75 Bucks a Barrel

75 Bucks a Barrel

"Once again the American public has shown its ability to get over paying high prices for gasoline."

- Alaron Trading Corp. analyst Phil Flynn on the demand for gas, even with oil prices rising to $75 per barrel and gas prices soaring.

Oh, aren't we just the suckers tolerant ones?

Quote of the Day: Barney Frank on Grover Norquist

Quote of the Day:
Barney Frank on Grover Norquist

"For him to accuse McCain of
personal attacks is like accusing
the Three Stooges of being silly."

- Rep. Barney Frank (D-Ma), denouncing Grover Norquist’s labeling of a Senate Indian Affairs committee report connecting him with convicted felon Jack Abramoff as a "personal attack" by Senator John McCain

Touché.

On Senator Biden and Kosovo

On Senator Biden and Kosovo

In a recent post, Duncan Black says:

Recently Joe Biden gave a speech in which he said that Democrats need to show leadership on national security issues. It would be nice if the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would understand that it does, in fact, fall to him to provide that leadership, but perhaps that's asking too much.

I'll tell you what - I have too good of a memory about some of the leadership that Senator Joe Biden has displayed on National Security, particularly during the Kosovo crisis when he was publicly itching to put U.S. troops' boots on the ground, accompanying Senator John McCain in sheer defiance of President Clinton's (and Wesley Clark's) leadership and policy. There are some things that really stick with you, and you look back and see what kind of disaster you would've had on your hands had you done something like that. You thank God it didn't turn out that way.

In the case of the Iraq War, we curse the sky that it turned out the way it did, and I haven't heard Senator Biden come up with a way out...only a way to dig further in. Wesley Clark was a damned smart hawk. He showed the McCains and the Bidens of the 1999 Senate how to effectively use our military while they harped and struggled against him (and against the Commander in chief). Judging from their lack of leadership in setting a a necessary set of political parameters to intelligently get our troops out of the FUBAR mess in Iraq, I don't think they've learned a whole lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following was written by Roland Paris, assistant professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Colorado, Boulder:

..opponents of McCain-Biden continued to argue that the lessons of Vietnam argued against the deployment of ground forces to Kosovo: for example, some of these opponents equated McCain-Biden with the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which, they argued, had given the U.S. president a“blank check” to wage the Vietnam War. The Senate eventually voted to table the resolution, but the debate surrounding the motion illustrated the dual character of the metaphor war in the Congress: not only was there competition to define Kosovo in the light of different historical metaphors, but there was a concurrent struggle to establish the implications of particular past events, including the Vietnam War.

Senator Clinton Clarifies Position on Connecticut Race

Senator Clinton Clarifies Position on Connecticut Race

Markos points to an important political development. Senator Hillary Clinton has spoken out on the Connecticut primary situation in which Senator Joe Lieberman is publicly preparing for a potential run as an Independent in the event that he should lose the Democratic primary to anti-Iraq-War challenger Ned Lamont.

Hillary Clinton, no doubt properly prodded by new hire Peter Daou, has made it clear that despite making common cause with Lieberman on the war, this is about an entirely different issue. It is about respecting the party and its voters.

Senator Clinton's statement:

I've known Joe Lieberman for more than thirty years. I have been pleased to support him in his campaign for re-election, and hope that he is our party's nominee. But I want to be clear that I will support the nominee chosen by Connecticut Democrats in their primary. I believe in the Democratic party; and I believe we must honor the decisions made by Democratic primary voters. The challenges before us in 2006 call for a strong, united party, in which we all support and work for the candidates who are selected in the Democratic process.

A wise move. I'd said something similar yesterday when a blogger at the One America Committe blog had asked what position Senator John Edwards was taking on the Lieberman candidacy. I'd said:

I'm sure Senator Edwards will support any Democrat the people support. Isn't that the way it should be? Anything else is pure politics, and since he's outside the DC rat race, Senator Edwards doesn't have to play that game as Senators like Chuck Schumer are playing it right now. The adept interviewer Andrea Mitchell had a field day with Sen Schumer last Sunday on Meet the Press because it was too easy to pin him to the wall with controversial inconsistencies on his support of Senator Lieberman's campaign. What will he do now? Support Sen Lieberman as an Independent? YIKES. It's no wonder Democrats are having trouble looking unified.

