Where Will All the Flowers Grow?

I feel that I should preface this post by warning you all that this isn't an informative or politically oriented piece. In fact, ashamedly, it may even qualify as nothing more than a personal rant, but I feel that so many of my counterparts on the Blogosphere as well as Communications Theorists and possibly even Sociologists may back me up on what I'm about to say.

When will the news sites learn to begin synidcating their feeds?
No, I'm not talking about CNN, MSNBC, or FOX News. As any of you who have read my posts before will know, I believe in having as many players in as many markets as possible. The news - or even info - market is no different. I'm talking about the local newspapers, magazines of cities and the journalistic endeavours of smaller communities.

In order to become a better blogger, and a more informed citizen, I've begun to force myself into the habit of using news aggregators. [I've found Active Refresh to be the best one]. But aside from the obvious information overload that pooling and aggregating all the world's info can do, I've almost found it useless and most definitely futile in attempting to aggregate info on anything other than the major headlines dispatched thru the MSM [which I think any news junkie, aka the people using news aggregators right now, would have already seen] and the muddied pools of posts from bloggers like me. [Yes, let's face it. For a good amount of time, we are pretty damned annoying - even to ourselves!] As a New Yorker, or more aptly a Manhattanite, I was certain that my city - often called by many both here and abroad as the capital of the world - with its multiplicity in periodicals would have a majority of them offering an RSS or ATOM syndication to which I could subscribe. Sadly, I found this to not be the case.

Neither the New Yorker nor New York Magazine nor the New York Post nor TimeOut New York have any syndications to offer to the info junkie like me. And what about outside the city, you say? You mean Albany or Buffalo, Syracuse or even Poughkipsie? Fuhgettaboutit!!

I thought syndicationa and news aggregators were supposed to be the future of gathering info on the web. NOBODY has the time to visit and muddle thru all the sites [and the ads] on the web inorder to get a complete scope of what's going on in the world and who's saying what. Was it all just technophilic hype, or am I and others simply ahead of the curve?

The idea behind aggregators - being able to sample your pool in the web, pull it all back home, and at a glance and for a few seconds know it all - I've always found to be not only appealing but also inspiring. Allowing for the current mulitiplicity of information to continue in a more productive, efficient, and even economic way.

How can the seeds of future knowledge be planted without streams of syndication.
Where will all these flowers grow?
Long time passing, when will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As always, I'm not claiming to know it all about the topics in this post. If anyone has any insight into any of the matters covered here, I'd greatly appreciate your comments. I'm looking to learn and grow, not bitch and moan.

Maybe Rummy's Not So Dumb?

Ok, so I know I'm gonna get a lot of slack from my liberal friends for posting this, but I just read this and found it to be rather interesting. I don't want to open the whole Iraq can of worms, but I think this either suggests a.)Rumsfeld has repeatedly pejured himself, or b.)maybe Rummy isn't the one who fucked up the Iraq plans from the git-go.

U.S. military forces can best be used when the military mision is clear and achievable and when there is a reasonable exit strategy . . . When the main burden of the U.S. presence shifts to infrastructure and naiton builiding . . . we are into missions that are not appropriate.
- Donald Rumsfeld, January 2001 Senate Confirmation Hearings

What's In a Name?

Ever since I started studying, and later participating, in journalism & other communications I've had this suspicious feeling that the advent of blogging would lead to a creative destruction in the communications arena. Don't worry, I'm not an evangel of the market like so many of my GOP counterparts, but those of us in this arena need to face a simple fact. There's no oversight or regulation in this profession, thus subjecting us to more pure market forces. Don't think of this market in terms of many, but rather in terms of the varying qualities of information offered from the Grey Old Lady at the top down to the Lowly Underlings like me.

Right now, the market is doing what markets do -- sifting itself out. This gives us the status quo right now, "easy entry and access" translates into a veritable information chaos. This chaos is both good and bad, and probably results in more information being in the info-market than there would otherwise be. The thing of it is, I'm not really all that sure if legally classifying or otherwise licensing "journalists" would be a bad thing or detrimental to this benevolent chaos. There's been many a time when I've thought that the profession was in need of a more agreed upon set of standards, practices, and ethics; though admittedly, I've looked only at the more reform, progressive angles of that than the limiting standards that more likely would be applied.
What do you all think?

