Digital Common Sense

Filed by Ken at 8:03 pm under Politics
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Here’s a gem from the same Bush impersonator that Bush used for a comedy routine at the White House Correspondents dinner. This video is awesome.

Filed by Ken at 7:14 pm under Politics
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Don’t miss the closing credits.

Filed by Ken at 7:41 pm under Politics
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My son is coordinating an event with Governor Bill Richardson to meet with bloggers again when he’s out in Seattle next week. It’s on the 24th. I don’t have all the details, but if you’re in WA and interested, drop me a note.

Technorati Tags: Governor Bill Richardson, Richardson for President

Filed by Ken at 5:57 pm under Politics
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I’ve not hidden my support for Bill Richardson in these early efforts for the Presidency. Oddly enough, the only potential alternate I see is Republican Fred Thompson, but he’d be a distant second choice today. And the other Dems? None of them impress me or meet my needs. None.

Here’s the Richardson video

Tune in this Friday, May 11 to see Governor Richardson chat with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show.

Technorati Tags: Bill Richardson, President, campaign

Filed by Ken at 12:12 pm under Politics
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1. (On an infant’s shirt): Already smarter than Bush.
2. 1/20/09: End of an Error
3. That’s OK, I Wasn’t Using My Civil Liberties Anyway
4. Let’s Fix Democracy in This Country First
5. Bush. Like a Rock. Only Dumber.
6. You Can’t Be Pro-War And Pro-Life At The Same Time
7. If You Can Read This, You’re Not Our President
8. Hey, Bush Supporters: Embarrassed Yet?
9. George Bush: Creating the Terrorists Our Kids Will Have to Fight
10. Impeachment: It’s Not Just for Blowjobs Anymore
11. America : One Nation, Under Surveillance
12. They Call Him “W” So He Can Spell It
13. Which God Do You Kill For?
14. Jail to the Chief
15. Who Would Jesus Torture?
16. No, Seriously, Why Did We Invade?
17. Bush: God’s Way of Proving Intelligent Design is Full Of Crap
18. Bad president! No Banana.
19. We Need a President Who’s Fluent In At Least One Language
20. We’re Making Enemies Faster Than We Can Kill Them
21. Rich Man’s War, Poor Man’s Blood
22. Is It Vietnam Yet?
23. Bush Doesn’t Care About White People, Either
24. Where Are We Going? And Why Are We In This Handbasket?
25. You Elected Him. You Deserve Him.
26. Impeach Cheney First
27. Dubya, Your Dad Shoulda Pulled Out, Too
28. When Bush Took Office, Gas Was $1.46
29. The Republican Party: Our Bridge to the 11th Century
30. 2004: Embarrassed 2005: Horrified 2006: Terrified

Technorati Tags: slogans, bumper stickers, politics, humor

Filed by Ken at 7:10 pm under Politics
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From http://pol.moveon.org/townhall/iraq/transcripts_p.html#richardson

This is a long interview with plenty of questions. Here’s how it begins (emphasis mine):

ELI PARISER: Born in California in 1947, Governor Bill Richardson grew up in Mexico City before moving to New England, where he earned an undergraduate and a Master’s degree from Tufts University. Richardson served in Congress for 15 years, was President Clinton’s Secretary of Energy, served as Ambassador to the United Nations, and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 4 times. He was elected governor of New Mexico in 2002 and was elected to his second term last year, fighting on behalf of New Mexicans to improve education, build a high-wage economy, invest in renewable energy, and expand health care access. 
Richardson has been married to his high school sweetheart, Barbara, for 33 years.
Welcome, Governor Richardson.  I’ll pose to you what we’ve posed to the other candidates:  What is the best and fastest way to end the war in Iraq?

GOVERNOR RICHARDSON: I wanna thank you, Eli, and all the members of MoveOn that are participating in today’s town hall, and I think this is great that you’re scrutinizing candidates and getting them to put forth their clear position. Here’s my position on Iraq and it’s not on the one hand on the other hand, benchmarks, etc… if I were President today, I would withdraw American troops by the end of this calendar year. I would have no residual force whatsoever.

Now go read the whole thing for yourself. That’s enough for me right there. No bullshit. No mealymouthing. I will take action. I will get it done. And having followed Governor Richardson for a while, he’s thinking I will be accountable too.

Technorati Tags: Bill Richardson

Filed by Ken at 4:11 pm under Politics
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Again,  I’m just posting this in its entirety from my son’s blog.

Richardson Successful in North Korea

You
can’t get much more successful in diplomacy than Bill Richardson. Once
again the Governor has been successful in North Korea. The delegation
that Richardson is co-leading with Anthony Principi has secured the remains of American servicemen and accomplished the mission it was sent to Pyongyang to do.

Richardson, a former ambassador to the U.N., has regularly made
diplomatic trips, often on his own initiative, to global hot spots.
Although visits to North Korea by senior U.S. officials are rare, this
was Richardson’s sixth.

In a possible sign of improved ties, a
North Korean general said the remains of six U.S. servicemen would be
handed over to the Americans. Three of the sets of remains had
identification tags, U.S. officials said after meeting with the general.

Richardson called it a noble humanitarian gesture that would bring comfort to American families.

Not
content to accomplish the mission, the delegation pushed North Korea to
shut down its main nuclear reactor and allow U.N. inspections, as was
laid out in an accord that came out of six party talks earlier this
year.

Richardson said his delegation pushed Kim
for a show of good faith that North Korea was ready to meet its
obligations under the February deal, asking for a meeting of the six
nations involved in the nuclear disarmament talks before the deadline.

He
said he was hoping to travel to the reactor site in Yongbyon, 55 miles
north of Pyongyang, but there were a lot of “political issues
involved.” He did not elaborate.

Heath Haussamen also has a good post on Governor Richardson’s North Korea trip.

Here is the official press release from Governor Richardson’s office.

Note: Richardson is the candidate I’m currently supporting and the only one I see in the race from any party that I can in good conscience support. I remain unimpressed buy all the others.

Technorati Tags: Bill Richardons, North Korea

Filed by Ken at 12:18 pm under Politics
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Posted from my son’s blog in its entirety because I don’t think I can add to this.

When I Find Myself In Times of Trouble…

Emmett was the first to post on this topic.

Who do you call when a foreign policy issue needs resolution? Who in the United States of America has the respect of world leaders and foreign nations to get the job done on behalf of Americans?

President George W. Bush provided the answer to that question by asking Bill Richardson to lead a delegation to North Korea to discuss the remains of missing U.S. servicemen.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat running for president, will lead a U.S. delegation to North Korea this month to oversee the return of remains of American troops from the Korean War, the White House said on Tuesday.

[...]

The group will meet with North Korean officials in Pyongyang then travel to Panmunjom on the demilitarized zone to watch over the transfer of remains from the Korean Peoples Army to United Nations Command personnel, a U.S. administration official said.

Clearly no other presidential candidate has the gravitas or diplomatic acumen that Bill Richardson possesses. If they did, why is Bush sending Richardson to North Korea and not one of the other candidates? I’m sure it has something to do with Richardson’s track record of proven results with the North Koreans. No other person has had as much success negotiating with Pyongyang.

Technorati Tags: Bill Richardson

Filed by Ken at 5:19 pm under Politics
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I’ve been slow to resopnd on this, mostly because I’m swamped. Aren’t we all. Nonetheless, Stowe Boyd’s post today triggered my own test.

Cingular Blocking Freeconference.com Number

by Stowe Boyd
I  tried a Freeconference call number today, tipped by my buddy Chris that many of their numbers are being blocked by Cingular. Yes. Got some misleading announcement.
[Read Stowe's full post]

Like Stowe and others, I’m posting this notice as recommended by Freconference, but I’m following with some vitriolic observations of my own.

