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The Armchair Agitator
Content
last updated March 17, 2001
"It's
not my problem...it doesn't affect me...What can I do? I'm just
one person...I'm not political...I'd rather not get involved."
How many times have you heard people say these things? Well,
it's been said that you can't argue with a closed mind (credit
Lily Tomlin), but even if you can't make other people give a
damn, you can make a difference yourself.
Full-time
activism isn't something many of us can afford to do, but if
you can read these words, you're literate and you're connected
to the Internet. If you can spare five minutes each week, you
can add your voice to those who seek a healthier planet and a
more just society. You have the power.
Here are
links to some good organizations that provide information on
how to get involved.
Fairness
and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) is a nonprofit organization working
to expose anti-progressive coverage in the news and to
foster understanding of why the American mass media is
biased. FAIR's web site has an extensive collection of in-depth
articles documenting the failure of the media to tell the
truth.
The Cultural
Environmental Movement is "an international coalition . . . working
for gender equity and general diversity in mass media
employment, ownership and representation." Their excellent
newsletter, The
Monitor,
includes fascinating interviews and in-depth articles that document
the too often monolithic culture of the mainstream media.
A "nationwide
consortium of policy researchers," the Institute for
Public Accuracy
maintains a very useful web site for anyone who is sick of the
shallow, distorted information dished out by the mass
media. The Articles section is a treasure
trove of news and commentary about topics that are usually glossed
over, at best, by the corporate media. It's a little dated
now, but if you missed it back when, be sure to check out Howard
Zinn's poignant essay, "Ten Real Reasons to Impeach Clinton."
Unless you've
been living in a sensory deprivation tank, you've heard
about the recent protests in Washington, DC against the World
Bank and International Monetary Fund. But if your only source
of information has been the mass media, you've probably got the
wrong idea. Visit the website of the U.S. Network for Global Economic
Justice
to learn about what the protesters came to protest and why the
official response to their presence on the streets was
unacceptable.
During the
peaceful protests against the International Monetary Fund and
World Bank in Washington and other U.S. cities in 2000, journalists
from the Independent
Media Center
were on the front lines. Their coverage was largely accurate
and complete--a far cry from the distortions and outright
lies dished out by many "journalists" in the mass
media. Indy Media has an impressive presence on the web with
real news from around the world.
Speaking of
the mass media, it doesn't have an absolute monopoly on the airwaves.
If you're lucky enough to live near a Pacifica Foundation radio station, you're
already empowered to hear much better news coverage. Unlike
most so-called public radio stations, Pacifica stations are funded
by people in the community, not global corporations. Click
here for a list of Pacifica-owned stations and here for a list
of affiliates. There's a catch, though, and it's a whopper:
Pacifica, the
only alternative national radio network, is now in trouble. The Pacifica board has converted the network's
management structure from a grassroots, participatory entity
into a centralized, totalitarian regime. It has censored
its broadcasters, and even fired several award-winning employees
who refused to obey its gag order. Listeners have held rallies demanding
that the board stop acting
to thwart democracy and free speech. Check out the Free
Pacifica
site for background information and breaking news, and visit
the Committee
for a Democratic Pacifica site for in-depth coverage of the campaign to
restore this vital information source.
Much of the
misinformation and disinformation we're bombarded with is subtle,
but sometimes we're denied any information at all. The National
Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) maintains a great site with
lots of news articles on the continuing attempts of some terribly
misguided individuals to prevent free exchange of ideas in schools
and libraries and on the Internet. Their Action
Alerts
page gives complete contact information, making it easy for you
to get involved.
Unless you've
been living in a sensory deprivation tank, you've heard
about the recent protests in Washington, Seattle, and other cities
against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. But if
your only source of information has been the mass media,
you've probably got the wrong idea. Visit the website of the
U.S.
Network for Global Economic Justice to learn about what the protesters
came to protest and why the official response to their presence
on the streets was unacceptable.
It may be a
new millennium, but human rights violations continue around
the world. Every day, innocent children, women and men are imprisoned,
tortured and murdered, often at the behest of their government.
Each month, Amnesty
International
spotlights three cases of severe violations worldwide.