The story below is what provoked these thoughts from me. Of course I believe that all sources should have the safety of protection, but I wonder if leaving bloggers out of the loop could cause a backlash. Or is the blogosphere more like a butterfly market -- once touched it never gets up off the ground again.

Seriously, get back to me on this. I want input, please : - )

Shield Law Sponsor: Bloggers 'Probably Not' Considered Journos By Mark Fitzgerald Published: October 10, 2005 4:17 PM ET INDIANAPOLISBloggers would "probably not" be considered journalists under the proposed federal shield law, the bill's co-sponsor, U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R.-Ind.), told the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) Monday afternoon. Lugar emphasized, however, that debate is not yet closed on how to define a journalist under the proposed law. "As to who is a reporter, this will be a subject of debate as this bill goes farther along," he said in response to a question from Washington Post Deputy Managing Editor Milton Coleman. "Are bloggers journalists or some of the commercial businesses that you here would probably not consider real journalists? Probably not, but how do you determine who will be included in this bill?" According to the first draft of the Free Flow of Information Act of 2005, the "covered person" protected by the bill's terms includes "any entity that disseminates information by print, broadcast, cable, satellite, mechanical, photographic, electronic, or other means and that publishes a newspaper, book, magazine, or other periodical in print or electronic form; operates a radio or television station (or network of such stations), cable system, or satellite carrier, or channel or programming service for any such station, network, system, or carrier; or operates a news agency or wire service." The legislation also covers employees, contractors or other persons who "gathers, edits, photographs, records, prepares, or disseminates news or information for any such entity." A key reason some journalists oppose the popular federal shield proposal is fear that giving Congress the power to define who is and isn't a journalist could lead effectively to the licensing of journalists. In other remarks about the legislation at IAPA's 61st General Assembly, Lugar acknowledged that the legislation could amount to a "privilege" for reporters over other Americans. "I think, very frankly, you can make a case that this is a special boon for reporters, and certainly for their role in freedom of the press," he said. "At the end of the day what we will come out with says there is something privileged about being a reporter, and being able to report on something without being thrown into jail." Lugar said he was inspired to write the legislation by the jailing of New York Times reporter Judith Miller. "I've known Judy Miller for many years," he said, adding that they became close when she was reporting on his efforts to dismantle the former Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal. The bill is necessary to help the United States regain its status as an "exemplar" of press freedom, Lugar told the IAPA. "Even as we are advocating for free press (abroad)... we'd better clean up our own act," Lugar said. Mark Fitzgerald (mfitzgerald@editorandpublisher.com) is E&P's editor-at-large.

Find this article here

I Love Bennett

I'll spare everyone from my usual Bennett schpiel this time. Thought this was rather apt, though beyond that I'm not honestly sure what I think of it. Perhaps that's why it's so on, instead of off, since I seldom really know how I feel, think about security issues anymore . . .

Al Gore on the State of the Media

The People's President, Al Gore, delivered a stirring and thoughtful speech to the "We Media" conference in New York on October 5, 2005. The conference is a gathering of media industry figures, and focuses on innovative methods of presenting information. Gore's speech was a stunning idictment of the current state of the media in the United States, and he pulled no punches when talking about the Bush Administration's manipulation of the media. This is a different Al Gore than we saw in 2000 -- I think he's building up for an '08 Presidential run. Like Churchill, he's had his "wilderness years," and like Churchill, he could be the very leader we need in our time of crisis.

Gore began his speech by asking the audience, "I wonder, have heard a friend or a family member in the last few years remark that it's almost as if America has entered 'an alternate universe'," and to me, that sums up the past five years quite nicely. Gore then talks about a subject that I think is one of the most vital in our public discourse today: the blurring of news and entertainment. This blurring has led to many Americans believing in things that just aren't true.

From Gore's speech:

I thought maybe it was an aberration when three-quarters of Americans said they believed that Saddam Hussein was responsible for attacking us on September 11, 2001. But more than four years later, between a third and a half still believe Saddam was personally responsible for planning and supporting the attack.

At first I thought the exhaustive, non-stop coverage of the O.J. trial was just an unfortunate excess that marked an unwelcome departure from the normal good sense and judgment of our television news media. But now we know that it was merely an early example of a new pattern of serial obsessions that periodically take over the airwaves for weeks at a time.

