Science for the People Magazine Vol. 3, No. 1
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BI-MONTHlY PIIBL/CAT/0}/ OF SCIENT15T5 AN{) ENGINEERS FO~ SQCIAL AI(O P~LITICAL ACT/()#. 5 E5 PA. FEB 1971 LOCAL SESPA ADDRESSES ACTIONS AT PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEETINGS Plan and participate in actions at the BERKELEY Box 4161, Berkeley, Cal. 94704 following meetings: BOSTON Box 59, Arlington Heights, Mass. 0217 5 *** National Science Teachers' Association Washington, D.C. March 28 BOULDER c/o Jane Bunin, Sunshine Canyon Road, Contact: George Hein(617) 969-6527 Salina Star Rte, Boulder, Colo. 80302 AI Weinrub (617) 491-4837 NSTA Action Committee, CIDCAGO c/o Bob Ivano, 6850 S. Oglesby Ave. Box 59, Arlington Heights, Mass. 02175 Chicago, Illinois 60649 *** Institute of Electrical & Electronics CLEVELAND c/o David Nichols, Interdisciplinary Engineers, New York City I Studies in Social Science, CWRU, March 22-25 Cleveland, Ohio 44106 Contact: IEEE Action Committee, Box 59, Arlington Heights, Mass. 02175 DETROIT c/o William J. Steffy, 1279 West Forest, Detroit, Michigan 48201 *** American Chemical Society Los Angeles, Mar-ch 28-April 2 Contact: Baz Gris (617) 547-0998 ITHACA c/o AI Ferrari@ The Glad Day Press, Chemists' Action Committee, 308 Stewart Ave., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Box 59, Arlington Heights, Mass. 02175 LOS ANGELES L.A. S.E.S.P.A. Box 368 *** Spring Joint Computer Conference Canoga Park, California 91306 Atlantic City, May 18-20 30,000 people expected to attend. MADISON c/o Bob March, Dept. of Physics, Univ. Action, demonstrations against war, of Wisconsin, Madison, Wise. 53706 racism and the misuse of technology. Contact: Computer People for Peace, NEW YORK c/o David Kotelchuck, 49 W. 96th St. Dolphin Center, 137 W. 14th St. Apt. 53, New York, N. Y. New York, N.Y. 10011 c/o Rod Wallace, Pupin Lab, Columbia or phone Paul (212) 675-8490 Univ., New York, N.Y. 10027 NORTHFIELD c/o Mike Casper, Dept. of Physics, Carleton College, Northfield, Minn. 55057 OSSINING c/o Ed Walker, Spring Valley Road, I Ossining, New York 10562 PIDLADELPHIA c/o Peter Sterling, Dept. of Anatomy, Univ. of Penn., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104 ST. LOUIS c/o Jeffrey Schevitz, Dept. of Sociology EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE: Alphabet, Britta Fischer, Washington Univ., St. Louis, Mo. 63130 Baz Gris, Jim Moore, Penelope, John Walsh. CONTRIBUTORS: David Kotelchuck, Stuart Newman, WASH, D.C. c/o Mike Marchetti, 4004 N. Fifth St. Chicago NUC People's Science Collective, Herb Fox, Arlington, Virginia 22203 Jane Contreas, The Boston Travellers. WORCESTER c/o Jim Blaut, Grad. School of ERRATUM: We apologize for having accidently Geography, Clark Univ., Worchester, omitted AI Weinrub's initials and for other typographic Mass. 01610 al errors in "A History of the AAA$" in Science for the People, Vol. II, No.2, Dec. 1970. 2 Science for the People -ABOUT T-ltiS ISSUE The AAA$ meetings have come and gone. They re ceived front-page coverage-usually with photos-in the establishment press largely because of our actions. The second-rate scientific talks and panel discussions-admitted to be second-rate even by AAA$ organizers-certainly were nothing to write home about. But witches, stabbings and indictments were. So Science for the People received much mention, but statements of our purpose and the critical analysis which we presented was almost systematically left READ CAREFULLY! THIS MESSAGE out, We are, of course, not surprised. That's objective MAY APPLY TO YOU. FROM HERE journalism in the service of profit. ON IN WE WILL HAVE TO START But many of you, members and readers, may be REMOVING FROM THE MAILING appalled at the caricature of Science for the People portrayed LIST PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT SUB in the press. Therefore, we are devoting a major part of this SCRIBED. issue to describing and analyzing the events and reprinting what we communicated to the AAA$ audiences. Since each issue is put out by a different collective, we don't know what is going to be in the April issue. But there are working groups on radical ecology, the teaching of science, income distribution among scientific workers, people's science as a strategic concept, organizing of scientific workers in St.Louis. We expect reports on actions at the American Physical Society and National Science Teachers' Association meetings. There are also papers and communications that we have already received and we would like to encourage all of our readers to submit more materials. TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 ACTIONS AT PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEETINGS 3 ABOUT THIS ISSUE 4 SESPA MEMBER PERSECUTED FOR ANTI-WAR WORK 4 MORE READINGS 5 LETTERS TO THE EDITORS 6 SESPA TELLS IT LIKE IT IS: OPENING STATEMENT AAA$ 1970 8 CHICAGO '70 AAA$ ACTIONS: REVIEW AND CRITIQUE 10 STRANGELOVE AWARD 12 INDICTMENT OF SEABORG