PAF 494 Blog #12 - How Political Ads Add Up

What Deneene Says About Political Ads:

I’ve been on YouTube surfing political ads and oh what a ride it has been. The first ad I watched was Christine O’Donnell’s “I’m Not a Witch” ad for Senate. Maybe if she was a witch the ad would have been a bit more magical. Take a look at the ad for yourself at the following link and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGGAgljengs

The first thing O’Donnell does is defend herself and then she tries to come across sincere by stating, “I am you.” I’m sorry Christine, but you certainly aren’t me or anybody else you’re broadcasting to; you’re YOU. While people share like ideas, passions, and beliefs, we are all different and that is what makes us individual, unique, and special. She doesn’t even know me so how can she go to Washington and do what I would do? As a matter of fact if she goes to Washington to do what I would do she would find herself cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, and studying for exams in the Senate. I know I’m being a bit sarcastic to get my point across, but come on!

I vote people into office to do what they do best on my behalf and in the best interests of the American people. Do you Christine; do you in a way that will help others and be real. Tell people what you’re passionate about, where you stand on various issues, and what you will really do to cause a positive effect in Washington. If you told me that at least I would know how much like me you are. I give this vague and sappy ad zero stars. Christine O’Donnell’s ad is officially on the Deneene Says... chopping block.

I heard the song “Another One Bites the Dust” playing in my head as I watched Ben Quayle’s ad for Congress. Ben says that, “Somebody has to go to Washington and knock the hell out the place.” Really Ben? Seriously? I think that anybody that starts their ad by drastically insulting the president of the United States and then blames him for all the current problems of our country whether they like or agree with him or not needs the hell knocked of them. Take a look at Quayle’s ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG08nR475s4

I don’t want any person that doesn’t understand protocol or practice common decency and wisdom representing me in Congress. My name is Deneene Collins and I don’t approve Ben Quayle’s message. Ben’s ad gets two thumbs down from me and it’s on the chopping block right next to Christine O’Donnell’s ad. They should have lunch.

Claire McCaskill threw down a trump card with her double whammy celebrity-endorsed ad. Who doesn’t love Michael J. Fox? Celebrity ads work wonders in boosting product sales even if the product is a political candidate. The three million plus views shows the power of celebrity endorsement alone, but the use of a Parkinson’s afflicted Michael J. Fox speaking on his support of McCaskill supported stem-cell research is almost if not pure genius. To tell you the truth I don’t know how I feel about this ad, but I think it is highly strategic carrying great emotional influence. I wonder how much Michael J. Fox got paid to do the ad or if he believes in Claire McCaskill’s cause enough to have done the ad for free. If I were running for office and was able to choose a celebrity to endorse me I think I would choose the eTrade Baby and have him say something like he wishes he was old enough to vote so he could vote for me. While McCaskill’s ad survived elimination, I don’t have a rating for it just yet. You can view the ad at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WB_PXjTBo

Obama and others have proved the power of social media in a successful campaign. Social media now has a place in current and future political races as strong as place newspapers and television have held in the past. A huge number of voters are online and the social media marketplace is the place to be for today’s candidates. I actually like Michelle Bachmann’s ad. It was genuine, upbeat, crisp, clean, and to the point. Her ad was one of the first I’ve seen with a call to social media. Bachmann escaped elimination. I give her ad four out of five stars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixs27-xUSRA&feature=pyv

The blog I posted last week entitled “Maniacal Political Marketing & The Social Media Advertising Revolution” voiced my opinions on the first ads for the 2012 presidential election. I didn’t care for the mudslinging or negative campaigning approaches used by Perry and Romney, I learned a ton of information about Michelle Bachmann through her ad, and I felt that Obama’s ad was pretty good touching on the key points he needed to touch on. This week I’d like to share with you two of my favorite political ads.