Senator Lieberman has been a grave disappointment to me. I had such respect for him and I believe to this day he's a wonderful and moral man. But my confidence in his leadership has gone flat. I encourage you to read Whatever Happened to Debate and Joe Lieberman? at my blog to help you understand where I'm coming from on this issue.

Then there are the people who say the party is leaving Joe Lieberman. No one is twisting Senator Lieberman's arm to run as an Independent. It is obvious that Senator Lieberman wants to retain his seat as Senator - at any cost - even if that means dumping his Democratic credentials. The fact is this: Senator Lieberman has become less popular among the people for refusing to debate the Iraq War and worse, harshly critciizing those who stand up to do so. He finally has a serious challenger. People who want to warp public opinion about the people who make up the Democratic party will swear that the Democrats have left Joe Lieberman when the polar opposite is true. Watch Joe file the papers. Watch him cut and run.

The tide is obviously going with Ned Lamont. If Senator Lieberman's that willing to run without the party, what does that say about his estimation of the value of his own party? Jim Jeffords left the Republicans for core disagreements he had with their philosophy and their actions. Now Senator Lieberman is prepared to do the same, as is his option. But don't let him or others try to convince you that he was edged out by the party mechanisms and that Democratic party isn't the big tent we've always prided ourselves on being.

He left us (watch him run away) - we didn't leave him.

I'm waiting to see if Senator Lieberman will be the 'Zell-out' of 2008 at the Republican National Convention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


UPDATE 3pm: John Nichols of The Nation blogs about Senator Clintons willingness to only move so far toward the middle:

Clinton is trying hard to maintain a position that is at least close to the middle of the Democratic Party. That's the ground Lieberman abandoned altogether when he strongly endorsed the continued occupation of Iraq and refused to join most other Democrats -- including Clinton -- in supporting a vaguely-worded proposal by Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed and Michigan Democrat Carl Levin that urged the Bush administration to start thinking about an exit strategy.

The Washington Post (via AP) classifies Senator Clinton's recent political move as "hedging", but what if she's beginning to understand that citizens like me don't begrudge Lieberman's position on the war as much as him telling people like us citizens and our representatives that we should put a gag over our own mouths and throw a blanket over our conscience when it comes to debating the Bush administration's conduct of the war?

Ken Lay is Dead from Massive Heart Attack

Ken Lay is Dead from Massive Heart Attack

Co-defendants in the many Enron-related cases and Enron probes just got a break. Now they can blame it all on the guy who can't speak for himself anymore.

I've heard of flight plans to avoid prison sentences, but Ken went a bit far with this particular one.

If God will consider forgiving Ken Lay for what he and the Bush administration did when they refused to assist California and other Western states during the energy crisis, making consumers suffer electricity losses and causing them to pay unaffordable prices while laughing at them, then I suppose he's negotiating with St. Peter - I wonder if St Pete can be bribed like George W. Bush was?

Whoa - is Brian Wice prescient or what? [Look at his headline].

Regarding the trading of electricity futures, a blogger named Evan recently went along with the adage that living well is the best revenge. The idea lives on (even if Kenny boy doesn't).

You know, I'm really a kind person and I'm not proud of seeming insensitive here. I have to say that I've worked my ass off in an honest way all my life and I've never stolen from a soul. I'm not greedy; I've never had a fancy Colorado vacation home, and wouldn't expect to maintain the privilege of keeping one if I'd ripped off so many poor people in this country. I think most people will feel the same, so I am baring the darker side of my soul here. To me, Ken Lay was the poster boy for the avarice of today's Republicans. I hope their power dies in November.

Sweet Vindication

Sweet Vindication

I was criticized for boldly saying this in 2004:

Bush is al-Qaeda's choice for American President

I've even voiced my suspicion that this brutal honesty was the reason I was bounced, by the timid and cautious, from the Democrats' convention.



Take a look at what we now know here on July 4th, 2006.

My only sin was being intuitive and prescient. In July, 2004, the final LA Times' analysis of Bounced Bloggers had indicated, A hint: You can go with your gut most -- but not all -- of the time.

I would ask the people who make the decisions about bloggers, come next Democratic Convention, to carefully consider the fact that my "gut" talks sense to me and I consider it to be the blogger's responsibility to say what my friends in the mainstream media never could. Let's also remember that a controversial headline should be no stranger to the editors of the mainstream.

