Local News, Viewpoints & Connections
These are your Empire Reports, in reverse chronological order.
Audio Investigation: Desensitization in the Age of Terrorism
In Peter B Collins' latest audio investigation, he and Sibel Edmonds interview Coleen Rowley, a 24-yr-FBI agent who came to national attention in June 2002, when she testified before Congress about serious lapses before 9/11 that helped account for the failure to prevent the attacks. They discuss a range of ethical issues arising from our country's responses to terrorism.
Move Your Money
After watching the U.S. Government take a few days to bail out Wall Street, and seeing it struggle months to pass any healthcare (now health insurance) reform, you may feel powerless. But you aren't. Just move your money.
Slow Down Sebastopol origins, goals and future
The new Slow Down Sebastopol campaign is temporary, according to police chief Weaver.
Dollars for Death, Pennies for Life
Whether one compares the U.S. government's latest Afghanistan offensive with its recent aid to Haiti, its Afghanistan war efforts with its neglect of Afghanistan refugee camps, or its war spending with its domestic spending cuts, there's one message: this warfare state gives killing priority over sustaining life.
Shameless in Petaluma
What do Regency Developers, Petaluma Council Member Mike Healy, and the Press Democrat have in common? I fear it's a shameless disregard for the truth.
A Different Take on Change
In light of everything that has played out over millennia, it’s time for a radical change. All leadership positions – government, industry, education, health care – you name it, has to be turned over to women.
End the Tyranny of the Minority in California: Sign the California Democracy Act petition
Last week, at a meeting of the Santa Rosa Democratic Club attended by over 400 people, noted linguist and political consultant George Lakoff (professor of cognitive science and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley) addressed the need for a ballot initiative that he and his allies have introduced, the California Democracy Act. In this week's "Progressive Majority Coalition" Ben Boyce discusses why the California Democracy Act needs to pass.
Ask Jo Anne
I hear that the City is going to be turning off all the street lights in Santa Rosa. I don’t want that to happen in my neighborhood. What can I do about it?
The Exit Exam, The School Board, and District Elections
There seems to be a divide over education. Some consider denying students the opportunity to walk during graduation an "encouragement." Others want to recognize students who successfully complete high school but happen not to pass the exit exam. It raises questions about the role of school graduations. But does the School Board's make-up affect its ability to address this divide?
Don’t Call It a “Defense” Budget
The Federal Government's budget numbers make one thing clear: the Obama administration is marching up a steep military escalator under the banner of “defense.” But is it really a "defense" budget when we destroy our country in the name of defending it?
Is The Press Democrat Attempting to Manipulate Local Elections?
An analysis of the Press Democrat's and its affiliates' recent commentaries about Petaluma's proposed Target project reveals a pattern raising troubling questions. Has the region's largest news institution been guilty of an ideological bias? Has it been ignoring the public's well-being in order to manipulate upcoming elections?
The Political State of the City – Our Local Tea Party?
Is the Press Democrat supporting a partisan agenda misleadingly representing Santa Rosa's environmental, business, and labor records? Is the Press Democrat emboldening efforts to undermine the city's attempts to address its budget crisis? These are important topics for February 3rd's community forum in Santa Rosa's City Council Chambers.
Audio Investigation: New Guantánamo Revelations
Peter B Collins's latest audio investigation focuses on new revelations about three alleged 2006 suicides at Guantánamo Naval Base. According to a former Reagan honor guard who became a guard at Gitmo's Camp Delta and then a government whistle blower, these deaths were the result of a previously unknown camp created for "enhanced interrogations."
Nominations please - Sonoma County Environmental Awards 2010
The Sonoma County Conservation Council is now accepting nominations for the Sonoma County Environmental Awards until Monday February 8 at midnight. The general public, as well as environmentalists, are encouraged to nominate activists, educators and programs - especially those in outlying areas and lesser-known arenas.
Media Democracy in Action
In this thoroughly researched five-part commentary, Peter Phillips and Mickey Huff make a case for the importance of including "truth emergency" inside the Progressive Media Reform Movement.
Media Democracy in Action (Part Two)
What are the truths needing to be covered? They include important facts about poverty, starvation, and civil rights.
Media Democracy in Action (Part Three)
There is a growing need to broaden understanding of censorship in the US. Rather than being the direct government control of news, U.S. censorship is the self-exclusion and under-coverage of inconvenient truths.
Media Democracy in Action (Part Four)
To counter knowinglessness, media activists need to challenge commonly accepted journalism standards, replacing an emphasis on "balance" with an emphasis on facts and critical thinking in the pursuit of truth.
Media Democracy in Action (Conclusion)
The health of democracy within this country we must reject the projected imaginings of the corporate media profiteers and their industry of illusion.
The Progressive Majority Coalition
Empire Report is proud to announce its newest column. The ‘Progressive Majority Coalition’ is dedicated to generating an analysis of local, state, national, and international political developments with an eye to building an enduring progressive majority coalition that can help chart an evolutionary path forward for American society and the world community. We are particularly interested in the construction of political realities through the media, and seek to develop intellectual resistance to the dominant memes of conventional political discourse.
