Infrequently, I listen to network television and feel I’m watching Cliff Notes — a dumbed-down version of something poignant. Instead, I choose to watch and listen to Democracy Now! with host Amy Goodman and get to hear voices that are normally not heard, and instead are very well worth hearing. Many are the primary sources for the issues they bring to the fore. Important issues.

This Saturday, Amy Goodman is coming to the Island to speak at the Katharine Cornell Theatre at 7 p.m. Admission is $10. Or if you know her work and want to meet her, she will be at the Beach Plum restaurant the same day at 5 p.m. Admission is $75. All proceeds go to Democracy Now! and WVVY, which broadcasts her show daily at noon. Both receive no corporate funding so they remain 100 per cent independent and are nonprofit organizations.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault will be introducing Amy Goodman at both events. That’s how important she is.

If Bill Moyers had a daughter, Amy Goodman is a good candidate. But sadly, she is hardly known. She has been on alternative radio for nearly 20 years, yet most people I ask to come to this event do not know her.

That needs to change. Make the effort. Take the time to come to either one or both of these events. Amy Goodman is someone who can shift your life, and with our help, can shift the direction of our country.

Paul Lazes
Vineyard Haven