I was pleasantly surprised when I read David Roy’s “Progressive Religion…Is Not an Oxymoron” article this month. Roy’s article takes a look at why there is such a chasm between the stated goals of religions, how they encourage people to behave and the reality of how people live their lives and structure society. If half the world is Christian, Jewish and Muslim and those religions teach peace, helping out those less fortunate than ourselves and high moral values, why do we see so much war, greed and poverty?
Roy’s explanation (read his article on page 20) is so insightful that I had to ask him how he can work so hard writing for the Community Alliance when we are unable to pay him (or any of our other writers in this issue) anything. His response was that he was glad I liked the article and I could pay him double the usual.
Like all of our writers, Roy is not doing this for the money. We produce this paper because it gives us the opportunity to frame issues from a progressive perspective, a point of view not usually available in the mainstream media.
I encourage you to read Vic Bedoian’s front page article this month. This news story gives readers important insight into the complexity of the water issue that goes beyond the “man vs. fish” mantra being told by corporate farming interests, their public relation firms and the politicians who do their bidding. The article gives a voice to the farmers and fishing people in the Delta whose lives are dramatically affected by pumping water to the Central Valley.
Dan Waterhouse’s article, also on the front page, gives us a unique and up close perspective about the dynamics of the Pride Parade, taking place on June 4. I think that a big reason why this article is so informative is because it is written by someone who is an active participant in making this event a success. Waterhouse did not write this because he is being paid to do so. He is writing for the Community Alliance because he is passionate about reporting on what is going on in the LGBTQ community.
Our writers are often times a part of the social movements they are writing about, our news stories frame issues from a social justice perspective and our entertainment section has a purposely local focus. This is truly grassroots journalism at its best.
If getting this kind of news and information is important to you, I encourage you to become a subscriber to this newspaper; if you have a business, place an ad or simply make a donation. Although almost everyone at this paper is a volunteer, we still have expenses and need your financial support. We have to pay the printer, service stations charge us for gas when we fill up our tank so we can deliver the paper all over town and those newsstands cost money. If you value the Community Alliance, we need you to join us by filling out the subscription at:
https://fresnoalliance.com/?page_id=309. With your support, another world is possible.
