There are plenty of times in the media business, when reading, sharing, and compiling stories and information, we may think we see patterns that - upon further inspection - aren't really there. As legitimate members of the media, if we simply run with those initial thoughts, we could lose our credibility and end up being called crazy - or, worse yet, be compared to some of our least legitimate media brethren, like Fox.
Upon further inspection, we can sometimes see those patterns really do exist - and that we may have simply slipped and found connections few others have yet to see.
Today, we're observing one of those patterns in the way three different stories are developing - new information on the Keystone pipeline, elections in Tunisia, and a local school board race in Denver, Colorado.
In Keystone pipeline news, it should surprise no one that the oil corporations are once again attempting to buy off our politicians to get what they want. As we noted last Friday, Mike Flood, the Speaker of Nebraska's legislature, is backing away from calling a special session to discuss forcing TransCanada to move the pipeline route or enacting more strict safety standards. Flood is still backing away, even though Nebraskans have made it clear they would like their legislature to have a greater role in the pipeline process.
What you may not have heard about with the Keystone pipeline is the latest news that Alberta, Canada paid four U.S. Republican Congresspersons to take a "free" tour of the oil sands pipeline. You also likely missed the news that the EU is likely to label tar sands oil one of the dirtiest sources of oil on Earth - which would mean the penalties and fines levied against tar sands oil would sap much of its already questionable economic benefit.
To us, these kinds of actions reek of the kind of crony capitalism many on the right claim to be so worked up against right now. It's another disgusting example of the corruption of our political and economic systems by the financially wealthy yet ethically bankrupt.
Sadly, this isn't just an oil company problem, or an American phenomenon being railed against by the Occupy movement.
In Tunisia this past weekend, where the Arab Spring began almost a year ago, the Tunisian people had their first legitimate election in many years. This one was held to elect an interim government to run the country while Tunisians complete their new constitution. The biggest problem regular Tunisians on the street had with this election wasn't turnout, or the vast number of political parties (about 100) they had to choose from.
As a story in the New York Times pointed out, Tunisian's biggest election complaint was the feeling their efforts at building a new government were already being undermined by wealthy Tunisians and corporate interests, who were trying to buy up the political process like they do in the U.S. - and buy their way into power in Tunisia's nascent government.
Those people who are in high positions of money and power seem to not even want to allow regular people to control some of the smallest, most local political decisions - like who gets on the local school board in Denver, Colorado.
Emily Sirota, a social worker, political activist, and wife of a local radio talent (who is one of our professional acquaintances), decided this year that she wanted to run for school board. Ms. Sirota's plans make clear she wants to help enact policies that would improve public schools while keeping costs low, instead of allowing private for-profit schools (who often care more about their bottom line than educating children) to use vouchers to skim public tax dollars into their private accounts.
For Ms. Sirota's desire to help the public schools better manage their public money, she and her family have had to face a disproportionately large amount of campaign money and negative media being thrown at her by her opponent. Ms. Sirota's opponent has been funded by traditional large right-wing corporatist interests, all people or groups with well-known ties to supporting the "haves" and "have mores" at the expense of everyone else.
To us, this pattern of attempting to pay off, buy out, or beat down anyone who stands against the interests of the currently wealthy individuals and corporations is exactly what the Occupy movement is protesting.
That the arrogant wealthy - and the politicians they've bought - now seem like they're scrambling to stand up after stepping in oil (or something worse) merely proves to us we're not the only ones to slip on the truth once in a while.
