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Show Hippie Hoffmann Abbie Hoffman's latest, "Steal This Book", is distributed by Grove press. The book is complete with diagrams on how to make Molotov cocktails, lessons on getting the right gun to do the job, and other suggestions for living in "Pig Empire", this "prizon that is Amerika". It shows you where and exactly how to place the dynamite that will destroy the walls." In his concern for the people, Mr. Hoffmann offers of-fers lessons on how to kill people or kick cops in the groin. He urged his readers to steal from retail stores. He ignores the fact that shoplifting accounts in a large measure for the rise in retail prices. Undoubtedly Mr. Hoffmann will accept the royalties roy-alties coming from the sale of his book, availing himself him-self of all the privileges Of that capitalist system which he is so intent on destroying. Such illogic should come as no surprise to those who recall his occasional appearances on .national television during the trial of the Chicago Seven, when he gave viewers view-ers the distinct impression of being mentally deranged. derang-ed. The moral question raised by Mr. Hoffmann's book is this: How can publishers legitimately exploit ex-ploit mental and moral illness for financial profits, especially when the material published endangers the lives and property of Americans? If a publisher turns out books offering lesson on how to kill people and destroy their property, he is responsible in part for those readers who take his book seriously and put them into practice. An unbalanced Mr. Hoffmann is only partially responsible for the consequences of his book. Whatever death and destruction such literature lit-erature helps produce also finds its origin in the publishers who promote these ideas. |