Yes, there are astonishing abrogations of the constitution lately. Yes, the current administration appears populated by a collection of morons, liars, empire builders and various other tyrants. But is self pity the answer? I think not. I suggest action, not mourning. Resolve, not despair. Noise, not whining. What would Jefferson or Franklin say about the article below? Find something to do...even a small something. Nobody gave us this as a guarantee - just a chance.

 "This Fourth of July Is Yours, Not Mine...". While some spend July 4 at parades and fireworks displays, many Americans see reason to mourn, not to celebrate. [Blogcritics].

9:49:46 PM    

Blogging as Free Speech..

The first freedom, the one that ensures others, is speech. 

Tolerance of the contrary voice, of dissent from within.

Knowing you can speak your mind without repercussion, however distasteful to others, lets you censor yourself less.

The soap box. The broad sheet. The pamphlet.  Weblogs are in this tradition.

The power of the press has never been more available to the citizens of any nation. For the past 500 years, if you wanted to spread your ideas beyond the reach of your voice, you needed serious money. Capital to commission the construction of a printing press, to buy paper, to pay type setters, to pay for distribution. Blogging collapses all of that, putting the power of personal publishing within reach of the poor, the homeless, and the ordinary netizen. If you are connected to the Internet, blogging is nearly free.

This is not universal. Anonymity is popular among Persian bloggers. The People's Republic of China blocked Blogspot. Industry critics use pseudonyms. Offline consequences are real.

Yet people write to the web as citizens. Citizens of the world. Of their nations. Of their neighborhoods.

So, let me ask you...

Of what do you blog?

Do you comment on your elected officials' behavior? On your civil servants'?

Do you point to injustice and call for reform?

Do you cite abuse of power, and call for redress?

Do you witness calamities, small or large, and mobilize help?

Do you organize your neighbors to participate in local government?

Do you rally behind a political candidate?  

Do you learn about issues from people close to the ground?

Do you find yourself thinking like a journalist, protecting sources, checking your facts, putting yourself where you can report to your readers?

The Fourth Estate, a free press, gets that name as the fourth institution in the balance of government powers. As the tools of reportage become democratized, a Fifth Estate has emerged. Letters to the Editor run wild. Citizen journalists. The peoples' voices.

One of the things I value as an American citizen is that free speech, constitutionally protected, enables change. We occassionally run off course as a nation, but discourse, frank and uncomfortable, lets us find out way home.

[a klog apart public policy]

[a klog apart]

9:29:49 PM    

My Country, Right and Wrong. The United States Declaration of Independence: IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]

9:29:13 PM