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THE DIGGER
EARTH NEWS
Published by High Times Pty. Ltd., 350 Victoria Street, North Melbourne, 3051. Phone: 329.0977. Postal Address: PO Box 77, Carlton, 3053. Published fortnightly throughout Australia. Cover price is recommended retail maximum.
A bbie
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Attorneys for Abbie Hoffman — vho was arrested in New York last week for possession and sale of :ocaine — say that from preliminary evidence they view the case as a political one, and not a typical nar cotics case. Attorney Fred Cohn, an associate of Hoffman’s attorney Jerry Lefcourt, told Earth News “ Everybody’s tried to get Abbie before, and I’ve never known Abbie to deal with drugs and [’ve known him a long time.” Abbie Hoffman, of course, was a founder of the Yippies and a leading radical organiser during the late sixties and early ’70’s. Hé was also a defendant in the famed “ Chic ago 7” conspiracy trial. Hoffman was arrested by under cover narcotics agents at New York’s Hotel Diplomat at 8 pm Tuesday night. According to the police, Hoffman —with three other people — attempted to sell three pounds of pure cocaine to undercover agents. Reports say that $36,000 in cash was involved in the transaction. Jeff Camin reported for KSAN radio from New York Wednesday morning that Hoffman’s bail had been set at $500,000. Attorney Fred Cohn said the bail decision will be appealed. Under present New York law the crime for which Hoffman was arrested is a “ Class A” felony, punishable by 15 years to life im prisonment. The arrest came just one week before New York’s new and stiffer drug laws go into effect. Jeff Camin, reporting for KSAN radio, said that the prosecutors in the cáse view it as “ open and shut” . Camin also said that the undercover agents who made the arrest on a tip did not know that Hoffman was involved in this case. Hoffman’s attorney’s office said that several friends are already dis cussing plans for a defense committee. - EN.
T-shirt and dirty levis — was sold large amounts of barbiturates and amphetamines. Another reporter bought large quantities of methaqualone. Last year, Detroit pill deaths out numbered heroin fatalities. —EN.
Puerto R ico Suba has called upon the United Nations De-colonisation Committee to take up the question of indepen dence for Puerto Rico. Cuba’s Am bassador — Ricardo Alacron — asked the UN committee to demand com plete independence for the island, and to halt plans there for an oil super-port. - The 24-nation committee is study ing whether Puerto Rico should be considered as a colony entitled to independence. The US — which re fuses to participate in the committee’s activities — claims that Puerto Rico is not a proper issue for the UN. Washington says that the people of Puerto Rico already have the right to change their present common wealth status to either statehood or independence. The Cuban ambassador has charged that the US is exercising what he called “ genocidal colonial ism” . He said that “yankee ex ploiters” invade the island and force the natives to emigrate to the “ ghettos of New York and the semiforced labor camps of New Jersey and Florida.” —EN.
U nion w akes
It might be that the slumbering American trade union movement is beginning to stir, shaking off some of its affluent apathy. In Detroit, No. 1: Wainer's abortion epic; Gary Young leftist auto workers are putting to exposed. gether an alternative to the United No. 2: Drug history of Australia; JMiugini Auto Workers’ Union. cannibals. No. 3: Cocker interview; Don Juan; Nearly 100 members of the Nat Porny pics. ional Unemployed Welfare Rights No. 4; Zimmer's Essay; Football's freak; Organisation met in Detroit last week . High School revolt. end and formed a new auto caucus. No. 5: People's. Park; FM radio; shared diseases. The delegates denounced the UAW No. 6: Helen Garner/school kids; Reefer and their president Leonard Wood Madness. cock*— for “ selling out”'th e trade No.