1.) I like Dr. Dwight McKenna’s ad for coroner even though it accused his opponent of organ theft because it was funny and slightly dramatic. I thought this ad communicated a clear message and I like the imagination involved in the execution of it. No pun intended. It was just a clever ad; not clever enough to gain a win, but clever indeed. I felt like I was watching a Frankenstein movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRgCOXaiDjQ

2.) I like Dale Peterson’s ad for Alabama Agriculture Commissioner. The ad has a real “home on the range” feel that is so American. The ad is no nonsense and vocally strong. The background ads to the flavor of the ad and the gun on Dale’s shoulder portrays him as country boy that means business who will not be taking any prisoners. I also like how Dale Peterson endorses John McMillan after he loses. That is honorable and shows good sportsmanship plus it’s funny. Dale Peterson watches the people’s backs he believes in. See both ads below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU7fhIO7DG0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GabMEHfCjT0

3.) Honorable Mention: Mike Weinstein’s rappin’ ad was upbeat and innovative as it connected to a younger crowd with music and dancing. He’s a risk taker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byn8ZD6kckg&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL53CD0CD4F543E150

What Deneene Says About One Current Political News Story:

Political news stories are advertisements also. Is there really any such thing as bad publicity? Some would say so and I think one of those people might be Herman Cain. On October 30th, 2011 The Daily Caller, Yahoo News, and Lucianne.Com all blasted the headline, “Cain campaign accuses Politico of ‘unsubstantiated personal attacks’. The story was about sexual harassment allegations made against Herman Cain by two unnamed females over a decade ago. The post on Lucianne.Com actually links back to the original story on The Daily Caller. All the news outlets I read the story on reported the exact same account and implied that people that don’t agree with Herman Cain’s politics are just trying to shake things up for him. The stories only report possible inappropriate sexual comments, innuendos, and gestures, but no actual sexual activity with any of the accusers.

It would be nice to see or hear a different view of this story, but I haven’t been able to find one. Differing opinions helps to create diversified dialogue among voters which can work in a candidates favor when one story is positive helping to outweigh or balance out the negative. Regardless, what is published in the media is deposited in the minds of the voters influencing public opinion whether the information is true or false. A lot of people believe what they read even if it isn’t substantiated and that makes it ever so important. Thoughts can be retrained and redirected, but they can rarely be erased. Even the people that forgive rarely if ever forget. The media jumps on a story and sows it like seeds for better or for worse marrying the subject of the story infinitely to its content.

I’ll be coming back to you again soon with more political rhetoric to stimulate your political hungry mind. Until then...remember what Deneene Says...

PAF 494 Blog #11 - Maniacal Political Marketing & The Social Media Advertising Revolution

The political ad season has begun making it clear that Halloween is not the only scary thing in October. While all political ads are not all propaganda, the majority of them that gain the majority vote are. Sadly enough, what I call "Maniacal Political Marketing" seems to work for many who use it. The first six letters of maniacal spells "maniac" and some of the tactics being used my politicians to gain an edge are absolutely nuts. When watching the Perry ad about Romneycare I could have sworn I was looking a movie tailer for the next big horror film. It was so dramatic it gave me a craving for popcorn with extra movie theater butter. The fact of the matter is that people are visual, auditory, and emotional. This type of dramatic advertising is effective because it stirs up the emotions in the subconscious mind that in turn ignite human emotion thus provoking action on the part of many viewers. 

Again we see in the Romney for President ad on the Obama Misery Index an approach that is used to touch the human essence and tie into emotion, just in a less dramatic way. If you go to a foreign country the best way to communicate is in the language of the land you are visiting. This ad used a real person to speak in a language that many that are suffering economically can relate to and understand. I think this ad would have been just as effective if it used the same interview, but focused on how Romney has an open ear to this specific community telling people how he will work to make things better rather than painting Obama in a negative light. President Obama needs to accomplish several things in his ads: 1.) He needs to vividly display and focus on any and all progress that has been made in America under his leadership, 2.) He must keep the positive momentum of the message of hope and unity in this country, and 3.) He will have to prove why he is worthy of 4 more years on the throne in Washington by creating and communicating a trademark vision for our country's future. Obama will have to advertise the New American Dream with veracity, integrity, and performance. His job is cut out for him which is to keep his current supporters while managing to gain new ones; this is tactical and strategic marketing combined with customer relationship management and retention speaking in business terms. Obama has to plant new seeds that will grow along side what he has already accomplished. President Obama's first 2012 campaign ad does in fact highlight his accomplishments so far, poses him as a man of honor, power, and courage, displays a message of unity and hope, shows him as a fun-loving everyday type person you would want to be friends with, and is forward reaching by stating that America needs more change that should occur under his leadership. The ad did give me a warm fuzzy feeling which was killed by him riding on the democratic donkey followed by a rainbow at the end. I liked the ad overall, but felt the ending piece was a little cheesy. 

