[15] [Editor's Note: The following is the text of a leaflet distributed in New York City on February 15, 2003 at a rally in opposition to War against Iraq.] Communication Not Annihilation No War on Iraq. Netizens Unite Today's marches around the world demonstrate the power of the Netizens. There is a need for global communication to be utilized to solve the enormous problems in our modern world. More citizens and netizens around the world can now participate in helping each other to solve what otherwise would be impossible difficulties. What is a Netizen? The concept of Netizen grew out of research online in 1992-1993. This was before the commercialization of the Internet. Contrary to popular mythology the numbers of people connecting to the Internet was growing by large numbers each year. There began to be Free-Nets springing up to provide community people with access to the Internet. A student doing online research, Michael, writes: The story of Netizens is an important one. In conducting research... online to determine people's uses for the global computer communications network, I became aware that there was a new social institution, an electronic commons, developing. It was exciting to explore this new social institution. Others online shared this excitement. I discovered from those who wrote me that the people I was writing about were citizens of the Net, or Netizens. (from Preface to Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook/) The Internet was making it possible for people who got access to communicate with others around the world. And there were people online who did what they could to connect others to the Internet and to make the Internet something valuable for people around the world. The student documented this development in his paper "The Net and Netizens: The Impact the Net has on People's Lives". The paper was posted online in 1993. The concept of Netizen spread round the world and has been adopted by many who continue to contribute to the development of the Internet as a global commons and to spread access to the global communication the Internet makes possible. We need the vision of the Internet and the Netizen, that both its early pioneers and the users that the student in 1992/3 found online, have embodied. This is as a network of networks linking people around the globe where online users act as netizens helping to solve the problems of the Internet and of the society. People online and people who aren't online, can help to make the vision of the Internet pioneers and users a reality. We don't want war in Iraq. We don't want war in North Korea or Iran. We don't want war against the Palestinians. We want to communicate with each other and collaborate together to have the wealth of society go to its people so that the better world that is now possible, becomes a reality. It's a hard and difficult struggle. But with lots of netizens around the world, we can forge a better world. Long live the Netizens Long live the Iraqi People Long live the American People Long live the peace loving people everywhere Let us honor the memory of those who have perished in the struggle. NETIZENS UNITE AND SPREAD THE INTERNET SO EVERYONE HAS ACCESS Let us continue to take up the challenge to make the Internet a global commons that all can contribute to and build. Dedicated to Michael (1973-2001). I have written this to honor his memory and to try to continue his contributions to make the world a better place. Ronda ronda@panix.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reprinted from the Amateur Computerist Vol 11 No 2, May 1, 2003. The whole issue or a subscription is available for free via email. Send a request to jrh@ais.org or see http://www.ais.org/~jrh/acn/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------