Avatar -- a truly progressive movie

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Thursday December 24, 2009 · 1:28 PM PST

2009/12/24 · 13:28

I saw the new movie "AVATAR" yesterday. It was visually beautiful, and well-acted. More to the point it had a very progressive slant, and it was quite effective at getting its message across.

If you liked the message of Lord of the Rings, I'm guessing you'll love Avatar!

dspivak

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Monday November 30, 2009 · 9:15 PM PST

2009/11/30 · 21:15

Those Republicans can't stop hiding!

That's a good tag line for Alan Grayson, but what does it mean? It means:

The Republicans are rejecting transparency!

Transparency is what 2008 was all about. It's time to stop hiding, Republicans. And Democrat, if you're hiding, you're probably a Republican. The Republican party needs you, go be a Republican.

You see, I'm not tired so tired of pro-lifers, I'm not so tired of pro-business people, I'm not so tired of pro-gun people, anywhere near as much as

I AM TIRED OF POLITICIANS WHO HIDE INFORMATION FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

dspivak

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Monday August 17, 2009 · 3:48 PM PDT

2009/08/17 · 15:48

Creating a new system called a "public option" is scary. What is it? How will it work? Will it accidentally kill grandma?

Medicare already exists and works great. People love it! Why not let all Americans buy into this system if they want to. Maybe the care you get under medicare won't be as good as if you had that old-fashioned, red-blooded, all-American insurance-industry insurance. Yeah, maybe the medicare plan won't send you to the Mayo clinic every time you have an ache (like that primo insurance-industry insurance probably would), but at least you'd have something; you'd have the basics covered. You'd have medicare.

dspivak

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Saturday July 28, 2007 · 3:50 PM PDT

2007/07/28 · 15:50

I'm envisioning a new economic system based on the idea that people should pay for content instead of for "packaging," and based on the idea that people should be able to make their living by contributing to their society instead of by voluntarily enslaving themselves to a corporation.

I'm very interested in your comments and ideas! Poll below.

Poll

98 votes Show Results

Would you pay 12 cents to watch an amazing 2 minute breakdancing video?

98 votes Vote Now!

Would you pay 12 cents to watch an amazing 2 minute breakdancing video?

Yes.

13 votes

No.

85 votes

Ms. Pelosi: TIME TO IMPEACH

dspivak

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Saturday June 30, 2007 · 12:46 AM PDT

2007/06/30 · 00:46

The executive branch has taken away almost all of Congress' power. There is only one thing left that congress has, and that is impeachment.

They have left you with nothing. You have nothing. Your branch of governement has been reduced to a vacuous shell. You have only one option left, to save yourself. You must remove the dictator.

TIME TO IMPEACH.

Racism in TIME magazine.

dspivak

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Wednesday August 16, 2006 · 1:24 PM PDT

2006/08/16 · 13:24

This will be a short diary. I was just reading the final essay in the latest issue of TIME magazine. I somewhat liked the point of the essay, despite it's fear-mongering. The point was that listening to people, especially muslims, is a better way of gathering intelligence than "legally problematic surveillance techniques". But there were parts I found pretty racist. Read More

Leaders, not martyrs

dspivak

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Saturday June 10, 2006 · 7:07 PM PDT

2006/06/10 · 19:07

Right now, we need leaders, we don't need martyrs. The democratic party is struggling because too many people want too much too fast. This is tearing us apart.

What Markos has realized is that we need someone with vision and leadership skills more than we need someone who embodies all of our ideals fully. This diary suggests that Markos and Warner are getting "too cozy" and that perhaps it has some quid pro quo action: Warner supports our convention, pays for huge parties, and we support him in return--he makes it seem like there is something sinister going on here. While I believe that the diarist had good intentions, I think it's an overly cynical stance.

More--> Read More

What if gayness were not a choice?

dspivak

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Monday June 05, 2006 · 7:50 PM PDT

2006/06/05 · 19:50

It seems that the most common defence of homosexuality is to say that "homosexuality is not a choice", and that you shouldn't fault someone for a fact about themselves that was not of their choosing.

But what if it is a choice for some people, and they just choose to be gay rather than straight.... Would that choice somehow make them less moral?

Saying "it's not a choice" works pretty well in mainstream american debate, and personally I'm not sure if it is a choice for some people or not. But I would be hard-pressed to think of arguments which prove that choosing to be gay is somehow unethical.

A little more below, then poll. Read More

What's YOUR ratio? (w/ poll)

dspivak

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday May 29, 2006 · 7:26 AM PDT

2006/05/29 · 07:26

Edward Abbey said "Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul." And I think that's true.

Unfortunately, it can be very hard to actually get up off the chair and work for what you care about. It shouldn't be hard, indeed it's what makes a life, but it is hard nonetheless.

I think sometimes we need a guideline or a measurement in order to put our own behavior into context. So I propose this: the number of hours you spend online, learning, raging, thinking, and worrying about politics and the world situation in general, is a good measure for how much you care. And the number of hours you spend on the ground, talking to neighbors, writing a letter to the editor, canvassing a neighborhood, or standing up with a local union against corruption and greed, is a measure for how much you work.

A little more below, then the poll. Read More

Values Hierarchy (with poll!)

dspivak

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Sunday May 21, 2006 · 7:16 PM PDT

2006/05/21 · 19:16

Should Democrats abandon the fight to legalize gay marriage in order to get elected? Should we make compromises regarding abortion rights so that people will think we're moral? I think we'd all agree that the answer is "no!"

However, some people go too far in the other direction. They believe that every Democratic politician should voice strong approval of gay marriage and be loudly pro-choice, that otherwise they aren't "Standing Up" for what they believe in.

I disagree, not because people should be cowardly and afraid to voice their opinion, but because we simply have finite resources. It comes down to what I'll call a values hierarchy. Read More

What is "BACKBONE"?

dspivak

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday May 14, 2006 · 5:42 PM PDT

2006/05/14 · 17:42

A very common way of phrasing the problem that democrats face is that they don't appear to have "backbone". What does that mean exactly, and is it true? These are things we must ask in order to know who we are and how we are perceived.

The questions that come to mind when I consider whether or not someone has "backbone", especially as related to politics, are

How do they carry themselves?
Are they strong? Firm? Solid?
What do they stand for?
Are they flexible?
Do they show solidarity and coherence?
Are their various facets (think vertebrae) differentiated, yet integrated?

The spinal metaphor carries over quite well to the political arena, and I'll flesh it out as best I can, below. Read More

Republicans only exploit the exploitable.

dspivak

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday May 12, 2006 · 8:38 PM PDT

2006/05/12 · 20:38

Animals that best exploit the environment they find themselves in will flourish. The environment I have in mind is the meta-environment called "the laws of the United States", and the animals I have in mind are the Republicans.

The fact is, that as nasty as republicans are, they can only operate within the laws of the United States. Of course, you are all objecting wildly to this last statement, so please follow me below for an explanation. Read More

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Avatar -- a truly progressive movie

GOP Rejects Transparency in Senate HCR Debate.

Forget the "public option" -- instead, expand medicare.

Contributism: an alternative to capitalism and communism.

Ms. Pelosi: TIME TO IMPEACH

Racism in TIME magazine.

Leaders, not martyrs

What if gayness were not a choice?

What's YOUR ratio? (w/ poll)

Values Hierarchy (with poll!)

What is "BACKBONE"?

Republicans only exploit the exploitable.