The massive amount of information that can be communicated in thirty seconds or less is nothing short of amazing. What I learned about Michelle Bachmann in twenty-eight seconds was probably as much as I would have learned listening to her deliver a forty-five minute speech. I learned that she comes from a long heritage of Iowans and that she was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa. She's a mother of five which includes being a foster mother. Michelle has worked to create small business jobs and believes that our government has to stop spending money that it doesn't. I found out that Michelle Bachmann is a former tax lawyer and she was against the bailouts and stimulus that have occurred in America. She firmly stated that she will not vote to increase the debt ceiling again, and she is confident that her campaign is unified to defeat Obama. Michelle Bachmann is not afraid to broadcast her position on the economic issues of this country. When looking back at Perry's, Romney's, Bachmann's, and Obama's ads I would have to say that they were all effective in different ways. It is funny because I think the conservative's ads were more liberal and liberal's ads were more conservative. Perry and Romney formed nooses for their opponents with their ads in different ways while Bachmann and Obama projected the feel good ads that boosted up who they are as people with little sparkles almost coming from their accomplishments. 

President Obama plugged into the power of social media during the 2008 Presidential Election with astounding results. I believe what we are seeing now in social media entities stepping into the political realm is an inevitable evolution of technology in politics. While there are two main political parties in America there is only one American Eagle that represents freedom, strength, and grandeur. Birds of a feather do flock together and Twitter is now rubbing shoulders, or should I say wings with our inspiring feathered friend that serves as our nation's emblem. It makes perfect sense; it makes social sense. For politicians it is going to make dollars and cents. "The early bird gets the worm," on Twitter and other social media sites. Twitter already has an "I will follow you" mentality so it is a good place to be as a presidential candidate or any other type of political candidate. Social media is where people are today and with the sense of community it offers it is the right place to reach both active and passive voters. Facebook is all about connecting, friending, fanning, and liking, and it is where a candidate that wants to present themselves as a real person needs to be. I still think that television will provide a huge platform for political advertising especially to reach passive voters and while I say this we must keep in mind that people are now watching television on the Internet. With a lot of people embracing Netflix to watch their favorite movies and shows, I wonder how long it will be before Netflix gets in on the political advertising circuit. In any case, I think the social media political ads are an excellent strategy and something that was bound to happen. Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Youtube are becoming huge political platforms with political savvy staff members on board; I'm glad that these social media entities are not partisan as they remain neutral in political matters working only as an avenue for information and communication. I'm going to go update my facebook status, tweet on my Twitter page, Google something interesting, and watch a video on Youtube right now so I'll speak with you again later on Deneene Says..."The blog that tells you what's up and what's going down."

PAF 494 Blog #10 - Geniuses of Journalism and Love

Throughout the years we have all heard the statement, "There's a thin line between love and hate." There may be an even thinner line between journalism and activism so journalists have to be careful in order not to cross the line. I believe that some journalists go from one side of the line to the other from time to time as their own beliefs, opinions, and passions are injected into what their reporting on. For the most part I agree that many good journalists have remained objective when reporting on the economic-related protests, but at the same time I will say that cheerleading for a specific group and their viewpoints can be viewed as a form of activism. While watching reporting on the Wall Street Protesters I noticed that many reporters asked the opinions of various presidential candidates on the issue which provided an open door to media influence by way of the responses of those who were asked. The consensus from most was that a real change will have to come from Washington. I personally would like to see more facts stated on the issue rather than coverage on the drama of the whole event. 

When it's all about the Benjamin's, I mean all about the ratings; the conquest to be the best doesn't always mean presenting better news unfortunately. Competition among cable news outlets can turn a great journalist into a media jockey that is slapping the news horse in whatever way it takes to make it run faster than the others. If cable news gets too far away from reporting the facts they may find the sidewalks in front of their studios looking a lot like Wall Street does these days full of protesters. I think competition among cable news outlets should be approached like ABC tackled it with their Yahoo News merger. The idea is to use technology to expand the reach rather than stretch the story. Competition in itself is healthy while hyper-competition can be damaging to the networks, to those featured on the networks, and to the viewers. No matter how things change in regards to the mediums used to deliver news, it is important for journalists to stay true to what makes journalism good, respectable, and full of integrity. Facts can be reported with passion and enthusiasm and still remain the facts. If there is going to be any competition in this arena it should be the type of competition that brings about better news with accuracy, conscious communication, and excellent articulation. Anybody who wants anything other than that can pick up The Inquirer.

