Dear rn, "American Patriot Friends Network" publishes viewpoints of the militia and patriot movement in the US, a movement usually tagged "right wing". This particular posting is concerned with the issue of creating some kind of alternative to the mass media, a bottom-up mass communication mechanism. This is an issue of general interest to all movements. I expect that most of us on the rn-list find many of the attitudes and positions of the patriot movement repungnant, especially given how they are reported in the media, with a distorted emphasis on nationalism, guns, and racism. At the core of their thinking, however, is a respect for constitutional government and a desire for national sovereignty. By the way this movement is reported in the media, the effect is to identify concern with sovereignty in the US as a "right wing" and "xenophobic" issue -- a version of the "divide and conquer" strategy as applied to ideas. The patriot/militia movement also isolates itself, and confuses itself, by identifying Clinton and "liberals" as the enemy, rather than corporate power. They also see the UN as the main danger to sovereignty, and rarely mention the World Trade Organization or other elite capitalist bureucracies. I had some success with an article I published over a "right wing" channel which argued that "liberals as enemy" is a diversion, and that "big money" is what they should be focusing on. Many reponded postively to that article. If there is going to be a successful mass movement for democracy, then we are going to have to find ways to communicate and seek consensus with groups who we now tend to reject or dismiss. Just talking to people we already agree with is not going to get us very far. I'm not talking about compromise, there's no way we are going to adopt racism or approve of guns. But there needs to be dialog and mutual education among people and groups who currently ignore one another. Militia people are not the cartoon stereotype paranoids that the media (or even some of their own literature) would have us believe they are. Apropos of this kind of bridge building, does anyone know how the Orchard campaign is going? -rkm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 From: American Patriot Friends Network <•••@••.•••> To: ""•••@••.•••"" <•••@••.•••> Subject: "Reclaiming America's Freedom of the Press!" Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 10:35:06 -0500 To: •••@••.••• - From: "Shonda P. Wigington" <•••@••.••• Subject: Explanation About Alliance "Reclaiming America's Freedom of the Press!" http://members.tripod.com/~PonderAa1/index.html It all started with a few access shows...then Wes got an idea to do seminars...so he invited all the patriot orgs to come together to do a public forum for the public...they spent about 2 months publicizing...and only about 50 people showed up for the first one...we passed the hat and got the room for the next month...and continued to publicize and then about 3 months later there were twice as many people there, that was June of 97. In January, one of the producer's kids got harassed by the local sheriff's constable so we all joined together through the conference and went to the County Commissioner's meetings and publicized that. They knew we were coming so they called SWAT to intimidate us....all that did was get more orgs involved...the next month there were 300 people at the conference. Now there are about 38 different orgs involved... It takes time and yes it is a lot of work...I spend every waking moment doing it and I was hardly ever a speaker at the conference... Some of the org don't like others and yes we bicker about this and that but we all agree that if we don't stick together then the network is no good. Some think y2k is important, others think 2nd amendment should be pursued...and others are in favor of doing away with the IRS..etc, etc. We all have different viewpoints and different agendas but what we have in common is that the media refuses to print our stories, and refuses even to print our letters to the editors and when they do "cover" us they demonize us. So we have held three media protests so far locally. So we have decided that freedom of the press is most important at this time because it is the press that is the cause of the average citizen calling us "kookes" just because we love our country and hate the UN. We now have press badges and use the freedom of the press to do what we do and we are asking that anyone who joins "The Alliance" follow our set plan on the URL I sent you. We All voted for those Rules of order and the Strategy for success. We are fighting fire with fire. And even if we dislike another org in the Alliance, if they have a protest, we promote it, even if it isn't our organization doing it...if the Alliance votes in favor of a protest, then all of the orgs in the alliance are required to attend. So it is a majority vote. Each org has it's own representative. That representative gives the vote for that organization. Before a vote is called, the reps are notified ahead of time so they can discuss it with the org they are involved with. Someone once said, "You are spinning your wheels if you think you are ever going to get the media to see it your way." My reply was, "You have it wrong. We are not trying to get inside the mainstream media network. That won't work. We have already found that out. We are trying, rather, to create a media network that will rival the mainstream network. In order to do that, we have to work together. We have to promote each other. We have to be willing to share information and work together to get that information out. Once there are enough of us involved, then the public will have a REAL choice in the news they listen to." That is why we are trying to buy an AM station. That is why we have helped get 17 Access shows on TV during primetime news hours. That is why we have been at public forums such as Commissioners courts and City Council meetings with our signs and ICons. And no matter how few people turn out, we don't quit, because next week or next month might be a better turnout. It is this strategy that is working. We are now opening the doors to everyone else outside of Texas. We have to do this. It is the only way. I want Freedom-Lovers International newsletter to turn into something that rivals the Austin American Stateman. I want it that big. We can't have that if we don't work together. Any more questions? Please ask me, I am geared up for getting this plan out! --Shonda - "Shonda P. Wigington" <•••@••.••• Protest the UN at noon on South side of Texas Capitol Bldg in Austin Oct 24th! (Co-Sponsored by Texas Freedom International/Jeff Davis and Freedom-Lovers International) "Reclaiming America's Freedom of the Press!" http://members.tripod.com/~PonderAa1/index.html Receive your FREE issue of the FLI newszine today and get the REAL news! Call 512-933-1950 and ask for Shonda -------------------------------------------------------- Without Justice, there is JUST_US! American Patriot Friends Network (APFN HOME PAGE) http://www.freeyellow.com/members5/apfn/ APFN EMAIL LIST SUBSCRIBE/UNSCBSCRIBE IN SUBJECT LINE TO •••@••.••• APFN ONELIST: http://www.onelist/subscribe.cgi/apfn APFN CONTENTS PAGE: http://esotericworldnews.com/apfncont.htm [APFN] MESSAGE BOARD (OPEN FORUM) http://www.insidetheweb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi?acct=mb77532 [APFN] MEDIA & PATRIOT WEB PAGES: http://home.rica.net/CaptainNemo/pers/patsites.htm LINCOLN said "Study the Constitution!" "Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislatures, and enforced in courts of justice." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Create a sane and livable world in vibrant democratic societies. Bring global corporate power under control. CITIZENS FOR A DEMOCRATIC RENAISSANCE mailto:•••@••.••• http://cyberjournal.org --- To join the discussion on bringing about a movement for a democratic renaissance, send any message to: •••@••.••• --- To subscribe to the the cj list, which is a larger list and a more general political discussion, send any message to: •••@••.••• --- To review renaissance-network archives, send any message to: •••@••.••• ----------------------------------- A community will evolve only when the people control their means of communication. -- Frantz Fanon
