KC,

I had a great time in Williamsburg, VA over the last 4 days discussing various issues of note that face America  today.  I was one of the 47 people that PBS picked for the show.  I met some real nice people this weekend.  Look for the program to air January of 2008.  I was the wild card of the group and I shook some things up during the debate.  Check out some of my pics at the event and this article that ran in a Virginia newspaper! Also to see a Youtube clip of me at the event visit: www.youtube.com/kccrimefighter  .

Peace,

Alonzo Washington

PBS filming in Colonial Williamsburg

The production takes a look at citizenship in America and why it may be on the decline.

By BENTLEY BOYD 342-8812

November 10, 2007

WILLIAMSBURG — --> -->

On Friday morning, the delegates crammed into the House of Burgesses room in the rebuilt Capitol. Bright television lights and problems with teleprompters cramped the session further, but once the debate began, the delegates set a quick pace for this exchange of ideas about why American citizenship seems to be in decline.

"The political system gives us what it wants. We don't get to vote until later, and that adds to the sense that our vote doesn't matter," a man from Washington said. "We're asked only to ratify the choice later, when the options we have aren't very good."

Kansas comic book publisher and activist Alonzo Washington said young African-American men don't believe in citizenship because, "It's an illusion. It's something they haven't seen and don't believe they have access to."

Others pointed to their setting as a symbol of advances in American citizenship. "Look how small this place is. It used to be for just rich white guys," said Craig Newmark, founder of the online community craigslist.

"I agree there is more participation in our democracy today, Craig, but what is it based on?" asked Millie Hallow, a special assistant in the National Rifle Association. "It's based on what I need, what protects me."

The talk ranged across issues of history, immigration and education, but Hallow took a skeptical stance on the power of education to change American society. She spent eight years as an elementary music teacher and got resistance from other teachers and parents when she tried to teach fourth-graders the first three verses of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

"I told them, 'Your son can do 10 minutes of rap. He can do three verses of the national anthem,'" Hallow said.

Tina Packer got applause when she said she became a U.S. citizen only 100 days ago, but her focus was on the young people she sees in her work as founder of the theatrical company Shakespeare & Co.

"Every year the kids' thinking patterns are getting shorter and shorter. Their ability to reason is getting less and less," she said. "It feels to me like time is running out."

Talk radio and other forms of media make the issues worse by dividing Americans, many of the delegates said. The marketing of a modern free market economy also hurts, said Helen Alvare, a professor of law at Catholic University of America.

"In the media, 'freedom' means the ability to get as much as possible," she said. "There's no room in our money-making lives to make the time to go to a city council meeting in the evening and get a sitter for that."

Kentucky newspaper columnist Betty Baye said, "The last thing people in power want is an informed citizenry. We have all this information now, but it's ignorance feeding upon ignorance. When you see these stories online they have these feeds for people at the bottom of it. Only it's not a feed, it's become a Klan bulletin board."

But she came out of the morning session at the Capitol hopeful.

"You could hear what people were saying, even if you disagree. To me, the discussion doesn't stop here. I've already got 40 column ideas in my head," Baye said.

Allison Hayward, a professor at the George Mason University Law School, came to Williamsburg just three weeks ago to speak at the College of William and Mary. She was excited to participate in the Lehrer group to hear what others had to say about constitutional issues.

"This is great," she said. "Everybody's civil and well-behaved. It's funny because we were complaining about how there isn't civil discussion anymore, and there we are having a civil discussion about it."

Arizona rancher Bill McDonald hoped people watching the debate later would be inspired to get involved.

"I know people are tired when they come home from work pressures and they just want to be entertained, but people need to realize that if they want things to change, it's going to take a lot of effort. And they'll find out it's good therapy, too. This is actually a pretty good form of entertainment."