tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post5040303662840264737..comments2024-03-18T21:52:45.757-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: We May Be Rescued By The VictimsDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-75792278957717898532007-08-06T20:26:00.000-07:002007-08-06T20:26:00.000-07:00I'm afraid this thread is pretty stale now, but I ...I'm afraid this thread is pretty stale now, but I still want to respond to Brin's comment directed to me. First of all, for the record, I don't think I am any more of a libertarian than Brin is. But more to the point, no, I am not blaming the tool. Blaming the plutocrats, though, is not good enough either—yes, they should all be imprisoned, if not hanged, but ultimately it is <I>The People</I> who are responsible for the actions of this government. Brin himself said:<BR/><BR/><I>If Red America cannot rouse itself enough to see that Culture War has gone too far, then they are not open to reason or evidence.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, for me, 2004 was more than enough to convince me of that. I don't care that it was <I>only</I> 51% of voters who re-elected Bush-Cheney, that's at least 46% too many. Clearly, the people of this country are too ignorant and/or complacent to be entrusted with their own government, nevermind government of a world empire. It's not the system that's at fault, it's the people.<BR/><BR/>So, the people need to be disarmed of their empire. It's that simple. They cannot be trusted to serve this role. It breaks my heart to say that of my own countrymen, but what else can you say? They have not held up their end of the bargain in this Great Experiment, to remain educated and vigilant, and they present today a <I>clear and present danger</I> to the entire planet, which the rest of the world now recognizes. So, there are two choices: a) dismantle the empire willingly, and peacefully, or b) cling to it fiercely until the rest of the world <I>subdues</I> us. You tell me, which do you think is the better option?Sedicioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08212751630211620243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-39615774945017490892007-07-29T06:11:00.000-07:002007-07-29T06:11:00.000-07:00"...PJ's opinion is it's unlikely to get any furth...<I>"...PJ's opinion is it's unlikely to get any further than political gasbagging."</I><BR/><BR/>I hope so... but it seems unlikely to me that that would be the end of it. The People In Charge have a <I>huge</I> vested interest in turning the internet into another centralized medium (TV, radio, print publications) before the citizenry really start using it to get organized. The PiC are probably getting a bit antsy to get this project going, given that the citizen-organization is slowly but surely starting to happen.<BR/><BR/>My guess is that this is just a marketing trial -- to see how strongly people react against it, who are the most vocal opponents, what kinds of arguments are raised for and against, etc. so that they can refine their approach for the next attempt.<BR/><BR/>Remember, they've already pretty much destroyed radio, which used to be much more of a vehicle for propagation of local views and tastes.Woozlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17948248776908775080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-75127491502226250402007-07-27T22:40:00.000-07:002007-07-27T22:40:00.000-07:00When you talk about the Professional Class resisti...When you talk about the Professional Class resisting the current administrations policies it occurs to me that that there have been examples of this since the beginning of this administration. I think the media has failed to report on many many excellent qualified people working with the administration who "resigned over principle", "resigned to spend more time with family", et cetera. I'd give my eyeteeth to see a comprehensive list of every important officer/ appointee/ member of the DOD who has retired, been fired, or quit during this administrations run. It would be really nice if these same individuals would stand up and be counted. Of course this is a challenge for the media to practice real journalism. The impact would be enormous if this could be summarized, reported, explored and explained for the general public. The public would want to know if our public servants are being bullied out of their jobs to the detriment of American society. Facts, names, repeated situations, these are building bricks to construct a consensus. Fortify the meme, so to speak, with the trail of conscientious objectors.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-89443854224887564612007-07-26T00:43:00.000-07:002007-07-26T00:43:00.000-07:00I might just add that I forwarded that P2P article...I might just add that I forwarded that P2P article to Groklaw, and PJ's opinion is it's unlikely to get any further than political gasbagging.<BR/>(BTW, she has won the Google O'Reilly <A HREF="http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070725150713244" REL="nofollow">FUD fighter of the year</A> award)Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-12079365498422132812007-07-26T00:32:00.000-07:002007-07-26T00:32:00.000-07:00Politicians charged on Tuesday that peer-to-peer n...<I>Politicians charged on Tuesday that peer-to-peer networks can pose a "national security threat" because they enable federal employees to share sensitive or classified documents accidentally from their computers.</I><BR/><BR/>This would be hilarious if it wasn't another vivid reminder of how clueless our elected leaders are about technology.<BR/><BR/>Um, Chairman Waxman, the whole internet is a P2P network. A web browser can unleash all sorts of sinister traps and tricks. <BR/><BR/>I just can't believe this is a serious topic — Good Gates, while I a serve as a small fry web developer now, I have much experience engineering $BigFortune500CompanySystems and navigating through IT structures and any competent staff can easily implement measures to eliminate intrusion risks and reduce user destruction.<BR/><BR/>And if job is that sensitive, then the workstations should be untethered to the internet, or at least secure (i.e., requiring VPN and other encryption tools to access).<BR/><BR/>So tragic that the D's are falling over themselves to maintain oligarchic dinosaurs wishing to remain in the 20th century… …when the attention should be on critical issues like ending an illegal/immoral invasion/occupation, health care, education, poverty and presently, rooting out the corruption and criminality of the current executive office holders.