Corproate Media Censors October 27th Protests

War Protests: Why No Coverage?
By Jerry Lanson Christian Science Monitor Tuesday 30 October 2007

Newspapers have a duty to inform citizens about such democratic events.

Boston - Coordinated antiwar protests in at least 11 American cities this weekend raised anew an interesting question about the nature of news coverage: Are the media ignoring rallies against the Iraq war because of their low turnout or is the turnout dampened by the lack of news coverage?

I find it unsettling that I even have to consider the question.

That most Americans oppose the war in Iraq is well established. The latest CBS News poll, in mid-October, found 26 percent of those polled approved of the way the president is handling the war and 67 percent disapproved. It found that 45 percent said they'd only be willing to keep large numbers of US troops in Iraq "for less than a year." And an ABC News-Washington Post poll in late September found that 55 percent felt Democrats in Congress had not gone far enough in opposing the war.

Granted, neither poll asked specifically about what this weekend's marchers wanted: An end to congressional funding for the war. Still, poll after poll has found substantial discontent with a war that ranks as the preeminent issue in the presidential campaign.

Given that context, it seems remarkable to me that in some of the 11 cities in which protests were held - Boston and New York, for example - major news outlets treated this "National Day of Action" as though it did not exist. As far as I can tell, neither The New York Times nor The Boston Globe had so much as a news brief about the march in the days leading up to it. The day after, The Times, at least in its national edition, totally ignored the thousands who marched in New York and the tens of thousands who marched nationwide. The Globe relegated the news of 10,000 spirited citizens (including me) marching through Boston's rain-dampened streets to a short piece deep inside its metro section. A single sentence noted the event's national context.

As a former newspaper editor, I was most taken aback by the silence beforehand. Surely any march of widespread interest warrants a brief news item to let people know that the event is taking place and that they can participate. It's called "advancing the news," and it has a time-honored place in American newsrooms.

With prescient irony, Frank Rich wrote in his Oct. 14 Times column, "We can continue to blame the Bush administration for the horrors of Iraq.... But we must also examine our own responsibility." And, he goes on to suggest, we must examine our own silence.

So why would Mr. Rich's news colleagues deprive people of information needed to take exactly that responsibility?

I'm not suggesting here that the Times or any news organization should be in collusion with a movement - pro-war or antiwar, pro-choice or pro-life, pro-government or pro-privatization.

I am suggesting that news organizations cover the news - that they inform the public about any widespread effort to give voice to those who share a widely held view about any major national issue.

If it had been a pro-war group that had organized a series of support marches this weekend, I'd have felt the same way. Like the National Day of Action, their efforts would have been news - news of how people can participate in a democracy overrun with campaign platitudes and big-plate fundraisers, news that keeps democracy vibrant, news that keeps it healthy.

Joseph Pulitzer, the editor and publisher for whom the highest honor in journalism is named, understood this well. In May 1904, he wrote: "Our Republic and its press rise or fall together. An able, disinterested, public-spirited press ... can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery.... The power to mould the future of the Republic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations."

It's time for the current generation of journalists - at times seemingly obsessed with Martha Stewart, O.J. Simpson, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and the like - to use that power more vigilantly, and more firmly, with the public interest in mind.

--------
Jerry Lanson is a professor of journalism at Emerson College in Boston.

h/t T O via MFSO-FL...

Fascism in Fantasyland - John Russell Booted From FL Dem Convention

On October 27, 2007, John Russell went to the Peace Rally in Orlando, then he went to the annual Florida Democratic Party Convention. John ... all » walked in the door carrying John Edwards signs and said hello to the people at Clint Curtis' table. The two women at the next table said that they were also Edwards supporters, that they were covering up their table, and that he could put some signs there. John introduced himself to them, and one immediately took off to get Mitch Kates.

Mitch came right back, shoved John, and said, "Why are you here. You weren't invited. You have to leave." John asked why, and then the women said that he was putting stuff on their table without their permission. John immediately removed the signs.

Mitch’s physical attack would likely have continued, but Mitch realized that John had supporters with him and that he was on camera. So, Mitch took his overly aggressive behavior down a couple of notches. Obviously, the FDP leadership had planned to exclude John if he showed up at the convention as John did not do anything to cause any disturbance. In fact, he was relatively calm after being pushed hard enough that many people would have struck back.

