Independence

Downtown Everett Decked Out for Independence

Some days it seems like almost everyone is co-opting the flag or bragging about patriotism in order to further their own interests.

What politician would be caught without his flag lapel-pin?  How many companies are putting a "Made in USA" label on their product - or in some cases "Designed in USA", but then a tiny "Assembled in China" footnote.

Of course the 4th of July is when we celebrate our independence (while also having a deserved day off and a barbecue). But for some of us, there's a great concern about just how much of our independence is slipping away.

NSA is monitoring almost everyone's cell-phone usage and internet activity. We take off our shoes and get our bodies scanned, and sometimes groped, at the airport. Some jurisdictions are trying to make it harder for citizens to vote, not easier. Giant corporations make billions in profits and pay little or nothing in taxes. People in Skagit County learned firsthand that our bridges and infrastructure are decaying, while the military gets a budget increase that even some of the top brass at the Pentagon didn't want.

Not long ago, many Americans could go to college for free. Now a college education is unaffordable for many, and many more are racking up huge student loan debts.  And while hundreds of thousands of Americans have asked for a solution to the college debt problem, Congress this week went on vacation and allowed student loan interest rates to double. I guess that's good news if you're running a bank.

Meanwhile, fewer and fewer companies have more and more control over the media and the message.

Maybe George Orwell had everything correct about 1984...except the date.

So I'll co-opt the word 'independence' on this 4th of July week and apply it to KSER.  Because, while cities all over the USA are cluttered with corporate owned, similar sounding radio stations and media outlets, KSER remains a rare voice of independence.

When Amy Goodman visited Everett Community College last Fall she told a standing-room-only crowd how fortunate we are in Snohomish County to have a station like KSER. She correctly pointed out that many towns and cities have no such independent voice.

Sure, you'll find radio stations with slicker 'production values' (as the professional broadcasters say) and 'tighter playlists' (the industry term for highly-researched and focus-grouped music) and more 'voice tracking' (that's where the several-states-or-time-zones-away DJ has pre-recorded the show you're listening to).

But what you won't find at KSER are news and public affairs hosts and producers concerned about toeing the corporate line. We are truly independent. No corporate owner. No federal grants. No strings. And that's thanks to you.
 

We're fortunate to have thousands of listeners who are willing to support the station financially and dozens of volunteers who are willing to devote hundreds of hours of their time year after year to keep KSER as an independent voice for the people.

So thanks.  And happy Independence day!