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We Are Change - well, not really.

September 11, 2009 by Anonymous

Coloado Springs, Colorado

Friday, September 11th, 2009

 

We Are Change

The sun was warm and a strong wind blew on 9/11/09, as a group of about seven “9/11truthers” held home-made signs and passed-out dvds at the corner of E. Bijou and Tejon St. in downtown Colorado Springs. Similar actions took place around the country today, including at the intersection of 16th and Wynkoop in Denver. These were part of an organized campaign, this one in particular run by a fairly decentralized group called “We Are Change,” based out of New York. It was an unusual site to see in a city known for its extreme conservatism. However, as some of you might well-suspect, “We Are Change” is an ironic misnomer. Further inquiry revealed that the group responsible for the event is neither radical nor reformist; but represents a new and growing form of reactionary right-libertarianism.

 

My first exposure to 9/11 conspiracy theories and their sponsoring organizations occurred many years ago, chiefly through the internet. The websites were generally full of invective against George W. Bush, neo-conservatives, and oil corporations. My limited face-to-face experience with 9/11truth activists that I had met showed me a little anecdotal evidence that the average member was a middle-aged or retired educated white male, usually with left-liberal political leanings. However, over the past few years, I have been slowly made aware of the increasingly reactionary attacks on radical or leftist organizations from the so-called “9/11truth” movement – in particular from people like Alex Jones.1 Alex Jones's brand of reactionary white-populism has been around for a long time. I am by no means the first person to take notice of these attacks. What is interesting is that so much of the 9/11truth movement has been taken-over by Jones-esque libertarians. According to the demonstrators, the WeAreChangeColoradoSprings coalition started in October 2008.

 

Today in Colorado Springs at the action, I expected to see clones of Alex Jones – overweight, middle-aged men who were a little angry. While it was still one-hundred percent angry white and male, I was surprised by the counter-culture appearance of the demonstrators. With sleeveless shirts, tattoos, piercings (including gauges), decent amounts of facial hair, and even a white bandanna around one neck, I saw a group of young white males who could have almost been mistaken for anarchists in different circumstances. In many cities there appearance could be considered somewhat average for young men, but for Colorado Springs it is rather rebellious. But make-no-mistake, they were there on the part of an organization ( wearechangecoloradosprings.com ) which is aggressively ultra-nationalist, pro-capitalist, and even reactionary. It's website recently includes accusations that Ariel Attack is a government provocateur, and that the home-defense organization ACORN is “nefarious,” “shady,” “crooked,” and using, “thug criminality” to have the audacity to break locks to let people occupy their own bank-foreclosed homes. They are consistently on the attack, and neither cause nor comrade seems to be sufficient reason to withhold their vitriol.

 

I first introduced myself to Justin, one of the demonstrators. He was a young man with short-cut neck-beard and earrings, who was standing on a short wall with a sign. I told him that I was with Colorado Independent Media. Nobody seemed to know exactly what it was. I started to ask him a few questions. He said, “I am with We Are Change, we are not left, we are not right, this is a non-partisan movement.” However, by both volume and rhetorical content, their website clearly shows an anti-left bias. Justin

 

I then spoke with another man, named Chris. He is in his early thirties, short in stature, with a shaved head and spiral earrings. He is from Colorado, worked here for eleven years, and has a family. He said that he voted for Ron Paul, that in his adult life, he was a democrat, then a republican, then a libertarian.. Judging by the role he plays on the website and his eloquence among the demonstrators, he seemed to be the de-facto leader of the block-corner cabal. When asked what he would do if he were in charge, he said the first thing that he would do is to close-down the borders of the United States to illegal immigrants. He said, “I'm not looking to overthrow government or anything like that. I'm looking for limited government.” When asked what his opinion on the healthcare debate was, his reply - “one-hundred percent against it.” The organization's site views the health-care reform effort as a government conspiracy.

 

According to Chris, the real goal of their action today was to get support for an independent investigation of the events of 9/11 – a reasonable goal which, incidentally, I would support. The major error of reasoning made by Chris and organizations like WeAreChange is the inability to generalize based upon the evidence. Chris places great faith in the constitution and the American system, and as I tried to get him to talk about systemic change, he seemed to be uncomfortable when I broached the question of how merely investigating the events of 9/11 or sealing off the US border would somehow prevent another “false-flag” attack from the same “global elites.”

