Give me your poor, and drown them.
Sat Nov 05, 2005 at 03:11:06 AM PDT
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
-- from 'The New Colossus' by Emma Lazarus.
These are the words enshrined at the gates of Liberty. This is America. Our ideal. Her lamp shines for all of us, lighting the way to freedom and a better life. The refuse. The homeless. The tempest-tost. We will have a place for you all. We will give you a helping hand, and opportunity. That's the promise Lady Liberty gives us.
Contract on Republicans -- The ethics question
Fri Mar 04, 2005 at 11:09:47 AM PDT
In light of numerous ethical violations by political persons (you know who they are..), I am creating an ethical contract that we can request all politicians sign. Failure to sign should be a black mark upon them to be rentlessly hounded. Failure to abide by it should be a call to remove the person.
I believe such a document can easily become a focus in numerous issues, such as redistricting, media access, ethics panels, etc. Instead of ranting over bad behavior every time it comes up, we use such a document to drum beat the idea that they are immoral.
The basic three rules are inspired by Asimov's three laws of robotics. Keeps it basic, simple, and complete.
Take the Fascist test! Does Bush pass?
Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 10:28:28 PM PDT
Laurence Britt has an interesting article called
Fascism Anybody? where he defines 14 signs of fascism and invites you to compare them.
Get out your No. 2 pencil, because its now time for the test..
Can you tell if Bush passes?
None so Deaf
Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 05:14:52 PM PDT
A wise man once said - "None so deaf as those who will not hear."
I am deaf, but I hear loud and clear.
Don't you hear it?
The cries of the poor?
The tears of the homeless?
The anguish of the sick?
The screams of the dead and dying?
I am deaf, yet I hear it all.
I am a Patriot (Act II)
Thu Feb 24, 2005 at 03:48:09 PM PDT
I am a Patriot.
I believe that my nation is at heart a breath of freedom. For enshrined upon the Statue of Liberty are the words -- "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free".
Because of these ideals of freedom and justice,
I am a Patriot.
---
[Note.. this is a revised version of my previous diary, I am a Patriot. I will be trying to do something slightly different this time.. more below the fold]
I am a Patriot
Wed Feb 23, 2005 at 04:04:27 AM PDT
I am a Patriot.
I believed Thomas Jefferson when he said -- "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."
I am a Patriot. Because I love my country, I make it my solemn duty to oppose and dissent when necessary.
Get your 'Talking Points' here
Sun Feb 20, 2005 at 06:05:53 PM PDT
Co-opting the republican move of using 'Talking Points', we should also use and frame words to our advantage. The key is have them be in WIDESPREAD and REPEATED use. I would like to suggest a few terms to use, but please do use your own. The best terms should be repeated by everybody.
Framing without Words: Logos and Emblems
Fri Feb 18, 2005 at 01:31:13 PM PDT
Forget using words. Framing at its essence is about reflecting your message. In the words of advertising speak, its about 'branding'. The thing about branding is that its almost all about visuals. Visuals are the most effective tools to carry a message, not words. Visuals that take the place of your spoken message are even more effective. Like logos.
Logos are shown again and again in various ways, and become a extremely valuable part of the 'branding' process. In a similar way, we should be 'branding' our ideas into visual symbols. Technically, this is called an emblem. If we can make a simple visual image to demonstrate our support for a specific cause, its much easier to unite behind it, and much harder to dispute it.
So how do we do that?...
No Retreat, No Surrender
Wed Nov 03, 2004 at 08:15:29 AM PDT
This is actually my first time doing a dairy, but I thought it was important. We need to keep it going. No, the battle for the election is not over. Absentee and provisional ballots are still not in. There's all those lawyers on the ground, remember? and..
Lets stop and think.. and don't give up. Remember Kerry's theme song? No Retreat, No Surrender. Go listen to it.. or better yet, here are the lyrics.
