Yes! Go, Michael Moore!
He made so many great, relevant points during his appearance yesterday at the Austin kick-off of Hightower's 'RollingThunder Down Home Democracy Tour.'
I caught part of a TV interview after his speech in which he responded to the reporter's question concerning journalists' fear of losing their jobs over reporting 'non-PC' -- i.e. 'treasonous,' in the Administration's spin -- he said, "You know, that's just tough." So what. He pointed out that journalism is based on objective coverage in a professional ethical sense. Was a very interesting answer. Go for the bucks (job security) or integrity.
Another was that he is seeing, on his national book tour, that liberals universally feel 'all alone' and powerless since the Bush selection and particularly now, post 9/11 horrors of the W agenda ... he thinks that, for the first time since the 60s, many are going to become actively involved, beginning with grass-roots local politics ...
He mentioned that the book's publisher backpedalled on his manuscript after 9/11 ... it was finished, basically, before then. They wanted him to change the title; the organization; and the material itself. Scrap the whole thing and start over, because of an 'unpatriotic' theme, etc. They eventually changed their tune as they started to realize the money the book would make ... although he said they're still 'uncomfortable' and they are not financing the book tour.
He emphasized the incredible power of the Internet that can be harnessed to organize.
He noted that the Bush approval ratings in various polls are, at minimum, suspect, because people are fundamentally afraid not to say they approve ... big brother could be watching ...
I came away with literally dozens of web sites to organizations right here in Austin representing great opportunities for people to become involved. I'll post links here and on 'The Donkey's Inn' threads ...beginning with "National Planning Partners" listed in the RollingThunder program:
Genetic Engineering Action Network
www.geaction.org
Public Citizen
www.citizen.org
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN Registered trademark)
www.acorn.org
The National Organization of the Churches of Christ
www.ncccusa.org
Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO
www.seiu.org/political_action/index.cfm
Organic Valley Family of Farms
www.organicvalley.com
Ben & Jerry's (Ben Cohen was one of the RollingThunder speakers)
www.benjerry.com
Working Assets
www.workingassets.com
Essential Information
www.essential.org
The Tides Foundation
www.tides.org
Rainforest Action Network
www.ran.org
Global Exchange
www.globalexchange.org
Mother Jones
www.motherjones.com
Patch Adams and The Gesundheit Institute:
www.patchadams.org
The Nation
www.thenation.com
UTNE READER
www.utne.com
AlterNet.org
www.alternet.org
CTSG
www.ctsg.com
Campaign for America's Future
www.ourfuture.org
Progressive Majority
www.progressivemajority.org
Greenpeace
www.greenpeace.org
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