Recommended on the 4th of July

Recommended on the 4th of July

Former President Jimmy Carter believes we must seek amendments to the Freedom of Information Act....

"to be more in line with emerging international standards, such as covering all branches of government; providing an oversight body to monitor compliance; including sanctions for failure to adhere to the law; and establishing an appeal mechanism that is easy to access, speedy and affordable. We cannot take freedom of information for granted. Our democracy depends on it." [Miami Herald]

Understanding the meaning of freedom by George Lakoff, Boston Globe

Freedom is what cognitive scientists call an "essentially contested concept," which means there will always be distinct and disputed versions of freedom that are inconsistent with each other. There is no single, universal, and objectively ``correct" meaning of freedom.

William Rivers Pitt on Ben Franklin


Jefferson's 4th of July by John Nichols, The Nation

On this Fourth of July, we Americans would do well to embrace Jefferson's last words and the American ideals that, though battered by the current tyranny, will outlast the King George of the moment.

Keb Mo singing America the Beautiful on NBC's show West Wing.

America the Beautiful sung by Denyce Graves at the memorial service honoring the victims of 9/11 on September 14, 2001.

The LightMomentCo video version of 1812 overture with fireworks.

The late Ray Charles singing America the Beautiful, video by freeyourmind775 at YouTube, as seen below:

Happy Birthday, America

Happy Birthday, America

We're fighting them in places like Kabul and Baghdad so we don’t have to have them again in Washington and New York.

How many times have you heard that line?


We've known for quite some time, with certainty, that the government of Iraq had no connection to the 9/11 attacks. al Qaeda had no stranglehold on Iraq whatsoever before the war.


What the Bush administration and his band of rubber-stamp Republicans are proud of doing, in essence, is to have invited al Qaeda into Iraq's neighborhoods for a mutual killing spree, damned whoever and whatever might get in the way. The Republicans created a war zone and put it squarely on top of the Iraqi citizens' already sanction-starved home base so it wouldn't happen to the nice white people living in their Red State gated suburban enclaves. The country is flattened and untold numbers of citizens have been killed. This week we found out an Iraqi family was murdered to satisfy the sexual urges of a couple of horny soldiers.


This talking point is such an immoral reason for beginning a war in Iraq that I often shake my head in disbelief for the fact that they're crowing about it.


Mitch McConnell used the line last Sunday on Meet the Press:

We're fighting them in places like Kabul and Baghdad so we don’t have to have them again in Washington and New York. I think that’s been a fundamentally sound decision and I think we’re succeeding.

It depends on the meaning of "success," doesn't it? In a list of the top ten errors that have been made in Iraq, Professor Juan Cole grimly assures us that, if al-Qaeda manages to pull off another American operation, it may well give Bush and Cheney an opportunity to destroy the US constitution altogether, finally giving Bin Laden his long-sought revenge on Americans for the way he believes they have forced Palestinians and other Muslims to live under lawless foreign domination or local tyranny.


So we’re fighting them imorally, unjustly, and unnecessarily over there only to create an near-perfect environment for accelerated terrorist recruitment - all the while increasing the risk of the swift destruction of individual rights of citizens on our own American streets. The way they’re fighting this tells us that they have no better ideas.


We're fighting them over there so we can be exposed to future attacks and lose our liberties over here.


Look on the bright side. Santa Claus visited Omaha good and early this year with a big fat Homeland Security Department allocation in his sack while New York City got incredibly shortchanged.

The CIA has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants. I can't imagine why. But it's a nice 4th of July gift, isn't it?


Happy Birthday, America.




*tip of the hat to William

Backing Off Bin Laden

Backing Off Bin Laden

Jennifer Millerwise Dyck took a decidedly strange path to her current job as CIA spokewoman. I think it's safe to say that she was directly in the middle of the WMD debate while it was going on, including the bitter war between the 2001 CIA and VP Dick Cheney, which then-CIA director George Tenet, by his cowardly silence in return for remaining in the power-loop, lost. (Although as a consolation prize, Tenet did get a really nice Presidential Medal of Freedom that many think he did not deserve).


