AW: An opportunity for Civil Conversation

Mon Jan 26 07:44:04 PST 2004

Dear Harrison, thank you for your reply. I will forward it to Paul. I hope
this gives him some hope. With love - Catherine

Catherine Pfaehler
Kellersriedweg 8
CH - 2503 Biel
T/F/B ++41 - (0)32 - 365 68 41

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]Im Auftrag von Harrison
Owen
Gesendet: Montag, 26. Januar 2004 00:38
An: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Betreff: Re: An opportunity for Civil Conversation

Catherine – it is true that our “major networks” would love to think that
they control the news. And our President (The Shrub) would love to think
that he controls the networks. And unfortunately (or very fortunately as I
would think) both are profoundly in error. The networks are losing market
share – the truth of the matter is that a large number of Americans are on
Cable (I am not) – where there are more channels than you could ever flip
to. True, a substantial portion cover such exciting topics as How to Have a
Better Sex life – but there is more. Add in the fact that we are in truth a
“wired” nation – and it becomes clear that the possibility of controlling
the flow of information in the USA is as possible as it was for the “Rulers”
of China during the Tienamen (sp?) Square situation of several years ago.
Nothing would have pleased those folks more than to closed down
communication with the outside world. And they would have done it if they
could – but had they done it (cut the phone lines) they could not get the
economic data they needed. I remember sitting in my basement with several
young Chinese Students during that time, who wanted to know what was
happening, and support their fellows. I happened to have a number of phone
lines, faxes, and InterNet connections. And I can tell you China was a
sieve. I couldn’t prove it, but I honestly think that I knew more (reading
over people’s shoulders) about what was going on in China than the
Intelligence folks. Anyhow, Free Speech, and the free flow of information is
alive and well in the USA. In a word – we got lots of Open Space. Now that
does not mean that we have been using it well, but actually we have gotten
along pretty good for several hundred years. Major excesses to be sure.
Total idiocy – absolutely! But in the sloppy way of Democracy – we muddle
through. So far at least. We just have to keep the Space open.

Harrison

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20845
Phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/>
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org <http://www.openspaceworld.org>
Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Catherine
Pfaehler
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 4:11 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: AW: An opportunity for Civil Conversation

Chris – indeed, America’s media seem to be owned by only 5 corporations, all
of which have sponsored the current president’s campaign. Freedom of speech
may well be something which does not exist any longer in your country, as a
well-informed friend (named Paul) tells me. Sad. He states that unless you
get your informations through the web or speak foreign languages, as an
American, you are no longer informed objectively.

With love and compassion - Catherine

Catherine Pfaehler
Kellersriedweg 8
CH - 2503 Biel
T/F/B ++41 - (0)32 - 365 68 41

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]Im Auftrag von Chris
Macrae
Gesendet: Samstag, 24. Januar 2004 22:49
An: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Betreff: Re: An opportunity for Civil Conversation

I'm always a bit scared (beyond my depth) about radical democracy but I did
feel pretty angry about this story- if anyone feels I've misworded it, I'd a
ppreciate editing advice- on the other hand if you feel like voting on
whether CBS merits a future if the circumstances portrayed by moveon.org are
correct, then please do vote
Chris Macrae
http://www.beyond-branding.com/blog/blogger.html

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2004
why you may never see the greatest ad ever made...
...
the eye-catching opening second: ten-year olds working in a steelworks

cut several times to other big industry factory lines peopled by kids

no words just ominous sounding music for 20 seconds

then silence and 10 seconds for the caption :

who else did you think would be paying back America's debt?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

If not the world's biggest conversation, I would have thought this should be
one of America's biggest. But apparently CBS won't screen it even though
American people have collected to pay the money their superbowl rate card
demands. Unless there is an explanation that's currently alluding my grey
cells, I conclude CBS and parent viacom don't believe in freedom of speech

A few years ago the idea that the public could rate a global empire the size
of Andersen as too untrustworthy to be worth having around seemed unlikely.
>From all our research at Beyond-Branding, it seems time to rip down a big
networked media company. Perhaps CBS is the goat that needs to be
sacrificed; its not this company's first offence against public decency as
the documentary on who tried to block freedom of speech in exposing how much
tobacco companies new about addiction to deadly habits showed.

You can vote for the future of CBS here.
http://www.fastcompany.com/poll/?x=1127

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Harrison
Owen
Sent: 11 December 2003 16:16
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: An opportunity for Civil Conversation

Folks - Up for a little radical Democracy???
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