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From: tac@teldata.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Participative Democracy
Message-ID: <330@teldata.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 2-May-84 14:16:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: teldata.330
Posted: Wed May  2 14:16:07 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 4-May-84 01:11:40 EDT
References: <973@ihuxm.UUCP>
Organization: Teltone Corp., Kirkland, WA
Lines: 47

, (sop to the blank line eaters--consider it a religious sacrifice)

>>  From: berman@ihuxm.UUCP (The Keyboard of Reason)
>>  
>>  "Paricipative Democracy"...now that's a great idea!
>>  
>>  I seem to remember a call for it, by a student group in the
>>  year 1963, a small group just emerging from the duldrums of the 1950's
>>  beginning to feel the stirings of civil rights and anti-war activism
>>  that characterized the decade that followed.  The published a call
>>  for "Participatory Democracy" after a national conference, in a 
>>  manifesto called "The Port Huron Statement." If popular demand
>>  reqests it, I'll dig out my dusty dogged eared copy and post
>>  the sections describing what was meant by participatory democracy.
>>  
>>  The organization? It was a small group of university students
>>  that called itself "Students for a Democratic Society".
>>  
>>  The rest is history.
>>  
>>        Andy Berman
>>  
Andy,
  Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't that same group (SDS) get involved
in some protests that lead to the bombing of a research lab (supposedly
empty, but occupied by a grad student at the time) at Kent State which
resulted in the presence of the National Guard while more protests and
demonstrations were going on which resulted in some young men--who were
out doing what they thought was defending their country--responding to
provocation by firing their rifles and killing nine students?  If my 
memory serves me correctly, those very demonstrations were organized
by the SDS.  The SDS didn't strike me as all that smart then, and I have
never had any reason to reverse that decision--now you have given me
reenforcement for it.  I just don't believe in the intelligence of people
who advocate throwing bottles and bricks (I will ignore any arguments 
about first gunfire) at armed soldiers and are then suprised when they
get shot at!
  Additionally, what is in a name?  The Peoples Democratic Republic of
Wherever is a very popular name for Communist countries.  I can't tell
by your article whether you are in favor of the Particapative Democracy
or not, or whether you even support(ed) the SDS.  I do find it interesting
that they called for such a thing in the '60s.

	    From the Soapbox of
	    Tom Condon     {...!uw-beaver!teltone!teldata!tac}

	    A Radical A Day Keeps The Government At Bay.