Hot Air sold to Salem Communications, sending conservative blogosphere into frenzy of righteous contentment

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Congrats to my (conservative) friend Ed Morrissey. We disagree on pretty much everything, and I disagree with Michelle Malkin on even more, and even more strenuously, but he's a good man, and this seems to be a great opportunity.

Well done.

Five hundred words about the World Wide Web

By Carol Gee

Intro - Haiku by "betmo" --

family circles
grow forming communities-
sharing mother earth.

Why is it that so many of us reading and writing online stay "plugged in" to the news, to our blog friends and to current events? And why do others get discouraged and drop out? We know there must be payoffs or else the behavior would not continue. Only masochists continue to do things that produce merely negative reinforcement. Therefore I am assuming that I have too much of an apparently optimistic style to attract any masochists. So what are the payoffs for those of us who do this on a regular basis for a long time, despite frustration?

What is it we want? Nancy Perry Graham, in AARP The Magazine piece summed it up well: "Good health, financial security, family and community, giving back, having fun." Because we are self-interested we use the Internet as a resource by which we find out vital information about our well-being. And we are willing to take advice from those whose opinions we respect. Over time we learn who is trustworthy and who is not -- who will tell the truth and who will shade it, or outright lie. This applies to the regular obscure bloggers we read as well as the authorities with larger audiences. In the process we also learn who is "up" and who is "down, politically" or as celebrities, depending on our interests.

With whom do we associate? We like to know about, or to actually be where the action is; we are activists. Being associated with a bunch of like-minded people adds to our sense of belonging. I suspect that we also enjoy "associating" with powerful or famous people. And many of us want to try to make a difference in a troubled larger world. Whether we are faith-based or nonbelievers with a strong sense of morality, it is human nature to want to make things better.

Where we hang out depends on individual preferences. Over time we develop a list of favorites we read, the most trustworthy news sites, people in whom we are interested, communities to whom we belong and references upon which we regularly call. And of course we are habituated to routines and tools that help us stay ahead of information overload. Tasks such as catching up on the news, deleting outdated saved material, answering e-mails, editing our web pages, sorting favorites and providing regular posts keep us busy at best, and overwhelmed at worst.

When we surf the Internet is also a very individual choice, often dictated by circumstance. I am lucky because I am retired. Work and family requirements must be worked out. Writing at the times when we are most alert serves our readers well. Doing a variety of things serves our moods well, and taking regular breaks serves our minds and bodies well. I read bloggers who post while on vacation, when they are sick, after surgery, when they are sad or when they want to celebrate.

Celebrating us!

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

Every day is B.A.D.

By Libby Spencer

Hard to believe it's been three years today since the great A-list blogroll purge started a week long bitchfest among us B to Z list bloggers. Feels like a life time ago in some ways. If you don't know what Blogroll Amnesty Day is, see Jon Swift's historic post on the origins of this holiday and then check out skippy's post that explains how it's evolved into its current incarnation. The two of them, along with Blue Gal have taken on the task of organizing the events. I'm afraid I've lost the link to Blue Gal's vid but you can get it there and don't miss Mad Kane's poetic tribute for the occassion. Mad props to them all for keeping this holiday going.

Although BAD started in anger at the A-listers, I love that it's morphed into a linky lovefest among the lower tier blogs. As I said last year, in the end the big guys did us a favor. We may never have found our sense of solidarity if not for our spontaneous united outrage over the original purge and I, like so many others, made friends and found blogs that I might not have otherwise.

This year finds me in an unusal place in that I'm one Eschacon away from becoming a full-fledged Atriot. Yes, I'm now one of those commenters that everyone loved to mock for their failure to stay on topic and takes inordinate delight in being first on a thread. I spend way too much time over there and have come to adore and appreciate the regs for their wit, their knowledge, their kindness, and their relentless scouring of the intertubz to find interesting links. Truth be told, I've even come to love Atrios and finally added him to the blogroll at my place, after swearing I never would until he linked to me. He still never has, but to paraphrase Joni Mitchell, he's a mean old daddy but I like him. And despite his terse style, he really does often catch good links that I might have otherwise missed.

What hasn't changed is that the A-listers still pretty much only link to each other with the notable exception of Crooks and Liars where Mike's Blog Round Up regularly gives a nod and a huge traffic boost to little known bloggers, and also Avedon Carol whose rankings belie her reach and is the most generous linker to little blogs that I know, not to mention an extraordinarily astute polictical analyst and a really terrific person. Oh, and Joe at TMV, who has given many a new blogger a leg up, including myself. I don't think that will ever change, so it's good to celebrate this holiday once a year to remind ourselves that links truly are the currency of Blogtopia (and yes, skippy did invent that phrase).

Here and at The Impolitic, I try to keep the spirit of BAD alive every day. I make it a point to link to lesser trafficked blogs in my regular linkfests and my blogroll is mostly populated with B-listers, many of whom found their way there from previous BAD days. So let this day remind us all, that BAD isn't just a celebration of an isolated event, it's a state of mind. It's all too easy to fall into the habit of linking up to big guys ourselves instead of linking laterally. Remember to reach out to each other. It's the only way to raise a louder voice for those of us who don't get the big megaphone.

So then, on to the links. I hate this part because I want to link to every single blog on my roll and don't want to offend those who aren't included. That's impossible, of course, so I would encourage you to check out my blogroll, as well as the blogroll here at The Reaction, and read a few blogs you don't recognize. Otherwise, I'm just choosing a few at random that I either just discovered or haven't linked to in far too long, including some Atriots who so often get neglected on this day.

Starting with Keeping it Lit, a brand new blog by a long time Atriot who too often keeps her light hidden under the proverbial bushel basket.

The smart and snarky Southern Beale, who probably doesn't qualify as a smaller blog than me, but deserves much more attention than she gets.

Rorschach at No Capitol is doing fine work and already on my blogroll, even though I'm not on theirs. An oversight I'm sure.

Uncle Blodge doesn't do much politics, but his stories of life on the front lines of an inner city urban school are fascinating reading.

