Gus, As I was reading through the full Port Huron statement at http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111hur.html I was thinking, hmm, maybe if we actually developed some of the distributed net tools we've been talking about it could help. But then I cam across this passage near the end:
"Loneliness, estrangement, isolation describe the vast distance between man and man today. These dominant tendencies cannot be overcome by better personnel management, nor by improved gadgets, but only when a love of man overcomes the idolatrous worship of things by man." So I thought, ah, technology may not help...it's a bigger problem. Then you write: > There were even technohippies that believed that the new > computers could really form a basis for communications and > analysis--and this was pre-internet. This made me think that maybe there is a technological angle... In your opinion, where's the leverage for a group like ours? Is it what we can offer in technological / ideological realm, or is it local political action? -Steve > -----Original Message----- > From: Gus Koehler [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 9:59 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'The Friday Morning Applied > Complexity Coffee Group' > Subject: RE: [FRIAM] Can you guess the source. > > > Lets see, patriot act, > citizen phone taps without knowledge, bank taps without > knowledge, Bush manipulation of fear by terror buggy man, > electronic voting subversion resulting from subversion of two > presidential elections, "privacy get over it" as the creed of > the internet and of all the new video, voice, body fluid MEMS > sensors that feed into it, world domination by US navy that > controls the seas, air and land preferably with autonomous > killer robots (none of our men on the battle field), torture > as an acceptable activity without shame for a greater good > like the Spanish Inquisition but no saving in an American > heaven and supported by our president, pictures of our > soldiers in coffins forbidden to be taken, no count of the > number of Iraqis or Afghanis killed, loss of most Americans > of a retirement, of health care when they are old, and > loading up with extreme debt, students graduating from > college so in debt that all they can do is work for the man, > VA that can't figure out after 4 years that head injuries > will be a problem and that urban warfare screws with people's > heads, movie marquis that trumpet the most horrible tortures > and attacks on women, the disappearance of a black led > movement for freedom and dignity replaced with woes and > gangsta rap belittle the life and voice of their own people a > future dominated by the destruction of our sea side cities, > heat waves, death of 30 percent of the world's species, > Africa and the poor sent to suffering the most, diseases out > of the cut down rainforests that we never expected to emerge > because people eat bush meat, a plague that is global and is > cutting the foundations out of African societies..... > > These are all things that the Port Heuron Statement could not > anticipate but saw the foundations emerging for. > Santa Fe probably won't be much of a place to live in 30 > years and neither will Sacramento. > > I remember the Port Heruon Statement well having been a > member of the SDS. > We, for a short while, saw the beast naked and what it could > do. We even had a vision of wholeness of what men and women > could become. Read the rest of the statement. > > There were even technohippies that believed that the new > computers could really form a basis for communications and > analysis--and this was pre-internet. > > I think the big difference is how subtle all of this has come > about without the direct intervention of 1984 like social > structures, even right in our faces. > > At least we could see our soldiers being wounded, sent home > in boxes, and watch the people suffer on fire with napalm or > being shot in ditches whom we were killing so effectively. > > In my view the vision came true and we are even more asleep > than we know. > > > > Gus Koehler, Ph.D. > President and Principal > Time Structures, Inc. > 1545 University Ave. > Sacramento, CA 95825 > 916-564-8683, Fax: 916-564-7895 > Cell: 916-716-1740 > www.timestructures.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Stephen Guerin > Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 8:22 PM > To: 'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group' > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Can you guess the source. > > > Does anyone remember the Port Huron Statement? I'm > reaching here, and > > I don't remember the date. Hell, most of you probably weren't even > > BORN yet! > > I cheated with Google and still didn't know who it was. Yep, > 6 years before I even saw light. > > Thankfully, things have turned out nothing like what was > described there ;-) > > -Steve > > > > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