FOR CRIME OF SCIENCE AGAINST THE PEOPLE 13 HERBICIDE OR GENOCIDE - WHICH CIDE ARE THEY ON 14 PEOPLE'S SCIENCE 21 MAJ 0 RITY VIEW 23 PEOPLE'S PEACE TREATY 24 ACTIONS AT POLAROID 26 BLACK REVOLUTIONARY SCIENTIFIC WORKER JAILED WITHOUT BAIL February 1971 3 SESPA MEMBE" MORE READINGS PERSECUTED Two excellent articles have come to our attention since the last issue: -F-0~ ANTI-WA~ 1) Michael Reich and David Finkelhor, "Capitalism and the Military-Industrial Complex: The Obstacles to Conversion" in URPE Review, Vol.IV, No.2, Fall1970, wo~~ quarterly publication of the Union of Radical Political SESPA/S~ience for the People is proud that among Economists. This article argues-with plenty of data-much those whose effectiveness in the antiwar movement was the same position as that presented in "Unemployment of commended by the frame-up indictments for allegedly Scientists and Engineers" in Science for the People, Vol.II, plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger and blow up govern No.4, December 1970. ment buildings is William Davidon of Haverford College, 2) Michael Wallace, "The Uses of Violence in Ameri Pa. Bill, a courageous anti-war activist and member of can History" in The American Scholar, Vol.40, No.I, SESP A, was cited as co-conspirator in the outrageous and Winter 1970-71. This article is a very readable analysis of grotesque indictments that shocked the country when they institutionalized violence and its patterned changes. It were handed down on January 12, 1971. Bill is in good places the repressive role of the police in historical perspec company with several of the most morally courageous act tive. ivists of the antiwar movement, including nuqs, Beverly Racism is a fundamental fact of American life, both in Bell, and Marjorie Shuman, and priests, Daniel and Philip the sense that it is an integral part of the structure that we Berrigan. The indictment's objective was described by the privileged scientific workers have enjoyed and in the sense Berrigan brothers as being "a simple but deadly one - to that the rising militant reaction to the long history of oppres destroy the American peace movement." Fear not bro sion has helped to reveal to us our own oppression and in thers Berrigan, the movement doesn't depend on "leaders". spired us to struggle. Davidon is among several SESPA people and other activist scientific workers whose effectiveness has been Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880 by honored by harassment, indictments, or jailings. Clark W.E.B. DuBois is a thorough study of the historical role of Squire, computer programmer, and Curtis Powell, biochem racism in American capitalism. ist, presently awaiting trial in New York under indictments The Autobiography of Malcolm X is by now a classic against the Panther 21, have appeared in the pages of Sci work and a must for anyone who wants to understand the ence for the People. John Froines, chemist, is one of the roots of black consciousness and actions today. Chicago Conspiracy 8. A disciplinary pay docking was imposed on Charlie Schwartz, physicist of Berkeley SESPA. The Ideology of the Black Panther Party, a pamphlet Deborah Solomon, biologist, and others of N.Y. SESP A by Eldridge Cleaver portrays the blacks as the vanguard of were arrested in connection with actions at Riverside Re the vast mass of black and white unemployed who are cast search Institute. Many of our industrially employed members out by an increasingly technological society and who are un are being harassed and several have lost their jobs. able to be integrated because capitalism by its nature does A resolution submitted to the AAA$ in December not liberate workers by its technology but enslaves them. calling for a defense fund for such persons was rejected with B.F. no discussion. But large numbers of scientific workers, by affirming their own commitment to action, are coming to the defense of these persons. The attempts at repression and the inaction of such unrepresentative groups as the AAA$ council are only clarifying to these scientific workers and others that these are but the death rattles of decaying insti tutions. We call on you SESPA members and all scientific workers to demonstrate your solidarity with our persecuted brothers by increasing your efforts in political struggle. Organize at the workplace. Have meetings to discuss the persecution of blacks, the persecution of the antiwar activists and of your own misuse, and the rise of unemployment among all workers. Encourage your fellow workers to par ticipate in antiwar activities as a group. Demand the oppor tunity to make your science serve the people. H.F. 4 Science for the People Dear SESPA, I have recently returned from the AAAS meeting in LETTERS TO THE EDITORS Chicago where I was quite favorably impressed by Science for the People activities, to the extent that I found my self participating in several of the actions. I plan to see what I can do toward organizing SESPA activities in Detroit.