Click here to read about those
cases and learn how you can help.
Another excellent
resource is Human
Rights Watch,
whose web site is a treasure trove of information on the topic.
Be sure to check out HRW's World Report 2001, which provides a timely
overview of human rights abuses worldwide and what is
being done to stop them.
Almost every
nation with any pretensions to democracy has abolished capital
punishment, but the United States stands in stark contrast to
those countries. One of the best sources for information on state-sanctioned
murder is Citizens
United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Their site has a wealth
of background information, plus a section on what you can do
to make
a difference.
The "religious
right" (which is neither) isn't the only gay-bashing
entity on the block. The same mass media which occasionally
presents gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered (GLBT) characters
in a positive light routinely displays its ignorance by negatively
stereotyping. The
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) monitors news coverage and
dramatic portrayals of GLBT people and issues and in the
mass media, and is an excellent resource for those opposed to
hate speech.
One of the
most effective GLBT political organization in the U.S.
is the Human
Rights Campaign
(HRC). Their site contains breaking news of interest to anyone
who is concerned about civil rights. Unfortunately, they were
the driving force behind the Millennium March on Washington
(the "march" that wasn't), which culminated in a program
that allotted more time to the praising of corporate sponsors
and the lauding of celebrities than it did to activists who'd
come thousands of miles to speak. HRC would do well to consider
that the global corporate machine is, as was President Clinton,
a fair-weather friend.
Among organizations
combating white supremacist groups in the United States,
one of the most effective is the Southern Poverty Law Center. Through civil ligitation,
SPLC's Klanwatch program has forced the seizure of many hate
groups' assets, thus effectively shutting them down. Some
articles from SPLC's quarterly Intelligence
Report
publication are available online.
As much as
some would like to keep their heads in the sand, humanity's
destruction of the environment is an ongoing problem with global
implications. One of the best web sites to consult is that
of the Natural
Resources Defense Council. They post extensive information on bills before
Congress that you can help pass or defeat.
One of the
oldest and largest U.S.-based environmental organizations is
the Sierra
Club.
Historically, it has also been one of the most effective. Check
out their web site for a good overview of current environmental
issues and how you can help.
Another environmental
group with an excellent website is Friends of the Earth. FOE deals with a broad
range of issues, and their site has lots of timely information
on how to help. Be sure to look at the pages describing how World
Bank and IMF policies are damaging the global environment.
National parks
in the U.S. range from subtle to spectacular, minuscule to mammoth,
quiet to clamorous. Whatever its attributes, each is well worth
preserving for future generations to experience. The National
Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) is the only national nonprofit devoted
to protecting national parks and their environs. Their informative
web site includes a Take action page with excellent
resources for those who care enough to make a difference.
Since 1935,
The Wilderness
Society
has been active in the fight to preserve wild lands in
the United States. Their Eye on Washington page provides a good
overview of what the president and his anti-environmental cronies
are up to, while their Take Action section gives you the opportunity
to get involved in the Society's campaigns.
Most people
don't have time to keep up with all the different environmental
web sites. If you could only visit one, it should be the
Save
Our Environment Action Center. A joint project of eighteen
diverse organizations, the site's obligatory Take
Action
page gives you a quick rundown on the most pressing national
issues and what you can do to help.
For a much
more comprehensive list of links to progressive political
action sites on the web, go to Norbert's Bookmarks.
The fruits
of progressive movements rarely ripen overnight. Frederick Douglass,
the great American writer-orator who lived to see slavery abolished
only to be replaced by a brutal system of segregation, said that
"it is idle...to dream of peace anywhere in this world while
any part of the human family are the victims of marked injustice
and oppression." More than a century later, his words are
still relevant. To a young protege who asked what could be done,
given the pervasive nature of legalized discrimination, Douglass
replied: "Agitate. Agitate."
Do you have
a link to recommend? Correction? Suggestion? Question? Friendly
feedbackis always welcome.
A word to
web surfers from outside the U.S.: Welcome! This site lists some international
organizations but is intended primarily to be a resource for
U.S. residents. We all must pick our battles, and "Think
Globally, Act Locally" is a good motto to live by.
BRIDGE
DWELLERS HOME PAGE
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