The Progressive Blog Alliance HQ

I couldn't help but notice how many of you are still mucking about on blogspot.com domains. Don't get me wrong, blogspot is a great service -- its just that 95 percent of blogspot blogs are spam. As a result, you will never get the search engine traffic you deserve as long as you stay on blogspot. Don't be surprised to see 1000% increases in traffic as a result of not being a .blogspot.

Over the holidays, I'd love to help PBA members who are either trusted or have great content that speaks for itself to move to a real domain. The benefits include:

Howdy folks. For a variety of reasons, the PBA needed to move off of my hosting account. So I went ahead and bought y'all two years worth of hosting, and a new domain. Like our last switch, any existing links here will automatically redirect to here.

There's going to be a brief traffic dip, but that should reverse quickly by the first week of January.

Arancaytar is in Charge from Hereon.
The time and actual work he's put into this place makes him the clear choice.

If he can't take on the responsibility, than its up to him to find someone who can.

Folks, things are back online. Liquidtype.net is NOT the final domain. It was just the only one handy. More info soon...

For those of you who don't know me, I'm the poor fool in charge of this place. Today, however, (which might I add is 5 days before the PBA turns one years old), I was sworn in as a VISTA -- which is the domestic equivolent of the peacecorps. This, in effect, means that I may no longer 'lead', or participate in this organization By all accounts, I am now a federal employee, and "on call" 24/7/365. In otherwords, (please hold your laughter), I am expected to spend the next year helping eradicate poverty in the United States, but can have no political opinions of my own. The hardcore backend administration of this site will be done by "Hubert", who above all, is not me.

Most importantly, however, the crown of the PBA is currently on the floor. Anyone want to pick it up? If so, send me an e-mail at netpolitik(at)hotmail(dot)com .

The hackers got us. What they've managed to do to us is another story. I think we're safe, as my database records indicate no unusual activity to would suggest the compromising of data. Needless to say, we're all over this. Depending on what news I get from the drupal community over the next hour, I may choose to entirely shutdown smart campaigns pending a full security sweep and slew of upgrades to over 20 civicspace sites (not a small job, as it turns out).

However, most likely, the hackers have moved on to new drupal sites; they want a news story; so like terrorists, they've got to cause enough of a ruckus to make the morning headlines. And indeed, apparently they already have by infiltrating the spread firefox site. Of course, benign hackers exist here and there; however, I'm not so sure we got hit by the "good" ones. The ones that hit spread firefox were most decidedly bad. I'll be sure to bring you any developments, whether good or bad.

"By segmentary I mean that it is cellular, composed of many different groups.... By polycentric I mean that it has many different leaders or centers of direction.... By networked I mean that the segments and the leaders are integrated into reticulated systems or networks through various structural, personal, and ideological ties. Networks are usually unbounded and expanding.... This acronym [SPIN] helps us picture this organization as a fluid, dynamic, expanding one, spinning out into mainstream society." (Gerlach 1987: 115, based on Gerlach & Hine 1970)

I’m sorry to announce that the PBA is temporarily halting admission its blogroll. There is talk in the search engine optimization community of some new anti-spam filters that directly effect our little operation.

Apparently, any sudden increase in the number of links to any given URL has resulted in temporary damage to a page’s google traffic. However, the reports I’ve picked up have been vague, and I am not fully convinced that the filters exist, or effect us. Nevertheless, the reason we have this blogroll is to raise the rank of progressive viewpoints and ideas in search results (you didn’t actually think the blogroll itself was supposed to drive traffic, did you? :-P ), so I feel that the temporary closing it is in everyone’s best interest.

In the meantime, I’ve been developing a del.icio.us blogrolling application to solve some complaints of various members, and enhance the collective benefit of our blogroll. Please share any complaints, ideas, or wishes that you might have in this post’s comment box. I actually prefer any criticisms of how things are ‘run’ to be public.

