In over 150 years of existence, the Republican Party has never had their convention in New York. But in over 150 years of existence, there have never been three thousand lives of innocent civilians to exploit all in one major metropolitan area. And you can bet that they'll be exploiting them every second that they're in town. Every photo opportunity, every fundraising dinner, every trinket sold will take full advantage of the tragedy of September 11th to turn Bush's reign of terror into a two term affair.

The September 11th attacks have been used as a pretext for implementing an Orwellian program of social control at home and abroad. During the last four years under the Republican administration the US has accelerated its longstanding policy of bombing, pillaging and terrorizing other nations of the world, while expanding domestic repression to unprecedented levels.

Two wars of aggression have resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 innocent people and the occupation of two sovereign nations. Thousands of immigrants and people of color have been secretly detained, some for years, and many others have been deported. The Bush administration is systematically gaining control of women's bodies, choices and lives through legislation, judicial review and redirection of federal funds. With the passage of the PATRIOT Act and other repressive policies, the goose-step of imperialism is becoming swifter while ignoring the true roots of terrorism; war, capitalism and the State.

Beginning on August 29th, the Republican Party will hold its five-day long convention in New York City. By holding the convention in New York, George W. Bush is spitting in the face of a city that still bears open wounds, exploiting the misery of 9-11 for his own political gain. The fear of terrorism instilled in the American public by the Bush administration will be used to justify state terrorism in the streets of New York this summer, as expressions of dissent are met with brutal force.

New York will represent the biggest opportunity for resistance to empire in decades. Inspired by mass anger and disillusionment with the policies of the Bush administration, the potential is incredible, and the authorities realize this. The response to these protests has already been determined. Armed with a million donation from the federal government, the city of New York will attempt to define the terms of our free speech and right to assemble in ways that will minimize our impact. The city will use tens of thousands of police in an attempt to maintain rigid control over the protests.

Despite the use of such highly militaristic forms of state repression, hope is not lost - the Bush administration's drive towards the illegal invasion of Iraq generated the largest worldwide demonstrations in history. Even the lowest estimates put 500,000 people on the streets of New York City this summer. The city of New York will be forced to deal with not tens, but hundreds of thousands of people coming to voice their opposition to these past four years of war and deceit. In the face of these numbers, the possibilities will be endless. The streets will be ours, and this is an opportunity we refuse to miss.

As anti-authoritarians, we call upon people from around the world to come to New York City to participate in creative mass direct action, of the likes not seen in the United States since before the September 11th attacks. Critics say that our movement is dying; we must regain the militancy that our movement once had, showing our critics how wrong they really are, and teaching the ruling elite where the power really lies in this country.

We must remember that it is our labor that keeps things functioning: without us, the cities stop, without our obedience, they have no rule. Only our absolute refusal will effectively challenge the State. As Mario Savio said: "There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!"

The time has come to move past outmoded and predictable tactics, expanding our strategy to include innovative tactics that will forever dispel the notion that the State, in any way, is in control of our lives.

To get involved in creating a direct action framework for the RNC please join this listserve: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/rnc-da.

The Convention is less than four months away - let's start organizing now!

See you on the streets in August!

In Solidarity,

Midwest Unrest - Chicago, IL

New Jersey Anti-Racist Action - New Brunswick, NJ

Baltimore Homes Not Jails - Baltimore, MD

Stelton (A) Collective, North-Eastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NJ NEFAC )

To endorse this call, please email rncda@hushmail.com with "Endorsement" as the subject.