There has been much to do about the controversy over Google’s plans to create a digital database of library books belonging to various affiliated libraries willing to denote their contents to Google’s project. I suppose the issue comes down to the following significant - to varying degrees - concerns that run in contradiction to one another. On the one hand, some of the books that are published by Google in its service, Google Books, are the property of publishers. On the other hand, there is a public interest in making information as accessible as possible, reaching out to portions of the American public who might lack the resources or the affiliation with academic libraries required to acquire access to such published works.

I suppose it is not much of a guessing game to accurately predict my position on this issue. I value the benefits of an informed citizenry where wealth is not a prerequisite for the procurement of the necessary intellectual resources for one to elevate his or her understanding of matters of concern for the individual or for other segments of the population for whom the individual might empathize or sympathize.

Of course, we should not entirely ignore the plight of the publishers who have voiced opposition to Google’s rendering of the intellectual products of authors - who no longer own their own thoughts after entering into the agreements mandated by the Publishing Industry - in the form of digital media. There are entrenched conventions in our society concerning the parameters dictating the Fair Use of intellectual property when including it in other publications belonging to other agents not associated with the ownership of the published contents from which they draw resources. Also the stipulations of Fair Use are somewhat esoteric, they are certainly applicable to the case concerning Google Books, since only a page is displayed after an enduser clicks on a result generated from the text string entered in as the query. This is the primary argument deployed by Google in defense against the impending litigation levied by the Publishing Industry.

Although I do not want to diminish the significance of the legal nuance of the issue under discussion, I would like to introduce some additional considerations that might not be apropos in a strictly legalistic sense, but certainly salient in a larger context that includes broader social considerations that pertain to American society and the democracy that it is suppose to embody.

I would like to first mention that academic texts, of which I am primarily interested, are the products of academics who - for the most part - are employed by institutions that receive public resources; not to mention the tax exempt status they enjoy, which is a privilege that should not be conceived without any concomitant social responsibilities that ensue from this immunity from taxation. Therefore, since we as citizens partially - and probably to a large degree - fund the research that contributes to the production of many of the texts in question, it seems only reasonable that we should at least have access to the finished products of our funding. Parenthetically, at an University library, I raised such a point to a librarian with whom I was having a conversation, and she immediately turned argumentative insisting that the publishers were private entities and the works they published were extensions of their property. When I mentioned that the preponderance of research that goes into writing these works are publicly funded, she failed to construct a rebuttal, so, in order to alleviate the tension, I ended the sort lived debate by saying, “Well, it all depends upon your point of view.”

I suppose I narrated the preceding anecdote for the following purpose: It certainly does depend upon your point of view. If you think that private interests compelled by motivations solely related to profiteering take precedence over all other concerns, then, by all means, you should take issue with Google Books. However, if you are like me, and value the preservation and extension of democracy in American society - which is enhanced by the free flow of information and analysis - you might consider joining my ranks by supporting Google in its efforts, and, perhaps, on occasion, shed a crocodile tear for the Publishing Industry, when it laments the loss of its privatized, publicly funded, intellectual assets.

Russell Cole

Tags: books, democracy, education, fair use, google, google books, information, intellectual assets, publishers, publishing, Russell Coles Blog, web 2.0
Categories: Commentary, Russell Cole's Blog, Web 2.0, Education
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Although this site is primarily devoted to commentary that assumes the form of articles and columns, I am going to publish the following poem by Lonnie D Story.  No matter how we express our anger; our outrage; our sadness, and our pain; ensuing from the abuses of the current Administration and its imperialist follies; as long as we can find the words to communicate the suffering incurred by the manchild Emperor - no less deluded and dangerous than the epic Nero, who burned the city of Rome as he conversed with his gods - which is a scary comparison to the equally deluded manchild President, George W Bush; the lexicon - no matter what grammatical artifice to which the lexicon are structured; they are worthy of publicity.

R Cole

Lonnie D. Story
Copyright 2007

Tonight I close my eyes weary of the day,
My body to lie upon solemn place,
floor, mattress or grave.
Whether it is to be the night for me,
the dawning of a day,
the time has lost its meaning at all,
the curse is hurried to stay.
I dream of you, my darling bride,
I think of ways inside,
I pray to God I have a chance,
to hold you dearer than the blood I’ve cried.
What should I say to my hope, my care?
What should I answer when, in love I dare,
that this soul of mine,
conflicting in my mind,
find a wisp of a lover’s dream,
a dream of love so kind and naked bare.
My lips have drawn taught,
withered worn and dry.
My kisses of times such pass,
they never knew the rest of your breast.
My craving, starving rain,
is the far more the better driving pain.
In you I found such rest,
that floods of love are wasted.
Pass away all love of floods,
give to me the love of whispered dew.
Yes, rains and pains, forever will,
haunt our souls and taunt us still,
but nothing can replace the strings of music,
the melody of our love quiet and still.
To you my darling,
to you all I give.
To you forever in you, I live,
My heart, my soul, my tears, my eyes,
To you my dreams, my pains and desires.
Above all else and thus it is the most of true,
To you my love, your kisses, your touch,
your whispered breath to my lips,
that is all the thirst I have,
for you my darling,
my saving morning dew.

Categories: Commentary
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An Article by:

Ben Tanosborn

Please click on hypertext below to jump to Ben Tanosborn’s frequently updated column

Ben Tanosborn

When a question has been posed to you for the umpteenth time, there is only one thing you are obliged to do: answer it. And this time the bell rang as H.L. of Cincinnati, Ohio sent me this email in response to last week�s column, Beating around this Bush:

�Mr. Tanosborn: You wrote�. �If Americans want change, and they really mean it, they must force it at the local and state level, and forget about the people they�ve sent to the Capitol in D.C. It�s the small towns and big cities that need to make declarations rebuking America�s foreign policy and its byproduct: war, war and more war��

�It�s really easy to say and just walk away, feeling you have sprayed the masses with immeasurable wisdom. But the fact is most people don�t have a clue about what to do, except vote on Election Day.

�So, imagine this scenario: someone walks up to you and says: �Mr. Tanosborn, I want to make a difference in my city (or town, or village). Where do I start and how do I do it? Give me some steps.� How would you respond?

�Now, I hope you wouldn�t tell that person to become active in one of the standard political parties, because the level of imagination and common sense among their members is about as resilient as a drop of water on a hot skillet. The people in those groups have been doing the same things for so damn long that their minds qualify as an example of chronic inbreeding. Someone brimming with enthusiasm can walk through their doors at the beginning of a year, but by the end of the year that enthusiasm will be reduced to a drip, thanks to all the �party politics� and the decisions made by those who live in the shadows.

