oblivion 1101100010 issue9spring2000 conglomerating angst corporate and mergers 1995 teen through buyouts media since ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Contents ------- - -- ---- - - -- -- - - ---- -- - ------- Features ------- - -- ---- - - -- Tinker vs. who? . . . . . . . . . . line 0127 Jennifer Boccia learns that not only are her administrators ignorant when it comes to the laws of the land, they actually stick them through the shredder. AOL blocks political information . . . . . . line 0290 Susan Wishnetsky takes a look at the filtering technology used by America Online and what effect it has on political sites. Just another victim of post-Columbine Hysteria . . . . line 0525 Matt Hall takes on expulsion, police, doctors in the mental ward, the courts, and the school board and beats a few of them. Women and children in Afghanistan . . . . . . line 0947 Josh Gilbert details the recent history of war-torn and poverty-stricken Afghanistan, and how it affects women and children. Pledge allegiance ... or else . . . . . . . line 1050 Ben Livingston explains the rules of pledging your allegiance and backs them up with Barnette and Gobitis. Regular stuff ------- - -- ---- - - -- Oblivion speaks - by Ben Livingston . . . . . . line 0068 Newsbriefs - by Maria Gonzalez . . . . . . . line 0466 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . line 0651 Reviews - by Heather Kolowinski . . . . . . . line 1123 ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Oblivion speaks ------- - -- ---- - - -- by Ben Livingston -- - - ---- -- - ------- If you know anything about Oblivion, you probably know we started in Olympia, Washington. Your humble editor has lived up north in Seattle for a number of years now, and that means I -- like every unionist, anti-frankenfooder, anarchist and sea turtle impersonator -- have my WTO stories. First and foremost, I must say the WTO protests were the biggest thing I'd ever seen. So much planning, so much organizing, so much teamwork. In the end, it not only left Seattle with some busted windows, it left us with a vibrant and more-connected-than-ever grassroots. Lisa (my girl) and I marched down with the University of Washington contingency, since we live in the U-District. Lots of signs and chanting and lots of cheering from the businesses along Eastlake. After a brief stint at the Seattle Center, we joined the labor march and headed downtown. With 50,000 protestors and police that had been showering tear gas since 10 a.m., things got a little crazy. On 5th and Pike, we took the first tear gas of our short lives. It wasn't much -- just enough to burn the eyes a bit and irritate the throat, but we decided to head east stat. Covering our faces, we moved quickly to 6th and got some water to rinse our eyes. We hung out at the 6th and Pike sit-in for a while, then roamed around a bit, checking out all the festivities. Every block was different. Some had sit-ins. Some had human chains. At least one block had a full stereo-setup for freestyle hip-hoppers and whoever else wanted the mic. We headed out at sunset, an hour before they started the full-on "reclamation" of downtown. Besides being downtown on November 30, I went down on December 2 to protest the "no-protest zone," and ended up at the King County Jail blockade, which was another great time. This time, no tear gas was fired and we left around 10 p.m. after negotiations to let Direct Action Network lawyers into the jail succeeded. (This means we negotiated to let prisoners talk to lawyers, a right they are supposed to already have.) Here's a humorous aside: for Christmas, my mother and her fiance gave me a gas mask. It was very funny, but very practical considering I had actually taken tear gas. All in all, it was a wonderful experience for me. I did gain a gas mask and a greater understanding and interest in trade issues, but I gained much more than that. I gained experience. I gained connections and friends. I gained encouragement and a little momentum. On top of it all, I gained a little more of that stick-it-to-the-man attitude -- a little more hope that David can put up a good fight and perhaps even whoop Goliath's ass. I hope you enjoy this issue of Oblivion. We're trying to move towards action writing -- articles that make you want to actually *do* something. So please, if you feel inspired, do something! Anything! ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Tinker vs. who? ------- - -- ---- - - -- by Jennifer Boccia -- - - ---- -- - ------- Oh, the joy of going to public school. Crowded hallways, inane rules, incompetent administrators ... and the immediate suppression of discontent. My school, like so many others, overreacted to the tragedy at Columbine and started making all sorts of absurd new rules in an attempt to at least *look* like they were doing something productive. Not only did they ban trenchcoats (as if that was going to accomplish anything), but they called in all the kids who normally wore them for a "talking to," even though most of them voluntarily decided not to wear them that week. Then the students who wore a lot of black clothing had that "talking to." And then they proceeded to make the entire student body feel like potential criminals, while ignoring what the students were trying to tell them -- if it happened to be contrary to what they wanted to hear. A group of my friends wanted to get the administrators to realize a very important point: This massacre was apparently committed because two very disturbed individuals felt alienated, singled-out, and picked on. Thus, trying to alienate, single-out, and punish those who seem "different'" was probably *not* a very intelligent course of action. At best, it's stupid, ineffective, and oppressive. At the worst, it's dangerous. They created an atmosphere of fear, of tension, and in the words of one teacher, "They've created a powder keg and they're sitting on it and they don't even know it." Since the school wasn't willing to listen to us, we decided to communicate in another way -- a peaceful, nonverbal demonstration. About 15 of us donned black armbands to protest the school's new policies, and to show our respect for the victims in Colorado. We chose this form of protest because we were familiar with Tinker vs. Des Moines, a landmark 1969 Supreme Court ruling that is one of the most important rulings for student rights in history. In Tinker vs. Des Moines, Mary Beth Tinker and Chris Eckhardt were suspended for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. After a four year court battle, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the students, saying that public school students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." We decided that armbands would be the form of protest least likely to be trampled on by the administration. After all, it was very clearly and very explicitly protected. While the Tinker case protects many more forms of student expression and student rights than just black armbands, we figured there was absolutely no way it could possibly be argued that it didn't cover the very thing the original case was sent to court to debate. We underestimated the stupidity of our school administrators. We were told to remove the armbands or be suspended. Since I thought something like that might happen (although certainly not as extreme), I had printed out a copy of the Tinker decision. I discussed it with the vice-principal, and