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            P r a c t i c a l  @ n a r c h y



                            O  N  L  I  N  E

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Issue 2.1                                                 January 1993



An electronic zine concerning anarchy from a practical point of view, to

help you put some anarchy in your everyday life. The anarchy scene is

covered through reviews and reports from people in the living anarchy.



Editors:



Chuck Munson



Internet       [e-mail]

        Bitnet         [e-mail]

        Postal address Practical Anarchy

                       PO Box 173

                       Madison, WI 53701-0173

                       USA

Mikael Cardell

        Internet       [e-mail]

        Fidonet        Mikael Cardell, 2:205/223

        Postal address Practical Anarchy

                       c/o Mikael Cardell

                       Gustav Adolfsgatan 3

                       S-582 20 LINKOPING

                       SWEDEN



Subscription of PA Online is free in it's electronic format and each

issue is anti-copyright and may be distributed freely as long as the

source is credited.  Please direct subscription matters to cardell at

the above address.



We encourage our readers to submit articles and to send in bits of news

from everywhere. Local or worldwide doesn't matter -- we publish it.

Send mail to the editors.



                           E D I T O R I A L S

-------------------------------------------------------------------------



EDIB^HTORIAL

by mikael cardell



Another editorial from the closet? Yes, but this one will be rather

short and my only contribution to this issue. I'll be back in coming

issues, but this particular one collides with a lot of things in Real

Life. Perhaps the birth of our child will be within deadline? If so,

you'll be seeing a little announcement shouting out that I'm a proud

father!



So, besides increasing the population of this crowded planet, what's

mikael up to? I hope you'll notice with the publication of the spunk

press manifesto in this issue. This is what my friend and co-editor

Chuck, myself, Ian Heavens of UK and the holder of anarchy-list, Jack

Jansen will be doing; publishing and distributing alternative

literature in electronic form.



My personal wish is that spunk press will establish a relation with

the Free Access Foundation (FAF) so we can give the blessings of the

net to even more potential readers by establishing free access sites

all over the world. I hope I'll be able to do just this myself as soon

as I get my *grumble, grumble* computers working allright.



I'm also trying to establish contacts with sysops of public access

BBS's to encourage them to carry spunk press material as well as

e-literature from Project Gutenberg and the Online Book Initative. I

would like to see these BBS's as the new (electronic) libraries that,

instead of lending you a book, gives it to you.  Get in touch if

you're a sysop.



Well, get in touch anyway -- we do like feedback, sometimes. I'm out

of here. See you around...



closet% logout



@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Editorial from the U.S.

State of Anarchy 1993

by Chuck



Another year has passed, a year that saw the international anarchist movement

continue to grow.  I'm very optimistic about the coming year and the prospects

for more anarchy for the rest of this millenium.  Last year saw the growth and

appearance of many new zine and anarchist projects.  It also included many

changes and probably the natural demise of several projects.  A successful

gathering was held in the Fall in Bloomington, Indiana and I heard that

another was held in southern California.  One anarchist activist was harassed

by the Feds when he made anti-Bush remarks on the Internet.  Anti-convention

demos were held in New York and Houston.  Anarchy continued to blossom on the

Internet, the worldwide electronic networks of networks.  One of the projects

that was created on and will be available on the Internet is announced

elsewhere in this issue.

While some envious critics, who obviously wear blinders, continue to herald

the death of the anarchist movement, the facts consistently belie their

observations.  As the anarchist movement enters 1993, it's probably as strong

as it was in the early part of this century.  There are thousands of anarchist

activists around the world who are organizing, publishing, building and doing

all kinds of things.  I certainly find it hard to keep up with all the

anarchist literature that I get in the mail.  Interest in anarchy is higher

than it's been in a long time.  I talk to folks in other cities and they tell

me about all the people who show up at their local meetings.  They're having

to beat them off with a stick!  Locally in Madison, attempts at building a

local group and scene have been moderately successful.  The number of

consistent attendees at our local meetings haven't been high, but there

obviously are many self-identified anarchists and anti-authoritarians around.

The problem is, of course, getting them motivated and organized.

So, what is on this anarchist's mind as we enter 1993?  Unity.  I'd like to

see the North American anarchist movement cooperate more.  I'm not asking for

or looking for one big continental anarchist network or organization.  Calls

for such things are foolish.  A big network already exists, only it doesn't

have a name and doesn't need one.  I'd like to see more tolerance and

cooperation among the diverse anarchist groups, networks, and projects.  I'd

like too see fewer nasty put downs of other anarchists for not being

"anarchist" enough.  Sure, criticism is still needed and useful, but the

rumors and name-calling need to stop.  All anarchists should not be alike--

that is the strength of diversity and diversity is part of the anarchist

vision.  We need to tolerate our differences better.  Some of us are going to

do more "violent" direct action than others.  Some of us choose to be

nonviolent.  And we don't have to choose one way or another.  Tactics and

lifestyles and approaches and tendencies can be part of a spectrum and they

can be complementary.

We need to get beyond thinking in terms of "correct" anarchist options.  If we

expect an anarchist society to be open-minded, let's be open-minded ourselves.

Who do I support?  I support Anarchy magazine in Columbia and its wonderful

obtuseness at times.  I support the Wind Chill project in Chicago and their

militant attitude.  I support the folks at Social Anarchism and their

scholarly approach.  I support the Love & Rage network and its growing pains

(looks like they are starting to decentralize more).  I support Dreamtime

Village.  I support the Anarchist Youth Federation.  I support Bob Black and

his wonderful rants.  I support John Zerzan and his writings, even if they

give me artist's block.  I support the punk attitude of the folks at Second

Guess zine in Nevaduh.  Hooray for the Emma Center and the great attitude of

Profane Existence.  Life without the folks in Bloomington would be like life

without pizza.  I support Large Larry in San Francisco.  Three cheers for the

folks at Autonomedia and their great books.  I support the Meander Whatever-

Its-Name-Is-Now and those who espouse nonviolent anarchy.  Go Fifth Estate Go-

-Beat State!  I support...many others which space limits who I can include.

