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Tuesday, April 8, 2008

It’s MY Damn Democracy (by Fleaflicker) with an introduction by cjbardy

I would like to introduce the below Diary by Fleaflicker by saying that this is not the first time a supporter of Hillary Clinton has been banned from posting a Diary at one of the popular Democratic blogging sites (this time MyDD), nor is it the first time that someone's work has been purged. There have been others as well, including but not limited to my internet colleagues Linfar and Texas Darlin. In addition, others, including me, have suffered short-term bans when we post something controversial or in support of those not allowed to post.  Speaking the truth is important, even when it makes readers uncomfortable, and even when it results in negative consequences for the speaker. Consideration of all sources of information, regardless of the popularity of the source, and pointing out negative as well as positive facts about candidates and policies, is vital to the ability of a voter in a democracy to make informed decisions. We, the supporters of Hillary Clinton will continue to speak out in our writing, no matter where we need to go to do it, so that we can present facts and opinions that may be useful to you in your decision-making.


Cross-Posted at Hillarys Bloggers

I want to assure everyone that although MyDD banned me I will not go gently into the night. You can count on that. But I have no intention of returning to MyDD. They not only asked me to leave, they made me disappear. So I am not going to fight them on their own turf where they have all the advantage. Truthfully, they have every right to censor whomever they choose on their own site. Fascists always do. Far be it from me to point out that in doing so they undermine the very name of their blog and the foundation of our democracy. But that isn’t a point I intend to belabor at this moment. Suffice it to say that it is a fact.

I realize that many of my posts are controversial. That is intentional. For unless we stretch the boundaries of what truth is and expand how we examine facts, we may never get at their essence. And frankly I have had enough of the dumbed down, politically correct reporting of supposed facts that manage to lull people into acceptance and inaction.

This is NOT a time to be quiet. This is NOT a time to conform and to do things their way because it is acceptable. And they won’t make you disappear. No, this is a time to fight with every weapon in our arsenal. Because I assure you, that is exactly what the other side is doing. And they are doing so with the alliance of a complicit media, and sadly, with the complicity of what has become the mainstream blogosphere.

This is NOT the time to fit in. That is what they want from us. If they can keep people in a nice little box that they control the dimensions of then they can accomplish this coup. And make no mistake, that is exactly what is going on here. How else do you explain how the media focuses almost solely on issues that discredit and demean one candidate while glossing over the glaring inconsistencies of another? You might ask yourself: Did the media suddenly get stupid? And I have no problem answering that question for you. Because it is a very simple one: NO.

Quite to the contrary, the media got very smart. Because these corporations that own the media realized that they have the power to control the message to their advantage and that is EXACTLY what they are doing. And rather than fight this incredible injustice, the DNC and the party leaders have decided to go along with the coup, or the FIX as some call it. And they ask us to cool out, to chill out, to conform. Because, we are reminded, if we don’t the Republicans will win in November. And none of us want that so we tend to heed the call. Or rather, some of us do.

Doesn’t it strike you as odd that it becomes common knowledge that Obama has been a 20 year member of a church with a rabid racist for a pastor, someone that he calls his “spiritual mentor” and “moral sounding board”, and the story gets about a week’s airtime and then suddenly it is forgotten? Obama then delivers a speech about race and the majority in the press gush all over him, comparing him to Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. And the very next day Obama calls his grandmother a “typical white person” and no where in the mainstream media do we sense ANY outrage. NONE. The heinous statement is simply glossed over and forgotten. The explained version of Obama’s comment from his campaign is substituted for fact and we go merrily on our way. Some of us do, that is. Never mind that if a white person had used the phrase “typical black person” the political walls would have come crashing down faster than you could say Jericho. And yet, that double standard also goes unreported. The voices have been silenced. The fix in.

Most incredibly, there has been a consistent and disturbing effort in the mainstream blogosphere to have voices silenced, to have boundaries narrowed and issues determined as fact long before all the evidence has come to light. And this is the worst of it. Because the blogosphere is the last refuge where we CAN examine the facts and report evidence. By silencing voices that discuss issues that NEED to be discussed the mainstream blogosphere has allied itself with the status quo. It is irony on steroids. But it is the truth.

I honestly don’t know what sequence of events brought about this phenomenon. People that label their selves “progressive” have become merely another part of the mainstream. And that is the very opposite of what being progressive is supposed to be all about. Blogs are starting to get the respect they deserve. But it seems to some that in order to gain that respect they must stifle dissent, censor radical viewpoints, gloss over the obvious lies and, in short, conform with the message of the mainstream media.

Everyone should follow their own conscience. And this particular individual will have no part of it.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this here. Your introduction is wonderful and so very true.