunately the attacks against independent media that i detailed in "US and Russia: Democracy in Check" are going to continue and will likely increase in ferocity. Please do everything you can to support independent media projects. There are three ways you can help Free Voices survive the crackdown:

1) Safety in numbers: The more people that are aware of Free Voices the more safe we wil be. Please forward the zine to five people or have five people subscribe by emailing freevoices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

2) Be Loud: Please contribute writing about the work you are doing or about news you have found. The more involved people are the bigger our voice!

3) Keep Free Voices on the road: We are in need of donations of all kinds. At this time we are most in need of a wireless cards for pc laptops. We also need funding to set up mirror sites in other countries. Anything you can give would be very helpful. You can donate at www.free-voices.org/Donations.html If you make a donation online or would like to make one in person, please contact me.

peace love victory.
Brandon Batzloff
Director, Free Voices
freevoices@lycos.com

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