Let's keep those activists on their toes who might become complacent now "that

Clinton is in office."  One activist friend has talked to me about the drop-

off in participation in her progressive group since November.  Hey folks,

Clinton isn't going to change the things that need to be changed, but hey,

maybe I'm preaching to the converted.  Anarchists need to be vocal in their

criticisms of Clinton and his new cronies.  We also should point out to those

fascists who'd want to join us in this that their system is no better.  It's

business as usual for the American empire and this will become all too clear

for more and more people over the next couple of years.

In 1993, let's fight those who would keep us marginalized, whether they be the

state, the CEOs, the Left, or those within our own movement.  Hey kids, I want

to see anarchy everywhere.  It's more than just some alternative hobby or

clothing option.  I want to see it gain mainstream acceptance.  I don't want

to have to explain what it is anymore.  I want to see a time when there is no

need anymore for anarchist activists.  I want anarchy and I want it--now!

Let's see more anarchist cooperation in 1993.  We are, after all, supposed to

be cooperative!





                    N E W S  &  S C E N E  R E P O R T S

-------------------------------------------------------------------------



subject: Black Panther's parole date set

posted by: autonome forum

--



Sundiata Acoli's Coming Up For Parole



     After 20 long, hard years, Sundiata Acoli, ex-Black Panther,

is coming up for parole in early 1993. Because of his outstanding

achievements, New Jersey Department of Corrections recently

restored all of the "good time" they had taken from him during the

early 70's; which made him immediately eligble for parole. Yet the

parole board plans to give him a 10 year "hit", meaning, "Do 10

more years!" We are asking all people concerned about justice to

write the parole board today, demanding that Sundiata be released

when he comes up for parole. Send personal and form letters and

signature petitions to:



The New Jersey State Parole Board

CN-862

Trenton, NJ

08625 USA

[phone]



Also send a copy of your letter or petition to:



Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign

P.O. Box 5538, Manhattanville Station

Harlem, NY

10027 USA

[phone]



This will help his attorney, Jill Soffiyah Elijah, [phone]

(Work); [phone] (FAX); [phone] (Home), verify to the

parole board that the letters and petitions were sent.



A Bit Of History About Sundiata



     In 1973, Sundiata and Assata Shakur were captured after a

shoot-out on the New Jersey Turnpike during which their companion

Zayd Shakur and a state trooper, Werner Foerster, were killed.

     Following a highly publicized trial, Sundiata was convicted

and sentenced to life at Trenton State Prison. There he was

confined for 5 years in a MCU isolation cell which was smaller then

the SPCA's space requirement for a 90 lb. German Shepherd dog. He

was then secretly transferred over 1,000 miles to the infamous

Federal Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, although he had no

federal charges or convictions. An entrance physical exam showed

that Sundiata had been heavily exposed to tuberculosis while he was

at Trenton Prison. Even so, for the next 8 years at Marion, he was

confined 23 hours per day in an isolation cell containing only a

stone bed, toilet bowl and sink. Finally in 1987, Sundiata was

transferred to general population at Leavenworth Federal

Penitentiary, Kansas.

     Sundiata has had only one minor disciplinary infraction in the

last 10 years. At Leavenworth he has maintained a straight "A"

average in all his college courses while earning diplomas in both

Desktop Computers and Paralegal Real Estate Law. He has also

received "above average" job-performance ratings and he has worked

7 days per week for the last 5 years as a cellblock janitor.

     Because of his outstanding record, the New Jersey Department

of Corrections recently restored the 2.5 years of "good time" he

had lost while confined in Trenton's MCU Unit; which made him

immediately eligible for parole. Yet the New Jersey Parole Board

plans to "hit" him with 10 more years when he comes up for parole.

For Sundiata, already 56 years old and infected with tuberculosis,

that will amount to a death sentence. Write the parole board today,

and demand that Sundiata be released at his parole hearing.



Books/Pamphlets By Sundiata



Sunviews (Book)                                               $5.00

Bits 'N' Pieces (Pamphlet)                                    $2.50

The Liveright Interview (Pamphlet)                            $2.50

Brief History Of The New Afrikan Prison Struggle (Pamphlet)   $3.00



Prisoner Prices (Payable by cheque, cash or stamps): Sunviews -

$1.00, Any pamphlet - $.60



Add $1.00 to the total amount for postage and handling. Order from

the National Office or the nearest Regional Coordinator.



Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign (SAFC)



Co-counsels: Jill Soffiyah Elijah and Nkecki Taifa

National Coordinators: Susan Burnett and Ali Bey Hassan

Operations: Sunni Acoli

Spokesperson: Shiriki Unganisha



National Office



SAFC

P.O. Box 5538, Manhattanville Station

Harlem, NY

10027 USA

[phone]



Regional Coordinators



New Jersey



Bonnie Kerness

[phone]

SAFC

972 Broad St., 6th Floor

Newark, NJ

07102 USA



Midwest



Hondo T'chikwa

[phone]

SAFC

P.O. Box 579154

Chicago, IL

60657-9154 USA



Central



Shiriki Unganisha

[phone]

SAFC

P.O. Box 5161

Kansas City, MO

64132 USA



West Coast



SAFC

c/o Malcolm X Grassroots Movement

5356 S. Crenshaw Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA

90043 USA



Write to Sundiata!



Sundiata Acoli #39794-066

P.O. Box 1000

Leavenworth, KS

66048 USA





--

                     autonome forum: [e-mail]

                          "solidarity is a weapon!"

--



                         C U L T U R E  S C E N E

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zine Reviews

by Chuck



Support your favorite zine by sending them some bucks!



MSRRT Newsletterv.5, no.9 / November 1992

Chris Dodge / Jan DeSirey * 4645 Columbus Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55407

Excellent newsletter put out by some radical librarians who happen to live in

Minnesota.  Features short news updates on things of interest to progressive

librarians, including  a tidbit on the Emma Center in Minneapolis.  Periodical

and zine reviews are also included.  First page article on voting which

includes a great quote from Jello Biafra: " I cannot in good conscience vote

for George Wallace disguised as a yuppie."



