It's Still About Freedom
by Raymond M. Coulombe

Freedom is what it's all about. Quantum Muse started as an independent zine not beholden to the handful of big media companies. Years later we are still free from big company oversight.

Free from greedy bean counters.

Free from political correctness.

Free from the thought police.

Free from adult supervision.

Free from high overhead.

Free from dress codes.

We have the freedom to do just about any damn thing we please. We publish who we like, from countries all over the globe. We just don't care about people's politics. All we want to know is if they can write or not.

What makes all this possible? The Internet.

The founding fathers of the United States established freedom of speech. Theoretically, anyone could start up their own printing press and disseminate literature. In reality only a handful of people had the financial means to do so.

The Internet changed all that. Now it's possible for even a bunch of bumbling drunks to establish a publication with world wide reach. We just happen to think that's pretty cool. We feel like a bunch of high school kids left home alone for the weekend with an unlocked liqueur cabinet.

Heady stuff freedom.

Governments around the world are doing their best to put a lid on it. Steps are being taken, all in the name of the public good, to control the Internet. What most people don't realize is that the same techniques that can block pornography web sites can block political web sites.

Now a disturbing large segment of the world's population wants big brother to keep them safe. A lot of people are uncomfortable with having to do their own thinking. It's hard and sometimes uncomfortable.

Quantum Muse's readers are a pretty bright bunch. They can handle the freedom to do their own thinking. They can tolerate differing viewpoints. Readers of speculative fiction are comfortable thinking outside the box. The question, "what if?" doesn't scare them. Our readers can look beyond the world around them and imagine other worlds. That's a very very powerful thing. A dangerous thing. For those who can imagine different realities can create different realities.

It's revolutionary. It's more powerful than armies. It's smarter than smart bombs. It's about hearts and minds, baby, hearts and minds. A former US president once said that if you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow. Well, they haven't got us by the balls . . . yet.

What we've got here, boys and girls, is a community -a world wide community of free thinkers. Sometimes we deal with serious stuff. Sometimes we just play nicely together.

And we'll have fun fun fun until big daddy takes our Internet away.

Ok, I don't expect the Internet to go away completely. There's a lot money to be made there. What I expect is further attempts to sanitize the web. A lot of countries keep a tight lid on the net. I suspect that most of our readers from China are government censors. We never did have a readership in Taliban Afghanistan.

It's all about freedom. I always thought that adults could make their own choices. And what about the kids? That's what parents are for.

As long as edgy zines like Quantum Muse are still up and running, everything is cool. As long as differing viewpoints can be freely expressed, everything's cool. As soon as it begins to look like television, things might not be quite so cool.

My lovely wife and I did a lot of traveling recently. People are scared.

People are fearful.

The economy.

Terrorism.

War.

Plague.

The Dixie Chicks.

What? Anyway. Don't worry about it. There are solutions. The economy? It's only money. Better to have friends and family. Terrorism? Odds are pretty long that any one individual will ever experience it up close and personal, so don't worry about it. War? No thank you. Plague? Now that's one thing where it really makes perfect scientific sense not to worry about it. When a person is worried their immune system is compromised. An unworried, happy person has a stronger immune system, and are better protected.

The Dixie Chicks? Well that's just plain silly. What ever happened to free speech? Why worry about the politics of entertainers? It makes about as much sense as boycotting the French. By the way, I recently purchased some very fine Bordeaux at a much reduced priced. I'm not afraid of a little French wine.

Fear is the mind killer.

Have no fear, as fear is how people are controlled. Just let it all go and be free.

It's all about freedom.

Enjoy our little zine, smug in the knowledge that you are part of a select group of people who can think for themselves.

Viva la cognitive function!

Long live the revolution!

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