With Venomous
Butterfly Publications, I am presenting publications
intended to be used as tools in developing an anarchist insurrectionary project
with the objective of the complete transformation of our existence. Thus
nothing I offer is intended to be taken as a final answer, but rather as ideas
to be wrestled with, debated and experimented in the attempt to realize
liberation on all levels. It is necessary to question everything: all the
institutions of society, the entirety of civilization, all of the historical
practices of revolutionaries and anarchists and every word in every pamphlet
presented here. Such critical thought and debate is necessary to hone our
theoretical and practical tools.
PAMPHLETS
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
Anti-copyright
Every
text, every picture, every sound that pleases you is yours! Where
ever you find it, take it as yours without asking permission and do what you
want with it.
This Is What Democracy Looks Like-Several essays-some
translations from the Italian magazine Diavolo
in Corpo-critiquing democracy from an anarchist perspective
...$2
Willful Disobedience:
Analysis and Theory, volume
2, #1-6--A selection of articles from Willful
Disobedience expressing social analysis and revolutionary anarchist theory
intended as a tool for discussion and the development of a insurrectional
anarchist practice. No final answers here
...$3
Willful Disobedience:
Analysis and Theory, volume 2, #7-9 A continuation of
the previous pamphlet with the same aim
..$2
Willful Disobedience:
Analysis and Theory, volume 2, #10-12 Still more selections from WD
.$2
Willful Disobedience, Volume 1-Essays from the
earlier incarnation of Willful
Disobedience
..$3
Gynocracy Song by Annie LeBrun-This surrealist
rebel and participant in the 1968 uprising in France explains why feminism as
we know it is inadequate to the liberation of women and people in
general
..$2
A Balanced Account of the
World: A critical look at the scientific worldview by Wolfi
Landstreicher-This essay, which originally appeared in Killing King Abacus #2, examines how the modern scientific
worldview was born, developed and changed with the developments of the
capitalist system, remaining its faithful ideological servant
....$1
At the Center of the Volcano by Dominique
Misein-Translated from the anarchist journal Diavolo In Corpo, this writing
critically examines the concepts of revolution of the 19th and 20th
century in light of the reality of riot and insurrection that never follows the
blueprints of the rational architects of revolution. "Now revolt has no
more reasons to put forward, it is without precise and explicit
objectives and rarely proposes anything pro-positive. The point of departure is
a general negation in which economic, political, social and daily life aspects
are blended."
...$1
From Politics to
Life: Ridding anarchy of the leftist millstone by Wolfi Landstreicher-A
call to anarchists to rid themselves of the political baggage that holds us
back from challenging the totality of our current existence, including the
fetishism of the organization, democracy, the making of demands, faith in
progress, identity politics, collectivism and
ideology
$1
The Undesirables-A series
of short essays translated from Italian, analyzing current changes going on in
class relationships and exploitation from an anarchist perspective..$1
To the Wanderers-An analysis
by some Italian comrades of the universal uprooting imposed by capital and its
specific expression in large-scale immigration and the detention centers for
undocumented aliens. "Why have we talked so much about immigration and
racism [ ... ] since at the moment, we are not directly touched by the problems of wandering and expulsion? The
same capitalism increasingly brings our lives together under the standard of
precariousness and the impossibility of determining our present and our
future...
.
...$1
A War Nearby by Lope Vargas-An analysis
of the events of the last several years in the former Yugoslavia and Albania,
exposing the workings of the state and powerful economic interests. An
interesting anarchist analysis of events that expose the horrors of the social
order very clearly
$2
Neither Their War Nor Their Peace-A collection
of articles expressing an explicitly anarchist anti-militarist perspective,
dealing with the "humanitarian" bombing of Yugoslavia and the current
"war on terrorism"
$2
Fawda by the Friends of Al
Halladj-An analysis of the situation of the Palestinian situation from an
anarchist perspective.
it is not a question of supporting a Palestinian
state. We do not want to find ourselves one day united with old victims who
have become butchers... Thus it is not about forcing the Israeli state to
respect the rights of Palestinians, nor supporting a the formation of a new
Palestinian state. Rather it is a question of starting to practice desertion, refusal, sabotage, attack, destruction against
every constituted authority, all power, every state.