- 7: Poetry supp.; History of abortion.' union movement. No. 8: Bisexuality; Labor's victory; Mt. Isa. No. 9: Prostitutes; conscripts & resisters. According to organiser Dave No. 10: Marg Whitlam; the gay beat; Suarez, “ We want to organise steel Sunshine grass label. workers and auto workers into one No. 11: Women in pubs; Nimbin; auto caucus. We want to save them Ringolevio. Indian women in Canada have from the UAW.” No. 12: Comix supp.; Angry Brigade; —EN. Sunbury. just been told that they don’t have No. 13: Rolling Stones; Drug''problem ''? the same rights as Indian men. When No. 14: Contraceptive guide; Sydney's an Indian man marries a non-Indian junkie murder. he retains his status as an Indian. No. 15: Nurses; Higher Consciousness; Great Moments of Rock. But when an Indian woman marries No. 16: Anti-psychiatry; Fred Robinson; a non-Indian she loses that status. Port Phillip sewer; "couples". This position was confirmed by No. 17: Silver Screen; Nimbin; Zappa. The British music publication ‘a recent decision of the Canadian No. 18: Watergate; Ford; ALP; Godfathers. Melody Maker reports this week an Supreme Court, which upheld the No. 19: Dalmas, med. students, women's provisions of the Canadian Indian astonishing rumor that Bob Dylan, strike. No. 20: Omega, No. 96, Communes, Act. The court said that despite the Joan Baez, Paul Simon and George Victoria Street. equal rights provisions of the Canad Harrison have plans to set up their No. 21: The Fastest Rising Guru in the ian Bill of Rights, the British North own independent record label. West; How Labor Bought Tasmania; According to the report, Dylan’s America Act — which is Canada’s Body rhythms; Suburbs seige. Constitution — gives the country’s attorney David Braun is already neg parliament the right to legislate for otiating for the label. Melody Maker Indians, and make such qualifications says that Dylan, Baez and Simon are all free from contracts, but that as they want. This decision affects some 6,000 George Harrison is still tied to a Indian women and children, who two-and-a-half year contract with will now lose their Indian status. Capitol records. Another problem confronting the NOTION: Who knows whether it’s They will also lose such things as monthly or fortnightly anymore. treaty settlements; health, education new company' is apt to be distri How about if we send you 26 and housing benefits; and the right bution. According to the published report, the group plans to sign the . issues, however spaced out they to the use of reserve lands. become. The Chairperson of the Canadian former Columbia Records boss — That’s $7.80. Government Committee on thé Status Clive Davis — as the head of the of Women — Dr. Katie Cook — has company. Davis is still embroiled in COUNTRY: If your postcode is out protested the court decision and legal hassles with Columbia records side the 25-mile radius of any promised to fight it. —EN. following all those reports of payola, capital city, pay only $5.00. dope and sex in connection with (A subscription is only $5.00 for record promotion. — EN. anyone living in Queensland, Tas mania or they territories.)
Indian giver
R ealist plot Paul Krassner, the editor of the political and satirical journal The Realist, says he’s about to publish a book dealing with what he sees as a national governmental conspiracy of which the Watergate capers are only a part. The book grew out of Krassner’s association with conspiracy research er Mae Brussell (see Digger, Water gate special, no. 18). Together they planned to publish a twice-monthly periodical called the “ Conspiracy Newsletter” . But that project grew out of control, says Krassner, and the research has now been edited into a 75-page booklet. According to the Berkeley Barb newspaper, the only thing holding back publication of the book is a lack of about $5,000 needed for printing and distribtuion. Several weeks ago, Krassner began advertising in classif ieds for contributions to publish the book. In the last issue of The Realist, Krassner charged that “ When John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, the United States government was taken over.” - —EN.
A frican s die According to the new report, over half of the 24 million people living south of the Sahara are now threat ened with starvation. In the nation of Chad, over half of the country’s 3.7 million people are now reportedly starving to death. 80% of the animals in that nation are already victims of the drought. In the West African nation of Mali, 80% of the people are starving, and nearly every animal in the country is already dead. In neighboring Maure tania, the statistics are similar. Other African nations hit hard by the drought include Niger, Senegal and Upper Volta. The most recent report on the situation says that the starvation is now beginning to spread north to Southern Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Sudan. A spokesperson for the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation stated recently that over one-and-a-half million people in Ethiopia will be close to death from starvation in the near future. ¡¡B EN.
