Between empty roads and traffic jams, mobile phone masts and high cranes scratching the gray water leaden clouds, which would fill the always perilously empty water tanks of the small desert town for a full year, my life unfolds. Glad to read here in my local newspaper that the march on Washington was a success, enough people (according to CNN several ten thousands), enough names. I honor amongst others Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Jesse Jackson, Danny Glover, Rhea Perlman, Tim Robbins. The latter appealing to his fellow citizens 'to impeach this President before he rules the country from a bunker'. The march was organized by the alliance For Peace and Justice. Codepink, Cindy Sheehan and all peace loving people were there in person or supported the march virtually with actions online or sponsoring someone to go to Washington. People came by train, bus, plane, carpooling... My friend Kelly went; read her report:
My name is Kellie and I live in the beautiful state of Arizona.
I am an American citizen.
I am also member of a global community of peoples who believe that war and killing should never be an answer to our struggles.
I need to find a forum in which my voice can be heard; I am sending this in hopes of an editorial piece or article in your publication.
This last Saturday I was one of 100's of thousands who showed up on the National Mall in Washington DC to protest the war, say NO to a surge. And there was another overwhelming show of support at this massive gathering, and everyone is acting like it is some kind of big secret, and that is for the impeachment of this president.
When I flew out of DC that evening I was shocked to tears in the airport when CNN gave the march a short spot in their programming, and showed a small group of people that were on the stage. No film or pictures were shown of a large mall (146 aces) packed to overflowing with all walks of peoples, gathered for one common denominator, to end this ill fated war NOW!
The coverage of the event did not get much better. It was given little airtime.
It is fair to say that a large portion of Americans gets their news from the telly. There are the major networks like ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX,CNN,C-Span and the severely under-funded PBS. And they sat for the most part silent on this very important public event.
I could not help but think later looking at the silly magazines in the airport with celebrity gossip splashed on the covers, that the government really had managed to dumb the American people down. Hardly seems an accident that education in this country is not on the priority list, nor is healthcare or the environment I might add.
They have been brainwashing us with sensational headlines of celebrity romances and other sorted affairs, and stuffing us with chocolate, ice cream and a steady diet of greasy fast food.
Yep it worked all right, we are full and sedated, clueless of what it is our government is actually doing. We are afraid to say that the emperor is wearing no clothes. The direction he is taking us is putting us in harms way like never before.
Bush and his cronies are so caught up in their failing war of domination and power that they can't even take care of our own people.
I know that I am not the only one who would like to know how our brothers and sisters in the gulf coast region are doing since Katrina, are they getting the help they deserve to rebuild their shattered lives. I might add that it was the spirit of the American public, her people, that stepped up to the plate after this disaster and made sure that people got basic human needs met, our government was bumbling about like idiots.
And the world community steadily loses its respect for us, and losing hope for that which we stand for, Democracy.
Well I for one have had enough, I want to be heard, and I want to hear what my fellow brothers and sisters are saying as well. I want to see coverage of all the marches that occurred on Saturday in this country, and the world for that matter.
There were substantial gatherings not only in DC, but also throughout the country.
Why was this news not as newsworthy as the death of Barbaro.
We are going to have to admit to ourselves that we have let big, greedy, corrupt government run the show unchecked too long.
We got ourselves into this mess, and we can and will get ourselves out of it.
In order to do that, we need to have the media we were meant to have in a democratic society. Democracy cannot exist without an informed public.
"Within our large and dispersed liberal democratic society, the media is supposed to play an important communications role: facilitating public discourse, informing the public, representing the public and acting as a watchdog of the power structures that effect public's well being" – Jason Diceman
So in other words, stop trying to dumb me down. Sure I am amused by celebrity gossip, but lets get real here, we are in a war that we should never have gotten into in the first place. The Truth is that our government lied to us. To those of you still hanging on to hopes that it was not a lie, that there were weapons of mass destruction, the Truth is already out in the open, the men who told the lies don't even had the decency to admit the stupidity of their actions, and apologize for the unjustified and tragic waste of human lives. Ours, and Theirs.
Okay I got off track there, back to the whole reason I am writing this, it is to ask for the help of the American people in assuring that we are getting fair and truthful media in a time when we need it more than ever.
Flying home from DC, hopes renewed, and reminded that I was not alone in my quest for peaceful solutions, disappointed in the media's lack of attention, I took solace in knowing that on Monday morning I could turn on LinkTV or FSTV and catch Democracy Now and Amy Goodman and see some actual coverage of the most important thing that happened in my country last weekend.
I want to ask the American people to join me in demanding that the Giant megamedia conglomerates carry alternative media, and that they stop dumbing us down with superficial news and that they start reporting to us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
At this point folks, newspapers and alternative media are our best choices if we are going to choose to be informed and take back our democracy from big greedy government and corporations. Please Never Stop Learning.
I will not fall for their scare tactics again, and I refuse to remain silent.
And most importantly we are not Alone, We in fact are Many.
Kellie R Russell
Thanks, all of you. You can still join.
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