Archive for category politics

My 2012 primary endorsements for Orange County, NC

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in advice, politics, rants on May 1, 2012

Local politics can be difficult to follow, given the minimal media coverage and (fortunate) lack of political party involvement. Friends often ask me for my advice about how to vote in sleepy local elections such as this year’s Orange County Commissioners race. I can’t in good conscience endorse any of the incumbents. The current board seems to have invented a new form of government in which the staff sets policies, and then elected officials occasionally have misinformed or irrelevant discussions about them after the manager has already implemented his decision.

I strongly endorse Mark Dorosin and Penny Rich in District 1. Both will bring good ideas and real leadership to the Board of Orange County Commissioners. In District 2, I support Renee Price who will be
a better advocate for progressive policies than the incumbent. If you live in Hillsborough or rural Orange County, you will also be selecting 3 school board members. I recommend giving a vote to Lawrence Sanders who will bring thoughtful enthusiasm to the job. And there can be no doubt that Valerie Foushee is the best choice for NC House in every way. I’m happy to say that The Independent Weekly agrees, and endorsed all of these candidates as well.

If you enjoy living in one of the most open-minded and forward-thinking counties in North Carolina, as I do, I hope you will join me in voting for these hard-working progressive leaders. And if you have your own ideas about who people should vote for, I hope you will join the conversation at orangepolitics.org/issue/elections/2012.

Ruby Sinreich
Chapel Hill

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Stop censorship. Stop PIPA/SOPA.

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in Advocacy 2.0, nptech, politics, rants on January 22, 2012

A blog post I wrote for work at http://hastac.org/blogs/ruby-sinreich/2012/01/17/stop-censorship-stop-pipasopa 

HASTAC is joining with others around the U.S. and globally on the Internet to protest the outrageous SOPA/PIPA bill that – yes – is still making its way through Congress right now. Major organizations such Wikipedia,Mozilla, and many others are participating in a one-day black out, while others including Google, are using their home pages, as are we, to protest and inform about these frightening bills that would have a chilling impact on intellectual freedom and digital interaction. We were heartened by the news that the Obama administration is opposing the bills and so we chose to to stay online but with a banner on the site, but clearly the debate is far from over. The potential implications of this corporate and politically-motivated censorship upon academic freedom, especially digital scholarship, are simply staggering.

So many others have covered the issues around SOPA/PIPA so well (and my own understanding of the legislation is so comparatively tiny) that I won’t bother to rehash them but will link to some of the best below. Thanks to HASTACers Gerry Canavan for posting about SOPA last month and Alex Leavitt for today’s post about how SOPA opposition galvanized on Reddit. I highly recommend this 4-minute video that explains the legislation, including an important update at the end.

Link fest:

 

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Guns over Franklin Street

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in politics, rants on November 18, 2011

I just sent the following letter to the Mayor and Town Council of Chapel Hill and cross-posted at orangepolitics.org/2011/11/guns-over-franklin

I was extremely disappointed to see the Town handle the anarchist break-in at the Yates Building so poorly after working so well with the activists at Occupy Chapel Hill/Carrboro for the past month. What happened last weekend played into every simplistic anarcho-fantasy about jack-booted thugs violently protecting the wealthy. That’s not the Chapel Hill we know, but there is a vocal group of residents that now may never believe otherwise.

I’m undecided about Jim Neal’s specific proposal for an independent commission to study the events of last weekend. Do we really have to empanel a committee to tell us what almost everyone knows (at least in retrospect), which is that the police action was unnecessarily forceful and overly broad? However, I very much want and need some clearer answers from the Town of Chapel Hill.

I understand that the police’s action was taken out of fear of violence, which was rationally based on the (limited) information they had at the time. But it was hardly the only tactic available to the Town. The range of options available could have included sending a plainclothes officer or civilian staffer to communicate with the group, possibly to negotiate or just to give them a deadline to leave. It’s not as if Riddle was being deprived of his non-use of the property, so there should have been time to consult the Mayor and maybe even other community leaders who would have provided valuable insight into the real risks involved (or not involved) before endangering the public by brandishing assault rifles on West Franklin Street and detaining people guilty of nothing but standing on a public sidewalk.

The people of Chapel Hill are owed an explanation and an obligation to try to avoid any further such actions. Below are my suggestions for how the Town can work to make amends and rebuild trust:

1. The Town Manager should investigate the chain of decision-making. Who gave the order, and was it consistent with instructions from the Chief and the Manager? I think so highly of both that I frankly have trouble believing they would have signed off on such an operation. I hope no-one has to be fired, but it’s critical that someone publicly admit that a mistake was made and take responsibility for it.

2. The Town should drop the charges against the squatters (or encouraging Riddle to drop charges, if he pursues them) as a goodwill gesture in response to the excessive use of force and intimidation during the arrests. This can be done while making it clear that the Town will not hesitate to arrest people for breaking and entering property in the future, whether it is abandoned or not.

