Battle in Seattle - WTO story
Posted August 21st, 2008 by wninja
output
The '99 Seattle protests were commonly referred to in the popular media as the "Seattle Riots," though in fact they were a highly organized series of nonviolent actions by a diverse array of public interests -- labor unions, religious groups, student organizations, anarchists, environmentalists and national and international nonprofit organizations -- all of whom shared a common enemy, the WTO. The film Battle in Seattle depicts what was in fact a pinnacle moment in the history of social action -- many groups coming together to voice their concerns over globalization and corporate control of trade. This was the first protest primarily organized through cell phones and the internet, giving activists an unprecedented ability to organize on the streets. It took months for organizers to plan the protests, and it is now widely held as the most successful "mass action" to date.
The film Battle in Seattle features numerous symbols, each of which stands for a different issue. From turtles to trees, naked girls to skeletons, condoms to butterflies, the streets of Seattle exploded with colorful symbols on those 5 rainy days in 1999. Click on a symbol to learn more about each of the issues that brought over 50,000 protesters together to stop the WTO.
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Showtimes: http://battleinseattlemov...
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Yes, I intend to see that movie.
Incidentally, I wrote a short fictional story titled "200," which was at least partly inpired by the events in Seattle - and also by the movie "300," as you might have guessed from the title.
Blackwater is the villian of the piece. They are sent to Seattle after a natural disaster and, instead of helping, they loot the city.
But the people rise up and "riot" in an organized and effective way - just like during the WTO protests but, this being fiction, much more violently. (Of course, they are opposed by soldiers with machine guns and anti-tank missiles, so their violence is well-justified.)
I wrote this before the Nissoor Square incident, but even back them my friends in the military were very down on Blackwater. "Arrogant assholes," I recall one ex-Marine referring to them as.
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Hey Shaka
In God We Trust!
Hey Shaka, I am an ex-marine and there are those on this site who say there is no such thing as an ex-marine, and got quite perturbed with me I believe, so let an ex-marine tell you to stop referring to those who once served in the Corps as "ex-marines"......there is no such thing as an ex-marine. Got it?
"SIR, YES SIR!"
" I CAN'T HEEEEEEEEAR YOU"
( In this wonderful country, you can still be what you want to be )
It's great!
Sir, Yes Sir!
Okay.
I know that. I was just typing fast - I should have said "retired."
Lived next door
in Vancouver Canada and know many Canadians who where there.
Great post~
St.Paul~we are coming!
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This film is a must see.
This film is a must see. Right up there with IOUSA, Chicago10, Zeitgeist: Addendum. Don't wait too long to see these. They will influence the masses whether you're there on not. IMO it's better to be on top of this stuff to decipher early on what is spin and what is real and not let it spin out of hand.
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson
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"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson