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09/23/2003 Archived Entry: "Yippie phreaks online"

Cartoonist Ted Rall is on a roll this week: his Bushman appeals to the League of Justice should appeal to old comic book fans; and, his Dubya calls Jeb has a sharp bite to it. (Rall's Bush always looks like a Latin American dictator.)

Kudos to libertarian humorist Dave Barry for his August 31st column "Ask not what telemarketers can do to you." He offered an innovative way to vent your frustration with telemarketers, "Call the American Teleservices Association, toll-free, at 1-877-779-3974, and tell them what you think. I'm sure they'd love to hear your constitutionally protected views! Be sure to wipe your mouthpiece afterward." As a result, the ATA line was flooded by reverse justice. Amazingly enough, the folks who interrupt us all at dinner were not amused by the inconvenience. Barry's response? He feels "just terrible, especially if they were eating or anything." If you call the free number now, however, you will be greeted with: "We are sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected." I particularly like Barry's rejoinder to the ATA's argument that millions of jobs were at risk from the new rules. He wrote: "You could use pretty much the same reasoning to argue that laws against mugging cause unemployment among muggers."

Yippie phreaks from the '70s are now online, courtesy of Blackened Flag. The site states, "The Youth International Party Line or YIPL, later known as TAP for Technological American Party or Technological Assistance Program, was the pioneer phreaker magazine started by Yippie founder Abbie Hoffman of the 'Chicago 7' and 'Al Bell', a phreaker from Long Island." First published in June 1971, the 'zine was also a voice of anti-Vietnam War activism. Only issues #1-10 are currently available but additional ones up to #82 will be posted in the future. What is phreaking? "/freek'ing/ n. [from `phone phreak'] 1. The art and science of cracking the phone network (so as, for example, to make free long-distance calls)." In the '70s, phreaking was considered avante garde in left radical circles because of their widespread disrespect for the phone company and other corporations. TAP became legendary as a semi-underground connection between hackers and phreakers and student radicals.

Best to all,
mac