R.U. Sirius is humorous, but he’s no joke. Sirius (aka Ken Goffman) has been a cyber-revolutionary ever since the early 1970s, when Abbie Hoffman’s Yippie ideology spawned the hacker movement, which planted the seeds for the Internet Age. Best known for co-founding the seminal cyber-culture magazine, Mondo 2000, Sirius has long been a digital media pioneer—publishing both the now-defunct Revolting! and the critically lauded GettingIt (which is limping along despite, sadly, having lost its backing).

Currently, Sirius has been focusing his efforts on his decidedly ironic write-in candidacy for President. You may laugh at his politically incorrect manner (his campaign slogans include “Victory over Horseshit” and “Derision 2000: Mock the Vote”), and scoff at his quixotic effort (to date, he has raised roughly $0,000,000 in campaign funding), but don’t underestimate his thoughts on issues related to technology and the Internet—unlike his fellow Presidential candidates, Sirius speaks from a position of authority.

This week, we offer a selection of his writings from his “campaign handbook,” The Revolution: Quotations from Revolution Party Chairman R.U. Sirius—beginning with his platform for the Internet and computer industries, and finishing with his opinions on the current state of the digital revolution and cyber-culture:

A 5-Point Platform for the Internet and the Computer Industry

The body politic of the Internet is as unpredictably perverse as Marv Albert after a fifth of Scotch. In a random poll previous to the 1996 election, Netizens selected the Libertarian candidate as their President, and Ralph Nader came in second. We feel that The Revolution offers up a political choice that combines the best of the Libertarians and St. Ralph. We have therefor arrogantly presumed the mantel of “Political Party of the Internet.”

Unlike the Techno-libertarians, we feel that a wee bit of Government intervention can be groovy!… but only if we are the Government. Unlike the Techno-realists, we’re not as boring as an Amish rock festival. In addition to having a sense of humor, these are our Internet/High Tech Policy Points:

1.No Censorship

The Revolution opposes all censorship, but we're particularly strident about our opposition to censorship on the Net. The Net makes public “speech” and “publishing” as spontaneous as using the telephone. To apply standards of other media, or even publishing, to this technology is like legislating and policing neighborhood gossip.

Obviously, some things fall under necessarily existing laws. You can’t solicit for murder at the neighborhood bar or on the net. And you can’t show pornography to children on the street. On the other hand, if the children sneak off into the bushes after nipping some of your porn, most sane people won’t hold you responsible. We believe in protecting kids. The question is, how? By keeping them in a playpen until they hit the streets? Or by preparing them, arming them with skills to cope in an adult world?

We suggest full disclosure. Freedom of information for kids. New media is ubiquitous. And it’s ephemeral, like the air—integrating into the social sphere as a seamless environment where we spend a goodly portion of our lives. We are ultimately faced with the choice of censoring all our media till it’s safe for children, or teaching our children to cope with the media. We’re not suggesting forcing horrible and perverse materials on kids, but we do suggest that we let the kids access all the information they’re going to need for surviving in a crazy world, one in which all of the stuff of the human psyche, both brilliant and grotesque, is on full display. Protecting children from content might actually be viewed as a disservice—the opposite of education.

A Sirius Alternative
Cyber-pioneer and Presidential candidate R.U. Sirius offers his platform for the Digital Age.

Full Disclosure
A budding PR flack wrestles with the world he’s helping to create.

Friends and Family
How a man can get lost in the Information Age.

A Different Kind of Start-Up
In a distressed neighborhood at the heart of the high tech revolution, a school gives real options to its students.

CEO’s Having a Baby
Can a pregnant entrepreneur get the venture capital to keep her startup alive?

Escaping the Corporate Cult(ure)
A former Silicon Valley dot com insider lashes out against the technology industry's HR efforts.

Alarm Clock Communications is dedicated to providing a platform for opinion, and here is our promise: ANY editorial submission that is consistent with our editorial mission and that meets our editorial guidelines will be published. And the best of what we receive will be printed in alarm:clock magazine.So let us know what you think.

andrew@thealarmclock.com & brian@thealarmclock.com