�Again, Mr. Tanosborn, what would you tell that person other than merely saying the usual, such as �get involved�? Indeed, suppose that person wanted to start his own little political group, one which could subsequently apply pressure upon the large political parties. How would you tell him/her to proceed? Just thought I�d ask you the question.�

Fair enough, H.L., but with your permission let me first clear the deck. Pity me if my intent was, or has ever been, �to spray wisdom.� Perhaps my multitude of years has taught me some wisdom� but in my estimation wisdom is but a honed personal ability through which one can hope to judge what is true and right. But it remains personal, and one cannot impart it to others. At best, those of us who are long on years and experience can always try to pass such experience on to others; nothing beyond that.

Apathy in our modern industrialized world rules the day, particularly in the realm of politics. And in the United States it appears to reign supreme. That is exactly why we seem to be content� as if Tweedledee and Tweedledum truly represented both party in power and opposition; any other ideas being frowned upon. And many of us have come to realize that such is not the case� that in this country of ours, there is little formal, structured opposition; at least in important socio-economic issues that govern our lives. Although there could be a handful of individuals in one party, and perhaps two handfuls in the other, who may be legitimately interested in the welfare of the people � all the people in the nation � the rest seem to care only about the wealth and power that their privileged status brings them. Already in the 21^st century yet our time seems to be not much different from those pre-Constitution or even pre-Magna Carta days.

Now to your question: If someone wants to make a difference in her/his city, town or village, where does she/he start and how does that person do it? Perhaps draw a map, or provide some steps? But wait� it�s not a labyrinth that awaits those seeking to make a difference, the path usually requiring neither compass nor sophisticated political GPS.

During the four months in 2002-3 that preceded the invasion of Iraq, there were millions upon millions throughout the world manifesting their concern and discontent for what was about to occur. Not people who had a grudge against America, but for the most part neutral or even friendly to the United States. People in the EU, with a population comparable to that of the US, were taking to the streets at a ratio ten times the crowds here at home. Ten times! Yet, the situation, given our first hand interest, should have produced ten times the anti-war demonstrators here as in the European Union.

But even in our rachitic efforts saying no to militarism, and denouncing an unjust war, enough of us pounded the pavement from all walks of life, and different ways of seeing the world, for anyone to join in search for answers. A few did, but they were very few.  Those demonstrations did provide a sort of Political Career Fair for the exposure of old and new ideas in politics, including populist movements in a rainbow of colors. Our common denominator was distaste for an unnecessary war, and the politics of deceit perpetrated by Bush with the consent of both, both with a capital B, political parties.

In our democracy we tend to feel that we have little need for a Mao zhuxi yulu (Little Red Book) and that because we are protected by a great Constitution we need not resort to quotations from a Western counterpart to Mao Tse-tung. Maybe we should.  Our forefathers in their collective wisdom gave us all the quotations needed to make government work for the people. Perhaps what we need is someone to collect and edit them in a �little blue book� grouping them in a similar fashion to those in Mao�s book.

No, H.L., I don�t worry about those people, young or old, gifted or plain, who�re asking how they could make a difference in our body politic. If they have found the courage of heart and mind to ask that question, they are on their way to Make-a-difference Land� three quarters of the way there. It�s not that 10 percent of Americans who might be asking that question that concerns me, regardless of what political ideology they might eventually adopt; it�s the other 90 percent who with their apathy � not just a lack of emotion and enthusiasm, but just plain indifference � empower the criminal elite to usurp power which belongs solely to an open, democratic and compassionate society.

� 2007 Ben Tanosborn

Tags: democracy, economics, government
Categories: Economics, Democracy, government
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This has been a long time comming, which reflects my apathy when it comes to reformatting large portions of text.  Nevertheless, it is here now, and I suggest giving it a read, because it is well written and contains a pluthera of interesting and provacative insights.

R Cole

©The Switch
Day 1
Lesson 1
8:01 a.m.

Teacher places a 10-ounce glass containing 5 ounces of water on the desk and asks, “Class, is this
glass half empty or half ful?” Half of the students say “half empty.”

The teacher explains that the correct answer is half ful since we‟re supposed to look for the good in
everything because that‟s what makes everything good: looking for it. However, since there is potential good and bad in al things, seeing the good won‟t always be easy—sometimes you have to look extra hard.

“For instance,” says the teacher, “if a teacher has a student who is very disruptive and doesn‟t study,
then seeing the bad would be easy; and it would also be very easy to write that student off as incorrigible. But if the teacher looks really hard and sees the potential of that student then with the extra attention, determination and patience required the teacher will bring out the good in her. Because good only arises out of a lot of effort and nurturing, whereas it is very easy to bring out the bad in something since all that requires is abuse and/or neglect. And nothing takes less talent than being destructive, (…except of course for pornography.)

“Conversely, a teacher could have a student who always gets good grades and helps promote group
cohesion. Even a pessimist could see the good in such a student since the good would be very easy to discern with no effort necessary (on the part of the teacher).

“In other words, class, perceiving beauty is simple. Creating beauty is work. “Work is beautiful.”
Having finished the only lesson planned the teacher says the students are dismissed until tomorrow.
So the students all get together after class to think of a game to play until they have to go back to
school the next day. One of the original optimists suggests that they try to figure out what the next question will be. To make it interesting and have some friendly competition he says that they should split up into two groups, the half who said half full, and the half who said half empty; i.e., Group O and Group P. (He actually figured that since Group P was too dumb to guess half full that he probably would be in the winning group.)

So they split up to figure out what the next question will be and before long someone in Group O
declares: “The next question wil probably be: Who wants to fill up the glass?” (Group P hadn‟t even
bothered to try and guess the next question; they were just glad that they could go out and play.)
So the next day Group O is excited about showing off to the teacher that their team already knows
the next question. However, their zeal gets pre-empted by the teacher‟s announcement: “Although everyone said they understood that they‟re supposed to look up, not everyone actualy internalized the lesson, so I have to repeat it. Because until everyone actualy applies it to the real world I‟m not authorized to ask anymore questions.” So the teacher repeated the first question and al of the students of course now say “half ful.” The teacher reiterates why that‟s the correct answer, and then tels them that they‟re dismissed until tomorrow.

“So, go home, and, hopefuly, you‟l al take a hint, then tomorrow we‟l be able to consider Lesson 1
accomplished.” Group O is annoyed that Group P was evidently gumming up the works by merely giving lip service to the teacher‟s theory of optimism, but they figured that in the meantime they might as well just keep trying to anticipate all of the next lessons in order to impress the teacher. Before long someone comes to the 2 conclusion that since they can‟t actualy go on until everyone looks up, then they won‟t be able to go further until everyone actually brings in 5 ounces of water.

Unfortunately, the next day the teacher has to give the same spiel, reminding them that until
everyone actualy looks up, he‟s not alowed to ask any more questions. This happens the next day too and the day after that. In fact, they keep repeating this cycle for years. Eventually, the teacher had to retire and be replaced; and the students had gotten so old that they ended up sending their children to repeat Lesson 1 on their behalf. In fact, this cycle repeated itself for generations so that the students in Group O had a LOT of time to keep pursuing the teacher‟s probable agenda. Within al of that time they had figured that the next lesson must be how to make a 10-ounce glass. And they wouldn‟t be able to move on until everyone actualy built his or her own glass and filled it with water.

