Tannishblog

Via my (perhaps only) right-minded friend, Leucanthemum, via Instapundit (and many others, it seems), I discover a well-meaning and arguably necessary attempt at decorum for the wild, wild, ‘net: Online Integrity.

A tendency for an “anything goes” attitude has always existed in the blog-o-cube, which during its beginning was perhaps a harmless byproduct of experimentation within the new media. Lately however, real harm can occur as more people of various temperaments respond to the blogs they favor. Some have seen the writing on the monitors and a counterpoint is created to temper the irrational and impulse-impaired within our society.

I heartily endorse any effort to remind people that civilization exists because certain rules governing human interaction is assumed by all. Sometime is it necessary to re-codify these rules in new contexts. I wish them luck.

Confident, cocky, lazy, dead.

This is a term I gleaned from a science fiction series from one of my my favorite authors, Tad Williams. In the novels this was the mantra, if you will, of the baddie. As an expression of a natural progression of human thought, I find it concise and lucid in its simplicity.

This phrase comes to mind as I read an article in the Washington Post regarding the Democrats current air of confidence and their alleged plans if they win back their majority. Seeing as this is the Post, the article is probably a subliminal call to arms for its Republican readership, as in: “Bad things are going to happen if you don’t turn out en masse next November.”

A couple grains of salt may be needed here. First, I am not all sure how confident my party-of-choice is, although I have no illusions about the propensity of some members to talk stupid, tough talk. Second, I am not sure that if the Dems win their prize, I doubt they are cohesive enough to affect any change, given their predilection toward infighting. As for immediate sweeping rollbacks of the Republican agenda – in their collective dreams!

As the leading phrase illustrates: confidence leads to cockiness; cockiness give way to laziness; laziness, in the context of dangerous situations – as this upcoming election surely is to many career politicians of both camps - will lead to death. If I might pretend that anyone in congress would listen to a puny blogger like me, I would give words of advice:

Tread Cautiously…

It’s finally Friday night, after a grueling work week. I sup with the family before they go out to the high school in support of artistic endeavors. I remain at my monitors scrounging the ‘net for a hint of my muse - as usual.

A couple of weeks have passed since I last clicked on the Blogsnow link on my Firefox toolbar. Scrolling down the list of today’s hot topics, I ignore references to Michele Malkin’s latest tirade (no, I won’t link to her) on Patrick Kennedy’s traffic accident and subsequent lame excuse, or to comments on the sudden resignation of CIA’s Porter Goss (nice name…), or how Bill Gates wishes he weren’t so rich.

Instead, I rest my weary brain on a film hosted on YouTube based on a story I read in the late and lamented OMNI magazine many years back: They’re Made of Meat. Then I find a rebroadcast of the Pearl Jam mini concert hosted by Dave Letterman on Innertube. Almost an hour of intense rock later, I stumble upon the Blue Marble to find great picture of the only treasure that matters, which too many of us take for granted: Earth. Kind of puts in mind the tune Pearl Jam opened with – Worldwide Suicide.

I didn’t find my muse, though. Or did I?

Illinois is getting on the impeachment bandwagon! State Rep. Karen Yarbrough has, per rules outlined by Thomas Jefferson that allow a state legislature to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president, submitted such a bill to the Illinois Legislature - HJR0125. 17 State Reps are now co-sponsors.

Read the full text.

If you live in Illinois, why not lend your name to this petition sponsored by Illinois coalition for Peace & Justice calling to impeachment. Or maybe write to you stale Senator or Representative urging them to get with the program. If you don’t know them, find out at Project Vote Smart. If you live elsewhere, perhaps you could nudge your state legislature to start their own impeachment vote. Let’s get this wagon rolling!

More fun that the news today:

From Atom Films comes a remake of a classic, destined to become a classic itself!
You’ll be humming it, too. Watch it here.

In light of today’s Immigrant Walkout across the nation, I ponder the legacy of the Bush Administration. I must say, our president is doing so much to ensure a larger voter turn-out in the next election than any other person I can think of…

Kudos to you, sir! The list of people you’ve angered – sometimes repeatedly – is growing at an exponential pace. With less that one thousand days left in office, it is conceivable that you can alienate everyone before you give up the Oval Office without breaking a sweat.

Here’s a list of the people President Bush has angered during his tenure:

• Education professionals by mandating a testing regimen without adequate funding which punishes the schools and administrators for being unable to meet arbitrary standards because of under funding. Many good teachers and administrators lost their jobs because No Child Left Behind never had money to back up the initiative with comprehensive support across the board.
• Senior citizens who have believed for their entire working careers that the government would help them in their retirement through Medicare and Medicaid, only to find a confusing and inadequate restructuring of the programs.
• The entire State of Louisiana.
• Environmental-minded citizens who believe there should be a clean, healthy place for their children’s children to live, who have been cringing every time an attempt is made to roll back clean air and –water policies in favor of the polluters, or attempts at selling national treasures to the wealthy for vacation home property.
• Thousands of families tragically touched by death and maiming as a direct result of warfare.
• Gays, Lesbian, bi-sexual and Trans-gendered people, unduly persecuted because they believe in living differently than others, and because they’re not afraid to express themselves openly.
• Proponents of abortion.
• People of non-Christian faiths for creating an exclusionary “Faith-Based Initiative” favoring Christian charities and organizations at the expense of other helpful religious benefactors.
• People who would rather our armed forces be used to alleviate the suffering of poor Nigerians, instead of being used to force regime change in an oil-rich nation that doesn’t want our type of government.
• Indigenous Americans who tried to create a better life for their people by working within the faulty system of government only to be betrayed yet again by greed and callousness.
• Anyone who calls himself a Democrat, Libertarian, or Progressive, or anyone who believes in accountability in government.
• Muslims throughout the world.
• Over 70% of the citizens of New York City who haven’t heard a satisfactory explanation for the September 11 tragedy, who were lied to about the resulting air quality after millions of tons of concrete becoming particulate matter, as well as many throughout the nation who are beginning to suspect foul play on that fateful day.
• Neither people who believe a family’s private medical decisions should not be used for political purposes, nor become fodder for news outlets worldwide because of a few scheming politicians.
• Anyone who still holds ethical standards regarding conduct in public offices.

I’m sure the list is longer than this, But my point is made. Feel free to pipe in, my three readers, if I’ve missed something.