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Connie Wilson - Sat 23 Aug 2008 06:31 PM CDT
altheakims - Tue 19 Aug 2008 04:28 AM CDT
Richard - Sun 17 Aug 2008 06:57 PM CDT
sspl05 - Sat 02 Aug 2008 07:21 AM CDT
ihatehogconfinements - Mon 21 Jul 2008 06:45 PM CDT
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Wednesday, November 30
Commericalization of our National Parks
by
Caroline Vernon
on Wed 30 Nov 2005 06:46 PM CST
 Commercialization of our National Parks
From Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
The
National Park Service is getting ready to adopt new policies that would
dramatically increase the commercialization of our National Parks.
Under the new plan, the Park Service would aggressively seek corporate
sponsorship of park projects and facilities. In return for financial
sponsorships, the plan will give corporate donors naming rights to park
facilities (but not the parks themselves) and allow use of National
Park symbols and personnel in advertising.
Please
take a moment to tell the Park Service not to pollute our national
treasures with advertising and corporate sponsorships. Comments should
be sent to partnerships@nps.gov. Please act today – the deadline for comments is December 5.
NATIONAL PARKS TO SEEK CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS — Corporate Funds Will Alter Park Landscapes and Sway Policies
Washington,
DC — In a quiet but far-reaching change, the National Park Service is
poised to adopt a new policy of aggressively seeking corporate
sponsorship of park projects and facilities. In return for financial
sponsorships, the plan will give corporate donors naming rights, use of
National Park symbols and personnel in advertising and much greater
influence over park managers, according to public comments filed today
by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
“This
starts a slow motion commercialization of the national park system,”
stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “What will be allowed stops
just short of licensing ads for ‘The Official Beer of Yosemite’ or ‘
Old Faithful, Brought to You by Viagara.’”
The Park
Service has put forward a draft directive encouraging active pursuit of
potential financial donors and repealing the agency’s current passive
posture of merely accepting donations. Public comment on the plan
closes this week. Interior Secretary Gale Norton has hailed the plan as
an “exciting” new approach for broadening the funding base for national
parks.
Park managers would be encouraged to offer packages that attract big corporate donors, including –
Liberalized
naming rights for trails, benches, rooms and other facilities (but not
parks themselves), as well as display of logos and slogans on park
literature, computer screens, and plaques; Exclusive
media advertising rights to the official NPS Arrowhead symbol, the term
“Proud Partner” of the National Park Service and the use of uniformed
park employees in ads; and Flexibility to negotiate customized recognition deals that “meet the needs of individual donors.”
The plan
jettisons bans against accepting or soliciting donations from vendors,
concessionaires, permittees and others doing business with a park.
Alcohol, tobacco and even gambling companies would also be eligible
park sponsors. The only up-front review of major gifts would be a
subjective “totality of circumstances” test applied by top officials to
determine whether the donation is “appropriate.”
The plan
is designed so that private donations develop into a much more
significant factor in overall park budgets, as well as high-profile
capital projects and improvements. Currently, the Park Service raises
an estimated $17 million from outside sources each year.
“This is
a thinly disguised scheme to subject the public commons to corporate
branding campaigns,” added Ruch, pointing to related effort by both the
Bush administration and House Republicans to sell naming rights of
certain park facilities, as well as some parks in their entirety. “Will
anyplace be off-limits to the Nike swoosh or the McDonald’s arches?”
Read the PEER comments on the proposed donation solicitation policy
Compare the proposal with current restrictions
Monday, November 28
The Week in Media
by
Arron Wings
on Mon 28 Nov 2005 11:00 AM CST
 The Week in Media
Men.Style.Com/GQ
Sinclair Broadcast Group receives another lengthy review. If you haven’t yet read the great piece from Le Monde, you should. Now, GQ provides another view of the same phenomenon.
By Wil S. Hyton
Chances
are you’ve never heard of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sure, it might be
the largest independent owner of television stations in America, an
empire of sixty channels spread across thirty-seven cities with a
signal that reaches nearly a quarter of the TV-watching public, but
even if you happen to receive that signal and watch it every night,
getting your Sinclair news and Sinclair weather and Sinclair commentary
from a Sinclair station, chances are you’ve still never heard of
Sinclair and have no idea you’re watching it.
You won’t see the word Sinclair on your screen, and you’ll probably
just think you’re watching ABC or CBS or NBC, whichever network you
thought you tuned in. Right there on the screen, you’ll see the old
familiar logo—a peacock, an eye, the ABC bubble—and the anchors will
look the same as ever, and the fact that the station has been purchased
by Sinclair will be no more apparent than the fact that twenty or
thirty minutes into the program, the real news will suddenly fade to
black and Sinclair’s news will take over.
It may be a glowing interview with a defense contractor or a fiery
commentary on the evils of the French, something brief and punchy
lasting two or ten or fourteen minutes, then slipping back into the
regular news as quietly as it came. Not so much as a blip or a bleep to
let you know that what you just witnessed was not the local NBC or CBS
broadcast but just a little insert from the guys who own the station.
