You can't even imagine this happening in our country
Assemblywoman Woerner proposes bill to help save newspapers, journalism
Fourteen times during the state basketball tournament I rose from my seat, faced the flag and listened to our national anthem.
Fourteen times.
Personally, I think the tournament committee overdid it. One national anthem before each session would have been plenty, but when you have that many rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air, it does give you time to reflect on the meaning of patriotism and the value of democracy. It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately.
Here's the thing, we love our country warts and all.
We generally accept there is no better country in the world and that we are lucky to have grown up in a free society that provides opportunity for all.
That was clear at the state basketball tournament. It was why we rose time after time to honor our country.
But here's the thing, we baby boomers and most of you that followed, have grown up believing freedom and democracy are our birthrights.
They were protected.
They were our inalienable rights.
We cannot imagine a world where we can't express an opinion, carry on a lifestyle of our choice or not have a say in the world around us.
It is unimaginable even after witnessing what happened on January 6.
So when the Republican candidate for president suggests he will be a dictator - just for a day - to enact revenge on his political enemies and members of the press, we chalk it up to the ultimate boisterous boasting of political hyperbole.
It gives us pause, but we still are protected because "We the People" have the Constitution.
And the Bill of Rights.
Again, we can't imagine how that would happen.
Someone would stop it.
Hungary, a democracy since 1949, adopted a new Constitution in 2011 that reflected an ideology rooted in conservative Christian world that politicized previously independent institutions.
That may sound familiar. We are seeing some of that in our own country.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's has been in the news a lot lately. Last week he met with former President Donald Trump.
Trump tells us what a great leader Orban has been.
What a "strong" leader he has been.
How he does it the right way.
Orban also stopped in Washington, D.C,, not to meet with President Biden or other administration officials, but to speak privately to the leadership of the Heritage Foundation and several right-wing politicians, analysts and public personalities.
Since Orban gained power in 2010, he has gained and maintained power, not by killing rivals and suspended freedoms, but by slowly, gradually gaining control of the media.
Fidesz, the ruling party in Hungary, with the help of business allies with deep pockets has gradually bought up the independent media.
This is how the International Press Institute described what happened in Hungary:
"Over the past decade, the ruling party has gained an unprecedented influence over private and public media, allowing it to muzzle the independent press and distort the market to entrench a dominant pro-government narrative. The bulk of major print, radio and television media were acquired by business figures connected directly or indirectly to the ruling party, in some cases with the help of loans from state-controlled banks. Estimates vary, but studies identify Fidesz as being in direct or indirect control of between 70-80 per cent of the media market."
It's as if Rupert Murdoch's media empire bought CNN and MSNBC while being bankrolled by the Republican National Committee and insisting their right-wing views are the only ones reported.
This did not happen in Hungary over night, but over the past 14 years.
Newspapers and televisions stations were ordered to change their editorial positions to go along with the ruling political party Fidesz and support Orban.
One by one, the major opposition newspapers were bought by Fidesz supporters. Others changed their editorial positions to align with the ruling powers over night. The remaining independent media were being pressured to sell their businesses to rich Fidesz supporters.
The few independent media left are under duress.
Their reporters are being accused of spreading "Fake news" and being national traitors for reporting critically on the government or its stance on the Ukraine War.
Fidesz and Orban are playing the long game.
Their influence on the media helped Fidesz to gain a landslide victory in the last parliamentary election.
This is how we lose our democracy. Not with dramatic Jan. 6-like riots, but because of a gradual campaign of indoctrination by media sanctioned and controlled by the political party in power.
Reporters Without Borders now ranks Hungary 72nd on its world-wide press freedom scale.
The non-profit organization Human Rights Watch sums it up this way:
"The (Hungarian) government’s increased control over public and private media, part of its broader assault on rule of law in Hungary, undermines the ability of the media to hold the executive to account, a vital function in a democracy."
One employee of a television station told Human Rights Watch "that reporters are told by their editors what to report on, which terms to use and to avoid, and, if they do not like it, leave."
This past week, U.S. ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman, said of Hungary, “All aspects of government power — from procurement, to licensing, to tourism subsidies, to concessions, to tax and audit actions, to regulatory policy — provide favorable treatment for companies owned by party leaders or their families, in-laws or old friends.”
Maybe Viktor Orban was telling the Heritage Foundation how you do it?
In 2018, the government furthered tightened control on the media by establishing a private foundation to consolidate pro-Orban media. Owners transferred ownership to the foundation often without payment. It controls more than 470 media outlets.
Imagine if Republican Party supporters - someone like Elon Musk - bought Gannett (which owns over 200 newspapers) and ordered it to endorse Republican candidates and print only their press releases.