then handed her the summary of the case to look over. She took it, turned in her chair and -- I kid you not -- ran it through the paper shredder. This wasn't the only example of the utter disrespect for (and ignorance of) the laws of this country I saw displayed. These people have told me that: * Columbine is worse than Vietnam; * they are not part of the government; * the Constitution does not apply to them; * the Tinker case gives them the right to forbid the wearing of black armbands; and * scissors are dangerous weapons. This leads me to believer that they are: * mind-bogglingly stupid; * unfit to be responsible for the education of a hamster, much less a human; and * on a power-trip. Being a good little girl who knew exactly what she was getting into, I began keeping careful dated and signed records of what happened. I showed up the next morning *with* my armband -- and was promptly suspended. I contacted the ACLU and after serving one day of my suspension, filed an appeal of the punishment. After waiting three weeks with no response, we went to the media. Word got out and things got interesting. Nothing like having your face plastered all over the TV to get the administration to finally pay attention to you. But while they were now paying attention to me, the school still refused to be reasonable. In fact, they made even more threats and insinuations. I was called into Principal Ira Sparks' office and told that my record would be cleared only if I admitted I was wrong in my conduct. On top of that, I would also have to promise not to talk to the media without first consulting the school administrators. When I *still* didn't give in, they seemed quite confused. (I suppose I'd be surprised too, if a sheep suddenly refused to be sheared, had me served with court documents, and made me the defendant in a well-publicized case.) Then it got even uglier. I very nearly started tearing out my hair at the sheer unmitigated stupidity, blatant lies, and pathetic attempts to cover their ass that followed. I won't even get into it -- it's a whole convoluted series of events that don't make any sense in any reality that I know of. To make a long story short, after realizing that I wasn't going to cave in, they settled out of court and agreed to have judgment entered against them on all counts. That was the only thing they *could* do, since we would have kicked their ass in court had it gone that far. In the end, I got to meet a lot of really great people, had a killer essay topic for my college applications, and even got an award named after me. And, I'm out of that school and getting ready to leave this whole town, so I'm absolutely delighted with the way things worked out. Now, this is the thing that still baffles me. Do they honestly think that by teaching kids to sit down, shut up, and not question the whims of authority any time there is a "crisis," that in 30 years we will still have a democratic society? People have fought and suffered and died for these rights, and I'm supposed to give them up because a petty school official threatens to suspend me? No thanks. Mine is not an isolated incident. In recent years, we've seen a rash of suspensions for Tinker-protected speech. Last Fall, the Wilson County School Board in Tennessee voted to institute mandatory school uniforms. In October, sophomore Cory Vinson was suspended for wearing an iron-on patch on that read "I miss my real clothes." His sister, eighth-grader Kista Vinson, was also suspended -- her iron-on read, "The board voted and all I got was this lousy uniform." In November, the ACLU of Louisiana filed a federal suit on behalf of Elizabeth Fisher, who was suspended from Parkway High School for wearing a *black armband* to protest her school's newly implemented uniform policy. Let's think for a moment about what us "kids" are being taught. Differing opinions are dangerous and must be silenced. Whenever possible, find a scapegoat. If there is a difficult situation that may require thought to actually *fix*, simply take any kind of action at all, no matter how ineffective, to show that you are "doing something." Then, proceed to ignore the real problem. Any "rights" that you may have exist in name only and can be suspended at the whim of any petty official. In any crisis, authority figures have unlimited power to do whatever they deem necessary. Once you give someone unlimited power, they do not relinquish it. This is what we are being taught. And there are a frightening number of people who will just accept whatever they are taught. This is dangerous. This is potentially more dangerous than all the psychotics with guns and bombs put together. For those of us who question, who don't accept blindly, it is our responsibility to challenge this propaganda, this brainwashing. The louder we speak and the more vehement we are, the better the chance that someone else will hear and question and speak. We will not go quietly into the night. We will not roll over onto our backs and play dead. We will not tie the blindfolds over our eyes, we will not play their games, and we will not worship them. When they say jump, we ask why. And we *are* the future, not the mindless sheep who troop blindly along wherever they are led. And that frightens them. Because they don't understand -- they're sheep in wolves clothing; scared to death of the lions in their midst. The complete text of Tinker vs. Des Moines School District can be found online at http://laws.findlaw.com/US/393/503.html -- it is case number 393 U.S. 503. ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- AOL blocks political information ------- - -- ---- - - -- by Susan Wishnetsky -- - - ---- -- - ------- On October 25, Internet service provider America Online (AOL) added its nineteen-millionth household to its list of subscribers worldwide. With the release of its latest version, AOL 5.0, each household may now include up to seven accounts -- a "master" account for the person who pays for the service, plus six sub-accounts for alternate nicknames or family members. So another 114,000,000 people worldwide could potentially be using AOL sub-accounts, which can be created, deleted, or edited at will by the "master" account holder. The "master" account holder can also apply parental controls to the sub-accounts. AOL provides four progressively restrictive parental control settings -- "General Access," "Mature Teens," "Young Teens," and "Kids Only" -- to let parents "take charge of their child's online experience to ensure it is safe, fun, and enriching." It allows parents to limit their children's email, control online chat, block instant message notes, prevent downloading of files and software, and restrict access to the World Wide Web. Parents might think that these controls block access to web sites of "hate groups," or those which contain pornography, sexual discussion, or extreme violence. What they may not realize is that parental controls also block web pages of American colleges and universities, government agencies, libraries, and major political parties. Yet they often do not block access to the sites of gun shops, beer distilleries, and some sexually descriptive material. I tested the parental control settings on October 23-24, 1999. The "mature teen" setting, suggested by AOL for 16-17 year olds, seems to function as it is described. It enables the online user to access, as far as I could tell, any site except those with explicit