" ... That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government ..."
<clipped> > Tomorrow, the 4th of July, is the day we've devoted to > remembering this pillar of our society. As my little contribution, I'll check the major > "news" players and name each one who mentions these words during the > day. If I miss one, please point it out. Okay, I've spent two or so hours doing this research, and the 4th of July discussions that I came across are listed below. My conclusion: barely a mention of the Declaration of Independence, more less the significance of it's main features. Only the History Channel contains a(n unembellished) link to the Declaration itself. Commondreams and The Nation, of course, have loads of related articles, but they aren't mainstream. This is important because, when you think about it, the mainstream media outlets are most people's only view into gov't and the world around them. They are, in effect, the band leading the parade. What they say is important = what average people think is important, no more, no less. What are they hyping instead? There's a big, patriotic "support the troops" rally (until the day after they come home, of course); the shuttle launch; North Korea war drums; Iran war drums; this week's we-love-Israel installment; GI misconduct in Iraq; CIA Bin Laden unit closed; The Guantanamo decision ... What's unspoken with all of this is that we're suffering the most dangerous rulership this country has ever seen, bar none. If the right drums were being beaten - e.g. the important parts of the Declaration of Independence - that gang would be run out of town or in jail where they belong. This is not academic. They've let the dogs out, either not knowing or caring what that really means, but we darned sure better start caring. The last thing we want is another attack here, but these goons are begging them on with their belligerence. Color me jaded, but I see storm clouds on the horizon, and I don't want any part of it this time. Bill CNN ... Has a "test your July 4 knowledge" link off it's main page http://www.cnn.com/ and one of the questions is a multiple choice that includes these words "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed", but no mention of the right to alter or abolish a gov't destructive to these ends. MSNBC ... 3 mentions: Bush gives July 4th pep talk to fighting forces; NASA counts down to 4th of July launch, Shuttle blasts off - a first on the 4th NY Daily News ... Liftoff: Discovery Soars on July 4th Slate ... Happy Fourth of July! (photos) History channel ... Fourth of July ... Drudge .... JERSEY SHUTDOWN: Lawmakers Must Work on Budget July 4 Boston Globe ... boston's fourth of july; Photo Gallery Info gallery Photo; Forecast Traffic Traffic; Video Boston festivities underway; Photo Gallery America celebrates Washington Post ... When the 4th Was Still a Blast; "A Dissident's Holiday" that avoids the declaration itself. The NY Times ... Liftoff: Discovery Soars on July 4th; In Queens, It's the Glorious 4th, and 6th, and 16th, and 25th...; Bush Thanks Troops for Service in Iraq USA Today ... Bush gives troops pep talk; Celebrating the 4th around the US (not a word about what it's all about). My Way news ... Liftoff: Discovery Soars on July 4th CBS news ... Discovery Soars On Fourth Of July; has a trivia quiz like the CNN quiz LA Times ... PHOTOS: Fourth Festivities; Reborn on the Fourth of July (about Hollywood ad campaigns) Information week ... Nothing Slate magazine ... Happy Fourth of July! (photos) History channel ... A link to the full text of the Declaration of Independence, and there are some shows on the subject, but I don't know their content. A "did you know" link contains only census bureau trivia. Commondreams ... Lots of related stuff The Nation .... Defending the Constitution, more _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