Also non-political are 4 Legs Good at Plush Life where the photos will soothe your psyche and Tlazolteotl who doesn't post nearly often enough, but maybe a traffic boost will encourage her to post more, so if you only click one -- go check her out.

Moving off the Atriot list, Truth 101 at Truth Shall Rule is a new regular in the comment section here and is more moderate than me but has a good perspective on politics and life.

A new discovery is Ordinary Gentleman, a group blog that I didn't even know existed, featuring some friends.

I'm including Comments from Left Field even though they're bigger than me because it's such a terrific blog, and to my horror I just discovered that somehow they never made it to my blogroll, an error that will be corrected today.

Drink Liberal in New Milford has been on my radar for a while. He took on the thankless task of moderating an extremely unruly forum at a local newspaper and did the best of anyone who had the job. The forum I believe has folded, and I don't agree with everything he says, but that's the whole point of BAD. Gathering various viewpoints so as not to lapse into an echo chamber.

Neither do I always agree with my friend Mark at Publius Endures who blogs from a libertarian POV. In fact we often disagree, but we share a hope that someday bloggers will be able to unite around their common goals, no matter what their ideology.

And last, but far from least, my friend and blog-child Kathy at Stone Soup. We don't see each other often enough because we both have too many blogs of our own but there's no better blogger out there on workers rights and all things Michigan.

This is already over long, so let me close by reiterating my own blogroll policy. If you blogroll me, I'll reciprocate and if you've already blogrolled me and I haven't noticed, email me or leave your blog in comments so I can. And remember, every voice counts, no matter how small, so be BAD, not just today, but every day of the year.

(Cross-posted at The Impolitic.)

Activism's "Little Black Book"

By Carol Gee

Activists usually are the focus of Wednesday posts at my blog South by Southwest. What to look for, actions to take, news from the active blogosphere, organizations to join or support, environmental concerns, etc., all have had a place at one time or another. Today the focus is more basic -- how to adjust to the changing circumstances of governance and citizen participation.

"Grassroots for Obama." What now? Ed Kilgore at The Democratic Strategist asked, "What To Do With Obama's Army?" in a recent thought-provoking article, from which I quote:

As noted in an LA Times story today by Peter Wallsten and Tom Hamburger, one approach is to fold the Obama organization into the Democratic National Committee and state party affiliates, which is normally what happens after a successful presidential campaign. The other is to keep his organization intact as something of a personal army that will work with, but not under, the national and state parties. . . . This is an issue with more complex strategic implications than might at first appear, and bears watching as the transition turns into governing.

The Campaign Manager at Obama for America, David Plouffe, e-mailing me from Obama's website, BarackObama.com, asked me to to respond to a member/volunteer survey in the same vein, which I did. The questionaire asked for my feedback on how the Obama movement should move forward. Personally, I committed to activism in the form of progressive blogging every day. I also offered to do what I have done in the past, to call Washington. I offered to join organized efforts from the blogosphere, such as Firedoglake and DailyKos. No doubt they will again be asking citizens to call their Congress persons or Senators, to urge passage of President Obama's legislative offerings. For anyone who wants to join me then, here are the U.S. Capital's toll-free phone numbers (operators will transfer to legislators' offices): 1-800-828-0498, 1-800-459-1887, 1-800-614-2803, 1-866-340-9281, 1-866-338-1015, 1-877-851-6437.

President-elect Obama's Internet presence is not confined to merely the old campaign website. There is now a brand new website for the transition, called Change.gov which all of us have been watching closely as it is evolving. ProPublica's (investigative journalism's non-profit) Jennifer LaFleur reported yesterday that the "Change.gov 'Agenda' pages are back." To quote (her links):

The agenda pages that we told you disappeared from Change.gov, President-elect Barack Obama's transition Web site, have returned in newly retooled form. Within the 22-plus agenda categories are items that address how the new administration will increase transparency in
government.

. . . The items listed on the new page are basically the same as before, but they are more tightly written and no longer include derogatory statements about the Bush administration such as:
"The Bush Administration has been one of the most secretive, closed administrations in American history." Apparently, that's now a secret.

To conclude this little black book of useful names -- What follows are lists of general activism resources, along with the more specialized resources at the end that I use to find out what is happening in the world of national security, the rule of law, Constitutional questions, domestic surveillance and the other obscure stuff that still piques my interest.

Other e-mails that make my online activism easier include:

• Democracy for America - says, "We can still hit 60!" You can contribute to the cause they say: "The road to a filibuster-proof majority is in your hands. Let's get Barack another ally in the Senate."
• American Civil Liberties Union - Director Anthony Romero's newsletter says: "I’ve never done this before. In my entire seven years as the ACLU’s executive director, I have never asked you to sign a presidential petition written in appreciation and support, rather than in outrage and protest."

References on general "activism":

1. Activism.net
2. Activism -- Wikipedia
3. Posts on "activism" at South by Southwest

References regarding civil liberties activism, intelligence or investigative journalism:

1. South by Southwest: "Little Black Book" post on FISA (regarding civil liberties activism)
2. Salon.com: Glenn Greenwald -- my civil liberties guru
3. TPM Muckracker -- in the honored tradition of old newspapers
4. Wired Blog Network -- Threat Level
5. Secrecy News: Stephen Aftergood at the FAS project on secrecy
6. Emptywheel at Firedoglake -- one of the best at investigative blogging
7. Jeff Stein's SpyTalk Blog at CQ Politics

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

True colors shining through

By Libby Spencer

I just ran across this post and frankly I don't understand the geekery here. Waxy has invented some new algorithum based on memeorandum links that rates the partisan nature of a blog's linkage. I don't want to download the program myself because my old computer is already really sluggish these days, but I'm really interested in figuring it out because my own blog The Impolitic and The Reaction are both on the list. I get the color code. That's pretty simple.

While most political blogs are extremely partisan, their biases aren't immediately obvious to outsiders like me. I wanted to see, at a glance, how conservative or liberal the blogs were without clicking through to every article. [...]