It was first reported yesterday that the CIA has closed a unit that for a decade had the sole mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top al-Qaeda lieutenants. In an open source technical environment where propaganda is often King, we can use our own judgement in analyzing one of the possible reasons why we're backing off Bin Laden. To summarize, read this excerpt from NBC6.et:

A woman identified as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's wife claimed that al-Qaida leaders sold out her husband to U.S. intelligence because he had become too powerful.

She claimed Sunni tribes and Jordanian secret services mediated the deal.

The woman told an Italian newspaper that a deal was struck: The United States got al-Zarqawi, and U.S. officials promised to ease up on the hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

"Al-Qaida is currently especially worried with protecting its charismatic leader," she said.

Why does it seem that George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden are working in some kind of perverted tandem? I know it would never be intentional, but Bush's foreign policy is being proven every bit as insane as the arch nemesis of his (and ex-speechwriter Michael Gerson's) Good vs. Evil scenario. Surely there are more effective ways of crushing bin Laden than giving him more liberty and leeway?


The Freepers' lanky hearthtrob Ann Coulter recently called Osama bin Laden "irrelevant." You'd almost think that the Bush administration agrees. And yet.....


When asked about the break-up of the unit that was solely dedicated to getting Osama, Ms. Millerwise Dyck said:

The efforts to find Osama bin Laden are as strong as ever. This is an agile agency, and the decision was made to ensure greater reach and focus."

Looking back on Ms. Millerwise Dyck's own "focus", as an aide to now-inactive CIA head Porter Goss, assisting Ari Fleischer in creating and maintaining a WMD-related message that fit the Bush administration's policy, and as Deputy Assistant for Communications and Press Secretary to the proven liar Dick Cheney during the fiery WMD debate - - now that we see indications that the Bush administration has traded backing off 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden for al-Zarqawi in a desperate move to regain political popularity on the Iraq war - - I think it's fair for any person with common sense to question that "focus."


We can only speculate as to the motives for the Bush administration's "backing off" of the hunt for the big al-Qaeda cheese. For all we know, Osama bin Laden could be lying prone and lifeless in a freezer somewhere waiting for the uncouth connivers of the party of Karl Rove to spring their "October Surprise" on us.

Shel Holtz on John Edwards and Gnomedex

Shel Holtz on John Edwards and Gnomedex

Shel Holtz, principal of Holtz Communication + Technology, gives his professional opinion on the appearance of Senator John Edwards at the recent Gnomedex conference and the steps he's already taken to use social software to make an invaluable personal connection with those interested in his ideas.

Note: To clarify, Shel commented:

Thanks for the link, Jude. Just to be clear, my commentary was about Chris Pirillo's choice of Edwards to speak and was written before he actually delivered his talk. I wasn't at Gnomedex and so didn't hear the talk, and haven't had a chance to listen to an audio file yet, although by all accounts, he acquitted himself well (despite attempts by some in the audience to turn the talk more political than it inherently was).

Dan Farber at ZDnet has a very interesting interview with Senator Edwards' technology advisor Ryan Montoya.

Rolling Stone Features Al Gore 3.0

Rolling Stone Features Al Gore 3.0

In the headline accompanying his Rolling Stone interview with Al Gore, Will Dana asks: Is his global-warming movie a warm-up for a third run at the White House?

What do you think?

He is asked, "Do you still consider yourself a Democrat," and Mr. Gore is obviously enjoying himself when he replies:

Oh, yeah. I mean, I still consider myself a Baptist too, even though the denomination has tried to run me off with their attitude toward women and so forth! [Laughs] I will continue to play a role as a citizen, not only on global warming but also on eavesdropping and torture and civil liberties and the other vital issues of the day. I've got a full plate right now. Being a candidate for president again is not part of my plan for the next several years. If I can just figure out a way to appear in the pages of Rolling Stone every several months, that will be fulfillment enough.

Rape and Murder in Iraq - A Crime. A Shame.

Rape and Murder in Iraq -
A Crime. A Shame.

What U.S. soldier Steven D. Green is alleged to have done in Iraq is unbelieveable...unimaginably horrific...unforgiveable. Each day the stories of misconduct become worse. This brings dishonor and shame to the US Armed services and crushes our nation's already-slim chances of grabbing the moral upper-hand in Iraq.


Is that a Bruce Springteen shirt or is it Johnny Cash? Either way, rip it off of him. Bruce is singing about bringing the troops home, not raping and killing Iraqi women. Johnny would be pissed off to see such a creep wearing him.

