Politics

It’s been years since I last set down to write anything long form that’s remotely political, in fact 2008, if my search is correct.  In some ways, I can hardly recognize that passionately pedantic punk that felt the urge to scream into the void in the hope of persuasion by shouting (though my friends might argue about that on the occasions when I have more than a couple of gins in me).  I realized around that time that no one was really interested in what I was selling and that I could spend my life in a happier place by worrying about the things that I know I could change which is myself and to focus my time on those around me that I love. I know I’ve been better off for it. [Read More]

Generally, I avoid joining protests, but occasionally there are ideas so bad that I can’t stay away.  Such is the case with the Protect IP Act (PIPA) which is coming up before the Senate next week.  The goal of protecting intellectual property is certainly a laudable one, but the means to achieve that goal must not come at the expense of the 1st amendment, nor should it fundamentally weaken the technological structure of the Internet.  The Protect-IP bill does all of this with a vague and poorly thought-out bill.

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Nice to see that the seven words you can’t say on television were at least quantified in law:  HR 3867. 

I have been feeling alienated from my former passion for all things political for some time now. I have a stack of unread newspapers by my door and an even larger stack of unread emails from the various political bodies that solicit me for my support. Two recent conversations have led me to wonder why those newspapers gather dust and those emails to waste space in my hard drive.

First, my friend Dylan (a.k.a. Cyberhobo, a.k.a. The Dutchman), challenged me on my first political post to my forums section. I had written a comment about the latest Democratic web campaign in which they portrayed George Bush’s Supreme Court nominees as mindless monsters intent on destroying the lives of Americans. Unfortunately, in the spirit of comradeship, he has removed the post but the gist was this: Responding to the various entities of modern politics is beneath me. It is a waste of time to worry about the ramblings of the various parties and that I should find something far better to consume my mind.

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