That’s the goal at Sinclair: to be seen without being seen.
(click here to read the entire article)
(Click here to listen to the latest FreePress Media Minute)
(Click here to find out if your station is owned by Sinclair)
 Click here to sign our petition to the FCC
Sunday, November 27
Why the Campaign to Change Walmart is so Important
by
Caroline Vernon
on Sun 27 Nov 2005 04:50 PM CST
 Why the Campaign to change Walmart is so Important
by Caroline Vernon
The last time I shopped at Walmart was about a year ago. I remember
thinking how wonderfully convenient it was that I could purchase my
groceries, my household items and get my film developed in one full
swoop, and get a bargain to boot! But then something happened that
really burst my bubble... I got a crash course in Walmart Economics.
The more I learned about Walmart’s philosophy and business practices,
the more concerned I became, and ultimately, the more committed I chose
to be toward sharing all that I’ve learned with as many people as
possible.
As a person of conscience, there came a time when I was forced to
reconcile all that I had learned and accept responsibility for it. That
meant taking a stand... and that meant standing on the principal, “do
unto others as you would have them do unto you”. It’s really as simple
as that.
As a single mom on a fixed income, with three children at home, I full
well know the importance of being as frugal as possible but I do not
what to be responsible for the grief that someone else has to endure as
a way of life in order to make ends meet in my own life. How anyone can
justify this is beyond my understanding.
The truth is, Walmart can afford to offer some of the low prices that
they do because they are paying sweat shop wages, sometimes as low as 3
cents an hour, to manufacture the same goods that were once
manufactured here at home. The effect of this has resulted in the loss
of good paying jobs at home as well as a lowering of a work standard
and ethic that had once made America great. Rather than raising
standards throughout the rest of the world, Walmart is systematically
lowering standards at home - all this in the name of the almighty
dollar, with no regard to the impact that such detrimental practices
have on individuals, families, and communities throughout, not only
this country, but the world.
Walmart currently has 3700 stores throughout the country and has
ambitious plans to raise that number to 6,000 within the next 5 to 6
years. Is this in line with your vision of America? Where Walmart is
the only place to shop... where the nostalgia of our historic downtown
communities no longer exist because Walmart intentionally sets out to
annihilate all competition? Where Walmart is one of the few places left
in our communities to work? Where our brothers and sisters are denied
good benefits, a decent living wage, respect and dignity on the job,
and the right to organize and form a union?
How can we forget the sacrifices of our forefathers who gave their
lifeblood to ensure our way of life? Yes, we live in a capitalist
society but does that mean that everything we are, everything we
believe, must be reduced down to the “bottom dollar?” Is this not the
same as worshiping mammon? Does the bible not warn us against the “love
of money?” At what point do people matter more than profit? What
happened to “we are our brother’s keeper?” These are the many questions
that continue to make my head spin and my heart ache and I for one,
cannot ignore them.
This philosophy of profit at any cost, is undoing America, and every
one of us who chooses to turn a blind eye to what is happening right
under our noses, is partly responsible for the harm that is being done.
As the largest corporation in the world, Walmart has the power to do
right, and to do good, and sometimes they do, but all things
considered, when you step back and look at the big picture, Walmart is
responsible for doing far more harm than good. It seems strikingly
apparent to me that The Walmart Corporation chooses to live by the old
adage, “he with the most gold make the rules”, and given the millions
of dollars they spend lobbying for subsidies and other favors, it seems
they are well on their way to doing exactly that. Other small
businesses don’t get subsidies so why should Walmart? Isn’t America
supposed to represent fairness, equality, freedom and justice for ALL?
We should have a fair and level playing field with everyone being held
to the same standard.
America may be financially wealthy, but if we allow corporations like
Walmart to continue to choose profit over people, what does that say
about the wealth of our collective spirit? We can no longer afford to
rationalize unto ourselves at the expense of others, here at home or
abroad. As a matter of principal, we can no longer allow greed to trump
need. Wake up America! Wake up Walmart!
www.wakeupwalmart.com
www.walmartwatch.com
Saturday, November 26
How Things Work in Washington
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 26 Nov 2005 11:00 AM CST
 How Things Work in Washington
Consortium News
It
is sadly ironic that Bob Woodward, who in his early career was a
role model for investigative journalists, appears now to have been
corrupted by power and Washington politics.
By Robert Parry
In his book, Secrecy & Privilege,
Robert Parry tracks how the Washington press corps changed from the
Watergate/Vietnam era of the 1970s, when journalists took some pride in
challenging the powerful, to the Iraq War, when many national news
outlets cowered and fawned before a White House that equated skepticism
with disloyalty.
This
gradual but unmistakable shift in the ethos of Washington journalism
marked a hard-fought victory for conservatives who invested billions of
dollars over the past three decades in building a media/political
machine for gaining as much control as possible of the information
flowing through the nation’s capital to the American people.