World Domination Review#5 / Winter 1992/93

Larry & Sandra Taylor * 5825 Balsam Rd. #4, Madison, WI 53711

This zine has some pretty hip political humor.  Feature "article" is titled

"Hitler's brain found alive by Clinton team in the White House."  Short, but

shows the potential of DIY humor zines.  [Quarterly. $1]



Blue Ryder#27 / December 1992

Box 587 * Olean, NY 14760

Reviews other zines and reprints stuff from othe publications. [Tabloid /

Monthly / $8/12 issues / 12pp]



Harmful Matter#2

PO Box 3642, Terre Haute, IN 47803

This funny anarchist zine is a gas!  I haven't laughed this hard while reading

a zine since the old days of Popular Reality.  The detourned turkey /

Thanksgiving graphic on the back cover is worth more than winning the fuckin

lottery.  Features in this issue include pieces on bisexuality,  being fat in

today's society, rewritten punk versions of the pledge of allegiance, album

cover reviews, and a rport from my friend Joseph on the wonderful anarchist

revolution in Bloomington, Indiana.  Definitely worth checking out.  [Trade,

two stamps, or 50 cents]



Instead of A Magazinev.11, no.55-56

PO Box 76 * Shingletown, CA 96088

This issue's theme is "higher education" and the problems with it.  Also read

about editor Michael Ziesing's impending relocation to SE Asia.



Ship of FoolsJuly / September 1992

PO Box 2062, Westmister, MD 21158

Kif is hopefully free of government shenanigans now and has managed to put out

this excellent zine.  If he keeps putting this one out, it has all the

potential to become a sort of Utne Reader for anarchists.  We all know that

Utne sucks, but Kif's zine features excerpts from the anarchist press (another

zine like this is SLAM).  Read more about how the feds seized the Davis

family's computers after delivering a bogus UPS package containing pot.  Great

coverage of radical news.  Check out the pro-hemp stuff, news about cops,

anti-racist organizing,  political prisoner updates, zine reviews, and the

piece on t-shirts for cops which celebrate polic brutality.  Highly

recommended. [$2]



Imminent Strike #4

504 W. 24th #81, Austin, TX 78705

Anarchist zine from Texas.  Articles on nomadism, anarcho-tribalism, and

travelling autonomous zones. [8pp]



Incite Informationv.3, no.6 / January-February 1993

1507 E. Franklin St. #530, Chapel hill, NC 27514

A fine anarcho-libertarian zine from North Carolina.  This issue includes

scads of letters, an essay on the new Clinton administration, a piece on the

world of investigative journalism, and book reviews.  Includes a section on

news that you don't hear about--sections like these are a true strength of

today's zines.  [$10/six issues]



West Coast Libertarianv.12, no.6 / Deceember 1992

Greater Vancouver Libertarian Association * 922 Cloverly St., North Vancouver,

BC V7L 1N3, Canada

Libertarian party news and opinion from the canadian Pacific northwest.  These

folks are also apparently active on the Internet.



Kick It Over#30

PO Box 5811, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5W 1P2

This issue's focus is on elections with a Canadian flavor.  Readers of

Practical Anarchy know that the last issue of this zine talked about

elections.  I'm burned out on this issue, but this issue of KIO offers some

more views.  Anarchists should protest all elections, not just the ones where

national leaders are chosen.  Several great anti-election graphics here.  Be

sure to check out the articles on the SDS, the college peace movement, and the

news brief sections and resource reviews.  KIO is looking better all the time.

The new collective deserves your support. [Canada: $9/4 issues.  U.S.: $9/4

issues]



Second Guess#5 / Winter '92-93

PO Box 9382, Reno, NV 89507

Nevada's zine of music, zines, and scams.  Find out here what punks should be

wearing this year.  Feature story covers local shows that the editors have

seen recently.  A fine example of today's anarcho-punk zines.  Music, zine,

and even TV commercial reviews.  [$2]



The Infinite Onion7

PO Box 263, Colorado Springs, CO 80901

Anarcho-punk zine featuring a free form layout with loads of graphics,

articles, and several punk-style practical anarchy suggestions.  Zine reviews,

an article on Alexander Berkman and one on beating piss tests.  These folks

also do distro of zines, t-shirts, patches and music.  [$1.50]



Wind Chill Factor#8  / November - December 1992

PO Box 81961, Chicago, IL 60681

Chick-full of articles on everything of interest to anarchists.  One of the

most exciting projects in the U.S. today. [Trades, $1.50 / 1 issue, $8 / 6

issues



Rolling StoneFebruary 4, 1993

Oh, brother.  This glossy waste of paper discovers the DIY music scene and

Riots Grrrls in this issue.  Of course, they do a very half-assed job of it

too.  The article on the 7 inch scene mostly covers what big labels are doing

to capture this "market segment."  The author concludes with a reassurance

that the 7" phenomenon is only a temporary one and that soon it will be U2 as

usual.  RS also reviews two Riot Grrls bands and one male reviewer dismisses

Bikini Kill as more "Sabbath-like" noise.  Oh yes, check out the special

Marlboro catalog pull-out and  the slick Calvin Klein, Guess, Ford and Polo

ads.  Give me MRR any day of the week.



Vomit Blood#3

PO Box 65072, St. Paul, MN 55165-0072

Anarcho-punk zine which celebrates the DIY attitude.  Poetry, punx and

recycling, and a tribute to Lard gore zine. [2 stamps or trade]



EIDOS: Sexual Freedom & Erotic Entertainment For Women, Men & Couples.vol.6,

no.4

PO Box 96, Boston, MA 02137

This newspaper for those interested in erotic entertainment is an outpoken

advocate of sexual freedom.  Each issue includes articles, updates on the

editor's work on behalf of sexual freedom, letters, book reviews, and pages of

uncensored personal ads.  [Quarterly. $10 / issue.  Tabloid. 72pp]



Venus Envy#1

PO Box 3642, Terre Haute, IN 47803

An illustrated look on what it is like to be a "fat" woman in today's Cindy

Crawford society.  Personal account is very moving.  Highly recommended. [2

stamps or trade]





                        A N N O U N C E M E N T S

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPUNK PRESS MANIFESTO



      @



     S P U N K  P R E S S



The excuse for the existence of SPUNK PRESS is the desire of some

individuals to see alternative literature continue to flourish, but

this time online!