sexual material and images. When I attempted to explore the Web as a "young teen," I did not find the experience "safe, fun, and enriching" -- it was confusing, frustrating and disturbing. As a "young teen" (the category AOL suggests for people aged 13-15 years), I found practically no way to search the Web with search terms at all. Users may enter search terms into the space for URL addresses or into a small keyword search box, but almost every term searched that way yielded only the message "The keyword you entered was not found. Please check your spelling and try again." Those few terms that were acceptable all seemed to lead to sites set up by AOL. There is also a search screen entitled "AOL Find," which gives pretty much the same results. When I tried to open the search screen available to "mature teens" and adults, what appeared was the following message: WEB RESTRICTED You do not have access to this page as a result of the current Parental Control settings. To change or review the Parental Control settings, the master account holder must sign on, then visit the Parental Control area online. I was to view this message many times during my experiment. So as a "young teen," I was essentially unable to search the web by subject, and could only rely on links provided by AOL for news, entertainment, or information. To access anything else, a "young teen" must know or guess at the URL address of the web site they want to view. So I tried entering some URLs. I began by exploring the home site of Northwestern University. The home page was available, but the page for athletics at Northwestern was blocked. The links to the Law, Medical and Business schools were all blocked, but oddly, the page for the Dental School was accessible. On the University of Michigan site, the situation was similar; the Law School page was accessible, but the pages for Medicine and many other science departments (such as the Physics Department) were blocked. I further tested the "young teen" setting with a list of political sites from the Government Documents Department of the Ingram Library of the State University of West Georgia (http://www.westga.edu/library/depts/). Surprisingly, the page with this list was not blocked by AOL, so I was able to simply click on the links provided. With the "young teen" setting: * of the page's 33 working links to political parties, I was allowed to access 13 * of the page's 34 working links to "Non-Partisan Sites" such as the Federal Election Commission, Common Cause, Gallup Poll (not blocked), and the Center for Responsive Politics, the Food and Drug Law Institute, and Junior State of America (blocked), I was allowed to access 8 * of the 13 working links to "Media Sites & Publications" such as C-Span, Congressional Quarterly, and The Hill, I was allowed to access 6 * of the page's 162 links to "Political Action Groups" such as the AFL-CIO, Boycott Nike, and the Christian Coalition (not blocked), and the Alliance to Save Student Aid, Child Support Reform Network, and Students for a Better America (blocked), I was allowed to access 50 I was unable to figure out the possible criteria for blocking or permitting access to a site. Some sites, such as the ACLU web site (which includes articles on sodomy laws), are entirely accessible, perhaps because of the perceived clout of the organization and their perceived ability to challenge AOL's decision to block access. In other cases, the choices are mystifying. The site for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is accessible, but not the Center for Auto Safety. The site for Ozone Action is accessible, but not Save Our Sky. And sites for organizations primarily involved in youth rights activities, such as the National Youth Rights Organization, YouthSpeak, Peacefire, and Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions, were all blocked. Remember that this setting is recommended by America Online for people up to the age of 15, an age at which many young people might be expected to start considering colleges and universities, or becoming politically active. America Online seems to consider such activities inappropriate for 15 year olds. When I used the "kids only" setting, which AOL suggests for people aged 12 and younger, the library's web page with the list of links was no longer accessible, so I had to enter every URL manually. The results were even more limited: * of the 33 working links to political parties, I was allowed access to 9 (the Republican National Committee was permitted, but the Democratic National Committee was not!) * of the 34 working links to "Non-Partisan Sites," I was allowed access to 2 * of the 13 working links to "Media Sites & Publications," I was allowed access to 5 (but many articles were blocked on two of these) * of the 162 working links to "Political Action Groups," I was allowed access to 31 (but many internal links were blocked on 7 of these) The "kids only" setting is better than the "young teens" setting in one way: a search screen is available which actually permits kids to explore the Web using search terms. The search screen looks different from the screen provided for adults and "mature teens," with bright colors, bold block letters, and links to special AOL sites for kids. It does provide a space, however, to enter subject terms to search the Web. The results of those searches may be less than satisfying. The search for the term "bully," which yields 607 hits when performed by a "mature teen" or an adult, yields only 7 hits when searched by a "kid." The results are supposed to appear in order of relevance, and they do. The top item listed in this search is an excellent site from the UK on how kids and parents can deal with bullies. The second item listed is about bulldogs. And the rest of the "hits" go downhill from there. A "kid" interested in the topic of "curfew," which could easily serve as the subject of a school paper, will find one match when this search term is entered, a link to a citizen's handbook from the Parks and Recreation Department in College Station, Texas. An adult or "mature teen" entering this same term finds 162 matches. A search for the term "puberty," which yields 331 hits for adult or "mature teen" settings, yields one hit for a "kid" -- a link to an article on epilepsy medication. If a "kid" enters the term "drugs," 114 hits appear, which is quite a few, unless you compare it to the 10,716 hits that would have been found with the general or "mature teen" setting. The top match, which is supposed to be the most relevant, is a link to the "Drug-Free Children Program" of the Church of Scientology, which opposes the use of Ritalin and other prescribed medications. So in the world of AOL, a child's first search screen is in fact a toy search screen, designed to introduce the concept of searching the web without actually permitting the real searches to take place. The "kids only" search screen is like an "easy-bake" oven with a light bulb used for heat, or a toy tool set with plastic hammers and screwdrivers, which let kids pretend harmlessly, without actually doing any cooking or home repairs. Once a child is considered too old by AOL to merely pretend to search the Web, the toy is taken away, but nothing is put in its place! A "young teen" on America Online is no longer even allowed to use the kids' search screen, and must simply wait until the age of 16 to find the true wealth of information available online. This article originally appeared in the Nov./Dec. inaugural issue of Youth Truth. ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Newsbriefs ------- - -- ---- - - -- by Maria Gonzalez -- - - ---- -- - ------- January 11, 2000 Halifax, North Carolina Under a court-ordered settlement, the Halifax County School District must amend it's uniform policy to allow for religious exemption. They must also pay $30,000 in legal expenses for 9-year-old Aaron Ganues, who was twice suspended from school. Aaron's great-grandmother, a local preacher, believed the policy taught students to obey authority mindlessly, making them vulnerable to the devil. January 10, 2000 Leon, Kansas Sarah Boman, a 17-year-old honor roll student at Bluestem High School, was expelled for writing a poem from the point of view of a madman, angry over the death of his dog. In the poem, Boman wrote: "You know who killed my dog. I'll kill you if you don't tell me who killed my dog. Tell me who did it. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me." The school felt the work was "threatening" and gave her the boot. The ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri vowed to bring a court challenge if the punishment wasn't rescinded. December 6, 1999 Scottsburg, Indiana The Scottsburg School Board, in a effort to instill moral values in children, has proposed a plan to post a paraphrased version of the 10 Commandments, entitled the "11 Precepts," in public schools throughout the area. These precepts urge children to "Trust in God," "Respect authority," and "Honor your parents and family members." The Indiana Civil Liberties Union has asked the Board to back down from it's plan, saying the 11 Precepts promote religion, which is unconstitutional in a public school building. November 2, 1999 Dallas, TX Christopher Beamon, a 7th-grader at Ponder High School, was freed from jail after serving ten days for writing a Halloween story in which he killed several classmates and a teacher. Jan Beamon, Christopher's mother, hired an attorney and her son was released early. Christopher received an A+ on his essay, despite the concern it caused. October 22, 1999 Redmond, Washington Seventeen year old Mike Lavers, CTO of Matrixcubed Internet Services, was allowed admission to Comdex, the huge computer convention in Las Vegas. Originally, the young entrepreneur was denied admission because of his age -- under-18s aren't allowed into this high-tech mecca. Although Comdex made an exception for Lavers, their "no minors" policy is still in effect, shining as a symbol of their ageist ideals. ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Just another victim of post-Columbine hysteria ------- - -- ---- - - -- by Matt Hall -- - - ---- -- - ------- It all started with my birthday -- sweet sixteen -- definitely something to be excited about. I started a countdown. "Six days," I'd say. "Until what?" "Six days." My friends figured it out. Other people that don't know me too well -- and think I'm a psychotic, gun-toting maniac -- hypothesized that I would bomb the school or go on a shooting spree. Add to this the fact that my web page URL had been circulating around school, and suddenly I'm the new antichrist. Leave it to the school to nail me to a crucifix. My web site was a humorous look at everything bad. I had sections for sex, violence and foul language, as well as parodies, jokes and cartoons. Some of it was serious, like the essays on school violence. Some of it wasn't serious, like the pornography I censored or the giant rabbit eating the Quake character with a subtitle "Don't do drugs. This could happen to you." Some of it was downright tasteless, like the parodies I created for the "O.J. Simpson knife kit" or the Calvin Klein ad-spoof "Incest." Day five of the countdown, November 18. The principal called my father into the school for a meeting. He showed my father the web site -- not the whole site, just the parts that made me look really psychotic. According to the principal, the sex section was full frontal nudity and *he* had censored it. He showed him a few other pages, but mainly the sex section. My web site had nothing to do with my birthday countdown, but it was very incriminating when they misrepresented it to my father. I was called into the office. Suspended, they told me. As I sat in the office, they asked me outlandish questions such as, "Are you a member of any hate groups?" They also made remarks about my choice of dress, which is mostly black. Fine, I'll take your little suspension. To this day, no school administrator has come to me and asked, "Matt, what was the countdown all about?" Well, in case you're wondering, I was planning on bringing cake to school. Not a bomb, not a gun --cake. I guess they just don't like cake. Their joyride isn't done yet -- not by far. They've tasted blood and they want more. The police are called in. They go around interviewing people, most of who are not my friends. Of course the story they get is not in my favor. On Sunday, November 21, they come to interview me. "Look, I'm not talking to you until my attorney is present," I tell them. "Alright, I'll call around four tomorrow to find out who he is." Monday comes and 4 p.m. rolls around. Guess who shows up but none other than my good friends from the Keokuk Police Department, accompanied by the Lee County Sheriff's Office. They've got a court order stating that I am -- and I quote -- "believed to be severely mentally impaired and a possible harm to himself or others." They take me to mental ward at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. So I get an all expenses paid trip to a mental ward. Just what I always wanted. Thanks State of Iowa, I'll have to send a Christmas card. Tuesday, November 23 -- my birthday and also my first day in the mental ward. The doctors want to speak to me. I walk into their office and say, "You know, today is my birthday, I hope I get cake." "And what do you think will happen if you don't get cake?" he asks. Not even in the chair, and already he's started the analysis. I think it rather unfair, but oh well, this whole thing is rather unfair. I guess he wanted me to say something like, "I'll have to kill every person in this building until I do." But instead, I reply, "Oh, well. I guess I won't get cake." Because of Thanksgiving, my hearing isn't until Monday. What do I have to be thankful for? For being taken out of my home? For having to spend my birthday and Thanksgiving away from friends and family? For everyone thinking I'm insane? Judgement day. I'm transported back to my lovely hometown of Keokuk to stand before the judge. Good news, I'm not insane! Case dismissed. The school doesn't like that at all. They figured they would keep me locked up in Iowa City and never hear from me again. So they try once more to rid themselves of me. Expulsion is their game, and the rules are downright unfair. Picture this: a trial complete with prosecutors, defense lawyers, and a court stenographer. However, the school board is the judge, jury, and executioner. Nevermind the fact that their case was lies and hearsay. Nevermind the testimony from my friends and family saying I'm not a violent person. Nevermind the document stating I am not mentally ill. We're facing the school board here, and to not expel me would be saying they were wrong. That's not about to happen, is it? I lost my case. They expelled me for allegedly promoting fear and concern