I object to the recent actions by AT&T/Cingular, Qwest, and Sprint to block calls to selected conference call providers and rural telephone companies. I do not believe they are operating within the law, the public interest or the terms of my existing telephone contract with them. I demand the right to:

1) access all legal long distance numbers from my land line or cell phone
2) use the conference calling service of my choice from my land line or cell phone
3) choose and have access to legitimate, publicly available services via my land line or cell phone

My business will be severely impacted if I do not have access to conferencing services that are free with the normal cost of a long distance call (which already compensates these carriers for my call). I cannot/refuse to pay the exorbitant rates charged for conferencing services by large conference service providers such as AT&T.

The PSTN, or Public Switched Telephone Network exists to provide ubiquituous access to telephone numbers. By blocking this acces, Cingular has impaired my access to the PSTN by forcing me to their CSTN or Cingular Selected Telephone Network. In short, Cingular has failed to honor the public trust granted them as a provider of access to the PSTN.

I would urge the FCC to immediately require Cingular to cease and desist if they are to continue in providing public telephone service. This isnt’ negotiable. This is a class action suit in the making. And I’d argue the plaintiff community is every Cingular subscriber who’s ever been blocked.

I would strongly urge the other carriers not to follow Cingulars misguiged example. The results will not be pretty.

Technorati Tags: Cingular, predatory business practive, violation of public trust, failure to provide service

Filed by Ken at 4:13 pm under Politics, Unified Communications
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Thanks to Elaine at Kaliliy Time for the pointer to this incredible work of art done by 19-year old Kristina Costa. She won Best of Show in the Skidmore College Student Art Exhibit with her 6-foot high portrait of George W. Bush. It’s a work in progress that gets updated continuously because the portrait is comprised of toy soldiers - one representing each Iraq casualty.
 

This is the legacy by which history will remember GWB.

Technorati Tags: Bush legacy

Filed by Ken at 1:35 pm under Politics
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This evening I’ll be listening on a briefing call with Governor Richardson. I’ll be recording it, so podcast may follow either here or on my son’s blog. Or the other Richardson support blogs.

Then at 7, I’m going to go to the Olympia Meetup at Mud Bay Coffee, 1600 Cooper Point Rd, Olympia. If you’re in town, please join us. I’ll be taking pictures and video that I’ll post later here. And if there are enough people, we may record and podcast some of that too.

Technorati Tags: Bill Richardson, Richardson for President, meetup

Filed by Ken at 1:15 pm under Politics
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So Richardson did toss his hat in the ring. And at this point, he’s clearly the only one running who garners my serious attention. I’m depressed to say the other Dems in the run probably won’t get my vote even if they were to win the primary. That’s how bad I think they are, and I’ve never voted for a Republican for President. Ever.

Just thought I’d share some info.

Here’s one news clip from http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/535361nm02-03-07.htm
Saturday, February 3, 2007

Bloggers Gear Up For Bill’s Campaign
By Jeff Jones
Copyright © 2007 Albuquerque Journal; Journal Politics Writer

The blogs are booming for Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential bid.

The number of Internet-based groups plugging  Richardson in his run for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination has exploded since he kicked off his long-expected candidacy earlier this month.

Young Professionals for Richardson. Brooklynites for Richardson. Hill Country (Texas) for Richardson. Illinois for Richardson. Northern Colorado for Richardson. These are only a few of the dozens of pro-Richardson support groups that are now a mouse click away in cyberspace. 

“We had 25 groups before the announcement. And we have close to 60 now. These are mostly all new groups,”  said Emmett O’Connell, a Washington state blogger who helped found americaforrichardson.org, a blog that provides links to pro-Richardson groups from coast to coast.

O’Connell  helped establish Tuesday as a Richardson “meet-up day” for the computer-centered
groups to host small community meetings promoting Richardson’s bid.

O’Connell and fellow blogger Ken Camp will have their meet-up at Mud Bay Coffee in Olympia, Wash. O’Connell said he expected that two dozen or so other Richardson meet-ups will be taking place in other states, and he’s hoping they’ll become a monthly happening.

“We’re stereotyped as people in pajamas who sit around and blog endlessly about politics,” Camp said. But, he added, “The goal is to spur people into action to support a particular candidate or cause. It will be face-to-face, and we’ve encouraged our friends to reach out to their local Democratic parties.”