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Investigators for the Detroit Free Press have revealed that if you’re in the market for dope — like bar biturates, amphetamines, and quaaludes — you can let yoUr fingers do the walking — through the yellow pages. Three Free Press reporters called various printing companies in Detroit posing as doctors. They ordered business cards, letterhead stationary, and — more importantly — 3,000 prescription blanks. The blanks in cluded the name, address and phony federal narcotics numbers of nonexistant doctors. Without exception, the printing companies printed up the stuff -“*■ without even checking if the nar cotics numbers were valid. In the second part of the in vestigation, the reporters filled out the blanks — sometimes even with mistakes in the medical language — and took them to pharmacies. Nine out of 11 drug stores either filled the orders or turned them down simply because they were out of stock. One reporter — dressed in a
C IA in India A team of CIA agents has been caught snooping around India, according to the German newspaper Berliner Extra Dienst. That paper says that the agents were operating under the cover of the research team for something called the “ Himalayan Borderland Project” . The project was supposedly an effort to study the language, religion, and culture of the native populations of the area. However, the Indian government authorities —already suspicious about Watergate-type espionage operations —made insistent inquiries to the State Department about the nature of the research project. Those authorities fianlly learned that the project was really a cover for a CIA researchteam. The “ researchers” it developed were more concerned with potential military sites than with language and culture. The newspaper report stated that 60% of the operation was financed by the US State Department. (People's Translation Service, Ber keley, California.)
A rm ad illo The environmental advisor for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has some advice for south westerners who are unable to pay the high prices for beef. Bob Carlisle says they should start eating armadillo.' It’s tasty, he says, and his family eats armadillo three or four times a year. The armadillo is not on anyone’s endangered species list and there’s no game limit for the coon-sized animal in Texas. Carlisle’s favorite recipe is to cook the animal in its own shell, stuffed with carrots, apple slices, po tatoes and cabbage. He says the secret is to keep drenching the little fellow every few minutes in butter. Carlisle says the armadillo then can be served right in the shell. Actually though, the shell is a little hairy and strange looking. It’s objectionable to some people, and downright obnoxious to others. In that case, Carlisle says, you can chill the armadillo and the meat will peel nicely right out of the shell. The armadillo can be captured bare-handed, he says, if you have the heart for the loud grunt it makes when you grab it. —KFJZ, Ft. Worth, Texas.
Texas dope In Texas, hundreds of prisoners are focusing their attention and hopes for immediate release on one 54-year-old man who’s serving a 50year sentence for possession of mari juana. His name is George Marshall, and he’s the first marijuana prisoner to appeal his sentence under the terms of the state’s new pot law. That new law reduced possession of grass amounting to four ounces or less from a felony to a misdemeanour crime, and sharply reduces the punish ment for conviction. The law con tains a clause that makes it retro active, thereby providing a way out of jail for hundreds of persons serving sentences for possession of grass . If Marshall’s appeal is successful, it will automatically mean release for
September 8 — October 6, 1973 possibly hundreds of other prisoners. However, in Forth Worth, District Judge Byron Matthews has denied Marshall’s appeal. At the same time he declared the new pot law uncon stitutional and informed the defense attorneys that they could now take their case to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In the meantime, Texas Attorney General John Hill said that until the courts make a final decision on the constitutionality of the new pot law it is up to the local DAs to decide whether they want to prosecute marijuana offenders on felony or misdemeanour charges. (David Day, KFJZ — Ft. Worth).
Gay em ploy An unemployed San Francisco man has filed a complaint with the' Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charging that he and 21 million other people are being discriminated against by employers. Don Jackson says that because he’s a white, single man he can’t get a job. Jackson charges in his complaint that the Human Rights Commission is encouraging employers to give first consideration to minorities and women. After that, says Jackson, the employers look for the “stable married man with a family to sup port.” Single men, he says, are usually thought of as homosexuals and given little or no consideratioil by potential employers. Jackson is gay. To support his argument, Jackson produced figures showing that in 1969, single men in San Francisco earned a lower average salary than almost any other group, including blacks and women. In that year, married men earned $11,400 and single men earned an average of only $3,900.
have been overcharging the consumers by about $2 billion a year for the last four years. It asks an incredible $54 billion in compensatory damages. In a related action, Senator James Abourezk and Representative Les Aspin have both introduced bills that would allow oil companies to do business in only one of four phases in the industry. A company could either produce oil, or refine it, or transport it, or market it — but couldn’t engage in more than one of those activities. These bills will probably never see the light of day, but environmenta lists are encouraged just by the fact that the bills exist. The Friends of the Earth organisation says they may be symbolic, but they’re an “ omen of things to come.” And in another action, California’s Chairperson of the State Board of Equalisation has called upon the state to get into the oil business itself. William Bennett, who’s used his office for consumer advocacy, says that if the state were to get into the business “ Then you’d see the oil companies start supplying the public.” — EN.