The colors don't necessarily represent each blogger's personal views or biases. It's a reflection of their linking activity. The algorithm looks at the stories that blogger's linked to before, relative to all other bloggers, and groups them accordingly. People that link to things that only conservatives find interesting will be classified as bright red, even if they are personally moderate or liberal, and vice-versa. The algorithm can't read minds, so don't be offended if you feel misrepresented. It's only looking at the data.

I don't understand the scoring at all. Maybe some tech savvy reader can tell me what our colors are and what the ranking means?

(Cross-posted at The Impolitic.)

The best part

By Carl

Believe it or not, the tragic and frightening economic news of the past week has had one very positive side effect: It's shut the right wing echo chamber down.

To wit, so mired in confusion and calumny, as well as self-doubt, has the right-wing blogosphere become that they are resorting to the tactics employed against Dan Rather: trying to make shit up in a large enough pile that someone has to pay attention!

For example, comes this story from the Confederate Yankee:

We have fresh information regarding poorly-researched claims made in the media (including CNN, US News & World Report, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, the Associated Press, and literally dozens of other "professional media") that Sarah Palin presided over a Wasilla, AK city government that charged rape victims for the forensic medical examinations designed to collected physical evidence of sexual assaults. With very little variation from one media source to the next, media accounts attempted to portray Palin as a callous monster out to re-abuse victims.

The best evidence available indicates these are entirely false claims.

Shocking! If true... but my old friend Bob conveniently ignores something he himself posted a bit further down the page:

On March 6, 2000, Del Smith, the Deputy Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety, testified in support of HB 270 (the bill outlawing the billing of rape kits)

Errrrrrrrrrrrr, huh? Why is a law "outlawing" something that never happens being discussed? Ahhhhhhhh, here's why!

Testifying in front of the same committee, Lauree Hugonin, Director, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA) noted that "billings have not come from police agencies but have come from hospitals." Trisha Gentle, Executive Director, Council on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault noted that police departments were willing to pay for the exams, but that it was an internal decision on the part of the hospital as to who pays the hospital bill.

So rape victims in Wasilla WERE being billed for rape kits by the hospitals, probably because the mayor said, "We ain't paying for them." Palin's administration callously looked the other way.

Simple logic, Bobby. Use it or lose it. Oh... sorry... too late!

Another example of the right wing merry-go-round that is the blogosphere. You may have heard about these videos that were posted on YouTube, since taken down, by "eswinner."

"Dr." Rusty Shackleford (PhD in Obtuseness) got his skirts aflutter because it turns out that Ethan Winner has notverycloseatall ties to Joe Biden!!!!

I wonder where Rustbucket was during the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans campaign against John Kerry, which was basically run from inside the Oval Office? Think he was as outraged over that?

I'm guessing not. If you want a good laugh, do read Rusty's piece. A better essay on self-deluded paranoia you'll not read in an Abnormal Psychology text.

Finally, we have a piece by, no, not a blogger, but an honest to goodness... how was it Cornfed Wanker put it? Oh, right... "professional media" type: George Will.

The abject horror in Will's column today over McCain's recently, um, queenly behavior is matched only by his emotional confusion over the election: should he vote for the scary black man or the candidate channeling Alice In Wonderland?

Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?

*sniffsniff* Can you smell it? It smells like plastic melting... must be the right wing.

(Cross-posted to Simply Left Behind.)

Off the beaten path of politics

By Carol Gee

Today's post meanders along the path of the unusual, steering away from serious politics. From the ridiculous to the sublime, and points in between, it peers into the murky forest.

"Digital Drugs: New Worry For Parents?* Reports of Sounds With Drug-Like Effects Have Some Parents Spooked" -- OPINION by KIM KOMANDO -- Aug. 9, 2008. Take the time to read some of the comments following this story. They range from utter derision to reports of positive personal experiences by users. This is from ABC News. To quote:

. . . can music create the same effects as illegal drugs?

Some say that certain sounds, when played on headphones, can have a drug-like effect.
(Photodisc)This seems like a ridiculous question. But websites are targeting your children with so-called digital drugs. These are audio files designed to induce drug-like effects. All your child needs is a music player and headphones.

Understanding Binaural Beats -- There are different slang terms for digital drugs. They're often called "idozers" or "idosers." All rely on the concept of binaural beats. It is incorrect to call binaural beats music. They're really ambient sounds designed to affect your brain waves.

. . . Dr. Nicholas Theodore, a brain surgeon at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, said there is no real evidence that idosers work. But he noted that musical preference is indicative of emotional vulnerability. Trying idosers could indicate a willingness to experiment with drugs and other dangerous behavior.

Theodore added that idosers are another reason to monitor kids' Internet usage. And, he said, kids need frank talks with their parents about correct choices.

"I suspect this 'Pied Piper' phenomenon will pass rapidly and quietly," he said.

These tiny morsels need very little explanation:

"Teach Your Children Well." Blog friend "betmo" who asks, "weeping jesus is nothing sacred?" It's from Media Needle. To quote:

Parker Brothers replaces Monopoly money with Visa brand Debit card systems.

Top 9 best new drugs*: One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. Take one, take them all!" By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist, Friday, August 8, 2008

This link is from my friend Jon: "This video made me laugh -- you should watch it: Funny or Die about "a new ad for the Republican party."

The dilemma for the Internet is how to make money, so ISP companies decided to advertise. And then they decided to get together. The idea of media consolidation must extend to the digital world, if it is to be realistic. And consolidation is not usually good news for consumers. It often limits access to information, drives up prices and can threaten privacy. The perfect example follows -: Google, Yahoo partially disclose terms of ad pact"* from The Raw Story/Reuters, Saturday August 9, 2008. To quote:

Google Inc and Yahoo Inc released on Friday excerpts of a pact covering their search advertising partnership that keeps secret financial terms and the extent of other ties between the two.

. . . Critics say the deal threatens competition for advertising that runs alongside Web searches. Congressional leaders have conducted hearings to investigate what impact the partnership could have on the Internet market. The agreement covers the United States and Canada, but not other international markets.

. . . But the contract is heavily redacted in an area that covers "other business opportunities" and is silent about how the sharing of user data between the partners could affect the privacy of Yahoo users.

