"Nothing Beside Remains", or, a reflection on blogs as primary source

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Wednesday August 03, 2005 · 9:38 PM PDT

2005/08/03 · 21:38

(Crossposted at my blog (Which is just getting up and running, so if you visit please be kind), and at My Left Wing.)

If you've been in the blogosphere for a while, the chances are good that most of what you have read, historically speaking, is trash. My personal journal, for example, really has little to no historical value, save MAYBE as an example of the "typical" ruminations of a 20-something liberal coming of age in the early 21st century. But what about the ones that ARE important? There is no doubt in my mind that the Blogosphere, on both sides of the political spectrum, has had a huge impact on the way that the American political system functions. The very fact that the Federal Election Committee has called a cross-section of bloggers from across the political spectrum to testify on exemptions from campaign finance law indicates how massively important the blog IN GENERAL has become. Decades from now, historians will want to examine the blog as primary source material for the turbulent era of the early 21st-century earth.

But will they be able to? Read More

It's the theocrats, stupid!

Herodotusjr

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Monday April 18, 2005 · 5:46 AM PDT

2005/04/18 · 05:46

Can we just stop it? Both sides. Time Out in the corner for the lot of you. (Yes, that's me too after writing this diary ;)

I am consistently amazed at the amount of internecine fighting we get on this site on account of religion. Yeah, to a certain extent the "Affirmation diaries" are ostentatious and attention-whoring. (Note, people: when the man says "email it to me" or "put it in the comments", EMAIL IT TO HIM OR PUT IT IN THE COMMENTS AND LET THE NEWS DIARIES GET ON THE RL. Sheesh.) I didn't read them either; I wrote my contribution and if I want to read other ones I will go to PastorDan's site. But then, this morning, I see no fewer than three diaries that are hostile to religion or to the affirmation of such with high spots on the Recommended List. My concern about diaries such as this is a lot more concrete and pertinent to users of this site, namely that in arguing about stupid petty stuff such as this we waste time and lose sight of the common enemy.

IT'S THE THEOCRATS, STUPID!
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My first LTE Re: Social Security

Herodotusjr

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Thursday April 07, 2005 · 5:49 AM PDT

2005/04/07 · 05:49

Mmm. I love the smell of partisan hackery in the morning.

The supposedly "independent" newspaper at the University of Maryland published an article on Tuesday dealing with Social Security, the irresponsibility of which must be seen to believe. I index the paper for the University Archives and so have to deal with the sub-standard reportage of the Diamondback on a daily basis as part of my job, so it isn't like I am unaccustomed to irresponsible journalism on their part. But now they'd written a poor, unbalanced piece on something that I actually cared about. It's ON. Read More

CIA seizing "improperly declassified" documents

Herodotusjr

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Tuesday March 15, 2005 · 7:46 AM PST

2005/03/15 · 07:46

I am a little disturbed that I had to hear about this from an archives community I belong to rather than through any sort of major newsmedia:

The CIA's recent "document sweep" of papers in an archive at the University of Washington raises issues of access to old classified documents that have been open to historians for 20 years. The CIA says the documents were never properly declassified. But some academics say the agency is trying to regain control over documents that have been in the public domain for two decades.

More details after the fold. Read More

No, _I_ am persecuted every day (on being a religious progressive)

Herodotusjr

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Monday February 21, 2005 · 6:13 AM PST

2005/02/21 · 06:13

First, let's get this out of the way. Yes, IN GENERAL atheists have a harder time with their belief system than I do. As a Jew I still don't fit in everywhere (I still get really oogy every time I'm at somebody's house for dinner and the grace for said dinner makes reference to Jesus Christ), but because essentially Jews and Christians believe in the same God I can make do. In theory, I could run for public office without fear of disclosing my religion, and though I would run into some anti-Semitism it wouldn't be nearly as bad as an atheist would have it if he/she attempted to run as an Atheist. MY "persecution," however, is in a lot of ways more insidious than the general problems atheists have, because atheism in a lot of ways is a left/right thing--most of the atheists I know are on the political left, and it's fairly easy to move somewhere more progressive and accepting of * gasp * not believing in a God.

As a progressive who IS religious, I don't have that option. I get harassed by people who are supposed to be my friends and ideological allies because I am stupid enough to believe in God.
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Archivist of the U.S.: Questionable Bush appointment slips under the radar

Herodotusjr

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Wednesday February 16, 2005 · 5:58 PM PST

2005/02/16 · 17:58

As a future information professional, I am disappointed, though not particularly surprised, that with all the talk on here over the last two months about questionable Bush appointees, the appointment of Allan Weinstein as Archivist of the United States has largely gone unmentioned. The position of U.S. Archivist may not be as glamorous as that of Attorney General or Secretary of State, but it is quite important nonetheless, as the man or woman in the position, as the head of the National Archives and Records Administration, regulates the flow of information about government activities and motivations to the public. The position is supposed to be apolitical, which is why the circumstances surrounding Weinstein's appointment are a source of much consternation to professional archivists, and should be to you as well. Read More

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