Our Friend, Bill Moyers

It's been no secret that this administration has waged war against anyone who so much as said, "wait a second, let's take a stronger, deeper, less emotional look at things before we do anything heinous." On their hit list - and unappreciated by some previous administrations as well, has been long-time journalist Bill Moyers, a man who has been responsible for so much of our education and enlightenment over the years. This past year, he was effectively forced off PBS and his groundbreaking program, "Now", after a Bush Admin friend was pushed into the role of head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Like Medicare and Social Security "reform" and the reform of public schools, the apparent objective with PBS' reform is to kill it.

Although there have been more meaningful examples of this man, as a journalist, being a real friend and servant of the American public, my favorite will always be his series with Joseph Campbell. "The Power of Myth" is picked up so often in my household that it's well-worn and is kept front and center on my coffee table along with an unabridged dictionary and (some might be surprised) a copy of the Bible.

Bill spoke passionately this weekend at a Media Reform Conference. He spoke of how the Bushies have gone after him. I think his speech is required reading. You're welcome, of course, to disagree. But let me point you to the transcript (there are MP3s of his speech, as well). You can also catch big parts of the speech - and some of the other events - on today's Democracy Now, which Free Speech TV (yes, there is such a channel) and Link TV rebroadcast frequently.

Damn. I'm considering dusting off my press pass.