Re: [rumori] i have more questions than answers


From: Chris Ball (ball2000ATball2000.com)
Date: Sat Dec 23 2000 - 01:01:05 PST


The main thing this message intends to say is that we desperately need to
organize, and we don't deperately need to agree, except on an organization plan,
which is more than hard enough.

And that perhaps I should be medicated... perhaps heavily... but I'll send it
anyway just for laughs

          -ed will follow additions made on the second pass, so I
          don't have to needlessly reply to myself (it's telling that
          I would even think of doing that). I wish to respect
          listmembers' bulging inboxes -ed

     On second thought, ed looks stupid. I'll indent. Like That'll Help.
     Just skip to the middle-ed

          By the way, everybody, just say the word and I'll stop
          posting my nonsense. I was never good at organized writing
          and I know how frustrating it can be to read. I just want
          to throw out ideas. Even though we already have more than
          enough of those... And I'm a dope-addled loser with
          nothing better to do, apparently... On second thought I
          don't see any need to apologize; Since joining "Snuggles"
          I've received for the first time, 100 emails in an
          eight-hour period. What I mean is that I apologize for
          transmitting to you my quasi-modo drafts. As you know, I'm
          not being paid to write these (why am I doing this at
          all... I guess I actually believe we could do something if
          we agree on a plan despite our differences)

          Right now I have a deep conviction that we will need to take
          organized action, starting real soon, and Lloyd's right, we
          need to know what we mean. But we don't need to beat it to
          death, as Steeve warns. And our ideas should be easily
          transmitted, that is to say marketable, sloganish.

     Perhaps we should start a "request for comment" list where we revise
     the campaign. Except it kinda seems like that might degenerate into
     pure flame in 3 days. And what could be more tedious. That
     tediousness doesn't bother the enemy's legal departments, of course...

          I think cut and paste can help, the same way it helps in our
          work. Cut and paste is what the enemy's legal dpartments
          are essentially doing when they use "precedents." Anyway, I
          think we're in danger of the typical ivory-tower "talk it to
          death and do nothing" intellectual yadda yadda, a position
          we can't afford when (gasp!) (on second thought, gasp,
          actually) CDs are being burned at the reichstag! (sorry
          about the history)

     (jesus christ I never realized I was such a fucking pedant! I am
     startled by my high and mighty voice. Who are "we" anyway? (now
     that's a question. oh wait, I already addressed that.. (who am I to
     address anything? Oh yeah, a self-absorbed pedant. Note I don't
     stoop to footnoting.))

     I (We) sound like a critical studies thesis: as if (there exists a)
     "we" (and we) are planning the next regime which never comes)

                    Any "answers" are of course, just other
                    questions and questions are declarations
                    in interrogative form.

     I should clarify (why should I? Who gives a rip? (pathetic hint for
     reinforcement from my peers (betters!))) that I'm advocating cut and
     paste to find out what we mean by using what we've already said. (Am
     I advocating cut and paste to find out, by using what we've already
     said, what we now mean? (That there's an example, class) (And of
     course, I'm promoting this simple economy in an unreadable post that
     I've been typing for 3 hours.)) (you know what really helps? nested
     parentheses)-ed

                    What will it take.

                    It'll take (in the U.S.)
                    An advocacy group with famous stars on
                    the bill,
                    High-profile fundraisers,
                    High-profile Funds,
                    Lobbyists,
                    And the dispassionate letterhead you
                    mentioned.

               It would have been perfect if
               U2's heart grew three sizes that day...
               $ka-ching$...

                    The above is more important than a
                    well-defined platform-- we're not
                    running for office here.

               On reread, the three next sentences are things
               that we can actually do. This list itself is
               already working in the struggle. -ed

                    We should start a phone tree, a legal
                    defense fund, and a response network.
                    Direct involvement, looking out for each
                    other. The slogans will manifest
                    themselves during the struggle. Look at
                    Mumia.

                Hell, look at Negativland! They've been taking
               the punches for all of us, and getting the topic
               known, and we know where to find them each
               week.-ed

          I don't know why the ACLU didn't go to bat for John
          Oswald... Has anyone told them we're bleeding? -ed

                    And we need the hippies. They are great
                    networkers and hit the streets, and they
                    are on the fringes of capitalism. I
                    think they call themselves rastafarians
                    these days...

              I'm actually serious when I say that we should be
          looking out for each other. We know it's going to happen
          again next year, someone will be sued to silence by deep
          pockets. Probably one of "us." There is in fact, an
          economic model to minimize risks across a group, it is
          called insurance.

     I accept paypal. No wait, I meant the above.

     A collage artist's legal defense general fund.

     Of course, none of us has any money, and pooling bits of nil is a
     logistical daymare. That's why we need them stars and fancy
     fundraisers, at the risk of becoming one of "them," and at the risk of
     thinking that the right to collage is as important a cause as say,
     measels or gun control (on second thought, we have every right to be
     considered an important cause, because now is a critical time and we
     are after all excercising political speech (I think all media is
     political speech, see, including vertical blanking intervals and frame
     lines, but look who I'm explaining this too, sorry))

     I cannot fucking believe that congress has the power to vote that
     they, and not the FCC, will (fail to) give out the licenses for
     microradio. If we all had little public stations in our rooms we'd be
     amazed at what we could do in the grassroots. Oh yeah, and of course,
     in the art. Oh, and we'd also be amazed at how little happens (the
     primary listeners of KCSB were- other KCSB DJs.). But every little
     bit counts. Recruitment centers, don't you know. (I guess 'centers'
     could be the verb.)

                           Actually, you know what might really
               help

                    Is if some dittohead starts sending
                    cut-ups
                    Which of course, mock "liberals" and
                    "democrats"
                    And contain copyrighted material
                    in to Rush Limbaugh
                    Who starts playing them weekly

                         And Rush gets sued. (by the
                         "Liberal Media!" (of whom he
                         has become.. a favorite son))

                    I'm thinking high-profile litigation,
                    well funded on both sides, and obviously
                    political speech. Not that that ever
                    helps us poor folk, but it might get
                    some nice precedents on the book were
                    Rush to win.
                    I could start making tapes for him if
                    you want...

                               On the other hand,
                            are we really quite sure
                               that we want to be
                                     inside
                                    the law?

                       Will it really make things better?

          Because whatever we want, we're not going to get all of it.
            And when we get half, the penalty for going over the now
                              legally-defined line
     (legally defined with HALF our input, so that we'll seem like traitors
                         to ourselves when we cross it)
                  might be more severe, immediate and absolute
                      than the settlements we suffer now.

      Although I guess it's hard to beat "destroy all remaining copies"...

             (We ought now to bow our heads in thanks to the
          manufacturers (japanese, mostly, I think) who have given
          copy protection the finger. Let's pray that they continue
          to do so.)

     P.S. I really thought I had something with the Burden of Proof. I've
     had the feeling for years that copyright is misapplied in cases
     without loss to the holder. It was just a thought, I guess...
                 -lefty

                     -Christmas offends my religion: it is "Lunatism"

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