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17776798115265942884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-28993146700551632822007-07-25T16:26:00.000-07:002007-07-25T16:26:00.000-07:00Did that committee think to invite Bill Gates alon...Did that committee think to invite Bill Gates along for a roasting?<BR/><BR/>They should get a Linux!<BR/><BR/>(Ever hear of '<A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_Orifice" REL="nofollow">BackOrifice</A>'?)Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-72898100802483822662007-07-25T14:57:00.000-07:002007-07-25T14:57:00.000-07:00I still hold out hope that the people of this coun...I still hold out hope that the people of this country will awaken and stand up to dictatorship.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16277151638257375522007-07-25T12:27:00.000-07:002007-07-25T12:27:00.000-07:00Possible "transparent society" alert?Friend claims...Possible "transparent society" alert?<BR/><BR/>Friend claims it's just the RIAA trying to use the 'National Security' angle to shut down the p2p's they don't like.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6198585.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=zdnn" REL="nofollow">Link</A><BR/><BR/><I>WASHINGTON--Politicians charged on Tuesday that peer-to-peer networks can pose a "national security threat" because they enable federal employees to share sensitive or classified documents accidentally from their computers.<BR/><BR/>At a hearing on the topic, Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said, without offering details, that he is considering new laws aimed at addressing the problem. He said he was troubled by the possibility that foreign governments, terrorists or organized crime could gain access to documents that reveal national secrets.<BR/><BR/>Also at the hearing, Mark Gorton, the chairman of Lime Wire, which makes the peer-to-peer software LimeWire, was assailed for allegedly harming national security through offering his product.<BR/><BR/>The documents at risk of exposure supposedly include classified government military orders, confidential corporate-accounting documents, localized terrorist threat assessments, as well as personal information such as federal workers' credit card numbers, bank statements, tax returns and medical records, according to recent studies by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and private researchers.<BR/><BR/>Evidence that sensitive information is accessible through peer-to-peer networks illustrates "the importance of strengthening the laws and rules protecting personal information held by federal agencies" and other organizations, said Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), the committee's ranking member, who has sponsored a bill that would impose new requirements on government agencies that discover security breaches. "We need to do this quickly."<BR/><BR/>The politicians present Tuesday generally said they believe that there are benefits to peer-to-peer technology but that it will imperil national security, intrude on personal privacy and violate copyright law, if not properly restricted. Both Waxman and Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) dubbed P2P networks ongoing national security threats.<BR/><BR/>Congressional gripes about P2P networks are hardly new, and in the past, they have reinforced concerns raised by the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America. Four years ago, the same committee held a pair of hearings that condemned pornography sharing on P2P networks and also explored leaks of sensitive information. And throughout 2004, Congress considered multiple proposals that would have restricted--or effectively banned--many popular file-swapping networks. Waxman noted that he was not seeking to ban peer-to-peer networks this time around but rather to "achieve a balance that protects sensitive government, personal and corporate information and copyright laws."<BR/><BR/>To be sure, the kind of information leaks that alarmed politicians at Tuesday's hearing are most likely already against the law or federal policy. It is illegal for government employees to leak certain types of classified documents without approval, either electronically or through traditional paper means.<BR/><BR/>Mary Koelbel Engle, the associate director for advertising practices in the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said her agency has found in its studies of peer-to-peer network use that risks to sensitive information "stem largely from how individuals use the technology rather than being inherent in the technology itself."<BR/><BR/>Some politicians nonetheless lashed out at the sole representative from a peer-to-peer software company at Tuesday's hearing: Lime Wire's Gorton, who is also CEO of parent company Lime Group.<BR/><BR/>The most scathing criticism came from Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), who launched into a lengthy monologue in which he deemed Gorton "one of the most naive chairmen and CEOs I've ever run across," and accused his company of making the "skeleton keys" that grant access to material harmful to U.S. national security.<BR/><BR/>"I'd feel more than a shade of guilt at this point, having made the laptop a dangerous weapon against the security of the United States," Cooper said. "Mr. Gorton, you seem to lack imagination about how your product can be deliberately misused by evildoers against this country." (Cooper also, at one point, claimed that Gorton's own home computer was probably leaking sensitive documents.)<BR/><BR/>Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) warned Gorton that Lime Wire's practices may open the company up to serious legal liability.<BR/><BR/>"Would it surprise you if you have a string of lawsuits for inherent defect in your product if people like Charlie Mueller of Missouri finds out he's lost his IRS filings and feels he's been damaged?" Issa asked.<BR/><BR/>Gorton repeatedly defended his company's practices and said he wasn't aware of the extent to which national security information was being accessed through his network.<BR/><BR/>Lime Wire strives to make its product easier to understand and is working on a new version even more tailored to the "neophyte" user, Gorton said. The software incorporates a number of warnings intended to stave off inadvertent file sharing, he added. For instance, pop-up messages appear when users attempt to share folders, such as the all-encompassing "My Documents" folder and the root directory, which are considered likely to contain sensitive information.