Date:  4 May 2001 04:46:40 MDT
From: Joe Black <revolt.news-AT-usa.net>
Subject: Organised anarchist mailing list


With the anti-anarchist hysteria of May Day over
anarchists who are interested in discussion about
long term organising may like to join the Organise
list.  The list has a posting protocol to reduce
the number of low value postings.  Please
read this and list statement (below) before
you ask to join.

There are 330+ anarchists on Organise from
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Columbia, 
Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, 
Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, 
Norway, Pakistan, Philippenes, Poland, Portugal, Russia, 
South Africa, Costa Rica, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, 
USA, Zambia, Denmark, Puerto Rica, Bolivia and Iceland. 
------

Organise

This is a private, invitation-only list run by 
dedicated "class struggle anarchists" (libertarian 
socialists, anarcho-syndicalists, and anarchist 
communists). To join read the statement below and 
mail revolt-AT-newmail.net if you agree with it 
saying "I agree, please subscribe me to organise"

******* Organise list statement ********

 Organise is a private e-mail list created in 1995  by a 
number of active class struggle anarchists  looking for 
a space to hold discussions that were  open only to 
class struggle anarchists and where that space was not 
the property of any one organisation. Everyone on the 
list considers themselves to be an anarchist, anti-
capitalist, recognises the need for revolution and 
recognises the need for anarchist organisations.  
Anarchist in this context means list subscribers must 
self-  indentify as anarchists, not sympathetic leftists  
interested in learning about anarchism.  Anti- 
capitialist implys list members oppose ALL forms  of 
private ownership of the means of production,  
including state/party ownership and all forms of  petty 
bourgeois proprietorship.  Revolution in this context 
means the abolishment of state and corporate power 
by the active insurrectionary efforts of the working 
class, not the creation of "Temporary Autonomous 
Zones" or other personal  revolutions.  The need for 
organization implys  that list members are active or 
aspiring members of either anarchist organizations, 
or  organizations pursuing goals congruent with  
anarchism. The list is also limited to those who do 
not have faith in political parties and the electoral 
system as meaningful instruments of social change, 
and who believe that reformism is a [bourgeoisie] 
tactic that has no place in radical thinking.  Thus 
members do not believe that stateless socialism will 
ever be produced  from above by electoral politics, and 
are not  members of political organizations that do.  In  
addition "reformism" (the notion that capitalism  can 
be slowly reformed into socialism) is rejected.  While 
organise members will certainly fight for reforms 
within the system, members  reject joining the State 
or any of its coercive  institutions to "undermine 
capitalism from  within" as a failed social democratic 
strategy.  Finally "class struggle" implys an active 
struggle  of the working class against the ruling class 
in  the real world.  Hence absolute pacificists do not  
qualify for list membership, nor do primitivists  who 
believe the primary struggle is against technology 
rather than capital. Anarchists also reject any attempt to 
limit the freedom of individuals. Therefore those who 
engage in racism, sexism, homophobia, or who support 
restrictions on the freedom of individuals to control their
 own health and fertility (including the freedom of women 
to seek an abortion) are not welcome on this list.

The exact focus of the list beyond this is open. 
Practical activity can be organised or theoretical 
differences can be discussed. Advice can be sought 
from other comrades on how to organise specific 
things or indeed how to organise in general. 
Everyone should feel they have a right to post to 
the list and to ask any questions providing its 
within the guidelines above. [In general comrades 
should not discuss seriously illegal activity as 
some list members are in countries with very 
restrictive conspiracy laws, such discussion might 
leave them open to prosecution or victimisation].

This is a list for all class struggle anarchists 
regardless of organisation. In the real world 
arguments exist between different organisations 
and individuals. It is acceptable to discuss these 
here _but_ such discussions should not include 
insults or unsubstantiated accusations. In 
particular the practise of calling list members 
'racists', 'middle class', 'authoritarian' or 
'collaborators with the state' is frowned on as 
only being disruptive. Flame wars do no one any 
good and will just demoralise new participants and 
discredit all those who participate.

You should not cross-post to Organise! with other 
lists or forward mail to Organise! from other 
lists unless it is of extreme importance. Also you 
should _never_ forward someone else's mail from 
Organise to any one else.

We have had problems in the past with people 
joining who don't really agree with these 
guidelines. This has resulted in a lot of list 
disruption. So now we ask for a clear statement 
before sending people subscription information
If you are a class struggle anarchist and agree 
with the list statement above then mail 
revolt-AT-newmail.net just saying "yes I agree, 
I'd like to subscribe".

If you more or less agree but want to discuss it 
then mail revolt-AT-newmail.net just saying "yes 
I agree, I'd like to subscribe but..." and we'll 
discuss it with you.  Tell us where you disagree!