That's how I see it happening.
Suddenly, one party is controlling the media. The result: It is suddenly getting 80 percent of the vote.
That's how we lose our democracy.
Gradually, we just give it away.
Back to Sweet 16
Joe Girard III, who led Glens Falls to a state basketball championship five years ago, is heading back to the Sweet 16 after Clemson defeated Baylor Sunday, 72-64.
Girard made it to the Sweet 16 with Syracuse three years ago before losing to sixth-seeded Houston.
Girard scored 13 points and made two free throws to seal the victory Sunday. Thewin came on the heels of seven-point effort on Friday as Clemson defeated New Mexico, despite a bad shotting day from Girard.
He did get some air time Friday when he was clobbered with an elbow to the chin while fighting through a pick. They showed the painful play several times in slow motion.
Clemson will play against second-seeded Arizona on Thursday.
Stefanik vote
Rep. Elise Stefanik was joined by 100 other republicans in averting a government shutdown Friday leaving the House Republicans split. There were 112 GOP members who voted to shut the government down.
The Senate finally approved the deal to fund the government at about 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
Helping newspapers
Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner is again on the front lines of trying to aid local newspapers and keep journalism alive locally.
The Local Journalism Sustainability Act is being sponsored by Woerner and Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigel. It would provide payroll tax credits to local newspapers and other small media outlets in an effort to keep publications open. They pointed out that close to 200 weekly newspapers had closed in New York over the past 10 years.
Considering the important of local journalism, you would think this would be a no-brainer for the Legislature, but according to Diane Kennedy of the New York News Publishers Association, it has been a difficult sell to get it in this year’s budget.
"This is a full blown crisis. We live in a deliberative democracy. That means our voters need to be informed to make wise choices," Hoylman-Sigal told the Times Union. "How are they informed? Largely through local news."
The bill would allow qualifying outlets - they must employ fewer than 100 workers which would be almost all community newspapers - to claim tax credits for half of wages paid to journalists. Unfortunately, the Senate version of the leaves out any newspapers that are part of a chain. Essentially, that is most newspapers these days.
If you value democracy, every citizen should encourage their elected state representative - Sen. Dan Stec and Assemblyman Matt Simpson - to support this initiative.
Cambridge issue
The outrage over the school mascot issue has always seemed a bit ridiculous to me.
There are simply more important issues for schools to address than to be sidetracked by whether your mascot is an eagle, tiger or the most dangerous critter of all - an angry citizen.
After students were polled and proposed a new mascot, the board of education thought it needed some more thought.
The students wanted to be tigers.
The board wondered if wolves or eagles were better, so they tabled the matter to poll the rest of the community.
The board suggested that the mascot should have these characteristics: strength, pride, power, loyalty and wisdom/knowledge.
I would suggest one more - common sense.
Just approve the students' choice and move on to addressing more important issues about educating students.
Staffing shortages
The North Country Public Radio had an excellent story about the staff shortages facing many North Country schools. A recent survey found that 9 out of 10 school districts were struggling to hire teachers and staff.
The Massena school superintendent told NCPR that they were relying on retirees coming back into the workforce.
Many retirees were asked to return to work in the spirit of service.
In 2022, the state estimated the public school system would need 180,000 new teachers by 2032, but teaching programs aren't graduating enough to reach those numbers.
Winter returns
This has beenone of the mildest winters in years - until Saturday.
The 18 inches in my driveway was more than the snowfall for the entire rest of the winter.
Just two days earlier, I had finished raking the yard. Putting fertilizer down will have to wait a few weeks.
One local editor remarked how his paper will publish most things, even harmful lies, believing that the readers are responsible for making their own decisions. But the ability of readers to intelligently decide is impaired when their sources of information are purveyors of untruths and fear mongering, when their teachers are gagged and their books are banned, and when their churchs are founts of meanness and hypocracy. Freedom of press exists for the discovery and disclosure of lies and corruption, particularly in government. Free an unintimidated investigative reporters are its soldiers and guardians. We do not have investigative reporters in the North Country. We have Elise Stephanik, an Orban wannabe.
One of the signs of fascism.
See "Fascism Anyone?" by Lawrence Britt, originally published here:
https://secularhumanism.org/2003/03/fascism-anyone/
Which lists 14 characteristics of fascist regimes:
1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.
2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.
3. Identification of enemies/scape-goats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and0 disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite “spontaneous” acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and “terrorists.” Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.4. The supremacy of the military/ avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.
5. Rampant sexism. Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.
6. A controlled mass media. Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes’ excesses.
7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.
9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.
10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.
11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.
12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. “Normal” and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or “traitors” was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.
14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.