You Don’t Have To Be A Cop To Do A Cop’s Work
July 9th, 2008
If you’re like me, dear reader, you’ve been pondering exactly why CodePink, United for Peace and Justice, Tent State and the rest of T.A.R.D. have taken it upon themselves to do everything they can fucking dream up to decimate local organizing around the DNC here in Denver.
As some of you have pointed out, it’s simply what these corporatized activist organizations do. Right? They blow into town, systematically plunder the work that’s been built at the grassroots level, crush local perspectives, drown out voices from communities of color, and ensure whatever so-called oppositional points of view left are pristine, lily-white, and entirely fucking useless. It’s business as usual for these assholes.
But I’m curious as to why. What do these little shits have to gain? Or, a better question, given their nature: what purpose do they serve?
Well, I’ve got an answer. And I’m gonna precede that answer with the following from Baudrillard’s discussion of Watergate in Simulacra and Simulation:
The denunciation of scandal always pays homage to the law. And Watergate above all succeeded in imposing the idea that Watergate was a scandal — in this sense it was an extraordinary operation of intoxication: the reinjection of a large dose of political morality on a global scale. It could be said along with Bourdieu that: “The specific character of every relation of force is to dissimulate itself as such, and to acquire all its force only because it is so dissimulated”; understood as follows: capital, which is immoral and unscrupulous, can only function behind a moral superstructure, and whoever regenerates this public morality (by indignation, denunciation, etc.) spontaneously furthers the; order of capital, as did the Washington Post journalists.
But this is still only the formula of ideology, and when Bourdieu enunciates it, he takes “relation of force” to mean the truth of capitalist domination, and he denounces this relation of force as itself a scandal: he therefore occupies the same deterministic and moralistic position as the Washington Post journalists. He does the same job of purging and reviving moral order, an order of truth wherein the genuine symbolic violence of the social order is engendered, well beyond all relations of force, which are only elements of its indifferent and shifting configuration in the moral and political consciousnesses of people.
All that capital asks of us is to receive it as rational or to combat it in the name of rationality, to receive it as moral or to combat it in the name of morality. For they are identical, meaning they can be read another way: before, the task was to dissimulate scandal; today, the task is to conceal the fact that there is none.
Watergate is not a scandal: this is- what must be said at all cost, for this is what everyone is concerned to conceal, this dissimulation masking a strengthening of morality, a moral panic as we approach the primal (mise-en-)scene of capital: its instantaneous cruelty; its incomprehensible ferocity; its fundamental immorality — these are what are scandalous, unaccountable for in that system of moral and economic equivalence which remains the axiom of leftist thought, from Enlightenment theory to communism. Capital doesn’t give a damn about the idea of the contract which is imputed to it: it is a monstrous unprincipled undertaking, nothing more. Rather, it is “enlightened” thought which seeks to control capital by imposing rules on it. And all that recrimination which replaced revolutionary thought today comes down to reproaching capital for not following the rules of the game. “Power is unjust; its justice is a class justice; capital exploits us; etc.” — as if capital were linked by a contract to the society it rules. It is the left which holds out the mirror of equivalence, hoping that capital will fall for this phantasmagoria of the social contract and fulfill its obligation towards the whole of society (at the same time, no need for revolution: it is enough that capital accept the rational formula of exchange).
In an admittedly reductive nutshell, then, that’s where I see T.A.R.D. The members therein don’t actually oppose the war any more than the Watergate scandal opposes Capital. Instead, they provide moral cover for the population at large.
We cluster-bombed civilians?
Don’t blame me, I adhere to solely non-violent principles.
US contractors raped prepubescent boys to garner information?
Don’t blame me, I lit a candle.
More than a million civilians have been exterminated since 2003?
Don’t blame me, I wore pink.
In fact, if you think about it, the members of T.A.R.D. are necessary for the furtherance of the war. If they didn’t exist, the state would have to invent them. Without them to provide that moral cover, to help bridge the cognitive dissonance inevitably caused by a culture that prattles on about human rights while committing a fucking holocaust, someone might actually do something to, well, stop the war.
In other words, CodePink, United for Peace and Justice, and the rest of T.A.R.D. are as necessary to ensuring Iraq remains an abattoir as .223 rounds. They function as an ideological Free Speech Zone, mandating the limits of what is allowable in protest, and restricting dissent. They serve to provide a safe, State-sanctioned zone for the exercise of limited rights, and to express a purely symbolic opposition to the war.
