Dear Readers,
Welcome to 2010. Things look about the same from here. World events like the massive quake in Haiti demonstrate the urgent need for micro-power radio to pick up the slack when big-time radio stations are knocked off the air. Of course, our own government must take part of the blame for the chaos in Haiti, since the ouster of President Aristide was planned in Washington DC. If people can contribute to the recovery, probably the Red Cross would be the best charity to contact. Call them at 1-800-REDCROSS or www.redcross.org on the web. We see that small stations are still getting threatened with big fines for illegal broadcasting, while the so-called “Voice of America” is beaming into Zimbabwe with pirate stations. Check the following station alerts for more info. We salute Jayhaed Saade of MIX FM 91.9 for challenging the Canadian authorities and we wish him good luck in his struggles. As someone once said, “direct action gets the goods”. The best way to get an unfair law changed is for millions of people to challenge it repeatedly. Finally, on february 6th at 2:00 PM, there will be a screening of the film, “Pirate Radio” (formerly known as The Boat That Rocked). FCCFreeRadio.com and Indy Arts and Media will present a panel on LPFM radio (often called pirate radio). FCCFree Radio staff will share their stories and answer questions! Red Vic Movie House, 1727 Haight Street in San Francisco.
-Paul Griffin (for the AMPB)

Some content reposted from indybay.org. Photo: Jorge Cruz / AP.

On January 12th, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti. The earthquake was centered ten miles southwest of Haiti's capital Port-Au-Prince and was the largest earthquake to strike the Caribbean nation in more than two centuries. Buildings have collapsed and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN he believed more than 100,000 people have died. Among the buildings that collapsed were the Presidential Palace, the UN headquarters and at least one hospital in the capital.

Reposted from .
December 11, 2009
UC Police arrested 8 more people – many whom eyewitnesses say had not been engaging in any illegal activity - on the final night of a 5-day, 24-hour-a day “Live Week” open university, held by Cal students and faculty to protest and provide an alternative to the “dead week” at the end of the semester resulting from recent furloughs and budget cuts. The final event of the week, a free performance featuring Boots Riley, a hip hop artist from The Coup, had to be moved at the last minute after a morning police raid on Wheeler Hall, the primary site for "Live Week" activities.

Dear Readers,
Every now and then the authorities get excited and go out and start some enforcement activities. We don’t know if it’s caused by moon phases or solar flares, but probably they are just doing the bidding of their bosses. Right now we seem to be in one of those “heightened enforcement” periods. Stories about the fines against Pirate Cat Radio and Radio Free Brooklyn follow. All I can say is watch out for these FCC guys and whatever you do, don’t let them in to “inspect your facility”. If they’re in your area, a good strategy may be to go quiet until they go away. Changing location also seems to work as a stall tactic. Most enforcement seems to be generated by complaints, so try not to make people want to complain about you. Send out a clean signal and don’t interfere with licensed stations. The movie formerly known as “The Boat That Rocked” has finally made it to the US in a shortened form and retitled “Pirate Radio”. We hope it inspires people to join in the fun. Anyway, enjoy any slack time that comes your way and remember that shortwave stations like to crank it up during the holidays so tune in to the area just below 7 megahertz and see what you can hear!
-Paul Griffin (for the AMPB)

Reposted from Advance the Struggle.

Behind Every Fee Increase is a Line of Cops
Fully armed, a line of 10 swat team police marched up to the picket line. Half-stunned by their presence, the crowd of supporters hesitatingly jeered the cops. In unison and on command the pigs charged forward and shoved the picketers to the ground. Throughout the day there were various refusals to accept these attacks; they ranged from hurling verbal abuse at the cops with chants like “Fuck the Police,” to acts ofPolice Attack, Students Fight Back physical resistance such as refusing to sit down at the urging of cops and fellow protesters, to minor incidents of exchanging blows with the pigs.