HT to betmo for all of the *links.

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

Boycott AP

By Libby Spencer

The legacy media is always handwringing over its imminent demise and just can't understand what happened to their lock on the information chain. Well, idiotic vendettas like this one is one reason. The AP is harassing the Drudge Retort, for alleged fair use infringement. I'm no lawyer, but looking at the posts they're complaining about, it doesn't look like a violation to me.

Jeff Jarvis explains the irony.

This complaint comes from an organization that leaches off original reporting and kills links and credit to the source of that journalism. Yes, it has a right to reproduce reporting from member news organizations. But as I point out here, the AP is hurting original reporting by not crediting and linking to the journalism at its source. We should be operating under an ethic of the link to original reporting; this is an ethic that the AP systematically violates.

What would be better for journalism would be for aggregators — Daylife (where I am a partner), Inform, Google News, Pro Publica — to link directly to original reporting without rewriting it through its mill. That is what is happening in Ohio, where newspapers are now sharing original stories. If the AP doesn’t watch out, that is what could happen everywhere.

Jeff goes on to note that it isn't difficult to link to the original source material that AP routinely fails to credit and furthermore, the original has better reporting.

I've often thought the legacy media is obviously run by people who don't understand the internets. The AP's lunacy here would seem to prove the point. Linking is good. It builds traffic and if we all get on board with the boycott, I think they'll soon figure out that they need a little more fairness in their 'fair use policy' or they'll find their overpriced product has become obsolete.

Update: It's growing already. Here's another thing the legacy media doesn't understand about Blogtopia (y!sctp). It's nimble and when pressed can organize action in mere hours. Already, the AP boycott has an official home, the UnAssociated Press.

Mosey on over to show your support and sign the petition and of course, (speaking for myself only) please join the boycott. Use alternative sources such as Agence France-Press, Reuters, McClatchy, or IPS for your blogger news and stop driving traffic to AP!

(Cross-posted at The Impolitic.)

Hungry for leadership again

By Carol Gee

Members of he American public, as well as many abroad, are hungry for good leadership.

After the desperately hoped-for 2006 victories for Democratic majorities in Congress, we have been almost universally disappointed in the leadership shown since then. Presidential campaigns, I believe, are one of the drivers for this hunger for leadership every four years. For many Americans their President is the penultimate leader. We invest a great deal in this person and expect a great deal back. And we want the person of our choice to be worth the investment. (See my *similar previous posts below).

People surfing the Internet are not always sure what good leadership entails, so they might do a Google or Yahoo! search on terms such as "leadership qualities," "best leaders named," or similar phrases. I noticed today that fully one third of the readers of my South by Southwest blog found it as a result of some kind of "leadership" search. We generally think of government leaders but opinion makers provide significant leadership that affects the outcomes of elections. Bloggers are opinion makers, "big" bloggers and "little" bloggers alike.

An analogous hunger for leadership exists in the blogosphere, I think. We invest a great deal in reading the big blogs or our own "favorite" bookmarked or linked blogs, and we expect a great deal in return. I cannot speak for others so I will list those qualities of leadership that I admire in the big blogs to which I regularly turn. The leadership qualities after each name apply to both presidential and opinion-making leaders. Firedoglake's Christy Hardin Smith is very good at connecting with people -- good leaders instinctively know how to connect with their followers. Andrew Sullivan has the ability to see another's side -- good leaders are reasonably capable of listening to an opposing view. On the other hand, some of my favorite very smart bloggers, Glenn Greenwald, for example, are rather skeptical -- leaders I admire are willing to challenge the conventional wisdom. The blog of emptywheel is a really good source of investigative journalism -- good leaders are diligent about gathering the facts. Steve Benen writes a bodaciously fine blog, The Carpetbagger Report, all by himself on a very regular basis -- good leaders have a genuine dedication to a cause. The most widely read bloggers, Maud Newton, for example, exhibit good taste -- leaders do not intentionally offend us.

What makes a "little" or less widely read blogger a good leader with me? I am often influenced by what little bloggers post. The good writer most always does his or her homework -- leaders do the preparation necessary for credibility. Bloggers I admire most "tell it like it is" -- leaders expect us to be able to handle the truth. The best bloggers are multi-talented -- the best leaders often show a number of areas of excellence. My favorite writers exhibit a great deal of authenticity -- leaders with followers that last for the long haul are not "phonies." Some of my favorite bloggers are also activists -- leaders take steps that could bring about change. Good bloggers have the ability to write with passion -- leaders are not afraid of emotion.

*Similar previous posts:

• S/SW posts labeled "leadership."
• The Five Ws and South by Southwest - 2/23/08
• Hungry for Leadership - 1/24/08
• Congress rates low in public mind - 10/29/05

References: The Web Habits of Highly Effective People, (h/t to my favorite "big" literary blogger, Maud Newton).

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

On FISA Favorites --

By Carol Gee

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act story is complicated and very difficult to follow. It has been in the news a great deal in recent weeks, but I have been following the issue since late 2005 when the existence of the Bush domestic spying program was first revealed. In the process I have come to rely on other sources doing the same thing. From that I have developed my list of FISA Favorites. Today's post features excerpts from the work of that esteemed group.

Empty wheel joined in the recent discussion of what would happen after the ACLU case (bringing suit against telecommunications companies that assisted the government to spy on its own citizens) was turned down. The LA Times via memeorandum, clarified what is really going on with Congress and amending the FISA bill. The White House backtracked on its claims of lost intelligence. To quote:

Hours after chiding Congress for not finishing a wiretapping bill and leaving the nation 'vulnerable to terrorist attack,' officials acknowledge all requested information is being received.

. . . The comments by Mukasey, McConnell and Bush were criticized by civil rights and privacy advocates, including Caroline Fredrickson, director of the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"In an attempt to get sweeping powers to wiretap without warrants, Republicans are playing politics with domestic surveillance legislation," Fredrickson said.

FISA Favorites are still coming through for us. What has been needed to support the House of Representatives efforts to say no, is continuous insightful posting by the blogosphere's experts in the FISA field who have followed this story from the beginning.