As Independence Day Approaches

As Independence Day Approaches

As Independence Day approaches, take about 8 minutes and watch this emotional Jon Stewart video from his return to the Daily Show after the 9/11/01 attacks in Manhattan. It was almost five years ago - can you believe it?



A tip of the hat to distantimage364 at YouTube

Logo

Gwen Ifill Misleads About Her Role in Edwards/Cheney Debate

Gwen Ifill Misleads About Her Role in Edwards/Cheney Debate
Fingers Senator John Edwards Unfairly

Duncan Black has posted a "gotcha" that exposes an unfairness to Senator John Edwards by public television journalist Gwen Ifill that should be put into the public sphere and exposed for exactly what it is - an UNTRUTH. I'm so glad that Duncan did it. I've always respected Gwen Ifill, but I could never abide by such a slur (and I consider it to be a slur) when it is so very unawarranted. Senator Edwards wasn't responding in a vacuum when asked Dick Cheney, who had used his own family's experience as a context for remarks he made about same-sex unions, to expound on the subject - and then gave Senator Edwards 90 seconds to respond. Yet Ms. Ifill seems to want to make others believe that he was responding in said vacuum - "apropos of nothing" in her slur-words. Perhaps, as a longstanding PBS News Hour interviewer, she is a tad uncomfortable with political incorrectness, but she asked a daring debate question that requires one to cast political incorrectness aside, then blamed the respondent for replying with the same refreshing honesty. That's nothing but horseshit!

4th of July Video

4th of July Video

Don't miss this fantastic Youtube 4th of July video by Larry Dullea.

06 Rubber Stamp Win Could Mean Supreme Court Disaster

06 Rubber Stamp Win Could Mean Supreme Court Disaster

Many Senators and Congressmen are relieved this week to know that the Supreme Court would not abide by George W. Bush's undue power-grab in the Hamdan case. Let's not get too comfortable, though. The winning decision was a narrowly decided one. Robert Parry makes an excellent point:

The narrow margin of the US Supreme Court’s rebuke to George W. Bush on military tribunals highlights the stakes on the table for the November 2006 Congressional elections," writes Robert Parry. "It is a strong possibility that if the Republicans retain control of the US Congress in the November 2006 elections, Bush will get to fill at least one more Supreme Court vacancy.

Hersh: Senior Brass Challenge Bush on Iran

Hersh: Senior Brass Challenge Bush on Iran

Hot off the Press: In the July 10 & 17, 2006, issue of The New Yorker, Seymour Hersh reports that, inside the Pentagon, senior commanders are increasingly challenging President Bush¹s plans for a bombing campaign in Iran if diplomacy fails to end the current standoff over its nuclear ambitions.

Happy Birthday, Billy Jones!

Happy Birthday, Billy Jones!

It's Billy Jones' birthday today!

He's hit the big 5-0!


Have a blast celebrating the Blogging Poet's Big Day. Click on the photo and you'll go to a place where you can make your own 4th of July.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILLY!
And best of luck with your flying machine.

Senator John Edwards Speaks at Gnomedex Conference

John Edwards Speaks (and Listens) at Gnomedex Conference

Senator John Edwards appeared at the Gnomedex conference today in Seattle, Washington. This is a brief summary of the comments, suggestions, and questions he received from the Gnomedex conferees, who are influencers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts in the world of internet technology.

America's moving fast and furious into the high-tech universe, more so everyday, and Senator Edwards was humble in deferring to the great technical expertise of his captive audience. He told them that he wants internet services and technology to be available to everyone - not just "the few." He stated that he is a strong supporter of net neutrality.

He commented that he believes what the audience is doing is very important - their creativity is necessary to enhance the ability to improve America's capacity for a healthy national democracy. He wished to engage the audience in a conversation. He made it clear that he was there to learn as well as to speak.

He took questions and statements from the audience.

Elizabeth's health is great and the audience was happy to hear it.

An audience member recommended James Surowiecki's book "The Wisdom of Crowds."

A self-described "third generation red diaper baby" (with a Communist connotation) said, in his own inimitable way, that he was looking for some real courage from politicians. Stating that he realized it may be a partisan issue, the bold and passionate "red diaper" child expressed his wish for Senator Edwards to take his fight for net neutrality to the max. Senator Edwards agreed - no more mealy-mouthed equivocations and weasel-words from Democrats. An example:  Universal health care - we should fight for it! We need to show what Democrats are made of.