The FDP leadership knew that others were going to try to remove Karen Thurman as chair. Apparently, Thurman and her supporters did not want John there also calling for her removal. Rather than debate the merits of her leadership, or lack thereof, force was used to silence Russell, one of Thurman’s critics. No wonder Thurman also voted for the infamous “Patriot” Act and the authorization for Bush to use force to start the unconstitutional wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After all, Thurman also takes money directed to her from Republican lobbyists. Once again, it’s time for a change in the leadership of the Florida Democratic Party, unless you want more of the same.

The full version of the Fascism in Fantasyland video can be seen here.

For more information see:

The video of John Russell asking Karen Thurman about the Miami Herald article.

Michael Collins’ article on Scoop - Florida Citizens Versus Party Insiders

Mike Gravel at the Oct. 27th Orlando Protest

Mike Gravel at the Oct. 27th Orlando Protest - Some videos of his radio interview and a partial transcript of his comments at the protest rally...
On the Iraq War and Oil


On the National Initiative...

partial transcript of speech at the protest, big H/t to Eileen Fleming for Gravel's comments (and ADS for pointing the way)...

"You bet I am angry! If you have a heart you would be angry too!...It boggles the mind how one human being can kill and dismember another's body and Congress sits in their air conditioned office and says it's just Foreign Policy [when] its murder!

"Our education system is in the toilet, our tax system is corrupt and our infrastructure is tumbling and we consume more energy than anybody else! The U.S.A., the great free country has imprisoned six times per capita more than Hitler had in prison in 1938!

"I don't have any power now; I don't know if there was a conspiracy in 9/11, but if I am elected president I will use subpoena powers and have a Commission [to investigate] and will put their butts in jail for perjury! Bush, Cheney and all down the line- we should be impeaching them right now! We made a mistake when I was young by not putting Nixon in jail!

"Do you know that the Minutemen were insurgents? Insurgents are those that fight for their country! 80% of Iraqis want us to leave! I offered a proposal to Congress-a way to get out of Iraq; all we need is leadership! Hillary Clinton is Bush light and is bought lock stock and barrel by the Industrial Military Complex!"

Mike Gravel really is the Rocky of the 2008 race, t'aint he?

Thousands Expected In Orlando For Oct27th Protest

Thousands Expected As Orlando Joins 10 U.S. Cities Mobilizing to End the War in Iraq

WHEN: Saturday, October 27, 2007 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm

WHERE: Rally at Lake Eola (NE corner). 3 mile march from Robinson to Parramore to Church St to Orange Ave to Central and returning to Eola Drive & Robinson.

On October 27, thousands of people from all walks of life will take to the streets in Orlando and 10 other cities as they host regional marches and rallies to end the War in Iraq and prevent new wars. The event in Orlando is expected to be the largest peace rally ever held in Florida. Local organizers from a variety of groups are working together to host the October 27 march, which is welcoming participants from throughout Florida and the greater Southeast.

Speakers Include:
Michael Albert - activist, author of "From SDS to Life After Capitalism" & founder of Z-Magazine
Lucas Benitez - Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Debra Booth - AFL-CIO & Central Florida Labor Council
Scott Camil - Veteran for Peace
Michael Canney - Green Party of Florida, Co-Chair
maTT De Vlieger - SDS @ UCF (M.C. of the day)
Denise Diaz - Central Florida Jobs with Justice
Sen. Mike Gravel - Anti-war Candidate for President '08
Clifton Hicks - Iraq veteran against the war (IVAW)
Jesse Kern - Veterans for Peace (Korean War Veteran)
?Congressman Dennis Kucinich - Presidential Candidate for Peace '08
Omar Masri - Speaker from UFPJ Steering Committee
Peg McIntire (97yo) - Grandparents for Peace, St. Augustine
David Rucker - Metropolitan Democratic Black Caucus & former President of the Orange County NAACP
Bruce Wright - St. Pete for Peace
Lydia Vickers - CodePink

What you need to know: Rally starts at 12:30 and the march will begin nearly an hour later. Our main speakers will address us before and after the march. There will be water distributed before and during the march. There are bathrooms at the rally site and businesses along the way. Please help distribute flyers until the day of the event. You can find them and all the other resources you'll need below. Please consider holding a streetside solidarity protest in your community before the OCT27 rally in Orlando, to stir up interest and invite people who may not otherwise know. Leafletting to pedestrians and drivers has been very successful for us in Orlando. We plan to hold our next streetside protest soon. You should begin organizing yours.