among the student body by spreading rumors and because my web site had bizarre content and I encouraged others to visit it. Oh well, I guess I get to sleep in. I haven't been to school since November 18. Where it goes now, I don't know. All I know is this paranoia has to end. Just because a few kids look to violence as a solution for their problems, doesn't mean we're all that way. Ever since Columbine, people have been on edge, looking at every kid wondering if he'll be the next one. Then they bust them, and get their fifteen minutes of fame for cracking down on a problem child before they were a problem. It's not the games. It's not the music. It's not the TV, the movies, or the Internet. No one listens to us. We've got problems, but no one to tell them to. Kids get picked on at school and they retaliate with guns. Whenever something bad like that goes down, everyone is quick to jump at the easy scapegoats, but too quick to realize that if they had sat down and talked with us about it, the problem might not have blown up like that. Since I'm already expelled, I guess it's okay to keep encouraging folks to visit my site: http://www.gatecity.com/~hall433/hate ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Letters ------- - -- ---- - - -- -- - - ---- -- - ------- Want some free t-shirts? ------- - -- ---- - - -- We're always interested in sponsoring teen zines. We're a teen apparel company. We may sponsor you with some of our products (tops, tanks, dresses, accessories, etc.) for you to give out as freebies or in contests, in exchange for you putting us on your banner or writing an intro of our company. Please email me if you find this idea interesting. Cathy Marketing ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hey Cathy, We're not really interested. We're not much for fashion. Thanks for the offer though. -- - - ---- -- - ------- Your buttons are causin' a ruckus ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hey, I thought you'd like to hear about some of the trouble your buttons have caused: "I am also proud to say that I wore the button that said: 'This uniform violates my rights,' which raised quite a few brows, plus a good talking to by the assistant principal, who told me not to wear it. I kept it on, and even wore it the next day. I then got another talking to. I was fed up with all this bull they keep giving me. I told them that they can't make me take it off because in the Student Code of Conduct/Bill of Rights book, it said that every student has the right to the freedom of expression, which in other words, is my button. I was then able to wear the button without any more 'talking to's' and influenced many other people to wear buttons. None were against the school or its dress code, but it still gave the children more power. I have also had many offers, so lets get a button maker, and we could make some money off of them." Liz Palmer BRAT http://www.brat.org/ ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hi Liz, Thanks for the letting us know about this trouble! Just in case you didn't know, we love BRAT! -- - - ---- -- - ------- Fungus bot from the Drop Out collective ------- - -- ---- - - -- hey oblivion kids! thanks for the trade! i read the whole zine the first i got it. i'm not sure what to say about it. the contents of the zine was amazing. you manage to cover a lot of the youth topics that need to be addressed. how many ppl are involved w/ oblivion? i'm part of the drop out collective and we only have a few ppl to work with. did you ever get dropout 7? i'll send you kids one if you haven't. if you can actually send one for drop out too, that would be great. oblivion would be a great addition to our zine library. here's one of my zines, breakdown. it's antischool so maybe someone would be interested. actually, i wanted to write for your zine. maybe i can do something abt school. take a look at it to see my writing style. hopefully it'll be fine. thanks. and be sure to keep in touch. fungus bot breakdown productions po box 188602 sacramento, ca 95818-8602 ce7in@antisocial.com ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hey fungus, Oblivion's the work of a core group of folks, with many more contributing art, writing, etc. You can find out more on the table of contents page. We're always looking for writers, so if you'd like to write for us, let us know or simply send an article in! -- - - ---- -- - ------- Big important typo in Oblivion 8 ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hi. In Oblivion 8, in the article about distribution, you put the prior review case as "Burch v. Baker" but it is actually "Burch v. Barker." No wonder I couldn't find anything about it online. The only way I found it was in my principal's copy of "Deskbook Encyclopedia Of American School Law." I was pleased to find out that it was a 9th circuit court ruling and not just a Washington ruling, so it's applicable up here in Alaska too. Chris Swasey ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hey Chris, Thanks for pointing that out. That is a rather important spelling error. Our bad! Remember all you zinester kids, Burch vs. *Barker* is the case you want to know if you plan on distributing your zine on campus. Read it, know it, distribute. -- - - ---- -- - ------- Aren't you just a cog in the machine? ------- - -- ---- - - -- Oblivion, Hello, i just got my issue of Oblivion today -- it's good. I just thought that I would tell you something. OK, so you are "angry" & you release your anger with Oblivion. Sure, that's productive & admirable in comparison to those that do nothing, *but* does it really _do_ anything? Obviously, there's millions of shit already in print on how school sux, govt. sux, etc. A lot is in the local library. Secondly, don't you contribute money to the nation's GDP (1,666 inches of paper must cost something). Also, I'm sure you pay taxes -- directly or indirectly -- somewhere in the production of Oblivion. Either way, you strengthen the very forces you are trying to weaken; namely those of _the government_. Don't you think that they love that? Yes, you're publication may annoy them a bit, but _that's all_, if even it does that. Your publication gives you the _illusion_ of freedom, but does anything actually change? No way man! Like Ted Kaczynksi wrote in his manifesto: you can do anything you want as long as it's not important. Obviously, the government doesn't give a fuck about youth rights & they never will if left to their own devices. You may try to show them how mature & reasonable you are by publishing as opposed to, let's say, terrorism. But either way, it's hopeless. Emma Goldman: "Easier to condemn than to think." Okay, so how about taking your anger one step further -- actually make your dreams and aspirations true! It's been done before & can be done again. Create your own high school! Show them that you have what it takes. It looks like Oblivion is well-organized with contacts here & there. Be an example to Amerika's youth: We beat the system! Otherwise, the more you whine & complain, the more helpless it looks. Also, there's something else that must be brought into consideration. Perhaps you like having a scapegoat to blame your problems on. Hitler always kept enough Jews here & there so that he could blame them for all his shortcomings. Of course, this is perhaps a too dramatic example, but keep it in mind. Umm ... I'm finished. I'm curious what your response is (if