A one person protest for free speech March 15, 1985

 

 

Dear friend:

In the last few weeks startling things have happened on campus regarding freedom of speech.

Henry Morris, the SGA advisor and director of student activities has moved to establish a governing board over all student publications: The Beacon, Essence, Asylum, the yearbook, Artery, even the radio station, WPSC.

This would place under the SGA appointment of editors, who would be then responsible for reporting the names of the writers and others, and oversee the publication or broadcasts, requiring each to live up their constitutions – which in turn must be approved by the SGA.

Editors would be required to submit their work for pre-publication censorship, conforming to standards of taste, content and form. Punitive action will be within the SGA’s power including fire of editors or even suspension of the publication.

In light of this, I’ll be making an appearance at the SGA office on their opening on Monday, March 25 with the intention of conducting a sit-in.

This is not a rash move since my own publication is intricately entwined with William Paterson College and could suffer a similar fate if the SGA should decide we are unacceptable.

I am asking you as a citizen of the Free Press society to support my action. Since my action is clearly illegal, it is likely that I will wind up in jail. But I am doing this of my own free will and do not expect you to do anything illegal on my behalf. I ask that you write the SGA or perform some act that will highlight the outrageousness of the SGA’s actions or possibly raise bail for me (since this comes at a time when my own finances are not likely to cover it.)

If you are so inclined, you are welcome to join me. The more people, the more effective the protest. But I am not asking to violate the law.

I am doing this because it makes me angry when I see censorship imposed – or forcing people to self-censor.

This is nothing but a play for power by the SGA. This is not an advertisement. I am asking for no pre-event publicity which might cause the SGA to perform a preventive strike. It is simply time to take a stand or as Mario Savio once put it, “to put our bodies on the gears and make the machine stop!”

 

 

Sincerely yours,

Al

 

 1985 Index


Main Menu


email to Al Sullivan

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Floundering again April 14, 1985

Image
  Dear Rita: Ah yes, it’s me again. A long break in communication, I know. Things are harder than I’d like to admit, even to myself. Down times crash in on me, and only then let me think clearly – clear by dismal. The last time we saw each other you confronted me with an essential truth, which I was not at the time capable of accepting. I’m not saying I’m any more capable now, or more stable or secure, but I am in charge of my senses and can see the inscription of truth here and there, even though it is painful. Realizing my own ignorance is perhaps one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. And in ignorance, I am hardly blissful. My writing seems to collapse under its own weight, a bunch of useless words strung together without merit or meaning. I am, after all, just a 10th grade dropout with all the ego problems that entails. Although I do think I have at times something to show for that ego such as Scrap Paper Review and a few stories worthy of being published.
Read more

A head on collision July 17, 1985

Image
  The last words of Pauly’s Tarot reading haunt me. He told me to “beware.” But he didn’t mean Safire, he meant Mary Jane. She’s on the loose with all her claws out. I’m still uncertain about the whys and wherefores, maybe she’s jealous of Safire. There have been hints of bad blood between those two for quite some time. A few weeks ago, when I wrote my letter to Safire – criticizing her and which made her cry – Mary Jane egged me on to do it. Then, Mary Jane jumped into the fray with a lot of accusations. This love/hate thing between those two drives me crazy, since I don’t know which is happening at any given moment, hate or love, and it goes back to those days when the two of them shared a Fotomat booth. Safire seems paranoid, not just about Mary Jane, but Bob and others. She cut off her friendship with Mary Jane when she suspected Mary Jane of having slept with her husband. Yet it’s not just paranoia. Mary Jane is a little devil, and deceptive enough to even fool S
Read more

Phil freaks out! December 17, 1985

Image
  Phil’s shrill voice hinted of impending disaster. Two weeks before Christmas and Pepsi Cola sent notification terminating his contract. Phil acted like a young child who’d not received the toy he’d requested from Santa. The contract had sentimental value to Phil since he had used that end of the business as foundation for his small business empire. Cold blooded, Phil aches for importance, making up for his lack of smarts with extreme shrewdness and luck, always managing to locate himself in the right place at the right time. A few years ago, Phil’s boss in a soda distribution company screwed up in delaying his bid; Phil, second in command at the time, slipped in his own bid and stole the contract. Later, when Yacenda, owner of the Willowbrook Dunkin, ran afoul of federal monopoly laws, Phil brought the franchise at bargain basement price. Still later when Gene, the owner of a Dunkin out in far Rockaway came looking for a second franchise, Phil sold him the Willowbrook s
Read more