The policy of SPUNK PRESS is to act as an independent publisher of

works converted to, or produced in, electronic format and to spread

them as far as possible on the Internet and in the BBS society free of

charge. The work may not necessarily originate from someone with net

access. The major interest of SPUNK PRESS is alternative literature

and anarchist material, both old, converted, and newly produced.



We want to help zine editors, flypost authors and others who desire a

wider audience to convert or to produce their works in an electronic

format and give them the opportunity to use our distribution channels,

FTP sites, mailing lists and whatever other means we might have within

our powers.



We welcome fanzines, pamphlets, books and portions of books, articles,

manifestos, quotations, interviews, bibliographies, reviews, posters,

and other material, both in-print and out-of-print.



You can snarf what we have published so far from:

  red.css.itd.umich.edu (IP Number: 141.211.182.91)

  /poli/Spunk/texts



This manifesto and other internal Spunk Press documents can be found in

/poli/Spunk/info; in particular, there is an introduction to the archive

in /poli/Spunk/info/Introduction.  To submit material, get the file

/poli/Spunk/info/How.To.Submit from the FTP site mentioned above or contact

the editorial collective.



If you do not have ftp access, you can get documents by sending electronic

mail requests to a mail server (such as [e-mail]).  Type "help"

in the body of the message for instructions to change and list directories,

and retrieve files from the archive.



To get on our mailing list send a note to



  [e-mail]



so you can be a part of the coordination of actions taken.



The mailing list is the forum for decision making at SPUNK PRESS, but

if there is no clear consensus, or the consensus is at variance with

anarchist ideas, the collective decides.



The collective is composed of people with a reasonable commitment to

doing some aspect of the work at SPUNK PRESS, and will be extended to

those who are like-minded.



If you would like to reach the editorial collective of SPUNK PRESS,

write to:



  Mikael Cardell <[e-mail]>

  Linkoping

  SWEDEN



  Chuck Munson <[e-mail]>

  c/o Practical Anarchy

  PO Box 173

  Madison, WI 53701-0173

  U.S.A



  Jack Jansen <[e-mail]>

  Amsterdam

  HOLLAND



Spunk Press Manifesto Version 1.023rd December 1992



@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

CO-EDITOR OF P@O BECOMES FATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mikael Cardell became the father of a baby boy (name yet to be determined)

this last Sunday, January 17th, 1993.  Congratulations!





                     P R A C T I C A L  A N A R C H Y

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boycott & Buycott

by Chuck0

The next issue of PA will have more on why anarchists should actively oppose

capitalism.



Boycott:

Colorado:  Last November, the majority of voters in this state approved a

Constitutional Amendment which "overturned all of their state's Gay and

Lesbian rights ordinances and banned the passage of any more such ordinances."

Several groups have called for boycotts of the state until this amendment is

thrown out.  Some steps you can take to support the boycott:



*  Urge any organizations or professional associations that you belong to to

not schedule any meetings, events, or conventions there.  As a member of the

American Library Association I will lobby it to not have any conventions there

in the future (the ALA will probably do this anyway).  If you are a SF fan, or

professional or member of a special interest organization, you should do the

same.



Other suggestions from the Wisconsin Light:

*  Do not vacation in Colorado.  Do not be part of any convention or group

meeting in the state.

*  Do not buy any product made in or distributed from Colorado.  This, of

course, includes Coors beer (a notorius backer of right-wing causes), but

there are numerous other products as well.  When you're shopping, look at the

labels on cans and packages.  They will say where they come from.  If it's

Colorado, choose some other brand.

*  Write a letter to the mayor of Colorado Springs [the home base of CFV, the

group that sponsored the amendment]. The address:  Mayor Robert Isaac, City

Administration Building, P.O. Box 1575, Colorado Springs, CO 80901.  Write a

letter to the governor. Gov. Ray Roemer, State Capitol Bldg. Rm. 136, Denver,

CO 80203.



@@@@@@@@@@@@

ZENDIK FARM

From: wixer!cactus.org!hogbbs.scol.pa.us![e-mail] (Bill Eichman)



To the autopia list--



This is a post that I wrote for another "cyber community" oriented list--

I repost it here, without corrections or improvements, to add to Paco's

writing about the Zendiks.



Starting with landbased communities, perhaps located at the ocean's edge,

seems a logical step towards a seacolony effort....



==========================================================================



Hello, Folks,                                       April 28, 1992



This past weekend I spent some time talking with Arol Wulf and three

other members of the Zendik Farm, a community that has been mentioned in

other letters here in this mailist.



I first heard about Zendik farm some 4-5 years ago, when one of the

people on my network passed on to me a package of Zendik literature and

a copy of a videotape, "Arol Wulf Raps", distributed by this community.



Some month's ago my beloved gave the videotape of Arol Wulf to some of the

women who were organizing the Earth Day celebration at Penn State

University-- and these women decided to spend some university funds

earmarked for Earth Day to bring Arol Wulf here and have her speak.

I guess because I am a person of some prestige in the ecology activism

groups here at PSU, when the time came it seemed to fall naturally on

my shoulders to take Arol and her friends out for dinner afterwards, and

I ended up being able to "interview" the visiting Zendiks for quite a

few hours, over a period of two days.



So, I'm going to try to encapsulate some of my impressions here, and

bounce them around to folks. Maybe it will stimulate some

possiblilities.



*********************************************************************

>From their somewhat less funky flyer:



---------------------------------

ZENDIK FARM ECOLIBRIUM FOUNDATION

---------------------------------



What is Zendik Farm and the Zendick Farm Ecolibrium Foundation?



Zendik farm is a 21-year old intentional community of artists,

craftspeople, and organic farmers. We offer apprenticeship programs to

youth from all over the world. These young people live at this drug-free

community and can learn any art or craft, organic farming techniques,

as well as learning how to build alternative living structures and work

with appropriate technology. They also learn the art of cooperation

within a working alternative social structure.



