An actual dump of links!
Enjoy!
So it’s been a long time… and I need to get back in the swing of blogging. Since I’ve last blogged, I’ve seen (among other things):
I’ve left out many things, of course, but those were some of the first things I thought when i thought about what I would have blogged about. My impetus for blogging again today was a quote I saw from David Sedaris in the New Yorker (h/t Balloon Juice):
To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”
To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.
I don’t know if anyone could have put it better (although I will admit that after reading the full article, I don’t know if it was intended with the same implications that I read into it)… However, I’ll just leave it at that and let you decide 
.
One final link…. A great post by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
There seems to have been a recent trend (maybe not that recent) among people, especially those with money, to look down upon and actively vilify unions. Certainly, corporations seem to think so, and I'm sure they've put a lot of effort into misinformation campaigns that make unions seem bad, so that they can get rid of unions that unite their workers, and can then abuse said workers who no longer have the protecion of collective bargaining etc. for protection. Over at DailyKos, Nathan Newman writes a great diary talking about the great benefits of unions, not just for the workers, but for society as a whole. It's a great reminder of why unions are not just good, but essential.
Two great recent posts over at Glenn Greenwald's Blog, by guest bloggers… First, Anonymous Liberal asks if the actions of this administration with regards to individual rights both here and abroad are diminishing the idea of "America" around the world. Basically, A.L. argues that the current administration has so tarnished the ideals that America once stood for that the respect that America once had around the world (which was based on those ideals) is being reduced, and that America is just another country.
Hume's Ghost goes in a slightly different direction, and says that things are actually worse; that instead of diminishing America's reputation, the current adminstration has actually defined away the principles that America stood for. H.G. uses some great quotes from members of the military who themselves cannot stand silently by as the administration deviates so greatly from the principles that made America great. Both are great reads.
This week (as early as tomorrow, possibly), the House Commerce Committee will be voting to send a bill to the full house that would probably cripple the internet as we know it. One of the guiding principles of the Internet is the concept of “Network neutrality”: i.e. the idea that no matter your ISP, all sites are equally easy to get to. However, the large Telecommunications companies (Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, etc.) want to change that. The companies want to be able to control which sites you can access. So if certain large companies were to pay enough, their sites would load more quickly than competitors websites (if they were to load at all). You might also see your ISP block sites that they didn’t like (as has already happened in Canada). One of the great things about the internet is that it is a bit of an equalizer… You can get to any site you want, big or small. The free and equal nature of the internet is also bringing about a sea change in people’s involvement in all things, be it an interest in hobbies or government or politics, what have you. All this will likely change if a law like the one under consideration is passed.
I think it’s extremely important for us (if you do indeed support the concept of network neutrality) to try to let our Congresspeople/Senators know exactly how important network neutrality is. While those Reps in the pockets of the big Telcos will probably vote a certain way, there are many representatives who just don’t know enough about the idea. It would be great if we could let them know how important it is to maintain network neutrality.
Here are some links with much, much more information:
Please inform yourselves about the issue and contact your rep/senators if you feel that this is an issue that’s important to you. There are links available at some of the above sites that will allow you to very easily send comments to your rep/senators.
A great post over at firedoglake about one reason why this administration's approval rating is so low.
The AP has obtained a video which shows our fearful leader being briefed on how bad the impact of Katrina would be *BEFORE* Katrina struck landfall. The video belies much of what was said by the president in the wake of Katrina, i.e. the "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees", etc.
Another hodge-podge post…
Glenn Greenwald explores the question of whether the supporters of the current president have a political ideology or not. One of the great articles I have read recently, and it really points to where we are in today's political discourse… it's really not about conservative or liberal or left or right, but basicallly, do you blindly support the current administration? Glenn also follows up with a response to many criticisms of his piece. In a funny bit of irony, many of the criticisms, especially from so-called conservatives, reinforce exactly what his first column said.
Posts Galore today… missed a chance to post some stuff I thought was pretty important… gonna post it all now.
The facts are indisputable. Since the U.S. invaded Iraq in March of 2003, international terrorist attacks in which people have been killed and injured have almost quadrupled. The number of countries hit by lethal attacks has also increased to unprecedented levels.