..$1
Against the Logic of Submission--This series of articles from Willful Disobedience examine the necessity of the subversive
transformation of ourselves and our relationships, and practices, as well as
ideologies and methodologies that hinder this. The project of
revolt is a project of attack, yes, but also of the subversion
of social relationships and the transformation of existence. It is not a cause
to which we give ourselves, but the reappropriation of our
lives
$2
What Have We
Demonstrated?-Various texts from Willful Disobedience and other sources
examining the role of demonstrations in our struggle to destroy the
institutions of domination and exploitation. Examining demonstrations from the
disruption of the WTO summit in Seattle through the
demonstrations at the G8 summit in Genoa, these texts are intended to raise
questions and stimulate discussion for a more intelligent development of an anarchist revolutionary
project
$2
Against the Legalization of
Occupied Spaces by El Paso Occupato and
Barocchio Occupato-This text by people from two anarchist occupied spaces in
Italy explains their projects in terms of social subversion and the transformation
of existence. Significant for its understanding of revolution as a way
of encountering life
..$1
"Eternal War on the Hitler
Youth": the Edelweiss Pirates, 1938-1945-An interesting
and little known aspect of the resistance to Nazi rule in Germany
by youth gangs
..one stamp
N'Drea: One Woman's Fight to
Die Her Own Way by Andrea Dorea-Andrea was involved in Os Cangaceiros, a group of social rebels in France who fiercely
attacked the prison system and the social order of capital in the 1980's and
90's. In 1985, she found out she had cancer and, after experiencing treatment,
made the choice to grasp her death as
she had grasped her life, with intensity and passion, in revolt against the
ruling order. This work is at the same time a strong condemnation of the
medical industry, a passionate theoretical analysis of the society of the
commodity and its destruction of the human individual on all levels, and the
personal expression of one woman's decision to live her life fully and to die
on her own terms among those she loved in defiance of a society that steals
both our lives and deaths away
..$4
Toward the
Creative Nothing and other writings by Renzo Novatore "It is difficult to find anarchist works in English that are at the same
time individualist and explicitly revolutionary, that emphasize the centrality
of the aim of individual self-determination to a revolution that will
'communalize material wealth' as it will individualize spiritual wealth. For
this and other reasons I have translated Toward
the Creative Nothing by Renzo Novatore."-from the introduction
$3
The Rebel's Dark
Laughter, writings of Bruno Filippi---This young Italian anarchist (he died at the age of 19 in a failed attack
against the ruling class of Milan) offers something rare in anarchist
writing-beautiful literature. His dark, often cynical essays, stories and prose
poems show no mercy for domination or servitude, but in the midst of the
cynicism and contempt there is also humor, joy and love of life
...$3
Reasons of Flame by Wolfi Landstreicher-This
is unabashed self-indulgence: rants and surrealist "poetry"
reflecting my own wrestlings with this world
.$3
Consuming Fire by
Wolf Landstreicher-More self-indulgence consisting of journal entries and
examinations of my own life and relationships in terms of the project of revolt
and subversion that I am trying to create
$2
Against Prisons by Catherine Baker-This
critique of prisons from a Stirrer-influenced egoist perspective goes into the
connection of prisons to the judicial system and to laws, thus calling for the
abolition of the entire system that creates prisons
.$1
Contra la
Legalizacion de los Espacios Okupados de El Paso Occupato y Barocchio Occupato de
Italia
...$1
Los Indeseables
.$1
Palabras de Guerra -
por la destruccion de lo que nos
convierte en esclav@s
$2
La Tension Anarquista de Alfredo M.
Bonanno
..$2
Cuestiones de Organization:
31 tesis insurrection alistas-testo anonimo
..$1
All $1 pamphlets are free to
prisoners
IN THE WORKS
(Several of these texts require
translation or editing. Some of the works I am translating are quite difficult.
So I cannot guarantee when these will be ready. I am listing them now to give
an idea of what I am working on. A few have estimates of when they will be
available, but these are not guaranteed, so wait to order. Thanks.)
The Network of Domination by Wolfi Landstreicher-A
series of brief essays from Willful Disobedience
examining the institutions, structures, systems and social relationships
through which this civilization of domination is maintained and reproduced. Hopefully available March, 2003.