Important Resources for Oct 27:

For a copy of the press release, click here:

For a map of parking arrangements, click here:

For a map of the march route, click here:

For full page and ¼ page flyers, click here:

For ½ page flyers in Spanish, click here:

For a list of endorsers, click here:

To retrieve a letter to endorse officially, click here:

To add your group as an endorser on the website, click here:

To post an offer or request for housing, click here:

To post an offer or request for a ride, click here:

To volunteer. click here:

For information on Lake Eola Park, click here:

See you soon!!
--
Be Well,
maTT de vlieger
actlikematt@gmail.com
954.536.7461

Where will you march on Saturday?

Saturday, October 27th
Energy Building for National Day of Action
END THE WAR IN IRAQ, NOW!

Dear Friend of United for Peace and Justice,

With just three days before the 11 massive regional demonstrations and other actions around the country, the energy is growing and momentum is building. The people of this country know this war is wrong and it must stop. On Saturday, from many cities but in one voice, we will send a clear and unified message: end this war, bring the troops home, fund our communities!

You can get the most up-to-date information about the plans for the protest in the city nearest you by going to www2.oct27.org. There you can find details about the day's activities, leaflets to download and copy so you can help spread the word, information about transportation to the regional action near you and much more.

It is not too late to make your plans to get to one of these mobilizations. And it is not too late to help us make sure everyone knows what's happening on Saturday, and that they are encouraged to participate.

Here are some things you can to do to help build October 27th:

* Send a copy of this message to everyone you know, to every email address you have.

* Share the video generously produced by Robert Greenwald and Brave New Foundation in support of the mobilization with others, and encourage them to sign the October 27th pledge. http://www2.oct27.org/brave_new_video

* Ask any group or organization you are part of to help get the word out. They can organize a phone-banking evening and send out email messages.

* Print out a copy of the leaflet for the demonstration nearest you from www2.oct27.org and make copies to give out at work, in your neighborhood, at school or anywhere else you'll be seeing people.

* Call into a radio talk show and explain why you'll be marching on Saturday. Be sure to let people know how they can get more information. http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/

* Post an October 27th web button on your website, blog or MySpace and/or Facebook profile. http://www2.oct27.org/web_buttons

* It's not too late to organize group transportation from your area to the closest regional mobilization. First, check the website to see what might be available, but if nothing is close by, then pull folks together for vans and car pools. You might even still be able to rent a bus.

Let's all do what we can to build the October 27th National Day of Action. Let's come together to send the strongest, loudest, clearest message we can: The people of this country oppose this war, and we want it to end now! We want all the troops and contractors to come home, now! We want our tax dollars to be used to meet our needs right here at home and to rebuild our communities, not on death and destruction! And we do not want a new war in Iran, or anywhere else!

Please help us with the largest financial contribution you can make: http://www2.oct27.org/donate.html?q=donate

Peace,


The staff of United for Peace and Justice:

Leslie Cagan
Sue Udry
Susan Chenelle
Nia Wiltshire
Judith LeBlanc
Dick Buchanan

Get involved!
Saturday, October 27th
National Mobilization Against the Iraq War!
11 Massive Demonstrations for Peace!
http://www.oct27.org

Neocons Surge Against Antiwar Movement

Forwarned is for-armed...

Neocons Surge Against Antiwar Movement by Tom Hayden October 22, 2007
As thousands of Americans take to the streets this week, they will face a rising right-wing offensive to discredit and derail the antiwar movement. The cry of "troops home now" will echo in 11 cities as an intense year-long battle begins to sharpen. Not since 2002 will the antiwar movement – and dovish Democrats – face as virulent and lavishly funded a backlash as this one.

Consider the gathering storm:

• A powerful and persistent faction of hawks, centered in Vice President Cheney's office, is pushing for a military strike against Iran in the coming year.


• The orchestrated campaign for continuing the "surge" in Iraq, led by Gen. Petraeus, succeeded in restoring the nerve of the Republican Party and defeating the Democratic strategy of seeking Republican defections.


