Jackson Free Press

Although Knol Aust, 27, has never met Lenny Kravitz, Queen Latifah, or Sting, he works side-by-side with them each day as each helps motivate young American voters. Aust, a Web designer who grew up in Raymond, is leading the way to raise awareness of the importance of voting by starting a Rock the Vote chapter in Jackson. "Young people are not always given a voice in politics," he said. "Sitting around without action will not promote or provoke change. It will take a unified movement and a strong system of support. Rock the Vote is completely non-partisan and believes that voting is one of the simplest actions a young American can do to make change."

What began as a grassroots movement titled "Censorship is Un-American" has led to a progressive voting campaign that has rocked the nation over the past 12 years, engaging young voters across the country. Since 1990, "Rock the Vote" has been driven by volunteers and superstars. The movement has fired up voters between the ages of 18 and 24—it reports registering 350,000 new youth voters and helping lead more than 2 million new young voters to the polls.

A native Mississippian, Aust has lived in Jackson—now Belhaven Heights—for the last eight years and said he loves his home state and the progress he sees. "I have felt for many years that Mississippi (especially Jackson) has an incredible amount of potential that has not been nurtured or enjoyed," Aust said. "Luckily, with the new renaissance occurring, this potential is finally being recognized and exposed to the masses."

Along with his famous celebrity co-workers across the nation, Aust has begun to passionately encourage young adults to reclaim their voting privileges. "Young people have to speak up, or we will never be heard," Aust said. "If we don't, our system of government will never be changed."

Recently, Lenny Kravitz wrote a controversial song titled "We Want Peace," for the national Rock the Vote campaign. "I think it's common sense that most people want peace," Aust said. "I don't think anyone would say war is a good thing. Most young people don't support war. We're not anti-war; we just want to have peace restored to the world.

Look for Aust and his "Rock the Vote" volunteer team members at Jubliee Jam in May, area college registrations, concerts and other events. Aust said that Rock the Vote does not hold any political agendas other than encouraging young adults to get active. "We need volunteers," Aust said. "We want people, young people, to be involved."
To volunteer for Rock the Vote, contact Aust at [e-mail missing].

Previous Comments

ID

82301

Comment

"Most young people donít support war." Pure opinion of Aust not substantiated by any quantifiable facts. The same lack of substantiation that the Jackson Free Press is hysteric about regarding the supposed Jackson crime hysteria. The same type of broad stroke generalization the Jackson Free Press rails on about ad infinitum. Fewer hard, or even flawed, numbers than the statistics used by Stringfellow now being painstakingly dubbed as dubious by the Jackson Free Press. "Weíre not anti-war; we just want to have peace restored to the world." I'd like to ask Aust the simple question, 'Peace for whom'? Peace for the 500,000 plus who died in Rwanda? Peace for the Muslims persecuted and killed by Milosevic? Peace for the Falun Gong? Peace for the children of North Korea who are starving while their country spends all of their available GDP going nuclear? Peace for Kashmir? Peace for the repressive in-name-only democracy in Iran that is practices religious apartheid? Exactly which 'peace' is Aust wanting to restore?

Author

Reader

Date

2003-04-17T22:45:23-06:00

ID

82302

Comment

Reader, you're stringing together a series of slippery and unrelated conclusions there in an apparent attempt to bash the JFP, which is your prerogative, but doesn't add much to the spirit of intelligent debate. The only thing I will say here on the crime point you make is that I am actually asking Jacksonians (and the media) not to simply rely on twisted statistics, but to look at a wider context, and look for solutions. Beyond cursory stat analysis, my biggest beef with the local media's coverage of crime so far has been an extremely unfair selective use of quotes -- leaving out all the statements that don't support their sensationalist reporting that Jackson is "drowning" in crime, or that the police don't care about crime. They are simply scaring people to death, without offering any intelligent solutions that I've seen. Now to your "anti-war" point. First, this is Knol's opinion, which he asserts proudly with his name attached. He is not talking about a specific war -- and I doubt seriously that most Americans of any age would say they support war over peace. You seem to be getting bent over something pretty innocuous here. I have found, only anecdotally speaking, that most young people I talk to me about the war--and I've talked to many recently--seem to think that the way it was done was flawed and not worth the alienation of the world. And they're starting to fear the result. At the same time, they do support the troops and now that we're there, want the best outcome possible, as do many Americans. And they want us out quickly without further war expansion. That's certainly not scientific, although it is pretty much supported by a MTV survey of 18-24-year-olds released this month. Matt Catapano, a research and planning specialist for the MTV told the Associated Press Managing Editors: "They are aware of the cynicism out there and they have a different perspective on our politicians and the news coverage in general." Polling since the war began, he said, showed that more than two-thirds of young people support the war, compared to 51 percent in January.

