Re-connecting with the roots of our Democracy: the exercise of Free Speech, in defiance of power elites who would stifle the expression of truth. In the words of Howard Zinn: "A Power that Governments Cannot Suppress."

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For years now---even before George Bush and his Ministry of Lies took us into a God-forsaken war in Iraq that has now killed over 600,000 Iraqis and made refugees out of millions more---the Freeway Blogger has been making reality “voiced and visible” in the Bay Area, using simple handmade banners hung above local freeways. Sometimes his signs have a short lifespan---no more than 15 minutes---before local authorities move in to remove them. And the next day, the relentless Freeway Blogger puts them back up again. In the process, while exercising his right to free speech, this dedicated individual is having real impact. See: www.freewayblogger.com

Why is this necessary? Because the much-vaunted “4th Estate” no longer exists in America. If it was working, organizations like “Project Censored” (http://www.projectcensored.org ) which monitor major stories that US media refuse to cover, would be out of business. We have to acknowledge that our fabled “media watchdogs” are now “corporate lapdogs.” Investigative journalism in America is dead. Apart from “horizontal media” (such as this site) there is no one left to sound the alarm. The average citizen knows a great deal about Paris Hilton and bugger-all about high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush administration. So, unlike during the Nixon era, there is no outcry, we don’t see millions of people descending upon Washington, D.C. Our Democracy is broken! Millions of Americans “don’t know what they don’t know.”

Here is a partial list of major stories that the media have censored in 2007:

#1 Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media

#2 Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran

#3 Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger

#4 Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US

#5 High-Tech Genocide in Congo

#6 Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy

#7 US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq

#8 Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act

#9 The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall

#10 Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians

Of course, censored story number one should be:

“USA Edges Closer to Martial Law and Dictatorship as Constitutional Rights Trampled on a Daily Basis While Congress Loafs”

In the meantime, the Freeway Blogger continues to practice Democracy each day, doing what he can to get key ideas in front of the public.

Here are but a few of the signs posted by Freeway Bloggers in the Land of the Free:

Demand an Audit   www.blackboxvoting.org

U.S. Honor Died in Falluja

The War is Now Un-winnable---Cronkite

Jesus Loves You, Bush Doesn’t

The Rest of the World Knows Bush is a Liar: How Come American Doesn’t?

Computer Voting is Fraudulent: Election Fraud is Treason

Bush Lies, We Comply

You Have the Right to Remain Silent---but I Wouldn’t Recommend it

Honor the Dead: Stop the War

The War is a Lie…and You Know it

Osama + Saddam = Easter Bunny

Who Would Jesus Bomb Next?

Nobody Died When Clinton Lied

Osama Bin Forgotten

In an article published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian (see: http://www.sfbg.com/39/36/news_freeway_blog.html )

Freeway Blogger Patrick Randall explained why he does it: "You see, the reason our founding fathers insisted on free speech is that when the country is threatened from within, citizens can sound the alarm. Now we have a big fucking problem: thanks to one man, the whole world hates us. What better job for an American than to try to salvage just a little bit of his country's reputation?"

"I want more people to realize that this form of free speech is a vulnerable chink in the armor of the corporate-controlled mass media. For the cost of paint and a little gas, I can transmit a message to a million people," he says.

Personally I find this kind of persistence and dedication inspiring. Here is someone who was fed up with the status quo and decided to do what he could, where he was at the time. In other words, he took action based on his conscience. He showed, and continues to show the kind of courage that has always emerged when our basic freedoms have been threatened. In simple terms, he bought a can of paint and went dumpster diving for cardboard.

Howard Zinn, a historian with a deep social conscience, in his book “A Power that Governments Cannot Suppress” reminds us:

“There are millions of people in the country opposed to the current war. When you see a statistic “40 percent of Americans  support the war,” that means that 60 percent of Americans do not. I am convinced that the number of people opposed to the war will continue to rise while the number of war supporters will continue to sink.

“Along the way, artists, musicians, writers, and cultural workers lend a special emotional and spiritual power to the movement for peace and justice. Rebellion often starts as something cultural.

“The challenge remains. On the other side are formidable forces: money, political power, the major media. On our side are the people of the world and a power greater then money or weapons: the truth.

“Truth has a power of its own. Art has a power of its own. That age-old lesson---that everything we do matters---is the meaning of the people’s struggle in the United States and everywhere. A poem can inspire a movement. A pamphlet can spark a revolution. Civil disobedience can arouse people and provoke us to think. When we organize with one another, when we get involved, when we stand up and speak out together, we can create a power that no government can suppress.

“We live in a beautiful country. But people who have no respect for human life, freedom or justice have taken it over. It is now up to all of us to take it back.”

See: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Governments-Cannot-Suppress/dp/0872864758/ref=pd_bbs_4/105-5790922-5833227?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185978000&sr=8-4

In closing I offer this thought: As a nation we have not lost our voice. It is clear and resonant, articulate and inspiring. The Freeway Blogger reminds us that we can he heard, if we have a will to be heard. I acknowledge all the people who courageously make their voices heard on this and hundreds of other Progressive sites, out of their passionate love for the American ideal. It is never too late to make a difference. I invite everyone who wants to take back America to use their best creativity, their best resourcefulness and their best courage to tell the truth visibly and vocally, whenever the opportunity arises.

In the words of the Freeway Blogger “You Have the Right to Remain Silent…but I don’t Recommend it!”

Authors Website: http://www.deadhorses.org

Authors Bio:

"I am a patriot in the tradition or Mark Twain who stated that 'a patriot is one who supports his country 100% of the time...and the government when it deserves it."

As such I am passionate about protecting the rights of US citizens under the Constitution and a believer in the principle of Eternal Vigilance."