I have been getting lots of my response to my post on MoveOn. Let me be clear. I think MoveOn has an important role to play and I am not out to trash the organization, not at all. I grew up in a time when we debated political issues, not played follow the leader.

I hope that its members can convince the “team” that runs Move On to reexamine in stance on the MORAL and political issue of our time–the war on Iraq. I welcome comments from MoveOn and responses. I will run more as they come in.

Bob Lefkowits writes:

“I joined MoveOn back when it was “Censure and Move On.” I’ve contributed close to $1,000 and was very active in the anti-Bush campaign, including spending hours calling voters.

“Even before they snubbed you, I decided not to support them anymore. I first became concerned when they had a contest to pick the best anti-Bush ads.
Pardon the crude analogy, but this contest felt very much like a circle jerk. MoveOn members were high-fiving each other because their ads were more arrogant, snide and mean than the Republican ones, and because they were super tech-weenies for implementing web-based tools to preview and vote on theseads. I tried to raise the mainstream media issue, but was totally ignored. It was clear to me that they missed the boat.

“Even now, I have no clue of who the real leaders are and how to raise any concerns. I’m not going to unsubscribe just yet because (1) they don’t careand (2) I’d like to monitor what they’re up to. But they will get no more time nor dollars from me.

” Keep up the good work. Please feel free to use any of this, including my name.”

WHATS GOING ON

Harriet Harper of Durham NC: “OK….. WHAT’S GOING ON WITH US THAT WE CAN’T SUPPORT WMD???

“I, for one, don’t understand this. I’m terribly disappointed and am wondering where the heck this organization is heading.

“I hope you or someone can provide an explanation. I do NOT support the DLC, and neither should our organization.

“You are going to lose a member. Please respond.”

Janet Rogozinski lives in Martyland:

“Your enlightening comments on Moveon.org’s drift towards the center. I had noticed the trend shortly after the election, when they were groping for a definition and a cause that could ignite the same fervor (which of course) transcribes into funds and future success. It bothers me that when success becomes more important than the cause.

“In some way’s moveon’s rise to rapid power came about because they molded themselves into a knight in shining armor image for the voiceless majority who longed for a leader to stand up against the war. Finally! Someone who says NO TO WAR. Moveon pioneered the e-voice of the people, that could change the minds and hearts of our political community with rapid fire responses and opposition. Is it correct to abandon the values that made them
great?

“Moveon spoke up when the media failed to do their job. When the Democratic party failed to do their job. When the media and the party failed to challenge the administration’s drive to war. Has everyone already forgotten, we were correct.

“Moveon may be miscalculating their following if they think that we are blind followers for the sake of opposition to Bush politics. Without a doubt we are opposed to the administration and their irresponsible abuse of power to achieve their agenda, but middle ground does not serve as an effective tool of opposition. It leads to a reluctant submission to the will of the ruling party. I am grateful we have a healthy right and I am saddened that our left is caving in. Democracy is suffering if opposition allows itself to weaken. Sound opposition gives legitimacy to the victory.

“News may be delivered in sound bytes and fading out, but the injured and dead soldiers who are being brought back to their home every day are not diminishing. Not to mention that for every American soldier who dies each day, at least 20 or more Iraqi’s die. It’s our duty not to let them be forgotten.

“The war was wrong and the war is still wrong and Moveon should take responsibility for leading a dialogue toward an exit strategy. They can ignite quite a bonfire if they choose. Iraq needs us out. We need to get out and lots of brilliant minds can work together to make it happen. It is not hopeless if so many countries are committed to make this work. There are solutions if there is political will and commitment to get out.

“Moveon is capable of building energy and momentum to force dialogue. More Americans are against the war than for it. It’s our responsibility to keep the dialogue in the headlines…. to be the ongoing ‘thorn in the side’.

“Goodness gracious, Moveon should not narrow its tasking to single agendas…as is the political norm of late. We can afterall talk about more than one cause at a time and still be effective leaders. Multitasking is our strength, why give in to the GOP trend.

“FYI - Go to their website and notice how they use the WMD acronym to highlight their new front line battle against Social Security. Perhaps, like in the news, they needed fresh sound bytes to hold their members attention. What they missed is that the “issues” do matter to their following. The passion that drove a frustrated herd of Americans to join Moveon’s crusade against war is not replicable when we have finished the original crusade we began. I would not like to think that I support a group which thinks a “half baked” job is good enough. Anti war means finishing the war, not taking it off the agenda!!!!

Ms Teddi Curtis from Corona Ca:

“I wonder how many of the 3 million members of MoveOn are like me, no longer interested in moving on with them. For a group of supposedly computer savvy folks, their “feedback” area is a continuous rant area is so unwieldy that I gave up long ago of ever having my views considered by the group. Reading Republican complaints and libelous postings isn’t my idea of “feedback.” Since MoveOn came into being over the impeachment of Bill Clinton, I think the perfect project for the movement is to call for the impeachment of George Bush, a really criminal president.

BTW, I’ve ordered your movie, but it hasn’t arrived yet. I’m anxiously awaiting it. I’ve purchased the “Un” series by Robert Greenwald, sponsored by MoveOn, and Outfoxed and Fahrenheit 9/11. I had my family over to watch all these films (one at a time) and intend to do the same with yours. Two other films, Constructing Public Opinion, and Hijacking Catastrophe are really worth watching. I haven’t shown them to the family yet because I wanted to show WMD next.”

Dennis Atkinson: “Sounds like Move On wants us to move on past them. They have the power at the moment and want to score big, regardless ofwhat it is. Sad ending. Keep up your good work.”