Author

ladd

Date

2003-04-18T11:46:51-06:00

ID

82303

Comment

MORE ... The survey also found that the "increase was more of a perception among young people that they need to support the U.S. troops, not necessarily the war," AP reported. He continued: "There's definitely an uneasiness about this war." Sixty percent of the young people believe that terrorism against the United States will increase. About half also fear that a nuclear weapon will now be used against the U.S. "That's really something," he said. "You haven't seen young people being worried about a nuclear bomb being used since the 1980s," before the breakup of the Soviet Union. It's really hard to find polls on the war that break down by age (oddly), but a poll in December found that young people--18 to 29--supported war overwhelmingly: http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1106/p01s01-ussc.html On a different, but interesting note, the Washington Post-ABC News poll found last week that 61 percent of African Americans oppose the war, while 61 percent of Latinos support it. For whatever all that's worth ...

Author

ladd

Date

2003-04-18T11:47:21-06:00

ID

82304

Comment

----Pt. 1 First, I must say I am glad you commented though the lack of ownership nullifies the debate in my opinion. Still, I must post a reply. I have never met one person that is 100% "pro-war". Our leaders responsible for war claim it is done for the sake of peace. So, you can still easily be "pro-war" and be "pro-peace". To be strictly ìpro-warî is a destructive path both internally and externally. According to many statements from our President and leading officials, it seems they are seeking peace also. Technically, Bush and the American people, while liberating Iraq, are attempting to establish peace through war. "We make war that we may live in peace." ---Aristotle Their method is one of a million methods that can be used to establish peace. None of them are necessarily right or wrong if the goal is the same.

Author

Knol Aust

Date

2003-04-18T12:54:10-06:00

ID

82305

Comment

----Pt. 2 Further, if I am to be quoted, I prefer the information be taken in FULL CONTEXT rather than the sentence that suits your argument but does not justify it. The POINT magazine made this exact error with my words in a previous issue without citing me as the source (can you say copyright infringement?). It is not fair to the publisher of JFP, the audience or me to utilize SOME words for you own gain. Selective data scraping is not productive. To clarify in case the clarity is necessary, I said: Most young people donít support war. Weíre not anti-war; we just want to have peace restored to the world.î Those two sentences rely on each other for the idea to be properly conveyed. The last sentence actually has more strength than the first. "All war is deception." ---Sun Tzu

Author

Knol Aust

Date

2003-04-18T12:54:42-06:00

ID

82306

Comment

----Pt. 3 As Donna stated, the term war was used in a general manner. I was not specifically referencing any war, especially the liberation movements currently underway in Iraq. To answer your question ("Exactly which 'peace' is Aust wanting to restore?"), I will follow my gut and state that I prefer to take care of things in my own back yard before handling bigger issues. The peace I wish to restore would be in this order: 1)My own mind and body; My home. 2)My family, friends, neighborhood and community. 3)Statewide. 4)Nationwide. 5)International. ...Again, specifically in that order. Seeing that my family, friends, neighborhood and community are struggling with a huge influx of crime, negative stats in nearly all facets of life, and a horrible economy, I have started there. As a result, I became a member of my neighborhood associations and am becoming more involved politically with organizations like HRC and Rock The Vote. By doing so, I hope to be a part of the resolution not the problem. I feel these are the proper methods of achieving peace ñ through dialog and interaction. "War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today." ---John F. Kennedy I hope you have a better understanding of my viewpoint; I, nor JFP, are bashing anyone and are allowed by the Laws that rule this land to express opinions and beliefs, as you did above, a very exciting feature of democracy. I find it troubling that you took OPINION so personally and hope that you do not feel it was a personal attack against anyone or any government. I am no officialÖ Merely a human. Feel free to email me directly, if you would like to discuss on a deeper level! Heck, come to the Lounge and letís discuss it over a beer and have a few laughs at the same time.

Author

Knol Aust

Date

2003-04-18T12:55:09-06:00