support Steve Kurtz & Critical Arts Ensemble!!

Imagine that you are a free citizen of the USA. Imagine you are an artist of
the avant garde and your art includes a mobile DNA extraction laboratory for
testing food products for transgenic contamination, ie, testing for
'Frankenfood'. The nightmare 'begins' when your wife dies in her sleep. You
call 911. The police arrive and, cranked up on the rhetoric of the "War on
Terror," decide your art supplies are actually bioterrorism weapons. You are
detained without charges. Your entire block is cordoned off. Over the next
few days, dozens of agents in hazmat suits, from a number of law enforcement
agencies, sift through your work, analyzing it on-site and impound your
computers, manuscripts, books, equipment, and your wife's body for further
analysis. The Health Department condemns your house as a health risk. Your
colleagues are subpoenaed by the FBI in an attempt to indict you (and
perhaps others) before a grand jury under a clause (expanded by the USA
PATRIOT Act) related to "biological weapons."

Such is the case of Dr. Steven Kurtz, professor of art at SUNY Buffalo and a
member of the Critical Arts Ensemble. The FBI is apparently bringing
bioterrorism charges against the group for possession of a biotechnology lab
found at Kurtz's home. The group will incur gigantic legal fees and face
imprisonment.

The USA is entering the disassociated states of the Kafkaesque. The
perversely named Patriot Act has undermined civil liberties and government
agencies are thus empowered far beyond the checks and balances of a
civilized society to inflict on citizens of the USA a little taste of the
devastation they are wreaking abroad with abandon, creating many more
enemies than they can kill. It is the wreaking of terror in the name of 'the
war against terrorism'. It is unpatriotic lawlessness at home and abroad in
the name of patriotism and protection of the populace. It is hysterical
repression that plays into the hands of the enemies of the USA who cannot
destroy the society but realize the USA government will do this itself if
given the opportunity. Much as the Argentine government did to its own
populace in the eighties in "the dirty war" against communist terrorists.
Fifteen thousand Argentine citizens 'disappeared' at the hands of death
squads of the Argentine government. Guess who trained them in their
paranoia.

Terrorism cannot be combatted by undermining the civil liberties of citizens
of the USA or elsewhere. It merely perpetuates the cycle of escalating
violence and hysteria. Dr. Steven Kurtz is not Mr. Kurtz from Heart of
Darkness, a patriot general run amok into 'terrorism'. He is simply an
artist whose wife has tragically died and who now finds himself and possibly
his colleagues absurdly accused of biological terrorism, subject to massive
legal fees, the threat of imprisonment, and his computers, manuscripts, and
other work have still not been returned or an apology forthcoming.

We of rhizome.org urge that all government action against Kurtz and his
colleagues cease immediately, that all his equipment and anything else of
his confiscated by the government be returned immediately, that his legal
costs be covered by the government, and that the government issue an apology
to him and his colleagues for this outrageous screw-up inflicted on Kurtz in
the hour of his wife's untimely death.