So, with all of that time on their hands they were able to teach themselves how to build their own
glasses. They were quite proud and eager for the teacher to finally move on so that they could show off what they had accomplished—and rub it in Group P‟s faces. Meanwhile, Group P had decided sometime back that they ought to see if they could come up with the next lesson so that they wouldn‟t be too far behind Group O. Unfortunately, though, everyone came up with different ideas for what the next question would be, but they never were able to setle on just one of them. So they became dejected that they weren‟t accomplishing anything. Eventually they gave up and became indifferent. They ended up looking down.

Meanwhile, after each Group O member successfully had built his or her own 10-ounce glass, they
then determined that they should learn how to make wine; and then after that they should each learn how to cultivate their own unique brand of wine. Then, finally, after all of that time and all that they had achieved, they realized that if they wanted to keep making progress, they‟d have to build an 11-ounce glass. For this stage of making progress, however, despite how relatively smoothly they had quickly accomplished so much, they were now having tremendous difficulty figuring out how to successfully build an 11-ounce glass. For some unknown reason every prototype 11-ounce glass was always lacking structural integrity and would crack. So, now, when the teacher continued to just keep repeating Lesson 1, members of Group O got restless and frustrated since they didn‟t know what to do with themselves in lieu of making progress with construction. Finally, though, on the evening of November 12, 2005, while a number of optimists from all walks of life were attending a seminar on how to make colored glass, Elaine Bennis suddenly wigged out from the frustration and implored the other attendees to join her in getting pro-active:  “People!! Why don‟t we just go meet the teacher in private and ask him what the catch is to building an 11- ounce glass?! Because if we don‟t force the issue soon, our camel‟s back wil be history!”

“True that,” said everyone else.

So at 9:34 Elaine called the teacher at home and charmed him into meeting them at the school
despite the late hour. “I don‟t have the key to the schoolhouse,” he said, “but there‟s a window to my
classroom that I leave unlocked, so I‟l meet you al there in 30 minutes. But I‟m warning you: that window is closing at precisely 10:04, and it‟s not opening again. Because I don‟t take kindly to dawdlers.”

So at 10:04 the teacher closed the window and then Elaine exasperatedly asked, “What are you
waiting for?! We tried to go on ahead by ourselves and for a while we were making such fantastic progress.

But we‟ve hit a wal and can‟t figure out how to negotiate it. Do you have any intention of ever just asking the next question to those of us in Group O who have been looking up? Or could you at least tell us what the
trick is to building an 11-ounce glass already!?”
“Wel, let me ask you something. When do al of you intend to stop looking down?”
“Huh? Us? We haven‟t been looking down. Just look at al the progress we‟ve made,” Elaine said.
“„Progress‟? Okay, I guess you could cal it that. But tel me something. Why did you guys split up
into two groups when you decided to go ahead without my guidance? Wouldn‟t it have made more sense to 3 stick together to maximize your labor force and collective ingenuity? Did you guys have something against Group P?”

“We just figured that they‟d hold us back and make us look bad.”

“Wel, that wasn‟t a very optimistic way of looking at your felow students, was it?”

Silence.

“Have you seen the so-called progress that Group P has made? Have you been to Mexico City or
Uganda lately? Have you seen the children in China wearing surgeons‟ masks in the playground? Have you
any idea what a catastrophic problem the use of depleted uranium as weaponry is? Do you realize that in 48 states you can‟t eat the fish?! Have you not read this and this and this? Did you know that an ice shelf the size of Long Island broke off recently and that numerous dead polar bears have been found floating in the water because the ice patches that they drift on have become so sparse? And have you not read Joe Klein‟s September 22, 2005, Time article, „Is It Too Late To Win the War?‟ or Barbara Ehrenreich‟s Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream or Jeffrey Hart‟s The Making of the American Conservative Mind? Have you seen the kind of parking lot cities like Atlanta turn into every workday? You would think that their mayor never heard of The Law of Diminishing Returns. Look, the reason that you haven‟t been able to build an 11-ounce glass is because it just can‟t be done unless al of the builders are looking up. If you guys had been looking up on Group P all along, then the 11-ounce glass would have been structurally sound; simple as that.”

“Oh. But why didn‟t you just tel us this a long time ago instead of leting us go up against that wal
and have al of this hassle?” “Don‟t blame me because you‟re al bad listeners who can‟t take a hint.”
“Wel, now that we‟ve learned from our mistake everything should be pretty smooth sailing from
here, right?”

“Do you realy think that it could be that easy to fix such an exponential mistake after al of this
time? Did you not hear what I just said about the extent to which Group P‟s penchant for indifference—
along with your group‟s penchant for ignoring the law of cause and long-term effects in your frantic rush to make progress—has undermined posterity? I guess if the „O‟ in „Group O‟ stands for „ostriches‟ then
perhaps you‟re good to go. But if you take your heads out of the sand then you‟l see that it‟s about time you al dropped down on your knees and prayed your hearts out for help from above, figuratively speaking.”

“Oh, come on, teacher. It‟s not that bad. Surely those problems can be reversed through people
power.”

“„People power‟? Look, even if everyone amongst both Group O and Group P were smart and
healthy (let alone honest), unless you get yourselves some coordination power you can‟t expect your people power to amount to a hill of beans. But, considering the actual state of the people in Group P, even with coordination power you‟re going to have to hold your breath. I mean, do you have any idea how rampant and PERVERSE pornography has become? Have you not heard about the utterly inf#%kingsane proselytizing going on at the Air Force Academy? Not to mention that these same people have
commandeered sex education in public schools and insist on teaching the fantasy-based philosophy of
abstinence-only while compounding the insanity by LYING to students. And have you not seen the
documentaries The Corporation, Control Room and Outfoxed? I mean, you people can put a man on the
moon, yet you can‟t even ingrain in your children that litering is counterproductive. And do you realize that not only do some of the students from Group P answer their cell phones at the movie theatre, but sometimes they will actually PLACE THE CALL. And did you know that some of them have gotten so silly, and so squeamish about leting their kids just be kids, that they‟ve done away with dodge ball! To top off the pathetic absurdity of it, not only have they done away with keeping score at little league games, but they 4 don‟t even cal strikes…every kid can just stay up at bat until he hits it. How they can tel a game from a practice I‟l never know, but I‟ve got perpetual vertigo from roling my eyes 24/7. But, heck, why should I be surprised that the hoi poloi have become so incongruent when even the elite can‟t demonstrate a modicum of common sense or conscience. I mean, just look at 5/9 of the Supreme Court. In Bush v. Gore they actually said with a straight face that counting all of the votes would be undemocratic because each district used different counting methods. By that rationale, none of the votes anywhere should have been counted. Talk about your activist judges! You would think that the other Justices would have taken them out to the  woodshed to hold their feet to the fire and demand an explanation as to how it‟s intelectualy congruent to claim that democracy is better served by selecting the wrong winner today just for the sake of not further prolonging the state of transitional limbo instead of taking the necessary time to insure that the transition was democratic. And you would think that The Liberal Media would have dropped everything to have every front page read „BULLSHIT ELECTION, BULLSHIT PRESIDENT!!!!!‟ everyday until President-Elect Gore was sworn in and those 5 Justices, Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris were put in jail. The only event more shameless and criminal was when the TV show 24 had the audacity to have Nina end up being the double agent even though she was the one who had previously warned the other agents that Jack was being coerced into killing the president. Yet, people still bothered to watch the following seasons! But, heck, why should I be surprised by something as inconsequential as that? After all, citizens are being sent to die for oil, yet
during the daytime nobody even bothers to make the monumental effort needed to SHUT OFF THE
FRICKEN LIGHTS OUTSIDE. But, hey, at least y‟al can take solace in the fact that McDonald‟s has a new
healthy menu…and Ronald Fugging McDonald himself was on MSNBC to tel us about it.”

