Interactive Democracy

No Democracy can survive without a free press to report to the People on the government, to act as a watchdog for the People and not as a mouthpiece for the government. That is why the framers of the US Contitution enshrined in our national law and therefore culture the protections of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press. If there is no free speech then you have no free press and if you have no free press then you have no free government. You only have tyranny. Freedom of the Press was so important that they made it the very First Amendment in the Bill of Rights.

Unfortunately, what we have seen in the last forty years is a press that runs from one press conference to another where they report to us what the PR person of the elected official wants us to know. How is that a probing, questioning press? We have reporters covering the courts who don't understand what is going on, who cover city hall and don't understand a budget, who cover the police department and don't understand that the community has questions about official conduct. There are some good reporters whom I have met who want to do a good job but who are often muzzled by an oppressive editor or the story doesn't fit into a 20 second sound bite and no follow-ups are allowed. And as the press in this country and in this community continues to deteriorate, the internet rises like a phoenix from the ashes shaming the newspapers and the TV coverage.

It is no longer so easy to lie to us by ommission; just not tell us the names of the candidates and what they stand for; just not tell us about where our money is really going; just not tell us... Because now we have information coming at us from Blogs, online newspapers and public online forums. We all have a voice if we have access to the internet. And the internet is now even available at public libraries and the county courthouse for free. Bloggers are now recognized as a formidable legitimate information source and today sit with the "press corps" at the Scooter Libby Trial.

The internet has brought down more than one politician in this town and it has made more than one TV station and newspaper cover an issue that they had up to then deliberately turned a deaf ear to. What they have learned is that if there is enough activity on line and enough people know about the issue then it is already news and has to be told. We make the news.

The internet empowers all of us. We don't have to beg some media person with an agenda to come cover the issue. We just take the controls ourselves. It's no wonder the newspaper industry in this county is headed for the junk heap.

My website allows for three things. It allows for me to get my message up and out myself. It allows you to receive it if you so choose. And it allows you and me to interact through the message board I have provided. You simply have to log on and write your questions or comments on the issues. I will then respond.

Stay tuned this week. I will be addressing the Brandon Moon case, the case where an actually innocent man went to prison for rape and then spent eight years in prison even though there was DNA evidence leaning to the contrary. This happened on my opponent's watch despite the impression he has tried to leave the public with. Everyone who plans to vote in this race needs to know about this case.