San Fernando Valley Circle Liberator

Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment (a memo by the DHS Extremism and Radicalization Branch)

April 07, 2009

Empirical evidence has demonstrated that, since the beginning of the first Obama presidential campaign and throughout the new Trump Administration, the United States has seen an emboldening of right-wing extremists and, in turn, a notable increase in right-wing-driven violence, crime, and terrorism. Yet, despite the prescient insights of former Department of Homeland Security official Daryl Johnson with respect to right-wing resurgence, federal attention regarding this growing social problem has been limited, nonexistent, or purposefully curtailed. In this declassified DHS memo, authored by the DHS’ Extremism and Radicalization Branch in April of 2009, eight prophetic realities are highlighted:

1. Although there are no known right-wing terrorist plots in the planning stages, American right-wing extremists have exploited recent social issues in order to trigger the fears and emotional sensibilities of potential “new recruits.”

2. These social issues are related to downturns in the U.S. capitalist system (e.g., real estate foreclosures, high unemployment, debt) and to unresolved American racism (e.g., the backlash associated with the election of Barack Obama; immigration myths).

3. Although the rhetoric of white supremacists and anti-government groups has not articulated specific terrorist plans, these groups have the potential to normalize confrontations with law enforcement and government authorities in the long-term.

4. As of April 2009, the efforts of right-wing extremists have focused mainly on propaganda development and dissemination; their goal, however, is to augment recruitment and radicalization.

5. The 2008 “bubble burst,” and the resulting economic recession, bare parallels with events which led to the growth of right-wing extremism during the 1990s; a growth that diminished only after increased federal intervention was instituted in response to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing and other similar “disrupted” plots.

6. New calls for gun control may encourage the plotting and execution of violent right-wing acts and terrorist attacks; this is evident from data which show that American right-wing extremists are stockpiling firearms and ammunition.

7. Right-wing extremists are actively recruiting returning U.S. veterans in order to exploit their military knowledge and skills, in turn boosting their own “violent capabilities” and tactics.

8. The continued growth of terrorist groups, militias, and “lone wolf” extremists is highly probable if returning veterans continue to experience difficulties reintegrating into civilian life; reintegration is challenging in environments which are economically and socially volatile.

From Boycott to Economic Will

May 18, 2017

In our first liberation piece, I offered a critical interpretation about the potential outcomes which could arise from the Women’s Marches and the Peoples’ Saturday, January 21, 2017. In this piece, I wish to focus on three important observations from that day: (a) the Women’s Marches successfully implemented—whether intentional or accidental—a near-perfect application of the Golden Circle framework, which has led to an awakening, (b) these marches, including those which have emerged following the Peoples’ Saturday, have set the stage for bringing about harmony throughout the 21st century world, primarily because they have acknowledged the existence, and consequences, of social conflict, and (c) the Golden Circle framework and social conflict theory offer both explanations for our social problems of living, as well as economy-related solutions for resolving conflicts which separate us from our “actualized” social selves.

"How California Is Cheating Its Future" (a report by the CFA)

March 16, 2017

A recent report released by the California Faculty Association offers a painful and troubling, yet beautifully liberating, insight into the inseparable relationships between educational monetary investments, social justice, fairness, and critical social science. The report focuses on one important empirical fact: “The 23-campus California State University system educates a far more diverse student body than it did 30 years ago. But…as the number of students of color has increased, public funding for the CSU has decreased. Or, as one faculty member has put it, ‘As the student body of the CSU became darker, funding became lighter.’”

At least 8 facts expose the severity of the current situation:

​

1. The CSU System is often called the “People’s University.” Yet, statistics reveal that CA spends 41% less money on today’s CSU students than it did in 1985.

2. On July 1, 2014, Latinos/as officially became the largest ethnic group in CA, outnumbering self-identified Caucasians for the first time in modern U.S. history. Notably, at present, both the Latino/a and Asian communities in the U.S. are growing.

3. Over a 30-year period, the CSUs experienced a near-complete reversal in demographic trends pertaining to self-reported racial/ethnic identification. Data reveal that, in 1985, Caucasians made up 63% of the CSU student population; by 2015, students of color comprised 62% of the student population (this number rises to 75% when factoring in students who self-identified as “biracial/multiethnic”).

4. Today’s CSU students face multiple life-challenges, including economic challenges (for example, food insecurity; family financial obligations; tuition increases; cost of books, lab fees, and transportation) and generation-related challenges (for example, the plight of first-generation students; familial legacies of poverty).

5. The CSUs served 150,000 more full-time equivalent students (FTESs) in 2015 than in 1985 (a 64% increase); yet, the CSU collective budget—in real dollars—declined by 3% over the same 30-year period.