• Carolyn Fredrickson's full statement, "The Fear Factor" is at the ACLU website.
  
• Empty Wheel Republican No Shows on FISA Negotiation 2/21/08.
  
• TPMMuckraker, always a great source of FISA info, for example, reported that the House was holding proforma sessions to prevent the president from calling the House back into special session to force passage of the FISA bill.
  
• Nancy Pelosi's statement on FISA Negotiations is from the Speaker's website - 2/22/08

Christy Hardin Smith at Firedoglake, deserves a "hooray" for this phrase alone: "FISA: President Specious Opens Yap, Petulantly Stamps Foot…Again." Her point was this, "For President Bush, retroactive immunity for telecoms -- who would only be liable in the first instance if they knowingly cooperated with unlawful requests from the Administration -- is more important than preventing the degradation of our capabilities of surveilling terrorists." Smith's post yesterday included a quote from another blogosphere expert, Glenn G.

Glenn Greenwald: What he said Saturday seems significant to us:

In the letter from Chairman Reyes to which McConnell and Mukasey are responding, Reyes pointed out that under the still-existing FISA law, the Government is free to commence surveillance without a warrant where there is no time to obtain one. In response, McConnell and Mukasey wrote:

[You imply that the emergency authorization process under FISA is an adequate substitute for the legislative authorities that have elapsed. This assertion reflects a basic misunderstanding about FISA's emergency authorization provisions. Specifically, you assert that the National Security Agency (NSA) or Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) "may begin surveillance immediately" in an emergency situation. FISA requires far more, and it would be illegal to proceed as you suggest].

Wow, what a blockbuster revelation. Apparently, as it turns out, in the United States it's "illegal" for the Government to eavesdrop on Americans without first complying with the requirements of FISA. But even if telecoms were refusing to cooperate, the reason for their refusal was not because they don't have retroactive immunity, but rather, it's because there is alleged uncertainty over the legality of current surveillance requests, and uncertainty over the ongoing validity of the prospective immunity provided by the PAA, because the PAA expired.

Basic references on how all this began:

• Whistle-Blower Outs NSA Spy Room 4/7/06 at Wired
• "Inside Bush's Secret Spy Net" by Karen Tumulty at Time Magazine. 5/14/06
  

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

Hunger for human connection

By Carol Gee

Genuine human interaction is something we seek out. Our species likes to connect with each other. We instinctively live together in homes, neighborhoods, tribes and nations. We naturally communicate with each other, even if we cannot understand the other's language.

If you can read this you are a human being. If you can read this [1] or [2], you could be a chimp. To read the rest of the post, you must learn the Word of the Day -- "poignant" -- from Yahoo! Thesaurus:

adjective

1. Exciting a deep, usually somber response: affecting, impressive, moving, stirring, touching.

The Internet provides wonderful opportunities to make virtual human connections with people all around the world, and Tom Friedman's idea that the world is flat is correct in this regard. Today's post is a little digest of poignancy collected from some blogosphere people with whom I have connected over the years:

• From Maud Newton, a wonderful literary blogger whom I've read for years, comes this link to poignant news -- "Marie Smith Jones, last native speaker of the Eyak language dies," and this about the future of languages, from Out of the Woods Now.


• From my virtual "neighbor" TxSharon of Bluedaze comes this very poignant helpful hint -- "How to get a human on the phone," with a link to gethuman 500 database.


• The writers at Firedognight have soul -- Suzanne mentioned "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera. It is among the most poignant pieces of music I know.


• Grant McCracken I have read for years. He is a talented anthropologist, who wrote this blogpost: "Lunch hour anthropology." It contains a link to an exhibit of photographs by Gus Powell, "Lunch Pictures," including several that are exquisitely poignant.
  

Virtual poignant experiences are not the same thing, obviously, as in-person touching encounters. We go to movies or the symphony or to a museum to be moved or stirred. But you can have the same experience if you will take the trouble to watch around you, as Grant describes in his lunch hour post. I am thinking of how touching it could be to really pay attention to the warm and tender ways moms or dads greet their toddlers as they pick them up from day care. Or you might watch a replay of the STS-122 shuttle crew saying goodbye yesterday to the little crew remaining at the International Space Station. Big brave male astronauts shed tears at the occasion, and it was perfectly appropriate to do so.

Today I have taken a vacation from ranting about FISA, and I am sure my regular readers will breathe a sigh of relief. I will return to ranting and bold headings tomorrow.

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

The striving lives of little bloggers

By Carol Gee

Today, February 3, is officially "Blogroll Amnesty Day," AKA "Blogroll Bloodbath Anniversary Day. I call it "Blog Action Day." I learned about it in an earlier post here at The Reaction; I quote Michael's intro because I could not say it better:

Two of my favourite bloggers, Skippy and Jon Swift, have organized this admirable effort, Blogroll Amnesty Day. What's it all about? Well, it's about what Jon calls "the Golden Rule of Blogging: Blog unto others as you would have them blog unto you." Which is to say, in this respect: link, link, link! It's about linking to other blogs, supporting smaller blogs, and otherwise making connections and, even more, friends. Links are the "capital" of the blogosphere, but they are also what the blogosphere is really all about. Unfortunately, as I know well, it's hard for many bloggers to get the links they so badly want, namely, links from the A-listers, the big blogs that with a single link can generate enormous traffic. We all want those links from Kos and Atrios and Drum and C&L and all the rest, but, alas, those links aren't always forthcoming. And so we do what we need to do, linking to each other, supporting each other, forging connections, making friends, and otherwise building up the liberal/progressive blogosphere into a genuine network. That's what this is all about.

What happened -- Carl, one of my co-bloggers here at The Reaction, added a very informative history of the happening as the intro to his post day. His words gave me a real sense of how it must have been back then when the Precipitating Event was perpetrated: "Today is the anniversary of a dark day in Blogtopia. . .The unintentional (or perhaps intentional) consequence of BAD was to eliminate an awful lot of blogs from an awful lot of exposure."

