On the death of Tim Lopes, a brazilian journalist

[The Piper]

This message was composed primarily by cho.manno, with a few things by myself.

Being Brazilians, we can't be silent about a fact that shocked all Brazilian society recently.

You may have heard about Tim Lopes. Tim worked in the biggest Brazilian TV channel, Globo TV, and about two weeks ago he was in a slum reporting the problem of narcotics traffic with hidden microcameras. At one moment, Tim got recognized by a drug dealer he helped to put in jail some years ago; the criminal, however, was free due to problems during his trial. Tim was taken to the top of a hill, where an independent government was revealed: he was judged and executed, according to the laws of the criminals. First, he was shot in his foot, so that he couldn't run away. Then, he was tortured, spanked and killed with an axe. His destroyed corpse was put in a barrel, which was set on fire.

Tim was a discreet journalist; he didn't like to be photographed or to appear in the media, in order not to be recognized and continue being one of the voices of the excluded. He made many reportings about the drug and weapons traffic and the extreme poverty of some people who live in slums. He received even an award recently for showing the reality of part of the Brazilian society, which most of us did not know.

The confirmation of the death of Tim Lopes brought fear to the media. Now, even the freedom of the press is menaced by the acts of the drug dealers in Brazil. Since the government is passive about the problem, Brazilian citizens go out fearing all kinds of violence. You may be robbed, kidnapped, murdered without even seeing it, and now the panic is spreading to all people classes. A civil war, it may seen, and in some of the bigger cities people do feel as if they were in a civil war. People are spending their money in turning their cars bullet-proof and are afraid to stop in traffic lights because they could be assaulted.

The guns of the criminals have already silenced many people; however, they'll never silence the voices of those who have courage to face things like they are, and will always do their part to improve the society and free other people from oppression.

Yours truly,
cho.manno and The Piper

[Bride of a Bull]

Crikey! Good one, Piper and cho.manno. Thank goodness for the internet, eh?

Efforts like yours, and "Roger Waters' " and yoav bring the harsh reality of life in this wide world of ours to the attention of those who would otherwise be unaware.

The depressing thing is the harrowing knowledge of our own futility in creating an improved system. By that I mean, from what I can glean in London, that corruption and bribery are rife almost everywhere you go, in almost every field of politics certainly. Someone "legitimate" is profiting from drugs and contraband trade, and isn't really interested in killing the trade.

How do we make a difference in a world not run by us, for us or with us in mind?

[sarah goode]

[How do we make a difference in a world not run by us, for us or with us in mind? [/b][/quote]



The eternal question.

[FloydWright]

How have people reacted? What will you guys do? I really wish I could change the situation...but there are limits on what one little person can do, especially from a great distance...

Very, very sad...

[cho.manno]

Well, FloydWright, we can't do anything... but who can change the situation is not doing their part. The reaction to the murder was similar to past cases: the police, the government, everyone makes beautiful speeches, but nothing beyond that. And we don't know for how long we'll go out fearing everyone that is near us.

[FloydWright]

I know it sounds ignorant, but I don't know what kinds of recourse you have in your country. Is there any way to push them into action (short of violence, of course)?

Somehow, people need to this cause!!!

[cho.manno]

You know, people are desperate and asking for a solution... what else can we do?

[FloydWright]

I understand...I guess I just hate to see a situation like this where it seems there's no recourse. I really want everything to come out OK for you guys.

[stratman]

Unfortunately, violence may be unavoidable. Scum like that will not voluntarily give up their power. The word "vigilante" comes to mind, but that's easier said than done.
My prayers are with you good people.

[FloydWright]

I want to ask a question of you all. Did anyone outside of South America hear this on the news off of this board? I did not. Perhaps I simply was not listening when this story was covered, but it really does make me wonder why not.

[Bride of a Bull]

First I heard of it was here.

The death at the hands of a criminal "court" of a Brazilian journalist, champion of the underclasses, exposer of degenerate "society" is hardly likely to register very highly on international media scales.

Now if one of the little Bushes had been subjected to that sort of thing, we would have heard about it with the news of mobilising military. One rule for the rich, another for everybody else.

[thorin13]

i hope my little bush is never mentioned in the news.

zing!

[Sydney]

There seems to be something about the Western press that just doesn't keep the news open. All I ever hear of is Afghanistan, and the middle east, America and just that general crisis.

The press in Oz seem to be very influenced by the government. We got fed so much bollocks about the refugees in Woomera sewing their lips together etc and I know so many ppl who are now VERY anti refugee becuase of their "selfishness" In other words "We give then so much and they sew their lips together in return"
However not once throughout this whole fiasco do I remember seeing actual images of this occurence, makes you wonder doesn't it?

Not once do we hear anything about things like this. I was watching an ABC thing the other day where there was a report on how scientists have found a valley in South America somwhere(I think) With completely new sprcies of differnt animals and plants etc. Now I think that is pretty important but mainstream media didn't seem to think so.

Disgusting isn't it?

cheers

[The Piper]

Indeed, the media manipulates everything. While India and Pakistan are close to a nuclear war that may kill millions of people (as we already heard from "Roger Waters", a board member, on this thread), our brazilian media hardly covers anything that is not related to the World Cup in the past few weeks and the upcoming ones.

I once showed up in a TV show, about making friends through the Internet, in 1995. They just changed everything I've said and gave a whole new focus on my story. I would've believed it, if I didn't know the true story. They edited everything. So they can and they DO manipulate everything that shows up on TV. We do live in a media dictatorship, unfortunately. At least down here in Brazil presidents are created and destroyed through the media. The Tim Lopes case is being broadcasted only because he was a journalist and the media people felt insecure and are demanding that his assassins be caught and judged. But when hundreds of other people, poor people, are judged by this alternate government, nobody cares.

Plain sad.

[stratman]

I certainly had not heard of the brutal murder of Mr. Lopes before reading this thread. And I hear quite a bit of news.
I agree with previous observations concerning Media manipulation. Here in the US, the mainstream media is so caught up in it's political agenda that unless a particular story is something that furthers their cause, they ignore it.