The only problem being, of course, that the war isn’t symbolic. And neither are those one million and more dead Iraqis.
They’re just fucking dead.
And, in part, they have T.A.R.D. to thank for it.
Update: On cue, your T.A.R.D. representative, in the Rocky Mountain News.
The city of Denver has conditionally approved permits for 1,000 local Democrats to host an Aug. 26 Democratic National Convention “watching party” on a big-screen TV at City Park and - just a Frisbee throw away - an encampment for 20,000 to 50,000 war protesters vowing to “Confront the Democrats” for failing to use their control of Congress to cut Iraq war funding.
“How fun will a Denver Democratic convention watching party be with 50,000 protesters all around protesting us?” asked Julie Kronenberger, a Denver County Democratic Party member working to obtain city permits for their night event at City Park Pavilion and adjacent band shell.
But leaders on both sides of the political divide believe they can find common ground at the park.
“I think it’s great. I think the dialogue between the people at Tent State University and the (local) Democrats will probably be more democratic than anything that’s going on inside the convention,” said Adam Jung, chief organizer for Tent State, which describes itself as “a positive, youth-led initiative to fund education instead of war.”
“We’re not there to chastise rank-and-file Democratic Party members. Many of them probably agree with our position on the war,” said Jung.
He said the young protesters’ beef is with national Democratic Party leaders, including presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Jung fears Obama is making a “run to the right” and wavering on vows to withdraw troops from Iraq 16 months after taking office.
Yet, he added, “I can’t foresee us doing anything that would make (local Dems’) night unpleasant. In fact, I think they would be welcome to check out what we’re doing. I think they might have a lot of fun.”
Fucking pig.
And I mean that quite literally. As Glenn Spagnuolo alludes in an interview with Peter Boyles this morning, Adam Jung(k) of Tent State (and a founding member of T.A.R.D.) is working with the city to draw people away from downtown Denver’s Civic Center Park, which is home base for the protests and protesters.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Right the fuck on.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Remember when he was claiming to run R68?
I am, frankly, surprised that the local Denver activists have let this guy get away with this bullshit for so long. It’s partly the fault of the local scene for not running this asshole out of town earlier. The locals should really wise up about people like him.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Point conceded, JC.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Hey,
I’ll stop the war. Tell me what I need to do.
I went to a protest but that didn’t stop it.
I gave money to a guy who said that he would stop it, but he didn’t.
I don’t want to die. Short of that what can I do?
Thanks
July 9th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
In a nutshell, make things uncomfortable enough for those prosecuting the war that they’d rather stop it than deal with whatever it is you’re doing. Use your imagination.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Or, if you’re not real big on the imagination front, RR, you could always start by stomping the living shit out of Mr. Junk. That wouldn’t require a whole lot of creativity, it would probably be a hell of a lot of fun, I guaran-fucking-tee that you won’t get killed doing it—or as a result of doing it—and it would be a really, really valuable contribution to, well, a whole lot of things, including, of course, the “anti-war movement.”
There. I just told you what you need to do.
Oi vey.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Why don’t I understand Jung(k)? —
I mentioned the splitting and civic vs. city park location to people attending many protests. But the logistics of bussing to the park will be obvious when people arrive and try to plan their day. This month is the time to try to encourage people to go to pressure Obama, rather than advertise the infighting. At the end of July people will look for housing and find those websites. If I were trying to split the movement, I would have gone for a closer one acre site. Maybe all the other parks were taken, but damn, Denver has a lot of large parking lots downtown. Another mistake was implying tARD is for youth - does that end at age 29? Their concert will work fine. W/ their classes, it depends on the execution. If they are at 7-11am fine, and animal rights or prison activists want to find each other. But… why travel so far to spend all the time learning ‘praxis’ at the tent in order to… take that all back home to try out. nonviolent, ‘direct-action’ and ’street’ seem to have variable definitions.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
To be honest, I think CodePink and UFPJ are trying to wreck the protests because their leadership supports Obama, and Jung(k) is a useful idiot. I got some shit to track down, but there’ll be more on that.
And, yeah, he’s getting a little aged to play that youth line, ain’t he?