3. The Town should put systems in place to ensure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again. This might include:

  • Improve relationships with local communities to build knowledge and relationships that will help the police to avoid stereotyping and profiling (think “known anarchists” and “random black men walking down the street”),
  • develop tactics that address public problems in a more targeted fashion instead of blanketing an entire area with force and detaining everyone inside (think CHPD actions on Graham Street in 1990 and Sykes Street in 2004), and
  • give attention and support to the police review board and consider expanding their powers to give feedback on public police activity and to generate additional recommendations for more effective policing in the future.

I understand you may already be inundated with opinions about this, but some of the best analyses I’ve seen have been in the Independent Weekly http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/chapel-hill-cops-vs-anarchists-and-no-one-wins/Content?oid=2706659 and in an essay by Tim Tyson: http://newblackman.blogspot.com/2011/11/things-to-consider-while-occupying.html. I highly recommend reading these with an open mind to grasp the complex nature of this conflict in which neither “side” has the moral high ground.

If you want to know more about what the community is saying, there are quite a wide range of opinions being shared in the comments on OrangePolitics: http://orangepolitics.org/tags/occupychc

Thank you for your hard work, especially in difficult situations such as this. I appreciate your thoughtful consideration of my concerns.

Sincerely,

Ruby Sinreich

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Occupy Wall Street

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in Advocacy 2.0, politics, rants on September 25, 2011

If you only get your news from mainstream broadcast and print media, you may not be aware that thousands of people have been participating in an occupation of Wall Street (yes, that Wall Street in Manhattan) for over a week. About 300 are there right now (Sunday morning). Many people have been arrested for things like “disorderly conduct” ie: annoying the police without breaking any real laws.

Here’s a live streaming video from the street, below this I’ll post some more links.

 

Just heard on the live stream from a protester named Lizzie, who just finished telling the story of her arrest: “You don’t need to be here (on Wall Street), light that fire in your own community.” A lot of my friends have been pointing out the difference between how this is (or isn’t) being covered compared to your average Tea Party protest. Can you imagine if a bunch of Republicans took an action this dramatic, or were treated this inhumanely? Not just FOX but CNN and even MBNBC would be en fuego.

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Doctorow on the politics of technology choices

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in Advocacy 2.0, Drupal, nptech, politics, rants on May 4, 2011

One of the nice things about my job is that I get to write blog posts like this. Cross-posted below.

I just read a great piece by author/activist Cory Doctorow on what he calls “Techno-Optimism” in Locus Magazine. He addresses a question that is often confronted by those of us who aspire to somehow use technology as a tool for social change: does the tool matter, or just the results? For example, if it’s easier to reach your target audience of young people who care about software freedom via Facebook, does the end justify the means? Or should we hold ourselves to a more idealistic standard and use an open source tool that lacks the critical mass of users?

In other words:

As a techno-optimist, I was heartened to see the role that networked technologies played in aiding activists in Iran, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and other middle-eastern autocracies to coordinate with one another. But as a techno-pessimist, I was horrified to see activists making use of unsecured unfit systems like Facebook, which make it trivial for authorities to snoop on and unpick the structure of activist organizations.

Doctorow concludes:

The trick for technology activists is to help activists who use technology to appreciate the hidden risks and help them find or make better tools. That is, to be pessimists and optimists: without expert collaboration, activists might put themselves at risk with poor technology choices; with collaboration, activists can use technology to outmaneuver autocrats, totalitarians, and thugs.

As I like to say: the path IS the destination. How you get there is every bit as important as where you go. I already use a lot of open source software such as Drupal (this site’s platform), Firefox and Thunderbird (which I couldn’t work without), and Ubuntu (on my personal computers at home). I’m going to redouble my efforts to support software and systems that themselves support my own (and HASTAC’s) values of freedom, democracy, and security.

Read the full article at http://www.locusmag.com/Perspectives/2011/05/cory-doctorow-techno-optimism/

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Thank you, Elizabeth

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in Edwards, rants on December 9, 2010

Here’s a post I recently published on my local politics blog about Elizabeth Edwards…

Elizabeth Edwards passed away this week and is being warmly remembered from all corners. Many people talk about her great heart and the strength of her resilience, and it’s true that she was an incredible model for anyone dealing with personal pain.

But I remember her best for being whip smart and unbelievably charming. I met her once, and she was even more brilliant and impressive in person. Her death is a huge loss for Chapel Hill, for North Carolina, and for the whole country that has been a beneficiary of her health care activism in recent years.

For those who haven’t been reading OP forever, here’s the comment she posted here in 2005 after the Edwards’ moved to Orange County. And below is the text of a 2006 OP post called “Elizabeth Edwards, keeping it real.”

I swear Rosemary and I didn’t plan this, but I just read and wanted to post about this article by my friend Micah Sifry about Elizabeth Edwards. He says she is the “only person who I think we can genuinely say is participating in the blogosphere, as opposed to just using it.” One of his supporting examples is Eliabeth’s visit to OP to answer some questions I had raised about the location of their new home and the status of their voter registration.

