Where I've Been Hanging Out

This isn’t my usual post, but a list of links to some of the blog sites where I’ve been hanging out, and some of the discussions I’ve found of interest.

Jeff Hess posted this video comparison of Cheney and Scowcroft thought 1994 v. 2003

Boy In the Bands has a good discussion going about Communion
BTW-Thanks for the link back to my post on the topic. :)


Jill at Write Like She Talks questions the cost of mining and the recent recall of products from China.

And Cosmic has some thoughts on Hillary

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

"The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." --Thomas Jefferson to Lafayette, 1823.

The very heart of our democracy is threatened when information and debate is controlled by those who have economic and political power. I am afraid, I am very very afraid, not of the terrorists but of those who have been and are continuing to take over our media and prevent the free flow of conversation between citizens and deny the public access to essential information. There are two major threats to the free press that has prompted me to write this and increased my anxiety.

First, are all the media mergers that place control of the mass media in the hands of media conglomerates. Nine companies, Disney, CBS, Time Warner, News Corp, Bertelsmann AG, Viacom, General Electric, Lagardère Group and Vivendi SA own 90% of the market. There is one and only one guiding principle for these mega corporations, “make a profit”. For a good discussion of the deterioration in the mass media’s coverage of the news I would refer you to an article at Cyber College titled, The Decline of TV News Coverage. One of the most recent takeovers was yesterday’s sale of the Wall Street Journal to News Corp. Now, I’m not a great fan of many of the opinions expressed in the Wall Street Journal, but I do read it on occasion and look to it for a conservative and business point of view on the news and as a source for understanding the economic world of big business and multinational corporations. What I don’t want to read in the Wall Street Journal is what I read in all the other newspapers and see on TV.

Second is the continuing effort by multinational corporations and many of our current “corporate owned” elected officials to control the Internet and restrict the free flow of information and harness it for profit. As newspaper, television, radio, and motion picture media has increasingly come under the control of big corporations concerned only with profit, not information, factual reporting or democracy; the Internet has become the best hope for the spread of democracy throughout the world and the continuation of our own. But as Cosmic has posted on his website, the average American is too distracted by endless debates on Iraq, new reports of threats by terrorists, the latest Hollywood gossip, and political spin to protest the legislation that would silence the voice of the people and rob them of the information they need to maintain their freedom.

“As special interests jockey for control of the information highway, consumer input has become noticeably absent from the conversation. Unable to express their concerns, people are reduced to passive listeners, voiceless to interject their opinions about the most significant free speech matter to emerge in the past 75 years. Instead of focusing on a substantive policy which assures the Internet will be shared equally by everyone at an affordable price, the slugfest has degenerated into a hostile engagement about who will profit the most from its future deployment.”

It is time for freedom loving Americans to protect free speech and free press, fundamental rights guaranteed in our First Amendment. The founding fathers knew the importance of these rights to our continued survival as a free nation. Join the fight to Save the Internet for the people.

"We all take for granted the freedom that the internet gives us to access any piece of information, ranging from the smallest website to the largest. Most importantly, we take for granted the freedom it gives us to share our opinions. Imagine, if you will, an Internet where certain websites are blocked or take a prolonged amount of time to load just because the broadband provider you subscribe to doesn't agree with the opinions or content presented on them. The great innovations that come from an open, collaborative environment would be stalled, if not completely halted."
"Media conglomerates threaten Internet neutrality" Polytechnic Online

Thinking Blog Awards

Thanks to Jamie at Trivium for the Thinking Blogger Award. It is always nice to recognize the other bloggers on the net who inspire us and challenge us to think. I may be tagging some who have already been tagged by others, but here are my five nominations:

Comrade Kevin's Chrestomathy I’ve only recently started reading this blog, but plan to spend more time here.

Pho's Akron Pages Pho helps me keep up with local and state happenings. His posts are some of the best I’ve seen on politics. I am always amazed at his ability to be in the know on so many different topics.

Have Coffee Will Write Jeff always gives me something to think about and the links to other blogs keep me connected with some of the most interesting discussions going on in the Cleveland/Akron area. The items he gets from his dad keep me amused. My morning coffee wouldn’t be the same without reading his blog.

Writes Likes She Talks has quickly become one of my favorite blogs in our area. Jill’s blog always gives me a mental bone to gnaw for the day.

The Cosmic Message Cosmic's posts always require me to stretch a little and examine my assumptions. I don't always agree, but I always have to think after reading one of his posts.

A Good Laugh

Visit Have Coffee Will Write for a good laugh. Jeff's dad sends him some good jokes.