Facebook or Social Media Shaping Politics or the World

Teri McGrath
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I think it’s problematic to try to evaluate the role that Facebook or social media can or does play in shaping politics or the world. It’s like asking whether the printing press was a good idea or not. Facebook isn’t posting links or rants or getting in Facebook fights–people are. Instead of talking about whether its useful, we should focus on examining the ways people can and do use it. We should do that with all media. And with politics.

And no matter how much activism is born and dies on Facebook, the fact must be that we are all learning from it. I have a lot of friends on my page, and I post–too much, probably, sorry–I know that even people who disagree with me or don’t even know who I am are probably occasionally introduced to something new and interesting by me.

This isn’t much related to this article, but I also hate it when people talk about cell phones and other technology as if they are obstacles to meaningful communication. To say so suggests that meaningful communication isn’t and shouldn’t be the goal when we’re using these tools. Why would we say that? And we can’t very well say that people are locked away from the world in a tech bubble because they are staring at their phones–they’re probably playing words with friends in France and carrying on Facebook fights with strangers on the local news page, along with three different text conversations, all while watching a video or listening to some new stolen music. The fact that they may be driving while doing this is legitimate cause for alarm, but other than that–you’re being kind of silly if you say a device for communication is cutting us off from communicating.

And finally, people who suggest that on line activism only happens on line probably don’t know how to check and see if they’ve been invited to any events. I honestly do not know how I could be as engaged with my community or with other people if I did not have Facebook. In an instant I can make real friends who I can talk to and call on if I need them. It’s okay if we don’t have time to really get to know each other in person because we will get to know each other through Facebook, and that’s good because in person I’m about the goofiest person in the world. I need Facebook to explain myself.

This rant is brought to you by my desire to stay on the webs instead of finishing packing.

Progressives and Multi-billion Dollar Corporate Interests

Progressives believe that progress in the face of multi-billion dollar corporate interests requires serious participation by people in our communities, workplaces, and schools between elections. We will work to:

1. Organize events in our communities and at the State House to bring out the voices of the people.
2. Support town meeting initiatives on vital issues.
3. Build coalitions with community, religious, business, union, and student organizations to support legislative initiatives.
(From Vermont Progressive Party Platform)

Imagine This- What if Our Government is Now the Corporation?

Imagine five members of the Supreme Court thinking that corporations are people.

Terry Gresham

Here’s a thought for ya. What if this is not big governments’ national security–the NSA thing? What if this is big corporation’s national security? What if the Big Brother that is supposed to or not supposed be watching us is not our government but Big Business let loose by those in Washington paid for by big money?

“And, you know, specifically on Booz Allen and what these companies do, I mean, you know, they—as I wrote in my book, Spies for Hire, they do everything from, you know, CIA intervention in other countries; JSOC, you know, when it does raids, contractors are involved in finding out where people they attack are and determining the mapping and all that and the imagery to make sure that pilots and drones can hit the right people—or the wrong people. And they’re involved in the Defense Intelligence Agency. They’re involved in all military agencies that do intelligence. They do everything. They do everything that the government does.” – Tim Shorrock Read more http://truth-out.org/video/item/16904-digital-blackwater-how-the-nsa-gives-private-contractors-control-of-the-surveillance-state

I’m thinking about what happens when privatization of stuff such as national security is let loose, like the Kraken, by the small government guys in Washington. I’m also wondering about stock holders in these private security contractor operations who seem virtually free from Government oversight. (We only find out what’s up from whistle-blowers) Are some of these profiteers in US Congress? And if not actual dividend recipients, are those politicians there due to the money coming from Big business.

“When private contractors are performing our intelligence gathering, they’re not looking for threats to America as much as they’re looking for opportunities for profit for themselves. When we have for-profit prisons, we end up with people in prison who shouldn’t be there. And when we have for-profit surveillance, we end up conducting surveillance that we shouldn’t be conducting.”- Randi Rhodes Read more: http://www.randirhodes.com/main.html#ixzz2W8scxeyT

Aside from annoying internet pop-up marketers, who would benefit most by spying on all Americans? The Government’s anti-terrorism networks? Maybe, to some extent but I am of the idea that that is one aside, maybe. What about this, what if the greatest benefit is to the stock holders wallets? This might also benefits their ability to contribute to their small government politicians/employees in Washington–the contributions and the revolving door.

Is a whistle-blower a patriot? I hope not.  Loyalty to We the People is great while Patriotism is not so great– Patriotism is a cult. That being said, one placing him or herself in the position must weigh the possibility of prison alongside loyalty to The People.  Whistle-blowers are to be revered in this way: that they throw caution to the wind for love of people not nations, not the state, not for “employee of the month,” and especially not for the title of patriot. I’m not so sure I could do it.