Instead of these celebrity obsessions, Gore asks why there wasn't more of a national discussion on such things as the prison torture scandals and indeed the Iraq war as a whole. "Why is apathy and lethargy increasing" Gore asks, and it's a question we should be pondering daily.

Gore argues that since television is a one-way discussion, owned by only a few corporate interests, that freedom of speech and the press is being repressed. He quotes a study that calls the US press only the 27th most free in the world. This is a frightening fact for this country, a place which prides itself on its freedoms.

Gore calls for a better national discussion and a move away from 30-second commercials and sound bite sloganeering. He lauds the internet as a vital and growing new medium, but cautions that television is and will remain the number one information source for most people around the world.

Gore is a man who saw the media turn on him in 2000, with insane amounts of air time being wasted on inane stories about what kind of clothes he was wearing, asinine out-of-context quotes like the "invented the internet" story, and superficial observations such as how many times he sighed in a debate. In a country where many Americans pick their President based on who they'd rather sit down and have a beer with, a vision like Gore's is very important.

Gore concludes by saying that he is worried about the state of our democracy. Given the Bush administration's media tactics -- buying reporters, producing fake news stories, giving White House press passes to guys like Gannon -- I'm inclined to agree with him. The transcript is well worth a read, but I recommend listening to the speech as well. It will be well worth your time.

Cheers.

Seeing Them as Horses

I heard that Mark Green only has 2 people working on his campaign. I thought that was funny.

Though it figures . . . perhaps people are finally taking my advice [though not likely from me] that politicians should be viewed as horses at a track. Don't bet on the old one that's lost several times before -- you bet on the stallion that has all the qualities to take it all to the next level.

Watch and Green will pull another book out of his ass in 6 months just for a publicity orgasm and renewed money/faith, esp. if he's out of the latter two by then.

I Think Ted Rall Finally Gets It

Democratic Call to Arms!

Ok, so I know that this post is a little late in its coming; however, I'm fairly certain that it's gone largely unnoticed by both the Blogosphere and the MSM.

Sen. Clinton has been charged with the awesome task of creating the agenda and platform for the Democratic Party. It is time, however, that both the DNC and the party's ruling group the DLC learn that the Party of the People must look to and learn from the people so that we can become the Party forthe People.

I'm issuing a Call to Arms. I want any and every Democrat who reads this to Email Sen. Clinton, and let her know where we stand. We're for People!

It sounds too simple, but it's the truth.
We're for individual liberties, for the equal opportunity of all person, for human dignity, for the betterment of people's lives, for quality jobs, for a constantly improving education system, for a sensitive and intelligent healthcare system that helps Americans instead of sustaining them, for happy and safe families, and for betterment of the American people.

Get involved!
Decide the future of your party!
Let the woman who's deciding all this know where you stand!

And let's make the Party of the People, the Party for People!

Please Get Your Acts Together (I'm getting tired of Windows and OS )

This is definitely a good sign and a step in the right direction. The State of Massachusetts recently decided to take a similar step in making all of its gov offices switch to Open Office formats sometime in the near future.

I'd just like to say this to the Linux Community: the world is obviously ready to make steps towards a more open information society - and I'm not talking indie technophiles, even governments are doing it! But please, quit fracturing yourselves among so many distros that have slow turn arounds in improvements. Consolidate, focus, and innovate.

Consolidate the number of distros to the major 3 that are widely recognized as the best. Abandon the rest and leave them for what they are -- children's distractions.

Create open wiki's for these so that all people can easily access the code, improve the code, and update/upload the code to one main reliable space for all to access and enjoy.

Call all Linux Developers to arms to race to come up with the best platform ever. I mean it!

I want Linux to blow Windows Vista and OS # out of the water because it's so damn good. Come on guys! You have the smarts, just do it already.

More Stale Politics

This can't be good for our country.

So Trite, Still True

I'm not a Kucinich fan, but some version of his Dept of Peace is needed within the DOD if we are to end this useless cycle.

A Greener, Cleaner Future

This would be so fucking awesome if all the buildings in all major cities had this!

Free Press NOT a Luxury

As a politics student, I'm often told by more realist aligned scholars, professors, and politicos that a free society is a luxury in terms of nation-building and political economies. There is more or less an Maslow-esque order to the progression of a nation-state, and that the freedoms of expression are last on the list.

