| Editor’s
Desk by Aaron Selbig First of all, a BIG thank you to everyone who has helped us out in the last few weeks. There are too many of you to name here but to everyone who has contributed stories, ideas, and moral support, you have our undying gratitude. In the future, I will use this space to sound off about Alaskan media, politics, and culture. Believe me, I can’t wait. There is no shortage of self-righteous politicians to skewer or injustices to expose in this great ‘red’ state and Insurgent49 will be there to do it. We’re going to give Uncle Ted something to really be ‘clinically depressed’ about. This week, however, I’d like to share with you how this project came about and what we have planned for the future. Insurgent49 was born of a simple, goofy, angry little radio show that’s been airing on KRUA for over a year now. With an intense focus on politics and social issues affecting Alaska and beyond, ‘Insurgent Radio’ (nee’ Selective Hearing’) has tried it’s damnedest to illuminate the darkest corners of hypocrisy in our world while maintaining a radio-friendly sense of humor. We’ve covered everything from the war on terror to gay penguins and have done it all with smiles on our faces. Then came November 2nd. The big, black cumulonimbus cloud of oppression and fear mongering that had begun to gather after 9/11 had officially engulfed us all. Things got bad. Real bad. We started to notice that callers to our show seemed heavier-hearted, more pissed off than they used to be. Nobody wanted to talk about the gay penguins anymore (they really do exist, by the way, in a zoo in Germany), everyone was sick to death at what the Bush administration had done to our national consciousness. Everyone had absolutely had it with our blind lust for oil, our acceptance of the FBI busting into our libraries, and our newfound status in the world as one of the countries that tortures people. It seemed that enough of us had been hoodwinked by this new political movement, this puritanical McCarthy-esque ‘neo-conservatism’, that the rest of us seemed doomed. On Insurgent Radio, the tone got serious and maybe even a little desperate. Two of our long-time listeners even moved to Portland. Progressives have always been a minority in Alaska. We’re just used to it, I guess. But being a minority doesn’t mean you have to curl up in a corner and sob while you hope things get better. Shortly after the election, one of our research interns proclaimed that she’d had it and was moving to Canada. Dr. Gillespie, director of the research staff, stood up (he was a little drunk at the time), got right in her face, and shouted, “IT’S TIME FOR PROGRESSIVES TO QUIT WHINING AND START FIGHTING BACK, GODDAMNIT!” It was in that moment that Insurgent49 was born. Dr. Gillespie and I stayed up all night hatching our diabolical plan. Our listeners had been asking us to put together a web presence, why not try to pull off something bigger? What you see today at insurgent49.com is the fruits of our labor for about the last three months. It is only a beginning, however. Insurgent49 will soon elbow its way into the Alaskan media scene in print form, hopefully in the next couple of months. We are presently weighing our options to make the print edition happen on a monthly basis with the limited budget that we have. Fear not, insurgents, it will happen. For the time being, we see ourselves as coordinators. Several dedicated progressive organizations are established here in Alaska and have been doing good work for years. Many of them have agreed to help us. And so, we will attempt to put them all together (the anti-war movement, Native rights groups, conservationists, gay & lesbian organizations, etc.) into one solid and consistent forum. In addition to our role as coordinators, we’re also gardeners. What I mean is that if you want a seed to grow into a tall and healthy tree, you must nurture it. To do that, we need your help. If you like what you see here at insurgent49.com, help us spread the word. Tell your friends about our site. Get a conversation going on the message board. Email our articles to your conservative brother-in-law. And, if there’s a writer inside you, here is a golden opportunity to let it out. We look forward to hearing from you. Until then, keep your chins up, progressive Alaskans. You are not alone. -Aaron Selbig Editor, Insurgent Media AK |
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| Copyright 2005 Insurgent Media.
All rights reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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