[net.general] students care about the world.

ix673@sdcc6.UUCP (rich) (04/28/85)

I realize that the net is not in general considered a polit-
ical  forum,  But  the net has grown. I hope and I pray that
those of you who read this will do so with an open mind  and
heart.

     On campuses across the nation students have been trying
to  do just the smallest amount to end the apartheid slavery
in South Africa, of South Africans. How can we  continue  to
ignore  such  a  situation  as  this?  If one is to consider
slavery the restriction of free movement, then South  Africa
is  true  a  slave nation in this century. Her native people
may not leave there labor camps. Yes they are paid, but  not
even  enough  to  eat.  Money is only as good as the food it
buys.

     It is not the time or the place to go into the depth of
the  problems  in South Africa in this article. All I ask is
that you people read this, think about it and begin to  dis-
cuss  it  in the appropriate groups.  Please at least listen
to what has been going on down there for just all too  long.
If  a  near by University is holding a sit in or a teach in,
go to it, you may learn something.

     Please excuse the quality of my  writing,  between  100
and 200 of us have been sleeping on the library steps at the
University of California at San Diego for four  nights  now.
We  have stage sit-ins and teach-ins with various professors
speaking. We have had marches and rallies with  up  to  2000
members  of our very small student body attending. I feel it
is a worth while movement, and I hope that  we  may  receive
the support of the net.

     Thank you for your time. If you have any  questions  or
comments  for  our  group  we  also  have a pay phone by our
sleeping bags, (619)457-9179.

                      Richard Stewart.



(general disclaimer, all opinions here are my  own,  and  if
you want to sue me I probably don't have enough money for it
to be worth your while)

bill@persci.UUCP (05/01/85)

> I realize that the net is not in general considered a polit-
> ical  forum,  But  the net has grown. I hope and I pray that
> those of you who read this will do so with an open mind  and
> heart.
>                       Richard Stewart.

You are EXACTLY right!!! The net is NOT in general a political forum.
While I may (or may not) sympathize with your goals, I don't feel this
posting is appropriate. I also question the 'open mind' request. In my
experience, growing up philosophically and politically opposed to 99+%
of 'my generation', I find that the request to 'please have an open mind'
really means, "you better believe what I'm telling you or you ain't ****".
I can't say what's worst, the verbal, physical(!), or intellectual abuse.

Thank you for the precedent of using net.general for political discussions.
Now we *ALL* can do it, regardless of race, creed, or sexual persuasion.

-- 
Bill Swan	{ihnp4|decvax|...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill
Sure you can smoke, if you do it in private, at home, with the shades drawn!

marc@hpfcma.UUCP (marc) (05/12/85)

Richard, see my response to you posting in net.announce.

mikes@zaphod.UUCP (Mike Smith) (05/13/85)

> > I realize that the net is not in general considered a polit-
> > ical  forum,  But  the net has grown. I hope and I pray that
> > those of you who read this will do so with an open mind  and
> > heart.
> >                       Richard Stewart.
> 
> In my
> experience, growing up philosophically and politically opposed to 99+%
> of 'my generation', I find that the request to 'please have an open mind'
> really means, "you better believe what I'm telling you or you ain't ****".
> I can't say what's worst, the verbal, physical(!), or intellectual abuse.
> -- 
> Bill Swan	{ihnp4|decvax|...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill
> Sure you can smoke, if you do it in private, at home, with the shades drawn!

Who are you and why do you exist ?

bhs@siemens.UUCP (05/14/85)

Wake up, Richard..

The blacks in South Africa enjoy the highest standard of living of all
blacks in S. A.

The blacks themselves do not really want divestiture, for example the
chief of the Zulus has published editorials in, among other papers,
the New York Times arguing that divestiture will do far more damage to
S. African blacks than current apartheid.

It is very easy, from a point thousands of miles away, to boil a highly
complex issue down to a veryu basic argument (white vs. black), thereby
conveniently skipping a vast number of facts which would destroy most
arguments about apartheid in RSA.

Apartheid is NOT a way of life to be supported- but starry eyed idealists
typically will do more harm to a suffering people than the actual cause they
are trying to combat.


In the future, try confining your wailing to net.politics.

Bernard H. Schwab
Siemens RTL, Princeton, NJ