Sunday, November 05, 2006
And they called it Liberty
by Mike Van Dam
Of all the societies to evolve from greater Europe since the dark ages, America would seem to some to represent the greatest evolution of prosperity, government, liberty and freedom. The country while formed on high ideals never the less took its' beginning in the dark days of slavery, and was able to do nothing materially towards its end. The seeds had been planted however, and some states were abolitionist. And while Great Britain the hated oppressor, outlawed slavery entirely by 1804, and the Royal Navy seized numerous American Slave ships, it took this country another 50 years, 75 years from it founding as well as a bloody civil war involving catastrophic loss of life to abolish the practice. Massive discrimination persisted for over 100 years after that. In the meantime tribe upon tribe of Indians were exterminated outright, starved or relocated, as the white man took position of the land. The history of our country is full of massive exception to the creed with liberty and justice for all. The millions today who work for 1to 5 dollars a day to fill our stores with cheap goods are another modern day case in point.
The point of the forgoing illustration is to show that this country is a work in progress and that the values of liberty, justice and freedom should in no way be taken for granted. For history shows us that they have often come only with strong desire and committed effort. Indeed in our present time we find again we are faced with the challenge to ask ourselves do we really want liberty and justice for all and are we willing to make the effort to secure it.
Compounding our problem in the current time is the general lack of awareness of the precarious state of our democracy. This is due to a great breach of trust with the American People. The trust is built on the idea of Honesty and is generally considered to be an American value. However we find today a deafening silence from the mainstream media on numerous issues. True investigative reporting is at an all time low and there seems to be a tacit agreement not to go into too much depth in certain areas. These are areas of vital importance to our Democracy. These include government cover-ups, corporate scandals involving government officials, political and private conflicts of interest that affect the public welfare, and one of the worst conflicts of interest is the network of corporate ownership of major media. What they don’t own outright they influence with advertising dollars. For example when Forbes did an unfavorable article on the then CEO of IBM, he forbade IBM or any of its subsidiaries to advertise with Forbes. Ouch! So how is NBC going to do an investigative report or scoop on GE, which own them? Right. And these are just the obvious conflicts.
Another conflict of interest for companies that purport to deliver news is the very fact of the for profit corporation that by law must serve the interests of their shareholders. This is a direct conflict of interest to the clients or people of this country who need information to make informed decisions about where to spend their money and who to vote for.
Stepping back a little on the ownership issue we need to consider the concentration of wealth. In America we find that about 90% of the wealth is owned by or in the control of 1% of the population. So we can effectively reason that 1% of the population is influencing a 90% control of the news and media, certainly to further their financial and political interests and certainly not to the detriment of the ingrained conflicts of interests that weave their way through industry, academia, government and the media.
This is the world as we know it, not that its all bad but you certainly have to dig for the truth. Just like they had to drill for oil. Now, that oil money has covered all the world with heat, pollution, ownership and controlling interests that seek maintain a leading position in an evolving world that desperately needs to wean itself from the hydrocarbon economy. The transition unfortunately is overdue and we’ve suckled on the fount of oil energy into crisis. To the point of wars for strategic control over oil reserves, massive public deception about the facts, horrendous public manipulation to hide the motives behind military and industrial activity, changing of the global climate with the now very real possibility of melting ice sheets that will change the world as we know it.
The same ratio of influence can be seen in the federal government. Here the dollar is king, as far as getting elected. And as far as getting any thing done, requires working with the many interests pursuing government action most of which are involved in making money in one way or another. Other parties are interested in government policy but the big players here are funded by the foundations and trusts of our 1% group or conceivable 10% of the 1%. If this leadership was enlightened that would be one thing. However they have driven the world right into the teeth of a Global Warming catastrophe, the oceans are now fished out and polluted, useless wars rage, public education and health stagnate, and democracy has become a sham with and uneducated, uninformed and corrupted and apathetic public that has certainly been cultivated by those wishing a more governable population.
What is being invited here however is chaos. Without an educated, informed and civic-minded populace a democracy will not function. The only way to keep control of this is stronger central control, which is what we are seeing, both behind the scenes and in our face. This however is definitely Un-American as well as the ideas of control and domination, which are based on fear and will most likely come to a fearful end.
We are now seeing in the states an effort to undermine one of our society's most basic tenants, which is to have Free and Fair elections. The state of the electronic voting machines is a national scandel. While the lethargy of Congress, the FEC, state Secrataries of State and the Media boggles the mind. Then afer the election we find the exact same interests influence both sides of the political isle. We are kept entertained by issues like abortion, gay marriage, gun control, anything polarizing to stir up the emotions. This keeps our attention off the deeper issues and policies and the very structure of relationships in government, banking, industry, academia, and the media that have a profound effect on our society. The focus on partian politics while important misses many of the more profound policy trends. Add to that the limitless resources of corporations and various foudations, and the amount of money that is required to win an election and ask yourself. Is this Democracy led by statesmanship?
If we claim to be a Free People who stand for the values of Liberty, Justice and Democracy, then the question is weather we will allow ourselves to see the Plutocracy that we have evolved into and the many accomplices that it has co-opted; for many people love inclusion in the ruling crowd and the position, power and success that comes with it. These things are generally held in much higher esteem than liberty, truth, justice, which indeed may involve solitude and sacrifice in their pursuit. However, if we look to one of the founding creeds of our nation “The land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,” this is not a call to popularity, or a life of comfort, neither is it a certificate of inclusion or an award of position. No it is a lonely Declaration of Independence of those who love Freedom for Freedoms sake alone and refuse to live otherwise. The question is weather we will remain accomplices, drugged by the many entertainments and comforts we have embraced or will we wake up and Declare our Everlasting right to Freedom and get busy contributing to a culture that values and nourishes Freedom, Liberty and Justice for All!