I'm beginning to wonder if this, like an increasing number of realist arguments, is bunk. The texting of Iranian youth during their most recent election, the encouraging steps by the Ugandan government in disclosure, and the Cambodian youth are all making me think that perhaps if we turned the pyramid on its side, that maybe nation building could be more democratically pragmatic and less purely capitalistic. Though I don't want to fall prey to Kant's lofty goals.

I'm Back!

I just thought I should let everyone know that for the past few months I sadly fell prey to what I once read as "blog depression." I got caught up with my summer job, and then with the starting of a new school year [for those of you who don't remember I'm a BA Candidate at NYU] that I just quit blogging. At times I missed it, esp. being able to freely express myself thru writing that somebody might find useful; but new habits emerged, and I just got in the habit of not writing.

But now I'm back!

I'm going to do a blitz of posts this weekend on some topics that are a bit old by now, but still quite important. I'm not doing this just to get my 2cents in, but so that I'll help draw attention to the items being forgotten by the MSM and at times the Blogosphere. After that I'll go back to what I do best, an inside glance at New York politics esp. the AG Race. And yes, someday soon I'll explain why that race is so much more damn important than others.

Till then . . .

So Funny, So True

This reminded me so much of life in suburban America . . .

Help A Fresh Salad Politician Become Mayor of NYC

Dear Friend:

64 Days until the primary. Yes, that's all. And 121 days until the general election.
The campaign - like the weather - is entering the hot season.

And we need your help.

We raised more money in the last fund raising period than any candidate. If we are going to keep up the pace we need for you to do what you have already done so often for our campaign - make a contribution.

Help us keep this grassroots campaign picking up speed; please make a secure on-line contribution of $100, $50 or $25.

CONTRIBUTE ONLINE TODAY!

Remember many contributions are eligible for a 4 to 1 matching contribution under the New York law that provides public funds for city campaigns.

Click on this link http://www.anthonyweiner.com/content/contribution to our web site and keep the momentum going.

Thanks,

Dolev Azaria
Finance Director

Read more about Anthony Weiner:

http://www.anthonyweiner.com/

Contact Anthony Weiner:

Email to aweiner@anthonyweiner.com

Volunteer to help Anthony Weiner:

Call (212) 777-7755

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Why?

I love Clay Bennett's work. No other political cartoonist can be so succinct, so poignant, and so insightfully honest all at once.

Though I could ramble on and on about how pointless & bizarre I find terrorism, or how sad I do feel for Londoners. I thought a semi-whimsical anecdote might be better.

My mother was a huge fan of the TV Show M*A*S*H, and I was raised on it. In one episode, the show's solemn sinner of a hero - Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce - for no good reason, just loses it and begins to ask "why." He spends the entire episode asking everyone he meets "Why?" To which they all quickly reply, "Why . . . what?" Indeed, he even sends a wire to Harry Truman, the then President of the United States, to ask him
"Dear Harry,
Who started it?
Sincerely,
Capt. Benjamin Franklin Pierce"
He explains, in his typical wise-crack manner, that he wants to know why they're at war with the North Koreans. Some characters just say they don't know and walk away. Others simply state that there are no good reasons. Some try to justify it all thru hasty rationalizations, only to realizing that their logic fails and likewise walkaway. Finally, Hawkeye asks Maj. Frank Pierce - the show's villain & the embarassing embodiment of every bad image ever associated with American men all at once. Frank simply responds, in his usually snivelling manner, that the North Koreans want to threaten the American way of life, that they want to come over to the states and take away free enterprise, TV, automobiles, and even plumbing. Yes, plumbing.
Frank ultimately decides that the North Koreans are at war with the US because they want to steal our toilets. Upon finally getting an honest, be it absurd answer, Hawkeye is greatful. So much so, that he hooks a jeep onto a lutrine, and drops it off at the North Korean/South Korean border in an attempt to end the war.

My anecdote is not meant to humiliate Americans, state that all wars are stupid, or to pick on the misguided efforts of geopolitics. Instead, I too, would like to join with Hawkeye and ask any and all terrorists everywhere around the world . . .

WHY?

Freshen Up the Mix

First, I would like to say Happy Birthday America!! Though my country may be going thru a bt of an odd spell, with Religious Conservatives controlling all branches of government, a political process growing overly stale from moneyed influence, and a foreign policy that makes us seem more like the high school bully than the benevolent quarterback; I still love my country very VERY much.