As usual, she responded openly and directly. As I wrote to Micah, Elizabeth is so smart and fierce and charming it’s scary. Further proof was seen in her graceful handling of that clown Chris Matthews on live TV recently. I sometimes have complaints about her husband’s policies (the same I have of almost every Democrat), but as a person I only admire her more the more I get to know her. I wish nothing but the best to the entire Edwards family.

Thank you for sharing part of your life with us, Elizabeth. You made the world a better place by sharing yourself with us.

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Official Ruby Sinreich Voting Guide ™ for 2010

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in politics, rants on April 27, 2010

It’s that time again in North Carolina. Primary Day is in one week! http://orangepolitics.org/2010/04/the-final-countdown

In keeping with my annual tradition, here are my recommendations. Take them or leave them as you please. (Like The Independent Weekly, I will not be endorsing in uncontested races.) Also, I assume you are voting in the Democratic and nonpartisan races. If you vote in the Republican primary, I can’t help you.

Orange County Commissioners
At-large: Barry Jacobs <– STRONG endorsement
District 2: Renee Price

Orange County Sheriff
Clarence Birkhead (with reservations)

Orange County School Board (not Chapel Hill or Carrboro)
Brenda Stephens
Debbie Piscitelli
Anne Mendenblik
(I don’t know any of these folks very well, but they are recommended by people I trust. Just don’t vote for Keith Cook!)

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Celebrating at 7 months

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in Izzy, politics, rants on November 7, 2009

Last weekend, I was looking at Izzy and he seemed to age before my eyes. On Saturday, I took him with me canvassing door-to-door for my old friend Mark Kleinschmidt who was running for Mayor of Chapel Hill. Izzy enjoyed it most of the way, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to entice voters with an adorable, friendly baby. It seems to have worked, because on Tuesday Izzy turned 7 months old and he also attended the victory party of the next Mayor of Chapel Hill! (He had already gone home to bed by the time the picture below was taken.)
UNITAS posse Read the rest of this entry »

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Official Ruby Sinreich Voting Guide ™ for 2009

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in politics, rants on October 26, 2009

Also posted at OrangePolitics, where you can get lots of people’s endorsements.

This year is full of races in which my choice is either quite obvious or not at all clear. For those who want it, here is the official Ruby Sinreich Voting Guide ™ for 2009. I’ll link to the OP profile for those who have accounts, but note that all the candiates’ web sites are available on the OP election page.

I’ll start with the easiest ones: Mark Kleinschmidt for Mayor of Chapel Hill, and Mark Chilton for Mayor of Carrboro. Both are people I have known for nearly 20 years, so I can say with a lot of confidence that they are smart, ethical, brave, and skilled leaders. But don’t take my word for it – they have extensive records as both elected officials and as activists for social, economic, and environmental justice. Mark Chilton’s record as Mayor and his participation here on OP speak well for him. Mark Kleinschmidt has rightly been called "the conscience of the Council" but he is also a practical policymaker and consensus-builder who knows how to get things done.

I have a hard choice to make for Chapel Hill Town Council because I have concerns about every candidate in the race, including incumbents. With some hesitation, I will be voting for Penny Rich, Ed Harrison, Laurin Easthom, and Gene Pease. In spite of my concerns, I believe they are all knowledgeable about town government and are reasonable people who will work together with their colleagues to find the best solutions to our collective problems.

If I lived in Carrboro, I would have an easy choice and vote for Jacquie Gist, Randee Haven-O’Donnell, and Sammy Slade. Carrboro is doing a pretty good job (although I don’t get the hysteria over 5-story buildings) and these three are well-equipped to continue this work. Sammy is an example of one of those activists who is frequently rabble-rousing and you wish they would put their money where their mouth is and do the hard work. Well that’s exactly what he’s doing by running for Board of Aldermen and I’m glad to see him doing it.

The hardest of all this year is the School Board. I like what I know of nearly all the candidates, and from what I know about School Board issues, I have trouble distinguishing many of them! Joe Green has the strong support of the local NAACP (via the Breakfast Club), which is a voice I trust on school issues especially. I was impressed with him when he applied for Town Council last year, and I’m glad to see he’s remained involved. I honestly don’t know which two will get my other votes, so I will refrain from commenting until I figure it out.

If I lived in Hillsborough, I would vote for the incumbents because the lone challenger hasn’t offered any reason not to, and his solitude in that race seems like a statement of satisfaction from Hillsborough voters.

For more suggestions form other voters, visit http://www.orangepolitics.org/2009/10/the-most-important-endorsement

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Prop 8 – The Musical

Posted by Ruby Sinreich in politics, rants on December 3, 2008

This is hilarious and packs quite a political punch for only 3 minutes of singing. Full of funny & talented actors and comedians. Just watch it already:

I recommend the full-screen option for maximum enjoyment.

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