The Cultural Wars of the Sixties forever changed all aspects of American society. Work, recreation, politics, sexuality, music, entertainment, drugs, food, the arts, education, relations between the races, between the sexes — every corner of everday life evolved radically due to the conditions that developed. Thirty years later, the New Right has made one of its priorities demolishing all traces of the Sixties from the cultural landscape. One of the myths currently in vogue, for example, is that the Counterculture died in the mid-1970s. Contrary to this soporofic attitude, the underground river of radical, avant-garde, cultural, social and political ideas that had surfaced and created a floodplain of change — this stream has simply re-submerged into the currents of history. We can find examples everywhere today of the survivors of those Cultural Wars thirty years ago

Anarchy Online The founding members of the San Francisco Diggers were always actors first and foremost. Consequently, they would have acknowledged Artaud or Brecht as their intellectual precursors more than the Anarchist movement. However, clearly to anyone looking at the fully developed ideology and agenda of the diggers, they take an important place in the history of Anarchism. Today, the Internet, in some places and in some ways a working Anarchy itself, has been a catalyst to the growth of anarchist groups worldwide. See Spunk Press, Freedom Press, TAO Site, Anarchives, and the Anarchist FAQ for points of entry into this history.

Food Not Bombs The Food Not Bombs movement is remarkable for its congruence with the Digger ideals, and yet the members profess no prior knowledge of the SF (or English) Diggers. That's what makes social history so exciting some times, the spontaneity and confluence of underground movements that re-create basic forms that are never lost no matter how much repression the State may mete out. Food Not Bombs is alive and well, and growing with over 100 autonomous chapters serving food and social theater at your local park. Read an invitation recently sent through the Anarchy News Service for all who may be interested in joining their energies with this Happening Idea. And here's the FNB home page:  Food Not Bombs: http://www.webcom.com/~peace

Rainbow Family Welcome Home is the greeting of the Rainbow Family when new arrivals make their way to one of the yearly, roving-location encampments. Last year's Gathering took place June 28-July 10, 1997 in the Ochoco National Park in Oregon.

PlanetDrum Peter Berg sent his report (complete with two outstanding photos) on the Turtle Island Bioregional Gathering held in Mexico in November, 1996. "Without the arguesome baggage of a political ideology, new forces for change in political-cultural consciousness have begun operating in response to present world realities.   "The concept of a bioregion is proving to be a practical tool that can communicate older concerns in contemporary terms. It represents a life-raft for survival and a new basis for alliances between land-based groups to counter a rising tide of global monoculture."

Food Not Bombs is one of the fastest growing revolutionary movements in North America today and is gaining momentum all over the world. There are over 120 autonomous chapters sharing vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty throughout the Americas, Europe and Australia The first group was formed in Cambridge, Mass. in 1980 by anti-nuclear activists. Food Not Bombs is an all volunteer organization dedicated to nonviolence. Food Not Bombs has no formal leaders and strives to include everyone in its decision making process. Each group recovers food that would otherwise be discarded and makes fresh hot vegetarian meals that are served in city parks to anyone without restriction. The groups also serve free vegetarian meals at protests and other events. San Francisco chapter members have been arrested over 1,000 times in the city's effort to silence protests against the Mayor's anti-homeless policies. The Arcata, Calif. group faces civil contempt charges for sharing food and the Whittier, Calif. group has been issued tickets for feeding people. Seattle and Burlington, Vt. Food Not Bombs are being threatened by the cops. Amnesty International says it may adopt imprisoned Food Not Bombs volunteers as "Prisoners of Conscience."

Food Not Bombs works in coalition with groups such as Earth First!, American Indian Movement, Anarchist Black Cross, Homes Not Jails, the Free Radio Movement and other organizations creating a vision for positive social change and resistance to the new global austerity program. One collective publishes a movement-wide newsletter, "A Food Not Bombs Menu," and each month San Francisco Liberation Radio produces the Food Not Bombs Radio Network program that includes 30 minutes of unreported news and information from the protest community. We hope you will join us in taking direct action towards creating a world free from domination, coercion and violence.

For info, call:
1-800-884-1136
415-386-9209

http://www.webcom.com/~peace