I have often posted about bloggers that deserved recognition, or about what it means to maintain a "small" blog." April 10, 2005 -- "Big blog vs little blogs"; July 16, 2005 --"Form vs Content"; June 10, 2006 -- "Little blogs"; June 26, 2006 -- "Blogging as Catharsis"; July 27, 2006 -- "More Women Bloggers Needed".

So the idea this year is to link to smaller bloggers. As my beginning contribution to that effort I have developed an exclusive new Blogroll to my South by Southwest website. It recognizes those of us bloggers in this little community known as The Reaction by linking to each of their primary posting homes:

• Founder & Editor: Michael J.W. Stickings -- "The Reaction"
• Associate editor: Creature -- "State of the Day"
• Assistant editor: Libby Spencer -- "Last One Speaks"

Co-bloggers:

• AviShalom/MSS -- blogs at The Reaction
• Capt. Fogg -- "Human Voices"
• Carl -- "Simply Left Behind"
• Edward Copelend -- "Edward Copeland on Film"
• J. Kingston Pierce -- "Limbo"
• J. Thomas Duffy -- "The Garlic"

A poem to celebrate -- As my concluding section of today's post I have dashed off a copy of an old nursery rhyme that seems apropos to modify for the occasion. From "I'm a Little Teapot" -- from Wikipedia:

I'm a little blogger, short and stout.
Here is my handle (screen name), here is my spout (rant).
When I get all steamed up, then I shout.
Tip me over and pour me out.

A second verse (with motion) is also found at Wikipedia:

I'm a clever teapot, yes it's true.
Here's an example of what I can do.
I can change my handle to my spout (switch arm positions and repeat tipping motion).
Just tip me over and pour me out.

Have a good anniversary!

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

B.A.D. 2008

By Michael J.W. Stickings


Two of my favourite bloggers, Skippy and Jon Swift, have organized this admirable effort, Blogroll Amnesty Day. What's it all about? Well, it's about what Jon calls "the Golden Rule of Blogging: Blog unto others as you would have them blog unto you." Which is to say, in this respect: link, link, link! It's about linking to other blogs, supporting smaller blogs, and otherwise making connections and, even more, friends. Links are the "capital" of the blogosphere, but they are also what the blogosphere is really all about. Unfortunately, as I know well, it's hard for many bloggers to get the links they so badly want, namely, links from the A-listers, the big blogs that with a single link can generate enormous traffic. We all want those links from Kos and Atrios and Drum and C&L and all the rest, but, alas, those links aren't always forthcoming. And so we do what we need to do, linking to each other, supporting each other, forging connections, making friends, and otherwise building up the liberal/progressive blogosphere into a genuine network. That's what this is all about.

Here at The Reaction, we link frequently to the non-A-listers, and, of course, we will continue to do so -- and will do so in other posts this weekend. Stay tuned.

Some of my favourite non-A-listers have become co-bloggers here -- and I encourage you to check out their home blogs, if you haven't already. Click on their names over on the right sidebar. You'll go to their profiles, from which you can go straight to their various blogs. They're all fantastic.

As well, have a look through our extensive blogroll, further down on the sidebar. There are the A-listers in there, of course, but I've made a concerted attempt over the past couple of years to connect with some of the smaller blogs, too. I recommend all the blogs on the blogroll. Seriously, check them out. Click on the ones you don't know.

A huge thank you to Skippy and Jon for doing this. And a huge thank you to everyone who has ever linked here.

The Voters Spoke -- 2

By Carol Gee

Senator Barack Obama's win in the Democratic primary in South Carolina seems very significant. The stars seemed to be aligned right for a win for him this time. There are several reasons, it seems to me.

(Linked to major news sources on line):

• Steady -- Though probably tempted to respond inappropriately to former President Clinton's earlier dismissive comment, Senator Obama stuck to his own more positive and coalition-building message.


• Voters speak -- South Carolina voters, like New Hampshire voters before them, cherished their rights to make their own choices, and showed their displeasure with the Clinton campaign.


• Lack of grace -- Senator Clinton's going into denial (into a "stump" speech, rather than a genuine concession speech) is a sign of the magnitude of her defeat. It was a bigger one than the campaign expected.


• Turnout -- The voter turnout was very big, significant in this more Republican-leaning state. With 99% of votes counted the turnout was 532,227.


• Youth vote -- Senator Obama's ability to win the younger crowd of voters remains very consistent. The generational difference is readily apparent as to how little this demographic pays any attention at all the Obama's race, for instance.


• Delegate dispute looming -- The delegates from the Michigan and Florida campaigns are looking more important. I expect that there will be a big attempt to seat them at the convention, despite the party rules against it. The Florida primary is on January 28; Super-Duper Tuesday (24 states) is February 5.


• Important supporters -- A number of Obama endorsements are emerging that are very impressive:s Senator Leahy, Senator McCaskill and Caroline Kennedy, are examples.


• The future -- Senator Edwards' disappointing finish also indicates that voters are looking to the future, rather than the past. The Obama campaign is all about the future.


• Delegate count -- According to MSNBC, Obama has the lead with 63. Clinton has 48, not counting the "Super Delegates," and Edwards has 26. The Washington Post has a count that includes the "super delegates:" Clinton has 246, Obama has 161 and Edwards has 52. The nominee will need 2,025.

A footnote -- Chris Matthews was missing from the MSNBC scene; it was a delight to watch Keith Olberman lead the discussion. Even then, I switched to CNN occasionally.

Others who agree:

Andrew Sullivan at Atlantic's Daily Dish is an unabashed Obama supporter and wrote several delighted posts. Here is his round-up, and his post about Caroline Kennedy's endorsement.

Steve Clemons at The Washington Note wrote (1/25) about the Florida primary non-campaign in "When not Campaigning in Florida Seems Like It Is"

Steve Benen at The Carpetbagger Report had some "Fun with Exit Polls." It is a great little piece.

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo wonders how people feel about Hillary's leaving the state and about her speech last night in "The Speeches."

RealClearPolitics and Memeorandum have all the news that's fit to print, so to speak, in their richly aggregated and late news sites.

