Anarchist Gypsy drum circles are taking over according to KION 46

good lord. Look at the section where the reporter goes into the library to check the encyclopedia.

The bourgeoisie will become very disillusioned with the concept of government and even capitalism it self after the next wave of the global financial melt expected to hit just before the beginning of 2011.

Of the 6.5 million volumes in McHenry Library, KOIN went to the World Book Encyclopedia. Isn't that the same encyclopedia we had in my Junior High? I remember my history teacher, even then, saying we'd have to pull from more in-depth sources. Though apparently it is okay for KOIN Salinas. for their "In Depth" stories. I guess the thousands of books actually ABOUT anarchism in the library were too much trouble to hunt through. But if they were going to be lazy, they could have accessed Wikipedia's much better definition without having to leave their desks:

Anarchism is a political philosophy which considers the state undesirable, unnecessary and harmful, and instead promotes a stateless society, or anarchy. It seeks to diminish or even abolish authority in the conduct of human relations. Anarchists may widely disagree on what additional criteria are required in anarchism. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy says, "there is no single defining position that all anarchists hold, and those considered anarchists at best share a certain family resemblance."

Those anarchists! They caused a fight at the drum circle! And they are recruiting impressionable youth through their jobs at the university! Conspiracy! Call the FBI!

Wow, that's some really far reaching reporting, Brooke. Linking the Sub Rosa Cafe with the people that rioted downtown is going too far. Sure, there were flyers for the May Day Rally at Sub Rosa, but they were all over town as well. Here are the flyers in question:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Aaj_5fSy60kJ:maydaysantacruz.wordpress.com/

To link a UCSC IT department employee with the riots and destruction is reaching way too far and is totally baseless. I know this man of whom you are alluding to, I have known him for 12 years. He is a nonviolent, peace loving man.

KOIN, not known for its in-depth reporting -- claims by newscasters notwithstanding -- really swung a miss in this report. But beyond being factually incorrect and full of intimations bordering on libel, the simple definition of the subject they are trying to approach "in-depth" is manipulated.

Here's what the KOIN report on May 5th said:

World Book defines anarchism as a political theory that promotes the abolition of government and in some cases using violence and terror to do that.

If you watch, the video carefully, you can see that KOIN starts with an authoritative shot of the World Book Dictionary (serif typography) then switches to another book (sans serif) as the definition becomes more inflammatory.

Here's what the World Book Dictionary really says:

Anarchism 1a) the political theory that all systems of government and law are harmful. Believers in anarchism think that all such systems prevent individuals from reaching their greatest development. b) the practice or support of this belief. 2) disorder and confusion; lawlessness; terrorism.

The second definition is clearly a reference to the popular misconception of anarchy, but not the source of the KOIN confusion.

The second book is the World Book Encyclopedia from which KOIN derived the second part of their definition. The reporters have taken a portion of a larger article about historical strains of anarchism drastically out of context. The article is about what World Book terms "Terroristic Anarchism" a brief trend over a hundred years ago.

Terroristic anarchism began under the leadership of Mikhail Bakunin in Russia during the 1800's. Followers of this type of anarchism believed in the destruction of the government by violence and terror. They thought that land and other means of production should be owned in common. Many anarchists throughout the world resorted to revolution and assassination in the belief that terror would correct what they thought to be evil. They murdered heads of governments, including Czar Alexander II of Russia and President William McKinley of the United States. After the death of McKinley, the U.S. government passed a law barring anarchists from entering the country.

This was a strain of anarchism that lauded the "propaganda of the deed," and felt that if courageous anarchists put their lives on the line to assassinate world leaders, the masses would rise up against their oppressors.

A few decades later in the early 20th century, many anarchist lecturers and writers, including Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman (himself jailed earlier for a failed assassination attempt), reevaluated the usefulness of the "propaganda of the deed" and rejected revolutionary violence.

The writer Leo Tolstoy was a passionate pacifist anarchist who believed that violence was not justified even to save the life of a child. Tolstoy influenced the non-violent philosophy of Mohandas Gandhi, who considered himself a "kind of anarchist."

As you can see the philosophy of anarchism encompasses a lot of ground. While anarchists generally agree on their opposition to government and laws, mutual support for each other and others, and individual and community autonomy, issues such as violence or non-violence are hotly debated.

"We've collected a lot of intelligence over the years..."

Yes, it is obvious that these jokers have a real grasp on what they're reporting on/investigating! She went all the way to the library to use the world book encyclopedia to research Anarchism! Wow! What a twit, she may as well have sourced wikipedia!

The Anarchists are like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, leading impressionable LEGAL ADULTS astray into their cult of chaos and violence! Oh noes! Sounds a little more like the U.S. MILITARY, but, ok, sure media. SURE.

Really, how are journalism schools giving these ass-clowns degrees anyhow?

I stopped watching when the reporter went to the library to look up the definition of anarchy. If after extensive research, all you can come up with is essentially a dictionary definition of Anarchy, then you have failed as a reporter and as a thinking person. If you don't have the time to spend doing actually research, then at least interview someone that has. I'm so glad I don't watch TV.