July 9th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Yeah, why haven’t people run Glenn Spanuoleo out of town? Other then trash people what have YOU done to end the occupation(s)?
July 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
You’re right about one thing Benjamin, you have some shit to track down, a lot of it. So do you even take the time to actually read up on things or do spend most of thinking of asinine puns and anecdotes that have nothing to do with what you’re talking about? Seriously, do you how to stay on topic or is there not enough light in your bunker?
All this article is really saying is bitch, bitch, bitch, I know exactly what the left should do, but I’m gonna keep it to myself and do nothing. Criticizing does nothing productive and I know you’re all about productivity and your effectiveness in the struggle the Left always faces. By the way TENT STATE is funded by the people who run it, not a corporation. So have fun playing “leftist knows best” and keep your red bandana clean.
TAKE WHAT YOU CAN AND GIVE NOTHING BACK!
July 9th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Yeah, T.A.R.D. keeps repeating they are made up of young people. But the main group in it is the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, hardly any young people in this pathological pacifist sect. UFPJ and Code Pink are made up of fully grown adults, Leslie Cagan and Medea Benjamin are middle aged professional activists. The youth spokespeople who are paraded out to the media are paid activists too. This is just another way to hide their liberal opportunism and derail any radical youth-led movements that arent funded by the non-profit industrial complex.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Well there is NO ONE older than the Cohens is there?
July 9th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Shit, it’s a T.A.R.D. attack. Shouldn’t these cocksuckers be fucking each other in the ass with patchouli sticks or something?
July 9th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I’ll stop the war. Tell me what I need to do.
=======
Nobody stopped the escalation.
Is our country about to go bankrupt like the USSR, spending more on the military than the rest of the world? Seriously, am I paranoid in suspecting this? We were building debt at a record pace rather than making a dent.
http://www.wallstats.com/deathandtaxes/ If you can get this to work.
This will finally put an end to the empire somewhat, but it really is a problem for any other social issue, like our ways of taking care of elderly and sick people.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
You idiots are the ones who started restricting the tactics of other groups. Remember your little whisper campaign about R68 reserving the right to self-defense? You’re also the ones who started playing good protester/bad protester in the media. Or have you forgotten Adam Jung(k)’s press release? And, you’re the ones who started the personal attacks. Or, has Claire Ryder’s posting personal information about R68 members on Denver Post articles just slipped your mind?
Christ, you’re the whiniest bunch of fucking hypocrites I’ve ever dealt with. And that’s saying something.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
@PWood: I’d keep your buggery-centric fantasies to yourself, Mr. ahem…Wood.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I found this, from like, 8 months ago?? Is ANSWER doing anything? They, plus Not in Our Name and United fr Peace and Justice are the three big nat’l antiwar groups, with the first two supposedly having hidden connections to sectarian marxist groups, while UPJ is more moderate. But mie. His inaccurate site lists a jewish student I know entirely for his membership in a palestinian student org. ANSWER’s minions are amazing at turning out tons of people and wouldn’t join another group; it’s hard to figure out what’s up with UPJ.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I agree with JC. Adam is not even from Denver and he comes here and begins destroying the work of so many local activists. He’s pissed off almost everyone in the city’s activist scene. He’s a little prick. He doesn’t give a shit what kind of damage he does here because he is gone after August. Like he gives a shit what happens to OUR communities. Fuck him.
He should know that he can’t come to our city and behave like a fucking cop. Those who are sheltering the little prick have some explaining to do also. This pissant needs to be cut loose.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Yeah, they are hypocrites. They attack R68 and those affiliated with it for not giving up self-defense for unconditional pacifism. Yet their website shows artist The Coup, farthest thing from a pacifist. Their member groups include the International Socialist Organization, with a clenched fist logo and that supports the Iraqi resistance (self-defense elsewhere but not here). Tent State has a planned event “Bring the War Home,” a slogan used by the Weather Underground.
Not that these stances are bad, just those using them are also ones for blaming R68 for the specter of violent imagery. As a lyric from Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy said:
“Hypocrisy, is the greatest luxury,
Raise the double standard.”
July 10th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Awh, c’mon guys, they just want the republicrats to have fun! We all like fun don’t we?