6. Estimates suggest that, if today’s 23 CSUs had been given comparable monetary resources to those of 1985, these universities would collectively have an extra $773 million in their operating budgets.

7. Disinvestments from the CSUs have had adverse social consequences. For example: (a) academically-eligible students have been denied admission, (b) tuition costs have increased and further burdened students, and (c) limited or poor faculty-student interactions have become commonplace (for example, there are fewer opportunities for mentorship).

8. The future of CA—economically and culturally—is dependent on increasing investments in the CSU System.

The Basics (by J.H. Vargas)

February 23, 2017

In the first liberation piece issued by our team, I made the observation that the Trump Administration has been engaging in a purposeful “distraction” campaign. This campaign seeks to trigger the emotions of its resisters, The People. The first month of this blatantly inept and destructive Administration has already shown how it is impossible for any one person to follow all the chaos and disorder.

It is no wonder why some may feel overwhelmed by the authoritarian force sweeping the US and the world. In the face of this force, how can anyone be an effective resister? How can one person help sustain a movement? And, how is the threat of “movement fatigue” to be avoided in the short-term, and for the long haul? Any burgeoning movement always runs the risk of losing its momentum and, with it, its noble goals. The solution to this problem requires both a “coalition of values,” as well as a coalition of progressive institutions that share those values. Through preexisting leadership, their loyal membership, and a set of explicit shared values, such a coalition would be able to leverage its will strategically, and in ways the Trump Administration and its supporters would be unable to match. We, The People, must coalesce. What do I mean exactly?

On Strategic Resistance and Strategic Economic Will

February 19, 2017

Any burgeoning social movement always runs the risk of losing its behavioral momentum and, with it, its noble goals. As it concerns the progressive movements which have emerged since The People’s Saturday, how is the threat of momentum fatigue to be avoided in the short-term, and for the long haul? The solution requires both a “coalition of values,” as well as a coalition of pro-movement social institutions that share those values. Through preexisting leadership, their loyal membership, and a set of explicit shared values, such a coalition would be able to leverage its "economic will" strategically and surgically, and in ways the Trump Administration and its supporters would be unable to match.

A Critical Social Scientist’s Perspective and Modest Plan for Strategic Resistance (by J.H. Vargas)

January 29, 2017

Social psychological and sociological phenomena are both professional and personal interests dear to my heart, so much so that my life (I must admit) is perceived through a "critical" social scientific lens. At present, a central truth remains known in the American consciousness: the events of January 21, 2017, reaffirm the undeniable fact that we, The People, hold the true nation’s power and best interests. Therefore, we must not stop with this march! It is this last point that I wish to rally us around.

Whether or not it was intentional, the flagship Women’s March on Washington, along with its sister marches around the world, successfully executed a near-perfect application of the Golden Circle framework within the context of a burgeoning 21st century social justice movement. What do I mean exactly, you ask?

Dossier Strongly Suggests Trump Is Compromised by Russian Government at Behest of Putin

June 20, 2016

In a disturbing, though not surprising, pre-dossier prepared by trusted former British intelligence operative Christopher Steele, extant evidence—while not officially confirmed—strongly suggests that current US president Donald J. Trump has been compromised by Vladimir Putin and the Russian Government. At least four important points are highlighted in this report: 1) the Russian Government, at the behest of Putin, has been supporting Trump’s ascension to the US presidency for the last FIVE years, 2) over the last few years, the Kremlin has been supplying Trump and his team with opposition information, including information on Hillary Clinton and the DNC, 3) Russian authorities have obtained compromising materials on Trump, which involve sexually perverted acts in combination with his personal obsessions with the Obamas, and 4) Trump’s behaviors in Russia, over the last few years, have given Putin and the Russian Government sufficient “embarrassing” information to blackmail Donald J. Trump when they so choose.

CIA, FBI, and NSA Confirm Trump Is Likely Compromised (a report from the National Intelligence Council)

January 06, 2017

In this declassified report disseminated by the National Intelligence Council, intelligence data gathered by the CIA, FBI, and NSA seem to confirm several troubling realities: 1) the Russian Government has escalated its desire to destabilize American democracy, 2) an “influence campaign” was directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his close associates, 3) the influence campaign involved a combination of covert intelligence operations and overt state-funded media entities, and 4) Putin and the Russian Government intend to implement similar influence campaigns against key US allies in the near future.

"Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda" (by Angel Padilla et al.)

January 05, 2017

Click the button below to access a copy of the amazing guide, Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda. Prepared by former progressive congressional staffers, this guide describes the tactics used by the Tea Party that successfully constrained the Obama Administration's agenda. In four short chapters, this guide offers tangible steps which the American people can take to resist the illegitimate Trump Administration and bring to fruition a 21st century progressive agenda.