[IMC-US] a note to free press.net

[bht]

I was agains frustrated this morning looking through the free press site 
and just seeing what was going on, digesting everything that has 
occurred.  And I wrote this lietter to free press via their online 
contact point. 
bht
--
Hi there.  I was an attendee of the recent conference on media reform.  
As the emial address implies I am also a volunteer with the Independent 
Media Center Network.  I am sure you have heard some of the grievances 
that indymedia volunteers had with this most recent conference. 

One thing that I am only connecting today is that in am not finding any 
refernece to solutions of the media problem on the freepress.net website. 

The problem with media as I see you make on the conference website is 
that it is corporate controlled governement propaganda.  And the media 
reform campaigns are petitioning this corporate controlled governement 
to allow less of that propaganda and more of the truth.  I hope you note 
the behemoth task you undertake, and that the possibility of failure is 
high and likely.

More than reform this machine, wouldnbt it be better to actively work 
away from and outside of it?  Wouldnt it be more useful to spend money 
of community based media instead of lobbying?  I guess the answers are 
dependant and vary greatly.

It just seems to me that anything related to this machine of media is 
feeding the fire.  It is feeding our downfall.  I was in the NW media 
makers caucus with the director of public access in Washington and 
Oregon, and quite a few others who kept talking on and on about 
legislation they are levying and campaigns they are a part of to reform 
the media, or to get a small bit of space on the radio and tv waves.  
When I asked what their contigency plan was should legislation fail they 
had nothing. 

I would assume other folks have nothing as well.  It seems that is a 
problem. 

Currently it seems to me that this reform movement that has a good 
amount of money is hoping to buy from capitalism a little bit of freedom 
and movement and if capitalism says no, well then thats okay becuase 
they can exist within capitalism.

Some folks who attended this conference simply cannot live within this 
capitalist system.  Some folks who were mostly not represented or 
misrepresented at this conference have no choice but to fight this 
governement and this capitalist society because it is the death of them, 
the consolidation across the board and the vast failures of the left has 
literally left the populace that fights without a hope.

There are farmers that are literally dying because of agribusiness and 
monsanto.  There are people of color being murdered by the police 
forces.  Then there are reformists throwing money at the governement.

I hope I dont paint too broad a picture for it to connect, to really 
click with some of you.  By supporting media reform, you are supporting 
the media industry, the media industry is corrupt up to the top.  It is 
owned ny the governement and the corporations and it is fighting against 
you.  If you continue to play its game or to reform its practices, it 
will dry our wells and eat our foods, rob our bodies of life and destroy 
the free people. 

The vast struggles for liberation must be connected.  If so many are  
oppressed there has to be some connection between them and the 
oppressors.  We can fight individually until we no longer exist, or we 
can fight together til we win.

I hope I havent gone too far out of line or contect in this letter and 
it is read with openness. 

bht
portland indymedia volunteer

ps.  I have also found this page:  
http://www.freepress.net/issues/indymedia  from freepress.net, if you 
would like information about indymedia or would like to represent 
independant media in any way shape or form, there are folks here that 
will help you.  If your interest is to continue to marginalize 
solutions, please think of a betterl url.

-- 
"Having a feeling is not illegitemate, unprofessional etc. Being emotionally unbiased is living a life with no passion." --Laila Imc-Sweden