On the 19th this site receieved a DoS attack in the form of 3000 comment spams within a 10 minute period. The attack overloaded our server, and Ace-Net (a web host we do not recommend) in turn, told us to pack our bags and leave. Today, thanks to Aldon Hynes' additional sacrifice of time and money, this site and others are finally back online. If there is one blogger out there that deserves a little something extra in his paypal tip jar, its Aldon. That said, let the posting resume.

Today, I recieved a bizarre comment on my blog regarding a (badly written) rant I wrote about CNN. After some investigation, I am almost certain (I don't have absolute proof) that CNN is actively censoring blogs that have low opinions of their station; in addition, they seem to be also engaging in very clumsy attempt at gorrila marketing.

Now, at first, I thought I was being paranoid; after all, the search that appears to have led them to my blog was "CNN blogs; my post was ranked #131. However, upon scanning through all of the google's results, I realized that my post -- at #131 --was in fact the highest ranked blog post that both expressed a negative opinion about CNN and (this is key) allowed comments.

David Weinberger informs us that the first BlogHer Conference will occur this July, in Santa Clara, CA. This "first of its kind" conference hopes to provide an opportunity for the female blogging community to meet in person. In addition, the organizers plan to focus the event on the following ill-structured problems:

1. Discuss the role of women within the larger blog community 2. Examine the developing (and debatable) code of blogging ethics 3. Discover how blogging is shrinking the world and amplifying the voices of women worldwide

Now, anyone who's been following the evolution of the blogosphere will note that the two questions that will not die are absent from the list. Those missing questions are, of course, "Where are all of the female bloggers?(a really stupid, but persistent question)", and, "Why aren't there more female a-list bloggers?(Not a stupid question... but nevertheless a question that tends to be very toxic to conversations...)" The organizers of the conference are very wise to avoid those polemic inducing questions for two reasons: Firstly, the questions make unwarranted assumptions. Secondly, the questions tend to neither produce solutions, or greater understanding of situation.

So if ya'll don't mind, I'd like to do my part for the good of the conference, and strike those two questions down. To begin, allow me to answer the question, "where are all the female bloggers?"

By Doug Ireland -- March 11, 2005

A new group baptized the Online Coalition is organizing a fight against the proposed Federal Election Commission crackdown on the political liberties of bloggers under the McCain-Feingold Act--a censorious outrage which was the subject of an earlier DIRELAND cry of alarm. The envisioned crackdown would, as we wrote when the story broke, change politics as practiced on the 'net as we know it.

The first step of this fight-back is an open letter to the chairman of the FEC from bloggers -- if you have a blog or are a journalist, sign on by clicking here (where you can also see the roster of bloggers and scribes from all political points of view who've signed on already.) The letter to the FEC says in part:

Sorry folks, I haven't been able to do very many administrative duties during the past week. I'm not ignoring anyone; I've just been focused on a move, and changing jobs. I've got over 40 requests, and questions from the alliance that I have yet to answer. I'll start getting them taken care of tonight. In addition, some technical problems seem to have developed. I'll work on those. Again, if anyone wants to help out, let me know... its boring work, half of it is tech support, the other half is data entry. All I need is someone reliable to help me with the administrative burden. Again, apologies.

Dear President Bush:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from you and I too now support a Constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. As you said "in the eyes of God marriage is based between a man a woman." I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it is an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how we Americans are supposed to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanness?" Leviticus 15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense at the question.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates “…a pleasing odor for the Lord?" Leviticus 1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

Sorry folks, the image that defined our times was fake. Though, I suppose it's poetic that such an image would turn out to be a sham. As Phunqe pointed out, the guy on the left is Sweden's prime minister and the man on the right is Romano Prodi, the former president of the european union; had I known that, I would have of course not believed the photo was real. I suppose, deep down, we all knew it was too good to be true, but believing it was too much fun. Props to the discussion at JWZ for clearing this up.

