Is good journalism completely dead or merely underfunded? Although
James Ridgeway was fired from the Village Voice earlier this year after thirty years at the publication, he has resurfaced at
Mother Jones. All is well.
In the current issue of Mother Jones, Ridgeway has graced his readers by presenting Sweet Subpoena: Nine Tough Questions for Congress. Keep reading -- especially if you are a congressperson who expects to win this November. In fact, the questions Ridgeway raises are so succinctly stated, I suggest you print out the article and keep them in your pocket for talking points.
Ridgeway begins by describing the historic use of the Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building and its current underuse by the present Congress. Still, he offers hope to voters:
If the Democrats win back control of Congress (or even one of its chambers), if they can come up with the requisite moxie, and if they can muster the political will to reach out to their own base as well as to disaffected Republicans, they will have an opportunity to begin to change all that. They will need to overcome the myriad obstacles the Bush administration has created to keep lawmakers from obtaining and releasing critical information, such as its resistance to briefing congressional committees on intelligence issues, or its heavy hand in redacting congressional reports. When explosive information has leaked out--the fact that documents offering "proof" of Saddam Hussein's intent to buy uranium from Niger had been forged, or that the United States is operating a network of secret prisons in other countries--the administration's response has focused on condemning critics for politicizing national security--a charge before which the Democrats usually crumble.
After calling both Democrats and Republicans to account, Ridgeway sets out the nine key inquiries that American voters have been begging to hear. The nine points of inquiry are subheaded, each followed by short, clear questions that need to be asked. These nine questions appear below in the author's own words (but without the usual <snip>ping.
1. Who lost Iraq?
2. Did Rumsfeld order torture (and if not, who did)?
3. Who blew 9/11?
4. What did the airlines know, and when did they know it?
5. How wide is the domestic surveillance net?
6. Is Big Oil pulling an Enron?
7. Who's making money off your retirement?
8. Why is the morning-after pill not at your 7-Eleven?
9. Grounds for impeachment?
I think we can all agree that the secrecy of this administration has left too many important questions unanswered. Over time, our questions are too many to count. But with this excellent piece, Ridgeway has simplified it for us. At a minimum, he gives Americans -- through our representatives -- a good starting point from which to begin.
If you like what you see, keeping reading Mother Jones. If you can, I am suggesting you consider sending them a donation because instead of continually bitching about the media, we should simply turn off the crap and support good journalism when we can.
Lastly, I am presenting this diary at the behest of supportive Kossacks who suggest it is my responsibility to bring good investigative material to the attention of Daily Kos. I hold James Ridgeway in such high regard that this is daunting (and humbling) task. But I want to be a good Kossack (so I can keep getting the recipes).