OPEN THREAD TOWN SQUARE FOR FRIDAY EVENING 8/1/08

Written by: Annilow on Aug 1, 2008 4:57 PM EDT

In honor of our MIA bloggers and Howard Dean who is first.

Open Letter to DFA Staff (Freaking Open Thread Darn It)

Written by: Annilow on Jul 29, 2008 1:58 PM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network, Blog For America, blog for America Test and Poll Group

You have no idea the wrath you incur when you move posts.  It's just irritating.  Have you ever gotten a ticket from a cop for something inane?  That's what this feels like.  The worst part is when you're trying to follow a dialog (like about Karl Rove getting fing arrested) and half the conversation disappears.  

Actually it feels like seventh grade.  In seventh grade we had this drill sargeant for a teacher who had a copy of Mein Kampf on his desk lol.  When we did something wrong (prolly like talking OFF TOPIC) we had to do deep knee bends till he told us to stop.  Now seventh graders are the most miserable of humans -- children's brains and emotions with these emerging adult bodies.  Who would ever want to be a seventh grader again -- I feel for all of them.  

And I feel for us.  We teachers and world travellers and writers and lawyers and dairy farmers and event planners are being made to feel like children.  Why don't you tell us WHY?  Why don't you give us some evidence from people who complained?  Why don't the people who complain ever comment?  Your most valuable contributors -- JudyforDean, Monica Smith, possibly Pat from Colorado, Seashell, Phil even I are considering leaving our blog of many years.  

You are going to be left with a bunch of mediocre, sophomore level writers and thinkers and zero commenters here.

Are you going to DemFest?  Bring armor.

Toward an Editorial Standard for Blog for America

Written by: Annilow on Jul 19, 2008 8:50 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network, Blog For America, Blogs United, Netroots Activism!, blog for America Test and Poll Group

Here at BFA we've been blessed with a plethora of new front thread writers in recent weeks.  These new writers have given us new subjects to think about and new points of view.  As a long time reader and commenter and sometime thread writer here, I've been a little perplexed by the lack of uniformity of form in these posts.  I know this sounds like the OPPOSITE of free speech, which I'm always ranting about, and maybe it is.  However, most of us who read and comment here read many other sources on the web.  We need conciseness and we need front posts that get to the point quickly.  Following is a list of standards I think we should adopt as an editorial standard for BFA.  This is offered as a jumping off point for discussion, nothing more:

1.  Keep front thread posts to around 300 words.  Anything less, consider making it a comment in the current thread instead.  Anything longer, consider what you can cut or use as a link.  

2.  Keep quotes to a minimum -- remember copyright laws.  Use links to the source to provide more information.  Always credit sources and use links to the source if you quote anyone.

3.  Main thread posters should be commenters, except in special circumstances like if Jim Dean wants to write something.  This is a community, not a free place to publish your essays.  

4.  Content should be original, not a copy of something you've posted already on Firedoglake or KOS.

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Civil Disobedience

Written by: Annilow on Jul 15, 2008 1:46 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Blog For America, blog for America Test and Poll Group

I grew up in the deep South of the late 50s and 60s and experienced firsthand a little of the effort of the black community's successful integration into the white world.  They were always polite, but they did not always follow the law.  Picture for example the lunch counters in North Carolina where sit-ins occurred.  It is hard to think back to those days -- imagine a world in which only white people could sit at a lunch counter.  Today it sounds downright ludicrous.  But that's the way it was.  It was the law.  But it was a bad law.  So they politely and respectfully ignored the law, following the lead of others before them, in particular M. Gandhi in India pursuing independence from Britain.  

Today we Bloggers for America find ourselves in a place where a new 'law' has come to pass on our beloved blog. The new law states that we will blog ONLY on the headlined topic, or risk having our comments banished to the "Water Cooler" (and all that connotes) where our comments remain for twelve hours till they are permanently removed.  This is a bad law.  It stifles conversation, breaking news, the ability to express ourselves, and to build community.  I believe it is also censorship.

So I ask that everyone join me in practicing civil disobedience on BFA.  Sure, our posts will be whisked away to the Water Cooler.  But someone will have to read them, make a determination, then physically move them.  My guess is they will become tired and bored of this activity and eventually give it up.  Please join me!  Put your posts, no matter how personal, no matter how 'trivial,' no matter how totally off topic, on the current, latest 'front thread.'  If it gets moved, it gets moved, what have you lost?  And we just might (might?) get our blog back :~) someday.

Is Someone Censoring Mozart in the US of A?

