Busted! Military Spy in Washington Anti-War Groups

Democracy Now! Broadcast Exclusive: Declassified Docs Reveal Military Operative Spied on WA Peace Groups, Activist Friends Stunned

Newly declassified documents reveal that an active member of Students for a Democratic Society and Port Militarization Resistance in Washington state was actually an informant for the US military. The man everyone knew as “John Jacob” was in fact John Towery, a member of the Force Protection Service at Fort Lewis. The military’s role in the spying raises questions about possibly illegal activity. The Posse Comitatus law bars the use of the armed forces for law enforcement inside the United States. The Fort Lewis military base denied our request for an interview. But in a statement to Democracy Now!, the base’s Public Affairs office publicly acknowledged for the first time that Towery is a military operative. “This could be one of the key revelations of this era,” said Eileen Clancy, who has closely tracked government spying on activist organizations.

i knew nothing about bone marrow transplant but ended up writing this article

it was a good experience talking with 10 different contacts about something i barely knew but i definitely learned a lot during the process. we always hear our elders say how important it is to continue our blood line. i guess if it's in this context that relates to someone's survival, without all the patriarchal and heterosexist assumptions about the role of a woman's body, then i'd definitely be there.

Vietnamese doctor in dire need of more Asian bone marrow donors

the image of authority

I had a bad dream last night. It was so realistic that made me awake at 6am and could not go back to sleep again. In the dream my dad forces me to do drug testing and it comes out positive. He is really pissed, thinking that i'm his useless junkie daughter who smokes cracks and shoots heroin and has unprotected sex with strangers. He locks me in the room, taking my cellphone away. I cry and scream that "I've never done heroin!!! Maybe just smoke pot sometimes--but it's harmless!!!" He of course does not buy it. My sister is crying in the other room. After my parents leave I ask her to throw the phone inside my room so i can call her psychiatrist who might be able to counsel my dad.

I don't remember if i manage to make the phone call or not. I only remember that the whole time i'm looking down at myself from above in a third person's perspective. It was like a bad high school theater play or something. I woke Lindsay up and told her the i had a bad dream. She said i must be anxious about my family coming to visit me in two weeks.

I think i am nervous about seeing my family. My shoulders are still tense after showering. I know that i am not the kind of daughter my dad wants me to be. But it is such a cliche of father-daughter relationship and i thought i was so over it since 5 years ago. What would Freud say about it? I'm a typical case of penis envy?--of course all lesbians are. My dad cannot see a tiny bit of respect from me because my queerness blinds him entirely. He is a tender man who loves poetry but 30 years of working and family trauma have worn him off. I want to say i understand you and i'm not a kid anymore. If i could ever say anything to him he would actually listen, that would probably be it.

責難之外。

她從中國回來了。開了台小卡車搬走她留在我公寓的家具、日式床燈、馬克杯、和一大箱的電影。我們好像什麼也沒有發生過的問好，像往常般地在solstice喝咖啡。她聊著她在中國的樂團事業，我也不是很著急地談著研究所和行動主義之類的事。她聊著她的emo中國樂團男孩情人和法裔女同志玩伴，我說著我治療師女朋友和我們去紐約或舊金山的計畫。沒有尖酸刻薄或者被動攻擊的言語。我想我們準備好建立一種新的友誼了吧。也許我有些想念她。但我知道至少我們的結局是和平而彼此都快樂。一年前她離開誰曉得事情會有這樣的轉變呢？我想轉變並不是壞的。兩個禮拜後她又要回中國，我繼續我的生活。屋子裡空了一些。我再問了一次自己，我是打從心底快樂的。這樣很好。

DI's anti-war graduation: low-budget picnic and heavy-duty love

DI anti-war graduation low-budget ceremony from Wen on Vimeo.

We had blankets on the grass with homemade pasta, salsa, chips, cake and iced tea. On the other side of Gaswork park there was a hetero wedding. The bride was taking a 30 minute walk with solemn music like the world is going to end. It's a busy summer we all try as much as we can not be to stressed out by the crises around the world. A lot of real work has to be done and that's why DI is not only a bowling night- it's a 20 hour unpaid part-time job and 24/7 mind game for real! At least we all found each other and built this community together. I'm proud to be part of the group and excited about where this movement is taking us. This is more like a graduation ceremony than the one with 3000 people plus Robert Gates, Mark Emmert, and some racist haters in the crowd.

mini steps to break down these heterosexist walls between us

Say mini to the birthday girl! from Wen on Vimeo.

Lindsay is turning 27 and for the nostalgia that we won't be as mini as one minute ago again, we had a mini party last weekend. All sorts of people came- the tongzhi crew, DI folks, straight but not narrow supporters (shannon yes it's you!), and some random couples and i'm still suspicious that husband with short shorts is somewhat queer. Oh whatever. We were on Capitol Hill and 8 out of 10 guys dress that way anyways.

It is in those space and time I feel having a queer community of families and friends is possible. There are already so many walls dividing us- the subtly racist politics of the white dominant queer community, the homophobic and patriarchal rhetorics of home, the masculine nature of most of the activist groups, the fear we have, of being too vulnerable or losing each other, even between lovers and friends.

I'm making effort to break out of my own walls. I've made peace with my queerness and respect for my family. The sacrifice of it is not being able to share most of my life with them- I'm learning to love them in a different way, even though homophobia makes me choose to be a daughter or a lover. I'm learning to, be vulnerable but also optimistic about my relationship with lindsay, and the possibility of a stable, trusting queer relationship that will redefine what family is capable to be. I'm learning to take down my guards with men, especially straight men. I know that not all masculinity is threatening and rape is a product of patriarchy. I'm learning that I don't have to be defensive with everyone in that figure, that gender, or that anatomy.

Sometimes I'm just so tired of being the one who has to constantly defend myself, my identity, my history, my desire, or my community. And thats exactly why we need to all make effort to break down these walls between us. To have a culture and community that practice radical politics but also love and care at the same time. If we don't start talking and asking questions, every queer conversation would remain to be a confession, awkward silence, or turn into a critique of identity politics. If we don't even know how to love and nurture people near us, how can we fight for queer liberation? The liberation that is supposed to break down those walls that prohibit desires and human connections.

I'm too much of a dreamer sometimes and I long for this queer community. It is so essential to our survival because heterosexism is constantly pushing us away from people we love, and making us fight against one another. I certainly feel powerless at times and just want to go back to the isolated state that makes me feel safe. But this community I have- even small and with enemies at all fronts- reminds me that we are all loved and we have to make effort to connect with others who might feel fragile or uncertain or even indifferent at times. And it all starts from small steps. No matter its a mini party or low budget anti-war graduation party or short cigarette break during the intense organizing meeting- we are building a movement, and this queer community is and has been part of it.

PROUD ASIANS, FIERCE QUEERS

Politics run rampant in Seattle's Pride Parade

By Wen Liu
Northwest Asian Weekly

Thousands of people congregated along Fourth Avenue to cheer for nearly 200 groups marching in Seattle’s Pride Parade on Sunday, June 28.

Various Asian organizations including Sahngnoksoo — a Korean and Korean American organization, Trikone — a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer South Asians — and Khmer In Action (KIA) all participated and marched together to represent queer Asian communities. In addition to the festive spirit of marchers, they also came with political agendas...