 

While anarcho-capitalists might be said to be misguided, with their heart in the right place, We Are Change blatantly holds its allegiance to the United States Flag and Constitution. It is pro-market, and maintains a strict-nonviolence policy. Taken as a white-male-populist movement, this is not surprising. Such ideologies serve the interests of the privileged. Their understanding of nonviolence virtually guarantees that their movement will be ineffective towards its stated goals, but does not preclude the added boost that it will give to libertarianism, or the negative effect on anti-capitalist community-organizing.

 

The confrontational-nature of the 9/11 issue allows the organization a certain aura of rebelliousness and makes right-libertarian ideas a little more sexy. While their group is currently quite small, and they have a long-way to go to perfecting their image, it may be that in the future, especially in areas like Colorado Springs, where anarchists are very disorganized, such right-leaning organizations may attract youth who would otherwise be influenced by more radical philosophies. Indeed, as I was unable to talk with everyone, it may be possible, however unlikely, that Chris was alluding that some of the members of the group are in fact anarchists, willingly being co-opted by a libertarian organization. Although the group in Colorado Springs may be an anomaly, which would make my evidence for this argument mere anecdote, your own experiences with similar groups may come to corroborate my concern of co-optation .

 

We Are Change is one of many organizations in a veritable social-movement that represents a threat to anti-capitalism and even all forms of anarchism. To their credit, the demonstrators advocated that people inquire into the issue of 9/11 for themselves, rather than embracing a certain version of the alleged conspiracy. However, the group adopts conspiracy theory-based skepticism but rejects radical critical analysis. Their lack of necessary analytical tools makes them unable to use the evidence to further their understanding of how systems and groups really operate. They appropriate the rhetoric of the reformer and the face of the rebel, but they self-identify as the wounded patriot, the moral purist, and the quintessential American. Their organization's ethos is that of the right-libertarian. Unfortunately, they are more than just misguided skeptics. They are reactionary, and they are not alone.

 

Chris

 

1http://raimd.wordpress.com/category/alex-jones/

 

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Comments

We Are Change - even fooling and influencing the green party

September 17, 2009 by Anonymous, 9 weeks 4 days ago
Comment id: 3986

An Organization to insiduous that it even co-opted Cynthia McKinney.

Would love to see more of this on COIMC

September 17, 2009 by ringokamens, 9 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 3992

This is great reporting, thanks for all of the work done on this article!

911 truth

September 18, 2009 by Anonymous, 9 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 3996

We Are Change is a group of libertarians, progressives, etc, and includes family members who lost loved ones on 911 and first responders who were told the air was safe to breathe (lied to by the EPA) and are suffering poor health as a result. Regardless of the other political views of this organization, the fact remains, as proven by ae911truth.org/flashmov11.htm , that we were lied to on 911. 911 is the catalyst for illegal wars and civil liberty abuses, and this group is working towards exposing the truth. they are pro-peace, pro-love, and i commend them for their efforts. if indymeida is a real "dissenting leftist" group then they need to present the truth in ALL areas, and stop smearing sincere activists

and...

September 18, 2009 by Anonymous, 9 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 3997

how can they be right wing when at the 911 truth we are change events i attended in new york city half of the speakers were hispanic and at the concert event almost all performers were black or hispanic. the organization itself consists of all races, many hispanics, etc. they arent partisan and they dont fall into this left right paradigm. they OPPOSE THE OCCUPATIONS OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, oppose the civil liberty abuses of both Obama and Bush, and want the truth behind 911. sounds like a good cause to me!

"they are pro-peace,

September 18, 2009 by Anonymous, 9 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 4000

"they are pro-peace, pro-love, and i commend them for their efforts. if indymeida is a real "dissenting leftist" group then they need to present the truth in ALL areas, and stop smearing sincere activists"

I did not start this fight.  wearechangecolorado and wearechangcoloradosprings have been consistently attacking left-wing and radical groups. 

I suppose that their pro-love feelings is why Turthalliance, Alex Jones, and We Are Change Colorado accused recreate 68 and RAIMD, and ariel attack of all being government-provacateurs.  It's ironic that cynthia mckinney wore a wearechange shirt to a demonstration that was condemned by the local wearechange chapter.