<BR/><BR/>"A lot of the information that gets out there now is because people accidentally share directories that they wouldn't mean to share clearly," Gorton said. "Those warnings are not enough, at least in a handful of cases."<BR/><BR/>That assertion drew sharp disagreement from Thomas Sydnor, an attorney-advisor in the Patent Office's copyright group. He said peer-to-peer users are being tricked into sharing files they don't intend to make public and claimed that LimeWire's warnings to that effect don't always appear as they should.<BR/><BR/>In research for a report released in March, the Patent Office found it "stunning to see features that are incredibly easy to misuse," Sydnor said. "You can go to an interface in these programs that looks like you're doing nothing except choosing a place to store files, and you end up sharing recursively all the folders on your computer. It's very easy to make a catastrophic mistake."<BR/><BR/>Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation experienced an incident in which an employee's daughter installed LimeWire on the home computer that her mother occasionally uses for telework--and misconfigured it in such a way that documents from the department and the National Archives were open to others using the network--including a Fox News reporter. Forensic analysis determined that some of those documents were already publicly accessible and that none of the DOT documents contained sensitive personally identifiable information about anyone other than the employee herself.<BR/><BR/>The agency's chief information officer, Daniel Mintz, told the committee that his agency already has sufficient authority to combat "inadvertent" file sharing and that it already is required to take such activity into account in its annual information security reports to Congress.<BR/><BR/>The key to preventing additional incidents like that one, Mintz told the politicians, is for his agency to step up oversight and "to make sure we're really pushing the policy," which requires written authorization for installation of P2P programs on government machines. That also means beefing up training for its employees and making sure that they're aware of what the limits are, he added.<BR/><BR/>General Wesley Clark, who now serves on the board of a small company called Tiversa that makes applications designed to monitor peer-to-peer file-sharing activity, called for "some pretty hard-nosed policies by business and government contractors that prevent people from doing government work on computers that have anything to do with the peer-to-peer networks."<BR/><BR/>"Even when people...are sophisticated with computers, they can still make a mistake, and all that material can be gone in an instant," the former Democratic presidential candidate told the committee.</I>sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18470876990034288672007-07-25T10:35:00.000-07:002007-07-25T10:35:00.000-07:00Each time I hear a candidate accuse someone of fan...Each time I hear a candidate accuse someone of fanning the flames of a Culture War, I want to scream 'TOO LATE!' There is a culture war, and anyone without clout is losing. Even if you think you're on the same side as the Republican party, you're not. Money = speech = power - this nation is a plutocracy. It may always have been.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, as for the definition of Democracy, I think a much simpler model holds. Democracy is the right of the people to stand up and yell "Bullshit" to those in power. Oh, and not be hauled off to the gulag. <BR/><BR/>Just once I'd like to see a debate where one candidate turns to the other and says BS! Or the moderator keeps telling the candidate to answer the question - I can sit here all night...OK I live in fantasyland.<BR/><BR/>We see the Neocon model with PrezBushII's speeches in front of invitation-only audiences. Even those audiences are too quiet now, so loyalists are placed near every microphone and the target of each camera.<BR/><BR/>And we'll have to see whether the next person in the Executive office uses the newfound tools to reverse some of the damage done over the past 8 years. Declassifying everything according to law would be a start....TER-ORhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03869894078668912792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-75314604787797009402007-07-25T05:45:00.000-07:002007-07-25T05:45:00.000-07:002008 Presidential Election Candidates on the Issue...<A HREF="http://www.2decide.com/table.htm" REL="nofollow">2008 Presidential Election Candidates on the Issues</A><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.dehp.net/candidate/index.php" REL="nofollow">Pick Your Candidate</A><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.dehp.net/candidate/stats.php" REL="nofollow">Pick Your Candidate - Stats</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-90940365972014213992007-07-25T04:46:00.000-07:002007-07-25T04:46:00.000-07:00Well, buck up!I gather that the Miers and Bolton a...Well, buck up!<BR/><BR/>I gather that the <A HREF="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/7/25/41714/6998" REL="nofollow">Miers and Bolton are being cited for contempt</A> on ignoring subpoenas, despite what the whitehouse has to say about executive privilege.<BR/><BR/>Something to ponder over the morning's cornflakes.Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-14441191701411013082007-07-24T23:56:00.000-07:002007-07-24T23:56:00.000-07:00David,maybe you are right. I guess it depends on a...David,<BR/>maybe you are right. I guess it depends on a lot of things which you might understand better than me, being in the US.<BR/><BR/>Still - in NZ it is a coup in the socialist party that crippled socialism in NZ. In Israel it was a strong conservitive leader who was able to start moving settlements (OK, only a few...).<BR/><BR/>Its like how coporations support both political parties presumably with the idea that it is great to have a fierce political battle as long as both sides are your side.<BR/><BR/>Many on the left have been critical for a long time of how the you get to vote between coke and pepsi come election day.Geniushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624496692217466430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-23023191214316430032007-07-24T22:29:00.000-07:002007-07-24T22:29:00.000-07:00Alert. Has anyone out there seen or heard confirm...Alert. Has anyone out there seen or heard confirmation that O’Reilly has slammed ME for “inciting treason” with this particular blog entry?