• The well-coordinated attacks on MoveOn.org were designed to destroy the group's proven ability to raise millions of dollars for antiwar messages and, in general, Democratic candidates. Seventy-five senators, including the likes of Barbara Boxer, rushed to denounce MoveOn, thus helping the effort to de-legitimize the organization.


• Ari Fleischer, the former Bush spokesman who warned Americans to "watch what you say," now heads an organization that spent $15 million to promote the war as patriotic.


• Pro-Israel and Christian Right groups are attempting to raise $200 million for a campaign calling for war with Iran.


• Rudy Giuliani, currently the Republican front-runner, has selected neocon godfather Norman Podhoretz as his national security adviser.


• David Horowitz is spending millions of dollars to demonize pro-peace professors and organize on campuses against what the neocons call "Islamofascism."

The neocons and hawks of all stripes are fighting back. They already have succeeded in gaining political traction for the escalation in Baghdad, counter-punching the Democratic critics into a corner, planting major stories of "success" in the media, and gaining top positions in Giuliani's presidential campaign. Their campaign for war in Iran (Podhoretz says he "prays" for it everyday, an apparent message to the Christian Right) is on track.

Their top priority is to isolate the antiwar movement and its Democratic allies as "too extreme." In 2002, when most of the American people were frozen by the 9/11 experience, it was a matter of trying to prevent the development of antiwar sentiment. In 2007, however, the neocons face a more daunting challenge: how to undermine the American majority favoring rapid withdrawal from Iraq?

As Podhoretz, Horowitz, and writers like Dinesh D'Souza constantly emphasize, the real war is at home, with the leftists and liberals who they believe to be the modern equivalents of "fellow travelers" during the Cold War era.

Their major target is MoveOn, with its vast resources and credibility. But ever in search of potential demons, they lately have been smearing and attacking Code Pink. The Canadian neocon ally Premier Stephen Harper ordered Medea Benjamin and Ann Wright stopped at the border last week.

The tactical purpose is clear, to make certain antiwar groups radioactive, or too hot to handle, thus damaging their efforts to push the mainstream along, forcing them from offense to defense. If they succeed in their plans for Iran, they believe Republican presidential chances may be enhanced in 2008.

All this suggests that antiwar activists face the challenge of being equally strategic. Impressive turnouts will be needed Oct. 27. Coalition-building will be a priority (already, many busloads of black congregations will be joining the Chicago event, Katrina victims will be turning out by the thousands in New Orleans, and protesters in Tennessee will be converging on the nation's major depleted uranium facility – welcomed by the mayor). Unsettled, however, are to key questions needing broad consensus among the diverse multitudes of marchers:

• What is the most effective public message for the antiwar movement in the run-up to the bombing of Iran, and what should the movement be doing in the hours, days, and weeks after such an attack?


• What is the most effective approach to the 2008 election if the choice is between a Republican extremist and a moderate Democratic hawk?

The marchers on Oct. 27, in twos and threes and larger workshops, will be considering the future of a movement at a crossroads.

Statement of Purpose & Goals

Florida for Peace is a coalition of peace and social justice activists networking statewide to communicate with Florida's Congressional delegation to promote Peace and Justice related legislation through lobbying, education, vote tracking, information sharing, and coordinated political action.

Florida4Peace Yahoo Group
Central FL Vets For Peace	CodePINK South Florida
CodePink SW Florida	Environmental Peace & Education Ctr
MFSO - Florida	Peace Now Citrus County
CODEPINK Orlando	Tallahassee Network for Justice & Peace
CodePINK Tallahassee	CodePink's Focus on Nelson page

Goals:
1. To promote an end to war.
2. To educate and inform Florida citizens
3. To organize and promote citizen meetings with Florida's Congressional leadership
4. To support and participate in statewide actions

Florida For Peace Endorses Oct 27th - Orlando

We've agreed to lend our endorsement and participation in UFPJ's Oct 27th national action to end the Occupation of Iraq taking place in eleven cities around the country.

See you in Orlando!

www.oct27.org/orlando

New Banner

OK, peacemakers! We've come to consensus and now have our new logo (top of page). Our conference calls are yielding group decisions as to our focus and future direction.

Much more to come...