It remains to be seen just how many of the new computer groups will host the initial meet-ups next week: Journal e-mails to several of them went unanswered on Friday. But scoring the so-called “netroots” support is political gravy for Richardson, who for months has gone out of his way to court bloggers and plug their importance in politics.

Richardson presidential campaign deputy manager Amanda Cooper said Friday that a meet-up in Boston could bring in more than 100 people, while another in Minnesota is expected to draw 35 people.

She said Richardson will be linking with the meet-ups via conference call and plans to field questions.

“The governor is very proud and pleased at this grass-roots, net-roots level of support,” campaign spokesman Pahl Shipley said. Richardson has “made an effort to reach out to bloggers and include them in the process. As the governor said, you ignore (the movement) at your own peril.”

The Internet is chock-full of people providing their various political opinions— some pumping up Richardson as having the right stuff for the White House, others blasting him and singing the praises of his competitors for the Democratic nomination.

Bloggers first flexed their collective muscle in the race for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, when they helped Howard Dean’s campaign bring in millions of dollars in political contributions.

A number of pro-Richardson blogs, including americaforrichardson.org, popped up long before he announced his candidacy. He traveled to Las Vegas, Nev., last summer in part to court a nationwide convention of left-leaning bloggers, and he has made it a point in various speeches to mention their importance in politics.

Camp said the focus of discussion in next week’s meet-ups will be on what supporters can do to help Richardson in the early primary and caucus states of Nevada, New Hampshire and Iowa.

All content copyright © ABQJournal.com and Albuquerque Journal and may not be republished without permission. Requests for permission to republish, or to copy and distribute must be obtained at the the Albuquerque Publishing Co. Library, 505-823-3492.

For the curious, the Ken Camp mentioned in the article isn’t me, but my #1 son. He blogs here and is very active in campaigning for Bill Richardson.

The reported apparently found me more easily and called here, but I got the two of them in touch so they could chat the other day. And the ripples are widening. Here’s the local news that was online this afternoon.

Richardson presidential campaign effort to begin in
Olympia
The Olympian

A group calling itself Washington for Richardson launches its efforts for presidential candidate Bill Richardson Tuesday night in Olympia.

The group plans a 7 p.m. meeting at Mud Bay Coffee, 1600 Cooper Point Road N.W., Olympia. Two Olympia Democrats, Ken Camp and Emmett O’Connell, are organizing the effort separately from former New Mexico Gov. Richardson’s national campaign.

The activists had been working informally for a year, blogging for Richardson at www.AmericaForRichardson.org. Camp said tonight’s meeting is open to anyone of any party affiliation who wants to know more about the candidate.

For information, go to www.wa4richardson.blogspot.com or call 360-561-9334

My plans are open. I’m definitely a Bill Richardson fan. Right now, he’s the man I want to see get the job. I doubt that will change easily. I’ve already send a package offering my assistance to the campaign any way I can. I know they’ll need help with issues like net neutrality, online chlid protection, identity, telecom regulation, what on earth to do with the FCC and a number of other technology issues.

For now, I’m planning on attending the meetup tomorrow night. I hope to take pictures and video with the Nokia N93 and N80i. I’ll probably haul my Nikon along. And my Marantz PMD660 in care there’s podcast stuff worth grabbing too. So you may get a glimpse directly into an early Richardson meetup in the next day or two.

More to come. This campaign is going to kick some serious butt. Richardson won’t settle for a smarmy slogan like “I’m in it to win.” That’s an excuse for an also ran, and a feeble one at that. Hillary lost my vote forever with that crap and her posing as an outsider so she can play the “us” against “them” game. Her strategy is already in the toilet.

Last time around Edwards tried to be the good old boy from down home. A sublte variation on the “us” against “them” game. His modest little home shown below has made the rounds a lot lately. Sorry John, but “us” don’t live in that neighborhood. Nice to see a nice house to go with the nice haircut, but Edwards can’t win my vote. He has too much going against him.

This isn’t going to turn into a political blog. I don’t see that happening. But I will share what I know, what I’m doing, who I’m supporting and why.