“Teacher, that‟s nothing,” said Jake Johansen. “Some people have gone so berserk that they‟ve felt
the need to secularize the lyrics to „Silent Night‟!”

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph!!” decried the teacher. “What a bunch of fruitcakes!!”

“Actualy, teacher,” said Janeane Garafolo, “that story is based on a serious misconstruing of what
actually happened. Just read this to see for yourself.”

“Teacher, I‟ve taught my teenagers that it‟s cruel and shortsighted to bring children into this hellhole
of a planet, so they should adopt if they want to have kids. Are you teling me that they‟re being taught that they should remain abstinent for life? Don‟t these evangelical fundamentalists realize that such a policy is apt to compel guys to get married prematurely in order to avoid not having a sex life?”
“Who knows? I don‟t think those people are capable of processing facts. Otherwise they wouldn‟t
still be insisting on this policy despite the fact that the results of it have been increased rates of STDs and unplanned pregnancies amongst teens; (and imagine what a bumper crop that generation wil be if we don‟t pick up al of that slack).”

“Teacher, speaking of how clueless they are in Texas, I saw a story there about a wonderful white
couple with 4 teenagers who had been fostering a black toddler for a year. Eventually, though, the black
people running social services had such huge chips on their shoulders that they insisted on taking the child away from them so that he could be adopted by a sub-par black couple. On the day he was to be taken away they found him in the bathroom covered in toothpaste. Crying with anguish he said, „I‟m white now, so can I stay?‟ .The dysfunctional couple they gave him to ended up beating him to death.”
The teacher let out a heavy sigh, then remarked: “As David Leterman once said, „It‟s a shame that
people aren‟t smarter.‟ A GOSH DARN, COTTON PICKING SHAME. …And there ought to be a law.”
“Teacher,” asked Emily Nite, “since you brought it up, don‟t you think, though, that it worked out
for the best that George W. Bush was selected president?”

“Only if you‟re being sarcastic. Otherwise, Emily, are you asking because you don‟t know the
difference between good results and bad results or because you get your news from The Daily Fiction
5 Constitution? And how can you be comfortable with the world‟s worst communicator? Don‟t you realize that a leader‟s potential (to mobilize) is directly proportional to how effective of a communicator he is? Because, as parenting expert John Rosemond wil tel us: „Good leaders and teachers use compelling speech.‟ And do you not also realize that the other equaly important atribute of an effective leader is trustworthiness?”

“How do you figure?” Leonardo DiCaprio asked.

“Well, suppose a genie offered you an unlimited lifetime supply of one of the folowing whenever
you asked for more: gold, money, marijuana, al varieties of food and beverage, weaponry, or everybody‟s complete trust. Guess which one would be the most valuable choice.”
Leo shrugged his shoulders.

“Let me put it this way: The guy who takes the trust would we permitted to give a back massage to
practically any girl he wanted, whereas the guy who takes the money would actually have to expend a lot of money to eventualy earn that kind of trust; and that stil might not suffice.”

“Teacher,” Leo said, “for those of us for whom it would be superfluous to pick the trust, what would
be the next best choice?”

“That depends on how optimisticaly you view the future.”

“Actualy, teacher,” said someone else, “it would make more sense to take the food and beverage as
the first choice since you could wish for enough for everyone and then you‟d have everyone‟s trust as wel.”

“Actualy, student, since the real world doesn‟t have magic genies it makes more sense to take the
trust, and then with that trust direct the people to allocate enough farmland to feed everyone.

“So, anyway, whether it‟s fair or not, Bush‟s reputation is to the point where he got boos and
whistles at the pope‟s funeral, and Holand‟s Supreme Court almost decided to have him arrested when he arrived there, and „opinion pols in many nations showed substantial numbers who thought that “bin Laden was more likely to do the right thing than Bush.”‟ And, considering that the words that come out of his mouth have no bearing on the man‟s decisions, you can‟t tel me that his reputation is not deserved. I mean, the man claims to be compassionate, yet he eviscerates safety nets for the poor, waives the Geneva Convention protections for prisoners—some of whom are innocent—and has no problem allowing a man to be executed even when the sole witness of the crime admits to making it up for the reward money and the alleged murderer was so mentally challenged that he held the gun backwards when the police asked him to hold the murder weapon. And, when speaking to a journalist about Karla Faye Tucker, Mr. Bush did a mock imitation of her saying: „Oh, please don‟t kil me.‟ (It‟s criminal that Democrats and journalists didn‟t repeat this fact around the clock until it was the death knel for Bush‟s presidential aspirations; along with the fact that he spared the life of self-confessed child molester and mass-murderer Henry Lee Lukass—the only death row inmate to ever earn clemency from Bush. (!!!!))”

“Wow,” said Emily, “I had no idea how ignorant I was of Mr. Bush‟s inconsistencies and uter lack
of leadership qualities. Gosh, now I‟m suddenly frightened to realize just what kind of jeopardy we‟re in as long as such a man remains in charge. What do you think we should do about it, teacher?”
“Wel, Emily, let‟s suppose for the sake of argument that Mr. Bush is actualy a decent man with
good intentions; (humor me). If so, then you guys should let him in on the newsflash that communicative prowess and trustworthiness are the most integral attributes of a real leader. Then remind him that whenever he communicates he sounds like someone who has no idea what he‟s talking about, especially on the subjects of Truth, Justice and The American Way.”

“Could you give some examples of his inability to communicate?”