Being a great journalist comes down to loving what you do. Steve Jobs said, "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." Steve was right in making this statement and his very life exemplified this. I have less money than I've ever had right now, but I'm more successful than I've ever been because I'm finally doing what I love. When my mom died I came to the realization that any day could be my last day so when disappointing things happen I ask myself if it were my last day on earth would I want to spend it feeling sad or upset. I am in love with doing what I love and it is what I will do for the rest of my life. I used to waste time doing whatever I felt it took to make it (pay my bills), and I did this all while robbing myself and others of the talents and gifts I have to contribute to mankind. My brother has a brilliant mind, but he is too busy working on his job to give any time to manifesting his dreams. Not many days ago I told him these words, "Don't sacrifice what you want to do on the altar of what you have to do."

I'm a firm believer that prosperity lies in the place of your purpose. You may not see it when you first start just like most don't get an engagement ring on their first date with someone; know and believe that it will come. If we don't have hope, there's no point in having a dream. I've made a commitment to myself to always do what I love to do. We all have genius in different areas. You will witness a fish's genius arise in the water, you will witness a bird's genius arise in the air, and you will witness your genius emerge when you start doing what you love to do. If Steve Jobs accomplished what he accomplished without a formal or traditional education, how much more can I/we do with one as long as we are all focusing on the right things? My job is to build it; everyone else's job who appreciates what I've built or what I'm building is to come. Regardless of my IQ, today I am genius, I am the valedictorian of passion, I am a writer who loves writing, and I will change the world one word at a time because I am operating in the heart of my existence. 

PAF 494 Blog #9 - Reality TV Past, Present, and Future

Though it is claimed that reality television shows have existed since the early days of television broadcasting, there is no doubt that this peculiar species of televised programming has dramatically evolved and even exploded in popularity over the last decade.  The way I see it, the news has always been reality TV, but with the progression of cable news, biased news reporting, and up-to-the-minute coverage of controversial political battles; what we are about to witness in the political new arena will pale in comparison to Survivor. There will be a survivor alright, and the best man or woman is not guaranteed to win because this is a survival of the fittest, or should I say, "the most fit media-savvy personalities and users?" The presidential race is rapidly turning into what I call an American Political Idol competition. The media is putting a flame under the feet of presidential candidates to see who sings the best under media fire. I'm surprised that cable news is the only political reality TV show out there. I asked myself what I would call such a show if I were to produce a political reality television show. The only ideas I came up with were either The Next American President or Save the Drama for Obama. If you see a show of this type emerge, remember that you heard it here first. 

I live in Arizona where the new west has been built on top of the old west. With advancements in crime-reduction technology, it always amazes me when I see a story about a bank robbery on the news. How can bank robbers still get away with their crimes in this present day? I'm baffled over this subject especially as I see a nation of people being robbed daily by misinforming and highly opinionated news as traumatic and demeaning as a stagecoach or bank robbery in the old west. I'm not a thief by any means, but I have a great personality and if I can steal the hearts of the American public through strategically-focused media coverage; maybe I should run for president. If I decide to do so at any point in the future I want you to know now that some of the negative things you will hear about me may be true, but I didn't inhale. The nation however may have to inhale political medical marijuana as we seem to be suffering from both a social glaucoma and cancer of sorts. The proper radiation to help cure disease in U.S. politics would be a radiant candidate that is more concerned and committed to solving our country's issues than they are supporting their own ego while forging attacks on others' character. 

While there may be a game of cat and mouse going on in U.S. politics, there is a ferocious dog barking known as the media that will keep the sly cats in check allowing the mice to get a little cheese. Since we are discussing animals let's talk about the FOX. One biblical reference states that it is the small foxes that spoil or obtain the grapes. For me this means that sometimes it is the small things that will gain a person victory like the small but large media advantages that Obama used to win the presidency. I once heard that if you remove the letter "U" from the English language that you lose 3000 words. I'm not sure how true this is, but it displays how important small things are. Even if 3000 words weren't lost a large number of them would be and something as small as one letter matters. There is still no "I" in team and "U" matters as "YOU" matter a lot. 

I watched a video about Obama's media advantage specifically in regards to the upcoming election coverage. Does Obama have an advantage when it comes to media? I think yes. Is this advantage enough? I don't know. The video stated that though Obama and democrats in general have media favor that the American public is pretty much ruled by conservative republicans. The video expressed that though Obama and liberal democrats are favored by the media it isn't enough to help a candidate secure the presidential office. This is both true and false. It is true because republicans have won seven out of the last 11 elections as stated in the video. It is false because in spite of a republican dominated winning streak Obama used every aspect of media favor from newspapers, to television, and especially new and social media to dismantle the republican stronghold on election success. While I believe Obama will have some media advantage in the upcoming election, I believe it won't be enough to get him reelected. Hopefully people will vote for the best candidate for the job in spite of the political reality TV sideshows and superstar larger than life images some candidates will manage to pull off. I can't help but to think about comedian Richard Pryor running for Mayor of New York in the movie Brewster's Millions when he launched a campaign for people to vote for, "None of the Above." He was expressing in the fictitious movie that there wasn't a candidate worthy of holding the office and by doing so he stood to win. Media is powerful, especially when it communicates something the people/voters want to hear and believe to be true. 

I've watched all types of news from local and national broadcast news to cable news programs. Cable news has definitely reached Hollywood status and when I watch it I sometimes wonder if I'm looking at a televised tabloid or viewing a schoolyard fight by adults that act like children. While I missed out on some of the popular cable news programs this week I did catch the CNN News Room and Fox News Sunday tonight. There was coverage of similar issues in different ways. While there was no Walter Cronkite stating the way it was, there were descendants of Uncle Walt reporting on the dependents of Uncle Sam. A new breed of journalists have been birthed onto the scene of political news telling all accurately and inaccurately about those that depend on Uncle Sam. When I refer to those that depend on Uncle Sam I'm talking about all that depend on the government from the American people to the elected officials that are employed by the government having been placed there by the people. 

I watched reality political TV tonight and I can confer that it isn't the best thing to watch before a night's rest if you want to have sweet dreams let alone the American Dream. A couple topics of interest were Mitt Romney's religious beliefs, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gender equality. The reporting on CNN was straight forward but somewhat boring. They covered the topics with brief bursts of gray-shaded information and when it came to allowing various people to speak their opinions those freely-opinionated expressions seemed to be cut short. The news reports left me wanting more. I wanted to hear the full expressions. I wanted to know what people really thought and I wanted to hear what they really had to say. The Mitt Romney issue of being a Mormon as reported on CNN talked about Pastor Robert Jeffress' comment that Mormonism is a cult. They then brought on some CNN contributors to state their views as to whether or not religious affiliation should matter in a presidential election. They also brought on some other presidential candidates to voice their views on the matter such as Michele Bachmann who danced around answering the question and stated that this isn't what people are talking about. The following day CNN took the angle that the Mormonism cult comment could have been an arranged attack on Romney by Perry's campaign. Oh boy...here we go.

While the news on CNN was a little dry Fox News was like sitting in front of someone squeezing an orange. It was juicy, more exciting, and like a controversial reality show. It seemed like the Fox News reporter was baiting the interviewee only to make statements to debunk him or prove him wrong based on what he said. I watched an interview with republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. He was distinctly and rather abruptly asked about his views on Mormonism being a cult and how he felt about the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" issue regarding free homosexual sex orientation expression in the military. When asked if he thought Mormonism was a cult Santorum replied, "no." When asked if he thought Mitt Romeny was a true Christian he replied, "If he says he is I believe he is what he says he is." He also stated that the presidential race should be based on qualifications and competency to do the job and not necessarily on religious affiliation or beliefs. His interview which was more like a debate seemed to prevent a slight struggle when it came to the question on gay rights in the military. Previously he had been questioned by soldier Stephen Hill serving in Iraq if he planned to reinstate "Don't Ask Don't Tell" if he were to come into the office of president. His response was of such that he was in favor of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and he expressed his firm beliefs that sexual orientation equality as a behavior and racial equality as a skin color issue are clearly different and not in any way the same. Santorum also verbalized that knowing someone you are serving with in the military is openly gay can affect a person's living and performance since heterosexuals are in close living quarters with homosexuals whom they bunk and shower with, etc. 

The Fox News reporter brought up a quote by Colonel Eugene Householder who was in the Army general's office in 1941 when he said, "The Army is not a sociological laboratory. Experimenting with army policy in a time of war would pose a danger to efficiency, discipline, and morale and would result in ultimate defeat." Colonel Householder made this statement when he was arguing against racial integration in the military over 70 years ago. Fox News was definitely more edgy, confrontational, and challenging. It was almost like the interviewer was working to trap the interviewee. CNN reporters operated in a largely different fashion from Fox News reporters. When civil rights activist Reverend Joseph Lowery was questioned on CNN about same-sex marriage and gay rights he wasn't pressured or patronized but was simply allowed to answer the question in a non-debate setting. His reply I'm sure was shocking to most as a man of the cloth voiced the evolution of his views. He expressed that equal rights are equal rights no matter what the issue is and that every person has a right to choose how they live and what they opt to do with that human-afforded power of choice. He proclaimed equal rights for all. 

Local Main Streets to the most popular avenues in Washington, D.C. seem to have been turned into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Politicians are stars, news is skewed, and humility hides in the back alleys of truth as presidential candidates smile for the paparazzi. Cable news networks do the unspeakable as they fight over ratings as candidates do something similar leaving opponents lying in pools of blood in a fight to the death for popularity and prestige where the murder weapon has been their smoking mouths shot off like guns fully loaded. There was a movie called Bruce Almighty where a news reporter gained the powers of God for a period of time. During this time he learned some valuable lessons about responsibility and the abuse of power. His tag line became, "And that's how the cookie crumbles." Some people like their cookies crisp and some like them soft, but I think all prefer them made with naturally wholesome ingredients like I'm sure they wish the news was made of. Too many journalists think they are "God" these days and that the political sun rises and sets with what they have to say. I don't know all the answers and all that Deneene Says today is...

That is the way is was, is, and will be. This is Deneene Collins signing off with News for an America that really wants to know the TRUTH. Reality TV is a broadcast phenomenon which I believe is scripted from time to time no matter how real it seems. 

PAF 494 Blog #8 - Not All Prisons Have Bars

Today I watched my fifteen year old son lie on the couch with his feet kicked up texting at what seemed like the speed of light as he watched the show of his choice on satellite cable TV. It still amazes me how my disciplinary action towards him when he violates the rules I've set down includes taking away his cell phone for a period of time (which has Internet access), or putting him on facebook restriction. He has a Twitter account also and doesn't want me to be a follower of his in the name of privacy and personal freedom. As a single mother, I consider myself as the governing body of my household. Even in this small arena which in no way compares to national and global government policies, human rights, and politics, I don't read his texts or rule him with an iron hand. At most, I'll let him know if I feel something he has posted on facebook is inappropriate and then he will take it down. Though he has to obey the rules of our house, I respect him as a human being and I allow him the right to communication and expression that extends from his physical existence to his virtual online existence.

I remember thinking as a teenager how it was the coolest thing in the world when I got a pager. I didn't have access to the Internet back then and Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of facebook, was probably but a twinkle in his parent's eyes. I traveled day by day through a time machine called life, and before I knew it I was in the digital age along with everybody else. Just as people have used the radio, television, fax machine, personal computer, cell phone, and other inventions of technology as they have emerged; they will use the Internet and who has the right to restrict his use of technology as long as the person using it is not breaking the law? If I have mice, I'm going to use the better mousetrap someone has built. Just for clarity's sake, I don't have mice, but my computer does have a mouse, a wireless one at that. Technology is made for the progression of humankind, but those in prison are not free to use it the way it was meant to be used. If I'm arrested I might get my one phone call, but I assure you that it won't be on a cell phone. I don't think there are Internet capable computer workstations setup next to the privacy-lacking public toilets in jail cells. 

The Internet offers a global passport to our voices, our thoughts, our visions, our expressed values, our missions in life, and our hopes to create a better living experience. Extreme Internet censorship, restriction, and repression forced upon people by the powers that be are a jagged crack in the liberating sound of cyberspace much louder and more prominent than the one in the Liberty Bell. As I hear the voice in my head of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. saying, "Let freedom ring," I wonder what he would have done or how much more he could have done with a tool like the Internet. The Internet is the world's public space, and my heart bleeds like the virtual backs of those that are beaten and abused who use it for nothing more than relaying vital information and expressing valid truths. Worldwide political bullies continue to police the innocent and cut out the implicit tongues of those who are doing no more than exercising their basic human rights of free thought and expression. The communication power of the Internet helps to facilitate the spread of democracy, but there are authoritarian and communist controlled nations that aren't having it. They are nothing more than watch dogs running freely putting leashes on those that choose to use man's best technology communication friend. 

A little over a week ago I saw one of the greatest sights I've ever witnessed in my life. I stepped into Time Square in New York City at night, and it was beautiful. It was extraordinarily beautiful. It was full of huge and magnificent digital displays, color, excitement, businesses, massive buildings, and people all doing what they do. Though most didn't know each other, they were part of a community of people coexisting in real time. The Internet is our other community; it is our virtual community composed like a symphony from technology. Extreme Internet censorship, shutdown, control, or repression would be equivalent to dropping a bomb on the people interacting, living their lives, and enjoying Time Square. New York was so phenomenal to me I called it, "Downtown America." The Internet is so phenomenal to me I call it, "The World's Community." 

The preservation of Internet freedom is as important as energy conservation, green initiatives, civil and human rights, and efforts to eliminate the extinction of an endangered species. Internet usage repression, censorship, and shutdown by controlling nations that are not thoughtful in regards to human rights attempt to extinct the very reason technology prevails. The protection of Internet freedom and the emancipation for the free use of social media must be a part of American foreign policy if it will continue to hold the title of the greatest nation in the world. The American Nation is a nation of people, helpers, and leaders who care about the world we live in and all people on this planet from the aluminum can you are willing to recycle, to the next well being dug in India or Africa to sustain life by providing clean water.

How important is it to preserve Internet freedom? It is as important as it is to be able to walk out to your car and drive it where you want because you own it and have the keys. It is as important as it was to give women and African Americans the right to vote in America. It is as important as the abolishment of slavery in these United States. If the Internet were to have come about in the days of slavery, slaves would not have been permitted to use it. The people that are in countries that have control over their Internet access are nothing less than slaves to their government. I hope that the American government in its efforts and Internet freedom policies becomes a 21st Century Abraham Lincoln that executes a global emancipation proclamation to free worldwide slaves from Internet repression and the silencing of their voices. 

As creatures that are all alike because we all bleed red blood, eat food and drink water to survive, breathe invisible air, speak in a certain tongue, and will all one day die; we should be free to speak our hearts and minds by using the technology our own kind has afforded to us. Social media continues to affect Internet freedom whether right or wrong. Many people are afraid to report news for fear of the repercussions of doing so. It's like having an armed guard outside your front door and the consequence of death could be your fate at any given time because you aren't free to be you and express what is true. While social media is still an avenue for people-reported news, those around the world continue to look in their rear view mirrors as they drive the Internet Super Highway. The fare that is paid on these tollways may not be fair, but it is real. Real sad! This may seem to be a fight between good and evil, good being the use of the Internet to meet, greet, and report in an online community, and evil being the restriction of it. I think Hillary Clinton said it best when she said, "The Internet is neither good nor bad, a force for neither liberation nor repression. It is the sum of what its users make it." I believe it is time to come together and use the Internet for good as our global cyber community in which we can all make a difference when we are free to do so. We have the power to use the Internet for good and this power should be restricted from no one. My hope is that the Internet does not continue to exist as a prison without metal bars while being one with political bars holding human rights captive. "You have not been given the spirit of fear, but the spirit of love, power, and a sound mind." - 2nd Timothy 1:7

We all have a voice which can be amplified by technology. Hopefully, I'll speak loudly with you again about the subjects that matter on the next blog entry of Deneene Says...Until then tweet like a bird, report the news like a journalist, and facebook like the world is your family album.