USA -not US Inc.

It's not Anti-American to believe in the principals this country was founded upon, while at the same time disagreeing with what it has become. Somewhere this Nation was hi-jacked and tragically it ended up being crashed into downtown Baghdad...the fires are is still raging and we've yet to begin to see the aftermath of what has happened. This is not said to underscore 9/11 in any way, but to emphasize the magnitude of the situation this country now finds its' self irreversibly involved in.
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It leaves you wondering how we as a Nation of People are going to resolve the crisis our leaders have created in the Middle East, when the whole thing seems to have been started by them as a solution for our own troubled economy. Unfortunately the only economic woes being addressed were those of ...Big Money Interests... and their need to offset the losses created by their destruction of the U.S. economy and overthrow of the U.S. government. What better way than through its' own lucrative government contracts worth Billions of dollars?
For "American Big Business" this translated into...Free Oil and all the money they could print. We're all familiar with the term "nothing's free" and although it may seem that way for a select few sitting comfortably in leather executive chairs located in quite parts of the world, it is in fact being paid for by the blood of many.
All those that are fighting, all those that are dying, all those that are unwillingly caught in the middle are paying the price. Sadly nobody will really know what toll will be extracted from humanity, until the deal is done.
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There's no walking away from this one.....Even the Mainstream Media is being forced to report more truthful accounts about events regarding the "War in Iraq". Slowly as a country we're starting to wake up to the fact that this is real, and not a made for TV mini-series. Slowly bits and pieces of the reality of war are slipping through the filters. There's a rule in American journalism called "K.I.S.S." (keep it simple and stupid). Undoubtedly it's because media companies are more focused on making a $profit$ by selling easy-to-swallow bits of news to an informatively malnourished society, rather than on providing the substance needed to feed and nourish the minds of a people and nation.
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For many Americans...war is a distant thing, more often experienced through a video game or movie. No matter how horrific and brutal the images and sounds are.....we feel safe in the knowledge that it'll all be over with soon, and in the end.....the lights will come up. Most of us don't even stick around for the credits. For the average American, the cost of war is about $7 - $9 dollars up to $50 for the latest in gaming technology, and for a couple bucks you can always just rent it and experience it at your leisure. I fear we're becoming a country that has overindulged in decadence, one that would wage war merely for its' entertainment and marketing value. Are we becoming the "New Roman Empire", and if so, then what will be our fate?
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The following words were taken from the Blog "http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/". I have chosen to quote it, because I do not think that I can do a better job in describing the current American Media situation in Iraq, or the solution to the problem.......
........"I think western news networks are far too tame. They show the Hollywood version of war- strong troops in uniform, hostile Iraqis being captured and made to face "justice" and the White House turkey posing with the Thanksgiving turkey... which is just fine. But what about the destruction that comes with war and occupation? What about the death? I don't mean just the images of dead Iraqis scattered all over, but dead Americans too. People should *have* to see those images. Why is it not ok to show dead Iraqis and American troops in Iraq, but it's fine to show the catastrophe of September 11 over and over again? I wish every person who emails me supporting the war, safe behind their computer, secure in their narrow mind and fixed views, could actually come and experience the war live. I wish they could spend just 24 hours in Baghdad today and hear Mark Kimmett talk about the death of 700 "insurgents" like it was a proud day for Americans everywhere..........The American and European news stations don't show the dying Iraqis; they don't show the women and children bandaged and bleeding- the mother looking for some sign of her son in the middle of a puddle of blood and dismembered arms and legs; they don't show you the hospitals overflowing with the dead and dying because they don't want to hurt American feelings; but people *should* see it. You should see the price of your war and occupation- it's unfair that the Americans are fighting a war thousands of kilometers from home. They get their dead in neat, tidy caskets draped with a flag and we have to gather and scrape our dead off of the floors and hope the American shrapnel and bullets left enough to make a definite identification."
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It's time to give Lady Liberty a kick in the ass and send her on a --Road Trip. The mainstream media isn't and won't do anything in respect to ...getting-the-story-out, but who needs them anyhow. We as Ameicans don't need more news, what we need is more information. Fortunately there's a high speed highway between every city and town in this country and the cities and people of Iraq....
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The "Information Highway" is wide open, and with some decent equipment and a little drivers education, the voice of the Iraqi people will be heard. If Iraq is "Liberated", then we should give the people the tools needed to make use these new freedoms. Untill the people who are effected by these events can tell their story to the world, then the truth will remain just another victim. What can be done, what has to change before these wrongs committed in the name of all that is good, can be brought before the eyes of our once proud nation?
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I'm not sure, but I've started Bravo411---Operation Information Freedom in the hopes of making a difference to the people who are truelly suffering from our "War on Terrorism". Communication technology is a great thing if used properly. The Internet is a great thing if used properly. Tragically these tools have been misused by our government-media and withheld from the very people we are suppose to be helping. There now exists a trickle of real information getting through the pipelines and finding its' way into the homes of America. Well if the pipelines already been put in place, why just sit around hoping that there will be enough to actually consider it substantial? Why not just crank the valve wide open. America is a society that needs to see things. We are a visual, albeit sometimes confused society. Each new generation seems to have a harder time comprehending the world around them without the full "Media Experience". Unless we start getting photos, video w/audio, in addition to written reports, we're going to be forced to get our news through the mainstream American media channels. Where are the live web video feeds coming from the now "Liberated" people and homes of Iraq? If we can put them up in bathrooms and under desks, why not actually put them where they'll do some good? A couple car batteries and a 12v/120(?) converter and you've got enough backup power to run a small handheld system for several hours. Why not piggyback some wireless routers off of an internet access point? There's tons of online storage space out there and I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to get donated server space for depositing and distributing media. There is no one person solution to this situation. It's going to take the collective effort of people in the technology and internet communities to accomplish such an endeavor. The purpose of this mission is to not only get the tools in the hands of the people, but to set up the physical pathways to make it possible. This means somebody with the skills and experience needed will also need to actually go to Iraq and I'm willing to be the first one out of the trenches. I'm willing to put my life on the line to get it started. I'm willing to be the first to go into harms way to turn the valve, but I'll need some help.
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Why take on such an endeavor? Well to answer that I'll have to tell you a bit about myself. I live in Silicon Valley (San Jose, Ca.). I am also one of the many unemployed technology professionals in the area. Contrary to what people may think, we are in an economic crisis. There is very little work compared to the amount of people looking for employment. Since the Tech Industry went bust a few years back, I have managed to survive on the occasional temp-job, side-job, and whatever-else-I-was-capable-of-doing-job.
I went from making a decent living to scrounging for whatever I could get. We have huge social and economic problems in this country and I can no longer sit around while our "Leaders", and I use the term loosely, create even worse conditions around the world. Nobody seems to hear the cries of the poor and downtrodden people just because they can't afford to buy advertising space. Over the past nine years I have been a web designer, graphic artist, network administrator and telecommunications technician. Prior to that I spent two years in college as a communications major focusing in investigative reporting. I have all the skills to get something like this off the ground, but I lack the resources to make it possible.

Will you help?