21 January 2008Manila Ryce
After being excluded by General Electric/NBC from the Las Vegas "debate", Congressman Dennis Kucinich joined Amy Goodman the following day for a re-host of the event. I only wish that they had allowed Dennis to talk more by shortening the clips from Clinton, Obama, and Edwards. Since they all say the same thing anyway, it's not really necessary to hear each one repeat the other. Still, Democracy Now! deserves major kudos for attempting to right the irreversible wrong committed by NBC. Due to this crime, NBC, the sponsors of the debate, and Howard Dean have received an overwhelming response of emails and calls on why we're boycotting them permanently.
Dennis Kucinich has shown once again that he is hip to rights which most Americans don't even know they have. This time it was about the right of the American public to our airwaves. The airwaves are public property which private corporate media conglomerates have no right to control. General Electric has a vested interest in this election. The company has over $2 billion in military contracts, and uses the absolute power it shares with a handful of other corporations to expel all undesirable opinions from public discussion.
Private corporations skew information to the benefit of their shareholders. They are plain and simple tyrannies which make a living out of violating the first amendment, and frankly do not have the right to exist. No other industrialized nation has handed over their airwaves to private powers as we have. American television companies currently have the power to promote war, make money off of said war, and silence all opposition to it. The time to end their reign is now, while the internet is still in public hands. Let us not forget that radio and television were once public property as well. If we do not resist the ever-pervasive presence of private power to purchase everything public (alliteration is awesome), this "alternative media" will cease being a device for information and interaction, and turn into just another propaganda tool. However, if we make the choice to stand together, America just might become a democracy.
