◆ SpookStack

fi . OreG} tter to the People- -- x ) - oo, we are ex-members of the Symbionese Federation. Ye resigned collectively frou he Federation immediately after the assassination of Dr. Mercus Foster. ‘“e had** ‘Mntended simply to dissociate ourselves from the SLA in Tractice, by ceasing to rork yrith them. Since the kidnepping of Patricia-Hearst and the publication of the @eclaration, however, we feel compelled to make a public statement concerning cur “criticisms of the SLA and our history with the Federation, teceuse cf their destrizci ‘isrerresentation of the revolutionary movement. ‘he obvious first step is to deal ith the SLA's tracic misuse of violence. mo * The revolutionary role of "necessary" violence is the opposite of what the SLA ‘Selieves, and practices, as recently, where they decided, se:arately frcm the rest of the Federation, to mrzer Foster. Violence alone cannot begin a revolutionary tractice, but onl: the failure of that -ractice: useless self-sacrifice. Yiolence, ue necessary, can sup; ort revolutionary strategy, tut never ori:inate or justify git. ; Loe 2. ‘By resorting to abstract violence, the SLA not only seperated itself ffom the fest of the revoluticnary movement, but became the example to avoid, the stereotyre- $f the "mad terrorist" so indispensable to our oppressors to put us dorn even wore €ith mew laws ond restrictions. The surest ray te Gictaterchic is 2 rovelutioner: fovement represented ty provocateurs. However, re have not given and will not give $nformation regarding our location or the location of the SLA to the authorities, | Jor the folloving ressons: . - 1) “hile we no longer consider the SLA to be a .2nuinely revelutionary organ- “Szetion, re are ne friends of Randolrh Hearst or the class te which he telenzs, thet --@ 4s, tue class wnich-ovns and controls the means of life -- the fectcries, land, ‘échools, communications, and much of the housing -- in the United States, and throush out the world. * 2) ‘“e are fully aware of the biased and politically rerressive nature of the %justice* system which would use our rast connection with the SLA to frame us for the yevolutionary movenert and halt our activity. . I H 3) We are in hiding since the split, expecting reprisals from the SLA. { -. f Mf We joined the SUA serarately, not knowing each other at the time, Sut for sinila: feascns, as we later discovered, nanely, that we could no lon-er tolerate the quality And conditions of our private and public lives -- repressive educaticn that ras no us: ‘than en assem ly line for meking otedient slaves, boring and humiliating jobs, de- Blining "stendavds of living", and a polluted, ugly environtent. And, es far ae ve Could see, things were getti g worse. All the reforms we fought for in the '60's had failed, or been taken tack, and were inadequate to start with. All of us were frustrated with the divided factions of the so-called revolutionary left. Thet tovenent was based on guilt, on elrays making the revolution for somebody else, in "the name of somebody else's oppression, supposedly greater than our own. “t was dou- ineted by egotistical leeder-bureeucrats and leeder-stars cho cared cnly about their "revolutionary" careers. ‘They led e wass.of follorer-lackeys rho yvroved their crn fecreritude by tolereting ard in fact creatine such leeders. The con‘usion of anti- ~\ War groupsy sexual liberation eroups and national liberetion rroups were all jresent: _ {the image of militant opposition, tut we wanted to do more than merely telk tack to ‘vthe TV. screetis Ye vere looking for -rothers end sisters cho felt as urgentiy as re. aid that the time te seize tack our lives was now. ‘the Sy-rionese reople we contact: Were self-disci:lineg, serious and efficient revolutionary cadres, willing to risk anything in order to gain everything. - shen we joined in the first founding conference “of the Synbionese Fezeration last June, we thought re had found a plece for ourselve: in a revolutionary organization that was on its way teyond the Left, old and "ner". ffe joined an August. i: Tot ses , oe Daz cte ths ocr ete of t i ric,