Joe Dunphy from NJ: “Thanks for the article on MoveOn getting cold feet on the war issue. It helps us decide who to support, or, in this case, no longer support”

W Clements from Wimberly Texas: “When MoveOn moved on towards their current stance — so did I — from them. I became increasingly annoyed at the constant flood of electronic solicitations from them, almost as many from the DNC which touted their forward-thinking revamping of the Dems. MoveOn has simply fallen prey to the biggest predator — ego. In the meantime, the rest of us who are seeking the reality of our times have turned to mediachannel.org and others of its ilk. So let MoveOn move on towards the bloated center of American politics — but let them do so without us.”

Beverly McCartt in Winter Park Fla: “I was under the impression that MoveOn.org was indeed DLC infiltrated. I sent an email from their website asking if this was the case( I recall reading something in the Nation) and I never received a reply.I think its time for MoveOn to MoveOn…”

The Walrus sends a ditty:

“They called themselves Moveon.org

And Iraq, they completely ignored.

It just wouldn’t sell,

Their surveys would tell,

Till the draft men set up local boards.

OTHER SUBJECTS

Tom Wieliczka of Windsor Locks, CT writes to the Hartford Courant:

“First we had Bush saying back on January 18, 2000, “If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier, just as long as I’m the
dictator.”

“Now, we have The New York Times on March 13th, reporting with an eight-page article on how we are constantly being fed Propaganda, right here in TheUnited States of America.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/politics/13covert.html?

“What has the media allowed Bush to turn this country into? Russia?

“Are investigative journalists afraid to dig for the truth, for fear of becoming the next “Helen Thomas”? She was kicked to the back row at press conferences because of her questions.

“When is The Hartford Courant going to report on The Mainstream Media and how they are reporting or printing pre-packaged propaganda from The Bush Administration as real news?

“And the media and press actually wonder why many people are turning to Blogs, The Internet and Jon Stewert for their news? I rest my case!”

ABOUT HAWAII

Dick Berhard writes from Minneapolis:

“Always good to get your postings. Regardless of MoveOn we’ll be seeing you May 6 in Minneapolis. (Sorry to hear about MoveOn, to which I contributed. People are always stuck in these positions of ‘stick to it’ or ‘sell out’. Maybe we can pressure them back.)

“Your comments about Hawaii and the Philippines resonated. My Dad’s brother, my uncle Frank Peter Bernard, is one of those who went down on the USS Arizona – his home for his last six years. He was 26 when Dec 7 happened. I actually met him about 5 months before he died. I was only 1 ½ so it wasn’t much of a memorable event, but I do have the pictures!

“And his Dad, my grandfather Bernard, was one of the first in the Philippines in the Spanish-American War. He went with a North Dakota National Guard contingent. North Dakota was in there early, I suspect, because Teddy Roosevelt considered himself something of a North Dakotan, having lived there for a year in the 1880s, and when the drums of war began beating, volunteers raced forward, including Grandpa. If you’re ever interested in readable histories of that conflict, from the North Dakota perspective, I’d be glad to send them to you (or give them to you May 6). I’d need your address, of course.

“They did their training at what is now Presidio-San Francisco, just down the pike from the wharf area; and sailed packed like sardines in steamers to Honolulu and then on to Manila Bay. When they arrived – as I say they were among the first – the Spanish had already been defeated. Their War was against the “insurgents” (have you seen that term lately?) who were Filipinos who were thankful the U.S. had thrown out the Spaniards, but not quite as pleased that the U.S. decided to hang around.

“A little vignette that might cause a slight chuckle: of course the war began with the blowing up of the Battleship Maine in Havana Harbor (it is more and more certain that it was an accident rather than a provocation), but War against Spain seemed a pretty neat deal to Teddy Roosevelt who was then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, later Governor of NY, McKinley’s VP, then President in his own right.

” Of course, Cuba was only one of the Spanish properties up for grabs in that war. McKinley on being informed that the Philippines were sitting out there, and might be worth taking for strategic reasons, had to be shown where they were on a map…they weren’t big on the foreign policy radar screen.

” Ah, what a splendid little war…except for the Filipinos and the Americans who were killed in abundance as the war dragged on, some in rather horrifying ways: I read of one tactic, to bury a captive up to his neck in dirt, and bring on the ants….

FREE “MAKING OF WMD” SCREENING AT ON-LINE MOVIE THEATER

David Degraw writes: “To mark the second anniversary of the Iraq invasion WMD Globalvision invites you to a free on-line screening of “The Making and Mission of WMD.” This video features interviews with director Danny Schechter, “The News Dissector,” and clips from the award-winning film.

We are able to offer this thanks to the pioneering and mind-blowing Hi-Movie Internet streaming technology company.

Hi-Tech Movie is a pioneer in electronic content delivery in real time to 35 million Internet users. The Sanview Streaming Player is simple and easy-to-use, and gives viewers the ability to experience DVD quality video played through an online movie theater — instantly — without the hassle of downloading large files or using peer-to-peer networks.

To experience a behind-the-scenes look at this fast-paced documentary go to: http://www.hi-movie.com/wmd/index.php

Reminder: I am screening WMD tonight at Mark’s Garage in Honolu where the Right To Know art exhibit opens at 6.

And while this is happening now, big media is starting to move on the issue. AP reports: “Seven groups interested in journalism are joining with US press agency The Associated Press and other news organizations to promote accessible, accountable and open US government. The Sunshine in Government Initiative seeks to combat what the groups see as increased government secrecy since the 2001 terrorist attacks. A bill sponsored by Senators John Cornyn and Patrick Leahy proposes the creation of a 16-member advisory commission that would conduct a study to determine ways to speed the release of records under the US Freedom of Information Act. Under the act, government agencies must give the public access to government information unless the information falls under certain exemptions.” Well, it’s a start…..

Aloha. Maholo for writing. How am I doing?

Write: Dissector@mediachannel.org