• In July, I moved to small-town Georgia (about an hour East of Macon)
• In nine days, I will be getting married
• I’ve been dealing with personal issues that required the assistance of a psychiatrist. (Hey, I never claimed I wasn’t crazy.)
• My mother passed away in August, and I have been dealing with the grief process
• I’ve - ultimately - been finally approaching that point in one’s life where one sits back, shakes their head in amazement, and finally realized that Corinthians I had hit at last (”…when I became a man, I put aside childish things”).

My life, ultimately, has changed for the better, although this period of time was not without its negatives.  The loss of my mother was a defining moment in my life.  She was truly my best friend, and my closest confidant.  The fact that it happened so soon after my moving out of my parents’ home, and several states away, made it all the harder.  This, combined with pre-existing issues, led me to consult with the wonderful individuals at my local rubber room. (A joke.  I have never undergone
inpatient psychiatric care.  I have merely been being treated for depression as a standard office-visit type patient.)  Fortunately, I have met a wonderful woman, and in nine days, we are to be married.

What does this mean for MindSpeak?  Hopefully not too much of a change.  Since I have moved out of Texas, I will be moving more towards a broader political base, including more national and international politics, as well as a fair bit of Georgia politics.  Yes, I certainly intend to continue blogging about the Texas political arena, and I hope to remain a member of the Texas Progressive Alliance, as well as potentially forming a similar group of bloggers for the Georgia progressives.  Additionally,
I hope to ask my wife to begin blogging here, as well.  She shares many of my political views, and - in fact - is a bit more liberal than I am, overall.  I think her voice would be a welcome change around here.

When is all of this going to take place?  Sometime after the start of the year.  During the next week, I will be moving servers (the change should be seamless, and the blog should not go down).  Towards the middle of January, I hope to be into a routine where blogging will have a specific portion of my day dedicated.  As I have multiple blogs, I hope to - again - have a defined schedule of updates (i.e. every mon, wed, fri, etc).  Given that I will be blogging only a specific number
of days per week, I am considering doing specific topics on specific days.  In example, Monday: Texas Politics, Wedensday: Georgia Politics, Friday: National/International Politics.

Ultimately, I’m not certain how this will all turn out, but I do know that MindSpeak will make a comeback!  I hope to see you around, once it does!

• In July, I moved to small-town Georgia (about an hour East of Macon)
• In nine days, I will be getting married
• I’ve been dealing with personal issues that required the assistance of a psychiatrist. (Hey, I never claimed I wasn’t crazy.)
• My mother passed away in August, and I have been dealing with the grief process
• I’ve - ultimately - been finally approaching that point in one’s life where one sits back, shakes their head in amazement, and finally realized that Corinthians I had hit at last (”…when I became a man, I put aside childish things”).

My life, ultimately, has changed for the better, although this period of time was not without its negatives.  The loss of my mother was a defining moment in my life.  She was truly my best friend, and my closest confidant.  The fact that it happened so soon after my moving out of my parents’ home, and several states away, made it all the harder.  This, combined with pre-existing issues, led me to consult with the wonderful individuals at my local rubber room. (A joke.  I have never undergone
inpatient psychiatric care.  I have merely been being treated for depression as a standard office-visit type patient.)  Fortunately, I have met a wonderful woman, and in nine days, we are to be married.

What does this mean for MindSpeak?  Hopefully not too much of a change.  Since I have moved out of Texas, I will be moving more towards a broader political base, including more national and international politics, as well as a fair bit of Georgia politics.  Yes, I certainly intend to continue blogging about the Texas political arena, and I hope to remain a member of the Texas Progressive Alliance, as well as potentially forming a similar group of bloggers for the Georgia progressives.  Additionally,
I hope to ask my wife to begin blogging here, as well.  She shares many of my political views, and - in fact - is a bit more liberal than I am, overall.  I think her voice would be a welcome change around here.

When is all of this going to take place?  Sometime after the start of the year.  During the next week, I will be moving servers (the change should be seamless, and the blog should not go down).  Towards the middle of January, I hope to be into a routine where blogging will have a specific portion of my day dedicated.  As I have multiple blogs, I hope to - again - have a defined schedule of updates (i.e. every mon, wed, fri, etc).  Given that I will be blogging only a specific number
of days per week, I am considering doing specific topics on specific days.  In example, Monday: Texas Politics, Wedensday: Georgia Politics, Friday: National/International Politics.

Ultimately, I’m not certain how this will all turn out, but I do know that MindSpeak will make a comeback!  I hope to see you around, once it does!

In our free society, people have the right to choose how they live their lives. And in a free society, decisions about such a fundamental social institution as marriage should be made by the people

…we’re in a free society?

Another portion:

These court decisions could have an impact on our whole Nation. The Defense of Marriage Act declares that no state is required to accept another state’s definition of marriage. If that act is overturned by activist courts, then marriages recognized in one city or state might have to be recognized as marriages everywhere else.