Journalists
who bucked the trend confronted ugly attacks from right-wing media
“watchdogs,” almost inevitable betrayal by news executives, and dashed
careers. Journalists who played along were rewarded with fame, money
and access.
Today, no
journalist personifies this transformation more than Washington Post
assistant managing editor Bob Woodward, who made his name unraveling
Richard Nixon’s Watergate cover-up but now has been caught misleading
the public while protecting the Bush administration’s cover-up of a
scheme to smear an Iraq War critic.
(click here to read the entire article)
Sign our petition to the FCC
Sign now...Time is running out!
Monday, November 21
Tax cuts adversely impact programs for the poor
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 21 Nov 2005 04:00 AM CST
 Tax cuts adversely impact programs for the poor
gazetteonline.com
The following Letter to the Editor was published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette
by Ellen Fisher
The Gazette's Nov. 11 editorial,
"Tightening government's belt", applauded congressional efforts to cut
spending but ignored the impact of tax cuts. House Republicans led by
Rep. Jim 'Nussle, R-Iowa, are trying to cut $54 billion over five years
primarily from programs that benefit the poor — food stamps, school
meals, Medicaid, student loans, foster care, child support enforcement,
etc.
The
budget deficit cited as rationale for the cuts has been greatly
enlarged by four successive years of tax cuts benefiting the very
wealthy, and Republicans hope to add $70 billion in additional tax cuts
this year. For the 2005 tax year the wealthiest 0.2 percent of
taxpayers will receive almost $35 billion from already enacted Bush tax
cuts, an amount that exceeds the annual cost of the food stamp program.
The
poverty rate last year rose for the fourth consecutive year, marking
the first time on record that household incomes failed to increase for
five straight years. During this time costs for housing, energy,
medical care and prescription drugs rose sharply, so it isn't
surprising that in October the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported
that hunger increased for the fifth straight year. Speaking of the
current economic recovery, Philip Swa-gel of the conservative American
Enterprise Institute said, "The gains have gone to owners of capital
and not to workers."
With
hunger and poverty both increasing steadily, the entire Iowa
congressional delegation should be urged not to cut programs that
protect the poor. No new tax cuts should be passed, and those already
enacted should be allowed to expire.
Ellen Fisher lives in Cedar Rapids.
Sunday, November 20
A Media Monster Is Eating the Dems
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 20 Nov 2005 01:54 PM CST
 A Media Monster Is Eating the Dems
by Flavia Monteiro Colgan, AlterNet.org
The
ever-consolidating news media in this country is not only destroying
political discourse, it's favoring the right-wing over Democrats.
Recent momentous news about the continuing elimination of variety in our news sources has gotten scant coverage.
First,
it was announced that Village Voice Media intended to merge with the
New Times papers. The Voice was, for years, a dependable independent
news source available not only in New York, but in major cities
everywhere, while its sister papers independently covered local news in
four other areas....
And,
just days ago, it was reported that Knight Ridder, the publisher of 32
newspapers, including the Daily News and the Inquirer, will likely go
up for sale, and the vultures are circling. Gannett, a likely suitor,
already owns 99 daily papers.
This is
a trend not just in print, but in broadcast and even the Internet.
Today, 90 percent of the top 50 cable stations are owned by the same
conglomerates that own the top networks, where more than 80 percent of
prime-time viewing is dominated by these same five media giants. They
also own the top 20 Internet news sites! And it's only going to get
worse.
Media
consolidation eats away at the fabric of democracy, which, as Josh
Silver, executive director of Free Press, a nonpartisan media reform
group, points out, "demands an informed citizenry with access to a
variety of voices and viewpoints."
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Saturday, November 19
Michael Moore: Give It Up, George!
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 19 Nov 2005 09:56 PM CST
 Michael Moore: Give It Up, George!
11/19/05
Dear Mr. Bush:
I would like to extend my hand and invite you to join us, the mainstream
American majority. We, the people - that's the majority of the people - share
these majority opinions:
1. Going to war was a mistake - a big mistake. (link)
2. You and your administration misled us into this war. (link)
3. We want the war ended and our troops brought home. (link)
4. We don't trust you. (link)
Now, I know this is a bitter pill to swallow. Iraq was going to be your great
legacy. Now, it's just your legacy. It didn't have to end up this way.
This week, when Republicans and conservative Democrats started jumping ship,
you lashed out at them. You thought the most damning thing you could say to them
was that they were "endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the
extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party." I mean, is that the best you can
do to persuade them to stick with you -- compare them to me? You gotta come up
with a better villain. For heaven's sakes, you had a hundred-plus million other
Americans who think the same way I do -- and you could have picked on any one of
them!
But hey, why not cut out the name-calling and the smearing and just do the
obvious thing: Come join the majority! Be one of us, your fellow Americans! Is
it really that hard? Is there really any other choice? George, take a walk on
the wild side!
Your loyal representative from the majority,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
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