George Bush talked this week about guest workers. It sounds so nice, so hospitable.

Deepa Fernandes tells a different story in her new book Targeted: Homeland Security and the Business of Immigration. Peruvians and Bolivians invited to rebuild New Orleans went home broke and in debt. You’re welcome. Come again. In discussions with African American activists in New Orleans the workers are told, This is the new slavery.

Again, these stories have the power to convince the average American that the slippery rules made by their government are not in the best interest of human beings–that is, if you can convince them that the so-called guest workers are human beings. With white supremicists setting the immigration agenda, we have a few obstacles to deal with before we get to the point of basic humanity with some people. It is possible. I am thinking of Morgan Spurlock’s television show 30 Days during one episode of which a firm anti-immigration activist (a Cuban immigrant Minuteman, no less) lived with an illegal immigrant family from Mexico for 30 days. He may not have left his nagging anti-immigration views behind, but he certainly embraced the humanity of his hosts.

This is another wrenching story from Democracy Now yesterday. And there is a new shocking story today. Democracy Now is Fascism Watch Now. This story of immigration, the story of media consolidation, and the story of outsourcing the military make up the most important hour you can spend this week to stay informed about what happens when corporations rule the world. The wake up calls are sounding all around us.

read comments (0)

When we consider the theory of media consolidation, it is easy for most of us to say, “Yeah, that’s right. One company shouldn’t own all of the media outlets in any one market. Some channels should remain clear.” Most of us can embrace the theory that locally owned stations are more likely to carry local content. A documentary like Orwell Rolls in His Grave is enough to scare us stupid.

The intended and unintended consequences of the 1996 Telecommunications Act have been investigated and discussed by those interested in media reform. In 2003, Federal Communications Commission revisions brought related issues into the news again–for a few months. Last Fall, a 2004 FCC report was ordered destroyed. The report found that “localism was beneficial to the public,” according to Sen. Barbara Boxer. That got a minute of attention. The National Conference for Media Reform this month had plenty of alternative media coverage. An article in the current issue of The Nation tells us this is “Media Reform’s Moment.”

What does it take to get people moving? I’m going to venture back to the idea that we learn and pass on knowledge through story and say that we need a good story that tells us exactly what can happen when, for example, one media giant owns all local radio stations with no live operator, just a national feed. To get average American people fighting media consolidation, it takes a good story.

We have that story in Eric Klinenberg’s new book, Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media.

Five years ago this week a train derailed in Minot, North Dakota leaking thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into the air. One person died and hundreds were treated for immediate health problems. The city’s six non-religious commercial radio stations – all owned by Clear Channel – never aired warnings for local residents.

I haven’t read the book. I can’t quite imagine that the words on page could be as powerful as the tapes of 911 calls from frantic Minot residents.

The most moving story I’ve heard yet on the consequences of media consolidation is told on yesterday’s Democracy Now interview with the author, where you can hear the story of what happened in Minot when Clear Channel was nowhere to be found.

Who is following the implications of media consolidation?

• Common Cause
• The Media Access Project
• Sen. Bernie Sanders (though you may want to hear him speak on Democracy Now since his formerly rich House site is now gone)

read comments (1)

The White House and Congress have been heavily lobbied by evangelical Christians seeking Armageddon. They know the (temporarily) all-powerful George Bush will help. He wants nuclear war with Iran as much as they do. He likes their vocabulary (though maybe not Stephen Colbert’s). He likes their pro-Zionist stance, and he loves anyone who will continue to attack Jimmy Carter for speaking truth to lobby.

I don’t want to participate in empty fear mongering that plays into the hands of the Armageddonites. Still, when the Bulletin for Atomic Scientists is concerned enough to move the Doomsday clock to five minutes to midnight, I am concerned. I want to stop them.

We have to believe that the Democratic Congress can stop the madman willing to jump into another war. We have to tell our Senators and Representatives that we do not want to see war with Iran, that we want to see diplomacy —as well as investigation of why previous opportunities for diplomacy were ignored. Use our democratic tools to push the Christofascists back. We need to expose these people for the baseless frauds they are.

read comments (0)

Before Chris Buttars is able to push a new bill through the Utah State Legislature, you need to read it, consider the implications, and call your Utah state Senators and Representatives.

Yesterday (Friday, January 19, 2007), Chris Buttars was able to push through the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee with a favorable recommendation Senate Bill SB-111, “Free Exercise of Religion without Government Interference.” The bill “proposes to protect the free exercise of religion. It requires the state to demonstrate a compelling government interest by clear and convincing evidence to justify substantially burdening a person’s free exercise of religion.” Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? Well, maybe it does as he tries to make fuzzy the line separating church and state. It’s what is buried in the bill that is a problem.

