TV FREE AMERICA

Of all the startling images coming out of Egypt during the past two weeks of anti government, pro democracy demonstrations, the most bizarre to me was the man on a galloping camel, charging into the protesters, whip flailing at the behest of the government.

The sad fact is it took a revolution there to bring America images of the utterly corrupt and rotting Egyptian society we have been propping up for thirty years with billions in aid, mainly for weaponry to help maintain that oppression. America's handful of corporate controlled media is quite restrictive in what we largely uninformed Americans can see in hot spots like the Middle East. Whether due to their own prejudices, concern over losing access to government officials wanting to keep us uninformed, or other reasons; our media does not make Al Jazerra, the most important source of news there available to us. More and more inquisitive folks are getting these important Al Jazerra images from the internet.

Growing up in the fifties I recall our government boasting how they set up Radio Free Europe to beam good ol' American democracy and freedom to the millions of subjugated Eastern Europeans kept in the dark by Russia's Uncle Joe Stalin. We've come full circle of sorts. Now it's America that prevents a real debate on our utterly destructive policies of made up war, continued acquiescence in Israel's oppression of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and endless support of brutal Arab regimes simply because they do our bidding.

Fortunately, we have the Net for those curious enough to seek the full picture. We should think of the Net as our version of Radio Free Europe, updated today into TV Free America.