Politics

Politics, political discourse, rights and freedoms.

A failing memory?

October 6, 2004

Evidence suggests that John Edwards is fit to be a heartbeat away from being President but calls into question Cheney's fitness. How is it he can't remember standing right next to John Edwards while being Vice President? It does help to explain why we're at war with a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.

Doubletalk

October 2, 2004

Think, but not too much. Think different, but not too different

Dave Winer, in his DaveNet site, asked last week about where the thinkers are. In part he suggests this conventional wisdom (Earth's Website):

Thinking isn't important, feeling is what's important.

Logic isn't important, intuition is what's important.

Science isn't important, perception is what's important.

This is pure bullshit!

As I often do, I found myself agreeing with his ideas. Why then, if somebody is really interested in thinking would they post a link to the story I'm about to talk about. It baffles me. Dave linked to Fred Langa's opinion piece on Apple's Heavy Hand Strikes Again as if it were news worthy. The irony of the whole thing is that both a reference to wanting people to think about technology and the link to Langa's piece were posted on the same day and appear a few lines away from one another.

In fact it is little more than uninformed mac-bashing. Why are windows advocates so scared of the little iMac? Maybe it's just too much to handle having a highly useable, highly customizable computer that most second graders can set up.

Point by point

Let's look at Langa's points (or misinformation) one at a time.

And now, Apple appears to have planted another anti-clone land mine in the new Mac OS 8.5, which mostly plays cosmetic catch-up to Windows, adding features that have been in the Microsoft OS for years.

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Do you understand?

September 19, 2004

Here's one for Dave Winer's list of fact checkers. The Associated Press has a section on the Electoral College in which it asks "Do you really understand how our electoral system works?"

The interactive system then proceeds to tell how the system works. Problem is it is wrong. The explanation claims the Constitution of the United States says that electors are selected by a popular vote in each of the states. Bzzzt! It doesn't. The Constitution hasn't changed (on this issue) for nearly a century and a half. Perhaps it would be a good time for a new fact checker. (There are probably some available from CBS who should be looking for work).

Public interest or pocketbook protection

September 18, 2004

The Rocky Mountain News puts forth its arguments for voting against Amendment 36. The proposed amendment in Colorado would make Colorado's election of electors proportional instead of the more common winner-take-all plan of 48 states. Their first argument is that it would reduce Colorado's influence in selecting a president. However they don't disclose their interest in keeping it. The true interest has less to do with what is best for the people of Colorado. The argument is that a candidate won't spend time in a state with a 4-5 difference in electors compared to a state with winner-take-all and 9 electors. What is more to the point for the Rocky Mountain News is that their ad revenue will decrease if the "interest" of the candidates decreases.

Here a huge media company portrays the interest of Colorado voters as it's main point. However it fails to mention that for decades media companies of all sizes have depended on the revenue from elections to provide great profits.

Public interest or pocketbook protection

September 18, 2004

The Rocky Mountain News puts forth its arguments for voting against Amendment 36. The proposed amendment in Colorado would make Colorado's election of electors proportional instead of the more common winner-take-all plan of 48 states. Their first argument is that it would reduce Colorado's influence in selecting a president. However they don't disclose their interest in keeping it. The true interest has less to do with what is best for the people of Colorado. The argument is that a candidate won't spend time in a state with a 4-5 difference in electors compared to a state with winner-take-all and 9 electors. What is more to the point for the Rocky Mountain News is that their ad revenue will decrease if the "interest" of the candidates decreases.

Here a huge media company portrays the interest of Colorado voters as it's main point. However it fails to mention that for decades media companies of all sizes have depended on the revenue from elections to provide great profits.

Oh the choices we have

September 14, 2004

So if we listen to Vice President Cheney then a vote for Kerry means more attacks on the United States. Perhaps he knows because Haliburton is a key financier of terrorist regimes, or perhaps it's mere speculation on his part.

On the other hand Scripting News points out very well today that Bush is mortgaging future generations to Osama bin Laden. I'm reminded of talking with a trust officer friend of ours last spring. He explained that the trust management community had been concerned about what would happen when, with continued prosperity and government surpluses, the treasury stopped issuing script. What would they do without T-Bills? It is a problem that never fully emerged as W (as in Wrong) made sure your children's great-grandchildren will still be paying Uncle Osama back.

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