Of all the societies to evolve from greater Europe since the dark ages, America would seem to some to represent the greatest evolution of prosperity, government, liberty and freedom. The country while formed on high ideals never the less took its' beginning in the dark days of slavery, and was able to do nothing materially towards its end. The seeds had been planted however, and some states were abolitionist. And while Great Britain the hated oppressor, outlawed slavery entirely by 1804, and the Royal Navy seized numerous American Slave ships, it took this country another 50 years, 75 years from it founding as well as a bloody civil war involving catastrophic loss of life to abolish the practice. Massive discrimination persisted for over 100 years after that. In the meantime tribe upon tribe of Indians were exterminated outright, starved or relocated, as the white man took position of the land. The history of our country is full of massive exception to the creed with liberty and justice for all. The millions today who work for 1to 5 dollars a day to fill our stores with cheap goods are another modern day case in point.
The point of the forgoing illustration is to show that this country is a work in progress and that the values of liberty, justice and freedom should in no way be taken for granted. For history shows us that they have often come only with strong desire and committed effort. Indeed in our present time we find again we are faced with the challenge to ask ourselves do we really want liberty and justice for all and are we willing to make the effort to secure it.
Compounding our problem in the current time is the general lack of awareness of the precarious state of our democracy. This is due to a great breach of trust with the American People. The trust is built on the idea of Honesty and is generally considered to be an American value. However we find today a deafening silence from the mainstream media on numerous issues. True investigative reporting is at an all time low and there seems to be a tacit agreement not to go into too much depth in certain areas. These are areas of vital importance to our Democracy. These include government cover-ups, corporate scandals involving government officials, political and private conflicts of interest that affect the public welfare, and one of the worst conflicts of interest is the network of corporate ownership of major media. What they don’t own outright they influence with advertising dollars. For example when Forbes did an unfavorable article on the then CEO of IBM, he forbade IBM or any of its subsidiaries to advertise with Forbes. Ouch! So how is NBC going to do an investigative report or scoop on GE, which own them? Right. And these are just the obvious conflicts.
Another conflict of interest for companies that purport to deliver news is the very fact of the for profit corporation that by law must serve the interests of their shareholders. This is a direct conflict of interest to the clients or people of this country who need information to make informed decisions about where to spend their money and who to vote for.
Stepping back a little on the ownership issue we need to consider the concentration of wealth. In America we find that about 90% of the wealth is owned by or in the control of 1% of the population. So we can effectively reason that 1% of the population is influencing a 90% control of the news and media, certainly to further their financial and political interests and certainly not to the detriment of the ingrained conflicts of interests that weave their way through industry, academia, government and the media.
This is the world as we know it, not that its all bad but you certainly have to dig for the truth. Just like they had to drill for oil. Now, that oil money has covered all the world with heat, pollution, ownership and controlling interests that seek maintain a leading position in an evolving world that desperately needs to wean itself from the hydrocarbon economy. The transition unfortunately is overdue and we’ve suckled on the fount of oil energy into crisis. To the point of wars for strategic control over oil reserves, massive public deception about the facts, horrendous public manipulation to hide the motives behind military and industrial activity, changing of the global climate with the now very real possibility of melting ice sheets that will change the world as we know it.
The same ratio of influence can be seen in the federal government. Here the dollar is king, as far as getting elected. And as far as getting any thing done, requires working with the many interests pursuing government action most of which are involved in making money in one way or another. Other parties are interested in government policy but the big players here are funded by the foundations and trusts of our 1% group or conceivable 10% of the 1%. If this leadership was enlightened that would be one thing. However they have driven the world right into the teeth of a Global Warming catastrophe, the oceans are now fished out and polluted, useless wars rage, public education and health stagnate, and democracy has become a sham with and uneducated, uninformed and corrupted and apathetic public that has certainly been cultivated by those wishing a more governable population.
What is being invited here however is chaos. Without an educated, informed and civic-minded populace a democracy will not function. The only way to keep control of this is stronger central control, which is what we are seeing, both behind the scenes and in our face. This however is definitely Un-American as well as the ideas of control and domination, which are based on fear and will most likely come to a fearful end.
We are now seeing in the states an effort to undermine one of our society's most basic tenants, which is to have Free and Fair elections. The state of the electronic voting machines is a national scandel. While the lethargy of Congress, the FEC, state Secrataries of State and the Media boggles the mind. Then afer the election we find the exact same interests influence both sides of the political isle. We are kept entertained by issues like abortion, gay marriage, gun control, anything polarizing to stir up the emotions. This keeps our attention off the deeper issues and policies and the very structure of relationships in government, banking, industry, academia, and the media that have a profound effect on our society. The focus on partian politics while important misses many of the more profound policy trends. Add to that the limitless resources of corporations and various foudations, and the amount of money that is required to win an election and ask yourself. Is this Democracy led by statesmanship?
If we claim to be a Free People who stand for the values of Liberty, Justice and Democracy, then the question is weather we will allow ourselves to see the Plutocracy that we have evolved into and the many accomplices that it has co-opted; for many people love inclusion in the ruling crowd and the position, power and success that comes with it. These things are generally held in much higher esteem than liberty, truth, justice, which indeed may involve solitude and sacrifice in their pursuit. However, if we look to one of the founding creeds of our nation “The land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,” this is not a call to popularity, or a life of comfort, neither is it a certificate of inclusion or an award of position. No it is a lonely Declaration of Independence of those who love Freedom for Freedoms sake alone and refuse to live otherwise. The question is weather we will remain accomplices, drugged by the many entertainments and comforts we have embraced or will we wake up and Declare our Everlasting right to Freedom and get busy contributing to a culture that values and nourishes Freedom, Liberty and Justice for All!
