Page One & the Underground Press

[H2O Man]

{1} Amendment #1: Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Last week there were a couple threads on GD discussing alternatives to the corporate media. One of the ideas that was mentioned was the "underground press." In the late 1960s and early '70s, alternative newspapers and newsletters were one of the most important methods of informing the left wing of news and events important to the anti-war movement.

Despite the recent news about "Deep Throat" and the work of Woodward and Bernstein, the corporate media in the Vietnam War era was not particularly fair and accurate. The Fox News shows of today differ only in that they are on 24 hours a day, and have more hypnotic graphics due to advances in computer technology.

The media today, like 30 years ago, is primarily a social novacaine used to advertise the products of the corporations, and promote the agenda proposed by their indentured servants in government. Because of this, we should consider using all of the options available to us, and protected by the Bill of Rights, to advertise and promote our democratic agenda. Like Fox News, we need to take advantage of the advances made possible by computers. But we shouldn't limit ourselves to computers, and ignore those things advocated by the Founding Fathers, such as a Free Press.

{2} "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is: infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern." -- William Blake

What is the goal of a "free press"? And how might we best accomplish this goal? I do not think there is any one answer, nor would I propose that there is one way to reach that answer. There are a wide range of beliefs expressed on various social and political issues on DU; the discussions seem to work best when people recognize that all things are not black or white, right or wrong, or good versus bad. There is as much room for different opinions on the democratic left, as there is room for a variety of trees in a healthy forest.

I have had years of experience writing for, and editing, a number of progressive newspapers/letters. Thus, I am going to share a few thoughts I have, based on that experience. But I think other people are going to have other ideas, including some based on their experiences, that are just as valid as mine. And, hopefully, there will be plenty of ideas that are better than mine, as that is how things progress.

My goal has always been to try to make people think differently. I remember 25 years ago, a co-worker was trying to convince me to vote for Ronald Reagan. I said that I thought he posed a threat to the stability of our country. The co-worker said, "Oh, then you like Jimmy Carter ..." I have tried to get people to see that there are other choices in life than what Reagan and/or Carter represent. In doing so, I recognize that the corporate media has done a splendid job of limiting what people see through the narrow chinks in the chains that restrain their consciousness.

Throughout history, social progress has only occured when people have first been made to think differently, and to see that they do have options. We have an administration that is attempting to reverse the social progress made in the past 75 years, by limiting the way the public thinks. We know, for example, that Karl Rove believes that the use of constant fear makes the public see the Cheney/Bush agenda as the only safe option. Rove is a student of Machiavelli; we know that Niccolo warned his Prince that unarmed prophets are always killed by those in power, while armed prophets obtain power. I'm not a big fan of either Rove or Machiavelli -- but I am a fan of the Founding Fathers, and I recognize that the weapons they advocate in the Constitution, especially in the Bill of Rights, are the very things that empower the democratic grass roots forces to move beyond being held hostage like Carter, or the cruelty of Reaganomics.

{3} "The powder keg is always larger than the wick. The smallest thing in the powder keg is the wick. You can touch the powder all day long and nothing happens. It's the wick that you touch that sets the powder off." -- Malcolm X

The underground, or free press, should have a goal of making people see there are options beyond what the corporate media presents. It should serve as a link to other sources of information. It should be a short and concise advertisement for an alternative point of view. Indeed, once people begin to be exposed to different options in viewing current events, they will begin to perceive those events differently ... and when people think differently, they behave differently.

What are the things that make up a good alternative press? Short, easy-to-read articles. Symbols: if you quote Martin Luther King, Jr., it sends a specific message. If you use a quote of Robert Kennedy's from 1967, you send a specific message. This is why Rove has had Bush steal that symbolism by visiting King's grave, and renaming a stadium for RFK. But to paraphrase Bono, we need to steal our symbols back.

Artwork, photographs, and even poems can be quick ways to advertise for the democratic agenda. The idea should always be to empower people, to make them laugh, and to encourage them to take the next step. A newspaper can provide a number of options for its readers to select from. Small doors often lead to large rooms.

{4} " All politics are local." -- Tip O'Neill

Alternative newspapers should be de-centralized, for a number of important reasons. First, to communicate with a person, you need to speak the language they understand. A paper that targets college students will likely read a little different than one aimed at a local labor union. A paper that addresses a local environmental concern will have information that differs from one that addresses a city council race 1000 miles away.

The old saying "think global, act local" comes to mind. It is good to use a common approach, and to share information on a site like DU. But underground newspapers/letters should be geared to meet the local needs. I do not believe that a paper could, or indeed should, attempt to be affiliated with DU per say. Still, as there were 20 DUers expressing interest, there might be the option of having a "free press" forum, with "how to" information, and an exchange of ideas on how to format and distribute a paper.

{5} Taken from the transcript of the Chicago 7 trial; Abbie Hoffman is being questioned by Leonard Weinglass:
Q: Prior to coming to Chicago, from April 12, 1968, on to the week of the convention, did you enter into an agreement with David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Jerry Rubin, Lee Weiner, or Rennie Davis to come to the city of Chicago for the purpose of encouraging and promoting violence during the Convention Week?
A: An agreement?
Q: Yes.
A: We couldn'r agree on lunch.

I think efforts at a free press should avoid any "structure" that involves hierarchy. A good free press will likely generate a response, and a really good one will invite efforts to discredit it. A hierarchy allows the effort to be compromised at the top.

As mentioned, it shouldn't be identified with DU, though individual papers might encourage people to read DU. The same general rule of thumb applies to other web sites,etc. Obviously, if you put out a paper connected to your own web site, you would promote your internet efforts.

Abbie Hoffman used to point out that nothing turns readers off more than "the strident catechism echoing in those interminable twenty-page single-spaced communiques emanating from the underground to guide the 'untutored' masses."

{6} "Say you just can't live that negative way, you know what I mean? Make way for the positive day, 'cause its a new day, a new time, new feeling." -- Bob Marley

I've tried to double-space a few things here, so that this doesn't meet Abbie's exact definition of "interminable press." In the past couple days, I've communicated with a few people in this area. The greatest interest in an "underground paper" appears to be among college students. I am probably going to concentrate my small contributions to that effort. I am curious what ideas other people have?

[Me.]

1. Is It A Sense Of Ennui

or are people simply overwhelmed by their lives, work, families, and the constant struggle against a mammoth of lies and corruption that leaves them with no time, energy or perhaps interest in an endeavor such as this? This is a good idea H20, but it seems like we are in the lull from having fought as hard as we could and gearing up for the next of many battles. This would be a great way of fighting back. But it does need a good core group of seriously interested people who are willing to get the ball rolling. Let's see what happens.

[H2O Man]

2. Good thing I had

my dictionary handy. You tricked me with "ennui." I was wondering what a large flightless bird had to do with this .... unless you were hinting that it, too, was unlikely to take off.

[Me.]

3. You Have Books?

I thought you just carried around everything in your head! No I'm not hinting it won't take off, but I am wondering why a good idea now presented for the 3rd time is lagging in enthusiasm and I'm thinking it's because this would take time and effort and everyone's got as much as they can handle right now, all the plates are full.