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I’m sure you have already contacted your congresscritter by now, what with half of the Internet going dark.

But, in case you’re looking for something to say, here’s what I wrote, and you have my permission to copy and modify this freely without attribution.

Dear ___________________,

I oppose SOPA and PIPA because it is clear they will have unacceptable unintended consequences.

The non-technological equivalent of this act would require that publishers of yellow pages check the business licenses of everyone they list. When you call directory assistance, the operator would have to make sure the business you wanted to call was legit before providing the number. The newspapers could not publish your classified ad unless they had researched you and your home to make sure the ad wasn't for something illegal.

The Internet is tough to govern; I understand that. The state of being tough to govern is what America is founded on. I am not promoting complete lack of regulation, but...

A book is about to become my mantra.

It took hours to complete, but the platform on which this website (and codecharm.com) is built has been upgraded to the latest version.

Quite a bit smaller than suggested, but still usable.

It has been quite a while since I have attended a professional conference or significant training event, so I’m a little excited. I’ve lined myself up for a wide variety of classes, covering the gamut of technologies that I am most interested in. However, I’m giving myself permission to change my mind at the last minute.

 

Started on a posted link I put on Facebook:

Alan McBee

 

This is the sort of crap stunt that gives Republicans a bad name.

 



Tell Congress: Don't pull the plug on NPR and PBS!

act.credoaction.com

In a recently released budget proposal, House Republicans announced plans to zero out all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nonprofit responsible for funding...

 

I signed one of those online petition things at http://www.credoaction.com/. Apparently, somebody thought they could Save America From Epic Budget Disaster by killing off the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

There was an opportunity to add my own comment. I did.

Are you kidding?! I would call this one of the ultimate "Anti-American" acts I could conceive. Without NPR and PBS, we would have news from only commercial interests, where it's clear that big money rules the news -- whatever brings in the advertising, that's what makes the news. That's not American capitalism at it's finest; it's sheer lunacy to think that reporters can bring tough and honest news stories when they have to help deliver quarterly profit reports to shareholders. It's the NEWS that keeps our three-power system of government balanced. It's the EDUCATION that allows voters to keep our country stable and growing. Or, is that actually what the Republicans are afraid would happen? Better to have a spoon-fed constituency?...

 

A friend of mine said something very funny on Facebook. It was a bitingly sarcastic comment about Republican hypocrisy. I wanted to respond, but I’m afraid she might take it personally. I was going to say this:

I think you've overcomplicated it. Republicans can do no wrong. Democrats are evil because they are not Republicans. Never criticize a Republican because Republicans are American and therefore your criticism is anti-American.

And... that's not entirely fair to my actual Republican friends and family, who I know (seriously) are not like that. I'm actually not a Democrat either. Would it be fair to say that Democrats stereotype Republicans as hypocritical, sophistic, and myopic, without considering whether there were merits to their views -- that Democrats are (gasp!) elitist, and won’t address their own errors for all the time they spend pointing out Republican flaws?

I wonder when we will all decide to start being Americans instead of trying to find the motes in our...

 

(Ed.: Note the careful use of ellipsis to change the meaning of the statement from its obvious but sarcastic nature to it’s true meaning.)

...

 

http://drivewaywine.blogspot.com/2010/10/wine-tasting-notes-3-rd-annual-labor.html

Yes, I’m the Alan in the notes.

This was a great party, and I want to thank Ellen and Drew very much for throwing it and, even more, inviting us to it!