Censoring Media -- Media Matters

I believe in peace and justice and the importance of the Fourth Estate in maintaining such. Media matters and we need internet neutrality to help preserve our democracy, this more than ever given the Top 25 Censored Stories of 2007. Keeping people in the dark is a fascist tool and we must learn and speak out and absolutely insist in a fair and balanced media and the right of people to get their own individual messages out, to be read or not read, but available. Freedom of Speech is essential to Democracy (Newt Gingrich's recent crazy comments in New Hampshire aside -- did you know he is for limiting the First Amendment? Does he have no love for America? Or is is that he just has no shame.)

Learn more about the TOP 25 censored stories via the title link and/or listen to the authors of the book expanding the stories, Peter Philips and Andy Roth of Project Censored, interviewed by Bob McChesney, the webcast of which can be found at his Media Matters site -- the November 26th show. While there, bookmark the site and come back to it for more such information because Media does matter.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

PS I posted something to Nancy Pelosi at my KateAnne.com site. I must print it out and mail it to her.

Good news, and a little bad news

Some of the gang with Fred
We must stress the good news: the Democrats have gained control of the House, with New York's Michael Arcuri, John Hall, and Kirsten Gillibrand being part of that victory. [I'll have to check later about some of my favorites from the other states -- but I know that both Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown have won for Senate in Vermont and Ohio.]

The bad news is that it looks like Pennsylvania Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach has retained his seat: 118,807 votes - 51 percent - to 115,806 for Lois Murphy. Who knows what damage those lousy robocalls made. In a close election, it would appear just enough. [I had a great talk on GOTV with upstate NY teacher Nancy Zook-Schmitz who stressed the importance of working for every vote. She went door-to-door for her own race 20 years ago and lost by ONE vote. "That little light at the end of road" -- the possible vote there could make all the difference.]

I was at the Citizen Action office with the Tuesday Get Out the Vote (for Michael Arcuri) team headed by Fred Wright. We were busy and I wasn't about to get everyone's name but I did get to talk with Bobbie Gold and Nora, both of whom I sat near during the course of the day. In the evening some of us (including Jerry Palmer) went over to SEIU at 520 Eighth Avenue, then toward evening's end a number of us went to the musician's local and called for John Hall. Quite a day -- and we know our work counted toward the victory.

As House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi soon to be Majority Leader said, we've made history -- now let's make progress. Here's to some cleaning up of Washington, at least some oversight control and accountability. Let's accentuate the positive and do some serious eliminating of the neocon negative. And let's play fair. It is a beginning to the return of the middle class and peace, please. And let's see Nancy accomplish her Six in '06 -- see yesterday's PPS.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Vote, Call for Change - GOTV, Create Peace

Lois Murphy
It is Election Day - I'm voting on the Working Families party line - Row E -- and I'm making calls. Please do what YOU can. VOTE. Here in New York City, with safe Democratic seats, we can still impact MORE. Yes, vote on the Working Families Party's Line E to show we want Progressive Change -- But lets CALL for Change! Go to MoveOn.org and get involved making calls into areas with close races -- including upstate New York. (I'm already committed to helping via Citizen Action -- another great group.) You can also click on the Call for Change sidebar icon.

Speaking of action, I joined Betsy Crawford and Marc Crawford Leavitt in Pennsylvania this weekend to work on Lois Murphy's congressional campaign. What fun! We not only helped in the campaign office we got to attend a rally which featured our candidate Lois Murphy, but also Governor Ed Rendell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (what a thrill! -- see the PPS below), Senator Barack Obama, and Senate candidate Bob Casey Jr., as well as some great Pennsylvania politicos such as Netta Young Hughes and Olivia Brady and the head of Pennysylvania's AFL-CIO. It's a close race and so Pennsylvania is getting out all the heavy hitters to combat Republican dirty tricks. Let me tell you about those, in case you haven't heard. One is calling people and telling them their polling place has changed. (Yes, again!) This was reported last night on Air America Radio by callers in a number of states.