 

 

Johnathan Elinoff is a liar

September 19, 2009 by Anonymous, 9 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 4003

Johnathan Elinoff is a liar who has in the past badjacketted local activists. Denver activists have witnessed first hand what passes for "truth" for these crackpots. On another note, 9-11 truth has been around for around 8 years, doing the same fucking thing. If 9-11 was an inside job, it's pretty fucking obvious that noone cares. It's an issue that only crazy conspiracy theorists have seemingly endless amounts of time for.

9-11 "truthers"

September 19, 2009 by tina braxton, 9 weeks 1 day ago
Comment id: 4007

Several 9-11 "truthers" supported the speaking tour of British Nazi David Irving, even trying to keep protesters away from him by spreading misinformation about where he was speaking.

Several more of these "truthers" invaded the Save the News conference, and effectively shut down some of the table discussions, by monopolizing them and not shutting up so others could speak.

These 9-11 "truthers" don't seem to like truth very much.  They like Nazis, but they don't mind if journalism collapses.

Right woos Left

September 19, 2009 by Anonymous, 9 weeks 1 day ago
Comment id: 4009

Movements like 9/11 Truth and We Are Change use left-wing rhetoric to attract people against shadowy "elites," but they promote populist right-wing ideology.  Many leftists were attracted to 9/11 Truth, like McKinney, but they should realize that this movement is about white American populism, seeing America as exceptional and going wrong due to the New World Order manipulation. 

We Are Change and their supreme leader Alex Jones are also anti-immigrant, fomenting hatred for "illegal aliens" in their nativist diatribes. 

Their provacateur tactics during the DNC exposed their true colors.  They have not taken any responsibility for it, and still accuse leftists of being agents.  Despite screaming against the Police State, they called for local police to arrest activists. 

These people are irrational reactionaries and should be opposed.  Great expose on them in this article.

 

 

and how are you spending YOUR time?

November 2, 2009 by Anonymous, 2 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 4232

"It's (9/11 truth) an issue that only crazy conspiracy theorists have seemingly endless amounts of time for." You're insulting an enormous number (and growing) of people who are interested in finding the truth of what took place on 9/11. This includes family members of those murdered on that horrendous day. You can use the term "crazy conspiracy theorists" all you like (which is a tactic employed by the corporate media by the way), but using that derogatory expression will not deter us from seeking the truth, regardless of where the chips may fall. We comprise all walks of life, and do not all follow a strict creed or code of conduct. Alex Jones does NOT represent the 9/11 truth movement, and many 9/11 truthers do not endorse all of his politics. He happens to be the only radio jockey who consistently mentions some of the most important issues of our time, regardless of what angle he's coming from. I am a gay, anti-capitalist, anti-war, anti-authoritarian, anti-single-issue activism, anarchist who supports Indigenous causes, and I firmly believe that the 9/11 attacks were planned and caused by a secretive elite non-arab body for the sake of implementing their so-called "new world order". I believe that both major political parties are complicit with this very-real conspiracy. The facts are everywhere and they are not to be found in most "alternative" GATE-KEEPER media. 9/11 truth activists who "attack" left-wing organizations do it out of extreme frustration for their consistent close-mindedness and ARROGANCE. In fact, from my own observations, "progressives" who attack 9/11 truth(ers) are the most self-sabotaging demographic of people within the current body-politic of our time. Discovery of what took place on 9/11 will end all wars and all structures of empire, including capitalism. 9/11 truth is the ULTIMATE anti-capitlist/anti-war venture one can take. Anyone who openly denies this has questionable credentials and even motives.

Do your F**king homework.

November 16, 2009 by Anonymous, 6 days 16 hours ago
Comment id: 4273

I have worked with Indymedia for 10 years and I support challenging the official story of 911. The "left" has completely lost the momentum on engaging those that question 911, and organizing those disaffected from political parties, by ignoring this issue, and the potential for organizing.

Without question, 911 was an inside job. Do your homework and pay attention to the data, the science, and the analysis of architects, chemists, engineers, etc

1. interview with Dr. Niels Harrit:

youtube.com/watch?v=8_tf25lx_3o

2. Dr Harrit's paper, along with 6 other scientists:

Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe
bentham-open.org/pages/content.php?TOCPJ/2009/00000002/00000001/7TOCPJ.SGM


3. Nearly 1000 architects and engineers that question official narrative:

ae911truth.org/signpetition.php

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