Mumia Abu-Jamal: Once again, the forces of the state are trying to decide what students should hear. You know, we’ve been here perhaps a dozen times over the years. I’ve spoken to more commencements than I can remember, but Goddard is my alma mater, right? And it’s where people go to learn about how the real world works. It’s an extraordinary school. But isn’t it surprising that the same people who claim fidelity to the Constitution, to the law, are trying to violate the law and impose their will on others, especially the young?
Everybody talks about the Constitution. Think about this – next time you hear someone talk about law enforcement, why don’t you imagine when the last time they enforced the Constitution? And that goes for those politicians as well. They all got a good rap game. But when it comes to what they do in the name of power in the Constitution, they violate it every damn day. But I want the students to hear it, and damn it, they gonna hear it.
Noelle Hanrahan: I’m surprised that Senators care, I’m surprised that Obama cares, but in some ways it’s it’s predictable, because if you have uncensored reporting, they’re gonna to be worried about it.
Mumia Abu-Jamal: Only because there’s so little of that. Because they can rely on 99% of the corporate media, right? Print, television, radio even, and the corporate control that those entities enjoy, and they know, they have been so well trained, that they will not challenge power. And because of that, the Republic, you know, the so-called democracy, is falling down the drain. Chris Hedges has written best about that, in a book he wrote called Empire Of Illusions. I say the people have to create their own media and boycott the corporate media, because, I think we both know that, you know, this thing could be a whole lot better, but it’s going in the wrong direction. It’s corporatized. Well, and like I said, we got to make our own media.
These comments are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