Another audience member commented that when somneone speaks in a human voice, other human beings recognize it. From Edwards' side of the fence, politicians are so polished and trained that they forget authenticity...and many stay in the safe zone and never try. The result is they say the same things over and over. He says it's not easy to break te politician mold, but he's trying very hard. "Careful and cautious" is all too easy for a politician and he has caught himself many times and consciously come back to realspeak.

A self-described centrist audience member felt the focus should be on local politics and asked how that scene can be made more colorful. Senator Edwards spoke about One Corps, which you can read all about HERE.

On net neutrality and taxation on internet companies: Senator Edwards honestly replied that he has not gven complete consideration to the taxation question just yet. The greatness of the internet is the freedom and democratic voice it has allowed. Bush and 'the gang' monitoring and spying on Americans is disturbing. There are issues, such as online predators and teh danger it poses to our children, that are of genuine concern.

Regarding a war with language: Republicans have used langusage effectively to get the policy they want. Terrorism terms have been employed to make spying on citizens look proper and legal. Democrats need to work on their own language, said an audience member. He commented that even the term "net neutrality" is rather ineffective in getting the average American to understand the issues at hand. Senator Edwards says language does matter, although his own personal focus is talking straight off the cuff and doing his job of deciding and communicating which way he thinks the country should go. He thinks the actual presidential elections are different from Washington D.C.'s everyday national debate when it comes to the use of language. Integrity, character, and trust in leadership are the factors that he believes are important to most people when it comes time to choose a president. More than language, he thinks the Democrats' problem is worrying too much about being "moderate." Language counts, but he believes that voters' belief and trust in the integrity and character of the candidate is what drives presidential elections.

How will Edwards overcome the notion that he's been a "trial lawyer" in days to come? Senator Edwards says there's a battle going on for the soul of the Democratic party. Triangulation and deliberate political maneuvering are being used to try to move the party to some imagined "center" without considering big ideas, which is the only way they can win.

He's proud of having been a trial lawyer.

Comment from audience member: Weblogs have come into their own. Vlogs and texting are the wave of the near future.

Getting Out the Vote: How are we finding new ways and new technologies to move politics into the future? Senator Edwards mentioned the power of technology at the One America Committe blog and other places in the blogosphere. Podcasting has been utilized by Senator Edwards and Mrs. Edwards.

Government spying: Are there ways Senator Edwards can communicate that he does not approve of government having access to the most private aspects of citizens' lives? Senator Edwards says he agrees that our personal liberties are at great risk and danger at this time in our nation's history. A round of firm applause came when Edwards mentioned yesterday's Supreme Court decision. (Hamdan).

A journalist who was the first to use personal media (web video) on Air Force One urged Senator Edwards to give a free seat on his bus to those who would use personal media (from both sides of partisan fence) to communicate and document his campaign, providing that he runs in 2008.

An audience member spoke about the possibility of a Reality TV-type of political campaign broadcasting.

I think it's great advice: "MAKE IT ENTERTAINING"!

Voting Machines: On the ability to track source codes and the operation of voting machines, an audience member asked Senator Edwards to look for a "fix" to this issue. Paper ballots are the best idea.

Distributed Intelligence: There are many ways for politicians to get on the "radar screen." Can there be a forum on how to improve the quality and viral marketing potential of political campaigns? Senator Edwards seemed to love the idea.

"Proving the trial lawyer attitude": An audience member asked: How can you approach the problems of this nation in teh area of technolgy. Would he be willing to use "attack-dog" tactics...taking his experience in supporting people's rights and work vociferously as he did as a trial lawyer to protect individual internet rights? Senator Edwards said anyone who has the capacity to convince others as well as having the ability to present the facts that support the rightness of his or her position has the capacity to win trust and win battles in the public arena. Of course, his trial lawyer skills would be helpful in this area.

Top-down structure: An audience member recommended this: Local governments are the most important place to start to address particular and important issues. Put technology capability into taking technology to the local councils and town and city mayors.

Senator Edwards said he'd like to be looked at, not as a plastic doll, but as who he really is. Technology has helped him to reach that goal. He thanked the audience for supporting a democractizing internet vs. a top-down process.