“Wel, just pick anytime he‟s ever spoken and there‟s a 99% chance that it‟s embarrassing to listen
to him unless every word was writen for him in advance (and even then, don‟t hold your breath). But the quintessential example that—”

6

“Teacher! Teacher!” interjected Drew Barrymore, “I bet you‟re going to say that the quintessential
example is the time that he said either: a) „You teach a child to read and he or her wil be able to pass a
literacy test.‟ b) the time when he used the esoteric word „dissemble‟ and then facetiously added in his usual pedantic tone, „That means to not tel the truth.‟ …Except he didn‟t actualy say „dissemble,‟ he said „disassemble.‟ c) the fact that he said during the State of the Union address, „You‟re either with us or against us,‟ but then two years later told the White House press corps: „Foreign policy is not an either/or proposition.‟ d) „After standing on the stage, after the debates, I made it very plain: we will not have an allvolunteer army.‟ e) how, according to Robert McNamara, he botched relations with Beijing so badly we could end up at war with China in the next decade, f) „Our enemies… never stop thinking of new ways to harm our country, and neither do we.‟ g) his ineffable atempt in Kansas on Jan. 23, 2005, to trick Americans into somehow believing that we should take him more seriously than Barney Fife or Barney the Dinosaur, h) saying about 9/11 on 1/05/02 that „It was an interesting day.‟ i) his 26 April 2001 speech solely devoted to facetiously mocking his unique inability to think and speak…and the audience dutifully laughed and applauded as though thinking and speaking coherently has no correlation with successful leadership, j) saying that the „saddest part‟ about his presidency is that he now only has time to jog 3 miles a day, k) „Whether or not we can be ever fully safe is up—you know, is up in the air.‟ l) „Laura and I really don’t realize how bright our children is sometimes until we get an objective analysis.‟ or m) …when he waved to Stevie Wonder.”

“Close, Drew, but the quintessential example that the man can‟t communicate comes from his own
admission during a debate with Al Gore where he was asked why he said Jesus Christ was his favorite
political philosopher. He responded: „It‟s not something you can explain.‟ Wel, somebody should have
explained to him right then and there that the first prerequisite to being a qualified politician is that you must be able to explain the core of your political philosophy. I mean, for Christ‟s sake, there are 5-year-olds who could explain in one sentence why Jesus Christ is a good political role model. The degree to which that grated me to the core can only be expressed in the inimitable style of Howard Dean:
YAAAAAHARRGHYREEEAAGH!!!!!”

“But, teacher,” remarked George Carlin, “at least Bush‟s policies reflect the teachings of Jesus. After
al, didn‟t Jesus say something to the effect of: „Lead by example—torture your enemies, bullshit your ass off, rape Mother Nature, then slit her throat, give ample lip service to the poor, and above all: DON‟T LET THE WORKERS ORGANIZE.‟”

“Teacher,” David Cross proffered, “if Bush had been capable of articulating the Conservative
philosophy, perhaps he would have said: „The Conservative ideology is that the government can‟t be
trusted…so try to get us elected because I‟m teling you up front that you can‟t trust us once you do.‟”
“Wel,” said Stephanie Miler, “at least he finaly did find the words to encapsulate the Republican
spirit when, on March 26, 2006, he astutely pointed out: „The government is not a loving organization.‟”
“Teacher,” Larry Miler said, “you should think before you speak. I mean, give me a break. How can
you say that was the quintessential example? Did you not see the first debate between him and Kerry?”
“Oh, that‟s right. I guess I repressed that memory because it was so frightening and heart-wrenching
to see that the leader of the so-caled greatest country on Earth should have his mouth duct taped for life.”

“Teacher,” Jim Carrey suggested, “don‟t you think, though, that the argument could be made that the
fact that his town hall meetings screen out those who might ask him to communicate explanations for some things he‟s got some serious s‟plainin‟ to do is the most beyond-the-pale example that not only can’t he communicate, but he doesn‟t even think he‟s obligated to. In fact, we‟re lucky he even deigns to have fake town hal meetings since he actualy once said that he doesn‟t think a president has to make explanations; which is totaly in keeping with his tactful joke that „If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot 7 easier—just so long as I‟m the dictator.‟”

“Yup, that argument could be made, Jim. Although I‟d sooner argue that he SHOULDN’T
communicate; as was first proven when he said he was „wiling to do whatever it took to help Taiwan defend herself‟ against a Chinese atack, including sending American forces; again when he used the word „crusade‟; again when he and Laura told Peggy Noonan that, for them, 9/11 ended on a humorous note; again when he put on his diplomacy hat to proclaim: „Bring ‟em on.‟; again when he told an overwhelmed mother that it was wonderful that she needed to work 3 jobs to make ends meet; again with: „We wil export death and violence to the four corners of the earth in defense of our great nation.‟

…Topping it off on July 13, 2006, when he responded with a joke to a reporter‟s question about the grave escalations in the Middle East.”

“Teacher, if you think al that‟s bad, wait‟l you read All the President’s Spin, by Ben Fritz, Bryan
Keefer, and Brendan Nyhan. If we were to bombard Iraq with copies of it then true democracy would come to fruition overnight if we simply added the qualifier that they should do the opposite of everything in it; i.e., teach them that if you have disdain for the press, aren‟t transparent, your words contradict reality and you „covertly‟ manipulate election results, then you‟ve got no business caling yourself a democracy.”

“Not only that, teacher, but on 8/30/00 during a CNN online chat he completely corroborated your
point with: „Wel, I think if you say you‟re going to do something and don‟t do it, that‟s trustworthiness.‟”

Lewis Black then pointed out: “And twice within a month after that The Master Of Irony made these
prescient warnings: „America beter beware of a candidate who is wiling to stretch reality in order to win points,‟ and, „If we don’t stop extending our troops al around the world in nation-building missions, then we‟re going to have a serious problem coming down the road.‟”

“And the ironic cherry on top of it al,” said Jerry Springer, “is that Mr. Humility stil saw fit to
mock John Kerry for having mixed up Lambeau Field with Lambert Field. It‟s as if he goes out of his way to make himself an easy target.”

“Indeed, Jerry. Anyhow, after you hammer home to him that incoherency is not a political asset, let
him know that he engenders outrage and contempt across the globe. Once he then realizes that his very
presence in office is grossly undermining America‟s security he‟l surely have no choice but to step up to the plate and resign. What‟s more, if he truly wants the chance to demonstrate to the world that he is indeed all about democracy and diplomacy, then he would acknowledge the cold hard evidence that John Kerry is the legitimate winner of the 2004 election; and thus allow Mr. Kerry to be sworn in as the rightful commanderin- chief.”