<BR/><BR/>???!!!???<BR/><BR/>Actually, the version of this entry that appeared on Daily Kos (where I sometimes duplicate-post my political pieces.)<BR/>http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/23/32643/4649<BR/><BR/>I am surprised because this time I was VERY careful to parse the rebellion "in favor of the law and the Constitution" ... and thus BY DEFINITION not advocating anything illegal.<BR/><BR/>Secondly, why would he even draw attention to my tiny, ignored corner of rant-ocracy?<BR/><BR/>You all could help of course, by raising my attention score on Kos. Even reposting some of your comments here.<BR/><BR/>Still, my main curiosity is as to whether the O’Reilly rumor is true.<BR/><BR/>----<BR/><BR/>Genius, I agree with your dream scenario. Alas, except for Ron Paul, all the Gopper candidates have sold their souls to the plutocrats and the loons. That’s what “loyalty to your base” does to American politics. It gives the indignation junkies total power over a pragmatist civilization.<BR/><BR/>Yes, I hope Ron Paul can draw decent libertarian-minded conservatives. Still, his chief effect will be to make it LEGITIMATE for such people to keep calling the GOP their home, even while the tent is filled with the stench of monstrous treason. Oh, I don’t mind if you folks in red states throw votes and cash his way, as a meaningful gesture. But do you actually think he’ll swing the center of GOP gravity back toward, say, the Bob Dole era, let alone actual libertarianism? No chance.<BR/><BR/>Sedicious, like most libertarians, you blame the tool - government - and not the ones who have <I> stolen our hammer and screwdriver and started beating us with them!</I> As a quasi libertarian, I share the dream of small government. But your position is like blaming firehoses for the way segregationists used them in Selma.<BR/><BR/>Dig it. And grok it. What we are seeing is an attempted putsch by a sub-section of the aristocracy. And Adam Smith himself would tell you that “cronies of the king” have always been THE biggest danger to free markets... and freedom in general.<BR/><BR/>Moreover, under Clinton/Gore, government worked WELL! And it got (slightly) SMALLER. Those are two things any sane person should want, even if their inclination is to want it smaller, still. (Reminder, dems have lessened govt more than goppers EVER did.) <BR/><BR/>We are NOT seeing a difference of degree, but a difference of kind, and one worth fighting over. Hard.<BR/><BR/>Radical, it is rebellion if you refuse the orders of a superior who NORMALLY has the right to give you orders. But some rebellions are legal. That is the contention of the Declaration of Independence and the Nuremberg rulings. It happens that the “rebellion” I am speaking of is heroic, lawful (ultimately), ethical and <I>obligatory</I> upon those civil servants who can open their eyes and see what is being done to their country.<BR/><BR/>But they must be very, very careful. I agree about that. They must be punctilious. I am asking them to step into a minefield. I know that. But they chose professions that <I>inherently</I> are about serving a civilization that they supposedly love. One that they are sworn to defend. <BR/><BR/>Yes, resignation is honorable and can have political effects. But I am sure the neocons have taken that into account and each resignation is one less brave public servant to have to browbeat and cow. It is time to be much more effective than that.<BR/><BR/>Now is the time.<BR/><BR/>Kenshi, I never felt this way about ANY previous political opponents. As a contrarian, I always found good things to say about Reagan and Dole, especially when liberal friends got too full of dudgeon. (I enjoy poking at ALL dogmatists, even those who are 90% right.)<BR/><BR/>But this is an exception. The neocons are genuine traitors and monsters. They want to cover us in darkness and utter secrecy and chains of permanent lordship. It took me years to reach this point, but I can honestly say there are NO redeeming qualities of the Cheneykleps. They are out to directly and irreversibly take our Great Experiment away from us. There are no other explanations even remotely consistent with the facts. Though I am still not sure whether they are doing this in service of a foreign power. <BR/><BR/>If Red America cannot rouse itself enough to see that Culture War has gone too far, then they are not open to reason or evidence. We must use cleverness and great care and fresh ideas to pull the decent conservatives of America out of Rove’s Big Tent, so that the residual fevered folk of Red America can start to feel what they need to, in order to heal... realization, embarrassment, maturity, citizenship.<BR/><BR/>Oh, but try this on your ostrich friends. <I>“Imagine the VERY WORST tales you heard about Clinton, including “whitewater murders” and black helicopters. Not one of those tales was true. But multiply it by a hundred and you’ll not touch the truth about the blackwater neocons.</I>”<BR/><BR/>Anonymous said: “I must confess to being made a little nervous by his suggestion. The bedrock of a functioning democracy is the absolute, reliable, and non-partisan obedience of the civil service to elected government. When the civil service, an in particular the military, starts feeling able to pass judgment, you get onto a very slippery and steep slope...”<BR/><BR/>Yes indeed! Do you think I reached this point easily? I am horrified to find myself in such a position! Asking sincere public servants to gather combat-levels of courage, and then to risk all they have in courageous stand? And to in some cases thus somewhat undermine the assured and reflexive Marshallian acceptance of executive/civilian authority? <BR/><BR/>This is a horror story! I say it with open eyes and pounding my chest for having failed -- FAILED -- to find any better way to save the nation and civilization that I love.<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/>Dems corruptible? See:<BR/>http://www.davidbrin.com/blackmail.html<BR/>Demand that your new Democratic representative read it too! <BR/>Before it is too late.<BR/><BR/>Joel, I love your mention of Jonah! The JOB of sci fi is to offer <I>”self-preventing prophecies.”</I><BR/><BR/>Stefan, we need LOTS more evidence before anyone can be impeached without doing great harm to the Republic. That’s where the civil servants come in. Even if they lack the courage to stand up in the glare, they can LEAK! Oh please. Leak like mad. It is called accountability. It’s a duty.