[net.columbia] What is the L5 Society all about?

dls@mtgzz.UUCP (d.l.skran) (02/14/86)

*DISCLAIMER*

This statement is being made by Dale L. Skran.

It does not in any sense represent an official
statement of either the L5 Society or the NJL5.

*DISCLAIMER*

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  *           WHAT IS THE L5 SOCIETY, ANYWAY?               *
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  The L5 Society's official purpose is  to  dissolve  itself--
  somewhere  in space, probably at the L5 point, as rapidly as
  possible.  A goal like this makes it one of the most radical
  and interesting groups of all time.

  It consists of roughly 10,000 people;  students,  engineers,
  housewives, businessmen, scientists, auto mechanics, etc all
  dedicated to moving mankind into  space  in  a  big  way  as
  quickly  as possible.  Prominent members include Congressmen
  Don Fuqua and Newt Gingrich, Marvin Minsky, Robert Heinlein,
  C.J.   Cherryh,  Charles  Sheffield,  Philip  Chapman(former
  astronaut, Current President), Ben  Bova,  Barry  Goldwater,
  and  John  Glenn.  However,  the  society is mainly run on a
  shoestring by poor slobs  like  you  and  me.  It  DOES  NOT
  represent   any  large,  well  funded  corporate  interests.
  Likewise, the society  is  a  non-political,  tax-deductible
  organization.  The  L5  Society  is   neither  Republican or
  Democrat, Conservative or Liberal, merely(!) pro-space.

  The International headquarters is located at 1060 E. Elm St,
  Tucson,  Arizona,  85719.  A Student membership is $15 and a
  regular  membership  is  $30.  For  all  this  you  get  the
  following: 1) A subscription to the L5 News, and 2) A chance
  to participate in the most active pro-space organization.

  The L5 News concentrates on information of interest  to  its
  members,  rather  than  on  up  to  the minute space shuttle
  reports.  The art work tends to be excellent and the stories
  spotty.  Since the L5 news is a non-paying market, it cannot
  have articles by Arthur C. Clarke every month. In  spite  of
  this handicap, it is generally pretty interesting, and holds
  to high standards of accuracy. It also provides a  forum  in
  which controversial space related issues can be debated.

  Of course, you can buy numerous books, posters, etc from the
  L5  Society, but the two things that make it stand out among
  pro-space organizations are 1)the phone  tree,  and  2)  the
  chapter  organization.   The  phone  tree  consists of about
  10,000 people connected in a tree pattern(of course) so that
  in  an  emergency(ie a critical vote in Congress on the NASA
  budget) everyone in the tree can be  contacted  quickly  and
  asked to flood Congress with letters and phone calls.

  Unlike other pro-space organizations such as  the  Planetary
  Society  and  the  NSI,  the  L5  Society  has  strong local
  chapters. The local chapters carry on  much  of  the  actual
  pro-space  educational  work,  bringing  in speakers, having
  booths at fairs, and supporting Space  Week  activities.  In
  fact,  local  chapter  activities  are  limited  only by the
  imagination and available time of its members. In New  Jersy
  the  most  convenient  chapter  is probably the North Jersey
  one. Meetings are  held  at  the  Middlesex  County  Museum,
  Mettlar  House,  on  the  second  Wednesday of each month at
  7:00. You can join for $8 by writing to NJL5,  PO  Box  674,
  Holmdel, NJ 07733.  

  It should be noted that although the  L5  Society  seeks  to
  influence congress via mobilizing public opinion, and indeed
  was  very  successful  in  defeating  the  so-called   "Moon
  Treaty,"  it does not endorse candidates or provide money to
  campaigns. This task is left to an associated(but  separate)
  PAC(Political  Action Committee). The primary goal of the L5
  Society is to educate(in the broadest sense) the  public  as
  to the critical importance of space development to mankind's
  future.

  The short term goal of the L5  Society  is  to  support  the
  construction  of  a  manned  space  operations center at the
  earliest  possible  date.   The  long  term  goals   include
  encouraging  the  commercial  exploitation  of space. In the
  near future this will involve the manufacture of  electronic
  equipment  and drugs, but in the might expand to include the
  construction of  solar  power  satellites.  The  L5  Society
  envisions   a  future  in  which  primary  resources(energy,
  metals) can be derived from space leaving  the  Earth  green
  and   verdant.  At  the  same  time,  development  of  space
  resources will buoy the entire  economy,  and  result  in  a
  reduction  of  the  unemployment  rate.  This is a vision to
  which both technologists and environmentalists  can  aspire.
  The  L5  Society  supports planetary exploration, especially
  expeditions to the moon and asteroids, but believes that the
  commercial development of space resources should play a much
  larger role in our national space program.

*DISCLAIMER*

This statement by Dale L. Skran.

It does not in any sense represent an official
statement of either the L5 Society or the NJL5.

*DISCLAIMER*