To all my foreign friends, and non-US readers, I apologize for the following, but it's got to be said. Had it not been for the bravery and forethought of a few refugees, intellectuals, and radicals; the shot heard 'round the world might have never been fired and the world would probably be a less free place.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead

Second, and the purpose of this post's title, I'd like to rearticulate my point about how government reform is needed to make any of this Live8 shit work. I'll address the problems of African governance later, but right now I'd like to take a wide angel approach and then hone in. Let's look at the dirtiest little aspect of this Live8 hullabullooh that nobody is daring to talk about -- it shouldn't have to exist!

No, I'm not talking about the fact we should all live by the golden rule and ensure that our fellow men & women are treated humanely. I mean the fact that the scrambled-egg sham of an international government that we have should have fixed this problem long ago. I mean for Christ's sake, the Secretary General of the UN [the big cheese of it all] had to join a Live8 concert to beg with the other millions of people that the Elite 8 decide to absolve existing debts and create a veritable Pan-African Marshall Plan to help hundreds of millions of people. THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN.

No, I'm not advocating that Kofi get empirial powers, nor am I advocating that the Group of 8 be tried for crimes against humanity. What I am advocating is a true restructuring of the UN in order to ensure that the international community is obliged to look out for the well being of one another, and that any laws passed in its hallways have merit.

Maybe it's naive, but I believe some good restructuring would do the trick.
I mean let's compare this to this.

What We May Miss This Weekend

In an effort to avoid the group think of the blog-o-sphere (and in an attempt to keep politics, policy, & current affairs fresh) I thought I would remind us of a few other noteworthy events that have happened this weekend, that we may otherwise miss in our Live8 Lust.

In spite of an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic population in Spain and the new Pontiff's edicts concerning homosexuality and other aspects of modern, Western culture. Our Spainish neighbours across the pond have decided to work to ensure that all of its citizens will enjoy equal rights & protection under the law.

A nation that is neither part of the Middle East or Africa will begin to stumble down a very rocky path, and have very few friends to help it up.

The stale politics of the Middle East will continue. Though there now exists greater hope than before for these people to have a responsible, accountable government worthy of them, they too may stumble and fall if they lack our support to back them up.

The World's Largest Democracy will begin great strides to stand alone & apart in order to better modernize their country and improve the quality of their environment.

Freedoms of Speech, Press Endangered

We live in such primative times, and half measures are indeed the curse of it.

What I am about to describe has made me so angry and bewildered, that I honestly don't know what to say about it. But I'll try . . .

There seems to be a secret assault on our freedoms of expression being conducted on multiple fronts. This isn't to say that the government is evil, out to get us, and wants to implant some sort of vast authorian society; however, there does seem to be something going on. Perhaps the purest form of free speech by concerned citizens [ Blogging ] is trying to controlled by the US Government. All the while, reporters are being punished for doing their jobs. What concerns me is not that the government is doing this, power always seeks to expand itself.

What scares me is that Americans don't seem to notice or care about this. Yet our neighbours across the lake seem to be growing more courageous in dealing with their government.

New Freedom Tower

Much Better

Though I wonder if it was the best that we could do . . .

Like a breath of fresh air

C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y : Same-sex legislation passed Last Updated Wed, 29 Jun 2005 00:02:31 EDT CBC News The Liberals' controversial same-sex marriage legislation has passed final reading in the House of Commons, sailing through with a vote of 158 for and 133 against. INDEPTH: Same-sex Rights Supported by most members of the Liberals, the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP, the legislation passed easily, making Canada only the third country in the world, after the Netherlands and Belgium, to officially recognize same-sex unions. But the passage of Bill C-38, once again, came with a political price tag for the government. Joe Comuzzi, resigned from the cabinet so he could vote against the bill - an open rebuke of the government legislation. Comuzzi was the minister responsible for Northern Ontario. Although he was the only cabinet minister to break ranks with Prime Minister Paul Martin over the controversial plan to legalize the marriage of gays and lesbians, it highlighted the divisions within Canada and within the Liberal party, pitting supporters of equality rights against those who are defending religious freedoms. For Comuzzi, the decision to resign meant putting principles ahead of the privileges of cabinet. "In 2004, during the election, I promised faithfully to the people of Thunder Bay-Superior North, that I would defend the definition of marriage," he said, explaining his move. The prime minister said he regretted the decision of a man he called an "old friend," but accepts it because the government must speak with one voice on same-sex marriage. The "vote is about the Charter of Rights," said Martin. "We're a nation of minorities and in a nation of minorities you don't cherry-pick rights." The government has moved over the last few months to appease critics both within Liberal ranks and among Canadians at large. Amendments were introduced to ensure no religious group or charitable organization is forced to accept same-sex marriage. But in spite of those amendments some groups remain unconvinced. Same-sex marriage remains one of the most difficult issues ever to confront Canadian politicians. In large part passage of the bill is the reason the parliamentary session was extended for the first time in 17 years. But while Tuesday night's vote closes off the debate in the Commons, the Conservatives insist there is no closure for Canadians who believe marriage should continue to be defined as the union of a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says if his party forms the next government, the law will be revisited. Harper made the promise one day after suggesting the adoption of the law lacked legitimacy because it relied on the support of the separatist Bloc Quebecois. Harper said he believes Bloc MPs are the legitimate representatives of Quebec voters. But he argues most Canadians aren't buying it as a final decision since most federalist MPs are opposed to same-sex marriage. Harper says a Conservative government would hold a free vote for all MPs on the matter, rather than forcing cabinet ministers to vote with the government. Copyright ©2005 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved

Half Measures

So Sad, Yet So True

Let's try to help rebulid the fence

I thought that these words from our dear old friend, Dr. Lecter, poignantly state our country's current situation . . .

You must be healed by now, on the outside at least.
I hope you're not too ugly.
What a collection of scars you have.
Never forget who gave you the best of them,
and be grateful.
Our scars have the power to remind us that the past was real.

We live in a primitive time, don't we?
Neither Savage Nor Wise
Half measures are the curse of it,
Any rational society would either kill me or put me to some use.

G8 MUST Reinvigorate

I'm all for helping out Africa, as well as any other impoverished nation in the world. I think that it is truly unethical for the wealth countries to have allowed such an international disparity in wealth & development perpetuate and propogate for so long. I also believe that Live8 truly does have a chance at forcing the policy makers of the Group of 8 to address this disparity and perhaps permanently irradicate it when it comes to Africa.

But, as a serious student of politics [that's right, I actually study the stuff instead of pretending to like so many current bloggers . . . a rant for a different time] I feel that I should point something out. Something, that to anyone ever having studied or been involved in politics is quite painfully obvious -- Money is not the answer!

For years now, wealthy nations have given Africa ample aid to have solved a good number of its problems. Yet, these problems continue to this day due mostly in part to rampant political corruption, horribly structured economies, and little public accountability. We must learn from the past history of our African aid relations if we are to have a chance at actually helping this continent that deserves so much more out of history than it has received. Let's make sure that this flawed past does not continue, and that we take a fresh approach to solving this problem. Even a locally fresh approach would be preferred to our past.

Rally for Free Press

Ok, I know I just got on Bloggers for banding together too much & too often in the blogosphere, and sometimes creating a group-think mentality.

But could we rally together to help out Judith Miller of the NY Times and Matthew Cooper of TIME Magazine?
They could really use our help: it looks like nobody else is going to give it to them.

After all, if amateur informants such as we are able to enjoy ample freedoms, liberties, and privileges associated with our disclosure & veritable publication of information . . . shouldn't the professionals enjoy equal rights, if not greater ones?

Environmental & Energy Policies Polluted with Errors

Stale politics as usual. As the US is encroaching upon a hotter summer, and thus illness and deaths from heat are likely to increase, it is sad to see stale ideas being included in new legislation.

Though the finals details are yet to be hammered out in the US Energy Bill (the Senate is yet to vote on final amendments and a conference version is yet to be decided between the two houses), the bill barely takes steps forward to improve US Environmental Policy. Sadly, very few Congresspersons seem to realize that it is in the best interest s of the US to fight for a better environment via a more responsible energy policy. Nor do they seem to realize that a more environmentally responsible energy policy could spur greater economic development vis à vis Americans spending fewer dollars on foreign oil, wasting fewer tax & personal dollars on the negative health effects of fossil fuels, and Americans spending more money on their domestic economy via the creation of new high tech jobs for alternative energies as well as macroeconomic displacement from reduced energy bills.

[Yes, the above could have been better punctuated, but I'm a bit sick today. So, please forgive me.]