<BR/><BR/>But Stefan, you touch on an important point. <B>I care far less about the nine US attorneys who were fired, for not toeing the line, than I care about the <I>eighty or so who Gonzales found “acceptable”!</B> Why aren’t THEY an issue?????? </I><BR/><BR/> They are the calamities. The cancer in America’s throat. <BR/><BR/>But if any of them stepped up, now, they would be heroes in our eyes, forever.<BR/><BR/>---<BR/>Marc, try this on your ostrich pals. “What political party did EVERY SINGLE CONVICTED AMERICAN TRAITOR since 1974 belong to? Including all the spies who betrayed America by handing secrets to the KGB?”<BR/><BR/>Marc, part of ending culture war is to redefine “liberal” more in tune with its older meaning. A meaning that includes John Locke and Adam Smith, alongside ML King. Ah, but you imply another shift. Anyone notice the DECLINE OF LIBERAL INTEREST IN GUN CONTROL? Anyone want to ponder that? <BR/><BR/>Please. Do NOT ponder it here. I don’t need that kind of attention.<BR/><BR/>Finally, I favor a different kind of states rights. States can ALREADY call meetings and agree to <I>uniform law codes.</I> The Uniform Business Code is an example. They are free to do this without a scintilla of permission from Congress or the president! Though with some care for areas of federal supremacy. In fact I call for just such a meeting:<BR/>http://www.davidbrin.com/gerrymandering1.html<BR/><BR/>What a session. What a community.<BR/>If only...David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56709802903011477992007-07-24T22:11:00.000-07:002007-07-24T22:11:00.000-07:00Speaking of a call for an increase in states' inde...Speaking of a call for an increase in states' independence, we had this little bombshell this morning:<BR/><A HREF="http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/rudd-urged-bracks-to-join-murray-plan/2007/07/25/1185043158420.html" REL="nofollow">Howard to Take Over Control of Murray Basin Water Allocation</A>.<BR/><BR/>It's not a straightforward power grab by Commonwealth, and the issue of whether Australia has the population base to support three tiers of government has always been an topic of debate.<BR/><BR/>Nor do I see Howard as being in quite the same league as your motley crew in the US. (although he definitely rates as 'Straussian' in outlook)<BR/><BR/>Still, he's been getting very pre-emptive of late. eg: taking direct control of the running of aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory on the pretext of weeding out pedophiles (while quietly re-pocketing their land titles)<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/>RM: sounds good. But can't fusion power be pursued whilst wringing hands over the 5% reduction from hybrids? (Sorry if that sounds semantically picky, but we have a problem that requires all avenues to be investigated)Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15422337861103922752007-07-24T21:58:00.000-07:002007-07-24T21:58:00.000-07:00I just saw this report that Schwarzenegger is goin...I just saw <A HREF="http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/nextnews7.24b.html" REL="nofollow">this report</A> that Schwarzenegger is going to propose that California fund research into Robert Bussard's inertial electrostatic confinement fusion system. Since Bussard thought he could pull off a power-producing reactor for about $200M, this could be a big deal.<BR/><BR/>For more info, check out <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywell" REL="nofollow">this pretty good Wikipedia entry</A>, and <A HREF="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1996321846673788606" REL="nofollow">this talk by Bussard</A>, entitled, "Should Google Go Nuclear?"<BR/><BR/>It may be nothing more than smoke and (magnetic) mirrors, but it sure beats wringing your hands over how we can maybe save 5% of the US energy budget in 30 years if plug-in hybrids happen to take off.TheRadicalModeratehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04671143818738683349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-41575782632613400892007-07-24T20:55:00.000-07:002007-07-24T20:55:00.000-07:00Approval voting > Instant Runoff Voting.Approval voting > Instant Runoff Voting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-30647354943693437182007-07-24T19:31:00.000-07:002007-07-24T19:31:00.000-07:00ernieg said...We need to go back to a union of Sta...<I>ernieg said...<BR/>We need to go back to a union of States, Jefferson, Madison and others knew that the way to curb the excesses of a central government was for the States to have the power. <BR/><BR/>Take a look at the Declaration Of Independence. The First Line:<BR/>The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united STATES of AMERICA...<BR/><BR/>Notice the emphasis.<BR/><BR/>Zargon> I'm just calling for states to start disowning Washington. <BR/><BR/>Exactly , one of the biggest attacks on the republic was the 17th Amendment, popular elections of Senators. <BR/>... </I><BR/><BR/>I'm definitely for more increase states rights as part of the solution. What should happen, is a REFOCUS on making the Citizen sovereign, and then the states and then the Federal government -- you know, when that "old piece of paper was written."<BR/><BR/>I would balance the right of the State to elect the Senator directly, with an end to the Electoral College -- which doesn't seem to serve a purpose AT BEST, and also serves to remove any hope of anything but two parties.<BR/><BR/>And while we are dreaming of this perfect world that both Dems and Republican leaders would fight tooth and nail, let's go for Instant Run-off voting with proportional votes... meaning you vote on down the list who you like in order -- in any party.<BR/><BR/>So you don't vote for Hillary, because you think she can win and you couldn't stomach Guilliani -- you vote for Kucinich, and on down the line to put Hillary at the end. You don't sacrifice your preferred candidate for the lesser evil. That would end overnight the politics of division.<BR/><BR/>Add to this, public funding of elections. Anyone want to tell me, why it's so expensive to fund elections when NOT funding elections makes us waste $1 Trillion in Iraq?Fake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6549361015093820242007-07-24T19:23:00.000-07:002007-07-24T19:23:00.000-07:00Tony Fisk said...And, at a fictional but still ver...<I>Tony Fisk said...<BR/>And, at a fictional but still very relevant level, check out the B5 episode 'Chains of Command'.