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)

On the way to the evening

By Carol Gee

When the New Hampshire Primary election returns are finalized, it will be another big milestone in "Election -- 2008." The MSM anointed front-runners will have fulfilled the pundits' breathless predictions or not. With just a few days to recalibrate slumping campaigns, we who watch TV and read newspapers get caught up in the candidate gossip trivia of the moment. Were Hillary's tears real or not? Did Edwards take unfair advantage of her situation with a sexist frame of what a commander in chief needs. Did Obama gain or lose anything from this little drama?

Our editor at The Reaction, Michael, wrote a wonderfully insightful and useful analysis of the current situation from his vantage point in the U.K., where he is currently staying. He talked about the importance of the process so much better than I ever could in "Hillary's long and winding road," from which I quote a couple of his ironic bits of wisdom:

If [Hillary] does lose New Hampshire, though, you know where the media narrative will go: Obama is indeed unstoppable and Clinton is, alas, a hopeless also-ran who might as well get out of the way of the swelling Obama juggernaut. . .The media will have its story, and that will be that.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. New Hampshire hasn't happened yet, and a new Gallup poll puts Clinton and Obama each at about one-third support among Democrats. That's a tie is what that is, and there's a long, long way to go. It is now Obama who faces the challenge of heightened expectations and the risk of losing his hard-won momentum. The pendulum could yet swing back.

Meanwhile the Progressive blogosphere has no lack of definitive opinions, endorsements, important news and predictions with which to weigh in. (My guy was Senator Chris Dodd, so now I have to start completely over). Here is a little sample from my Favorites roster:

• Rather devastatingly critical of Barack Obama, TxSharon on January 5 endorsed Hillary Clinton.


• Hat tip to Buckarooskidoo for the link and a great post at Make it Stop! titled, "Holy Hyperbole!The link was to an International Herald Tribune story about Barack Obama's popularity in Germany.


• "Hat tip" to betmo ( a Kucinich supporter), who first pointed out (Edwards supporter) Bluebloggin's biggie. Bluebloggin.com deserves a round of applause for the (1/7/08) article, "Federal Election Commission has shut down. Yes, I had to read the headline twice also. To quote:
  
  

  With the primary season underway for the most important presidential race the Federal Election Commission has shut its doors. I kid you not. On January 1, 2008 the FEC went dark. This is truly amazing, infuriating and stunning that the MSM would miss such a crucial story during an election year. With the exception of the Washington Post’s recent article on December 22nd no one else in the MSM covered the shut down.
  
  . . . When the terms of three of the six-member Commission expired on December 31, 2007, the agency lost its ability to take any formal actions concerning elections. Because the FEC requires votes of four of its six Commissioners to decide any matter, one vacancy and the expiration of the three appointees, the FEC now has only two Commissioners. They are no longer functional.
  
  The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, PAC’s and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections.

Even more important than the FEC to the 2008 elections big picture is the actual voting process. I quoted from this important New York Times Magazine article of January 6, 2008, in my most recent post. It discussed what is wrong with the electronic voting systems of the various states. Today's quote is about what could be right if changes are made in time. Let us hope that New Hampshire voters have confidence that their votes will be counted correctly. Dixville Notch's 17 voters used paper ballots and we saw the counting. To quote:

Optical scanning is used in what many elections experts regard as the “perfect elections” of Leon County in Florida, where Ion Sancho is the supervisor of elections. In the late ’80s, . . . he bought the optical-scanning devices from Unisys and trained his staff . . . His error rate — has dipped as low as . . . three-thousandths of a percent.

More important, his paper trail prevents endless fighting over the results of tight elections. In one recent contest, a candidate claimed that his name had not appeared on the ballot in one precinct. . . The paper ends the discussion.” Sancho has never had a legal fight over a disputed election result. “The losers have admitted they lost, which is what you want,” he adds. “You have to be able to convince the loser they lost.”

That, in a nutshell, is what people crave in the highly partisan arena of modern American politics: an election that can be extremely close and yet regarded by all as fair. Not only must the losing candidate believe in the loss; the public has to believe in it, too.

It is well on the way to the evening and the process is in full swing, and I must trust it. At least the candidates and we will know the outcome before long. I have had the television off all day because I cannot stand it. I am in full retrench mode, trying to decide whom to support when my turn to vote comes in March. I love John Edwards' fierce liberal populism. I love Barack Obama's lovely story, his inspiring manner and his outstanding oratory. And I love Hillary Clinton because she represents my feminist dreams as I begin my seventh decade. I could have worse problems.

cross-posted at South by Southwest

Top Ten Cloves: Things Markos Moulitsas will have to look out for when working with Karl Rove at Newsweek

News Item: Karl Rove Hired As Newsweek Contributor To ‘Balance’ Markos

By J. Thomas Duffy

10. Markos will need to remember, when they bump into each other, to call him "Turd Blossom", not "Turd Face."

9. Markos have to come up with a good response, when trapped in the elevator and Rove, boastfully, challenges him with "And how many times did the Grand Jury call you in?"

8. Markos can't look sheepish when Rove presses him on "How many governors did you get thrown in jail?"

7. It's back to school for Markos, to brush up on and learn that New Math of Roves'

6. If Markos wants to vote in 2008, as long as Markos works with Rove, he needs to verify - frequently - with his local voting commission that they have his correct address.

5. One thing Markos can definitely ignore -- dancing lessons from Karl Rove.

4. Markos shouldn't bite when Rove tries to get him to answer "And how many U.S. Attorneys did you get fired?"

3. If Markos has any family or relatives that work, covertly, for the CIA, he's got to keep that info away from Rove.

2. Markos will have to come up with somebody, to be their brains, or have to endure Rove's sing-song taunts of "I'm Bush's Brain ... I'm Bush's Brain ..."

1. Markos shouldn't bring up, or interview, Margaret Spellings... Karl's still a little touchy about it ...















Why, It's A Mini Rovepalooza Linkfest

Kos: It's Karl Rove

Karl Rove's New Gig

Jane Hamsher/Firedoglake: Newsweek to Hire Karl Rove

Steve Benen/The Carpetbagger Report: Juan Williams defines ‘journalist’

Digby: "It's A Great Lie"

A Further Embellishment On The Appropriately Named CREEP

Logan Murphy/Crooks and Liars: Keith Olbermann Says Goodbye To Turd Blossom

Joan Walsh/Salon: The man who sold the war

Lou Dubose/Salon: The collapse of Karl Rove; The Pygmalion strategist from Texas built up the Republican Party by exploiting the religious right -- and now his handiwork is crumbling.