My point is simply that despite a growing consensus of what steps should be taken by the US to reduce dependence on foreign oil, lower energy bills, improve environmental conditions, and thus improve the health of the population; the current bill, though better than Mr. Bush's proposal, only inches forward.

I know that politics is like the boring of hard boards, but the US was once known for its fresh and creative approach to politics, policy, and the problems with which government is confronted. Isn't it a bit sad, when this is the freshest idea?

Downing Street Memo

Ok, I know I'm a little late to get on the Memo Bandwagon, but I have 2 main reasons for this.

1. I don't think anyone has read this fledgling blog. Though I'd be delighted if someone did, and leave a few comments.
2. I wanted to avoid a group-think mentality of the blogospere. United blogging to draw MSM attention to an otherwise forgotten issue is great, but like any informative segment of society, is not great when it comes at the price of neglecting other equally important stories.

At any rate, I think this will tell you everything you could ever want to know about the Downing Street Memo. [Scroll for the June 19, 2005 post].

I'd also like to congratulate all Bloggers everywhere for finally getting true, national US coverage of the Downing Street Memo. Once you've gotten this Russert's attention, you can rest assured knowing that we'll start getting answers.

So Simple, So True

Iran's president-elect: A hard-liner, for a change

Clay Bennet rocks my socks!

No other cartoonist that I know of can be so succinct, so poignant, so true, and so comical all at once.
If you know of any other editorial cartoonists better or equal to his talents, then let me know. I'd love to see their work.

This is exactly, but not fully, what I mean when I say Stale Politics.

Can't we all agree that this is not a good direction for our country to head towards?

Iranian Youth Begin Text Revolution

The story below speaks for itself.

What the Iranian Youth are doing is not only brave, but also inspiring, hopeful, and praiseworthy. Though it may seem a silly teenage thing to text, these people may have very well begun a revolution of reform in their country that will allow them to all enjoy true liberty.

The greatest revolutions in the world have started with simple acts like this, that nobody ever notices. If anyone is reading this fledgling blog yet, then please, Help out the Iranian Youth and spread the word about this story.

Print Story: Iran sees red over election text messaging craze



Also, for more information about new technology sparking cultural & political revolutions please read the book Smart Mobs, by Howard Rheingold and visit it's related website Smart Mobs

A Daddy-Complex of a Different Sort

Shouldn't Andrew Cuomo quit trying to be like his father?





Oh yeah, happy Father's Day!

Fresh Salad Politician Takes Office in LA

It looks like LA may finally be getting the kind of Mayor it deserves, a fresh salad politician.

Antonio Villaraigosa took the oath of office Thursday afternoon to become the 41st mayor of Los Angeles in a private ceremony in his City Hall office, although he will not fully enjoy the powers of Mayor until July 1. Yet when he does assume the full duties, responsibilities, and privileges of the office of Mayor of America's second largest city; he will have taken the first steps in implementing a true change in our political landscape. Razing years of political rot across the country with ripples pulsing from our West Coast.

Villaraigosa, being the fresh person that he is, does not enter into this political office thru traditional routes. Though he enters the executive office with ample experience with the political system, he has not risen thru the ranks of the city council. Nor has he worked intensely in the machines of party organizations. Villaraigosa achieved the office by his noticed efforts of helping his fellow men & women while working with the ACLU of California and various Labour organizations.

While defending their rights, regardless of the staked positions of his party, he has proven to be a man of principle who acts only in the best interests of his fellow citizens. The finest definition of a public servant.

Though Villaraigosa has previously attempted this office, and would normally be disqualified from fresh salad praise solely because of this. His MO of working outside the established LA Democratic machine, of defending policy positions that best serve his constituents and not himself or his party, of restoring politics to the people warrant his fresh salad praise. Not to mention the fact, that in the city with the highest Latino population, restoring to power a Latin-American to the office of Mayor of Los Angeles for the first time since 1872.

Proper Introduction

Having realized that I had fallen prey to the all-to-easy temptations, urges, & sins of Blogging by turning my innaugural post into a modified rant, I thought I would give my Blog a proper introduction.

It is my sincere belief that one of the greatest problems facing both American and International politics is a lack of clever, adept, and insightful thinking when approaching the policy problems and quandries that face us in our brave new world. All too often, we are presented only with stale options leftover from antiquated, if not obsolete, schools of thought from years gone by.

