This letter was sent to the Editor of the Detroit Free Press.
To the Editor:
About the arrogant note on page 7-C of the Free Press of Nov. 8 that “writer Richie Yorke of Toronto has supplied the Detroit Free Press with the first newspaper review in the United States of the Beatles’ new album, ‘The Beatles.'”
This statement is false—but that’s not surprising. A review of the Beatles’ album was published in the Fifth Estate dated October 31.
It’s not surprising that the Free Press (so-called) should be making such grandiose claims. Such arrogance is a product of the complete ignorance of any of the motivating forces in the conflict shaking the country. This, a newspaper that doesn’t even look at the Fifth Estate, the journal of one side of the struggle, this is laughable. What could one expect but obtuse blunders from an institution such as this?
Stop kidding, Mr. Editor. You’re not a Free Press and you know it. No newspaper that seriously supports the candidacy of an ass like Richard M. Nixon, the symbol of all that’s dying—no newspaper like this could be free. Face it, print the truth. This is a captive press. Print the truth, print Detroit Captive Press at the top of your front page.
You’ve played your part, Mr. Editor. We found out long ago. It’s been a profitable game for you, but it can only go on for so long. Because we’ve found you out long ago. It’s been a profitable game for you, but it can only go on for so long. Because we’ve found you out. If you persist in publishing this joke, it will be drowned by the increasing laughter you provoke.
You would have been much smarter to hire Mr. Werbe and the rest of his pirate publishing gang. To buy them off, to deal them into your game. But it’s too late for that, Mr. Editor. Things are too far along for that.
Go ahead, publish your jokes, half-truths, and lies. And go ahead, ignore the rest. Leave out third world liberation movements; the Black Panthers in Oakland, New York, Detroit, etc. Forget about DRUM, leave the important campaign of Mrs. Peggy Terry for the National Organizing Committee.
You’ll never publish this, Mr. Editor. These words won’t ever deface your pages. The truth is too obscene. You’ll never retract your arrogant lie about “first review in the United States of the Beatles’ new album.” They’ll have to call you out in the pages of the Fifth Estate. Your captive press is too chicken shit. See you later.
Joshua Newton
Wyandotte
Editors’ Note: Thanks, Josh, for the nice letter, but whatever do you mean about seeing them later?
Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago we were hired by some dance promoters to do a light show at the Owosso Armory. We worked there one Saturday night, they liked it, and asked us to do the light show there every Saturday night for $35 or $40.
The next time we went to Owosso we took a bunch of Fifth Estates with us and sold a few to some kids before the show. They went like hot cakes. But as soon as one of the attendant creeps saw a copy, he stopped us from selling them and confiscated the rest of the copies we brought in with us.
Then he got us on stage and told the kids in the audience to give the copies they already bought to him so he could destroy them before any of their parents saw them. Naturally all the kids hid their Fifth Estates in their purses or pockets. They also asked us for peace symbols, dope, and other underground stuff.
After the show we demanded our papers back from the manager, but were told they had been taken to the prosecutors’ office to determine if they could bring charges against us for peddling obscenity. Outside in the parking lot kids were cruising and waiting around for us to see if we had any copies in the car. We gave them the rest of the copies and told them to distribute them among their friends.
When we came back the following Saturday, they already had another light show and we were informed that we were fired. I just asked those creeps: “If you don’t want your kids to know anything, why do you bother to teach them to read and write in the first place?”
Magdalene Sinclair
for the Trans-Love Light Company
Dear Brothers,
Some things that I have seen lately are making me very sad.
When I see this paper condemn the Beatles when they sing of a peaceful Revolution, it distresses me greatly.
When I see my brothers in the Socialist Workers’ Party condemn the other presidential candidates (McCarthy, Cleaver, Gregory) for the simple reason that they aren’t in the SWP, it distresses me greatly.
When I see McCarthy people turn away freeks from working because of their beards or hair, it makes me wonder if we are ever going to get anywhere.
WE MUST UNITE! Why can’t we see that we all have at least one common denominator in our struggles? We may disagree on some things—on lots of things—but we can’t fight among ourselves. We must join together. Liberals, Radicals, Pacifists, non-violents, Blacks, Indians, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans; we are all fighting for our freedom.
We must all fight together now and wait until we have won to settle our own differences.
David Batchelder
Hartford, Conn.
Dear Editors and Revolutionaries,
I want to express my opinion about the Revolution.
The radicals will probably never get their way. Why doesn’t everybody just cool it? Why not start with love for the fellow-under-twenty-one-er? Peace is what you’re saying but you don’t show it. By the bombings and riots, the Revolution seems to scare everyone.
If you want people to like it then you have to be more peaceful in your ways. The world changes at a very slow pace.