Recently Zendik Farm has begun to work on amending the constitution

with an ecological Bill of Rights. We've contacted scientists,

activists, and artists throughout the United States to help us draft

this amendment. We feel the validity of this proposal is undeniable and

have found support from many of these people.



The Zendik Farm Ecoloibrium Foundation is dedicated to the

sustainability of the human species through the promotion,

demonstration, and practice of the socio/political philosophy known as

ecolibrium. Ecolibrium's central premise is taking responsibility on a

holistic level, i.e., socially, ecologically, and politically. The

foundation works from this open-ended philosophy as the viable

alternative to the oncoming extinction of the human species. Therefore,

Zrendik farm's primary function is to teach and help others practice

this democratic, ecology-based, and cooperative social structure.



The Zendik Farm Ecolibrium Foundation is committed to the survival and

well-being of all species and to the purity of the elements that sustain

life. A fundamental truth of our time is, that without a dramatic

change from the competitive consumer society to an ecological and

cooperative society, humanity will cease to exist. The technical

knowledge exists right now to heal our earth. Zendik Farm's work is to

pursue and live out the cultural philosophy that can implement this

knowledge. We communicate through numerous artforms such as literature,

music, theatre, dance, and video; and we work to make life Art itself.



We wish to work with as many individuals and groups as our time and

energy allows. We believe in cooperation, not competition. We believe

humans everywhere can get together and create a benevolent, pleasurable

culture.



ZENDIK FARM, Star Route 16C-3, Bastrop, Tx, 78602, [phone] or 0845





*********************************************************************

>From their funky flyer:



                        WHAT IS ZENDIK FARM?



Zendik Farm is a cooperative community of artists, activists, and

organic farmers started 22 years ago by Arol and Wulf Zendik as a refuge

for artists and musicians to work out of the city and free of

conventional resraints. Over the years and through many changes, Zendik

farm has evolved into a radical movement for social and ecological

change. Through opur techniques and way of life we are building a strong

new culture based on honesty, cooperation, creativity, and universal

responsibility. Since our founding in 1969 we have drawn people from

aroundf the world. The group is constantly being infused with new blood,

mostly youth from the ages of 15-25, who are fed up with the way the

world is being ripped off and ruined.



Zendik Farm is a 300-acre certified organic farm outside of Austin,

Texas where we build and design our own housing, do our own mechanics,

and grow our own food without pesticides. We also raise animals, dairy

goats, horses, ducks, chickens, peacocks, geese, and a few dairy cows.

The community is intensely artistic; we do theatre, tattooing,

publishing, pottery, metalwork, music, video, fashion, amd dance, just

to name a few.



The Zendik farm zeen is the largest and most widely distributed

underground mag in the world. It covers the Zendik philosophical and

political stance on everything from ecology and sexuality to

literature, art, and science, and the occult. We distribute it around

the country ourselves at 'select' street corners, college campuses,

health food stores, and supermarkets. We survive financially from

donations brought in by our mag-zeen, music tapes and donations from our

apprenticeship program. Our TV shows are run in series on Access cable

stations in cities around the world, such as Austin, San Francisco,

Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, Boulder, and in England.



At this point in history, as humanity continues it's devastation of

nature, we realize it is our responsibility to change. Change ourselves

and everything before it is to late for us as well as all other life on

this planet. We believe that ecology is our only true religion, Truth

the only valid pursuit, and cooperation the only workable social ideal.

It's too late for everything else.



Zendik farm offers short and long term apprenticeships to people who are

looking for a responsible, funky alternative to the drudgery of life in

the DeathKultur. Apprenticeship tuition is on a sliding scale based on

individual situations and length of stay; we can also arrange for school

credit.



Call us for details: 512-321-0845 or 512-321-0712. Ask for Shey, Jinn,

Ix, Nom, or Nez.



************************************************************************



For all intents and purposes, Zendik Farm is a classic counterculture

commune. It has 45 members on a 300 acre farm in texas-- though, two

years ago, they were just making the move from their third farm, a 75

acre place in southern california. The members live in a relatively

intense communal style, six to a room in a rambling old farmhouse,

awaiting the construction of more living cabins which are being

constructed now, and several of which will be comnpleted by the fall.

For all their crowding, the people I talked to-- Arol Wulf, a 53-year

old woman and one of the defacto leaders of the community, Shey, a 23

year old woman, Zoe, a 20 year old man, and Geb, a 19 year old man,

seemed very happy with what was happening at the farm. They all

handled themselves very well, extremely well considering their 30 hour

drive and the nervewracking nature of coming to a strange town to give a

speech and distribute t-shirts and publications.



The Zendiks promote a distinct "Back-to-the-land" and local reliance

approach to communities, but they include computers and information

technology in their concept of community. Their magazine is

dtp'd/produced with a fairly hefty donated Macintosh system, and the

magazine (also called "Zendik Farm") is the primary income source for

the community. They claim to print 50,000 issues every quarter, and

that theirs is the largest-circulation alternative magazine published

in the world.



Apparently they're relative newcomers to the net. They've recently

gotten an Econet account, but while they vaguely knew that lower cost and

broadly based nets like internet and usenet, etc, etc, existed, and that

they should know more about them, not much had been done to get

connected. (Of course, they've only been in texas a short while, less

than two years, and are 35 miles out in the boondocks of Austin, and

probably had to worry about getting their farm going far more than about

being gabby on the networks...;-}. )  They didn't have their new Econet

address available when they talked with me-- maybe I'll be able to get

it sooner or later.



They're also pretty concentrated on farming the land, which is

supposedly certified organic ( The only way I can figure that is if the

Texas organic certification system is more lenient than the Cal or Pa

certfication, though maybe the fact that the farm was unoccupied for

seven years was factored in...). They're raising animals, many of which

they brought from Ca., and seem to have the classic grain and bean diet

with vegetables, eggs, milk from goats and newly-bartered-for cows, and

occasional meat from their fowl and purchases from neighboring farmers.