Leukem ia
The town of Charlevoix — on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan —had the dubious distinction back in 1962 of being the site of America’s fourth nuclear power plant, built and op erated by Consumer’s Power Com pany, a private utility. The com pany boasted at the time that the plant would provide clean, efficient and ample power to the people of northern Michigan. Perhaps it has. But it has also pro vided a radioactivity in the immedi ate area that gives Charlevoix County an incredibly high rate of infant deaths, immature births, and cancer and leukemia deaths. Between the years 1962 and 1967 the state of Michigan saw its infant death rate drop by ten per cent. In Charlevoix the infant death rate was up 0.2%. For the state, the immature birth The Krupp Company in Germany rate was down one percent during — once the world’s largest manu the.five year period. In Charlevoix, facturer — is back in business doing it was up 21%. For the state, the cancer death what it swore it never would again — building arms. The Krupps were the rate during those five years was major munitions supplier to Kaiser down four per cent. In Charlevoix the cancer death rate increased by Wilhelm and to Hitler. A Berlin newspaper revealed this 35%. Statewide, the leukemia death rate week that the company is now ne gotiating with the government De saw no significant change during fense Minister for a “long-term con those years, while in Charlevoix the tract” for the supply of armaments leukemia death rate increased by to police forces and NATO allies. 139%. Those statistics — supplied by - E N . Martha Drake in Peace and Freedom magazine — appear nowhere in the utility company’s promotional lit erature. — EN.
K rupp rearms
Plane m oney The dollar may soon be replaced as the international monetary unit by an unlikely successor — the airplane ticket. The International Air Transport Association recently agreed to create an artificial currency to replace the pound and the dollar as the basis for the international ticket fares. Meet ing in Paris, delegates from 73 airlines made the move because they believe the British and American currencies are fluctuating too much for inter national use. The delegates called for a trial run by computer of the new currency, which would be called the “IATA unit of account”. The new currency would be convertible to 168 national currencies. While the national curren cies may rise and fall in relative value, the “ IATA unit of account” will remain a constant value. — EN.
C anada A Canadian government commis sion has recommended that house wives in Canada can be included under the national pension plan. The Advisory Council on the Status of Women was set up by the Canadian government several months ago to advise parliament on situations involving women’s rights. The 28member council — which includes two men — met last month for the. first time, and immediately drafted several proposals. One recommendation was the in clusion of housewives in the national pension plan —which is financed from workers’ wages. The Council also called for the establishment of a Human Rights Council and changes in the divorce laws. The group also is planning to concentrate its efforts on proposing amendments to the Canada Labor Code, as it pertains to the rights of women. —EN.
Rockefeller Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s new New York drug law went into effect September 1. People in New York can now be sent to prison for life for possession of such things as heroin, barbiturates, amphetamines, or LSD. Anyone caught with over one ounce of mari juana faces up to a 15-year jail sentence. Governor Rockefeller has also re ceived the right to appoint 100 new judges — a move that has been attacked as merely a new outlet for political patronage appointments. Sing Sing Prison — which has been unused for several years — is being readied for an expected influx of new prisoners. —EN.
that Leary says exist in the penal system. Among those suggestions are a proposal to allow persons convicted of financial but non-violent crimes to work off their debts to the victims, and establishing “ restricted colonies” for violent prisoners where they can live normal lives with their families while receiving vocational training and psychological j help. —EN.