---
More information about the list can be found at
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/org_list.html



----

Posting Protocol for Organise

As the Organise list attracts new members there is a growing need to  
ensure that the volume of posts to the list remained low (and of high 
quality).  This is important because many people on Organise have to 
pay for their email and only have limited time in which to read it.  In 
particular email outside of the USA and parts of Western Europe tends 
to be both slow and expensive and we particularly want to maintain the 
participation of comrades from these countries.  A high volume of mail 
can drive them off the list (See the note at the end for an illustration
of the problem)

To achieve all this the following protocols for posting to Organise has 
been drawn up.  Although  there are sanctions for people who 
consistently break them we would hope that it will not be  necessary to 
apply these and that people will follow these protocols out of respect for 
their comrades on  the list.

1.  There is to be no flaming on Organise!, that is  no personal attacks 
on other Organise! members.   This includes suggesting that someone 
should not be on Organise!  Where you feel this to be the case you  
should email anyone in the Organise Administration group outlining 
why you believe this to be the case.   You will then be included along 
with the person named in an off list discussion with the OA group to 
resolve this issue.  (You are free to flame off list if you wish.)

2.  No post is to be sent to Organise with a content where quotations 
from previous posts makes up 50% or more of the text.  In general we 
would encourage replies in an essay format.  Do not quote the previous 
message at the bottom of your reply, edit it out .Do not send messages 
simply saying 'I agree' (or the equivalent) to the list.

3.  Do not send more then one post on any one subject to Organise in 
any twelve hour period.  Do not send more then three posts to Organise 
in total in any twelve hour period.  Obviously this does not apply to 
genuine emergencies.

4.  Do not send announcements, posts or articles to Organise that are 
available elsewhere on the web or have been sent to other mailing lists.  
We recommend you send announcements, articles etc to the anarchist 
news service a-infos.  We also recommend that all Organise list 
members subscribe to that service.  To subscribe send the message 
'subscribe a-infos' to lists-AT-ainfos.ca. To send an article to a-infos mail a-
infos-AT-a-infos.ca.  As of Jan 2000 A-infos had about five times more 
subscribers then Organise and you should assume that anyone who can 
handle the mail volume for news is subscribed to both lists.  Others can 
check the a-infos web page

A infos has a web page that shows all the articles recently sent to it at 
www.ainfos.ca

Where you wish to generate discussion around an article you are free to 
post the URL and a brief summary of the article along with an offer to 
forward the entire article to any individual requesting it.

5.  The existing points in the Organise list statement are also considered 
to be part of this protocol.

 Sanctions:

The Organise Administration OA group shall administer sanctions 
against those who consistently  break this protocol.  Any member of 
Organise is encouraged to become a member of this group by  emailing 
any of the existing members and asking to be added.  In all the cases 
below anyone being  sanctioned who feels they are being unfairly 
treated  should immediately appeal to OA in general. [You can do this be 
emailing org_admin-AT-flag.blackened.net]

The OA group is considered to 'own' the Organise list as it puts in the 
work required to create the  space in which Organise operates.

The severity of sanctions accumulate to expulsion from the list.  With all 
warning it should be pointed out that the full text of sanctions and 
protocol are available on the Organise web page at 
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/org_list.html

1. On the first breach of protocol the person is privately emailed and the 
specific problem pointed out.  The OA list is CCed with a copy of this 
post.

2. On the second breach of protocol the person is emailed on Organise 
and the specific problem pointed out.  It is also pointed out that they 
have already been warned.

3. On the third breach of protocol the person is unsubscribed from 
Organise.  After one week they can reapply by indicating they agree 
with the list statement as per any new member.  A post to Organise 
explains the specific problem.  It is also pointed out that they have 
already been warned twice.

4. On the fourth breach of protocol the person is unsubscribed from 
Organise until they send an apology for their behaviour for submission 
to the list.  A post to Organise explains the specific  problem and 
includes this document.  It is also pointed out that they have already 
been warned three  time.

5. Any further breaches result in the person being unsubscribed 
permanently from Organise.

6. If the behaviour involves a breach of the Organise list statement that is 
obviously incompatible with anarchism then OA may immediately apply 
(4) above.  This can only occur for very blatant breaches e.g. 
subjectively racists, sexist or pro-capitalist statements or for attempted  
sabotage (e.g. mail-bombing) of the list.

7.  When this protocol is first agreed and on the 1 Jan of each year after 
the record of breaches 1-4 will be deleted and everyone will start with a 
clean slate.

In enforcing all these stages any list maintainer (password holder) can 
apply these sanctions _but_  this decision can be overturned by a vote of 
OA in which case they have to apologise to the person  concerned on 
Organise.  Any list maintainer (password holder) can also be directed to 
apply a sanction by OA even where they personally do not agree with it 
(They may state their disagreement).

----

As this protocol was being revised (Jan 2000) one org_admin
member provided the following as a way of illustration
for why it is needed

"I do not have the exact figures, but approximately:

Yearly Internet connection (that is what is paid to a 
"servidor" or server, apart from telephone bills) in 
at least one African country is superior to the 
yearly minimum wage. 

Westerners travelling in countries like India can easily
find fax/Internet shopfronts (like the European 
cybercafe but without the nonsense) in which they can 
have Internet access to read and send  mails on URL 
postings. This only costs them a dollar or two. 
But a  dollar or two in many of those countries are 
several hours or days' wages.



******************************
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