Fifth Estate

08/23/2026

Countervortex says it is "Resisting Humanity's Downward Spiral," and its podcast hosted by Bill Weinberg, an astute political observer and broadcaster, looks at the world through an anarchist perspective. Bill also writes frequently for the Fifth Estate. https://www.fifthestate.org/fe_author/bill-weinberg/
His web site has been hacked (see below), but the podcast is still available.
https://soundcloud.com/user-752167240 contains his sharp analyses of contemporary events. Both are highly recommended and support of his podcast by subscribing is encouraged.

Support my work on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/countervortex

07/31/2026

A new Fifth Estate has just rolled off the presses and will be in the mail soon to subscribers, Sustainers, stores, and bulk distributors.
We are facing a $3000 print bill and a $1500 mailing cost, so we need mutual aid to sustain our efforts in our 62nd year of publishing.
A peek at the contents, how to subscribe and renew, to donate, and special offers and merch are at www.FifthEstate.org.

If you have moved since our last edition, magazine mail is not forwarded, so contact us at [email protected] for a replacement copy. Also, write if you want to do free distro. Let us know a number and your address.

There was not a Spring edition so this number follows Winter 2025.
We're ready to start preparing our next issue, so if you have articles, reviews, short stories, poems, photos or other graphic work, contact us at [email protected].

07/03/2026

Patriotism? We spit! "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel" was famously stated by Samuel Johnson in 1775. Actually, we'd put it at the head of the list.

What is Patriotism?
https://www.foundsf.org/What_is_Patriotism%3F_Emma_Goldman_Addresses_San_Francisco_in_1908
On April 26, 1908, Emma Goldman lectured on patriotism in San Francisco. Considered a classic, it was reprinted as “Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty,” in Goldman’s 1911 anthology "Anarchism and Other Essays."
As if to prove her point, a U.S. soldier who attended the San Francisco lecture in uniform, Private First-Class William Buwalda, was witnessed shaking her hand and was immediately court-martialed on charges of violating the 62nd Article of War. Found guilty by a military court, he was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to five years at hard labor on Alcatraz Island, San Francisco.
On May 22, Buwalda’s sentence was commuted to three years’ hard labor, in deference to his 15 years of excellent military service and the assumption of a temporary lapse in judgment under the sway of an “anarchist orator.”
Goldman was labeled "the most dangerous woman in America." She was deported to the Soviet Union in 1919 after ICE-style raids targeting radicals and anarchists.
The cover is from a new YA biography of her that will be reviewed in the almost completed next edition of the Fifth Estate.
https://deborahheiligman.com/books/books-for-older-readers/loudmouth/

04/30/2026

04/24/2026

Marius has been serving a 22 yearlong sentence accused of arson at a University GMO research facility, logging infrastructure and a mink farmer’s boats. He was locked up in 2008 after his arrest, and later sentenced in 2009.
He has been an incredibly resilient activist behind bars, where he transitioned, set up Jan 22: Day of Solidarity with Trans Prisoners, fought for his own legal name change as well as for his ability to be moved to a male prison and has kept supporting workers rights, animal rights and environmental campaigns.

🔥 Apr 20, 2026 - From Unoffensive Animal - Marius has been serving a 22 year long sentence accused of arson at a University GMO research facility, logging infrastructure and a mink farmer’s boats. He was locked up in 2008 after his arrest, and later sentenced in 2009. He has been an incredib...