(When asked about aquaculture, they claimed to be planning to set up

systems after housing is built.) At least some of their income is

obtained through selling organic grain and nuts (from trees already on

the property) to natural foods stores in California.



They print and dye T-shirts, some of which are pretty fine if you're

into the tie-dye look. They've definitely got some fairly handy black

and white line-drawing artists doing designs for shirts, magazine illos,

and book and tape covers. They publish six or eight small press books,

none of which I got the chance to read. (some seemed to be poetry, some

philosophy.) They have enough of a recording studio to produce a

half-dozen tapes (none of which I listened to...), and maintain a band

which, through playing clubs and events and making tapes, is another

major source of Zendik income. They produce occasional videos of the

talking head or recorded speech sort, and Arol Wulf appears on a public

access cable show that Zendik produces.



This makes for a pretty complete media blitz, all things considered;-).



Well, I'm getting tired here-- I'll mail this and maybe write some more

in a few days....



Later, Bill



ps Rural texas has no building codes, they say. The IRS has never bothered

them, and by living at below poverty line incomes they pretty much don't

pay taxes (I wonder about social security?).







                     N E T W O R K I N G

------------------------------------------------------------------------

alt.amateur-comp Charter



     Alt.amateur-comp is a conference where readers

and writers can discuss the articles and subjects that appear in

the electronic and printed newsletter "The Amateur Computerist".

The Amateur Computerist was born out of the battle to continue

computer programming classes for workers at the Ford Rouge

Factory in Dearborn, MI after Ford and UAW officials ended the

classes in February 1987. In our first issue we wrote: "There

was an effort by administrators of the UAW-Ford program at the

Dearborn Engine Plant to kill interest in computers and computer

programming. We want to keep interest alive because computers are

the future." ("Introduction", vol I, no. 1)



     The first issue of the newsletter was published February 11,

1988 and dedicated to the Flint sitdown pioneers who began the

UAW. Articles have appeared in the newsletter from some of those

pioneers who welcomed the newsletter and the computer, saying,

"From the Great Wall to the Great Pyramid, from the hieroglypics

to the screen of the computer, mankind is still

progressing." ("Dawn of a New Era", vol I, no. 1)

The sitdowner pioneers who built the UAW believed that the

problems of automation had still to be solved by the upcoming

generation.



     The newsletter is dedicated to support for grassroots

efforts and movements like the "computers for the people

movement" that gave birth to the personal computer in the

1970's and 1980's. Hard efforts of many people over hundreds

of years led to the production of a working computer in the

1940's and then a personal computer that people could afford in

the 1970's. This history has been serialized in several issues of

the newsletter.



     Most recently the newsletter has begun an online edition that is

available free. We are beginning to document the progressive

impact of democratic developments like usenet news and the

internet and we plan to have a supplement dedicated to these

developments.



     The Amateur Computerist was described by Andrew Ross and

Constance Pawley in their recent book "Technoculture" (Univ of

Minnesota Press, 1991, p. 125) as follows:





     "When worker education classes in computer programming were

     discontinued by management at the Ford Rouge Plant in

     Dearborn, Michigan, United Auto Workers members began to

     publish a newsletter called the 'Amateur Computerist' to

     fill the gap. Among the columnists and correspondents in

     the magazine have been veterans of the Flint sit-down strikes

     who see a clear historical continuity between the problem of

     labor organization in the thirties and the problem of

     automation and deskilling today. Workers' computer literacy

     is seen as essential not only to the demystification of the

     computer and the reskilling of workers, but also to labor's

     capacity to intervene in decisions about new technologies

     that might result in shorter hours and thus in `work

     efficiency' rather than worker efficiency."



     The newsgroup will also make available the electronic

version of the Amateur Computerist when a new issue is published.



----------------------------------------------------------------



  One of the reasons for proposing this group is that there is

currently no place on usenet that we know of where issues involving

computers and workers are dealt with.



If you wish to directly contact the editors write to either

Ronda Hauben at [e-mail] or [e-mail]

or

Michael Hauben at [e-mail]

  or [e-mail]





                     A R T I C L E S

------------------------------------------------------------------------



INTRODUCTION TO THE WOBBLIES





THE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD (I.W.W.)



Every worker is an industrial worker, whether that industry be

steel, health care, tourism or education.  If you earn your living

by working with you hands or mind, then you're welcome to join

the I.W.W.



The Wobblies (as members of the I.W.W. are known) have historically

organized those workers that the A.F.L. had shunned.  In the early

days that meant blacks, immigrants, women and unskilled laborers.

Today we find the I.W.W. organizing office workers, environmental

canvassers, housewives and prisoners, as well as the homeless and

unemployed.



Can the I.W.W. help me improve the working conditions or wages at

my current job?



That depends on you.  The I.W.W. does not provide an all-knowing

leadership or hefty treasury to fight your battles for you.  But

if you're willing to organize on the job-site by talking with

your co-workers about the issues that matter to them, then you

can count on your fellow workers in the I.W.W. to lend their full

support to your struggle.



In 1909, when Wobblies in Spokane were being thrown in jail for

speaking on street corners, hundreds more came west on boxcars

to help them.  In the first of a series of "Free Speech Fights",

Wobblies took turns speaking and being arrested, packing the

jails and courts, until they won the right to speak in public.  It's

their fierce commitment to social justice that makes "worker

solidarity" in the I.W.W. a force to be reckoned with.



What is the relationship of the I.W.W. and mainstream labor unions?



For many decades, the leadership of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. has worked

hand in hand with the capitalists to squelch rank and file

militancy.  Their overriding concern has been "industrial harmony,"

not social justice, and so they fail to question the most basic

assumptions of capitalist production.



While regular trade unions split workers up into their respective

skills, allowing one craft union to cross the picketline of another,

the I.W.W. believes in one big union, organized along industrial

lines.  If, for instance, the nurses go on strike, they should

be able to count on the support of the doctors, janitors,

pharmacists, and clerical workers in their hospital.



Many Wobblies also belong to trade unions where they work.  Here

they often agitate for more rank and file democracy.  The I.W.W.

does not believe in signing away the right to strike, nor does

it recognize the authority of the courts to impose injunctions

against labor.  While the I.W.W. is happy to do strike support

for other unions when necessary, we also try to keep our sights

on the bigger prize ahead.