Freak jets America’s newest airline was granted Federal Aviation Admini stration approval last week and plans to begin service in September. It’s called “ Freelandia” , and it’s being promoted as the world’s first counter culture airline. ; So far, Freelandia Airlines con sists of just one DC-8 jet, painted a shocking yellow. It belongs to a 30-year-old college drop-out who made a million bucks in the stock market and then did the rounds of Ibiza, Geneva and Bombay seeking “ to become a holy man” . Kenneth Moss — the owner of Freelandia apparently didn’t make it in the “ holy man” game and eventually ended up in a hippie commune in the San Francisco area. It was while living there, he said, that he decided to buy a plane and fly to Bali to es cape the Bay area rain. That idea eventually grew into the present one, which is to operate a non-profit air line for freaks. Beginning in September, Free landia will begin flights from San Francisco to Honolulu for $69 — compared to over $100 on regular airlines — and from Los Angeles to New York for $09 —compared to about $150 on most airlines. They’ll also have a New York flight to Brussels for just $100. Moss explained that in order to fly on Freelandia, you’ll have to become a member by paying a $50 membership. That way, the airline actually qualifies aS a travel club. As for in-slight services, Freelandia will offer organic food, rock music, backgammon and chess sets. The promoters hasten to point out that the crews of pilots, navi gators and stewardesses are all straight professionals and have passed all the FAA tests and re quirements. Membership information may be acquired by writing to PO Box 55067, Sherman Oaks, California, 91413. -E N . j
D eep ear The British rode group Deep Purple is officially the loudest band in the world — duly certified by the Guiness Book o f Records. The edition of the Book o f Records currently being prepared says the group puts out 117 decibels of sound. That’s 17 decibels louder than a jet airplane flying at 1,000 feet,and three decibels short of the level of physical pain. — EN.
BRTrium phs The only place in the world where you can buy a BSA motorcycle these days is in the Arabian countries, according to Cycle News. - That’s because BSAs aren’t built anymore — except for the Arabs. That’s because the Arabs refuse to ride Triumph motorcycles. And that’s because the Israelis ride Triumphs. Since the Israeli police ride Tri umphs, the Arabs have outlawed them in all Arabian countries. So the British company that owns BSA, Tri umph and Norton simply put BSA emblems on the Triumphs that are sold to the Arab police. —EN.
Leary suit Spray b u m s
Dr. Timothy Leary, imprisoned LSD advocate and self-proclaimed “ hope-fiend” , has filed a class action suit seeking to close down the Calif Following a two-year investigation, ornia state prison system. the American Federal Drug Admini Leary’s suit was filed through a stration has refused to ban the sales prison group known as PROBE — of vaginal sprays — euphemistically which stands for Political Reform known as “ feminine deodorants” . Organisation for Better Education. The FDA says that their investi The suit names as defendants Gover gation — as well as numerous other nor Ronald Reagan, the California investigations —showed that the vagi Assembly and the California Depart nal sprays have virtually no medical ment of Corrections. Leary’s co or therapeutic values, and that they plaintiffs include Charles Newsome — have produced many adverse re the chairperson of PROBE — and actions, such as irritation, burns and every inmate now in the state prisons. infections. But the problems haven’t; According to the Los Angeles been serious enough to warrant’ Weekly News, Leary charges in a banning sales of the deodorants,! legal brief that the state prisons are according to the agency. “ part of a nation-wide network of However, the FDA has proposed the Prison Empire that has set up an that the feminine deodorant pro oligarchical police-state in the United ducts should be labelled with a warn States of America.” ing regarding use and possible ad Public outrage over gasoline short Among the arguments advanced in verse effects. The proposal also in ages across the USA is adding badly Leary’s suit is the assertion that the cludes a provision stating that ad-i needed fuel to several legal and legis prisons ultimately increase crime in vertising for the products will be lative efforts to make the major oil this country by fostering “anti-social regarded as “ misleading” if it in companies more accountable to the psychological states” . It also states cludes the words ‘hygiene” or public. that the Penal Code “sets up a sub “ hygienic” . In Brooklyn, a citizen’s group has society of delinquents just as system According to Caveat Emptor, a brought a class action suit in the name atically as the caste system of consumer magazine, the cost of pro of all US consumers against Gulf, India . | .” ducing the vaginal sprays is abbut Exxon, Texaco, Shell and Mobil. The The legal briefs also propose seve five per cent of their retail prices. suit charges that the oil companies ral solutions to the ctlrrent inequities -E N .
O il slick