NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/9739

Text File | 1993-01-03 | 5.9 KB | 137 lines

Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!daemon
From: [e-mail] (Harel Barzilai)
Subject: Re: Goodbye
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Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 05:05:40 GMT
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Dear Esty and Jeff,

I was needless to say sad to read your "goodbye" post (below) to
misc.activism.progressive (MAP) -- although happy that with my
schedule and not reading MAP regularly myself, I didn't miss it.

While I wish you good luck with your new job, I would like to suggest
that you consider part-time activism in parallel (when you are settled
and ready of course) -- this can, but need not, be in connection with
MAP.

The set-up we have is great in the sense that we are part-time and
don't have to worry about money (except maybe worrying that our
activism not impose too much on our graduate studies, jobs, private
lives, etc) -- however, we are quite under-staffed.

There is much that extra help could do to improve and expand MAP. We
are currently trying to deal with the fact that one person, Rich
Winkel, is burdened with proofing all submissions to MAP/ACTIV-L, for
example.

Outside of MAP, there are many important projects that part-timers --
particularly those who become proficient with power-tools of
electronic activism like the "editor" (omni-environment, actually)
Emacs and automatic-posting for example -- can do to help.

To name a few that I've been working on and/or thinking about --

(1)The project to set up a network (an electronic network and also a
non-electronic component) of Progressive Student Newspapers (PSNs)
with automation enabling easy access to information and analysis
otherwise effectively censored in the mass-media and quick and easy
desktop publishing of this (there remain some financial and
organizational issues if and when we complete these preliminary, but
crucial, stages). Success in this project I've been thinking about and
involved with a handful of folks (differing over time) since 1990
would set up the stages for going from a PSN-Electronic Network to a
PCN-EN (Progressive Community Papers) and eventually to a/some
national progressive newspapers.

(2)In a similar vein: Network for effective communication and activism
campus activists. One example -- graduate students working to
unionize/organize. For this I've set up LaborNet's labor.grad.org,
two-way-linked to a mailing list. It has shown promising signs, but
needs more time and effort by volunteers, along with the necessity to
deal with the omnipresent difficulties engendered by a passive,
anti-political culture in this country, so that people often tend to
sit back and watch "we activist leaders" rather than taking charge
themselves.

(3)The _National Review_, as well as _Insight_ and another right-wing
extreme journal are online on the 30,000+ FreeNet which is growing
rapidly as part of the NPTN -- National Public Telecomputing Network
([e-mail] -- warning, Dr. Grudner, director, is not a
"progressive" (still the overall goal is worthy)) project.

These reactionaries are making use of the advantages of online
dissemination that are clear to them *independently* of the secondary
advantages of low-cost that are *far more* relevant to
progressive/left publications -- and are online along with
"mainstream" servants of the state and power-elite like  like
Washington Post and New York Times -- but not along with any
progressives like the Nation or In These Times (the Guardian is now
dead).

This is despite efforts on my part and the part of more than a few
others to emphasize to them for some time the importance of nets.
Finally the nation has a PeaceNet account which they were using for a
time and with whom I initiated dialogue -- they seem to have stopped
using it.

Activists much press these (and Z magazine and others) to get online,
become proficient (understanding their time limitations (especially
for staff-of-three Z magazine) and offering help in this matter), and
in the case of the former two weeklies, to try to get them online as a
*publication* and to then try to arrange for the *wide* distribution
of these as alternatives to the "mainstream" and reactionary
publications.

I will be email-faxing Nation soon and would be interested in hearing
about others' actions regarding any of the above matters

Regards,

Harel Barzilai
Founder, Activists Mailing List (AML, Spring '90)
Co-founder, Co-moderator, ACTIV-L (Fall '90)
Co-founder, Co-moderator, misc.activism.progressive (MAP, '91) -- UseNet
Facilitator, justice.econ, zmagazine, chomsky.views -- PeaceNet (IGC)
Temp Facilitator, labor.grad.org -- LaborNet (IGC)

CC: misc.activism.progressive (MAP) and ACTIV-L



<*> Topic 727    Goodbye
<*> worldpnews    misc.activism.progressive     5:22 pm  Dec 30, 1992
<*> (at igc.apc.org)    (From News system)
<*>
<*> /* Written  5:18 pm  Dec 30, 1992 by [e-mail] in igc:worldp.news */
<*> /* ---------- "Goodbye" ---------- */
<*> Dear WORLD PERSPECTIVES readers.
<*>
<*> As you might have noticed, we've been having problems keeping up in
<*> the last few months. The number of people involved has dropped to
<*> only two, both volunteers. The two of us eventually realized that
<*> we can't continue doing this tremendous amount of work for nothing
<*> forever.
<*>
<*> In a few days, I'll be starting a full time job, which effectively
<*> kills our news service. Maybe we'll be able to revive it one day.
<*> Until then, we wish you the best. If you think you should be
<*> reimbursed for the remainder of your subscription, please drop us
<*> a note. Be advised, however, that at this point we are very broke.
<*>
<*> If you can afford to, send money to those who are still doing the
<*> work before they, too, despair. Keep struggling!
<*>
<*> Venceremos!
<*>
<*> Esty Dinur
<*> Jeff Loranger