(2003-07-02) Presidential Election Stuff

Some Presidential Election stuff:

• Edward Cone's New Declaration Of Independence. It's time for the emerging Libertarian majority to make itself known. That's libertarian with a small "l" - an ideal of personal freedom, not a political party. Parties serve their own ends, that's one reason for the rebellion. We don't necessarily need new parties, we just need to remind the ones we've got who's boss.

• Britt Blaser on the Howard Dean WebApp. We can't count on government, which seems to have devolved into a partisan pit of paralyzed pedantry, focused on neoconservative initiatives and progressive reactions. But, if the government were to suddenly transform itself into a citizen-centric governance model, how would that model be expressed? Through a series of web apps, whether for citizen input or IRS forms... The 44th president of the United States will be elected by a bottom-up, citizen-led production. That president will, literally, be owned by citizens, whose resources trump companies. If we put ourselves in the place of that 44th president, what kind of government will we fashion? Probably a web app. Wishful thinking.

• old David Brin speech on "Disputation Arenas: Harnessing Conflict and Competitiveness for Society's Benefit" - In the long run, the Internet will serve us best if it enhances two seemingly contradictory traits - Individualism and Account Ability. This may seem an odd blend, but their synergy is what brought us nearly everything we cherish about the modern era... The ultimatum of a disputation arena won't be to award "victory" to any one side, but to create an atmosphere of practical problem-solving, helping moderates understand each others' concerns and reach for some mutually beneficial consensus, leaving fanatics isolated and impotent at the wings. In today's political climate, we all win by forcing both sides to accept a little ambiguity... Ultimately, Free Speech is about much more than just self-expression. It is also how humans find ways to solve problems and live with one another.

• oldish L Neil Smith speech - Finally, we need to launch a "Vote for No Incumbent" campaign. In the last general election, Silverfoot Junior won by the tiniest imaginable handful of votes. Libertarians have already proven, on many occasions, that they can swing the election from one candidate to another, usually from the Republican to the Democrat... In truth, Republicans and Democrats are halves of the same evil political entity I call the "Boot on Your Neck" Party. This One Party System consists of nothing but parasites who want to get elected or re-elected so they can steal your life, liberty, and property. There's no harm playing one parasite against another. If none of them can get re-elected over the next ten or twenty years, they might just get the message. And if they don't, their younger replacements - or their replacements - will.

• stinkin' La Rouche-ies have been in my neighborhood for a week already.