Remember, there is no escaping from the Establishment. If any Revolutionaries have any ideas for a new establishment, please tell me.
Also, think about what you mean when you say “peace” to someone. That means peace to everyone. We are one—God is one.
Love and Peace,
Carol Jay
Dear Editors,
I like it, but you guys overdo the 4-letter shockers.
I know that this is your communication thing. Personally, I have nothing against shit-ing, fucking, pissing, etc. I would even object if you used “weird” or “groovy” or “cool” as often as you use your gems.
It’s stupid to print one stupid word every-other stupid sentence and stupidly believe that it makes any of your stupid stuff any more effective and mind-impressing. So stupid that it gets BORING.
Anyway, do ya dig? Please let’s keep your news and ways of presentation as effective as possible. Don’t blow it by repetitious redundancy.
K.A.T.J.
Centerline
P.S. The word “wuffin” I like.
Dear Fifth Estate,
Some of us think the time of demonstrations and confrontations is past. Their net effect has been to create a reactionary group out for blood (ours)!
The alternative we see is to form Coops for the purpose of first, acquiring the skills necessary to build a community; second, acquiring remote patches of land; finally, building the kind of communities we want.
Even an outhouse, built by cooperative effort will stand as a monument!
Twenty to a hundred people in each locality can get something started. Start with such a group, rent any kind of covered space—a garage, store, anything—scrounge hand tools and small power tools; and you’re on your way!
Many have bled for the revolution. Now SWEAT FOR IT!
Gene Kalin
Chicago
Dear brothers and sisters,
I have a hang up. On October 29th I was among the protesters at the Wallace Rally who jeered and sieg-heiled the re-incarnate Hitler.
It was a groovy feeling to be united with many hundreds (thousands?) of freeks who came in conscience to denounce Wallace’s racist movement. The community spirit and commitment which we shared that night has undoubtedly strengthened us in our future struggle for radical social change.
But other than winning a few points in this psychological warfare (if not in the guerrilla warfare at the Ponchartrain) what did we really accomplish at the Wallace Rally?
Did we win any of the reactionaries over to the truth? Or did we convince any of the neutral listeners there (if there were any) to our way of thinking? Or what about the millions of mediocre middle-class boob tubers who saw and heard our behavior over the biased and racist mass media—did we sway any of them over to our cause?
I doubt it. In fact, I think we turned off more people than we turned on. Couldn’t we have demonstrated our “truth force” in a more effective manner?
I think that we should have enough faith and hope in the truth force of our revolutionary cause that we will be victorious over the evil force of the fascists’ hate tactics. WE must humanize this society without resorting to in-human means. I am not necessarily trying to say that “all we need is love.” But just from a practical viewpoint I am afraid that we are turning off lots of potential freeks who have prematurely blown their minds and whom we need desperately if we are to change this society before earth’s noosphere blows its mind and the biosphere blows up.
Gary Wintz
Southfield
Dear Brothers,
Saturday, the 2nd of November, a brother and I sold copies of the Estate at Northland Center. We didn’t loiter and kept moving but after nearly an hour two rent-a-pigs who had been watching us all along approached us and ordered us to leave.
We informed them that the Michigan State Supreme Court had upheld our right to sell papers in Northland’s plaza as it was a public place. But the pigs said “forget the supreme court and get out of here!”
We did not protest any more for fear of being arrested on some fraudulent charge as at least one other person has been in the past.
I am sick and tired of pigs deliberately harassing members of the underground press and getting away with it. At Northland in particular, brothers have had their pictures taken, been yelled at, and just generally harassed.
One person was arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct when a policeman bumped into his friend, which caused him to bump into the officer.
Is there some action we can take to end this abuse? This is just another example of pig mentality, and all such incidents should be observed with the air of retaliation.
Ray Stock
Berkely
Editors’ Note: We agree with your letter completely. We have every legal right to sell our paper at Northland and all other public places.
Our street sellers and suburban shop owners have received unabated harassment from pigs and other authority creeps and we intend to deal with the situation. We will defend our rights by any means necessary. Would any seller who has suffered abuse while selling the paper please contact our office.
Pig (sidebar)
NEW YORK (LNS) — “1969—Year of the Pig” is the theme of a color-in calendar with original drawings and notations of movement dates.
The calendar is being offered for sale by Hallucinations, Inc., a new enterprise being started by Abbie Hoffman and some friends to distribute buttons, posters, books and records, with profits slated to go to the Inauguration of the Pig in Washington on January 20.
Individual calendars cost $2.95 each. There are Yippie buttons and Pig Inauguration buttons (25 cents each) for sale, with special prices for movement groups and retail stores. For orders and information write to Hallucinations, Inc., 333 E. 5th Street, New York, NY 10003.