Perhaps not.  There’s no legal statute that requires states to recognize traditional marriages made in another state.  They just simply do it.  To the best of my knowledge (and I did a few searches to double-check), there exists NO law requiring that one state recognize a man and woman’s marriage that was made in another state.  They simply do. *shrug*

By the way, in my opinion, we will not win this fight.  If the FMA doesn’t pass, this time, it will the next time, or the next.  Ultimately, marriage will eventually be legally defined, nation-wide, unequivocably as between one man and one woman.  We simply have to hope that the idiots don’t strike down civil unions, too.  The current proposed amendment, allows the states the ability to make their own choices defining civil unions.  Bush is even nice enough to say so:

The constitutional amendment that the Senate will consider next week would fully protect marriage from being redefined, while leaving state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining legal arrangements other than marriage.

What bothers me most about this?

A constitutional amendment is the most democratic solution to this issue, because it must be approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate and then ratified by three-fourths of the 50 state legislatures.

Yeah.. us, the people, have no direct vote on the ratification of the amendment.  It’s up to the people we elected to decide….

…personally, I’m already of the mindset that the instant they took office, they stopped representing us, and started representing their corporate backers, and other members of their party.

*(Note: some states do run a ballot election to determine whether or not the people wish the amendment to be ratified.  It’s been so long since the last time, I can’t remember if Texas does, or not.)

Technorati Tags: Gay rights. gay marriage, federal marriage amendment

Smith, who claims a residence in Bexar County but spends most of his time on Cape Cod, practices Christian Science and is a Yale alumni.

In his press release, John Courage had this to say about Smith:

“Smith’s vote sends a clear message to his constituents that he believes it is acceptable for major providers to monopolize access to the Internet. Smith either does not understand that people’s access to the Internet is in danger, or just does not care. His vote against Net Neutrality underscores his disconnect from his constituents who use the Internet everyday.”

In his opposition to the bill, Smith said he would prefer “to leave these decisions to the courts to work out on a case-by-case basis under the anti-trust law”. So much for tort reform reducing the strain on the courts, eh? He also complained that the bill is too regulatory, and could “put a straightjacket on this important sector of the economy”. Important meaning, of course, that all the big boys (see Eric’s list below) will have a stranglehold on it and boast record profits, while small businesses will have more of a struggle breaking into the market.

Courage also recognized the Save the Internet campaign:

The SavetheInternet.com Coalition launched a little over a month ago, the group’s spokesman said. Â Since then, more than 700 groups “spanning the political spectrum” have joined, including MoveOn.org, the Christian Coalition, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Gun Owners of America, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the American Library Association, and Craig Newmark of Craigslist.

It should also be noted that Smith opposes all efforts to offer any form of legal status to immigrants who have entered the country illegally, and in September of 2005 a fax intended for Karl Rove was intercepted in which Lamar Smith stated:

“Immigration needs to be considered in the context of: (1). Media Bias, (2). Animosity toward the president and (3) the feelings of the Republican base.”

Smith also suggests that “Liberals can easily and accurately be painted as opposing enforcement.”

Please take time today to reflect on the sacrifices they’ve made for us, and pray for comfort for their families and friends.

I honestly don’t know that much about Wyld Card, aside from reading his blog, but I am familiar with his work, and am certain he’ll be a welcome addition around here.  I’ll let him do his own bio post, if he wishes.  Ya’ll welcome Wyld Card to the mix.

(As usual, we are still accepting guest bloggers, for more information, contact.)

“In the presidential primary, it’s all going to be on the blogs, that’s where it’s happening and that is where the early narratives on the election are all going to be laid out,” said Mathew Gross, a political consultant who was Dean’s director of Internet communications. “It’s a small pool of people, but they are very active.”

The bloggers’ audience is large and growing along with the Internet. A February Gallup poll found that 40 million Americans read weblogs frequently or occasionally. About 147 million Americans are Internet users, up from 133 million in January 2005, according to a recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

“The reach of top blogs rival the reach of regional papers,” Gross said. “If we are to believe what the Boston Globe has to say about a presidential race, it follows that clearly some of these blogs with a reach equal to the Boston Globe online will influence elections.”

So the days of Walter Cronkite giving everyone their opinions are gone, and are being replace with voices like the Bloggers Caucus at this years Texas Democratic Convention, Texas Kos, the heavy hitters in the Texas Progressive Alliance, and Mindspeak’s host, Eric. And the political power wielded by these voices is becoming considerable. In a recent Washington Post article, Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos blasted Hillary Clinton for losing touch with her peeps:

“No longer would D.C. insiders impose their candidates on us without our input; those of us in the netroots could demand a say in our political fortunes,” Moulitsas said. “Today, however, Hillary Clinton seems unable to recognize this new reality. She seems ill-equipped to tap into the Net-energized wing of her party. … She may be the establishment’s choice, but real power in the party has shifted.”

And it appears that those on the left are wielding the power with more vigor that the right-wingers, possibly because those on the right are so busy defending their party’s mistakes and ethical lapses. Or maybe just because they’re afraid of all things new.

Keir Murray, a Houston political strategist who worked on retired Gen. Wesley Clark’s 2004 presidential campaign, said he views the Web as the emerging center of political activity.

“You see more and more campaigns using the widely read blogs to disseminate information, either about their opponent or their issues, and that’s critical,” he said. “There is also a tremendous amount of fundraising that goes on online.”

