Slingshot is an independent, radical, newspaper published in Berkeley since 1988.
Once again, we created the paper using the “Slingshot miracle.” A week ago at the article deadline, there were barely three of us. If we had been sensible, we would have postponed the issue or just quit. But luckily, we aren’t very sensible. Something told us that if we kept pretending the issue would happen, a huge crew of people we hadn’t even met yet would show up at the last minute and make the paper possible — and that’s just what happened.
It got us thinking about the way we struggle to change society in general. Is rebellion waiting right below the surface, but we’re all collectively too sensible to just make it happen? If you look around, things seem pretty doomed — wars, government repression, huge corporations, and the ho-hum grind of capitalist business as usual — everyone going to work to make the rich more powerful, all the while killing the planet — endless chainstores, boring jobs and freeways filled with cars speeding in every fucking direction.
But when we briefly throw off our chains, to our surprise, people join in. Rather than the world being filled with faceless robots content with their cubicles, we are overjoyed to discover so many others who share our yearning for freedom — for a life much more intense and meaningful than TV, the internet, and material possessions. If we want a new world, we have to dare to try — trusting that we won’t end up alone.
• • •
There are so many articles we wanted to include in this issue that aren’t here. It doesn’t seem right to publish a radical paper without denouncing the Iraq war, yet there are only so many ways to say the same thing — we marched in the streets before the war started, and it only gets more obvious each passing day what a fraud and a disaster it has been. The war shows how hopeless it is to work within the system — the Democrats and the liberal media may say they no longer like the war, but they’ve never done shit to stop it, and they never will. From the war to torture to global warming to so many other crimes — the US empire is rotten to the core and sooner or later, it will collapse into dust. We look forward to laughing and spitting on its fucking grave!
More missing articles: while we made the paper, tens of thousands marched in Jena, Louisiana to decry racism. Locally, the cops bulldozed the compost bins and another free clothing box in Berkeley’s People’s Park. If the cops don’t like compost in bins in a park, maybe they would prefer our rotting vegetables in the streets?
Slingshot is always looking for new writers, artists, editors, photographers, translators, distributors & independent thinkers to make this paper. If you send something written, please be open to being edited.
We need to find a new waxer for layout — if you know what that is and have one, please donate it!
Editorial decisions are made by the Slingshot collective, but not all the articles reflect the opinions of all collective members. We welcome debate and constructive criticism.
Thanks to all who made this: Astrogirl, Compost, Dwight, Eggplant, Glenn, Hefty Lefty, Hunter, Kathryn, Kevin, Kerry, Micah, Moxy, PB, rugrat, Sue, Suzie and Taiga.
Slingshot New Volunteer Meeting
Volunteers interested in getting involved with Slingshot can come to the new volunteer meeting on Sunday, November 25 at 4 p.m. at the Long Haul in Berkeley (see below).
Article Deadline and Next Issue Date
Submit your articles for issue 96 by January 12, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Volume 1, Number 95, Circulation 16,000
Printed September 27, 2007
Slingshot Newspaper
Sponsored by Long Haul
3124 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705
Phone: (510) 540-0751
slingshot@tao.ca • www.slingshot.tao.ca
Circulation Information
Slingshot is free in the Bay Area and is available at Long Haul and Bound Together Books (SF), plus lots of other places. Subscriptions to Slingshot are free to prisoners, low income and anyone in the USA who has a Slingshot organizer, or cost $1 per issue. International is $2.50 per issue. Back issues are available for the cost of postage. National free distribution program: Outside of the Bay Area, we’ll mail a stack of free copies of Slingshot to distributors, infoshops, bookstores and random friendly individuals for FREE in the US if they give ’em out for free.
Circulation Information
Slingshot is free in the Bay Area and is available at Long Haul and Bound Together Books (SF), plus lots of other places. Contact us or come by if you want to distribute Slingshot for free in the Bay Area.
Subscriptions to Slingshot are free to prisoners, low income and anyone in the USA who has a Slingshot organizer, or cost $1 per issue. International is $2.50 per issue. Back issues are available for the cost of postage. National free distribution program: Outside of the Bay Area, we’ll mail a stack of free copies of Slingshot to distributors, infoshops, bookstores and random friendly individuals for FREE in the US if they give ’em out for free.
Back issue Project
We’ll send you a random assortment of back issues for the cost of postage: send us $3 for 2 lbs or $4 for 3 lbs. Free if you’re an infoshop or library. Or drop by our office. Send cash or check to Slingshot to: Slingshot 3124 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705.