Written by: Annilow on Jul 10, 2008 2:36 PM EDT

I set forth this idea in a blog post comment a week or so ago when it first occurred to me.  As everyone here knows, I'm a Rene Pape fanatic.  For non-opera fans, Rene Pape is probably the world's premier bass (low register) opera singer in the world today.  He ain't hard on the eyes either.  Anyway, Rene plays a role he has played since his twenties in the Mozart opera, Magic Flute.  He plays the part of the mysterious Sarastro, a bad guy according to the Queen of the Night, a good guy according to his followers.  Anyway, Kenneth Branagh has made a no-expense-unturned feature length movie of the opera.  It is perfect in every way, although I admit to a little prejudice here :~).  And it's been out for a couple of years, was premiered at Cannes at least two years ago. Slowly the film has been released around the world, with a premiere in London in the last year.  It's also been out in Canada for over a year.  So, an opera fan has to ask, why haven't we seen this movie in America? I've always assumed that American Idol watching Americans probably wouldn't GO to a full length movie that's an opera.  

In desperation, a few months ago I ordered the UK version of the movie.  UK movies play some format called PAL (don't ask ME) and our players play something called NTSC or something.  HOWEVER, my trusty Macintosh will play either one :~) at least for awhile (once you play one version, I'm not sure you can go back). So I played the movie (and played the movie and played the movie) sitting here watching my laptop screen. 

On the last viewing, I was watching one of my favorite parts.  Rene (as Sarastro) leads his followers to a cemetery.  He has a child in his arms and holds the hand of another.  The grass is green (there's a lot of computer generated enhancements in the film), the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining.  Rene is singing the marvelous hymn Isis and Osiris, which in the German version is sung to a couple of gods/goddesses in a Masonic overtoned play.  But in this film version, which is in English, he is singing a hymn to peace.  And his throngs of followers come to the cemetery with him, weeping, touching gravestones.  Just beyond the wall of the cemetery is death and destruction, all grey, ground that has been burned and smoking, from the war (WWI in this version).  One blind mourner leans down to touch the words on the tombstone to 'read' the inscription.  Anyway, the camera pans out, and out, and out to miles and miles of white cross tombstones, while Rene Pape sings this famous Isis and Osiris hymn in English as a hymn to peace.

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FISA Another Day of Infamy for the US of A

Written by: Annilow on Jul 9, 2008 1:09 PM EDT

It appears from diaries on KOS and from an article from Pam Hess on the wires this morning that FISA is going to pass.  At least two of the amendments, Feingold's for one, according to KOS diaries, has already been shot down.  It's a sad day for the US of A.  This is a thin diary, but I wanted to put up something that people could discuss if they wanted.  Here's a link and a quote from Pam Hess's article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080709/ap_on_go_co/terrorist_surveillance

Senate to pass bill overhauling eavesdropping regs

By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 36 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Senate finally is expected to pass a bill overhauling rules on secret government eavesdropping, completing a lengthy and bitter debate that pitted privacy and civil liberties concerns against the desire to prevent terrorist attacks.

and here's a link to KOS diary from McJoan who seems to be keeping on top of things:

Final FISA Fight: The Votes

by mcjoan

Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 09:22:00 AM PDT

It's the final FISA fight of this Congress.

The Senate just rejected Dodd's amendment to strip Title II--the immunity provisions--from the bill, 32-66. Now up is Sen. Specter's amendment that requires the cases be dismissed if the court determines that the warrantless wiretapping programming was legal.

Update I: Specter amendment fails, 37-61. Next up is Bingaman's amendment, the last hope that the Senate regains it's sanity. Given how the votes are going, I'm not holding my breath.

Update II: Bingaman fails 42-56. The Senate is in recess until 2:15, so that the Republicans can go have their weekly lunch and toast the capitulating Dems in celebration. Then they'll come back and finish it off.

The roll call vote on the Dodd amendment is now available, with a link and list of the good guys below the fold.

and here's the link to mcjoan

FIRE THE LOT!

Written by: Annilow on Jul 5, 2008 7:00 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Blog For America, blog for America Test and Poll Group

Start with the Technology Director.  We've put up with an old buggy blog where the posts didn't even post in order, to the new buggy blog, where it could best be described as whimsical as to whether one gets a toolbar or not, where navigating away from the blog to a link or to post a comment is hazardous to your blogging health - you may never make it back.  I hate to think how many comments I've sent to the 'contact IT' since we got this new blog -- a few things have been fixed, most have not.  THE TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR IS INCOMPETENT.

Then fire the Communications Director.  The Communications Director believes, like George W Bush, that Communications is a top down affair -- for him it would be a freak of nature for Communications to flow the other way around.  He has solicited his old classmates from freshman poli sci and journalism class to come over to BFA and post stale, trite, badly spelled main posts that we college professors, lawyers, dairy farmers, high tech workers, mothers, fathers, and internationally known dance instructors are being forced to read and comment on.  THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR IS  INCOMPETENT and ARROGANT.

