Mumia Abu-Jamal's Radio Broadcasts
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Copyright 2007 Mumia Abu-Jamal/Prison Radio
The Aura of Inevitability?
recorded 10/10/07
1) 2:47 Radio Essay short - Mp3
1) 3:51 Radio Essay long - Mp3
The Aura of Inevitability
[col. writ. 10/10/07] (c) '07 Mumia Abu-Jamal]
It's over a year until election day, but it is hard to avoid the common perception that the Democratic presidential nominee, and presumptive winner of the Nov. 2008 elections, will be New York Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Part of this is due to the influence of the news media, which has made this race little more than a money race, where it might well be predicted (to paraphrase), 'to the victorious money-raiser goes the spoils.' There is another reason, one largely sculpted by political leaders in both parties: the front-loading of the primary states, where only the wealthy can play, for how else does one campaign, simultaneously, across the nation's vast geography?
When it comes to money, Clinton is truly impressive.
But, why is money determinative of who the winner shall be?
The answer is as simple, as it is self-serving.
To create a meaningful campaign, vast sums of money must be raised, and spent, on mass media campaigns involving television and radio commercials.
You wanna know why the media is so gung-ho so early? For these communications companies, it's payday, and holiday, rolled into one. In a nutshell, politics is a big business.
And like most big business, only the wealthy can play this game.
This is also remarkable for a completely different reason.
Hillary R. Clinton is running on a record of failure. For, while she is admittedly a popular Senator, who has paid due attention to some of her constituents, she is part of a Congress that has been woeful in its failure to rein in a power-mad presidency on the big issues, of war and peace, of torture, secret prisons, wiretapping, and the like.
Millions of people went to the polls in November 2006 with a message in the bottle: end this damned war.
They have been frustrated because their apparent victory has been as hollow as a hula-hoop.
As this is written, members of congress are debating whether or not to make permanent the recent amendments to the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) law, which gave extended wiretap powers to the administration.
President George W. Bush, for all of his record unpopularity, and daily lampooning in the media, has been remarkably successful in reaching his goals, despite the losses suffered by his party in the mid-terms. That success, in part, can be attributed to Democrats, who fear being seen as 'soft' on terrorism, and have voted his way, despite their rhetoric against him.
And, when (or if) the junior senator from New York takes the oath of office to enter the Oval Office, she will do so equipped with a wealth of powers not seen since Nixon was at his height of powers, pre-Watergate scandal. President Richard Nixon was widely seen and criticized as an "imperial president", who stretched presidential powers to the breaking point. Indeed, many scholars believe that the present presidential bout of imperialitis can be traced, directly, to the influence of the Vice President, Richard B. Cheney (who served as Secretary of Defense under the first President Bush), a firm believer in expanded presidential power.
In a democracy, how can there be such an air of inevitability, before a single vote is cast?
It shows the power of money in determining, not just the outcome of politics, but in every major activity in the life of the nation.
In a true democracy, the question can't be answered until the people have decided.
A year before, and it seems all but over. --(c) '07 maj
[Mr. Jamal's recent book features a chapter on the
remarkable women who helped build and defend
the Black Panther Party: *WE WANT FREEDOM:
A Life in the Black Panther Party*, from South
End Press (http://www.southendpress.org); Ph.
#1-800-533-8478.]
===============================
MUMIA'S COLUMNS NEED TO BE PUBLISHED AS BROADLY
AS POSSIBLE TO INSPIRE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT AND
HELP CALL ATTENTION TO HIS CASE.
The campaign to kill Mumia is in full swing and we need you to
**please** contact as many publications and information outlets as
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them *unedited*, with every word including copyright information
intact, and send a copy of the publication to Mumia and/or ICFFMAJ.
THANK YOU!!!
Keep updated by reading ACTION ALERTS!!
at http://www.mumia.org, http://www.onamove.com/ and their links.
========================================
To download Mp3's of Mumia's commentaries visit
http://www.prisonradio.org or http://www.fsrn.org
==============================================>
The Power of Truth is Final -- Free Mumia!
PLEASE CONTACT:
International Concerned Family & Friends of MAJ
P.O. Box 19709
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Phone - 215-476-8812/ Fax - 215-476-6180
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AND OFFER YOUR SERVICES!
Send our brotha some LOVE and LIGHT at:
Mumia Abu-Jamal
AM 8335
SCI-Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370
WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM CAN *NOT* REST!!
Submitted by: Sis. Marpessa
Subscribe: mumiacolumns-subscribe@topica.com
Read: http://topica.com/lists/mumiacolumns/read
Subscribe ICFFMAJ email updates list by e-mailing
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[Check out Mumia's latest: *WE WANT FREEDOM:
A Life in the Black Panther Party*, from South
End Press (http://www.southendpress.org); Ph.
#1-800-533-8478.]
"When a cause comes along and you know in your bones that it is
just, yet refuse to defend it--at that moment you begin to die.
And I have never seen so many corpses walking around talking about
justice." - Mumia Abu-Jamal
MUMIA'S COLUMNS NEED TO BE PUBLISHED AS BROADLY
AS POSSIBLE TO INSPIRE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT AND
HELP CALL ATTENTION TO HIS CASE.
The campaign to kill Mumia is in full swing and we need you to
**please** contact as many publications and information outlets as
you possibly can to run Mumia's commentaries (on-line and
**especially off-line**)!! The only requirements are that you run
them *unedited*, with every word including copyright information
intact, and send a copy of the publication to Mumia and/or ICFFMAJ.
THANK YOU!!!
Keep updated by reading ACTION ALERTS!!
at http://www.mumia.org, http://www.onamove.com/ and their links.
========================================
To download Mp3's of Mumia's commentaries visit
http://www.prisonradio.org or http://www.fsrn.org
==============================================>
The Power of Truth is Final -- Free Mumia!
PLEASE CONTACT:
International Concerned Family & Friends of MAJ
P.O. Box 19709
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Phone - 215-476-8812/ Fax - 215-476-6180
E-mail - icffmaj@aol.com
AND OFFER YOUR SERVICES!
Send our brotha some LOVE and LIGHT at:
Mumia Abu-Jamal
AM 8335
SCI-Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370
WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM CAN *NOT* REST!!
Submitted by: Sis. Marpessa
Subscribe: mumiacolumns-subscribe@topica.com
Read: http://topica.com/lists/mumiacolumns/read
Subscribe ICFFMAJ email updates list by e-mailing
icffmaj@aol.com!
For additional information and to order Mumia's new book We Want Freedom,
visit: southendpress.org
Check out Mumia's NEW book:
"Faith of Our Fathers: An Examination of the Spiritual Life of African and African-American People" at www.africanworld.com
The Power of Truth is Final — Free Mumia!
PLEASE CONTACT:
International Concerned Family & Friends of MAJ
P.O. Box 19709
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Phone - 215-476-8812/ Fax - 215-476-6180
E-mail - AND OFFER YOUR SERVICES!
Send our brotha some LOVE and LIGHT at:
Mumia Abu-Jamal
AM 8335
SCI-Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370
WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM CAN *NOT* REST!!
Submitted by: Sis. Marpessa
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