Freedom's Disorder and other writings by Massimo Passamani-Writings by
this contemporary Italian anarchist deal with the meaning of being an
anarchist, the experience of repression, the daily life practice of anarchists
and analyses of the current social situation. Hopefully available June, 2003.
Barbarians: Disordered Insurgence by Crisso and Odoteo - Some
Italian anarchists take the barbarian sword of critique and fiercely slice
through the obscure and confusing post-modern academic language of Empire by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, revealing the recuperative filth that
lies within. Hopefully available March 2003.
Black Dog: Selections from Canenero-From about December of 1994 until early 1996, the
anarchist paper, Canenero, appeared
on an almost weekly basis in Italy. It included analyses of events in the world
and in daily life, of the repression against anarchists and the nature of
anarchist practice in the world. The perspective is insurrectional. The
selections included will be material that I consider relevant for discussion by
anarchists everywhere.
On Behalf of the Barbarians by
Bleu Marin-An analysis of the current social struggle that indicates how the
crisis of meaning imposed by the civilized "progress" as it
undermines every aspect of life - social, physical, intellectual, emotional and
natural - has brought us to the point where the struggle of the exploited and
excluded classes can only realize itself precisely as a struggle for
decivilization. The exploited and dispossessed no longer have anything to say
to the rulers and masters of this world. Demands mean nothing. The time has
come for destruction and the consequent reopening of the possibility of
dreaming - a new world will be a world absolutely
other. Hopefully available March
2003.
On Sabotage as One of the
Fine Arts: a contribution to the topic of the theory of the practice of
Sabotage-An analysis of the practice of
sabotage as an essential aspect of class struggle and the subversion of the
existent. Hopefully
available March 2003.
Os Cangaceiros: Gravediggers of the Old World-Documents by and about the
group, Os Cangaceiros, and Les Fossoyeurs du vieux monde (the
Gravediggers of the Old World), the group from which they developed, including
descriptions of some of their activities and analyses of the prison system and
of this entire authoritarian, capitalist, industrial society. Hopefully available September 2003
Against the Law-An anthology of statements,
flyers and essays by and about anarchists, insurgents and conscious rebels who
chose to grasp life by the throat without regard for the law, and those who
chose to express their solidarity with them. Hopefully available September 2003.
And We Will Always Be Ready
to Storm the Heavens One More Time: Against Amnesty by Alfredo
Bonanno--In this critical analysis of the movement for amnesty for insurgents
from the 70's in Italy, Bonanno raises significant questions for anarchist
revolutionaries to consider.
The Iron Column-A historical
look at the column of the free anarchist militias of the Spanish revolution of
the 1930's that was made up of prisoners liberated by anarchist
revolutionaries. This pamphlets includes the beautiful argument against the
militarization of the militias made by one participant in the column entitled
"A Day Mournful and Overcast" together with some historical analysis
of the column and its resistance to militarization.
A Manuscript Found in
Vitoria addressed to all Spanish Internationalists and to all the Proletariat by Los Incontrolados-This
anonymous text first appeared in English in the book Wildcat Spain Encounters Democracy 1976-1978. It is an
analysis of the wildcat workers struggles that broke out at the time Franco
died and the democratic state was being established in Spain made by anonymous
participants in that uprising. It is a useful text in clarify the ways in which
insurgent people tend to organize their own struggles and the ways in which the
organizations that claim to represent workers (unions, parties,
etc.) in fact act to undermine the self-organization of the exploited and to
recuperate their struggles. This is a revision of that translation, which
appeared on the Not Bored web site. Hopefully
available March 2003.
How Anarchist Is the Platform? A Historical Debate-Starting with
a substantial excerpt from the platform (the full text is easily available
elsewhere), this pamphlet goes on to present Malatesta's critique of the
platform, Makhno's response to this critique and Malatesta's response to
Makhno. With the current revival of platformism (or at least of an attachment
to the term, since, in fact, every contemporary "platformist" to whom
I have spoken rejects some of the most basic aspects of the platform when asked
about them), this debate takes on renewed relevance within the anarchist
movement.
