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At the family Christmas dinner in New Jersey, someone asked the question, "What is the best Christmas movie of all time?" There were many suggestions, but the consensus was Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart.
At the family Christmas dinner in New Jersey, someone asked the question, "What is the best Christmas movie of all time?" There were many suggestions, but the consensus was Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart.
When I got home from dinner, I found Stuart Egan's post about the film. It turns out that Bedford Falls High School plays a significant part. Frank Capra knew, and his audience understood, the central role that the town's public school played in the life of the community. There was no talk of choice or accountability or data. Just an institution that bound together the life of the community.
I was reminded of Garrison Keillor's great statement about these who dare to attack public schools:
"When you wage war on the public schools, you're attacking the mortar that holds the community together. You're not a conservative, you're a vandal."
-- Garrison Keillor, Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America

Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
At the family Christmas dinner in New Jersey, someone asked the question, "What is the best Christmas movie of all time?" There were many suggestions, but the consensus was Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart.
When I got home from dinner, I found Stuart Egan's post about the film. It turns out that Bedford Falls High School plays a significant part. Frank Capra knew, and his audience understood, the central role that the town's public school played in the life of the community. There was no talk of choice or accountability or data. Just an institution that bound together the life of the community.
I was reminded of Garrison Keillor's great statement about these who dare to attack public schools:
"When you wage war on the public schools, you're attacking the mortar that holds the community together. You're not a conservative, you're a vandal."
-- Garrison Keillor, Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America

At the family Christmas dinner in New Jersey, someone asked the question, "What is the best Christmas movie of all time?" There were many suggestions, but the consensus was Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart.
When I got home from dinner, I found Stuart Egan's post about the film. It turns out that Bedford Falls High School plays a significant part. Frank Capra knew, and his audience understood, the central role that the town's public school played in the life of the community. There was no talk of choice or accountability or data. Just an institution that bound together the life of the community.
I was reminded of Garrison Keillor's great statement about these who dare to attack public schools:
"When you wage war on the public schools, you're attacking the mortar that holds the community together. You're not a conservative, you're a vandal."
-- Garrison Keillor, Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America