Another Republican dirty trick is annoying robo-calls which, unless you listen to the whole call, seem to sound like they are coming from Lois Murphy's (or another Democratic candidate's) campaign. If you hang up, the call re-dials you. It is win-win for the Repugs: You either think the Democrat is annoying you and vote against her/him or don't vote, or you listen to the whole slam which disses the Democratic candidate, and again it might affect your vote. Sometimes these calls come in the middle of the night: Rovian tactics. WRONG. Illegal. But in a close race, it can make a difference. They'll pay the fines, but they will get some of their candidates in so who cares about a little fine -- or a little jail time for some minor schnook? This makes the MoveOn.org calls -- or Citizen Action calls -- more important: live sincere human beings calling to urge civic responsibility and change -- and to discredit the robocalls.

Yes, we can help people choose change. Even if you have just a half hour free during lunch or an hour free at the end of a busy day, we can call target voters in the most competitive congressional races right from our own personal computers. Nearly 6 million calls have already been made! A real-time call counter is located at www.moveon.org. Vote, YES -- and do more -- Call for Change. AND, email and call your friends in red and purple states and encourage them to vote for CHANGE!!

I'm hoping Lois Murphy gets in. And Mike Arcuri in upstate New York. I am happy to have helped with their campaigns and have met some great people, including Citizen Action's volunteer coordinator, Fred Wright, and in Pennysylvania this weekend Californians now DC residents Jennifer Brown and Allison Rector. Together we can help change the world positively, toward peace and justice -- now let's get busy and Vote and Call for Change.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Betsy, Jen and Allison - outside of the Carver Center

PS I will be posting more pictures later at my FlickR.com site

PPS For those who say the Dem's don't have an agenda, don't have a plan, REFUTE THEM. Tell them of Nancy Pelosi's great plan: Nancy, before introducing Lois, laid out six points on the Democratic agenda which could be accomplished within "100 hours" if people like Lois Murphy and Mike Arcuri are elected and if Democrats take control of Congress, her six in 06 agenda [Please, God!]:

1. Passing the 9/11 Commission's recommendations


2. Raising the minimum wage


3. Removing incentives for businesses that outsource


4. Cutting interest on student loans


5. Passing stem cell research legislation and


6. Giving Medicare the ability to negotiate directly with prescription drug companies

Get out and vote then help GOTV!!!

Kerry Comments vs Bush's: Media Outrage Overboard and Unfair

We have to be in touch with the media to tell them that Bush is too stupid to know when he is being called stupid. That is what all this John Kerry misspeak debacle is about. Of course, they know what he meant, but by God they will pretend otherwise and ignore apologies aimed to deflect their deliberate misinterpretation.

On this subject, I was appalled listening to CW11's News at 10 pm and this morning googled and emailed them this note, which I may snail mail them to emphasize my point: CW11/WPIX-TV 220 E. 42nd Street New York, NY 10017 Attn: General Manager/News re News at Ten - re their giving way too much time to Lolita Lopez comments and those of the others re-- Kerry's misstatement while they ignore Bush's errors and his illegal war:

John Kerry misspeaks and CW11 news wrings it for all the Republican propaganda possibilities that it can have -- I am shocked! You ignore George Bush's constant lies -- don't call him on any of them -- including a war which was based on lies -- but will call the Democrat on something that clearly wasn't said -- and you know it. Bush is too stupid to know that he was called stupid? Well, no, Rovian tactics would have him PRETEND it is so. And you go along with the game plan. I am very upset with CW11 News at Ten and its ilk. Stop playing partisan politics and report the news. Thank you.

Keep FAIR's media contact list [title link] handy -- and contact the media when they play these shenanighans. I'm going to put all the phone numbers on my cell phone and CALL. Enough of this right wing media bias. Let's call them on it again and again. How dare they try to confuse voters! The REAL president's muffed comments are supposed to matter to you over the miss-deeds of the one we allowed to steal the election. Puh-lease! Nope. Enough is enough. No justice. No peace. And no fair elections, if these right wing hacks have their say and way.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne