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A stolen election. Police donning riot gear and moving in military formation. SWAT teams readying their rubber bullets and tear gas cannisters. Citizens and journalists bloodied and beaten on the streets. Homeless activists thrown into cells without food or water. Terrified witnesses and victims twittering and mobile blogging the carnage to the outside world. Private homes and offices surrounded and searched Secret police infiltrating peaceful gatherings. Widespread electronic spying on civilians in an attempt to shut down a popular democratic movement.
Tehran? Think again.
How about the Twin Cities last September during the Republican National Convention.
Does anyone remember how our own citizens were rounded up, corralled, beaten and arrested for practicing democracy during both national conventions — although attacked most brazenly at the RNC? How award-winning journalist Amy Goodman – among others – had her credentials siezed, hands zip-locked behind her back as she was lead off to a jail wagon after questioning why her camera operator and producer were arrested. How the offices of local activists and their legal advisors were searched and computers and documents taken by the police with no explanation given other than “security threat?”
How almost none of this was covered by ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC OPB or the New York Times while we’ve had 24/7 coverage of the Iranian election and its aftermath?. Not to mention most recently the media ignoring the coup in Honduras when a legally elected president was kidnapped and forcefully taken out of the country under armed guard?
This editor’s column was originally going to be about the most recent examples of hypocracy as demonstrated by the corporate-fed “professional” media and why the alternative media needs to continue to exist. All that changed last week with the news that Bonnie Tinker, one of our activist role models and stalwart Portland Alliance volunteers died tragically and senselessly in a bicycle-truck accident in Virginia while attending a meeting of the Quakers.
Bonnie’s column “The War Within” was aptly titled. It chronicaled her exploration of issues of fairness, equality, life, death and humanity. It encompassed the struggle that she (and we all) face in making sense of what often appears to be a senseless, uncaring and unfair world. Her emotional journey to make sense of pain and injustice and how to channel her anger was right out there for all to see and she was bold in her convictions. Her activism got her arrested more than once for civil disobediance. Her work as a peace and antiwar activist, lesbian and gay rights educator and advocate, and frequent Seriously P.O.’d Granny came from a deep place – her earliest activist actions were against the Vietnam War as a teenager. She had a powerful desire to fight for children and families to create a better and more humane city, state, country and world. She was a wife, mother, teacher and mentor to women and men alike (whether she knew all of us or not.)
This issue of The Portland Alliance contains the last work she submitted to us -- she was corresponding by email and giving advice and information almost up until the day she died. She wrote her column for us for many years.
Bonnie, we will find some way to fill that gap in the newsprint with a call to action that will make you proud of us and inspire others to take up your work as well.
—The Portland Alliance
editorial staff
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