But, Murray said, while cyberspace is novel, there is still virtue in the old ways.

“Yard signs are still a powerful and effective political statement,” he said.

So plant your yard signs, you hangers-on to the past ways. Progressives are plowing through cyberspace at the speed of electrons, and getting information to the masses. The days of the dinosaur are numbered.

Posted by Wyld Card

Congressman towns voted against the Markey Amendment to the COPE Act, just like Congressman Green.  Just like Congressman Green, Towns was paid off by several telecommunications companies.  Let’s take a look at him, step by step, year by year, shall we?

2006:  In the 2006 election, Congressman Towns has received the following contributions, thus far (as of April 20th):

• Verizon Communications: $7,000
• AT&T INC: $5,000
• National Cable & Telecommunications Association: $5,000
• US Telecommunications Association: $4,000
• Time Warner (a major broadband provider): $3,000
• 2006 TOTAL: $24,000

$24,000 from telecommunications and cable providers, so far, this year…  Let’s continue with the 2004 election:

In the 2004 election, Congressman Towns raised the following:

• SBC Communications: $13,000
• National Cable & Telecommunications Association: $10,000
• Verizon Communications: $6,000
• Cablevision Systems (a major broadband provider): $5,000
• 2004 TOTAL: $34,000
• RUNNING TOTAL: $58,000

In 2002, Congressman Towns received the following:

• National Cable & Telecommunications Association: $10,000
• Verizon Communications: $10,000
• BellSouth: $9,500
• SBC Communications: $6,000
• Cablevision Systems: $5,000
• 2002 TOTAL: $40,500
• RUNNING TOTAL: $98,500

In 2000, Congressman Towns received the following:

• National Cable & Telecommunications Associaton: $9,998
• Cablevision Systems: $7,400
• 2000 TOTAL: $17,398
• RUNNING TOTAL: $115,898

In the 1998, 1996, and 1994 election years, combined, Congressman Towns received:

• National Cable TV Association: $26,198
• Time Warner: $11,500
• AT&T: $5,000
• 1998/6/4 TOTAL: $42,698
• RUNNING TOTAL: $158,596

Congressman Towns CAREER totals are staggering, as well.  The career data tracks contributions since 1989, but only shows the top 20 contributors.  We can be certain that Congressman Towns has taken in MORE than the below:

• #2 - National Cable & Telecommunications Association (including the former National Cable TV Assn): $71,196
• #10 - Timer Warner: $38,600
• #13 - SBC Communications: $33,750
• #18 - Verizon Communications: $30,000
• CAREER TOTAL: $173,546

Congressman Towns, as I said, has most assuredly received more contributions from the telecom and cable sectors, than the above displays.  Minor contributions (less than $1,500) were not shows on the election year information, and the career list only showed the top 20 contributors.

Congressman Towns, in my eyes - and I’m certain, in the eyes of many of your constituents - you have sold out the Democratic party, the people of the 10th District, and the Internet.  I say shame on your actions, Congressman Towns.  I am, however, a fair man, and I offer free time on this blog to state your reasoning behind voting against Internet neutrality.  Submit a response, sir, and it will be posted.  Feel free to use my contact form.

(data links: Towns Summary, Career Contribs)

Technorati Tags: Edolphus Towns, NY-10, 10th Congressional District, Sell-outs, network neutrality, internet neutrality

For starters, do you know how net neutrality will affect you? Let’s begin:

Google users—Another search engine could pay dominant Internet providers like AT&T to guarantee the competing search engine opens faster than Google on your computer.

Innovators with the “next big idea”—Startups and entrepreneurs will be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay Internet providers for dominant placing on the Web. The little guy will be left in the “slow lane” with inferior Internet service, unable to compete.

Ipod listeners—A company like Comcast could slow access to iTunes, steering you to a higher-priced music service that it owned.

But wait, there’s more…

Nonprofits—A charity’s website could open at snail-speed, and online contributions could grind to a halt, if nonprofits can’t pay dominant Internet providers for access to “the fast lane” of Internet service.

Small businesses and tele-commuters—When Internet companies like AT&T favor their own services, you won’t be able to choose more affordable providers for online video, teleconferencing, Internet phone calls, and software that connects your home computer to your office.

Bloggers—Costs will skyrocket to post and share video and audio clips—silencing citizen journalists and putting more power in the hands of a few corporate-owned media outlets.

These are just a HANDFUL of the ways non-neutrality could affect you. Here are ways it already has:

• In 2004, North Carolina ISP Madison River blocked their DSL customers from using any rival Web-based phone service.
• In April, Time Warner’s AOL blocked all emails that mentioned www.dearaol.com — an advocacy campaign opposing the company’s pay-to-send e-mail scheme.

For more information about how network neutrality will affect you, please visit this page.

Want some more interesting links?

• Actress Alyssa Milano blogs about Internet freedom
• The Save The Internet Blog
• and most importantly, CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON

Pay attention to this, people, or you might find yourself with an Internet in the future.

Many members of Congress take campaign contributions from these companies, and they don’t think the public are paying attention to this issue. Let’s show them we care - please sign this petition today. Let them know..