By John Dear

Last September, I spoke to some 2,000 students during their annual lecture at a Baptist college in Pennsylvania. After a short prayer service for peace centered on the Beatitudes, I took the stage and got right to the point. “Now let me get this straight,” I said. “Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’ which means he does not say, ‘Blessed are the warmakers,’ which means, the warmakers are not blessed, which means warmakers are cursed, which means, if you want to follow the nonviolent Jesus you have to work for peace, which means, we all have to resist this horrific, evil war on the people of Iraq.”

With that, the place exploded, and 500 students stormed out. The rest of them then started chanting, “Bush! Bush! Bush!”

I don't believe this. I've actually found a picture of someone fiddling with President Bush's fly. However, for me, its "Mr. Small Personal Bubble's" red face that makes this photo a truly magnificent addition to my collection. One does wonder why he appears to be so happy... Perhaps he's next in line?

Bill O’ Reilly: Bias, propaganda, and the kitten eating, anti-American, Jesus haters of the radical-left: that is the subject of this evening’s talking points memo.

During the past 48 hours, Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society has once again come under fire for giving asylum to several anti-American kitten eaters. As usual, the mainstream left-wing media, including CNN and the New York Times, have refused to cover the scandal. However, unlike the liberal media, Talking Points believes that all Americans have a right to know what really happened behind the blood stained closed doors of the Berkman Center.

Talking Points was first made aware of these allegations last January when a heroic citizen journalist named Jon Koppenhoefer blew the first whistle on Berkman’s culture of kitten eating. However, unlike CBS and the rest of the liberal media, Talking Points -- though we were almost certain in the accuracy of the allegations -- refrained from airing the story because of questions regarding the credibility of Koppenhoefer’s allegation. At the time, our team of professional investigative reporters felt uneasy about the multiple instances of all-caps text and liberal usage of four explanation points (see figure 1.1 and 1.2):

When I was still a rather precocious young man, I already realized most vividly the futility of the hopes and aspirations that most men pursue throughout their lives. Well-being and happiness never appeared to me as an absolute aim. I am even inclined to compare such moral aims to the ambitions of a pig. The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth.

Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.

It is nothing short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

The foundation of morality should not be made dependent on myth nor tied to any authority lest doubt about the myth or about the legitimacy of the authority imperil the foundation of sound judgment and action. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms.

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.

Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means. We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility.

Note: This was a remix of quotes by Albert Einstein

Progressives need to push for more federal funding of programs which make broadband more accessable to lower-income and rural residents. If you are wondering why, then take another look at these two maps. (crosspost)

The GOP message machine’s first priority is to prevent information from getting out to the public. For the them, “getting out the message” is a secondary priority; they understand that the majority of Americans would rather watch Donald Trump fire contestants than listen to a commentator explain the finer points of their reactionary agenda. Progressives would be wise to take the average American’s attention span into consideration when developing a media strategy.

The GOP views the mediascape as a battlefield. The Progressives view the mediascape as a debate competition. Whenever we send out an effective attack against the GOP's agenda, within 12 hours an army of pro-GOP radio hosts, television pundits, and columnists will respond with a unified and succinct counter-attack and rebuttle. In the eyes of Americans who are uneducated about how our media works, the unified, coordinated message will always win over any insurgent “alternative” views, no matter how well researched and argued. Its considerations such as those that has allowed the GOP to shift our country’s political views to favor them.

The GOP have a list of every “friendly” media personality in America. They maintain this list down to every rural small time talk radio personality. As hard as it is to believe, such a directory does not exist for the progressives. All we have is a few disconnected “alternative” outlets. We must change this… but we cannot wait for others to do it, and I cannot do it by myself....

Thus I propose we launch a national website called “the little blue book” (the name is up for debate). This website is intended to be built and maintained by an army of grass-roots media activists from around the country. Its goal is simple: to collect names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of every pro-blue media personality in the country. Eventually, this network could be used to bring forth a unified message that resonates better with the channel surfing nascar dad. The website would merely be a first step to building a network that will truly take on the GOP’s message machine. So I ask, who’s with me? Who will help me get it started? What other functions could such a network take on? (Crossposted at Nick Lewis's Weblog)