David and Goliath?

So one of today's headlines in the LA Times is News Corp., NBC pull together to challenge YouTube. All I can do is sit back and wonder why? What's the point of this? Over the last few years, Barney the Purple Dinosaur attempted to sue Dr. Stuart Frankel, and lost. What is the point of coming down on any independent use of media?

Well, it's simple. Greed. And in this current climate, any independent thought is deemed dangerous.

I've had dinner with my brother, and with some politically inclined friends the last few nights while in Chicago, and we've come to some conclusions. Bush will not withdraw from Iraq; he will probably invade Iran; he will stay the course because each day leads us closer to the Rapture, in his twisted thinking. We've acknowledged that rather than making the US safer, Bush has created what will become a 500 year holy war against us from Islamic fanatics. We have acknowledged that films like An Inconvenient Truth don't solve the problem, they simply soothe our conscience and make us feel like we're doing something. Yet somehow we remain powerless in this twisted world, and through our lack of power we can actually do something positive.

Once we recognize we are powerless over people, places and things, we can become quite powerful in affecting what we really can change: ourselves, our thinking, our actions. And it starts with actions. Media giants are taking on YouTube, a haven for independent creative minds to post some amazing stuff. Blogs are "monitored" - some of us have gotten tired, and silent, for a brief while, but not completely silent - we just need to refresh.

Our strength will come not from anger, but from being the path to peace and freedom of speech. Our strength comes from not giving in to fear, or unfounded threats. We can make change. We can make peace.