Category: politics

All things political, great and small.

Doctorow on the politics of technology choices

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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/

Thank you, Elizabeth

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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.

You need to know: The Powell Memo

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I was talking recently with a very learned and progressive scholar of history about the depth of the right wing’s messaging strategy, and he was unfamiliar with this document that helped create and define a broad and effective corporate-conservative machine: the Powell Memorandum. We all need to know this history.

From Wikipedia:

Based in part on his experiences as a corporate lawyer and as a representative for the tobacco industry with the Virginia legislature, [Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr.] wrote the Powell Memo to a friend at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The memo called for corporate America to become more aggressive in molding politics and law in the U.S. and may have sparked the formation of one or more influential right-wing think tanks.

In August 1971, prior to accepting Nixon’s request to become Associate Justice of Supreme Court, Lewis Powell had sent to the leadership of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce the “Confidential Memorandum”, better known as the Powell Memorandum, and still under the radar of general public. It sounded an alarm with its title, “Attack on the American Free Enterprise System.” The previous decade had seen the increasing regulation of many industries. Powell argued, “The most disquieting voices joining the chorus of criticism came from perfectly respectable elements of society: from the college campus, the pulpit, the media, the intellectual and literary journals, the arts and sciences, and from politicians.” In the memorandum, Powell advocated “constant surveillance” of textbook and television content, as well as a purge of left-wing elements.

In an extraordinary prefiguring of the social goals of business that would be felt over the next three decades, Powell set his main goal: changing how individuals and society think about the corporation, the government, the law, the culture, and the individual. Shaping public opinion on these topics became, and would remain, a major goal of business.

– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_F._Powell,_Jr.#The_Powell_Memorandum

Continue reading “You need to know: The Powell Memo” →

Official Ruby Sinreich Voting Guide ™ for 2010

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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!)

Celebrating at 7 months

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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 Continue reading “Celebrating at 7 months” →

Official Ruby Sinreich Voting Guide ™ for 2009

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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

I’m pretty sure Jesus wouldn’t do this

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Sorry I’ve been neglecting this blog. Between Twitter, OrangePolitics, and FORpeace, I’m getting my self-expression fix pretty effectively I guess. Here’s a post I just wrote for the work blog.

The repercussions of last week’s shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville are echoing around the country. Is this the inevitable conclusion of decades of intolerance preached from conservative pulpits (both literal and figurative)? And do open-minded people of faith now need to live in fear – as many abortion providers already do – of the one unbalanced so-called Christian seeking vengeance for our sins?

Upon hearing the news, I immediately became concerned for my mother’s UU congregation. They are located in a small beach town on the coast of North Carolina, surrounded by rural communities in Down East NC – not especially known for modern social ideas, but quite likely to have access to hunting rifles. As we observe Americans trending toward living more in safe, homogeneous communities, we can see both the cause and effect of this increased ideological segregation.

My friend James Protzman blogged about his daughter’s reaction to the shooting. She had met several teenagers from the Tennessee Valley congregation at a UU retreat and was grief-stricken at the irony of a house of peace being attacked so violently. "She wonders about all the other deaths that can be laid at the feet of right-wing political hate. Abraham Lincoln. Martin Luther King. John Kennedy. Robert Kennedy. Will it ever stop? she asks."

Continue reading “I’m pretty sure Jesus wouldn’t do this” →

Sick of Clinton’s lies

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Just when I was starting to warm up to the the idea of a Clinton vice-presidency, she comes out with this crap that reminds me why I will never (again) support her for any elected office.

Hillary Clinton suggested Wednesday that “White Americans” are increasingly turning away from Barack Obama’s candidacy.
[…]
Clinton cited an Associated Press poll “that found how Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.”

“There’s a pattern emerging here,” she said.
– CNN.com: Clinton touts support from ‘white Americans’, 5/8/08

Not only is the implication quite racist (that white people won’t vote for a black guy), it’s also wrong (millions of us have). Since I don’t think she’s stupid enough to not understand the facts of this, I can only conclude that she’s lying. Yet another reason that she can’t be trusted and shouldn’t be supported.

Women’s Voices, Women’s Voter Suppression

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I just learned that the suspicious and misleading robocalls from “Lamont Williams” to North Carolina voters, were actually the work of Women’s Voices, Women Vote. WVWV is an organization that works to empower single female voters, and which I used to support. Turns out they have a habit of sending poorly-timed voter registration information, causing thousands of voters to mistakenly think they are not registered to vote!

WUNC’s Laura Leslie posted the audio of the robocall on her blog on Monday, but as far as I can tell has not actually done a story about it. (She’s probably too busy begging for money. Way to schedule a pledge drive at the height of our primary, WUNC!)

Today I read a long investigative piece by my friend Chris Kromm at the Institute for Southern Studies that shows that WVWV was behind this, and that they have been confusing voters all over the nation with their automated phone calls and voter registration packets. “Women’s Voices’ questionable tactics have spawned thousands of voter complaints in at least 11 states and brought harsh condemnation from some election officials for their secrecy, misleading nature and likely violations of election law.”

WVWV claims that their campaign in North Carolina was designed to get unregistered, single, female voters to register to vote in the November general election. However, there is overwhelming evidence indicating quite the opposite. For example:

  • The voice on the calls is a male calling himself “Lamont Williams.” Not exactly ideal for the supposedly female target audience.
  • Many of the people who received the calls are married, male, and/or already registered.
  • WVWV is no newcomer to politics. They have been operating since at least the 2004 election. They are a well-funded organization with a savvy staff. The two top leaders each have at least two decades of political experience a piece. (One as Congressman David Price’s ’96 campaign manager – the one year Price lost.)
  • In fact, many WVWV staff and advisors gained experience working for the Clinton Whitehouse. For example, board member John Podesta (President and CEO of the Center for American Progress) served as President Clinton’s Chief of Staff for over two years.
  • There is no way that these seasoned political operatives could have missed the fact of our prominent May 6 primary, or that anyone with experience in voter engagement wouldn’t be fully aware of the timing involved.

I can only logically conclude that they are either intentionally suppressing voters (in an Obama-friendly state, hmm) or are criminally negligent and unable to carry out their stated mission of “Improving unmarried women’s participation in the electorate and policy process.” Either way, the only responsible step I can imagine is immediately cease operations and consider whether to reorganize or disband this organization.

WVWV’s President Page Garder re-posted her press release as a blog entry over on Huffington Post. Let’s let her know what we think of it.

More related links & discussion: NPR News Blog, BlueNC.