As I feared, Corporate Media had their way, so I won't even have the opportunity to vote for my candidate.
Over the past several months I watched with wonder as I witnessed the major networks' systematic trivialization of John Edward's campaign. & Ridiculed as & ldquo;vain & rdquo; or & ldquo;angry & rdquo; or & ldquo;rich & rdquo; or & ldquo;irrelevant & rdquo; by foolish reporters who didn't know enough about history to even understand how fundamental American rights have been eroded, or how far we have traveled from basic protections our society used to afford us - even as recently as a decade ago.
John Edwards was the only candidate who had done battle with corporate giants and won. Of course Corporate America didn't want to see Edwards become the Democratic candidate.
Well, John, thank you for running.
Thank you for championing the causes of the middle class, and the working poor. Thank you for pushing for a universal health plan. &
This election may represent the last opportunity for all of us to reclaim the promise made by the framers of our United States Constitution. The real issue of this election is not the economy or the war or immigration or even the environment. & While these are all vital issues and will determine how we will live out our lives, what is actually at stake is the survival of our democracy as an entity owned by & ldquo;We the People. & rdquo;
It is up to us to take back our country and demand a return to the & ldquo;rule of law & rdquo; where all citizens are bound by a set of clearly defined and accepted laws.
This rule of law is manifested in an independent judiciary, a free press, and a system of checks and balances on leaders through free elections, and separation of powers among the branches of government.
The continued erosion of these basic principles threatens our social order and our civil rights far more than whether a Mexican national climbs over that ridiculous corrugated wall down at & ldquo;Friendship Park & rdquo;; or whether we are allowed to continue destroying an entire country that did not attack us first; or whether corporations systematically continue to outsource our labor force and sell our country to the highest bidder; or whether we pay more attention to celebrity sightings than we do to the catastrophic evidence of global warming.
& ldquo;We the People & rdquo; means all of us - you and me.
Somehow we have to navigate the political waters of sound bytes, intimidation, blatant misinformation, and election fraud to decipher which candidate truly possesses the combination of ability, instinct, and integrity.
- Candace Suerstedt is a filmmaker and a mother of three who lives in Coronado.