<BR/><BR/>All it takes is a little creative thinking.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Hmmm. Anyone who likes B5 is a person to listen to. Yeah, that does seem to give me some reason for hope.<BR/><BR/>I like Bill Clinton's quote on top of that; "What is wrong with America can be fixed by what is right with America." -- stuff like that almost makes me forget about NAFTA and allowing for the media consolidation to go through.Fake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-91487442543064479222007-07-24T19:17:00.000-07:002007-07-24T19:17:00.000-07:00David Brin said...Moreover, the biggest fear that ...<I><B>David Brin said...</B><BR/>Moreover, the biggest fear that the monsters must face, is the possibility than members of the professional caste may start making test cases, forcing the Bush court appointees to show their hands, affecting public opinion...<BR/><BR/>...and possibly even getting some of those court appointees to start pondering THEIR basic loyalties to a republic of laws and open systems. And justice.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>I think we are already starting to see some of these test cases -- where "business" folk start testing the real standings of the courts.<BR/><BR/>I don't hold much hope for Bush appointees "seeing the light" about justice. The #1 qualification for a Bush appointee is that they helped fund raise and the #2 quality for a Bush appointee is that they couldn't get a good paying job without their feckless loyalty to the Bush administration.<BR/><BR/>Gonzales got Bush out of Jury duty in Texas -- because then he'd have to admit some things under oath... and A G has failed upwards ever since. You can look at the Monica Goodling case as another example. Or "heckuva job" Brownie as another. FEMA outsourced the evacuation busses to the former head of FEMA, and like a good Contractor, he outsourced the entire job (sans of course, his nice little "Executive fee"), to another group that failed to arrive with buses because they were making profit every hour they didn't rent some buses and go pick up people.<BR/><BR/>So, the real hope is with the "Old Guard" amongst the bureaucrats -- the underlings you appealed to. I suspect that they've been helping us all along -- that's how we find anything out about BushCo, is through a sneaky whistle-blower passing on some dirt.<BR/><BR/>But I think this vanishing breed of committed and competent person has been hard tested these many years. Those that haven't quit have been frightened by the numerous retaliations on whistle-blowers.<BR/><BR/>But that has un-done the Bush administration in the Attorney firings case -- because it was the smear campaign directed against the former prosecutors that made them complain in the first place.<BR/><BR/>The ally against BushCo, is the competent people left in his administration -- he can't get rid of every one of them, because his loyalists couldn't manage a bake sale without these people.<BR/><BR/>What we really need, is to start putting together funds for Whistle Blowers. Like $1 Million to the person who can come forward with evidence of what damage occurred to Brewster-Jennings. What needs to happen, is a real grass roots efforts with enough money to help our allies within BushCo, survive the crash landing that they will have by being made an example of.<BR/><BR/>I'd figure about 5 would do it. 5 People with some dynamite dirt -- all within the span of 5 weeks. What do you say? Get a lot of Constitution-loving Business folks together, and we all pitch in to create <I>Bounties for Bush.</I> <BR/><BR/>While I'm a bit cynical that mere facts of wrongdoing would move anything (we still have people on the web who make the ludicrous claim that we can't impeach because we don't have any credible evidence) -- what this would really serve to do is to drive a wedge between Bush and his Republican support -- AND, take the fear away from career bureaucrats in coming forward (fear is what holds them together).Fake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-8045025660565947332007-07-24T18:49:00.000-07:002007-07-24T18:49:00.000-07:00As a Progressive, or Democrat or whatever someone ...As a Progressive, or Democrat or whatever someone wants to call me these days,.. I saw way back in 2000 after the elections were stolen and a future Supreme court justice joined ranks with James Baker to lead a phony protest and just a bus load of men shut down the recount. The supreme court, then broke ranks and helped stop the recount and appointed Bush president -- I knew right then and there we weren't getting out of this mess with a "vote."<BR/><BR/>As many people who look to Ghandi or Martin Luther King as models of non-violent protest, what they don't understand is that non-violence works, only when people are frightened of the Black Panthers or something else. The fat cats of the status quo ignore MLK, until they fear the violent uprisings in the cities of California that took place.<BR/><BR/>The only thing that is going to move the "status quo" calculations of people like Pelosi, is a fear that the house of cards is going to fall.<BR/><BR/>While the Democratic representatives may appear clueless, if you only depend upon the Lame Stream Media to get your news. They have also bee censored by the press. While I and my like-minded bloggers have been screaming about weak-willed political opportunists amongst the Democrats who don't fight for the power of their conviction.<BR/><BR/>Almost 70% of Americans now support impeachment.<BR/><BR/>If the economy weren't propped up by military DEBT spending -- there would be a lot more people howling because they bleed from their wallets.<BR/><BR/>I'm really getting the jitters now, because so many other people are starting to say things that I've been saying -- it makes it more real. The Bush administration does not seem to be acting like lame ducks -- and if they allow Democrats to get control, there will be a lot of investigations that overturn their putsch... they haven't worked so hard to lose their fascist dreams for another generation.<BR/><BR/>So as the Dems slowly maneuver their backs into the wall -- I think both sides are realizing more and more what they are dealing with; The Dems are realizing that they have a corrupt, group of "do anything" fascists, that have already corrupted the courts, and the Republicans are realizing that the Dems may not be as spineless as they are calculating, and that they don't pounce until their mouse is caught in it's own trap...