Hi,

I’m glad that there is beginning to be some
serious or ANY consideration of the evolution
of the press in the SE during the last century.

The Bird was one of many papers (now a generic
‘alternative press’) which evolved during the
resistance to the ‘white power’ movement of
Lester Maddox, George Wallace, and others which
culminated in the Nixon Presidency.

Many of the themes and ‘key concepts’ of Nixon’s era had a rebirth when Ronald Reagon reversed the modest gains represented by Jimmy Carter’s Presidency, starting his candidacy off in Philadelphia, Mississippi, near where the civil rights workers were murdered.

These same themes of war, represion of moderates, liberals, and ‘radicals’ have been raised to a new level now by the Bush ‘Presidency’ to inculde repression of mainstream scientific opinion on climate and other issues, and yet there is little more substantial critical press resistance now than in the Nixon era.

The New York Times today reports today’s graduates have largely ‘bought into’ the corporate Bush line that Social Security is sunk, and an alternative is needed, despite the youth against the Bush Presidency.

Those of us in the era of the past must still re-evaluate how the ‘materialism’ in the sense of worship of goods, music, even drugs, was a wrong focus, or, a focus for change easily taken over and re Marketed as Progress by Corporate interests. (to wit ‘drug ads on tv..while
imprisoning ‘drug dealers’ in the hood)-

How exactly to focus attention on peace, prosperity, racial harmony and cooperation,
and a reduction of our overuse of our environment, and exploitation of oil, gas,
and other natural resources remains a challenge.

Can the present system be made responsive by
voting and organization alone, or will another Major Environmental or other crisis have to trigger our conscious.

Can only limited impact media, like WRFG, 89.3,
survive the ‘new religion’ of aggressive consumer capitalism, as a ‘faith’ ..or can more public financed or spirited media be evolved.

These are all issues waiting to be addressed,
and I hope that analysis of the ‘new media’ of the sixties can contribute. Howard Romaine

Apparently, I did not read this report closely enough because I missed that fact. You’re right, that’s great comedy.

Good write up on the Great Speckled Bird, though. To the author: thanks.