you have even read this far). You must think that I'm an idiot. Thanks for your time. Good luck on all your endeavors! Kacper Jarecki Brooklyn, NY ------- - -- ---- - - -- Kacper, First off, I don't think you're completely insane. You're correct, we do contribute to the gross domestic product. But despite individual ideologies, Oblivion isn't an anti-capitalism organization. We're not trying to weaken the government. We're trying to raise awareness of youth issues. The idea of creating your own high school is a good one. However, it's no better than publishing a zine. We occasionally get letters asking why we publish this youth shit when there's real issues out there -- a few recent ones being police violence and nuclear waste in space. That's bull shit. Police violence is a legitimate issue. So is space junk. So is youth rights. Your issue is not the only valid one. So, while I agree that creating your own high school is a good idea, I must disagree with your notion that publishing a zine is a bad idea. With Oblivion, we hope that some folks will get involved in something -- anything! I don't care if it's youth rights or saving the whales. Do _something_! And yes, you're Hitler comparison is way too fucking dramatic. We're not blaming society's problems on the Jewish religion. If a legislature passes an anti-youth law or a school suspends a kid for dying their hair, we should be able to call it out. It's not placing blame or scapegoating -- it's called accountability. Accountability is required of public officials. If I am paying your salary, I want to know that you're not making stupid decisions. Accountability differs considerably from blaming Jews. How about *you* create your own high school, then *we* can publicize it. It's a win-win situation. -- - - ---- -- - ------- Want a free vacation? ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hi Oblivion, My name is Kate Tucker, and I am the Marketing Director of an outdoor adventure company for teenagers in Golden, Colorado. We focus on learning leadership skills, building confidence and teamwork through camping, backpacking, rock climbing, kayaking, horseback riding, sailing, mountain biking and white water rafting adventures throughout the west, pacific northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Costa Rica and Europe. Summer 2000 is our 24th season! We would love to invite a writer to join our program to see what it's all about. Your teen readers will love what we have to offer. Please contact me for further information and to set an appointment to talk. Thanks, Kate ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hello Kate, Thanks for the interest in Oblivion, but I don't think such an article would fit in our zine. We focus mainly on politics and activism -- curfew laws, free speech issues, the juvenile justice system, etc. As much as we'd love a free vacation, it just wouldn't fit our theme. So again, thanks for the offer, but we must decline. -- - - ---- -- - ------- Tunisia lacks zines. Help! ------- - -- ---- - - -- Dear sir, I am a teacher of english at a secondary school in Tunisia. We lack english magazines which are very essential to pupils. Could you please send me some issues to my pupils to improve their english? Messaoudi Makram ------- - -- ---- - - -- Messaoudi, Damn! Mailing to Tunisia is expensive. I hope your students enjoy the zines! -- - - ---- -- - ------- Buttons good, profanity bad ------- - -- ---- - - -- Hello -- My name is Kelly and I am 15 years old. I appreciate the buttons and their meaning very much. I am known to as the "modern-day hippie" in my school, and I have to say, I wouldn't mind wearing those buttons, working against the establishment, and stickin' it to the man. *However, I do not* feel that "f** the curfew" is appropriate. I feel that this phrase, especially the use of profanity, would completely defeat the purpose, and go against the cause. Also, it truly offends me. Someone who wore that would not get much use out of it, because the establishment would force whomever wore it to take it off. Not only that, but those who saw it would not think highly of the hippie/nonconformist race. Thank you for your time. I hope you will consider my plea. God's Peace and Love -- Kelly/Billy Bob/hippie chick ------- - -- ---- - - -- Kelly, I understand where you're coming from. I generally prefer slogans sans profanity as well, but that's not to say profanity doesn't have it's place. Sometimes people feel like saying "fuck the curfew," and I say more power to them. If it offends you, I'd have to say too bad. A lot of things offend me -- the mall, the Super Bowl, that "God Hates Fags" guy. However, I don't think we should banish any of those. Diversity requires tolerance -- tolerance of things you find offensive. Without that, we might require fag-hating or, God forbid, all become hippie chicks. -- - - ---- -- - ------- Keep up the good work ------- - -- ---- - - -- I remember when I had to go look at the etext site to get old issues of oblivion; you are doing a kickass job. If I have anything intelligent to say ever I will contribute it. Again, thank you so much; you do a lot of good in simply getting this material out. Del efjohnson@ou.edu ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Women and children in Afghanistan ------- - -- ---- - - -- by Josh Gilbert -- - - ---- -- - ------- Afghanistan has experienced conflict, turmoil, and civil war since 1973, when King Zahir Shah was overthrown by his cousin, Mohammed Daud. With the communist coup and Soviet invasion of 1979, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan moved to prohibit traditional practices which were deemed feudal in nature, including forced marriage and bride price. Education was stressed for both women and men. Civil war continued along with serious human rights violations, forcing millions of people to flee Afghanistan. Soviet reforms were viewed by many Afghans as an imposition of western, un-Islamic values. In 1992, the pro-Soviet government collapsed and the power struggle continued, this time between the various factions and militias that controlled different territories throughout Afghanistan. Civilians were targeted in retaliatory attacks. Many women were raped and some kidnapped and sold into prostitution. Along with those wartime atrocities, many parts of the country forbid women from exercising fundamental rights they considered un-Islamic. In 1995, a group of fundamentalist Sunni Muslim called the Taleban swept through the country with military successes against rival factions. Today, the Taleban controls an estimated 90% of Afghanistan. Under Taleban rule, women have been barred almost completely from the workforce. The Taleban contend that "In spite of war condition in the country and with no work in the offices, the communist regime forced a large number of women to attend government offices only for their amusement." Though female health professionals were given special exemptions and allowed to work under strict guidelines, the state of women's healthcare has gone from bad to worse. Women are forbidden from working outside approved health care structures and segregation is a must. The Taleban forbid girls from attending school and shut down schools that taught girls. In June of 1998, they issued an edict ordering the closure of more than 100 private schools that were educating girls in defiance of the ban. Many of the home-based schools