July...hmmm. My life seems to be speeding by at the speed of light. Training continues to exceed my expectations and all of the people in this group continue every second I interact with them to inspire me, love me, laugh with me and at me (in a playful way), and speak to my heart in an incredible way. I am in true community. Today our training session was about power in the media and I regained or re-ignited a fire (that thing called passion for social justice and that "righteous indignation" that MLK, Jr. talked about) that has always been in me. We discussed the current situation with the media and the war in Iraq. I am deeply disturbed by the complacency that has been created by the lack of access the media has been granted and the lack of accountability the media and government have been held to by the American public and the world. We are all a part of the system and should all be ashamed for not really taking action to hold those who deliver our information to us accountable. One of the most powerful pieces of the workshop for me was understanding that when the huge media conglomerates sell airtime, they are really selling OUR time. WE should have the last say in what we are seeing on TV, hearing on the radio, and reading on the internet. The women who ran our session today were from a group called the Center for International Media Action (CIMA). You can check them out at http://www.mediaactioncenter.org/ to learn more about what you can do to add your voice to the fight for media that works for the public interest.
After dinner, we watched "The High Cost of Low Prices" which is a documentary about Wal-Mart which I had seen before. I still get so angry as I am reminded why my conviction is so strong about never supporting their business. Please, check out more information about Wal-Mart and if you don't have to, don't shop there. Sorry to sound self-righteous, but it is an awful corporation.
On a lighter note, I ate delicious popcorn all through the movie. At least my tummy was happy.
Manana muy temprano por la manana (very early tomorrow morning) we'll be heading over to the Church Center for the United Nations and participating in a protest against a restaurant in NYC which refuses to treat its workers justly. Justice is sweet but I promise not to get arrested....this time. I love the United Methodists more every day. Don't worry Presbyterians, you still rock my world.