• Bill Documents
• Bill Text
• Audio from the Committee Meeting (about minutes 8:57 - 1:02:09–listening to these people talk is just frightening, and you can hear Scott McCoy say he agrees with Gayle Ruzicka.)

He says the bill is about exercise of religion through T-shirts. “He said he is confident his bill would withstand any legal challenge because it was drafted by constitutional experts he declined to identify.” An attorney in the State Office of Education says the bill is unnecessary. She said it’s a training issue rather than a legislative issue. Her office already deals with this issue in professional workshops.

Committee discussion brought up Supreme Court decisions that contradict this. Senator Scott McCoy tried to make it clear to Buttars that he can’t make a law that will supercede federal law, that this is a broad standard he is trying to set. Can’t it be dealt with in the schools rather than to “open up a can of worms.” Why don’t more people question this man? Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says this will certainly mean challenges in state courts (rather than federal courts).

Dave Beuhler, Associate Commissioner of Higher Education had a number of concerns. Why not just take care of this through policy rather than legislation? He and his attorney see greater liability. The attorney says this erodes the protections of government immunity, he points out the application of 11th Amendment immunity would be lost, and “this does open up a real Pandora’s box.” He gets closer to the point: when students are taught evolution, they can claim this puts excessive burden on their religion. The bill puts a “huge evidentiary burden” on the educational institutions. Buttars doesn’t see any of this as a problem, not surprisingly. McCoy points out that this puts the burden not of “fair” reason but of “compelling” reason on the government representatives and institutions.

I would so like these people to be required to undergo diversity training before the attempt to create laws. Over and over they show by their language and their choice of examples that they really haven’t a clue about other peoples and cultures than their own and what they wanted to call “normal” (but were encouraged to call “mainstream”). Their pathetic attempts to “lighten things up” are just embarrassingly unprofessional. And by “they” I mean, primarily, Chris Buttars.

So, if the so-called problem already has many ways to be dealt with through existing policy and administration, why does Buttars want to legislate it? For reasons beyond those he’s listed, undoubtedly. He mentioned in the meeting that it could be used to justify something “a little wild and crazy.” He plans to address whatever comes up in future legislation. It appears that this bill could force his dear Creationism into classrooms. That’s not so wild, but it is crazy.

read comments (1)

I wanted to think that a sweeping Democratic victory last November meant we faced less danger from the creeping fascism of creepy fascists. I was wrong, of course. The drive for authoritarian control is still apparent in a huge number of stories outside the average top ten–and sometimes lurking in the headlines.

Find a religious authoritarian under a variety of rocks.

• Evangelical Christians are using various levels of government to preach to captive Americans, resulting in unconstitutional use of taxpayer funds to indoctrinate prisoners and crossing the constitutional line separating church and state.

• The Pentagon Prayer Team, shown in the Christian Embassy video that is getting some notice, makes no pretense of separating church and state. It is quite obvious that they prefer no separation at all–as long as the church running the state is evangelical Christian, naturally.

• Efforts to exert influence over police and military result in evangelical Chistians holding at least 50% of chaplaincy appontments. So far. That is just the tip of the influence, of course. Do you think being part of the military or police should imply that one is: a) Republican, and b) evangelical Christian? It might be easy to say that it shouldn’t, but being honest about your own experience, does it?

• George W. Bush gets his orders from a higher power rather than from the U.S. citizens who (sort of) elected him. (See Mike Luckovich’s take on this higher power.) Even Spider-Man knows a super-villain when he sees one.

Rather than calling these people on their attempts to skirt the laws of the U.S. that separate church and state, those traditionally outside the evangelical right are courting them. I’m thinking of Mitt Romney, willing to do anything radically conservative, it would seem, in order to gain the influence needed to be run credibly for President.

Do you need more information than a few articles can give you? Read a few books. There are many books on the radical religious right and their Christian Reconstructionism. These are just two that have been released recently. Follow the links from them to find a web of alarm.

The Theocons: Secular American Under Siege by Damon Linker. Read an excerpt. Read reviews.

American Fascists by Chris Hedges.

DING DING DING.

We need more than alarm. We need clarity and action. We must be determined to fight those who attempt to undermine our rights.

How far are we down the road to fascism? And, what can we do about it?

read comments (0)