On the Question of Organization-The texts that make up this
brief pamphlet first appeared in English in the journal Insurrection. They come out
of the analyses made by Italian insurrectional anarchists of their experiences
in the social struggles that became so widespread in Italy in the 1970's. They
combine a commitment to anarchist and revolutionary principles with a desire to
find ways to act against the social order here and now that lead neither to
reformism nor to self-ghettoization, but rather to an ongoing practice of
social revolt. Hopefully available March 2003.
The Democratic Inquisition-State violence to maintain the
social peace and revolutionary solidarity in struggle against it.
Towards an Alliance of Flames in Each Indignant
Heart by the Claustrophobia
collective-A discussion of anarchist anti-prison and prisoner solidarity
projects calling for passionate solidarity with all acts of rebellion against
domination. Hopefully available March 2003.
Disabling Non Lethal Weapons: New Military
Technologies-As military activity
increasingly takes on the form of global policing (and police activity
increasingly uses military tactics, particularly in crowd-control situations),
technologies fitting for this new role develop increasing the capacity of the
state to practice war/policing/repression in an apparently
"humanitarian" manner. This pamphlet analyzes these technologies in
relationship to the changing nature of military activity. Hopefully available March 2003.
Against the Engineering of
Life - Texts by Rene Riesel - known for his involvement in
the 60's with the Enrages and the Situationists - and
the Encyclopedie des Nuisances concerning
the complete subjugation of life in its most basic biological aspect to capital
and the resistance against this process. Hopefully
available March 2003.
Biotechnology: the Disappearance of the Diversity of
Life and the New Technologies of Domination for the Control of Nature by II Silvestre-This
translation of texts from a pamphlet published by the editors of the Italian
anti-civilization insurrectional anarchist paper Terra Selvaggio analyzes biotechnology as a form of domination and
exploitation, and the struggle against it.
About Willful Disobedience
(the
periodical)
Sample Issue:
Willful Disobedience Volume
3, Number 5
Willful Disobedience is an
approximately bimonthly anarchist periodical of analysis, news and theory from
an insurrectional anarchist perspective. It is intended to be used as a tool
for the development of insurrectional projects. The aim of such a project is
the reappropriation off the totality of life and, thus, necessarily, the
destruction of the state and capitalism along with every other institution of
domination and exploitation.
In Willful Disobedience, I
try to put forth a class analysis based on the understanding that the struggle
of the proletariat only becomes revolutionary when it becomes a struggle
against proletarianization and for liberation as a full individual. Thus, I
recognize the revolutionary potential in every individual act of revolt against
domination and exploitation, as well as those that are carried out
collectively.
In North America, a sample copy of Willful Disobedience is available for $1, and a subscription is $5 for six issues. Overseas a sample copy is available for $2US and a subscription for $10US.
In the United States, all
pamphlets are postpaid. In Canada or Mexico, please add $1 for every five
pamphlets for postage. Overseas, add a $1 for three pamphlets for postage.
Infoshops and bookstores ordering quantities for sale pay 60% of the cover
price. I do not have a way to cash checks, money orders or deal with credit
cards, so please send only cash or US postage stamps as payment. Individuals
desiring single unstapled copies for reproduction and distribution on their own
should let me know. If I can afford it, I will send free copies to those with
such an interest. I will also send free copies to anarchist libraries that are
open for public use.
Helping out WD
I presently send
substantially more copies of Willful Disobedience out to friends and reviewers
for free than to paid subscribers. This is all paid for out of my pockets. So I can always use donations of cash, and stamps for the
project - particularly stamps. I would also appreciate it if interested folk
would keep an eye out in their local papers for stories about particularly
creative acts of revolt, vandalism, sabotage, bank robberies and so on. These
need not be consciously political acts as long as they show some imagination,
some creativity. At present, the information I get about acts of revolt all
involves politically conscious activity, but much more significant from a
revolutionary perspective are the daily acts of revolt carried out be individuals in response to the misery of
their daily lives, so any stories of this sort would be highly appreciated. I
am also interested in tidbits that expose the absurdity of religion, the
family, police agencies and so on. Mail or e-mail them to the addresses below.
Venomous Butterfly
Publications
P.O. Box 31098
Los Angeles, CA 90031
USA
If
you can do so, it is a good idea to e-mail me when you send a
subscription order.
acraticus@yahoo.com