were run by international aid groups who said such education was vital to the rebuilding of Afghanistan. The head of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (DPVPV), however, accused the schools of spreading anti-Taleban propaganda. Home-schooling for girls would be allowed, they said, provided the girls are under the age of 8 and lessons are limited to the Koran. "These schools weren't just for children. They also included 14- and 15-year-old girls," said Religious Affairs Minister Haji Khulimuddin. Women must be completely covered. Completely. In order to "protect the honor, dignity, and personal safety of the women in Afghanistan," women must wear a veil over their face any time they are in public. Women who don't comply with these edicts are publicly ridiculed and beaten by members of the DPVPV. Women have been lashed on the back of the legs by Taleban guards for showing their ankles or wearing the wrong colour shoes. A women who ran a home school for girls was shot and killed in front of her husband, daughter, and students. A women who was caught trying to flee Afghanistan with a man that was not related to her was stoned to death for adultery. It's ironic that these laws are supposedly implemented to ensure the physical protection of women, yet being beaten for violating these laws is one of the biggest concerns for Afghan women. In another ironic twist, Afghanistan has become the second largest opium exporter in the world while the Taleban forbid drinking, smoking, and gambling. Selling opium is completely kosher to the Taleban, because according to their interpretation of Islamic law, using opium is forbidden, but selling it is not. This argument is dismissed by countless muslim groups and Iran has come to the brink of war with Afghanistan because of it's drug trafficking. Meanwhile, the human rights situation for men is not favourable either. The UN says that children as young as 14 are being used as soldiers in Afghanistan's long running civil war. Famine is widespread; the UN predicted a food shortage of 1.13 million tons by next year. Because of the drug trade, the best farming lands in Afghanistan go towards opium growing. Countless refugees are displaced because of the continued fighting. Anyone -- man, woman, or child -- accused of theft has their hands cut off, sometimes even whole limbs. It must be observed that such treatment of people -- women in particular -- is not the product of Islam. The situation arises from politics; religion is a guise. "Obviously, the Taliban's military prowess far exceeds their knowledge of Islam," said Dr. Hassan Hathout, Director of Outreach at the Islamic Center of Southern California. So what can you do about such atrocities going on so far away? Perhaps the most important thing is to write your government officials. In Canada, write to your member of Parliament and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the U.S., write to your representative and senators as well as the Secretary of State. Last October, U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright met with Taleban officials and offered more normal relations if the country expelled international terrorist Osama bin Laden. With regard to the status of women in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Albright said "I say it is criminal and we each have a responsibility to stop it." Urge her to stand firm on that and not to recognize the Taleban until such atrocities stop. Visit the Amnesty International Canada web site at http://www.amnesty.ca/library/1999/asa1111.htm for information. You can also visit the Women's Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan at http://www.wapha.org/. ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Pledge allegiance ... or else ------- - -- ---- - - -- by Ben Livingston -- - - ---- -- - ------- It happens over and over and over again. A student abstains from saying the Pledge of Allegiance and they're reprimanded. Over and over and over again, schools reverse their decisions after hearing from the American Civil Liberties Union or after being taken to court. The Supreme Court weighed in on the matter nearly 60 years ago, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943). In that case, the Court ruled that students could not be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. "Words uttered under coercion are proof of loyalty to nothing but self-interest," the Court wrote. "Neither our domestic tranquillity in peace nor our martial effort in war depend on compelling little children to participate in a ceremony which ends in nothing for them but a fear of spiritual condemnation. If, as we think, their fears are groundless, time and reason are the proper antidotes for their errors. The ceremonial, when enforced against conscientious objectors, more likely to defeat than to serve its high purpose, is a handy implement for disguised religious persecution. As such, it is inconsistent with our Constitution's plan and purpose." Previously, in Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940), the Court ruled that Lillian and William Gobitis, aged twelve and ten, could not be expelled for not reciting the pledge because their religious beliefs forbid them from pledging allegiance to anything but God. The Barnette case went further than the Gobitis case. It didn't rule specifically on religious exemption. The Court ruled that abstaining from the pledge constituted an act of dissent infringing on the rights of no other individual, and as such, was exactly the sort of speech -- or lack thereof -- protected by the First Amendment. "We think the action of the local authorities in compelling the flag salute and pledge transcends constitutional limitations on their power and invades the sphere of intellect and spirit which it is the purpose of the First Amendment to our Constitution to reserve from all official control." An unknown number of students are reprimanded every year for not saying the Pledge of Allegiance. They may receive detention, be sent to the principal's office, be suspended, or face other such punishment. The American Civil Liberties Union knows the issue all to well. It seems that within the first week of every new school year, they're taking on yet another Pledge of Allegiance case. In Washington State, the first case of the year came in Elma, where a sophomore refused to stand for the pledge during an assembly and was subsequently suspended. He was told by his principal that not only did abstaining disrupt the educational process, but that the Supreme Court had ruled all public school students must stand during such a flag exercise. Sorry! Wrong answer. The good news is that students who contest their punishments almost always win. In this particular case, the ACLU of Washington contacted the school and gave them the details on the real Supreme Court rulings. The student was allowed back in school the next morning and the suspension was removed from his record. So remember, you do not have to pledge your allegiance to the flag. You do not have to stand up while others are pledging their allegiance to the flag. If you want to stand or recite the pledge, that too is your right. If others attempt to force you to recite the pledge, stand your ground and attack them with Barnette and Gobitis. The Gobitis case can be found at http://laws.findlaw.com/us/310/586.html and is case number 310 U.S. 586. The Barnette case can be found at http://laws.findlaw.com/US/319/624.html and is case number 319 U.S. 624. ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- Reviews ------- - -- ---- - - -- by Heather Kolowinski -- - - ---- -- - ------- Breakdown #4 $1 or stamps PO Box 188602 Sacramento, CA 95818-8602 It's hard to say if this would classify as a zine ... or a book. This wonderfully packaged little zine is crammed full of solid information about the ifs, ands, and why's of dropping out of school. There's a huge list of web sites and related zines to further your studies if you think school is nothing more than a pain in the ass. Learn about self teaching and the "nice things about not going to school" such as sleeping in, thinking for yourself, and peeing whenever the desire hits. ------- - -- ---- - - -- Chumps On Parade $1 or trade PO Box 6647 Grand Rapids, MI 49516 http://www.freespeech.org/chumps/ chumpsonparade@hotmail.com Finally, out of nowhere -- otherwise known as Grand Rapids, Michigan -- comes a zine I can relate to that just makes me stand up and say, "Hell yeah!" Chumps On Parade was formed through forced censorship by school authorities, and social unrest. This snappy looking zine features articles covering important issues like gay rights, character vs. appearance, swearing in public schools, and television censorship. Also included, but not so imperative to the betterment of humanity are comics, games and even a fun-filled trip to the mall. If the writers of C.O.P. ever show up in Washington they should be sure to look us up. These are some cool catz. All they need now is to learn how to staple their zines together in such a fashion that they can easily be read. ------- - -- ---- - - -- Teenage Revolution $1 3149 Windwood Drive Mississauga, ON L5N 2K4 Canada http://www.oblivion.net/htp/ heretitleplace@iname.com Here Title Place is dead, and to mark the occasion, they've created this one-shot zine. It serves both as a "Best of Here Title Place" and a guide to publishing an underground school paper. This is a great zine. If you've ever thought about publishing an underground paper, get it! It covers many of the issues you'll face, from paper size to anonymity. You'll also get ideas on content from the best zine -- hell, the best anything -- ever to come out of Canada. ------- - -- ---- - - -- Q.U.E.E.R Zine Free PO Box 52812 New Orleans, LA 70152-2812 khwerrouge@hotmail.com As much as the title leads you to believe this zine is all about gay times, it's only half true. Mostly you'll find a kid in Louisiana who's bored and frustrated with society and just wants to have his voice heard. A particular highlight was the page on how to destroy a family by whispering things into the ear of a little child and saying, "Go tell this to mom." ("Do you bleed a lot when daddy has his special time with you too, mommy?" ... or ... "How big is Jesus under the white cloth?") You'll find a couple lengthy interviews and many many reviews of music, movies, and zines. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood. ------- - -- ---- - - -- Kid's Korner February 1999 $20 subscription for 12 issues (CH/MO) PO Box 760 Logansport, LA 71049 This zine claims to be packed with family-oriented information and supportive articles for divorced couples. Contests, news, and ads. After reading it cover to cover I was left with a dull, fuzzy feeling of nothingness. Honestly. One article talked about the percentage of households in America that keep and dry their flowers. Another was a barely-held-together, incoherent letter from some lady trying to convince herself of her own worth and happiness after finding God after a divorce from her drunken husband -- all the while it being quite evident that she wasn't coping well with reality. Maybe the fact that I'm not a family-oriented, God-fearing individual has something to do with my disinterest in this ad -filled zine. ------- - -- ---- - - -- Youth Truth, January/February 2000 $2 PO Box 11358 Chicago, IL 60611-0358 http://www.asfar.org/zine/ info@asfar.org With the second issue of Youth Truth, Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions (ASFAR) has shown they can publish on a regular, scheduled basis, which is perhaps the most amazing thing any zine can accomplish. The articles are interesting, though they read more like essays written for a debate class. It's obvious these folks are interested in political science, and well they should be -- ASFAR is a political organization. This heavy-paper newsletter covers Mosaic 2000, that killer-kid-finding software; the "for the children" excuse; gulag schools; the South Park movie; and the anti-child bias of childrens' advocacy groups. ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - --- The back bytes, skillet ------- - -- ---- - - -- -- - - ---- -- - ------- Copyright ------- - -- ---- - - -- Everything in Oblivion is copyright by the individual contributor. Ask first. -- - - ---- -- - ------- Useless information ------- - -- ---- - - -- We say Oblivion is published quarterly -- even though that's a lie. We're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Nobody makes money from this. We're poor, but we've still got mad angst. Subscriptions to Oblivion are $10 for 4 issues or $5 if you're poor. We accept cash, checks, money orders and stamps. We accept donations, and those donations are tax-deductable. Everything herein can be found on our web site along with much, much more. We enjoy all kinds of zines. We only review zines that focus on youth issues. We haven't reviewed music, but we might if it's particularly relevant to youth. The same goes for movies and everything else. We are open to sponsorship, an idea we stole from BRAT magazine. We won't run ads for your breakthrough acne cream and we don't give a damn about the Levis/Mod Squad cross-marketing campaign you're running. Don't even bother asking us. We are, however, open to sponsorship from people who don't simply want to sell worthless crap to kids. If you're cool, we'll trade space for money. If not, fuck off. We don't need your money. We're always looking for writers and distributors. Writers get free shell accounts on our server, oblivion.net. Contact us! -- - - ---- -- - ------- Selected review quotes ------- - -- ---- - - -- "I must say these young whippersnappers make sense even to an old fogy like me." -- The Parenting Review #6 "This zine will definitely make you angry, and if you're still in school, should make you angry enough to get involved and hopefully change the bullshit policies that students everywhere are forced to endure." -- Funhouse #8 "It's great because these kids are angry and trying to figure out how to change things." -- Maximumrocknroll #197 "Oblivion succeeds at giving us youth who give a fuck about our rights a voice, while keeping it interesting for those that don't." -- energy suicide #1 "If you're in high school, you need to read this." -- Ralph Recommends #51 -- - - ---- -- - ------- Things we like ------- - -- ---- - - -- Zines: typograpunx, Book of Letters, Here Title Place Tunes: A New Found Glory, Me First and Gimme Gimmes, Radiohead -- - - ---- -- - ------- Houston, we have contact ------- - -- ---- - - -- PO Box 95227 Seattle, WA 98145-2227 Web: oblivion.net Email: oblivion@oblivion.net Submissions: nemo@oblivion.net ------- --- - - ------ - - ------ ---- --- - ------ --- ------- - - -- - - --- ------- ---- -- --- - --- ----- ---- - ---- ----- -- ---- --- - EOF