Tag Archives: activism

Summary: Digital Disconnect

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Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy
by Robert W. McChesney

Summary by Ellen Slavitz

Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo. We believe they exist to make our lives more convenient, more interesting, more fun. According to Robert W. McChesney, these Internet marvels are the products of carefully designed operations that enable a small number of corporations to earn huge profits, while providing the public with less and less value, service, and information essential in a democratic society.

mediaMcChesney, a media activist and professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is the author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy and dozens of other publications in which he describes how the growing concentration of media ownership has decreased variety, competition, public interest, access and content quality. McChesney is also co-founder of Free Press, a media activist organization based in Washington DC that “advocates for universal and affordable Internet access, diverse media ownership, vibrant public media and quality journalism” (Freepress.net).

In his latest book, Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy, McChesney meticulously documents how the Internet went from a non-commercial, seemingly utopian and democratic technology to its current mega-profit maker dominated by a small number of major players. He applies theories of political economy, “an understanding of capitalism and its relationship to democracy” (p. 13) to the evolution and current state of internet ownership and control. Continue reading →

Book Review: The “Secular State” – picking words and picking battles

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by Ken Burrows

Reflections on How to Be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom by Jacques Berlinerblau

cross flag“Every new and successful example of a perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters is of importance. Religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together.” — James Madison, letter to Edward Livingston, 1822

“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute.” — John F. Kennedy, speech in Houston, 1960

“The ‘wall of separation between church and state’ is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.” — Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, dissenting in Wallace v. Jaffree, 1985

“Whatever the Establishment Clause means, it certainly does not mean that government cannot accommodate religion, and indeed favor religion.” — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, interviewed in Hamodia magazine, 2009

As the quotes above suggest, something has happened over the last couple of centuries, and even in the last half-century, to the concept of church-state separation as seen by America’s leading voices. How did this come about and what might it mean for the future? If it’s a trend, is it inexorable?

This past year Jacques Berlinerblau attempted to answer such questions in his book How to Be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom. One of its main theses is that secularism—defined by him as a philosophy wherein the state does not establish a religion or embrace an official preference for any—is in peril, and this peril is owed to extremism on both the right and the left, to both the fundamentally religious and the aggressively irreligious. In fact, in what may sound contradictory, he contends it is religious moderates that offer one of the best hopes of saving the secular state from demise.

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The VRA and the Path to Freedom

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lionelby Lionel Washington, Citizens Project Board Member

The US Supreme Court is hearing a case from Shelby County Alabama challenging the 1965 Voting Rights Act on the grounds it violates Tenth Amendment to Constitution protecting states’ rights.  Shelby County argues that the section 5 provision of the Voting Rights Act calling for pre-clearance from the Federal Government to review any changes to that state’s voting laws that might be discriminatory in nature or disenfranchise a specific group of voters. Shelby County also argues that the VRA does not reflect the modern values of Shelby County and the Supreme Court should overturn the VRA to protect the state sovereignty of Alabama. Continue reading →

Take action – support Civil Unions!

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Update: On Tuesday, March 12, 2013, Colorado legislators made history by voting IN FAVOR of Civil Unions in the state. Congratulations to all who worked so hard to make this important legislation pass, and all those committed couples who will now be afforded very basic relationship recognition. Onward, friends!
Civil Unions, a critical step toward full equality for committed LGBTQ couples across Colorado, suffered a minor setback last year when it was killed in special session. Citizens Project supporters joined with partners and activists statewide to promise that justice will prevail. And with your help, justice will prevail TOMORROW.

 

SB-11, the Colorado Civil Union Act has passed the Senate and will receive a full vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 12.  On behalf of our partners at ONE Colorado, we invite you to take a moment today to contact your representative and let him or her know that the time for Civil Unions – and all the legal protections that accompany Civil Unions – is now.

Tomorrow, Colorado can take a huge step toward full equality for thousands of committed couples across the state by codifying critical legal protections and responsibilities, such as the ability to take leave to care for a partner, to make medical and end-of-life decisions for a partner, and to adopt children together.

The Colorado Springs Pride Center is hosting a celebration tomorrow evening in anticipation of the passage of this historic legislation at 5pm at the Tim Gill Center for Public Media - get information and RSVP now.

After you’re done celebrating, you’re also invited to promote democracy at the local level by attending Citizens Project’s municipal Election Education Forum. Meet the candidates for City Council and come prepared with your own questions to ensure that Colorado Springs City Council members will continue to promote equality and quality-of-life right here in the Pikes Peak region.

Thank you for all you do to promote a vibrant democracy that values diversity, equality and religious freedom. Together we can – and do – create the community we deserve.

Event: Protest Rally at Air Force Academy

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On Friday, March 8, 2013, Colorado Springs will be the scene of a protest rally led by celebrated civil rights activist and church and state separation advocate Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, Founder and President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF; www.mrff.org).

The protest will take place on Friday, March 8, 2013 at 11:00 AM on the corner of Academy Blvd and Voyager Parkway, near IHOP. Food, beverages, signage, and security will be provided. The event will coincide with International Women’s Day. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation calls on those who stand for religious tolerance as well as sex and gender equality to make a stand and demonstrate for this important cause.

Learn more

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Mail Bag: A letter to Citizens Project

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Dear Citizens Project;

I have been remiss in not writing to you sooner to thank you for the outstanding contributions you make to all citizens of our community.  When one reaches their “golden years” and has worked to make a difference their entire lives, it becomes even more of a passion because of the passing of time.  

FamilyI appreciate what you do from both a personal and professional standpoint.  I have been employed as a speech-language pathologist for thirty-eight years, thirty-five of those in Colorado Springs School District 11.  Over the course of my career I have had the opportunity to work with all populations and age groups from infants through the geriatric population.  I have been an advocate for what is right for those who have challenges, for their families, caregivers, and those that support them in a therapeutic setting. While we have come far in what we recognize as “fair” by the Americans with a Disability Act, at times I see agencies doing things to avoid a lawsuit versus making a difference for another person.  What you do as an agency is treat others as you would hope you, your family member, and friends would be treated.  My mother used to say “The gift without the giver is bare.”  Continue reading →