Dear Slingshot:
Got the summer issue! Loved it! However, there are a few critical flaws in PB Floyd’s article “FBI hungry for victims” (issue #87) and her advice for “non-terrorists” as follows: a) “Never talk to the police” is good advice but you should also never sign anything either, particularly an “advice of rights” form; 2) a judge does not have the authority to order you to answer questions because you can take the 5th Amendment, although s/he could grant you immunity and then order you to testify, you could still refuse and be jailed for contempt for an indeterminate period of time; and 3) if the pigs knock and claim they have a warrant, you can “demand to see the warrant,” just be sure you don’t open the door to look at it ’cause I guarantee the pigs will walk in warrant or not. All serious rookie misstatements that will cost you when dealin’ with the man.
PB should also note that John Lewis’ comments concerning ELF, ALF and SHAC “attacks” ring hollow as the FBI’s primary concern has always been to protect property. After all, property is the number one concern of capital, and crimes against property are the worst crimes of all in capitalist eyes!
Peace out, war in, –R. Gould
Mound Correction Facility, Detroit, MI
Hi, in the last issue of the slingshot (issue #87 — I think it was the July issue) an article was published titled “FBI hungry for victims.” I don’t remember who wrote it but I’m sure you can figure it out. In that article it talks about the FBI visiting my house and the article includes a graphic of my FBI file which includes my full name and address. I don’t remember if my address was also included in the article because I only read it briefly. and in fact I probably wouldn’t have thought about it ever again if I hadn’t’ started getting letters from people in jail who got my address out of the Slingshot. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind getting letters from prisoners and to be honest I don’t really care that much that my address was in the paper as you can find it easily anywhere like the phone book or the same place you probably found a graphic of my file. However I would like to make two things clear
1: I am not the only person who lives at that address and who was harassed by the FBI and so I’m not the only person who is put at risk if that information gets used inappropriately
2: regardless of my personal preference it is really disrespectful and inconsiderate to publish someone’s full name and address in a widely distributed newspaper (or any news paper even if any average john can get it as easily as you did) without at least asking me, which wouldn’t be that hard considering you had my address just like lots of other people now do. Or you could do what other people find popular which is to look my name up in the phone book and call at ridiculous hours of the day.
Point being we get a lot of calls and shit already that me and my roommates have to deal with and it would be nice if a radical anarchist newspaper as concerned with security culture or whatever as y’all are would at least give me the heads up before you released my private information to another bunch of weirdoes. (I don’t mean to imply that the people that have written form prison were weirdoes or that people in prison are weirdoes but I’m sure that are some that read your paper.)
So I don’t mean to attack your purpose or mission but just a heads up on etiquette.
thanks, Sarah Bardwell
Editor’s Note: Ouch! Point well taken and thanks for letting us know. We’ll try to be more careful in the future.