<BR/><BR/>... but I see George Bush as a man who would shoot his own horse, rather than admit it lost the race.<BR/><BR/>And to see the fence-sitting Libertarians, now agreeing with Dems (while of course, saying that they don't go in for whatever extreme things dems are into) -- is a little heartening and a little scary.<BR/><BR/>When I mention the Black Panthers -- I think back to what I warned some troll about 4 years ago... I said; "You don't have to worry about the Liberals ... you have to worry about the TRUE Conservative believers. The Klansmen who feel betrayed because it wasn't about hurting the ethnic folk -- it was about pulling up the ladder of opportunity for EVERYONE. The bible-thumpers are going to feel betrayed, because their theocratic nation will end up drying up like a mist -- they won't be able to blame their own vitriolic bile for the reaction of the masses -- so they will blame NeoCon leaders. The marginal "pro-business" people will finally realize that THEIR business isn't on the inside of the country club walls -- and you will start seeing corporate in-fighting because in a Fascist state -- there are only a few winners... an early entry into this rebellion is the greening of DuPont (incredible ... one of the worst polluters now is proving that Kyoto makes sense and they are saving money by conserving).<BR/><BR/>There are so many potential Timothy McVeighs out there. Some of the "Anne Coulter" fans will stay until the end... right up to the moment when they see their leaders, begging for forgiveness. People addicted to hate will follow Anne Coulter, Hannity, O'Reilly, and other shills to the grave -- as long as they appear strong. But show a bit of weakness and it is like a chicken with blood on it in a pecking party.<BR/><BR/>*** <BR/>The big crisis will start if and when BushCo invades Iran, or if and when they have their next false flag. I'm sure they run the calculations of prison vs. absolute power every day. As they lose power, they will become more desperate. Their gamble may work... <BR/><BR/>... but just look at Iraq. It is an example of someone trying to "win their way out of" an addiction to the Lottery. Either they want to bankrupt our country, create genocide for the Saudis, or they were honestly thinking their Reaganomics would work and were surprised that it didn't (my guess is, that the leaders gave their followers the agenda that best suited their various insecurities). But these people don't change, because as a group they've always gotten ahead by being more brazen, and passing more blame -- success or failure only makes a NeoCon more of a NeoCon. So they keep throwing more troops, more death, more bombs, rather than admit that Iraq needed a Martial plan.<BR/><BR/>I can only see the hands of international bankers, who seem to be the only ones not going into debt in the follies of all these NeoCon led nations as the only benefactors of BushCo's reign.<BR/><BR/>However this turns out -- it is going to get very messy, unless the Republicans in power realize that if THEY don't impeach Bush, they will have Democrats with all the powers they tried to gain, or even Worse -- Bush will succeed in creating his decidership, and he won't have any use for them.<BR/><BR/>Liberal pacifism will be embraced as soon as people are frightened of their former allies in the NeoCon cabal -- this always seems to be the case. Liberalism is actually a Centrist -- people movement. It's the hub all these spokes hang off of. There isn't really a reason for many of the NeoCon and Conservative factions to work with each other, if one of them wins.<BR/><BR/>Dang, I wish I could make this point better. To generalize: A Liberal believes in the common good -- not beholden to just capitalism or socialism. Now I won't say their isn't some "protect every fluffy animal with food stamps" mentality, but a lot of that idea about liberals has been a concerted attempt by the corporate class to discredit Populist movements.<BR/><BR/>Just look at the media and the Bush administration and try to tell me, there aren't a lot of haters who planned this. Tell me how so many extremely screwed up people got to the top of the food chain at all these evangelical churches, and they started making deals with the devil if it wasn't a conspiracy to infiltrate and take over various religions. Why did Rove promote people he found out were Pedophiles? Why do we see this pattern around the world where NeoCons have taken root?<BR/><BR/>Please, do a google search on the topic before you discount this notion; "Politician involved in sex crime" and then see who they were connected to, and who they helped before they got caught -- watch as their wrist gets slapped. But what are the odds that so many NeoCons are this way? I don't think it is the followers that are this way -- but when you compromise a politician, it's better than having lobbyist money and a lot cheaper.<BR/><BR/>So here is the structure I'm trying to make clear; Liberalism has been seen as the "wimps" -- but it is really Populism, the idea of what is good for everyone -- and it can go capitalist here or socialist there or sometimes even Libertarian --- what you folks refer to as the lowercase letters.<BR/><BR/>The Conservatives are really not much more than powerful leader worshipping and a collection of neurotic people who are frightened of something -- where they lean depends upon what they fear (hardly the strong man types they revere -- but that's why they crave the Swarzeneggar illusion so much). So if they hate disorder and fear their own urges -- they go NeoCon bible thumper. If they love money, but hate people making them feel guilty, they Listen to Neal Boortz and pretend to be not-NeoCons, but still supporting Republicans (if the shoe fits, wear it). If they hate compassion as a weakness, and fear people not like them, they go Klan or paper over their racism with concern about "urban" habits, gays, gun laws -- a collection of people who form "Bush's real base" and these are the people I think everyone fears. They aren't so much a threat to Liberals if they don't have a leader. So if Bush succeeds -- these guys get to win because they will be free to hate. If he fails -- they will be the ones he has to fear, because they hate weakness. Bush wins, and SOME corporatists win, but MOST lose.