Even for those of us who have nothing to hide from government, what if this turns out to be not our government? What if our government is now the corporation?

Watch: Kafka

Remembering the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation and my Great-Grandfather

Bob Murl Bearden

My great-grandfather was always proud of his service in the Civil War although he never liked talking about the fighting and he believed that if the politicians who started wars had to fight them there would be no wars. He believed that the cause of the war the ending of slavery was the right thing even though he abhorred the war itself. Once many years later he had an occasion to be confronted by a group of Klan members who had ventured on his property because of his stance on slavery and the emancipation issue. They had threatened to burn a cross on his land because of his views. He calmly stood his ground and let them know that if they returned to carry out their threats he would be there waiting for them. They never returned.

Coming up the first of July is the 150 Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. My great-grandfather Andrew Jackson Everist served in the 57th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War and was for a short period of time an orderly at Grant’s Headquarters, from a perspective of a 15 year boy who had run away from home to join the Grand Army of the Potomac he would forever say that the history books had it wrong that Grant wasn’t the General everyone thought he was, but then he was looking at from an entirely different perspective.

For the time his outfit was attached to Grant’s Headquarters at Vicksburg it was his and another 17 year old orderly’s job to wake Grant up, help him dress, trim his beard if need be and then in the immortal words of my great-grandfather, “If he was still too drunk, lift him up on his horse and standby until he could successfully right himself without danger of falling.” My great-grandfather gladly relinquished his duties as one of Grant’s orderlies when his outfit got the task of breaking camp for William Tecumseh Sherman’s Army on its march through the South to the Sea. He always told people that he became a lifelong Democrat because of his brief time as Grant’s orderly.

When they held the 75th Anniversary of Gettysburg, he accepted Franklin Roosevelt’s offer for free transportation and journeyed to Gettysburg in July of 1938. His most vivid recollection of the event was getting to see and hear Roosevelt speak and the fact as he succinctly told my mother when she asked him how it went on his trip, “Oh all them old bastards were still fighting the Civil War! Just a bunch of old fools!” I still have the medal they gave him at the encampment. It has his name on it and the number of issue. It resides in an honored place alongside the medal I received for my service during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

He survived to the ripe old age of 96 (although army records had recorded his age at induction as 18 instead of 15). He was the last surviving Civil War Veteran in Geary, Oklahoma and on his birthday January 20th, 1941 the town turned out to honor him for his birthday and his service.

I still have the picture of him standing with a Veteran of the Spanish American War and a Veteran of WWI as well as with the then Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives who spoke at my great-grandfather’s birthday party. He passed away in his sleep on January 30th 1945 aged 96 years and 10 days. It was my honor and privilege to have actually known him even if it was for a very brief time.

Ode to My Great-Grandfather
Andrew Jackson Everist, Sr.
Buck Private 57th Illinois Infantry
Grand Army of the Potomac,
In service there attended.

He was young and wanted to serve,
Ran away before he lost his nerve,
Off to join the Grand Army bold,
He was only fifteen years old.

What he found wasn’t to his liking,
A lot of guns knives and spiking,
The killing fields were murderous,
Only the flies remained delirious.

His outfit was sent to Vicksburg,
To serve Grant’s Headquarters,
They made him a lowly orderly,
At that he served quite poorly.

Didn’t like serving the General,
He considered US Grant a sot,
Cleaning him when he was drunk,
Didn’t make him like him a lot.

But he served as he was told,
Though was glad as he could be,
When his outfit left for Georgia,
On Sherman’s march to the sea.

He came back from war a man,
Didn’t talk of what he had done,
He was just glad the war was over,
And that the North had finally won.

He thought all war was wrong,
That we should find another way,
That too many good men died,
So politicians could have their say.

He lived out his days a farmer,
Working a farm in Covert, Kansas,
Attended the 75th Anniversary encampment,
There at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

He never regretted his time serving,
But he hated wars and the strife,
He remained forever a peace lover,
Lived a long and prosperous life.

Progressives: Single-payer Health

Progressives believe health care is a human right, and support single-payer health care, birth to death, free of private corporate interests (insurance companies), provided through a nonprofit, publicly financed system. (From Vermont Progressive Pary Platform)

Digital Blackwater: How the NSA Gives Private Contractors Control of the Surveillance State

Conservatives and libertarians are up in arms about “government spying.” The worst part of this Snowden incident is that it shows that it’s not even the government that’s doing the spying. – Randi Rhodes  http://www.randirhodes.com/main.html

Digital Blackwater: How the NSA Gives Private Contractors Control of the Surveillance State.