> —–Original Message—–
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of
> marc
> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 10:21 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RHIZOME_RAW: support Steve Kurtz & Critical Arts Ensemble!!
>
>
> Rhizomerz - perhaps write a collaborative letter/web site to
> support Steve Kurtz & the Critical Art Ensemble…
>
> Has anyone on this list begun such an action? If so let me know,
> I would glady offer any support immediately.
>
> marc
>
>
> Support Steve Kurtz and the Critical Art Ensemble
> =================================================
>
> Dear CTheory Readers,
>
> We recently received the following news which is really
> disturbing in terms of civil rights and artistic freedom in the
> present political climate spawned by the so-called "War on
> Terrorism."
>
> We strongly encourage everyone to read the full announcement and
> to support Steve Kurtz and the Critical Art Ensemble.
>
> Arthur and Marilouise Kroker, Editors
>
> ====================================
>
> Dr. Steven Kurtz, professor of art at SUNY Buffalo and members of
> the Critical Arts Ensemble are facing indictment at a grand jury
> trial in Buffalo, NY, June 15. The FBI is bringing bioterrorism
> charges against the group for possession of a biotechnology lab found
> at Kurtz's home. Thus, the group will incur gigantic legal fees and
> face imprisonment.
>
> Dr. Kurtz and CAE are internationally recognized lecturers in the
> areas of biotechnology, information technology and media studies.
> Their work has always been anti-terrorist, that is, against fear as a
> cultural detriment to discussion. For more information and
> support, see:
>
> www.rtmark.com/CAEdefense/
>
> Louis Hillman
>
> ———————————————————————
>
> May 25, 2004
>
> FBI ABDUCTS ARTIST, SEIZES ART
> Feds Unable to Distinguish Art from Bioterrorism
> Grieving Artist Denied Access to Deceased Wife's Body
>
> ______________________________________________________
> | |
> | HELP URGENTLY NEEDED FOR LEGAL DEFENSE |
> | |
> | For donations contact: [email protected] |
> | |
> |____________________________________________________|
>
> Steve Kurtz was already suffering from one tragedy when he called 911
> early in the morning to tell them his wife had suffered a cardiac
> arrest and died in her sleep. The police arrived and, cranked up on
> the rhetoric of the "War on Terror," decided Kurtz's art supplies
> were actually bioterrorism weapons.
>
> Thus began an Orwellian stream of events in which FBI agents abducted
> Kurtz without charges, sealed off his entire block, and confiscated
> his computers, manuscripts, art supplies… and even his wife's body.
>
> Like the case of Brandon Mayfield, the Muslim lawyer from Portland
> imprisoned for two weeks on the flimsiest of false evidence, Kurtz's
> case amply demonstrates the dangers posed by the USA PATRIOT Act
> coupled with government-nurtured terrorism hysteria.
>
> Kurtz's case is ongoing, and, on top of everything else, Kurtz is
> facing a mountain of legal fees. Donations to his legal defense can
> be made at http://www.rtmark.com/CAEdefense/
>
>
> FEAR RUN AMOK
> ————-
>
> Steve Kurtz is Associate Professor in the Department of Art at the
> State University of New York's University at Buffalo, and a member of
> the internationally-acclaimed Critical Art Ensemble.
>
> Kurtz's wife, Hope Kurtz, died in her sleep of cardiac arrest in the
> early morning hours of May 11. Police arrived, became suspicious of
> Kurtz's art supplies and called the FBI.
>
> Within hours, FBI agents had "detained" Kurtz as a suspected
> bioterrorist and cordoned off the entire block around his house.
> (Kurtz walked away the next day on the advice of a lawyer, his
> "detention" having proved to be illegal.) Over the next few days,
> dozens of agents in hazmat suits, from a number of law enforcement
> agencies, sifted through Kurtz's work, analyzing it on-site and
> impounding computers, manuscripts, books, equipment, and even his
> wife's body for further analysis. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Health
> Department condemned his house as a health risk.
>
> Kurtz, a member of the Critical Art Ensemble, makes art which
> addresses the politics of biotechnology. "Free Range Grains," CAE's
> latest project, included a mobile DNA extraction laboratory for
> testing food products for possible transgenic contamination. It was
> this equipment which triggered the Kafkaesque chain of events.
>
> FBI field and laboratory tests have shown that Kurtz's equipment was
> not used for any illegal purpose. In fact, it is not even possible to
> use this equipment for the production or weaponization of dangerous
> germs. Furthermore, any person in the US may legally obtain and
> possess such equipment.
>
> "Today, there is no legal way to stop huge corporations from putting
> genetically altered material in our food," said Defense Fund
> spokeswoman Carla Mendes. "Yet owning the equipment required to test
> for the presence of 'Frankenfood' will get you accused of
> 'terrorism.' You can be illegally detained by shadowy government
> agents, lose access to your home, work, and belongings, and find that
> your recently deceased spouse's body has been taken away for
> 'analysis.'"
>
> Though Kurtz has finally been able to return to his home and recover
> his wife's body, the FBI has still not returned any of his equipment,
> computers or manuscripts, nor given any indication of when they will.
> The case remains open.
>
>
> HELP URGENTLY NEEDED
> ——————–
>
> A small fortune has already been spent on lawyers for Kurtz and other
> Critical Art Ensemble members. A defense fund has been established at
> http://www.rtmark.com/CAEdefense/ to help defray the legal costs
> which will continue to mount so long as the investigation continues.
> Donations go directly to the legal defense of Kurtz and other
> Critical Art Ensemble members. Should the funds raised exceed the
> cost of the legal defense, any remaining money will be used to help
> other artists in need.
>
>
> For more information on the Critical Art Ensemble, please visit
> http://www.critical-art.net/
>
> Articles about the case:
> http://www.rtmark.com/CAEdefense/news-WKBW-2.html
> http://www.rtmark.com/CAEdefense/news-WKBW.html
>
> On advice of counsel, Steve Kurtz is unable to answer questions
> regarding his case. Please direct questions or comments to Carla
> Mendes <[email protected]>.
>
> _____________________________________________________________________
>
> *
> * CTHEORY is an international journal of theory, technology and
> * culture. Articles, interviews, and key book reviews in
> * contemporary discourse are published weekly as well as
> * theorisations of major "event-scenes" in the mediascape.
> *
> * Editors: Arthur and Marilouise Kroker
> *
> * Editorial Board: Jean Baudrillard (Paris), Paul Virilio (Paris),
> * Bruce Sterling (Austin), R.U. Sirius (San Francisco), Siegfried
> * Zielinski (Koeln), Stelarc (Melbourne), Richard Kadrey (San
> * Francisco), DJ Spooky [Paul D. Miller] (NYC), Timothy Murray
> * (Ithaca/Cornell), Lynn Hershman Leeson (San Francisco), Stephen
> * Pfohl (Boston), Andrew Ross (NYC), David Cook (Toronto), Ralph
> * Melcher (Sante Fe), Shannon Bell (Toronto), Gad Horowitz
> * (Toronto), Andrew Wernick (Peterborough).
> *
> * In Memory: Kathy Acker
> *
> * Editorial Correspondents: Ken Hollings (UK),
> * Maurice Charland (Canada) Steve Gibson (Canada/Sweden).
> *
> * Editorial Assistant: Ted Hiebert
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> * WWW Engineer Emeritus: Carl Steadman
>
> _____________________________________________________________________
>
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>
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> * CTHEORY includes:
> *
> * 1. Electronic reviews of key books in contemporary theory.
> *
> * 2. Electronic articles on theory, technology and culture.
> *
> * 3. Event-scenes in politics, culture and the mediascape.
> *
> * 4. Interviews with significant theorists, artists, and writers.
> *
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> *
> *
> * The Editors would like the thank the University of Victoria for
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> *
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> *
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> *
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> _____________________________________________________________________
>
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