In some recent emails, particularly with Jock Gill, we have been discussing the role of ballot initiatives and plebiscites in politics today. Many people seem to think of ballot initiatives as a great example true democracy where everyone has their say in making a law. However, I think that ballot initiatives are perhaps one of [...]
About a year ago Joi Ito started a discussion of “Emergent Democracy,” about how a mix of our existing tools plus new social software and social network technologies relate to democracy. Joi et al were seeing the potential for blogs to become politically relevant tools, and noting how themes, issues, and positions seem to emerge [...]
Recently, on a mailing list of technologists who are active in the Howard Dean campaign, the issue of whether the technology should be Open Source and Peer to Peer came up. The person raising the issue said: “To be Open Source, it means that our opponent, the Republican Party, will also have access to the [...]
by Dana Blankenhorn The argument is as old as the Republic. Does the government exist to serve the needs of an elite, which the people naturally follow, or should elites take their cue from the people? This was the issue in America’s first competitive elections, between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. When finally put to [...]
For the past fifteen years, I have worked to provide information technology solutions on Wall Street. This has resulted in many long discussions about centralization versus decentralization, open-source versus proprietary systems, and different management styles. As a technologist, I felt very comfortable tweaking programs here in there to get the desired results. However, when it [...]
Ralph Nader is asking for your opinion. Go to this URL if you want to give it to him. http://www.naderexplore04.org/survey/survey_start.php Below is what I told them (also posted to Blog for America). See my long post at www.greaterdemocracy.org. Nadar has many good ideas for reform but he does not play well with others and he [...]
By Larry Seaquist Copyright © 2003 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. Reprinted with the author’s permission. GIG HARBOR, WASH. – As we see in Iraq, building a peaceful community requires more than killing enemies. Iraq dominates the headlines, but citizens in many other countries also struggle to replace violence with civility. Right here [...]
Why Dean Can’t Win On His Own….. I support Al Sharpton, Carol Moseley Braun, and Dennis Kucinich because each in their own way represent the future….a future in which truth trumps money and Americans are smart enough to understand that the big divide is between wage-earners (“us”) and carpetbagging corporate cronies (“them”). Everything else–race, gender, [...]
Last week, Robert David Steele wrote a Citizen’s Open Letter to Dr. Howard Dean. There has been a fairly well thought out and lively discussion about this in the comment section. In addition, several people have commented to me about it via email. I have sent them my responses. Some have suggested that a more [...]
You have all beat me into submission. Here is the revised review of Dean’s book as it now shows at Amazon.com: I was one of the first “substance experts” to believe that Dean could and should be President, and I remain convinced that he is the only Democrat that can beat George Bush. This is [...]