Finally, fire the PR Director -- I don't know what his title is - Fundraiser in Chief? - his requests for money are hackneyed, boring, and predictable.  The 'causes' he uses for hooks are used by every other lefty group and DFA is usually last to take up the banner.  THE PR DIRECTOR IS INCOMPETENT, ARROGANT, and DICTATORIAL.

That should do it!  A purge at DFA!  Hire some folks who listen.  Hire some folks who know what the hell they are doing, not inexperienced people looking to put 'director' on their resumes.  Hire some folks who harness the experience and knowledge of their constituency out here in America.  THEN maybe we can TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK.

Open Letter to Jim Dean

Written by: Annilow on Jul 3, 2008 1:23 PM EDT

Hi, Jim...

My name's Ann (Annilow on the blog), I'm 65 years of age,  and I've been coming here since Dr. Howard ran for president.  That was the first time I've really ever been active politically.  First time I'd ever given money to a political campaign, first time I'd ever 'tabled' an event or written a letter to another citizen to ask them to vote for a specific person. First time I'd ever watched Washington Journal or CSPAN or expressed my political views in public here and on Daily Kos.  First time I've stood on a corner with a sign and protested the war with other MoveOn members.  I wouldn't know how to do these things without the DFA blog and DFA link.

After Gov. Dean dropped out of the race I experienced the same huge, mournful letdown as all of his other supporters and came here for support.  Since then, I've not been particularly active politically, but I do write letters to the editor and letters to local authorities and my Congressman about important subjects like paperless voting, FISA, the snafu with passports.  And I give money when I can to the Democrats, to Barack Obama, to Darcy Burner when her house burned down, to Actblue on behalf of FISA, and to DFA when asked. If it hadn't been for this site and for the blog I would never have done any of this.  I would not be the informed voter and critical thinker that the contributors to this blog have helped me to become.

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I WANT MY COUNTRY - AND BLOG - BACK

Written by: Annilow on Jul 2, 2008 1:39 PM EDT

...why are we Deaniacs being good little boys and girls and letting them stick us over by the watercooler like a bunch of people who can't kick the nicotine habit, or like second graders who can't shut up in class?  It would be different if the main posts were worth reading, but as often as not they are not.  Danny the Communications Director puts together posts of good length with proper links and such, but they are frequently on topics we've already addressed on the blog.  Other 'contributors' can be people I've never heard of before with blogs that are too dense to read, lacking in links, and written by people who identify themselves as anonymous or by zipcode, and with dubious spelling entries.   Our intrepid regulars like Monica and Susan contribute good entries, but they are not the bulk of the blog main posts.  So why are we 'honoring' these main posts by staying on the topic?  Why is THEIR topic more timely or important than OUR topics?  We've had living history here with my reporting the Florida fires last summer, Phil reporting on the floods in Iowa, Denise reporting on the happenings in the Bay Area.  Our Communications Director says he's had 'many complaints' about people not staying on topic, but who is doing the complaining?  The anonymous would be editorial writers?  Why should we provide a free space for them to spout off?  Have they contributed to DFA?  Have they enhanced local DFA groups?  I really don't understand why we are caving here!  

David Walker Left GAO in March 2008

Written by: Annilow on May 14, 2008 11:21 AM EDT

An aside from Peter Slen on Washington Journal (CSPAN) this morning to Bill Bixby of the Concord Coalition gave me my first news that David Walker had left his post as head of GAO to head the Peter Peterson Foundation.  I've long been a fan of Mr. Walker because he seemed to be 'telling it like it is' as Comptroller General of the USA, even when his news was not always good.  Although I've long suspected Republican leanings, I believe Bill Clinton appointed him, and he reminds me of our Howard in his dogged belief in fiscal soundness and responsiblity.  His new job doesn't make clear any political leanings, although his choice of time to leave the Government lead me to suspect he may not want to be part of what we hope will be a Democratic tidal wave in November.  And reading between the lines, I fear if not a Republican, perhaps a 'Corporatist' shading to the man's views, I do so wish he would be part of the 'new America' that I believe our Howard started and for which Obama has so brilliantly taken up the standard -- ie, that we are ONE AMERICA with many problems for which we need blue, red, and purple folks to join together with great leadership to solve.  Here are some links for David Walker if you are wondering who the H I'm talking about.

David Walker WIKI

Peter G. Peterson Foundation

Supporting PAYGO (Blue Dogs) for the VA benefit (I'm all for the benefit but also for paying for it-I know, I know, the Heritage Foundation)

The Concord Coalition

David Walker on 60 Minutes (youtube)