“John Kerry!?” Larry Miler barked. “Good God, man, you just said that for a leader to be viable he
has to be someone who the people trust. Yet John Kerry already has thousands of veterans who hate his guts. It made no sense whatsoever for such a man to even have run, especialy during a time of war!”
“Wel, Larry, that‟s why I think he ought to have his citizenship revoked. The worst part, though, is
that the man doesn‟t even have 20/20 vision in hindsight. After al, he said that knowing what he knows now, he still would have voted for the authorization on the war. Yet, he‟s the one who was always griping that Bush never came back to Congress as he said he would. So if Kerry could go back in time he would tell Congress, „Hey, I‟m from the future and I can tel you that even though Bush says he‟l come back to Congress, he won‟t. But I stil say that we should vote yes without altering the language of the bil despite the fact that the former Supreme Alied Commander told us in the first place that we shouldn‟t vote yes unless the bill mandates that Bush comes back to Congress.‟ Because of that absurdly imprudent statement Hilary Clinton had to try to defend Mr. Kerry to Tim Russert by saying, „I think John‟s point was that you can‟t make decisions in hindsight.‟ How the Democratic Party didn‟t dissolve into thin air from complete  lack of intelectual congruence when she said that, I‟l never know.”

More to Come in the Next Edition of The Switch

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U.S. public relations on Iraq, Iran need truth and honesty

By Steve Hammons

According to published news reports, the Bush administration has continued to seek public relations contractors to generate favorable news coverage about efforts in Iraq.

An announcement last summer explained one of the more recent projects of this kind would also monitor media coverage in the Middle East and in the U.S. The initial funding for this latest effort was reportedly $20 million.

It may be difficult to spin, sugar-coat or find enough positive stories in the Iraq War to overcome the grave concerns internationally, and by the majority of Americans, about the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the current U.S. administration.

Now, with the Bush administration reportedly planning for an attack on Iran, Americans and people around the world are even more concerned and more doubtful about the truthfulness and integrity of the Bush administration.

What are some effective ways to create positive public diplomacy, beneficial public relations and advantageous information operations that will work in the favor of the United States and our military efforts overseas?

Part of the answer includes our awareness that people around the world are looking at American society and the American people. They are trying to understand who we are, what we believe, what we stand for.

Americans, too, seem to be trying to figure this out. And we are struggling.

Who are the American people? What is our American culture? What aspects of our society are good and worthwhile and what elements are unhealthy or destructive?

And how can we communicate from the grassroots and heart of America to the rest of the world to explain the positive qualities of our nation?

INFLUENCE OPERATIONS

This recent $20 million project follows a long line of similar efforts. Over the last few years, public relations firms have been hired by the current administration to promote a positive image of U.S. policies in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Public diplomacy efforts have been launched to persuade people in other areas of the world that the efforts and actions of the U.S. administration are worthwhile and beneficial to them.

Here at home, very active projects to monitor and influence the U.S. media and the American people have been created, and continue today. These programs seek to persuade and promote certain perceptions and beliefs. The unethical nature of some of these efforts has been pointed out.

Huge amounts of money have been spent on these kinds of programs targeting Americans and people in the international community over the last few years. The effectiveness and success of these activities has been mixed.

These types of past efforts themselves may have been implemented with reasonable expertise. Current and new programs like this might also bring in intelligent people and have some benefit.

However, the underlying truth of the unilateral invasion and occupation of Iraq and troubling related matters have significantly damaged the reputation of the current U.S. administration and America internationally.

As a result, it seems very difficult to frame these actions in a way that creates goodwill toward current U.S. policies.

Many Americans have similarly not been convinced by these public relations and influence efforts of the current administration and some in Congress that the Iraq War was worthwhile or that it was entered into honestly and honorably.

And there have been other activities of the Bush administration that are very disturbing to many Americans. Threats of attacks on Iran are just the latest among many disturbing trends and actions of the current administration.

Importantly, many people around the world may wrongly perceive that the Bush administration, its invasion of Iraq and similar policies are a reflection of the soul of the majority of Americans.

Correcting this misperception could be the key to improving the image of America internationally.

It could also be important in helping Americans find ourselves and rediscovering our honorable values, apparently lost or discarded in recent years by some citizens and government officials.

TECHNIQUE AND SUBSTANCE

A sound and effective public diplomacy and public information effort needs to include effective techniques. It is also useful to have solid substance that rings true to the target audiences.

In other words, there may be limited success if the public relations efforts are manipulating facts and realities, and selling false or misleading perceptions. People sometimes have a way of perceiving and understanding truth and lies.

Because of this, it is often helpful to communicate truthfully and honestly when implementing persuasion operations and programs.

In the military, these kinds of efforts are referred to as “information operations (IO).” Components of IO include psychological operations (PSYOP) and other kinds of communications and influence operations. They may be referred to as “perception warfare” or other kinds of terms.

These types of activities can use accurate and truthful information to simply communicate honestly, as well as real activities that win goodwill and friends for the U.S.

Propaganda is a term that can mean this kind of straightforward and ethical communication or it can mean a kind of “deception operation” that uses information and events to persuade in a dishonest way.

Going forward, any information operations, public diplomacy or public relations efforts attempted by the current administration will undoubtedly be looked at with suspicion, at home and abroad.

Because of the deterioration of respect and trust for the leaders of our current government, many Americans seem determined to take needed steps to correct our recent mistakes.

This is the substance that can form the core of future information operations about the U.S. This could change the current disastrous situation to a promising and successful future for the way the rest of the world sees America and Americans, and how we see ourselves.

When we do adjust our course, we will show the world that our nation and our people can be trusted once again. We will demonstrate that we are honorable.

We will prove that democracy can work and a society can pull together to find a positive direction that helps itself, its friends, the international community and the human race.

That is the most powerful psychological operation we can launch.

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Anyone who has had the opportunity to watch the leader of the Catholic League, William Donohue, knows that we are not contending with an intellectual heavy weight when attempting to parse through his ramblings in order to understand the actual logic supporting the his constant accusations of anti-Catholicism. Although I should mention that I was absolutely shocked to find that this individual obtained a PHD in Sociology from the NYU; this is a fact that I am going to look into further in order to resolve my persistent skepticism over its accuracy. Nevertheless, I am going to - for the moment - treat this character as though he is capable of producing polemics that possess some degree of logical reasoning concealed somewhere inside their inflaming rhetoric.

In order to select from a gluttony of ill conceived accusations of anti-Catholicism expressed by William Donohue, I shall concentrate on the latest development in a career of erecting straw men in order to champion the interests of the most uninformed and certainly the least intellectually inclined dominator among the Religious Right in American society.

The bloggers made remarks concerning specific policies enacted by individuals who assume positions in the Church. Therefore, as far as I can detect, the two bloggers in question were casting disparaging remarks toward the policies enacted by men - and, of course, only men - assuming positions within the Church - not the actual belief system and associated practices of Catholicism.