Conservatives present us with their two ruling houses for answers, neither of which have changed for decades. They ask that either a.)the situation be left alone because the status quo is sufficient for a resolution. Or b.)that no problem actually exists. More recently, however, they have presented us with a third option c.)that the more Fundamental view of the American sects of Protestant Christianity have the true and proper answers for any problem. Yet neither of these are acceptable answers to me since a.)their must exists some fault, no matter how infinitissimal, with the status quo for the problem at hand to have arisen. b.)it is extremely rare that any attention is given to contrived stories, situations, and problems in the policy world; and c.)the answers for the problems presented in the realms of politics, government, & policy are more apt to be found thru careful & objective analysis than in the faith-blinded beliefs of any religion or its following.

Concordantly, Liberals are beginning to slip into a similar motis operandi by offering to the public not original, inventive, or forward-reaching solutions. Instead, Liberals have currently regressed to schools of thought that once were simply not good enough for them or their consituents. In Democratic strongholds, such as New York or California, they ask their followers to remember the glory days of yesteryear and to put their fate in regionally familiar names. Names that have often piddled away politcal funds, lost election after election, and continually fail to deliver measurable & positive results. Moreoever, they have lost their connection with the ingenuity that fueled this nation and propelled America into becoming the great place that it was, is, and still may live to be. Instead, they have connected with more European sentiments of a laissez-faire attitude towards many of the worlds problems. We are asked neither to improve nor worsen problems, but only to leave them alone, to believe that such problems are either insolvable or eternal.

Despite these problems present in both parties and on both sides of the aisle, I believe that there still exists glimmers of hope that shine thru from time to time and allow us to reform our political process. Policy & Social problems must be solve with ingenuity, creative thinking, and insightful analysis. Thus, in order to fully do this and to truly help people and better their lives (which I believe to be at the heart of government's purpose), Politics should be fresh & diverse like a salad. A heterogeneous mix of a newly harvested crop offering to its sampler an almost instant rejuvenating feeling that will ultimately lead to their better well-being.

It is here that rests the purpose of my Blog. To attempt to provide greater coverage, information, and insight into those within the Democratic party within the state and city of New York who dare to break from the entrenched mold and practice fresh salad politics.

Newsday.com: Poll: Cuomo leading Green in bid for AG nomination

Hello World -

Today, I join the community of Andrew Sullivan, Joe Trippi, Jay Rosen, alter-ego journalists, and the rising international elite of techno savvy youth across the globe with the launching of this - my first blog! I can only hope to contribute to the legacy of Blogging that they have created; restoring the web to its propper place as a treasure trove of limitless information.

My inspiration was simple, my angst obvious, and my clear. I am tired of hearing stories like this one listed below. Democrats must learn that if we are to regain political control of any office in this country, and especially in traditional strongholds, then they must learn to bet on winners not losers.

Politics is often joked as being nothing more than a horse race, and so we should entertain the thought that it is nothing more. Thus, as any descent racing fan would know, we should view our political contenders [horses] as vehicles for future gains/losses [bets]. And though all horses may lose a race or two, after so many losses they must be forced to retire and let back out to pasture. Further, as any savvy gambler would have us know, you should always bet on the horse with the best record, the fewest losses, and overall the greatest chance of succeeding. Winning the race is all that counts and politicians are no good to us if they cannot do just that.

Democrats must reinvent themselves and invigorate their tactics & style if they are to win in the newly reshaped political landscape. The landscape that once was seven years ago has eroded away, and been replaced. Thus Democrats must look not to previously dismissed Democratic office holders nor to those Democrats who once attempted office but ultimately failed. Their time has come and passed. Instead, true blues should look to fresh, new ideas and ultimately different candidtates if they are to not only maintain their base but also reshape issue dimensions and recapture the Median Voters that are oh-so-crucial to American elections.

Neither Andrew Cuomo nor Mark Green should be leading in this poll. Though the familiarity of their names may bring comfort to the Red-made wounds true blues have incurred since 2000, they will ultimately fail us . . . as any losing horse would. We need fresh young stallions who have had the propper training and preparation to actually win a race. Of any of the reaming candidates in the NY AG 2006 race, only Sean Patrick Maloney begins to fit this mold.

Our new world is not brave or brash, but it is bold and well staked out. Only politics that are fresh, like a salad, can have a hope of changing it.

Newsday.com: Poll: Cuomo leading Green in bid for AG nomination