Salem-News.com: More Like Film than Video

This world has turned generic. We are on the avoidance course.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Motion picture film captures life as the human eye sees it. Video replicates an image in an electronic fashion. Video traditionally runs at exactly 30 frames a second. Film has a variable rate. It is roughly 24 frames per second but it varies. It's a bit flexible.

Film understands contrast, video is challenged to see with contrast.

Now before writing one of those feisty little comments like, "Hey Tim, it's time to put the bong down", try to follow my point.

This world has turned generic.

We are still individuals but you often wouldn't know it. Salem-News.com has been in the mode of separation and resistance from the woes of standard society for almost seven years now.

We don't seek to enter the mainstream, instead we are cutting our own channel and trying to eventually see it become one place.

Human beings have learned how to cheaply record moving images with video.

The human race learned how to steal from others while making it appear to be something else.

Along the way we learned that eliminating human jobs and replacing them with computer operating systems saves money, buys stockholders their new Cadillac; etc., but this race lost badly in the process.

We all lose as a result of it. If you aren't losing now then you will be seriously losing at the end of the road, or it will be a price paid by the following generations. That is not OK with me.

This is a world where amazing people do amazing things and I understand that most are content to manage their own lives and scenes and they simply don't have time to jump into the world community and try to make a difference. What bugs me is the lack of respect for those who do; people like the late Gaza freedom activist Vittorio Arrigoni, and others like Bradley Manning whose biggest mistake was following the teachings of his own supposedly moral society.

Remember that society?

It's the one that told us we aren't supposed to lie, or cheat, or steal, or kill, hands aren't for hurting, etc. Those who attack Manning are attackers of truth itself. I guess the fact that we have just under 90 writers now, contributing from almost 20 nations in this world, says a lot.

We write honestly about the developments in Israel and Palestine and sometimes feel very alone in this fight.

Our team partners in generating the news are a number of high end blogs that are specialized in Middle east news and veteran's affairs; motorcycle culture, domestic abuse, racism, cannabis and other subjects. We support them and fly their flags high.

I was heartened to receive this email today from a gentleman in New York:

I have just sent you a donation of $50 to support your fair, unbiased and courageous reporting of affairs with respect to Israel-Palestine and to our nation's blind, cowardly, illegal and immensely immoral support for them. I sent the donation with the following note:

"Salem-News, Counterpunch and The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs are the three publications I rely on to stay up to date on how our US Government is being held hostage by the pro-Israel lobby and how our tax dollars are being used to murder innocent, defenseless Palestinians, turning us all into accomplices to these Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity. In all other respects, I am proud to be an American, but in our government's blind, immoral and illegal support for Israel's crimes, I am ashamed to have our President and 530 of the 535 members of Congress represent me in any way! Please keep up your great reporting, and never let the pressure of our elected criminals silence you!"

It is an absolute outrage that more Americans never get to read the truth, or get to find out how we are all being forced to be accomplices to mass murder, not worthy of much more admiration by over 1.6 billion Muslims in the world today, or by anyone else for that matter, than Hitler deserved from a single human being for his crimes against Jews in the 1940's. It is an enduring shame on our nation, a nation that would have the world believe that we honor Democracy, that we are instead held hostage by several thousand wealthy, powerful and shameless criminals who constitute the Israel lobby. It is incredible that over 500 of our 535 elected members of both houses of Congress would totally, shamelessly abandon all sense of integrity, concern for their constituents and concern for their own Nation's best interests either because of their cowardice or their greed when confronted by such as AIPAC and the best interests of a murderous Zionist state who couldn't care less about any of us except for our money and our cowardly blind support. I don't know how you keep Salem-News from being silenced, but you can feel proud that you do! I only wish that such papers as The NY Times, Wall St Journal, Washington Post, etc... were YOUR subsidiaries and made to follow your editorial policies! I only wish that I could offer greater financial support.

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(To anyone reading this who is inclined to do the same: there is a PayPal button on the upper right side of this page, thanks.)

Whether we admit it or not, Americans are responsible for a lot of misery in this world and our moral structure is highly flawed and extremely self-centered. Americans of all people, should resist the madness and rise up. Speaking out really has power, it just takes a little courage and acceptance. We are well past the point of denial and others should reach for it.

The biggest problem in my opinion, is the way human feelings are being discounted and eliminated. We always have been molded and influenced, all people are, but this is the age of uber programming of the mind, and it is blatant when one compares real life to the stories and angles presented by western news media. It is heavily influenced and we are not. I'm telling you that Salem-News.com is something rare and it has the real potential to fly.

Our writer Belen Fernandez likes the quote, "'Freedom of the Press is Guaranteed Only to Those Who Own One.'

Well, we do own one and we're taking it as far as we possibly can. It hasn't been easy, we've given everything we have to make this go forward and there is no reverse gear.

Americans, raised to believe they have the greatest nation on earth, are past the doubting stage. They know their nation has taken a turn for the worse and the window for fixing it is sliding shut.

We may exist long enough to make a real difference on this planet, maybe not, but damn it at least we tried.

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Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club.

Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 82 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. You can write to Tim at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com