Dorothea: the violent imagery is an attempt to widen their base. They try to play to both fields. They embrace pacifism to attract privileged guilt-trippers, and provide subtle cues of violence to bring in frustrated youth types, and then castrate both into useless symbolic garbage. It diffuses the tension and even makes the US citizenry seem less complicit in mass-murder. That’s pretty much what socialist-leaning groups are for in America. That’s also why anarchists are so much more compelling. No posturing, no BS, no names, just invisible power.
Too bad anarchy and libertarianism are true observations about the world rather than cohesive political systems. Reality is libertarian. Within that libertarian reality greedy sociopathic assholes find opportunities to take power, build massive organized force-based thieving organizations, and then call them governments. It’s also possible to build a better kind of organization, though it’s tough to compete with the murderous assholes once they already have tanks, or even just divisive pricks like this Adam character.
Sorry for the rambling, it’s late, and I just love talking about anarchists.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:41 am
“Bring the War Home,” meant bringing guerrilla war home to “the mother country.” I hardly think Adam’s Kent State will have an event dedicated to making IEDs. Not only does Adam pose as a supporter of Irish national liberation. He also poses as a supporter of the urban guerrilla warfare ala Weather Underground.
I wonder what all of the liberals at T.A.R.D. think of Adam’s janus face. Or, are they too stupid to see it.
They whine about R68’s name, and here they are being led around by nose by Adam’s Kent State to “bring the war home.” What these lemmings don’t realize is that Adam is about Adam. He is a pure opportunist, using anyone and everyone.
As far as ISO, they’re a joke too, but for other reasons. They’re basically a Trotskyist pyramid scheme to sell papers and other trinkets. They are the AMWAY of the left.
July 10th, 2008 at 7:46 am
Talk about Freudian. “BP” stands for British Petroleum, BP.
Is it a coincidence that BP, funneling the $$$ through a liberal 527, happens to be one of several corporate funders of Tent City, etc.?
Enough of this shit. Metesky had it right, but adding a few of the creeps at the Boulder Peace Center to the list wouldn’t be a bad idea.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:17 am
oops. that link was David Horowitz calling Leslie Cagan a communist, although he calls everyone that. Also, it looks like this split was there 8 months ago? http://www.westword.com/2007-10-25/news/recreate-68-plans-to-do-just-that/8
They have funded tents? Their website needs polishing and I was visualizing a totally low-budget thing, needing to pass the hat for water and food.
Where I moved, the only activists I found are ACLU/impeach Bush types with okay rhetoric, but have this submissive habit of wearing flag t-shirts or flag hats (’please don’t hurt us!”) at demos. Sadly, this competitive moderacy actually works.
Tyndale: re libertarian realism. Did you see how the stocks fell 2% yesterday. I guess they realized Fannie Mae will be bailed out, because it’s ‘too big to fail’, or it would bring down the whole economic system. i.e. they’re nationalizing all the mortgages (or their risk). Wasn’t the idea of Fannie Mae to help groups w/o wealth get loans because banks fail to fill this market http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121564782376340951.html
July 10th, 2008 at 8:27 am
BTWH- when I stood outside a convention, the only delegate who came to talk was saying ‘all you children need to come join us’, and said his big issue was the IRA, and bragged he can lobby reps. to put lines in big bills. real democratic.
He actually supported weathermen?
It’s funny that on video.google, the middle school kids who have societal freedom to do bomb experiments - high school and older and you’re in big trouble: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/unsafe_and_insane/Content?oid=785418
July 10th, 2008 at 9:43 am
No, of course he doesn’t support the WU. He’s a poser using their slogan.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:34 am
oh, sorry. I wasn’t reading very carefully.
It looks like whoever does the SDS press statements and graphics is sending a split signal, which surely isn’t being ignored by police monitors. SDS members might into totally legal campaigns, but their leadership put out a picture of a student carrying a bat, and had official calls for disruption and direct action. Direct action originally meant directly solving a problem, but clearly, most people now use various definitions closer to ‘civil disobedience’, ‘energetic marching style’, and particularly for law enforcement, ‘illegal vandalism’. And, it’s not wise for an organization with identified leaders to let their statements be interpreted that way.
July 10th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I wonder if TARD is going to use their rent-a-pigs… ahem, “professional security” to prohibit the Coup from performing “5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO.”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RQthFDpYCys
We wouldn’t want anyone to think they were violent.
P.S. I especially love the American flag waving on TARD’s website.