Author: dmac

First I must make a confession.  I no longer watch the news…not local, not CNN, not MSNBC not any news.  Any info I get comes from  bloggers, liberal radio and other internet sources.  I turned off the tv on Nov. 3rd after Kerry’s speech and haven’t watched one iota of news since.  So maybe I’m not really qualified to speak on this topic…but that’s not going to stop me.
  After listening to Randi Rhodes and some of the Majority Report tonight I began to think about our media.  Most people get their news from cable stations because it’s easy.  Flip the channel on the hour and catch up with the headlines.  But the headlines are probably not telling people what they need to hear.  

 Was there any discussion on today’s news about the laws being passed that give pharmacists the right to refuse to dispense medication based on their so called moral beliefs?

 Was there any mention in the news about a state passing a bill today that allows any medical personnel immunity from prosecution for refusing to treat anyone they consider not moral or against their own personal moral beliefs?

 Did anyone happen to see a great story about how our judicial branch of government is being threatened by rightwing zealots?

I think by now you get my drift.  We have been waiting for the American people to wake up.  An illegal war didn’t do it.  Election irregularities didn’t even cause a stir.  Social security has some looking through the squinting eyes as one coming out of a deep sleep.  And now Terry Schaivo has people getting out of bed.  

Okay so now the alarm clock has started to ring.  So what do we do now.  The stories I mentioned above are the ones that will get people moving –believe me they will jump out of bed if they see what is really going on here.  The Schaivo case has proven that.   The recent polling shows this without a doubt.  It is the bedroom issues that are going to get America moving again. No one wants the government to tell them how to pray, believe (or not) in God, or to make so called moral decisions for them.

 So its time for us to get moving also.  Talk these issues up!  Start writing to CNN, MSNBC,etc.  E-mail Matthews, Olbermann, Russert, and Stephanopoulos(I’m sure I murdered that name!).  And don’t stop with the supposed fair and balanced press.  Hit the real conservatives too. I know Fox is a hopeless cause but some conservatives are not.  True conservatives who have been seen to disagree with the repugs on the Shaivo case will possibly be receptive to this type of discussion.  George Will is one that comes to mind.  

Maybe, just maybe these stories will get some coverage. I don’t know if this will work, but I do know it will never work if we don’t try.   And if it doesn’t…well my favorite pastime is telling everyone I know (and some people I don’t know) what is going on in our government these days.

I know many of you will think that this is a futile cause but I am tired of waking up each morning more depressed than the last.  I’m tired of feeling helpless and hopeless.  And most of all I’m tired of looking at my kids and wondering what kind of future they will have if our country keeps traveling on its present course. So…tomorrow I will start writing to anyone and everyone with any ability to get these news stories heard.

It would seem that the vast amount of recent legislation has not been representative of the people’s interests.  Since the point of having a representative is to have them support their constituents interests it is becoming clear that our representative form of democracy is not working.
more after the fold
Let’s start with the recently passed bankruptcy bill.  The fact that a coalition was formed by both right and left wing blogs shows that the vote was not representative of the American peoples interests.  The fact that there is even still discussion about private ss acct’s again shows that the majority of Americans are not being served by their representatives.  Let’s face it..We the people no longer matter to our representatives.  They have become well fed and funded by the money handlers in our country and they only need us to pull the lever for their re-election.  And when we don’t puill their lever and they don’t get re-elected do they really care?  Hell no..They walk across the street to make more money lobbying for others who will pass more bills so they can continue this cycle of special interests.  
  Now I will state before going further that I am a lifelong Democrat.  I will continue to be a Democrat because the tenets of the Democratic Party represent my hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future of my country, my community and my family.  That being said, some Democratic representatives are just as guilty as the Republican ones.  This is not a right or left wing issue.  It is an American issue.  Until we can stop this circular progression of public servant to public thief we will not be represented.  
  So, what do we do?  Set term limits for representatives?  Prevent former reps from stepping out of congress and onto a K Street gig?  We obviously don’t have a media that discloses this problem.  The money flows rampantly for each and every new issue that helps corporations with passing favorable legislation.  The propaganda comes at us from all sides and unless we are diligent we become hoodwinked into believing that ss is in crisis, drilling in ANWAR will reduce our dependance on foreign oil and that each person should be responsible for paying off their debts even if they fall on hard times because of corporate rape and pillaging.  
  I’m not going to provide any answers here.  There are no easy answers.  What I am going to do is continue to talk to the people I meet day in and day out.  Those whom I consider to be friends, neighbors fellow parents,and even those standing in line with me at the grocery store.  Here is a sample of how a conversation like this could go…
  “Boy, that sure was an awful bill passed in congress today. Oh, you haven’t heard?  Yeah they passed a bankruptcy bill today that doesn’t allow any for anyone to get any break from the courts regardless of why they have to file for bankruptcy.  Yeah I think people should be responsible for their debts too but what if they have medical bills that they cannot pay because they have no health insurance through their employer.  You know I have health insurance and my daughter was in emergency a few months ago when she had a reaction to motrin that affected her kidneys and there is no way I could have paid those bills without insurance.  And did you know that there are national guard and reserve vets coming back from Iraq that have lost their jobs, but of course they still have families to support and bills to pay.  They won’t be able to get a fresh start either.  It’s a really bad bill.  Yeah, you should look into it.  There’s a lot of things getting passed lately that don’t seem good for ordinary Americans.  Thes congressmen and senators are supposed to take care of us and they are more interested in helping the big money and corporations that fund their campaigns. I know, you don’t see these things on the news anymore.   Yeah, hope you look it up.  If you have a computer there are lots of good websites out there that can give you the specifics.  Have a good day!”
 I had this conversation with a gentleman while waiting in line.  Now will it have any effect?  Who knows, but I felt better for having the conversation.  Right, left, Dems and Repugs were never mentioned. If only one out of ten people begin to look at what is going on I will feel like I have made a difference.  I will never know if there was any impact on that gentleman in line but I do know I did something.  I will continue to shout from the treetops that our interests are not being addressed and maybe someone, somewhere will hear.  That will be worth it.