The Gazette's Sept. 25 editorials, "Unfit: Palin as president" and "Tepid: Weak Democrats," along with Phil Kabler's report, "Broadcasters debate excludes Mountain Party," present sobering realities for West Virginia citizens. Like frogs slowly boiling in a pan of water refusing to jump, we have allowed ourselves to be seduced by the spin of leaders. Have they led us into a different form of government? Where are we now?
The Gazette's Sept. 25 editorials, "Unfit: Palin as president" and "Tepid: Weak Democrats," along with Phil Kabler's report, "Broadcasters debate excludes Mountain Party," present sobering realities for West Virginia citizens. Like frogs slowly boiling in a pan of water refusing to jump, we have allowed ourselves to be seduced by the spin of leaders. Have they led us into a different form of government? Where are we now?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines democracy as "government by the people exercised directly or through elected representatives" -- and fascism as "a philosophy or system of government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of belligerent nationalism" and tyrant as "an absolute ruler who governs arbitrarily without constitutional or other restrictions."
Looking at the national and state level, we realize that Plato's concern about democracy is prophetic: In The Republic, the Greek philosopher wrote that democracy is "a hungry beast that must constantly be fed." Democracy requires vigilance and participation or it will fall into anarchy or tyranny. To "feed democracy" candidates and voters must be allowed to participate.
Americans are taught that the media, keeping vigilance for the voter, is democracy's strongest ally. The media's sacred contract with the citizens is to give unbiased, understandable and equal reporting of the issues and candidates' perspectives, so that voters can make informed choices. In real democracies, this occurs.
In this country, however, we can no longer claim the fragile balance of democracy. Like Third World countries where the media are controlled by special-interest groups, we now in our own country -- in our own state of West Virginia -- experience the tyranny of media control, media spin and media blackouts. The West Virginia Broadcasters' Association shattered the sacred contract between the media and citizens when it prohibited Jesse Johnson, a balloted candidate for governor, from participating in the debate.
Johnson wants voters to know his stand on the issues so that they can make informed choices about West Virginia's governor's race. Why does the Broadcasters Association thwart the democratic process by allowing only one perspective to be heard? Gov. Joe Manchin and challenger Russ Weeks have the same right-wing conservative views that are associated with the Republican Party. There is no debate; the differences are only ones of degree. A debate without the progressive gubernatorial candidate's perspective is a hoax.
Is the Broadcasters Association afraid to let voters know about Johnson because he is a Jeffersonian closely akin to Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party that represented the best of both? Has it come to the point that the Broadcasters Association can silence the voice of progressives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, in this state by blacking out balloted gubernatorial candidates who express views that are different from owners of the stations? Is it because Johnson is the only pro-green jobs, pro-choice and pro-labor candidate on the ballot?
If the Broadcasters Association is allowed to black out the only progressive gubernatorial candidate on the ballot in the debate today, which candidate will they block tomorrow? Where does this type of misuse of public trust stop?
The Gazette's Sept. 25 editorials, "Unfit: Palin as president" and "Tepid: Weak Democrats," along with Phil Kabler's report, "Broadcasters debate excludes Mountain Party," present sobering realities for West Virginia citizens. Like frogs slowly boiling in a pan of water refusing to jump, we have allowed ourselves to be seduced by the spin of leaders. Have they led us into a different form of government? Where are we now?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines democracy as "government by the people exercised directly or through elected representatives" -- and fascism as "a philosophy or system of government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of belligerent nationalism" and tyrant as "an absolute ruler who governs arbitrarily without constitutional or other restrictions."
Looking at the national and state level, we realize that Plato's concern about democracy is prophetic: In The Republic, the Greek philosopher wrote that democracy is "a hungry beast that must constantly be fed." Democracy requires vigilance and participation or it will fall into anarchy or tyranny. To "feed democracy" candidates and voters must be allowed to participate.
Americans are taught that the media, keeping vigilance for the voter, is democracy's strongest ally. The media's sacred contract with the citizens is to give unbiased, understandable and equal reporting of the issues and candidates' perspectives, so that voters can make informed choices. In real democracies, this occurs.
In this country, however, we can no longer claim the fragile balance of democracy. Like Third World countries where the media are controlled by special-interest groups, we now in our own country -- in our own state of West Virginia -- experience the tyranny of media control, media spin and media blackouts. The West Virginia Broadcasters' Association shattered the sacred contract between the media and citizens when it prohibited Jesse Johnson, a balloted candidate for governor, from participating in the debate.
Johnson wants voters to know his stand on the issues so that they can make informed choices about West Virginia's governor's race. Why does the Broadcasters Association thwart the democratic process by allowing only one perspective to be heard? Gov. Joe Manchin and challenger Russ Weeks have the same right-wing conservative views that are associated with the Republican Party. There is no debate; the differences are only ones of degree. A debate without the progressive gubernatorial candidate's perspective is a hoax.
Is the Broadcasters Association afraid to let voters know about Johnson because he is a Jeffersonian closely akin to Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party that represented the best of both? Has it come to the point that the Broadcasters Association can silence the voice of progressives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, in this state by blacking out balloted gubernatorial candidates who express views that are different from owners of the stations? Is it because Johnson is the only pro-green jobs, pro-choice and pro-labor candidate on the ballot?
If the Broadcasters Association is allowed to black out the only progressive gubernatorial candidate on the ballot in the debate today, which candidate will they block tomorrow? Where does this type of misuse of public trust stop?
West Virginians should speak out against the West Virginia Broadcasters Association's attacks upon democracy, the progressive voice in West Virginia and our American values of fair play.
I charge the Broadcasters Association and those participating in this fraudulent debate -- the sponsors, those providing the space, the moderator, the candidates, and the stations broadcasting the debate -- with the following un-American activities: (1) willfully obstructing the democratic process, (2) willfully depriving voters of West Virginia their constitutional right to know the issues, (3) willfully preventing a balloted candidate with a differing perspective equal time, and (4) willfully presenting a fraudulent debate to the public.
These un-American activities should not be tolerated. The Broadcasters Association brings shame to its profession and nullifies what history, civics, journalism and broadcast news educators have been teaching their students about the important role of the media, our "Third House," in a democracy.
I challenge every veteran who fought fascism and tyranny abroad to fight it now in our own state. I challenge every educator who taught students that the media keep democracy alive to stand up for the democratic process. I challenge every citizen in this state to demand that all voices be heard. I challenge our press to pressure the broadcast media to live up to its contract with the voters in West Virginia.
The only real debate the Broadcasters Association is presenting is whether we still live in a democracy.
We have no League of Women Voters in Charleston. We have no National Organization for Women in West Virginia. How many more voices will be silenced after this election? The Broadcasters Association's un-American activities must be challenged.
Stand up for your candidate. I have joined Jesse Johnson's campaign for governor. I hope you will join me.
Pritt was West Virginia's first female Democratic nominee for governor in 1996.
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"Lately he has been working with other concerned citizens to demand answers from Bayer about the explosion and chemical release."
Stop spouting all that BS "experience" if you can't quantify it and fully explain the results. We'll "trust" when you VERIFY.
Jesse - go get a JOB (and see if you can hold on to that job for more than a month or year). Idiot.