We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, March 29, 2015

West vs. RT?

Click here if you wish to access this 28:06 RT program called CrossTalk.

In this program broadcast on March 27th host Peter Lavelle interviews Anthony Salvia, former appointee of President Reagan to the State Department; Martin McCauley, specialist of international affairs at the U. of London; and Don DeBar, antiwar activist and host of a daily radio program. Lavelle asks his guests why this popular program in the US is receiving so much criticism from official spokespeople.
Media wars have entered new territory: Secretary of State John Kerry, EU officials and the NATO military alliance all have singled out this television station, RT, as some kind of security threat. Since when is holding and broadcasting a different opinion or narrative a threat to global media freedom?