Even before you got the chance to read my last column on the proposed Communications Decency Act, congress took your right to free speech on the internet, stomped on it, and shoved it up your ass. And even before you got a chance to read that column, a judge in Philadelphia eased it part back out of your ass, to give the government some time to think about what it had done.
That's right, Congress passed the Communications Decency Act as part of the Telecommunications Bill that they made a big deal about in February. It's funny how little you heard in the mainstream media about the decency act and the chilling effect it would have on free speech on the internet. Luckily, portions of the act were put under a temporary restraining order, keeping it from going into effect until the courts have a chance to rule on its constitutionality. This fight could go on for a year or two, but of course, I will keep you updated on it as things transpire.
One internet site not dealing directly with punk rock, but definitely dealing with individual rights, cyber issues, and free speech is that of the American Civil Liberties Union. Lots and lots of information on the first amendment and the activities of the ACLU are here. Look it up at http://www.aclu.org .
This time around I had intended to get into a discussion of whether the internet was punk, or whether it was a case of those with power and money tapping into something the downtrodden would never have access to, but I think I'll save that for a future column, because I have a lot of net addresses and junk like that I want to give you.
I'm also looking for stories from net punks on how the internet has directly benefited them or their projects, through better distribution, access to resources they wouldn't normally have, and the like. I'm going to do a column on specific examples of how the net can be used as a tool for getting the word out about your band, your zine, etc. So, e-mail me with details.
I told you last time I'd let you know how to subscribe to the straight-edge mailing list. I like to flip straight-edgers shit, mostly cuz I've found most of them can't take a joke, but regardless, here it is. I'm not on this list, I've never been on it, and I have no idea if it's worthwhile, but it has existed for quite awhile, and probably is something you'll want to check out if you are afraid of beer (heh heh). Okay, so here's how to subscribe: all you have to do is send an e-mail message to listserv@cornell.edu, with no subject line, and the following in the body of the subject - subscribe sxe-l I got an e-mail from someone telling me that I neglected to mention the anarcho-punk list in my column. I don't NEGLECT anything. I just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Or actually, I didn't even know there was an anarcho-punk list, but I do now. Is it anarchistic to use computers? (Nevermind, I don't wanna open THAT can of worms). The list is actually called the ANOK4U-2 mailing list. Anyway, the people who are in charge of it say the "list is devoted to the discussion of anarchopunk or peacepunk bands such as The Subhumans, Rudimentary Peni, Zounds, Citizen Fish, Crass, Conflict, et cetera. The anok4u2 mailing list is also for the discussion of the intersection of punk rock music/culture, anarchist theory and practice, anti-war politics, and other related issues." There you have it. Sounds like it could be interesting and/or worthwhile. To add yourself to the list send mail to majordomo@well.com with the line: subscribe anok4u2-list in the body of the message. It's that simple.
You know, on the subject of neglecting to mention lists, newsgroups, web addresses, etc. -- If you want your internet site mentioned, e-mail the information about it and I will probably get around to mentioning it, unless it really sucks, in which case, I won't waste the space. But hey, you have nothing to lose by trying, and chances are most everything I get will end up in here sooner or later. And maybe I won't even make fun of you.
Speaking of which, Chris Landers turned me on to this site. It's the Deterrent DIY Tour Manual, which is another site featuring a Book Your Own Fuckin' Life sort of thing. This one is a document you can download, and covers the US and Canada. It looks to be pretty good, and you can send the guy running the site e-mail if you want your band/club/zine/etc listed. You'll find it at http://www.islandnet.com/~moron/deterrent/tour_gd.html .
If you like your punk with more of an international flavor, The Bernd has put together a nice of links (ways to get to other pages on the internet) featuring German, Austrian, and Swiss punk, plus a few other sites thrown in for good measure. The text is in English and in German, so you can find where you are going if you are checking it out from the US. Anyway, it is a nice place to start from when looking for international punk pages. The url for it is http://www.fokus.gmd.de/nthp/employees/mhs/punk.html . The Bernd also runs the European version of the Book Your Own Fuckin' Life, and also has it online. You can find it at http://www.fokus.gmd.de/nthp/employees/mhs/bdebl/bdebl.html .
A page which I actually have neglected to mention, and I really shouldn't have, because it is one of the finest starting points for punk on the net is World Wide Punk by Victor Gedris. Vic does record and zine reviews, and has tons and tons of links to internet bands, labels, distributors, and other interesting punk rock sites. If you are looking to see if some particular punk band is on the internet, chances are you'll find a link to it at WWP. Sometimes the connection is slow, though, so if it doesn't seem to work one day, try back the next. The url for WWP is http://wchat.on.ca/vic/wwp.htm .
Okay, enough already. I'm outta here. Remember, if you have anything you'd like to see addressed in this column, or if you have a site you think I should check out, or if you just wanna say hi, you can e-mail me at hanford@primenet.com . You can also find this column, and all of my previous columns at http://www.primenet.com/~hanford/maximum.html . And, if you prefer to put pen to paper, I can always be reached at PO Box 752; Boise ID 83701. That is all.
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