Response to Mark? [Peace-discuss] Listen up, Mark has a message for you..... Fascism is on the rise locally!

[Ricky Baldwin]

Letters to the editor, anyone?  WILL commentaries?

You may think one lunatic of Mark's obvious challenges
is not worth our time.  I remind you of our President.
 (Well, I hope *I* don't.)  Anyway, such lunacy is an
opportunity to respond and get our message out again. 
More visibility for the cause.  (Especially if the N-G
and Jim Dey in particular are picking up the banner.)

A few talking points (if I may be so bold):

Jim Dey is a mouthpiece.  If the facts don't conform
to the theory, the facts must be discarded.

[Just to keep in mind: Paul Wood is a good honest
reporter, and I think sympathetic, as are others at
the N-G, but they have editors who don't care about
the truth (US media 101?).]

Is the N-G trying to suck up to their regular
advertisers now, to make up for having taken our
money?  Some standards they have.

I am glad AWARE is now responsible for most all the
demonstrations of magnitude against our government -
it's a badge of honor - but I think we've had help. 
(We might list some others.)

Just who does Mark think voted in the last election on
that anti-war referendum?  And the impeachment one? 
Where were his big numbers then?

Why does Mark need to pick on a mother who lost her
son in Iraq?  Why can't he seem to see the many
veterans opposed to the war, and military families -
not just Cindy Sheehan?  Why did Mark never go off to
war, if he thinks it's so great?  

The pro-war crowd on Prospect (we should call them
that because 1. that's what they really are and 2.
they hate it) maxed out at around 200 - most weeks
only a handful.  AWARE actually signed folks in (I
still have the sign up sheets) and for weeks we lost
count at 300-350 every week.  

The pro-war folks also only lasted six weeks.  We've
been demonstrating, weekly or monthly, for over five
years, almost without a break.  

*We* had over 800 different people total visit our
events between fall 2002 and fall 2003, and told the
media so - Mark is not only a liar, he's not even that
original.

Mark previously claimed on TV and over his PA system
(which we never brought to Prospect) that we were
serving "foreign paymasters".  I don't know about you,
but I'm still waiting for my check.  (In fact, the
pro-war demonstrations around the country were being
funded by Clear Channel, and Mark himself used his
busines as a base for them on Prospect.  The anti-war
side was, and always has been, just people.)  

I suppose Mark supports everything the government
does?  (We could list some winners.)  If not, why
doesn't he say so?  Wouldn't that be the honest thing?

OK, that's enuf from me.
Ricky

--- Jan & Durl Kruse <jandurl at insightbb.com> wrote:

> Today, I believe AWARE is receiving the first
> results of the Sunday 
> March 18 N-G AD.  The 3/18 AWARE AD noted the
> beginning of the 5th year 
> of the war in Iraq and the resulting death,
> destruction and lack of 
> democracy.  Today the editorial page of the
> News-Gazette and editorial 
> writer Jim Dey dedicates 4 columns (8 1/2 by 91/2
> inches) of free space 
> to a summary of radio advertisements that Mark
> Thompson apparently runs 
> on a local radio station.  These radio advertising
> spots are to sell 
> his business, but they are much more than that.
> With the N-G offering him free coverage to tell his
> "version of 
> reality" Mr. Thompson is given at no cost,
> advertising space for his 
> business and for his anti-AWARE views.
> The paper summarizes four of the radio
> advertisements.
> Mr. Thompson intermingles religion, business, pro
> government and his 
> right-wing political views in the radio spots.
> Jim Dey offers Mark Thompson space and opportunity
> to make numerous 
> erroneous statements.  Perhaps the N-G allow this
> since it is on the 
> Opinion Page.
> Here is a sample of one radio ad reprinted today in
> the N-G:
> “Hi this is Mark from Slot and Wing Hobbies.  RU
> aware.  That is a 
> double-edged sword in Champaign-Urbana .  I hope you
> are aware of the 
> group AWARE.   That’s the acronym for the ant-war
> anti-racism effort, 
> the local branch of the world-wide propaganda
> machine that is 
> responsible for most all the demonstrations of
> magnitude that speak 
> against our government.”
> 
> Dey adds his own commentary: “that obviously this is
> aimed at the local 
> left-wing group that protests against pretty much
> everything.”
> Thompson claims he brought 800 counter protesters to
> Prospect to oppose 
> AWARE.   (I only saw a few hundred rude pro-Bush
> pro-war supporters 
> once or twice.  When it got cold they were gone!)
> The N-G allows Thompson to claim he needed a police
> escort out of the 
> 3/1/07 Cindy Sheehan event to protect him from being
> physically 
> assaulted by the proponents of peace.  This
> statement is far from what 
> we witnessed.  Paul Wood of the N-G was present and
> could easily have 
> verify this falsehood.
> The attitude and behavior of Mr. Thompson reminded
> me of a particular 
> word.  I looked up Fascist. It didn’t say Mark
> Thompson, but it did 
> say: “consuming nationalism, distain for human
> rights, supremacy of 
> military, religion and government intertwined, and a
> desire to control 
> the media”.
> After seeing the N-G feature today with accompanying
> photo of Mark 
> Thompson it seems apparent to me that Jim Dey has
> verified and seems to 
> support what many in this community already feared;
> that fascism is on 
> the rise locally!
> Jan Kruse
> > _______________________________________________
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> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>
http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
> 



 
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