At one time as a younger person, I imagined the American experience to be a history of moving from political and social darkness into political and social enlightenment.

I did not realize that we also go backwards into darker history from time to time.

In other words our civil history is two steps forward and one step back.

There are times of tension when we envision something better, and to our dismay, there is another movement that is countering our efforts, and trying to push us back into a dark past.

This is such a time. The republican dictatorship of the American government has taken us backwards.

Many loose faith in enlightenment, wonder what is the use, and drop out of the American movement.

Blogs can help us, from time to time, to draw some more energy and get back into the movement.

The integrity of the election apparatus has been brought into question. For good reason. We want to keep pushing for fair and honest elections.

It is a good cause, and the minority, the disenfranchised, and the majority who still do not vote ... in America ... need to be reached.

There are frustrations but there are also rewards.

Remember who hates the ACLU: Republicans and their operatives like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly. You never hear ANYONE except them slamming the ACLU.

Same with Hugo Chavez. When you hear in the MSM a droning noise telling you to hate someone or some organization, ask yourself who is telling you to hate that person or organization. If it's the Republicans & Rush O'Hannity, then you should probably like the person or organization they are attacking. This is actually how Rush O'Hannity is useful. Use them as a barometer on who to actually LIKE, who is probably on your side.

And if they don't say a word about something, then it's really, really important. Like LINK-TV & FSTV. First, they pretend it doesn't exist. Then when it gets some steam, they smear it. Soon the Republican Noise Machine smearing of LINK-TV & FSTV will begin. Just like with Air America.

I know this is a little off trackof the ACLU, which is one of the greatest organizations ever formed for citizens rights, but when the Republican Noise Machine in the MSM begins to smear LINK-TV & FSTV, they will start by floating rumors like they are funded by a bunch of liberals like George Soros, they are unAmerican and unPatriotic, they are hurting the troops, etc...etc...LINK-TV & FSTV: participatory news by regular people, no commercials, no corporate or government money, no politicians, and no pundits. Just regular people giving us the real news we're not getting. Including Democracy NOW! news, Liberty News, & the INN Report.

I hear you Big Dan ... the ACLU needs a standing ovation ...

AND at this time FSTV and LINK-TV also need a standing ovation ...

I am standing ... and applauding ...

Three cheers for the ACLU and Big Dan! Well put BD. The movement IS gaining steam and the education of the American public is essential in that quest. Keep talking to anyone you can about this mess and what can be done about it. Strength in numbers isn't a catch phrase, it's a reality.

As well as renewing the Voting Rights Act, when the time is right, it is important to pass a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing the Right to Vote. It will be very helpful in preventing disenfranchisement which is a huge problem.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to also create an amendment guaranteeing election integrity? We ought to start thinking about it. Could they be combined?

That little extra comma obscures the meaning in the first sentence. I meant - "As well as renewing the Voting Rights Act, when the time is right it is important to pass a Constitutional Amendment..."

Here is LINK-TV's Monday lineup, for an example of 1 day's real TV...not CNN or corporate-controlled MSM:

Showing today on Link TV
11:00 - 1:00 Special - War of Deception
1:00 - 2:00 Shadows
2:00 - 4:00 Special - War of Deception
4:00 - 5:00 International Dateline: Abu Ghraib - A Torturer's Tale
5:00 - 7:00 Special - War of Deception
7:00 - 8:00 Shadows
8:00 - 10:00 Special - War of Deception
10:00 - 11:00 International Dateline: Abu Ghraib - A Torturer's Tale
11:00 - 12:00 Democracy Now!
12:00 - 2:00 Special - War of Deception
2:00 - 3:00 Shadows
3:00 - 5:00 Special - War of Deception
5:00 - 6:00 International Dateline: Abu Ghraib - A Torturer's Tale
6:00 - 7:00 Democracy Now!
7:00 - 7:30 World Music Videos
7:30 - 8:00 World Music Videos
8:00 - 9:00 Untold Desires
9:00 - 9:30 Your Mom's A Lesbian, Here's Your Lunch, Have A Good Day
9:30 - 10:00 The Outsourcing Report: Exporting America's Future
10:00 - 10:30 DW Journal
10:30 - 11:00 Mosaic: World News From The Middle East
11:00 - 12:00 International Dateline: Abu Ghraib - A Torturer's Tale

Here is Sunday's (today's) LINK-TV schedule:

Programming Schedule for Sunday, March 12, 2006

Showing today on Link TV
11:00 - 1:00 Special - Chomsky on the Media
1:00 - 2:00 Bill Moyers on Media Reform
2:00 - 4:00 Special - Chomsky on the Media
4:00 - 4:30 Radio Worth Fighting For
4:30 - 5:00 World Music Videos
5:00 - 7:00 Special - Chomsky on the Media
7:00 - 8:00 Bill Moyers on Media Reform
8:00 - 10:00 Special - Chomsky on the Media
10:00 - 10:30 Radio Worth Fighting For
10:30 - 11:00 World Music Videos
11:00 - 1:00 Special - Chomsky on the Media
1:00 - 2:00 Bill Moyers on Media Reform
2:00 - 4:00 Special - Chomsky on the Media
4:00 - 4:30 Radio Worth Fighting For
4:30 - 5:00 World Music Videos
5:00 - 7:00 Special - Chomsky on the Media
7:00 - 8:00 Shadows
8:00 - 10:00 Special - War of Deception
10:00 - 11:00 International Dateline: Abu Ghraib - A Torturer's Tale
11:00 - 1:00 Special - War of Deception

Free Speech TV Schedule for Mar 12, 2006

weekly schedule
12:00am Liberty News #14
12:30am Shocking and Awful #10: Globalization at Gunpoint
1:00am Borderline
2:16am System Failure
2:48am Pipeline
3:01am Street Level TV #11
4:00am Borderline
5:16am System Failure
5:48am Pipeline
6:00am Borderline
7:16am System Failure
7:48am Pipeline
8:00am ROX #08
8:30am Liberty News #14
9:00am SourceCode: State of the Oceans (# 304)
9:30am Shocking and Awful #11: Resistance at Home
10:00am Borderline
11:16am System Failure
11:48am Pipeline
12:00pm SourceCode: State of the Oceans (# 304)
12:30pm Shocking and Awful #11: Resistance at Home
1:00pm Borderline
2:16pm System Failure
2:48pm Pipeline
3:00pm Democracy Now! ©
4:00pm Borderline
5:16pm System Failure
5:48pm Pipeline
6:00pm Open Transmission #16
6:30pm Blacked Out Media #61
7:00pm Keynote: Joel Kovel and Thomas Fasy
7:30pm Keynote: Soaud Naja Al Azzawi
8:00pm Borderline
9:16pm System Failure
9:48pm Pipeline
10:00pm Borderline
11:16pm System Failure
11:48pm Pipeline

Liberty News is a "must see"...

Bah.. I don't get LinkTV or Democracy NOW! on my cable channels..

Though, at $118/mo for cable and internet, perhaps it's time to switch to something else.. Something that will -also- give me more than typical crap to watch (though, I normally only watch things like Discovery and History and a few PrimeTime shows.. though, I just found the music channels.. lol.. listening to Soundscapes..

The only problem I have with the ACLU is that sometimes they go over the top.. I can't recally anything off the top of my head, but I rememer a few times thinking to myself "well, that's not gonna help your reputation" and "that's not exactly a good thing to be fighting for".. But, in general, they do excellent work and bring a much needed legal counter to the destruction of our Democracy that the Republicans and "better than the rest" crowd are trying to fasion.

Savanaster
You're like me with the TV although I do like WestWing. The thing you're probably thinking of about the ACLU is their defense of that abomiable organization NAMBLA. That hurt them considerably but really, overall, where would we be without them?

Savantster

Sorry!

Yeah, cable TV and internet, $150 a month for me
I suppose its so cheap now, since we deregulated it (sheesh)

Watching that clip, its hard to believe we're in 2006 and still going through this shit

Thank You for bringing that issue forth

Mr. David Edwards

the disenfranchisement of progressive voters

to stop them from reaching the voters booth

is shameful and illegal conduct but it

is a ploy that

permits fascism to march forward.

Once again - Democracy is subverted !!!

It would take a fortune to hook up to cable where I am anyway, but I had no idea monthly charges were that much.

Re: my remarks in #7 --- Getting rid of the criminals is only the first step. We will have quite an agenda for those who control Congress after the Busheviks. Our biggest job will be to make sure this sh*t never happens again. And it will take a lot of work in the spirit of the nation's founders.

"And it will take a lot of work in the spirit of the nation's founders."

The founders didn't have Cadillacs and mostly nekked women on TV to keep them distracted from "real life".. they worked with their hands (most of them) and spent time outside under the sun and stars, not cooped up in a house in front of a TV for 12 hours a day being bombarded with "CONSUME" all day long.

If we expect to get something done like the Founding Fathers, we are gonna need a LOT of help, because the masses are sleeping at the wheel, to the point of being in a coma..

Dish TV satellite has both channels, but they don't have internet service, so if you want DSL your at the mercy of the phone company and it may not be available if you are too far from a server.

Link TV used to be on Direct TV satellite and they have DSL, but I dumped them several years ago so I don't know the current stsatus.

Status! oops!

Very good site. You are doing great job. Please Keep it up... .!