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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PO Box 1132
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(212) 777-7755 tel
(212) 777-0810 fax

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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.