February 29th Brigade in Pennsylvania

A local newspaper in Eastern Pennsylvania ran a story by a guy named Steve Esack on 7February 2008 about what appears to be mainly a student group of independent, free-thinking activists against the wars of imperialism now being financed and fought by the U.S. throughout the world.

From the article:

'The numerals '229' could be the marker of an international revolutionary group that believes in the power of pink -- and, perhaps, firearms -- to end suffering, poverty, war and oppression. Or, the 229 graffiti being scrawled in Bethlehem could be the stuff of urban legend.

'Regardless, the mixed message of love and guns offered by the 229 Brigade has stirred fear and nervous laughter among students, staff, parents, police and school officials in Bethlehem. They've seen '229' spray-painted on walls, carved in classroom desks and gossiped about on MySpace.

'With so many rumors swirling that followers of the 229 Brigade are planning a 'Rebel Against Authority' massacre Feb. 29 in the Bethlehem Area School District, police and school officials met Wednesday to formulate a security plan in the district of 24 schools and roughly 15,379 students.'

That is the hype promoted by the Morning Call, amazingly enough, a newspaper that one would have THOUGHT would have sought to interview ONE at least of the members of the 29 February Brigade, rather than relying on specious nonsense like this.

Note please the use of the word 'massacre' as a false definition of the phrase 'rebel against authority'. An actual manifesto of the 229 Brigade is included below. There can be no doubt in any intelligent person's mind that a 'massacre' is neither envisioned nor promoted by this group. The 'Rebel Against Authority' is nothing more than a traditional PROTEST against the U.S. Wars of Occupation throughout the globe.

Are ordinary Americans THAT terrified of a student protest against the occupation of Iraq? That, actually, is the real THREAT posed by the 229 Brigade, the power to stir high school students out of their apathy and government-sponsored ignorance and to foster actual educated discourse about U.S. foreign policy!

In response to this newspaper 'article', the 229 Brigade issued a statement on pink paper and distributed it in the public schools of the area.

'Greetings from the underground. Greetings from behind the walls of a culture that has shown its cracks. We the February 29th Brigade were founded in relative obscurity. But we knew from the start the enemy would eventually catch up to us. Mao Tse Tung formalised a belief that when the enemy doesn't attack it is a sign that the revolutionarires are not doing an effective job but when the enemy does attack it shows that the rebels are doing their duty. We are doing our job! Mao Tse Tung also said, 'We must make every stone the enemy picks up to throw at us a stone that is dropped on their own feet.'

'This is something that we take seriously. Though we don't take our freedom as a matter that is dire, we take it as something serious. We all have families, we all have aspirations, we don't want to be executed or incarcerated in Gitmo, as the pigs aspire I'm sure. We are human beings and as such we refuse to submit to the dehumanising tactics of the Police/Media/Bourgeous culture which so dominates the opinions of those who unfortunately don't know us YET. As for our comrades: We know you aren't duped by these tactics employed by the police state that seeks to criminalise the youth. We know that you don't fear for your lives on February
29th. We know that this is a rumour, but not a benign one. This rumour is cancerous and will lead to the furthering of police repression if not fought.

YOU MUST STAND AND DEFEND US! YOU MUST STAND AND DEFEND YOURSELVES!

'The Morning Call newspaper compared us to the Columbine shooters and said we were planning a 'Rebel Against Authority Day' with which we would 'attack the schools'. Not only is this slogan inarticulate and insultingly generic, it is completely FICTIONAL... Our statement on the accusations is that we would never lead an attack on a school or condone one. People looking for education need it and are prevented from it by the fascist ways of censorship and Columbus worship. We seek to challenge this through struggle and debate as well as eventual revolution by any means necessary. We had never heard of an attack on the schools and no one had heard about it. We know, besides some media uproar and sensationalism/nationalism
that would only be available to the revolutionary media/state because of the rotting 9/11 hystericism that lingers as though a toxic cloud over critical discussion of our liberties and more importantly Non-U.S. citizens' very lives. We wouldn't take it any more importantly than the normal blog post. But what this is is a very serious old fascist trick against a very inexperienced young movement. With our conversations with reporters so far we have been told to give a 'handful of members' names to get our side of the story across'. Well No Dice.'
END OF QUOTE

The flyer goes on to declare that the movement intends to publish its own newspaper and to actually become involved in local politics by running for office on a platform of 'Youth Power', demonstrating how in fact it is less of a true guerilla movement than one that seeks to change the system from within. It is obviously a rather idealistic student political movement and should be applauded rather than feared by parents in the area.

These are students who appear to have some drive towards social and political activism. To compare the 229 Brigade to the anti-social pathological loners who have gone on shooting sprees in various schools in the past decade is outrageous. Furthermore, the irresponsible 'journalist' who created a situation in a local newspaper that has resulted in parent hysteria and a widespread decision to keep students at home on 29 February rather than allowing them to engage in a peaceful anti-war protest really does make one feel that the 229 Brigade has a point when it refers to the Morning Call as a tool of oppression!

As matters stand at present, the police will be thick on the ground at local high schools on 29 February. One hopes that there will be an enormous backlash on the part both of RESPONSIBLE students and their parents, that they will wear pink in solidarity against this attempt to stifle freedom of expression and that they will congregate in force outside the schools, demonstrating to the authorities that support of peaceful protest against unpopular and indeed criminal U.S. foreign policies will not be silenced.

Surely any responsible parent would WANT to see their children challenge media and government propaganda created for the purpose of sending them ultimately as fodder for U.S. expansionist foreign policies. I for one would rather see a child stand up to the police in a protest AGAINST the unconscionable occupation of Iraq than see that child enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces!

Of course, over the past few years, as the initial flag-waving, yellow-ribbon tying U.S. response to the incidents of 11 September became weakened by the endless return of U.S. 'sons and daughters' in the form of defeated U.S. soldiers in body bags, the propaganda in favour of this bankrupt U.S. foreign policy has become a little more aggressive. Being patriotic means that one must support all of Bush Junior's policies, whether right or wrong. In the upcoming Presidential election, it is amazing to see that candidates, with the exception of Ralph Nader, haven't the courage to speak outright AGAINST the invasion of Iraq and the dirty war of Occupation at this point for fear of losing potential votes. They speak instead gently of the 'safe return of OUR soldiers' without categorically condemning the war as they should.

From a revolutionary standpoint, one actually should take heart from the rather draconian attitude of the media in its response to a student movement such as the 229Brigade. As the flyer itself points out, 'when the enemy does attack, it shows that the rebels are doing their duty.' Furthermore, the publication of an article in a local newspaper about a rather obscure student movement does expand the knowledge of this group and its avowed aims.

One hopes that readers and students will be able to see through the veil of hysteria and actually come out on 29 February, wearing pink and engage in the non-violent, anti-war protest that ALWAYS was the aim of the 229 Brigade. Any parent who keeps his/her child 'safely' at home is not only a coward but is fostering yet another generation of moral cowards without any backbone or capacity for independent thought. It is this sort of cowardice that contributes to the death of U.S. 'sons and daughters' in U.S. wars of aggression throughout the world. Instead of allowing their children to enlist, they should be mobilising them in national protest against the war in Iraq! Instead of fearing actions by grassroots student groups such as the 229 Brigade, they should be standing side by side with them!