But didn't the I.W.W. die out?  Are its ideas still relevant?





The I.W.W. was nearly crushed in the early '20's by some of the

fiercest repression ever unleashed by big business and the U.S.

government.  Because the I.W.W. had strongholds in industries

that were critical to the First World War effort, and because

they refused to sign no-strike pledges, the Wobblies were

branded "pro-Kaiser" and relentlessly persecuted.



The world economy has changed a lot since the days when the I.W.W.

controlled great sections of the logging, mining and agricultural

industries.  Today, while mainstream labor tries desperately

to hold its ground against the union-busting fostered during the

Reagan/Bush era, vast new sectors of the economy have opened up

that the A.F.L.-C.I.O. would never dream of organizing.



Whether they be fast-food workers, word processors, or micro-

chip assemblers, today's non-union wage workers need the I.W.W.

even more than their predecessors.  Winning the eight-hour day

was not enough.  We must redefine the very meaning of work

itself, and find ways to redistribute society's wealth for

the benefit of all.



Does the I.W.W. support any political party?



The I.W.W. is a labor union, not a political party.  We believe

that economic justice must be achieved through economic struggle,

whether it be with our boss or landlord.  The institutions of

government have always proven themselves to be the allies of

capital, so we do not wait for our freedom from wage-slavery to

be legislated.



The I.W.W. has successfully resisted attempts by various "left"

parties to make the union a mere adjunct to their political

ambitions.  By refusing to endorse one party or another, the

I.W.W. has avoided the sectarian feuding that can easily destroy

a group.



Nonetheless, many of the founders of the I.W.W. were also active

in socialist politics.  Eugene Debs and Big Bill Haywood are the

best-known examples.  Some Wobblies consider themselves anarchists

and shun all electoral activity.  Others are simply militant

unionists who would disavow all labels.  Our commitment to

worker control and the abolition of capitalism makes us a "left"

organization more by default than intention.



What is direct action?



The labor movement has been most successful when it relied on the

direct intervention of the the workers to obtain their demands.

Rather than allowing professional negotiators to speak for them,

Wobblies have engaged in those tactics which they could control

themselves--strikes, slow downs, work to rule--what we call

sabotage.



Sabotage in this context does not mean arson and dynamite.  It's

more properly defined as, "the conscious withdrawal of efficiency."

Staying at your workstation but reducing your production by half

will bring the bosses to their knees quicker than a whole team of

negotiators.



The I.W.W. has never advocated violence.  By fighting for justice

with non-violent tactics, the I.W.W. has often won the support of an

initially mistrustful public.



What is a general strike?



A general strike is when all workers in all industries go on strike

at the same time.  It may be for a limited time and have limited

demands, in which case it has the largely symbolic value of

illustrating the important point that the world doesn't function

without the workers' cooperation or indeed, their labor.



THE GENERAL STRIKE, however, is a mythological, revolutionary moment

in the future when all the workers of the world seize control of

their respective industries, and begin reorganizning their

workplaces to to meet their own needs rather than those of their

bosses.  Needless to say, it will take a well educated and highly

organized working class to pull this off, and it's toward this end

that eh I.W.W. dedicates itself.



What about feminism and the I.W.W.?



Women have been active in the I.W.W. since its inception.  Elizabeth

Gurley Flynn, one of the I.W.W.'s best known early agitators, once

said that, "The I.W.W. has been accused of pushing the women to the

front.  The is not true.  Rather, the women have not been kept in

back, and so they have naturally moved to the front."



Much of the work that has traditionally been done by women was not

recognized as such by the male-run business unions.  The I.W.W.

supports the right of homemakers, sex-industry workers, and other

women to organize for better conditions and wages just like other

male workers.



What about the I.W.W. and militarism?



Every war has its losers and winners, but countries have nothing to

do with it.  The ruling class inevitably makes a tidy profit from

war, while the working class loses its flesh and blood on the

frontlines.  Worker solidarity does not recognize national

boundaries, but instead unites against a common class enemy.  The

surest way to stop a war is by refusing to participate in it, which

is why the I.W.W. believes it's important to educate workers in the

armed forces and so-called "defense industries" about where their

real self-interest lies.



How about the environment?



Rainforest destruction, chemical spills, and acid rain are just a

few examples of how dangerous it can be to put profit before people.

Government regulation and public outcry can at best slow down

regulation and public outcry can at best slow down the destruction

of our planet, not reverse it.



But if the workers in all polluting industries were to withdraw

their labor, the poison factories could be shut down in a matter of

weeks.  The workers themselves must decide whether what they produce

is socially useful and necessary or not.



So, why not become a Wobbly?



I want to become a Wobbly.  I'am a worker and not an employer.



Name______________________________________________________



ADDRESS___________________________________________________



Dues are $3.00 for incomes of $0-800 a month, $9.00 for $800-$1,700

per month, and $12.00 for those making more than $1,700 per month.

Initiation is the equivalent of one month's dues.

Included  with  your  membership  is  a   subscription   to   the

"Industrial  Worker",  the  Wobbly monthly newspaper; the General

Organizational Bulletin,  totally  unedited  letters,  proposals,

activities  you  send  in,  along  with your fellow workers.  The

G.O.B., as it's known,comes out in  monthly  increments.   You'll

also be receiving a copy of the I.W.W. constitution which is, can

be  and  will  be  amended  to  wishes of the general membership.

Lastly, you'll receive your red card and union button.  There was

a time in the U.S.A. when it was nigh on to impossible  to  hitch  a

free ride on a freight train without one.

For more information:



You can phone us in the U.S.A. at [phone] or 863-WOBS.

You can e-mail us at [e-mail]

Our snail mail address is:

I.W.W.

1095 Market St. Suite 204

San Francisco

California 94103

U.S.A.



@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Will computers conserve or change the social structure?

by Jesper Hogstrom <[e-mail]>

   Boras Radikala Autonoma



To examine this deep enough, I would have to define and explain what

a social structure is in general, and specifically how such a

structure is applicable on our own society. Time will not permit a too

long discussion on this, why I can give only my own point of view.





