[10595] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
A Democracy Teach-In on the Net
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Vigdor Schreibman - FINS)
Mon Sep 9 21:19:15 1996
Date: Mon, 09 Sep 1996 19:13:21 -0500 (CDT)
From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
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FINS: Communicating the Emerging Philosophy of The Information Age
FEDERAL INFORMATION NEWS SYNDICATE
Vol IV, Issue No. 19 (118 lines) September 9, 1996
CLOSING THE "VALUES-GAP":
A Democracy Teach-In on the Net
By Vigdor Schreibman
The very idea of "community" has become an oxymoron in a
"free market" Capitalist economy managed under autocratic
corporate power to maximize profit and the self-interests of
global oligopolies. Indeed, the currently emerging norm
imposes, "subordination of the sovereign community of citizens
to the international operation of post-industrial market
forces," according to historian John Pocock. This norm is
reviewed in _Jihad vs. McWorld_ (1995), by Benjamin Barber,
Whitman Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University.
Pocock asks whether the subordination of citizens to
international market forces is a "good or bad step in the
architecture of a post-modern politics"? Barber responds,
"No, not bad, disastrous."
Nevertheless, despite the disastrous disregard of paramount
community interests by market forces, advocates of market
Capitalism are now, ironically, taking up the cause of
community networking. I visited the Communet Conference list,
last week, where the focus is on community freenets, which are
in a dire financial situation. I tried to discuss the causes
of this financial distress with an individual known as "Donald
Chan," and others such as Steve Cavrack and a cabal of market
Capitalism supporters, who browse Communet these days.
For two decades most of the income gains taken out of the
computer-information economy in the United States, "have gone
to the richest 20 percent and most of that to the top 5
percent," Robert Kutner reported in The New York Times, Labor
Day 1995. The national economy, and specially community
interests, were undercut during the first six years of the
Reagan Administration alone, by $2 trillion following the tax
breaks for wealth Americans based on a "Rosy Scenario"
fabricated by David Stockman.
When I offered commentary on these matters, on Communet,
what ensued was a torrent of distortions, insults, and
personal attacks on me. My report on the $2 trillion
budgetary error was denounced as the "ridiculous argument" of
an economist that "missed the boat since communism collapsed."
Instead, an attempt was made to explain the massive loss of
public funds as "Money created by government and spent on
useless programs." It was also claimed that the super rich
benefitted from this lost money only "in Vigdor mind."
The denial of reality with lies issued from the desks of
corporate sycophants is easy. A strenuous effort must by made
by citizens, however, to confront these realities and find the
means to overcome the appalling existing situation.
It is an unseemly exercise for community networkers to be
sent out begging for funds urgently needed by freenets, while
special corporate interests with colossal fortunes drawn from
the US Treasury through corrupt political deals, assert their
material powers in the subordination of citizens. Public
funding is the only viable and equitable support system for
community networks. The establishment of the Internet
required billions of dollars in taxpayer funds and many years
of creative work by thousands of non-profit groups and
institutions. The case for dedication of these unique public
resources to the corporate profit race, while disregarding
paramount public needs, does not exist.
After a five day flame war on Communet, bashing these issues
back and forth, I was delighted to finally receive another,
calm and rational viewpoint from a scholar at the University
of Hawaii. This individual observed, "There is a strong
public case for low cost public, non-profit use of these
networks and maybe that is a role we community net advocates
should be assuming." He also counseled Vigdor: "Gently, gently
and persistently drive the point home with facts, facts set
beside each other to highlight the truth and the lie."
Citizens can surely drive the point home with the power they
command over the Internet. Moreover, one can take such action
in collaboration with the, "Democracy Teach-In," which is now
scheduled to be held Oct 13-19, at schools and colleges, and
other civic forums across the country [Fins-PaN-30]. The
"Democracy Teach-In," will address this basic question:
"CAN WE PURSUE DEMOCRACY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE WHEN
CORPORATIONS ARE ALLOWED TO CONTROL SO MUCH POWER AND
WEALTH?"
Each participant in the "Democracy Teach-In," will answer
that question in ways, which are most fitting in terms of
their own distinct needs. Community networkers can "make the
public case for low cost public, non-profit use of these
networks." Our own proposal for "A Multi-Channel National
Information Infrastructure" (MC-NII), can be browsed at Fins
Information Age Library [Fins-CS-06].
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