If the Nation remains relatively uninformed at a mass level, then we will not have the will to take action at a mass level.
So, what solution will go right to the thick, deep root that will reach every other rotten root and heal every branch and make those proverbial flowers bloom?
We fix the media. And rather than wait for these massive media conglomerates to reform themselves, or wait for congress to step in we're going to create our own media. We're going to declare independence from the Corporate Media by creating new information channels that serve the public's interest and speaks with the public's voice. And we're going to do if from the bottom up.
We start in our communities, working on creating a communications infrastructure that will allow everyone to get the real deal on a given issue, so that the people have the power to mobilize in great numbers when the time is needed. Then as we build momentum we expand the scope of this network to eventually include the entire city. From here we can network with other cities and before you know it (maybe five years from now) the people will have created a nation-wide communications channel that rivals the best of the old corporate giants.
Through a combination of the internet, public film screenings, public access TV, radio, and public events we'll create a democratic media that will allow our cities to create a truly sustainable, beautiful, and just society, doing our part in this world-wide movement of movements to shift the paradigm and create a better world.
This was the work I and the other members of the Films For Action team set out to accomplish when we first began the Films For Action project four years ago. We have organized over two dozen film screening events, aired documentaries on public access TV for two years, launched several targeted campaigns, successfully helped pass a Peak Oil Resolution with our City Commission, and are currently finishing work on version 2.0 of the FilmsForAction.org website.
As I see it, they are the first few steps in a thousand step chess game. But there's no way to make progress until you get started on step one.
Tim Hjersted
CC/Copyleft
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