<BR/><BR/>So, there will be a rush to the Liberals by all the losing factions. If the Liberals were to move with the power of their convictions, and stop being "politically smart" with people like Pelosi, Hillary, and Obama -- then they might even get some of the Coulter fans, because these people hate weakness more than compassion. They like Ron Paul or Murtha types. The corporate types will embrace the status Quo Hillary or Obama -- and you will see the shills like Limbaugh and Fox New's Hannity holding their nose and endorsing Hillary Clinton.<BR/><BR/>The NeoCon leadership are in a transition phase right now. As they consolidate political power in the executive and perhaps with more war -- they lose support. As winners emerge in the multi-national monopoly game, it will become clear that not every one of them will be banking in Dubai and will be out in the cold. As Supreme Court starts showing it's Federalists and Fascists for what they are, the Moonies and the Evangelicals will realize that they won't be getting THEIR theocracy, but someone's else's. Though I think that Pat Robertson could care less if they followed JC or Santa -- there are definitely adherents who care WHICH group becomes the state religion.<BR/><BR/>So, in order to not take the heat of these various colliding interests the NeoCons best move is; A) Let a status Quo Democrat win, and then let all those IOUs come back and ruin the economy -- like it did when Jimmy Carter had to pay for the Republican debts. B) A "bad thing happens" and this means that martial law is declared and of course due to the threat, we won't have elections in 2008 -- so sorry. C) Try and keep stalling, and doing the same things, as infighting makes groups move to the Liberals as a sort of "no man's land." The move will horse trade with Compromised Dems, to spread the taint around, and make everyone become increasingly more depressed with both political parties (most likely).<BR/><BR/>All of these, by the way, require the Dems to NOT IMPEACH. <BR/><BR/>>> Best of luck, Mr. Brin, with the "Military does the right thing angle." I really hope you are right. But Blackwater is in the US, and generals don't get stars by not carrying water. You have always been one of the most interesting and best informed blog sites I know of... but NOW I'm starting to agree with you -- or YOU are perhaps starting to agree with me. Perhaps after you've seen one or two real conspiracies you start realizing that there need to be checks and balances and that government needs to play a role in limiting the power of the wealthy class -- not just in profits (sorry-- I can't help myself, just happy to see your change of mind).<BR/><BR/>I know I sound a little wacky -- but I think the way you are writing now, would seem VERY wacky to yourself about 5 years ago.<BR/><BR/>>> Best regards, <BR/>Mark JFake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-37951410845206233532007-07-24T14:25:00.000-07:002007-07-24T14:25:00.000-07:00Did anyone catch Gonzales' "testimony" today?Isn't...Did anyone catch Gonzales' "testimony" today?<BR/><BR/>Isn't his decision to stay on the job and clean up the problems at the justice department heartwarming?<BR/><BR/>Congress has the power to impeach and <I>try</I> this stooge, and they <I>should</I>. And if Bush tries to pardon him, <I>he</I> should be impeached and tried for obstruction of justice.<BR/><BR/>Because that is <I>exactly</I> what is going on here. Gonzales was hired to obstruct justice. They started it as a scheme to ensure GOP hegemony, and they're keeping it going because they don't want to end up in jail.<BR/><BR/>No, we cannot wait two more years. We can't wait for some pendulum to swing or for people to get bored. Real damage is being done <I>now</I> by the Bush administration. <BR/><BR/>They belong in jail. They deserve to be disgraced and ruined. There should be no chance for these manipulative schemers to get hired by think tanks and then get rehabilitated and poison our country again twenty years down the road.<BR/><BR/>I don't think jail is too extreme, but I'll settle for Truth and Reconciliation hearings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-54430843548029231852007-07-24T14:04:00.000-07:002007-07-24T14:04:00.000-07:00enterik: I prefer a different backronym for the GO...enterik: I prefer a different backronym for the GOP:<BR/><BR/>Graft, Oubliettes, and Pollution.<BR/><BR/>It's a little obscure, but I think it's more fitting.Joelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755460714090772432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21580577302356044542007-07-24T13:59:00.000-07:002007-07-24T13:59:00.000-07:00By the way, if you're looking for the opposite of ...By the way, if you're looking for the opposite of Cassandra, try Jonah.<BR/><BR/>He's the prototype of a prophet whose warnings were heard. He sat up on a hill waiting for the fireworks he had promised, and was humiliated: the people decided to repent, and the wrath he had foreseen withered on the vine.<BR/><BR/>I hope that, in the tradition of good sci fi writers, you turn out to be another Jonah, not a Cassandra.Joelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755460714090772432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86747887281917518052007-07-24T12:40:00.000-07:002007-07-24T12:40:00.000-07:00C. Bob--Nice post, but I'm not quite so sanguine. ...C. Bob--<BR/><BR/>Nice post, but I'm not quite so sanguine. The problem is that the media has a lot invested in a business model where extremism sells. In fact, the 24/7 newsitainment channels and the blogs simply can't exist--at least as currently constructed--without a steady diet of extremist-du-jour to masticate and spread over the hapless electorate.<BR/><BR/>I agree that the current brands of crazy from both sides of the spectrum are getting a bit boring. About time! But I don't see how you get from where we are now to a rational, moderate discourse. (A good start would be a little civility and a bunch of news shows where only one person gets to shout at a time...)TheRadicalModeratehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04671143818738683349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48061711464816218922007-07-24T12:19:00.000-07:002007-07-24T12:19:00.000-07:00Ron Paul is a fringe element allowed at the table ...Ron Paul is a fringe element allowed at the table so that other Gang Of Pirate candidates seem less extreme, maybe even as centrist or moderate, by comparison. As a bonus, the party can be seen as inclusive of radical libertarian positions.<BR/><BR/>His agenda is hopelessly naive in its idealogy and seems no more pragmatic than the fevered dreams of Nineteenth Century Anarchists.Enterikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04758515647778280562noreply@blogger.com