Nick, I don't think the politicians- or even most of the public- has "woken up" to the revolution in information that has occurred, and is occurring even as we speak.
A combination of the web and talk radio has bypassed the corrupt, celebrity-worshipping mainstream, and they didn't even notice until it had passed them by.
It's a great time to be alive, and be a political activist.
It is "the combination of the Internet and talk radio" that has created a (sometimes) honest and clear alternative to the lamestream media. And the number of people using this alternative medium is steadily increasing.
To that pair you should add cable TV. More and more of the capable hosts on cable TV are also using the Internet both as a source of information and a means of interactive communication with their audiences. And as of two weeks ago, cable TV passed the click-over point; more people now use it as their main source of news than use broadcast stations for that purpose.
What we are experiencing is a revolution in the availablity of information to the people. It will be broader, deeper, and ultimately more influential than the invention of moveable type for the printing press by Gutenberg. His revolution made the Bible and books generally available to the people. This one makes the entire universe of knowledge available to the people.
It is the smae process, but more universal. Remember that East Germany fell without a shot fired, because of information. About 40% of the East Germans were able to see West German TV. Every autocratic nation on Earth will eventually fall before this same onslaught.
Congressman Billybob
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