Markos: If he offers, pass on the dancing lessons.


















(Cross-posted at The Garlic.)

On voting, elections, and winning

By Carl
If I've learned anything from the Weblog Awards race that Simply Left Behind is involved with, and the ancillary races at that site, it's this:

Getting Democrats and liberals to unite is like herding cats

And there's the difference between us and conservatives.

Ironic, isn't it?

Go take a look at the "Best Blog" categories, or "Best Community" or "Best Individual Blogger". Factor out the non-political blogs (like Fark or PostSecret) and you can see that the right wing has committed pretty substantial resources to their voting, and the liberal blogs have had to scramble to respond.

In particular, look at the Individual Blogger category: Glenn Reynolds, aka Instapundit, is running away with the vote.

I won't like to his site, but I will link to Instaputz, where you can click through and annoy Glenn at the same time.

Read his blog, pick a post, nearly any post. He says...nothing. He writes a short blurb, and links to someone else's thoughts.

That's blogging? Notice, not even a comments thread...

And yet, he manages to draw a cadre of lockstep voters who will vote for him no matter what the circumstance. Not surprisingly, they're part of the 24 percenters.

What happens online happens in real life in this instance, and this is what troubles me about Democrats in general.

Look, we who are progressive know the majority of the country agrees with us, agrees with our values, values that transcend religious and class lines: we believe in doing good for other people, and if you have the power to do more good for people than someone else, you should try to.

This is what we believe about government: government has the power to solve problems that individuals or smaller groups cannot.

Ever see that quote at the top of my blog?

"Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What did Conservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things...every one! So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, 'Liberal,' as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won't work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor."

We couldn't have done all that without the power of the government, at all levels, behind us. And that means, winning elections at all levels.

We would find it immoral, in fact, not to use that power to do good for people who are less well off than we.

Like I said, values that are transcendant. Yet, that values argument got lost in the shuffle of hearing about gay marriage in Iowa, or pot-smoking hippies taking away guns. Those, it was claimed by the right, were not American values. A nonsensical straw man argument, to be sure, one that detracts from our nation's greatness, yet there it is.

But, because the right was unified on this point, because they hammered the point home relentlessly like tens of millions of chimpanzees on toy pianos, and we on the left couldn't mount an effective rebuttal, our values were subsumed.

Want a vast right wing conspiracy? There it is. It doesn't have to be a formal network of talking points passed among millions (altho at times, it has been just that, as churches and sermons became political advertisements). All it needs is a bellwether.

The chimps pick up the rest. You see this behavior in the trolls that infest blogs across Blogtopia (© Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo). You hear this behavior in any sports bar that's dumb enough to allow one loud drunk to monopolize the dialogue at the risk of having a brawl break out.

And yet we on the left don't fight back hard enough. And that costs us votes.

Why?

Part of it, I think, is that we assume that, because we hold a moral, valuable position, that people will naturally gravitate to us, light a light on a porch in the summer that attracts moths. The force of our ideas, beacons in the darkness, will shine through and people will do the right thing.

Like the herd of cats, what keeps us together isn't a perception that we have to be together, but a general agreement that we share a basic understanding of the universe and that we can agree on reality. Or maybe it's just a giant food dish. I haven't quite worked that bit out.

We on the left won't put up the fight when it's needed, until it may be too late.

Take the 2000 election: we wanted Gore to contest it to the bitter end, but how many of us Monday morning quarterbacks were out there, shaking hands, handing out fliers, making the phone calls, when it would have made a difference to Gore's campaign?

I suspect far fewer than were wringing hands about Gore's reluctance to overturn the Constitution.

Or 2004: What would have happened if, while Kerry sat back reluctant to fight the really ugly fight with the Swift Boaters, we on the left picked up the cudgel and took the fight to them?

Think that's not necessary? It wasn't the Bush campaign that "exposed" the Dan Rather memo: it was the blogosphere. They took up a fight they knew the candidate could not battle directly, and managed to turn what should have been a well-documented, factually vetted act of treason on the part of a future President into a method of exorcising a "liberal bugbear."

In short, they hate us, and we don't hate them nearly enough.

We have to dig deeper and pick up our game. Next year's election is 366 days away, and that might be the longest 366 days in the history of this country if we don't start fighting back now with every weapon at our disposal.

That means, go out and vote today, for a starter, even if all you have on your ballot is a bond proposal to help a small community of 71 families find a fresh water supply to replace the one that's drying up. It doesn't matter that it will win in a landslide with or without your vote.

It matters that YOU voted!

That's just the start. Tomorrow, you start paying attention to what people on the other side say to you, even the loud drunks in the bar, and you find a way to confront them and let people around you SEE and HEAR that there is an opposing progressive viewpoint.

Don't let them take the drunk at his word that he's right and everyone else is entitled to his opinion, because believe it or not, some people will assume that he is right because no one is debating the issue with him.

The next day, you write a letter to the local newspaper and take a stance that opposes the right wing viewpoints that some other letter writer has expressed. Even if it doesn't get printed, the editors read it, and they calculate it into their own editorials and their news decisions. They have an audience of customers to serve, and if they think the only customers they have are conservatives, well guess what kind of news you're going to get!

And then the next day, you write a letter to your local politician: mayor, Congresscritter, Senator, governor, and you take a stand on an issue.

Ask questions. Let them know YOU care. The more liberals who do this, the more they have to pay attention.

The meek shall inherit the earth, it's been said, but the grumpy get promoted.

It's not just about us being right anymore. It's about us showing everyone else just precisely how we are right. It's about pitching in and showing that you care.

Even if it's a stupid election that means nothing out of context, because they care enough to try to cheat to win, we have to care enough to stop them.

(Cross-posted to Simply Left Behind.)