If they will build a stadium without us, and engineer many other things without us, if the elected govenment will not listen to us but only to the rich who use govenment to rob us, then what do we have left?
The streets. A general strike. Close the city down. I doubt if anything less will do it. The powers that be are becoming so arrogant, they think they can to anything, steal everything from us, and we will do nothing. Ir we don't show them (and ourselves) that they are wrong, they will do just that to us. The only question is how long we will wait, how long we will put up with the sabotage of democracy. --David Shove Roseville On Sun, 1 May 2005, Gary Hoover wrote: > Dan M. quoted the Star Trib article thusly: > > >>>>> > > "most people don't have time to bone up on the complexities that > government must address. They go with what they hear, and they hear > those with the biggest advertising budget." > http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5377462.html > > <<<<< > > The irony of this statement is beyond compare. What is the Star and Trib > other than a huge organ of "public relations" for various factions with > "deep pockets." > > The Star-Trib exists to sell cars, mostly, but also real estate and consumer > electronics and such. The mainstream media is an extension of the car > dealership, the real estate office, and the shopping mall into the mental > landscape of the people. "News" is always de-contextualized and re-shaped to > keep people in the mood to browse (or keep watching or listening) with an > eye to the ads -- to contemplate buying more stuff we do not need, and that > will not meet our real needs, which are of necessity not addressed by the > mainstream media or by those who need to seduce us into buying more stuff we > do not need to keep those quarterly sales numbers up. > > I highly recommend a monthly dose of "Adbusters" ( A Journal of the Mental > Environment") as a cleansing agent for all of us who are exposed to the > mainstream media. It is not the only medicine needed, but is easily picked > up for a moment of quiet revolution almost anywhere. > > The article quoted is a clear example of the way in which the Star & Trib -- > and other media outlets -- absolutely parrot the desires of people with > "deep pockets" under the thin veil of "analysis." Our political discourse > is distorted and impoverished by such journalistic tripe. > > I am reminded daily of the Minneapolis 7th and 8th grade students I spoke > with recently. We continue to burden them with unspeakable debt, with an > ecosystem in collapse, with a geopolitical system edging closer toward > terrible asymmetrical warfare which includes extensive use of increasingly > terrible weapons on all sides. we continue to burden them by doing the same > things over and over again even though we are making their future more > frightening. > > The media and political establishment are waging a concerted campaign to > steer public opinion toward building another professional sports stadium in > Minneapolis. > > I predict this: > > 1. It does not matter who is elected to public office. The stadium will be > built. > > 2. Actual public opinion does not matter. The stadium will be built. > > 3. Taxpayers will pay most or all of the cost of the stadium, plus the huge > financing costs. Any deal done today to placate those who oppose this will > be whittled away over time. > > 4. Political deals on this matter will serve only as tools to shoehorn the > project into place. These deals -- or tools -- will be discarded and > replaced here and there with adjustments which will transfer more wealth > from the poor and middle class to the billionaire and millionaire owners and > players of the professional sports entertainment industry. > > This is an example of "corporatism" or "fascism" operating at the local > level under the guise of democracy. > > We need to spend on sustainable urban infrastructure, and yet we are being > "turned" to spend on subsidy for a model of culture and infrastructure that > is self-destructive. > > Listen to Congressman Roscoe Bartlett's interview on Global Media. Pick up > "Powerdown" by Heinberg or "toxic Sludge Is Good for You" by Stauber and > Rampton. Even Diamond's "Collapse: How Civilizations Choose to Fail or > Succeed" can serve as an antidote to media PR. As a culture, we are > choosing to fail by operating under assumptions that are not valid. we are > destroying the resource base and habitat we rely on, but the minority who > benefit from the current system are too comfortable to make meaningful > changes. This resistance to change must be transformed to openness to > change. Let's build sustainable transportation infrastructure rather than a > new stadium. Let's play baseball in the parks. > > -- pedaling for peace and ecojustice/Lynnhurst for now -- Gary Hoover > > REMINDERS: > 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. > If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL > PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. > > 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > > For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn > E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