Technorati Tags: Bill Richardson, Campaign, Richardson for President

Filed by Ken at 8:39 pm under Politics
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I’ve seen several indicators this was coming, but I’m glad to see it moving forward. At least now there’s a Dem who could win my vote and my support in the race now. The others all seem to ahve one or more major holdback and I don’t think I could vote for any of them.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Announces Presidential Campaign Exploratory Committee
Richardson has unparalleled experience and
proven record of success as a Congressman, UN Ambassador, Energy
Secretary, and Governor

SANTA FE, NM–New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today
announced the formation of a Presidential campaign exploratory
committee, with the clear intention of seeking the Democratic
nomination for President in 2008.

“I am taking this step because we have to repair the
damage that’s been done to our country over the last six years,” said
Richardson. “Our reputation in the world is diminished, our economy has
languished, and civility and common decency in government has perished.”

“The next president of the United States must get our
troops out of Iraq without delay. Before I became Governor of New
Mexico, I served as Ambassador to the United Nations and as Secretary
of Energy. I know the Middle East well and it’s clear that our presence
in Iraq isn’t helping any longer,” said Richardson.
[Read full press release]

Technorati Tags: Bill Richardson, Persidential campaign

Filed by Ken at 10:52 am under Politics
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I had a nice chat this afternoon with an old friend and colleague, David Isenberg. David and I worked for AT&T at the same time, but not together, back the the day. The days prior to his essay “Rise of the Stupid Network“. As fortune would have it, we left that mothership about the same time, headed in different directions.

One of the things David’s done since then, and he’s done many things, is to put together a conference called Freedom to Connect. Last year I was unable to attend due to scheduling logistics. It was one of the most important conferences for me to attend this year. Sadly, because of short notice and scheduling conflicts, I have to miss it this year as well. I wrote a bit about my frustration and disappoinment here.

As I said in that post, I’ve met David personally and had the pleasure of sharing dinner with him. I also know, through emails and chats over time, that David invests a great deal of himself in this conference. He doesn’t make any money from it. Knowing David, I’m confident he loses money and puts more than just time into this effort. It’s something he’s been passionate about for years.

Here’s some background, then I’ll tell you why this conference is important.

F2C: Freedom to Connect updated 7Jan07

WHO: F2C is a meeting of people engaged with network connectivity and applications as vendors, customers, regulators, legislators, citizens and co-creators. This year, the theme of F2C is how networks are changing our fundamental economic and social assumptions. (F2C is produced by David S. Isenberg of isen.com, LLC.)

WHAT: F2C is a two-day meeting where the builders and users of the networked economy engage communications policy makers, network technologists, application creators, and the builders and operators of the new infrastructure.

WHEN: 8:00 AM on March 5 through 5:00 PM on March 6, 2007. Program here.

WHERE: AFI Silver Theater, Silver Spring MD. More travel, lodging and venue details here.

The web site says it - F2C is a two-day meeting where the builders and users of the networked economy engage communications policy makers, network technologists, application creators, and the builders and operators of the new infrastructure. That’s important on more levels than I can document in a blog post.

One big issue that gets a lot of attention is the whole idea of Net Neutrality. I won’t like and tell you I feel strongly either way. That isn’t because of the issue, but because of how the issue has been framed. I struggle with that myself.

But the people involved are the ones who can help bring change. For me personally, there’s a much bigger issue than Net Neutrality in play. There’s a tangible digital divide in the world, even here in the US. And the have nots aren’t being pulled into the digital universe at the rate they should be. That’s an issue for society to address at the local, regional and global level. That problem directly impacts literacy and education. The impact of technology on society will be measured by history, and many leaders today, both in the tech sector and in policy shaping areas, will be found wanting in the balance.

Freedom of the press is an issue. It’s a new issue in some parts of the world. Or perhaps not an issue because the digital divide provides a measure of control over mass publication. No matter what your thoughts, this is an important issue.