I would suspect that Catholicism acknowledges some distinction between those who assume positions in its hierarchy of offices and the Church, itself, which I thought would be considered a transcendental structure, according to its significance within the Worldview of Catholicism. In short, and I suspect I am correct in my conclusion, the Church holds an ontological status; thus It exists apart from the particular individuals who find themselves holding office in its organization Schema. In support of this assertion, I need only make reference to the - extremely dubiously translated - account in Ancient Greek of Jesus proclaiming, as he held a rock, something to the effect that this was his Church, which - parenthetically - can also be translated into something approximating, I am this rock, which would entail a different understanding of Christianity, entirely, because Jesus would be indicating that the Divine is not transcendental, but something that in worldly and can be communed with in a state absent of any intermediating devices, such as the Catholic Church and its hierarchy in which men - and only men - hold office.

Therefore, if, indeed, remarks directed against Church Officials are to be considered an expression of intolerance toward Catholicism, itself, then such a conclusion would, in fact, express that there is no distinction to be drawn between Catholicism and the men who occupy positions in its institutional structure.

John Paul introduced a lexicon into the Church’s vocabulary that had been lacking throughout the extent - up till then - of the Church’s history: the word, apologize. By actually articulating an apology for the Church in reaction to periods in the Church’s history when it acted in modalities that appeared less than divine, John Paul was essentially conceding that the actions of the those who hold power in the Church are subject to the fallibility resulting from the finite knowledge of man as well as the dark natures that lurk within the motivations that compel men to action.

Consequently, from the preceding analysis, I would have to conclude that William Donohue is suspect to accusations of worshiping false idols, which happen to be men themselves; certainly not the transcendental God to which he incredulously swears devotion.

As a final note to this letter, I should provide the following advice: Beware of false idols; especially those who are men, who, nevertheless, possess the arrogance to collapse any distinction between themselves and the God they purport to represent.

Russell Cole

Tags: Global, history, human development, politics, society, sociology
Categories: Commentary, Global, Society, Politics, Sociology, History
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by Steve Hammons
The emerging awareness in many segments of society about what is sometimes called “anomalous cognition” is an interesting development that seems to hold much promise. In fact, knowledge about this topic seems to be spreading throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Anomalous cognition is a term that refers to various kinds of human perception which can be highly effective and useful in a wide range of endeavors and activities.

Included under this umbrella term are several human perceptual abilities and skills. These include, but are not limited to:

- Enhanced intuition and instincts

- Increased awareness of one’s surroundings and environment

- Improved insight into challenges and solutions

- Acquisition of information and understanding about remote situations

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines “anomalous” as “inconsistent with or deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected – irregular, unusual – of uncertain nature or classification marked by incongruity or contradiction – paradoxical.” “Cognition” is defined as “to become acquainted with, know – to come to know – cognitive mental processes – a product of these processes.” We may soon need to change the word “anomalous” when referring to enhanced human intelligence of this kind, because it may no longer be “unusual.”

It may become very normal and routine for all of us. In fact, it may be very useful to expand communication and education about research findings in this area as far and wide as possible, and in a timely manner.

RECENT AND CURRENT RESEARCH

Advanced research sponsored by our military and intelligence community, as well as universities and private research entities, has discovered that many, most or all people have the ability to use their “cognition,” their mind and awareness, to perceive and understand things in a much more interesting way than previously recognized.

At the same time, average people around the world are doing their own research because each of us has the working tools to investigate anomalous cognition: Our brains, minds, bodies, and, some say, our hearts, spirits and souls. The technique called “remote viewing” is one of the most common examples.

Remote viewing is a concept jointly developed by the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the CIA and private sector researchers during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Remote viewing is a particular set of methods that allow individuals to tap into enhanced and advanced perception. This has proven to be a useful intelligence-gathering tool. Other applications have also been researched. Anomalous cognition and remote viewing can provide insight about our daily thoughts and feelings as well as previously unknown information – even information that provides insight about situations that are outside of normal understanding about time and space.

It is believed that the nature of quantum physics is such that, in some ways, things like anomalous cognition and remote viewing make perfect sense. They are normal and natural. They are part of Nature. Many average people now read books, take classes and watch video presentations about remote viewing. And, many people find that their intuition, dreams and sensitivity to information bubbling up from their unconscious can be very valuable and helpful.

Professional research into these kinds of human abilities and perception is very useful and seems to dovetail with other accepted aspects of psychology studies. As in some conventional psychology theories, our unconscious mind is believed to be a great problem solver, when given the opportunity. In addition, our individual minds may be connected to a larger unified consciousness.

Some people theorize that there is a “higher consciousness” with profound spiritual and religious implications. Remote viewing techniques also recognize that one element of success in these efforts is allowing the unconscious mind to work. Then, information from the unconscious is allowed to surface consciously where it can be accurately interpreted and applied to practical matters. This, of course, is what many modern researchers have tried to establish: That clear evidence can be demonstrated indicating anomalous cognition of various kinds can provide accurate and useful information and insight. Have they established this? It seems that they have.

ADVANCED HUMAN DEVELOPMENT OR ANCIENT AWARENESS?

Some people learning about these kinds of human abilities might naturally wonder if they reflect advances in the ongoing development of the human brain. Are they new potentials that the human race is now experiencing as we evolve into more advanced creatures. This is one line of thinking. Another view is that these perceptual abilities are old, ancient, and go back into prehistory.

Maybe there is some combination of both aspects. Many ancient human cultures put great value on dreams, intuition, visions, signs, prophesies, spiritual quests and different kinds of awareness. Native American cultures are good examples. They found these types of experiences to be very valid perceptions about reality. Ancient humans may have relied on intuition, internal perception and instincts much more than we do today. As our conscious, logical and intellectual minds have developed, maybe our other awareness skills and internal intelligence declined and atrophied. Some people theorize that animals may have anomalous cognition abilities that are superior to that of humans in many ways.

So, perhaps these skills are not a new development at all, but, rather, the rediscovery and re-emergence of established and fundamental types of human intelligence.

Our instinct that danger is near, our feeling that we should contact someone or our sense that we should do something in particular, are situations that we sometimes experience. These perceptions may have a basis in valid and accurate anomalous cognition. Likewise, we all experience dreams. Dreams, like other kinds of anomalous cognition and remote viewing, also involve the unconscious mind’s ability to provide valuable information.

WWII U.S. NAVY SUB AND CREW SAVED BY DREAM?

As important as, or more important than, the value people place on these kinds of perceptions are reports about how accurate and how useful these perceptions can be. In other words, believing that unusual perception has value is one thing. Actually demonstrating that highly useful information or insight can come from unconventional perception or dreams is another. There are many examples of interesting and even amazing results from things like anomalous cognition, remote viewing, intuition, visions and dreams.

While living in San Diego many years ago, I worked with a retired U.S. Navy master chief who had served for 25 years or more. Most of his Navy career was in the submarine service.

One day he brought up a story from his dad’s Navy service on a submarine in the Pacific during WWII. According to the master chief’s father, during combat operations between the U.S. and Japan, his sub experienced a mechanical problem and was forced to surface near a sand bar and in plain view of any Japanese planes that might happen to fly over the area.

