Welcome to the first issue in our 41st year of radical publishing. This edition, no different than the preceding 371, takes up our desire for revolution, one that ends the monstrous systems of capitalism and the state. It begins with a critical look at what is billed by the Left as the Bolivarian Revolution. Michael Staudenmaier, with Anne Carlson, describing their month long visit through Venezuela and relates anarchist perspectives on Chavismo. The FE’s Walker Lane writes about the 2006 Caracas World Social Forum (WSF) he attended, and offers critiques of the gathering and the direction the country is taking.
Barry Pateman’s feature article pays tribute to the 1936 Spanish Revolution, whose 70th anniversary we celebrate this issue. The magnificent events of the late 1930s he chronicles, demonstrated that a revolution based on anarchist principles–The Ideal, as it was referred to–is possible. The Spanish revolutionary slogan, reproduced on our back cover–“We have a new world in our hearts”–speaks to the desire for a world based on community, not sometime in the future, but, now, in our daily lives.
We also salute the struggle and sacrifice of our Chicago comrades who, following the 1886 Haymarket Incident, paid with their lives for confronting the state and capital. This oft-told story is presented here by Larry Bogad in a unique and compelling manner.
Peter Lamborn Wilson presents a challenge to anarcho-primitivists; Walker Lane writes that all wars are lies; an ex-Marine says that torture by the U.S. didn’t begin at Abu Ghraib; Anu and Viva describe their visit to New Orleans six months after Katrina hit; Ron Sakolsky on resistance radio, and lots more.
Money: We need it badly. We experienced a greater shortfall of revenue this issue then recently and have about $1800 in debts to repay. Donations are always welcome, new Sustainers, renew the subscription sitting on your desk, renew early, order books from The Barn, or throw a benefit for us. Our survival is not guaranteed. Hopefully, your support is.
Next issue: The Summer 2006 issue will offer plenty of ideas for summer reading as we tackle the delicious and ubiquitous topic of “literature.” This project could take many forms, depending on the material we receive before May 1St, 2006. What books changed your life? What is literature for? How is reading itself a radical act? How does an engaged literary community contribute to the larger radical community? Will we need books, plays, and poems in the new world “after the revolution?”
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The Fifth Estate is a cooperative, non-profit, anti-authoritarian project published since 1965 by a volunteer collective of friends and comrades. We are committed to non-dogmatic, action-oriented writing and activity to bring about a new world. As opposed to professionals who publish to secure wages, or those who invest in the media information industry, we produce this magazine as an expression of our resistance to an unjust and destructive society.
No copyright. No paid staff. No ads.
Detroit Production Group: Fifth Estate, POB 201016, Ferndale MI 48220
Pumpkin Hollow/bolo bonobo Collective: Fifth Estate, POB 6, Liberty TN 37095
fe@fifthestate.org www.fifthestate.org