by joe courter
Publishing a small news magazine in this age of information overload has its pluses and minuses. There is a lot to write about and report on, but sheesh, there sure is a lot to choose from. Do you write about things coming up, or things that have already happened? From an activist orientation, the Iguana wants to present information to inform and inspire, to try and convey that the struggle for a better world is long and slow, with bursts of hope that, when proved fleeting, should not be seen as defeat but as part of the process of change.
A good friend last week expressed to me that she wished the Iguana was bigger or came out more often, ’cause it is one media source she trusts. Well, as this publication is run both on volunteer time and on a shoestring budget, that is unlikely. So it is up to everyone, via libraries, selective use of the media, or their computer to get out and dig up meaningful stuff, and not settle for the mainstream BS that passes for news now.
Beyond that, there is also an ethic of solidarity, the common struggle. We see resistance to austerity measures around the world, a collective “NO!” to the demands of sacrifice that the rich and powerful impose on, very often, the ones with the least, but also on the compliant. Because they can. For now.
Elections can be maddening, as the hopeful progressive people of Egypt and Wisconsin, and now Mexico, have recently learned. The power structure has a deep foundation, and being well organized and well funded are tough assets to overcome.
The power of money in this nation’s elections has reached an astounding and dangerous level, and, when coupled with the scientific focus groups crafting sound bite messaging in the media, this development is profoundly disturbing. Short comments by John Boener or Mitch McConnell are played and repeated without analysis, which facilitate their announced plan to make the Obama administration a failure, to make him a one-term president. Locally the big money will play out in attack ads and vilification, and get ready for all the robocalls. And all those big signs.
The primary voting will take place August 14, with early voting beginning August 4. The last day to register to vote in this election is July 16.
Something you will be seeing more of in the future is Viva 500. No it is not a race at Daytona Speedway; it is the state-sponsored celebration of Spanish Conquistador Ponce De Leon arriving quite briefly on the Florida coast in 1513, with his main claim to fame being the name he gave to the land he found for the flowers he saw in bloom – “La Florida.”
There will be much ado about this man, whose history is full of conquering and enslavement. But hopefully the Iguana will do its part to uphold the story of the native people who were already here and how the Spanish invasions impacted their lives. It’s the Columbus Quincentenary, Part Two.