Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 10:38:03 -0600
From: Jim Burnes <jburnes@savvis.net>
Organization: Savvis Networks
To: Matthew Gaylor <freematt@coil.com>
CC: Þght-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu, CYBERIA-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM,
cypherpunks@cyberpass.net, web-law@egroups.com,
John Milne <editor@primarydiner.com>, Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject: Amerika: Excluding Libertarians in this "Democracy"
Matthew Gaylor wrote:
["... On the right side of the Lycos Vote 2000 political web page are the
party mascots of the Democratic Donkey and the Republican Elephant. How can
this be interpreted as anything other than a not too subliminal message
endorsing only bi-partisanship. If you think this needs remedied, I
encourage you to contact Lycos, Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com> and John
Milne <editor@primarydiner.com> and ask them to cover all third parties and
to at least not engage in bi-partisan deck stacking."]
Matt:
I hate to say it, but this is nothing new. The power structure selects its
winner by systematically de-selecting anyone they don't want in power.
In the debate at Washington University in St. Louis between Perot, Bush and
Clinton the Libertarians had tried for almost a year to be included. The
debate commission
(a private group - not accountable to anyone) came up with minimum rules to
be included in the debate. The Þrst rule they
invented was that you had to be on the ballot in all 50 states. When Andre
Marrou then got on the ballot in all the states they invented ever more
exclusive
and arbitrary rules with the primary purpose of excluding him.
CSPAN at the time thought this was an interesting news story and scheduled
an interview with Marrou on the Wash U campus during the debate fracas. When
Marrou arrived he was told he wasnt allowed on campus. When he told them that
he had an interview with CSPAN he was still denied access. Finally one of the
CSPAN producers walked by and noticed he was be held up. The CSPAN producer
informed the policeman that Mr. Marrou was going to be interviewed in 10
minutes
or something and he was still denied access. The CSPAN interviewer then came
down and still could not get him in front of the camera.
Are you seeing a pattern here?
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Libertarians (who were still laboring under the
delusion
that we lived in a democratic republic) staged a peaceful protest on campus
during
the debates. Mind you, the campus was still open to the public at the time.
We had people in their seventies down to little people like my son who was
barely
three years old in the protest. For some of us this was the Þrst time we had
staged any sort of protest in our lives. For others who were hippies in the
60's
it was one of many.
As we walked down the sidewalk on campus the students of Wash U watched.
Certainly
a more unlikely group had never protested there. Then the magic happened.
One of our group was acting photographer for the event. He was nonchalantly
taking
pictures as we marched. At this point some security people (don't know
exactly who)
started separating students from protesters. I got a very uneasy feeling
about that - a sure sign that something was happening. Suddenly a city
policewoman
(this was in the county) lunged at the photographer shouting "I know what
your doing"
or something close to that. The photographer, a very "Gentle Ben" type,
kept yelling
"I'm not resisting arrest". After this another couple city policeman jumped
on top
and between the three of them damaged the nerves in the photographers arm.
He was
arrested by the city cops and thrown in the city tank. Again this happened in
St. Louis County. (more about this later).
As this was happening I started shouting "get it on video, get it on
video". One
of the libertarians had a high-band 8mm on him and got most of it on video.
After
this incident some ninjas in full black camo and balaclavas appeared out of
nowhere.
It was like some surreal nightmare. They had the largest German shepherds
I've ever
seen and MP5 submachine guns. They surrounded the entire group and held us at
gunpoint behind a high fence at a softball Þeld. All the while media
personalities
(including reform party people) streamed by. Many of them who knew us. Not a
single one was curious. Not a single one covered the event later. I can't tell
you the images it conjured up. Typical citizens: men, women, children,
young and
old, wealthy and poor, held (technically under arrest) by stormtroopers
armed with
true assault weapons and *german* shepherds behind fences for their beliefs.
It is times like this when the veil of bullshit surrounding the United
States as
we know it is pulled aside and the true creature emerges. I would have to say
it was a deÞning moment for many of us politically. The moment when we realized
that we no longer lived in anything resembling a free republic - the moment
when
I realized that trying to change the system by getting some of our people
elected
was a joke that would be funny if it were not so sad. The moment when you
realize
this country is ruled by an oligarchy with and iron hand in a velvet glove.
Then you go back to the "normal" world with ABCNews reporting election returns
as if it mattered. And its if the curtain had been pulled back momentarily
by Toto
and we saw the "the Great and Terrible Oz" pushing buttons, yelling into
the mike
and saying "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain". And then it was
gone.
Well folks, the man behind the curtain has german shepherds and MP5 submachine
guns. He comes out occasionally when citizens of this country wake from their
slumber and want to change what is going on.
He puts them back to sleep.
Jim
**************************************************************************
Subscribe to Freematt's Alerts: Pro-Individual Rights Issues
Send a blank message to: freematt@coil.com with the words subscribe FA
on the subject line. List is private and moderated (7-30 messages per month)
Matthew Gaylor,1933 E. Dublin-Granville Rd.,#176, Columbus, OH 43229
Archived at http://www.egroups.com/list/fa/
**************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:02:02 MDT