In such a position, if the sub was spotted, they would be very vulnerable to destruction and/or capture. As a result, efforts to diagnose and repair the mechanical problem were extremely urgent and a life-or-death matter for the officers and crew.

The master chief’s dad had some key duties and responsibilities involving the engineering and mechanical operation of the sub.

He and other crew members explored many possible reasons for the sub’s mechanical problem and tried several solutions, but none worked and they remained surfaced and in danger.

More than one day passed and they knew that it was crucial to figure out the problem and get it fixed. They worked non-stop, only interrupting their work when necessary and to eat and sleep. While sleeping, the master chief’s dad had a dream. He had a dream about what the problem with the sub was.

When he awoke, he located the part of the mechanical workings the sub that he had dreamed about and went to work. The problem turned out to be exactly what he had dreamed. He and his fellow crew members rapidly completed repairs and the sub was safely underway shortly after. His dream may have saved the sub and its crew from death or a terrible fate.

FUTURE PERCEPTION

This is the kind of real-life application of enhanced and unconventional perception that is receiving such interest now.

Even law enforcement agencies are looking into training detectives and others in taking their “cop instincts” to the next level to help solve crimes and rescue victims.

And our intelligence community, despite overtly shutting down the “Project STARGATE” remote viewing program back in the 1990s, most likely is continuing research and operations using these skills in current challenges.

Our military and special operations forces reportedly have been exposed to some measure of orientation and training in these abilities as well. Undoubtedly, these skills can also be helpful for them.

Now, our task might be to more fully understand how to share these findings with people in all walks of life and of all ages.

after all, schools of the future may teach students about the remarkable abilities of perception we all can tap into in order to succeed in attaining knowledge and understanding.

That knowledge and understanding might be very useful in ongoing human development and in achieving a very bright future for all of us, our children and future generations.

——–

Steve Hammons has worked as a journalist, editor, counselor, juvenile probation peace officer, public safety urgent-response specialist, teacher, instructor and US Government researcher. He graduated from Ohio University with studies in communications/journalism, health education/psychology and pre-law. Hammons’s two novels tell the story of a US joint-service military and intelligence research team investigating emerging special topics. Visit the novels’ home page at: www.navyseals.com/community/members/ohio52.

——-

Tags: anomalous cognition, awareness, higher consciousness, human development, human perception, military, perception, quantum physics, society
Categories: Commentary, Society
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The overly optimistic assessments of the economic conditions that are accompanying the communicative innovations associated with the Information Age; a transition to the Human State of Affairs precipitated by the digitalization of documents and the information they express; falls flat on the face when challenged with the empirical reality in which laborers now find themselves. The fastest growing demographic in American society are single females - working for the modest salary of $20,000 to $30,000 - who tend to relocate every 3 to 5 years.  I submit that the nomadic existence that is suffered by so many in the contemporary workforce - who go from job to job as contingent, contractual labor - is a direct consequence of the flattening of labor markets, which is, in turn, a manifestation of the expansion of digital communications.  As much as individuals enjoy the flexible working environments - a rhetorical device used to promote the casual workers labor market - I think that they would prefer to have access to medical coverage, not to mentioned a sustained expectation of a niche in the economy; a benefit that more and more Americans are finding to be in a state of scarcity. 
With this said, I will republish one of the most significant works that have been published on this site -yet, all too overlooked - by an Australian sociologist, who was influential in the original shaping of this Web design and content management project. The following is an extract from a contribution by Bill Templer:
“hard work, competition, motivation, self-reliance, flexibility, boldness, daringness, innovation and success…essential components of the entrepreneurial individual” (Kenny 1999 p. 54).
Great on the surface, but what of those people that don’t possess the education, skills and mindset to become entrepreneur’s? They get left behind! We are no longer creatures of the jungle where only the strong survive; we formed civilised society so that we could work together and help those that are weaker, slower and disadvantaged. Why? Because it is in our best interests and we will achieve a lot more together than alone!
This enterprise culture has manifested itself in Australian employment policies with the introduction of Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA’s), the promotion of contract labour, a decrease in collective bargaining and an increase in casual labour. These policies are articulated as “providing flexibility and choice to Australian workers”, “everyone can be their own boss, while promoting economic growth for the great nation that is Australia.”
However, there are a few things that stand in the way of this growth, mainly the liability that is paying workers unnecessary benefits such as holiday pay, sick pay and overtime. But the one thing that provides the greatest obstacle to the implementation of these policies is a unified force of workers; together, we would never accept policies that hurt us, but alone, there is not much we can do.
We have to start making our collective voice heard, whether it be by joining a union or taking part in this forum, or dobbing in a dodgy boss [informing on a tricky boss]; We can fight for a fair go, for a decent share of the profits of our employers and for decent working conditions, But we must do it together. CASUAL WORKERS. UNITE!

Tags: casual workers, economics, Farmers, labor, Midwest, unions, workers
Categories: Commentary, Midwest, Economics, Labor, Farmers
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Letter to DNCC Monday, July 31, 2006 9:38 PM

I was looking at the ridiculously vague and generalized policy positions in your platform, and I thought I might suggest adopting a position on the most salient issue of our time, the Iraq War. No wonder the general populace continues to perceive this Party as incapable of effectively leading when you cannot even address the Iraqi War, choosing to, instead, leave any mention of the conflict conspicuously absent. I realize that there is contention within the Party regarding this issue, which I suspect to be the ultimate result of the career politicians in the Party who thought it in their professional interests to support this absurd exercise in imperial adventurism. However, I still think it would be less damaging to at least address the subject by acknowledging the lack of consensus within the Party regarding the appropriate course of action. Then, you might even invite debate among the people whom you are suppose to be representing. Discuss the complexities of the problematic in detail and, at the very minimum, appear as though you are attempting to form a resolution to this disagreement that will hopefully be amenable to all parties involved.

R Cole

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This electronic letter is submitted for the audience of the human platitude, Thomas Friedman.

Letter to Friedman Sunday, August 27, 2006 4:06 PM

Good Day,

This letter is directed toward the Time’s most successful neoLiberal apologist, Thomas Friedman. Although, I am yet to read the monstrosity, “The Earth is Flat,” I did have the displeasure of watching Friedman be interviewed on C-span. Fortunately my job has yet to be offshored. However, for all of the others who have lost their jobs to cheaper offshore labor markets, I would like to encourage Mr. Friedman to specify where all of these new jobs are that involve synthesizing knowledge, belonging to distinct professional pursuits. While he is at it, perhaps he can segway into a description of the synergistic effect that this synthesizing engenders, creating virtual environments, where inter-organizational teams can be deployed for purposes of creating mind-maps of the synthetic products of these interdisciplinary activities involving the synthesis of ideas.

Russell Cole

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