Yochai Benkler from Yale Law School sets the stage for much of that discussion. Mark Cooper from Stanford will doubtless share insights into the business side of mergers and how they impact market power (ie. control).  Reed Hundt always presents a compelling story, and brings insights few of us get to see firsthand. In addition, I see Susan Crawford, Dan Gillmor, Mary Hodder, onathan Krim, Blair Levin, Cory Ondrejka, Gigi Sohn and David Weinberger on the speakers list. And I’m sure David’s working to get Michael Powell to join the conversation. David’s relentless at times.

But it isn’t just these leaders. People like Bob Frankston, Martin Geddes, Jerry Michalski, Tom Evslin, Bruce Kushnik, Doc Searlsand Tim Wu participated last year as I recall. And some other bright minds like Dean Landsman and Frank Paynter. This conference truly isn’t about the speakers. It’s about the conversation. The conversation in the hallways, in the restaurant, and at the coffee pot. Some of the keenest minds on our planet join in this conversation. This is the kind of conference that will open your eyes and make you think anew about some of the issues we’re all faced with.

‘m still very disappointed that I can’t be there, but I can’t. And I know given it’s coming soon, many of you can’t either. If you’re close, available, and can attend, I encourage you to get there. And if you can’t, read the blogs, watch your RSS feeds and pay close attention to the conversations that come out of F2C. This conference will set the stage and frame the conversation for more than one issue we’ll be talking about for the next year or two.

Technorati Tags: Freedom to Connect, F2C, David Isenberg

Filed by Ken at 7:07 pm under Politics, Technology
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I’m quite frustrated with this announcement that appeared today for the first time that I could find. And I’ve looked specifically for this event for the past several weeks.

F2C: Freedom to Connect updated 7Jan07

WHO: F2C is a meeting of people engaged with network connectivity and applications as vendors, customers, regulators, legislators, citizens and co-creators. This year, the theme of F2C is how networks are changing our fundamental economic and social assumptions. (F2C is produced by David S. Isenberg of isen.com, LLC.)

WHAT: F2C is a two-day meeting where the builders and users of the networked economy engage communications policy makers, network technologists, application creators, and the builders and operators of the new infrastructure.

WHEN: 8:00 AM on March 5 through 5:00 PM on March 6, 2007. Program here.

WHERE: AFI Silver Theater, Silver Spring MD. More travel, lodging and venue details here.

Last year, due to some logistics problems, try as I might, I just wasn’t able to make the F2C event. It was one of my “must attend” events for 2007 and I’ve been watching for word on when and where it would be held.

Frankly, six weeks notice is totally inadequate for my business logistics. I’m already committed the week prior and two weeks later. I can’t begin to attend an event like this across country with so little advance notice.

I’ve met David personally and shared dinner. I’d like to participate, but I’d say F2C has now fallen off my radar. After missing two years in a row, it will take some substantial reasoning driven by interest, and reasonable notice aforehand for me to even look twice in the future. I’m quite frustrated.

Technorati Tags: Freedom to Connect, F2C, David Isenberg

Filed by Ken at 12:35 pm under Politics, Technology
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I often studiously avoid direct involvement with politics here. It’s not my forte, and there’s plenty of reason to think my views are quite different than some of yours. I’m going to deviate briefly in this post, then things will return to normal, at least for the moment.

This caught my eye and forces me to react:

The secret Scoble mission revealed

Tech Chronicles has confirmed with Robert Scoble that he’s embarking on an out-of-state trip into the world of politics: He’s been invited to help former Democratic VP candidate John Edwards announce his presidential bid in New Orleans tomorrow. He flies out today.

Is this a sign of “you” politics? Scoble thinks so. He points to a New York Times article that says Edwards is arguably the most Web-savvy candidate in the 2008 race and that he will use Thursday’s event to gin up support via the Internet.

Ok, so there’s what I think is a bad move for everyone involved, but I’m not going to elaborate. Mr. Edwards isn’t my candidate of choice. I think he represents fodder that would ensure a Republican victory again. I don’t see him as electable in almost every aspect I personally look at. Like Ralph Nader, he’s a distractor, and not someone I’ll seriously consider or support.

That said, for the first time in memory, I will tell you who I do support. Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico.

