Politics '11: Keeping up with the Xornses

[Xeroma]

http://news.yahoo.com/gop-contenders-extend-anti-terror-patriot-act-013945491.html

ASDF

[Grefter]

So not necessarilly some political news, but here is an interesting article on shifts in modern media trying to adapt to teh internets.

http://filmmakeriq.com/2011/11/cnn-fires-editors-photojournalists-because-amateurs-will-work-for-free/

Now this is pretty fucked up for many reasons.  One of the most important componets is freedom of the press and the extra they provide.  For example something like what is quoted in the following article is not supposed to happen to Press (in most of the First World anyway).
 
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/some-occupy-protesters-allege-violence.html

Collins, who lives in Albany, N.Y., said she got an emotional phone message from him some time after his arrest. He posted on Facebook, "They beat me and stole my camera." Collin said her brother had not been an Occupy participant previously and apparently went to the encampment Tuesday night just to take pictures.

So if you are relying entirely on amateurs to provide your coverage in any element (so even if it is just photographic) then you are severely limiting the kinds of news coverage that you are actually able to report on and provide solid supporting evidence (or cynically, only able to get through to people without tl;dr).  In a growing age of massive media conglomerates and ever more dispersed quality news sources it is all the more important to provide such basic coverage rights to the people at these events that are simply there as observers of the truth.


Now on to the Grefter Socialist component however, not that it matters because during the Occupy movements Police are still continuing to ignore whether people are even actually there to demonstrate, if they are there is an observer for whatever reason (especially as a member of the press) or just happen to you know, be in the general vicinity.  Everyone is getting treated the same, which is to say brutally, oppresively and most of all with an aggressive mind to cripple people's ability or will to form such movements in the future.

Case in point, yet another piece of press being arrested.  Of course an Exiled editor does the gonzo journalist thing and reports on it as it happened to him anyway.

http://exiledonline.com/alert-exiled-editor-yasha-levine-arrested-jailed-during-police-attack-on-occupy-la/

[Grefter]

Okay, just staright up Occupy spam today.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/02/9166035-foreclosed-homes-empty-lots-are-next-occupy-targets

For anyone that has said that the movement actually need to get out there and do something.   Well here is something.

Edit - And just to clarify, I do actually really like this as an act of protest.  It is much better way of opting out of the system than just moving to a hippie commune in the middle of nowhere.

[Dunefar]

http://nymag.com/news/politics/liberals-jonathan-chait-2011-11/

Interesting article about liberals and presidential expectations. I'm not sure how much I agree with it, but I think there's a point in there somewhere.

[Cmdr_King]

Personally, I'd consider it the job of progressives to be disappointed in liberal presidents.  As progressives, the primary goal is progress, evolution in a fundamental way.  Make no mistake, compromise and half-measures are pragmatic necessities and are often improvements to the status quo, but it is important not to look at these things and think mission accomplished.  Instead, the job of the progressive is to remind everyone that this is a single step, and neither more nor less.

But for cripes sake, again, pragmatism.  Letting a republican in isn't going to send any message to the democrats, so STOP guys.  Although you could argue that's more how the whole thing is systemically broken and significant change may not be possible to start with.  Hell if I know.

[Grefter]

Not going to dwell on it to much, but in the context of the current administration, I think progressives have every right to be disappointed somewhat when they were hoping for change and what they got was a government that continues to allow extraspecial interrogation techniques in off shore holding.

[metroid composite]

Yeah, pretty much what Grefter said.

Personally, I'm not comparing Obama to other Democrat presidents (who have also failed, it's true; it's not like Bill and Hillary's health care bill passed at all, whereas Obama passed...something, even if it was a shell of a bill).  I'm comparing Obama to Canadian administrations, who...actually get things done.


And I'd blame the American system, except Republican presidents do seem to get things done; like passing the Patriot Act and No Child Left Behind.  (Two bills I have pretty strong opposition to, and was really hoping Obama would repeal--notably, in 2011 Obama signed a 4-year-extension on several Patriot Act provisions like roving wiretaps, searches of businesses, and surveillance of "lone wolves"--defined as individuals suspected of terrorist activities).

[superaielman]

Part of the Patriot act that attack linkage blindness with LO are good; the wiretapping rules and search stuff are really terrible.


 re that article:

There hasn't been a liberal in office since Carter (Or an effective one since LBJ).  Some of that is the US's politics being more right of center than say Canada's, but I think that's also a reflection of the two main parties. The Republicans have been very good at party discipline and using primaries as a way to keep things within a strict ideological range. The democrats... welp.

[metroid composite]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxzONeK1OwQ


I feel like I should maybe post this in IotD.  Rick Perry's campaign ad....

[NotMiki]

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/the-real-g-o-p-dark-horse-none-of-the-above/?src=recg

Interesting numbers on what percent of Republican voters would find their current crop of nominees to be acceptable candidates for president.  I am happy to say that Santorum comes in dead last (tied with Paul) even behind Bachmann and Cain.

[Xeroma]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/the-nightmarish-sopa-hearings/2011/12/15/gIQA47RUwO_blog.html?hpid=z5

adfjkqifjr2qfdijqwd why is this all so stupid. I don't get it. I don't fucking get it.

[metroid composite]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhDQkSqii-E

So...a bunch of kids get arrested for dancing at the Jefferson Memorial.  (Apparently this happened six months ago, and was a response to an upheld court case where a woman was arrested for dancing at the memorial).

[Cmdr_King]

http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/16/sopa-delayed-but-not-for-long/

I hate this country.

[NotMiki]

Reserve your hate for if it actually passes.

[Cmdr_King]

There won't be any hate left if it passes, only despair.

[NotMiki]

What is that, like the shittiest version of Pandora's Box ever?

[Cmdr_King]

An apt summary of politics.

[metroid composite]

http://thepotterblogger.blogspot.com/2011/12/occupy-protesters-are-terrorists.html

Occupy London protestors are apparently terrorists, worthy of the same attention from security agencies as Al Quaeda.

[Grefter]

http://exiledonline.com/occupy-atlantic-avenue-the-night-before-the-occupy-boston-clearance/
And Boston falls as well.

[metroid composite]

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/12/gingrichs-message-to-gay-americans-vote-for-obama/

[Idun]

Boston Occupiers became hostile to the homeless population. Such a paradox.

[Dunefar]

It's just about time for the new year, so that means a new politics topic.

[Dunefar]

New thread is here: http://www.rpgdl.com/forums/index.php/topic,5912.0.html