Thoughts on the world of open source
Parker Palmer has been a favorite of mine for a number of years now and this recently released video of his upcoming book, Healing the Heart of Democracy really speaks to a topic that I wrote about yesterday. We have to get past partisanship and bickering to solve our larger issues as a country or we will soon find ourselves no longer a country but a people literally at war with each other.
Follow this link to the video, http://couragerenewal.org/democracy
“I never remember a time when we had such deadlock, paralysis, almost unrelenting rigidity. We were able to work across the aisle and shape what I call American solutions to big issues. Something happened to shatter that essential ability to compromise and build for the future.”
– Former Vice President Walter Mondale on how a new era of partisan division and political paralysis has led to the Minnesota government shutdown. (Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Earlier this week I heard a couple of conservative folks talking about close minded liberals. I don’t give a damn if you’re liberal or conservative. We’re Americans and we damned well better start acting like we loved each other and our country. This partisan hacking is crap and it does come from both Democrats & Republicans and I don’t give a rats ass who started it but it’s well past time to end it. Real democracies listen to and respect the voices of all people.
I got a note from a group I belong to about a new movie by MIchael Moore entitled “Slacker Uprising.” You can download the movie for free at SlackerUprising.com. Here’s the trailer which is pretty entertaining.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh5a42XyrOA&]
Operation Iraqi Freedom was going to leave us with a democracy in the Middle East. It looks like the Iraqis are catching on and that things are going swimmingly well for them but not so well for us. Turns out they don’t want us occupying their country afterall. They don’t want a permanent US presence complete with contractors and 58 permanent bases. Looks like we’ll have to install a strong man like Saddam and prop him up. Read more here.
A few days ago Vice President Cheney was interviewed by Martha Raddatz of ABC and in the interview the news anchor had the temerity to assert that two thirds of the American public think that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake and that our policy there is a mistake. Mr. Cheney flippantly replied, “So.”[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-vEb8nSzQE] Continue reading “So”