He is to me the best candidate and the only Democratic candidate with an ounce of international capability to heal the grevious damage the current administration has inflicted on American dignity worldwide. Governor Richardson has my unqualified support in a number of ways.

I’m crafting a package for the Governor’s campaign staff, even though as yet he has not officially tossed his hat in the ring. I believe he will. I believe this strongly. I hope he does. And in the package I’m sending, I’m offering any consultative assistance I can provide to aid his campaing efforts in both the use of technology as a campaing tool, and in providing research, white papers and helping craft position papers on a variety ot technology-related issues.

I have no idea if Governor Richardson needs or wants that kind of assistance. But I will make the offer and I’ll assist in supporting his campaign in whatever ways I’m able. Because I believe he’s the best Democrat on the roster to ensure the next administration puts this nation on a path to recovery from the damage caused by the current administration.

Filed by Ken at 6:46 pm under Politics
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I don’t often talk about things political here, but I sense a disturbance in the force that may change that some. Rest assured, I am not and will never be a political blogger. But I sense that this election cycle I may be personally engaged at a deeper level. If that proves out, I’ll doubtless talk about it here.

In the meantime, I couldn’tpass up sharing this:

The George W. Bush Presidential Library (First Floor)
Since the The George W. Bush Presidential Library is in the news again, I thought I should update my design by adding a second floor. But before I do that, please allow me to refresh your memories by reposting my designs for the ground floor. I originally posted them in March, 2004, here at Jesus’ General and at The American Street.

The Library will be at least five stories high, one floor for each of Our Leader’s terms of office (According to Inquisitor General Gonzales, Article II of the Constitution allows the President to do whatever he wants to do, including serving for life–it’s called the Unitary Executive Theory). More stories will be added if Our Leader’s steady hand is still needed after the War on Terror enters its third decade.

First Floor (First Term)
The George W. Bush Presidential Library will be composed of five sections: the Entrance/Election Room, the Rotunda of Blame, the Archives, and the Economic and Security Wings.

[read full post]

Technorati Tags: Bush Library

Filed by Ken at 3:07 pm under Politics
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This caught my eye on C|Net’’s news.com site.

Congress and tech: Little to show
Politicians in Washington, D.C., spent the last two years promising new laws on everything from Net neutrality to computer security and social-networking sites.

But when the 109th Congress finally adjourned over the weekend, ending 12 years of Republican rule of the U.S. House of Representatives, few technology-related bills had actually made it through the legislative process.

“If they were going to get a grade, it would be an ‘I’ for failure to complete all assignments,” said John Palafoutas, senior vice president and chief lobbyist for the American Electronics Association, whose members include about 2,500 companies, among them Adobe Systems, Intel, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard.

This is a pretty fair assessment about the total failure of the legislature to do anything substantial with regard to technology legislation in the past twelve years. I challenged presidential candidate with some questions during the 2004 election cycle (permalinked here). At that point, there was some dailog with Joe Trippi who ran Howard Dean’s campaign. Governor Dean tentatively agreed to an interview. I lived in Vermont at the time and had done a lot of work with Dean’s staff. But it never happened. No other candidate rose to the questions either. They remain unanswered and open to the next round of candidates, but so far, I’m not optimistic that any will rise to take them on.

This article speaks to the issue of pretexting (think HP’s recent problems), and H1B visas (which Congress failed to increase to aid the tech sector). And pionts out that censorship and content filtering are emotional issue that politicians flog when they need visibility (but do nothing). The issue of net neutrality didn’t do any better.

Will the next session be more productive? Will a presidntail candidate surface who can actually relate in some way to the tech sector? Time will tell

Technorati Tags: politics, tech sector, legislation, Congress

Filed by Ken at 9:52 am under Politics, Technology
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I don’t link to Halley often enough. She was pretty quiet for a long time, but lately she’s awakened. This bears just blatant copying -

All The President Needs To Say
All Bush needs to say at 1:00pm is “I’ve accepted Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation.” And then we build from there.

Filed by Ken at 9:51 am under Politics
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