The social structure in a capitalist/liberal society like ours bases

itself on money. The more money controlled by an object, the higher

rank the object gets. This is valid for a lot of different objects

such as persons, groups of persons/families, companies and even

countries. Money comes from money but also from information, or

controll of information. Without going too far into this definition as

it would take me away from and beyond the scope of the question I'll

just tell you what you already know:





* Computers can gather information.

* Computers can evaluate massive amounts of information very rapidly.

* The more powerful a computer is, the fastar can it work and the

  higher is the price.





This seems to reserve the power a computer can give to but a chosen

few. This group ought to be a rich group as computer power is

expensive. As money and power often comes in pair, this group is not

only a rich group, but also a powerful group. What they have gained by

the computers is more power giving the result they are now more

powerful than before.





Power is always something binare, i.e. it is operated by something on

something else. Using this definition on the earlier mentioned scene

we find an increased polarization. The already powerful groups gains

more power on behalf of the weak groups.





Now, let's stop for a moment to see who made what mistake.



* Developers of technology:

  They might have acted in beleif they made what was best for

  mankind. Naive, but not morally wrong in either consequentialism

  nor deontology.





* The people who cannot afford the new technology:

  As they didn't do anything, it might at a first glance seem as if

  they are innocent, and maybe they are, if in-action/inactivity is

  right. But is it?





  All week long they work and they strive

  and when the weekend comes, they are more dead than alive.





  For what purpose? To maximize happiness on the planet? Probably not

  - they have helped maintain a system that createws unhappiness, so

  in a utilitarian point of view they are acting wrongly.





  A deontologist might say they worked because of duty, or a sense of

  duty. Duty yes, but mainly to save themselves from thinking, and

  duty to an immoral system. Sounds wrong to me. There is never an

  excuse not to make a revolution.





* The capitalists/capital owners:

  As they benefit personally from all this, one might think they are

  wrong. And they are. They have not helped increase the overall

  happiness, but maintained an evil system.





  Have they worked in self-interest? Yes. The conclusion must be they

  are wrong.





The consequenses of all this will lead to a quantity change in power

distribution. The rich will get richer, the poor poorer. As time

passes the weak groups (of persons, countries et cetera) will feel

more and more out of touch with society. The society ruled by the rich

and powerful will no longer concern them. Adding a few other factors

this might eventually lead to a quality change in the social

structure. This is the real computer revolution. This will overthor

what is here today and hopefully, but unfortunately not necessary lead

to a new and better society.





This creates another interesting problem - who was acting morally

right if the earlier mentioned conclusions were correct? Well, as

deontologists don't care about the consequenses of actions, the

judgements based on that theory remains the same.





The utilitarians, however, must judge from the results or

consequenses of the actions. If the post-revolution society is better

for all and gives a net increase of happiness, the actions that lead

to the revolution were good. They were bad before the revolution and

turned good after.





This makes at least me sceptic to whether or not the utilitarian

theory is any good in practice.





Before going into trends of today, I'll just sum up the discussion so

far:

* The technical development increases the polarization in society

  regarding power-not power, rich poor et cetera.



* The technical development is conserving the social structure until

  the tensions become over-whelming (and overthrowing).



* The exploited will still be exploited until the revolution.





The trends of today.

In the macro perspective the scenario described is already happening.

The rich and powerful organisations buy themselves more power and more

information through computers. Power used to oppress the poor and weak

organisations keeping them from developing a higher standard.





In the micro perspective, computers are available to more people,

giving a distribution of potential power. Mind you, however, that

owning a computer is still reserved for those who already belong to

the rich 20 per cent of the world. When starving, you don't wastre

money buying a computer. Having no access to electricity you don't buy

a computer.





Also, a computer without sufficient information is as powerful as any

other tool, let's say a screwdriver... Not very powerful.





The problem as I see it is that any given society, with extremely few

exceptions, is trying to maintain and conserve itself. The system of

today is based on exploitation and a gap between rich and poor. The

technical evolution will be directed by those who have power, and they

will direct it in their preferred direction. Inevitably this will

worsen the situiation.





As last words, I would like to quote the famous singer Bob Marley:

It takes a revolution to find a solution.



LETTERS

---------------

dear editor,

I was very impressed with my first issue of "practical anarchy on-line",

which i received on dec 15.  i can see that the e-mail format has a lot

of potential.  I'd like to introduce myself, and share a few thoughts with

your other readers.  my name is ed stamm, i'm a thirty-two year old moderate

anarchist, employed at the university of kansas as a payroll clerk.  I'm

married and have a two year old daughter.  I belong to a tiny green group

here in lawrence, and am active in a traditional and very weak labor union

where i work.



i would like to see anarchists concentrate on creating the new society among

themselves instead of expending our energy trying to convert society as a

whole.  i think practical projects will attract more converts than words

alone.



next, i would argue that we should avoid antagonizing the rest of society when

we are building our new community or communities.  squatting, violent protest,

and anti-social acts like graffitti and postering will not only give people

a false impression of anarchism, but it will also attract unwanted attention

from the authorities.  maybe i am getting old, but it really seems to me that

building a community is the best long-term strategy.  If fascists come to

power, at least we will be organized.



the biggest problem i have with recruiting new anarchists is the association

many people have of anarchism with violence, and their idea that anarchism

is the same thing as chaos.  i have to know someone pretty well before i

will even mention to them that i am an anarchist.  once we do something

positive though, i would be proud to admit my political opinions to

anyone.  I could say, yes i belong to a housing cooperative.  it's an

anarchist project where we cut our housing expenses by taking the

profit out housing costs.  Yes there is a computer cooperative i belong

to that is sponsored by anarchists who want to cut costs by sharing

equipment and who want to make the net accessible to more people.  there

are so many possibilities!  tools, books, babysitting, food, gardens!



Ed   (bitnet:  stamm@ukanvm)



@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

That's all folks!  Your editor this time was Chuck Munson.



This issue published using 100% recycled electrons.