We Must TAKE Our Country Back!

Whether it’s health care, the cost of education, our environment or global trade, Corporate America is holding us all hostage to the almighty dollar. Greed continues to trump need as corporations make record profits while more and more Americans fall into poverty every year. Congress allows industry to write policy, and legislators don’t even read the bills they enact. The average person would lose their job for gross negligence. The pharmaceutical/insurance lobbies make billions on the grief of others, systematically denying people essential treatment or drugs in order to save a buck. Half of our taxpayer money goes to the Pentagon who “loses” over a trillion dollars and “it’s nothing but a thing” yet we have to beg to fund health care for our children. Agri-Business dominates at the expense of our environment and health as 85% of our food is now genetically modified, our meat is ridden with hormones and antibiotics, and pesticides have permeated the water table. Global trade agreements allow corporations to exploit for profit with no safeguards in place for workers or the environment.

It is our moral imperative to stand up and say no more! John Edwards seems to be the only candidate that understands that we have to make an aggressive push to take our country back – the key word being “take”. While it is important to be able to bring everyone to the table, we can’t continue to allow Corporate America to eat all the food.

Which comes down to, follow the money…

Edwards and Obama are my two top picks but there are some important distinctions to be made here. I think Obama is awesome and I will support him whole heartedly if he gets the Democratic nod, but as an activist, and more importantly as a mother and your sister, there is way too much at stake in this election, not only for our country but for the planet. Corporate America will never give up their stranglehold on America or the rest of the world so we must TAKE IT from them! There is no negotiating a moral standard… and frankly, that’s what this election is about.

There are two main issues that concern me about Obama; the fact that he voted for the Peru Trade agreement (more of the same of what ails us), and more egregiously, the fact that he is promoting nuclear energy. Coincidentally, Obama has accepted a lot of money from Exelon Nuclear and only stopped taking corporate monies this past year once he decided to run for President. I commend him for that recent decision but I am horrified that he is promoting  nuclear power.

The current energy bill before Congress may have 10 billion dollars allocated toward renewable energy, and that rocks, but if you look at the whole pie, it’s too little too late! 25 billion is allocated for guaranteed loans to build new nuclear sites and billions more for coal fired plants. I mean, this is what I am talking about people… Corporate America writing OUR policy! Do ya’ll remember all the hoopla about storing the nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain? Do you want that in your backyard? Is it OK as long as it’s stored in someone else’s backyard (out of sight, out of mind)? Do you really think our Earth Mother will be served by that? We need to save Her in order to save ourselves. Almost everything we do generates some form of waste by-product. Instead of adding to it, especially nuclear waste, we need to use our considerable ingenuity to invent our way out of this mess. It is our only true hope.  What we absolutely cannot afford is more of the same… business as usual.

Corporate America has had the resources and the necessary information to create new technologies for decades.  Rather than doing the right thing, and truly be leaders of innovation, much of their resources have been spent preventing said technologies from entering the marketplace because, God forbid, that could hurt their bottom line. If their shareholders weren't so blinded by their own greed, they would be able to recognize the incredible opportunity that is presenting itself NOW. Corporate America and our elected officials could simply CHOOSE to lead this necessary technological revolution, but it remains to be seen.... so it's up to us.

We must TAKE our country back!

“A fitting sequel to Spike Lee's opus ‘When the Levees Broke’… a poignant indictment of a social disaster that began long before New Orleans' poor, black, and elderly citizens were abandoned to die.”
- Lisa Katzman, The Village Voice (Full Review)

 

"An inspirational story about man's ability to find hope in the bleakest of circumstances and an exposé of the racism that still bubbles under the surface of America."
- New York Magazine (Full Review)

"..Vivid and thoughtful and speaks volumes about one of the most disturbing episodes in recent American history. It's also essential viewing for any African-American who's still unsure which political party has their best interests at heart."

- Gary Goldstein/Reel.com (Full Review)

• Send an email to your friends, colleagues or to an email list and ask them to go see DESERT BAYOU when it opens Friday 10/19 at Varsity Theatre
• Organize a group to go see the film,
• Post a comment about the film on a local blog or calendar,
• Mention the film to your organizations’ members or to your congregation,
• Help us distribute postcards and mini posters and to organize groups to attend over opening weekend (call Tracey at 818-349-8822 or email tmorris@cinemalibrestudio.com for more information)
• As members of various political parties vie for Presidential nominations, join us in reminding them that Americans are a fair and compassionate people committed to justice and a chance of a good life for the families of all our citizens.  Share your opinions on our blog: http://www.desertbayoumovie.com/.

If you are interested in becoming more actively involved please email Tracey at tmorris@cinemalibrestudio.com.


SYNOPSIS:

"DESERT BAYOU will go down in history as the film about Hurricane Katrina." - Master P

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, 600 African Americans were airlifted to the almost entirely white state of Utah...without their knowledge. Subjected to three criminal background checks, they were put up at an isolated military base miles outside of Salt Lake City.

DESERT BAYOU examines some painful truths about race, religion and poverty in America. Documentary features recording artist Master P, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, and families displaced by the storm.