!Happy Turkey Day!

Since we we've been talking citizen engagement recently, I thought this article appropriately addressed an assortment of solutions to the so-called problems raised by the decline of duty-based participation....(not good grammar i know, but check out that 'a'lliteration!)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-tapscott/the-dubai-summit-on-redes_b_371730.html

Pew Internet data

Tedesco references the Pew Internet and American Life Project. It's a goldmine of interesting descriptive statistics and useful datasets.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Cloture.
60-39.
Debate Begins.
There's a new "Mad-Hatter" in the building (Barack Hussein Obama).

New York Times Article

I thought this article from the New York Times was interesting especially since we were talking about education yesterday. I hate to say I do not think we will see an increase in civics education anytime soon.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/education/20berkeley.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=us&adxnnlx=1258746959-JFlDTveJ/b5b0sLM5u9vlg

Told Ya So

elephantpolo.com

Civics education

The Galston reading for today discusses the role of civics education in the creation of capable and engaged citizens. Here is an update on the data the article reports: 2006 NAEP Civics Report Card

Here are some example questions that were used to gather the data:
Example Questions for 12th Grade

Reflect on the civics civics curriculum at your primary and high schools.

Senate Health Care Bill

Hey! If anybody wants to read this 2000+ page epic, I have posted the link here!

thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:SN01796

Ya know, it's not as hard as I thought...anti-healthcare websites say that it's longer than "War&Peace", but definitely NOT as difficult to comprehend.

Which leads me to-- Maybe we could have direct Democracy by providing an essay or multiple choice exam on the bill! Would'nt that be something huh? "Whaddya do last night?" "Oh, studied for the vote tommorrow...pulled an all-nighter!"

Of course you'd have to worry about who exactly grades the test...judges? Nahhh, they're to busy readin' other stuff...Def could be a works project (Infrastructure anyone???) paid for by the government to those unemployed, so long as they have completed the courses...so IDK, who would teach the teachers?!! dammm, that bill would prolly be even longer the healthcare bill...

Omina Fausta Cano

Not all participation is good participation

We've been talking all semester about the democratic benefits of political participation. Today we will make the point that this is not always true. My examples of requests for normatively undesirable participation:

The Weather Underground
a WWII-era Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses (The fifth poster down on this page)

http://www.yclusa.org/article/archive/6/

Really?

This is the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) offical website. They believe in exposing extremist groups, but I view this site as free promotion for these anti-government groups.

http://www.adl.org

Bad Participation?

This is a group that is standing up for their side of the issue and taking action because they feel the government has not acted. However, their actions are borderline vigilante. Now they are branching out and not only taking up arms but also lobbying congress. Two different groups acting on the same basic issue:

http://www.minutemanhq.com/

http://www.minutemanproject.com/

Pro-Drug website

This is pretty crazy. Check out the part about ecstacy. Apparently they're trying to find "therapudic" reasons for people to take it.

http://csdp.org/

You can also check out this one: Possibly a bit more blatant:

www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27217

Making Work Pay tax credit

There is no such thing as free money!!! Sorry tax payers!!! It sucks when you think that you are doing your civic duty for this country and bam!!!! you have to give it all back!!!


http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/11/16/2009-11-16_15m_taxpayers_could_unexpectedly_owe_taxes_due_to_govt_mistake.html

November 17th assignment

http://moveon.org/

The Confederacy Project

These guys want to divide the union up again...

soo good luck with that

http://members.cox.net/polincorr1/inconpro.htm

Everyone Remembers This...Seemed Like A Great Idea...In My Opinion, It Really Backfired

The Vote or Die Campaign.

It seemed like a great way to use celebrity limelight to encourage participation, to get youth active. Everyone's intentions were great. However, it was surrounded by scandal and appauling truths. Many of the celebrities who were advocates of this weren't even registered to vote and accusations like this one... http://media.www.thecaupanther.com/media/storage/paper292/news/2005/12/05/Nationworld/Diddys.Vote.Or.Die.Campaign.Under.Investigation-1120221.shtml against P. Diddy... also popped up.

I think that this really added to disillusionment and distrust in the political process and, instead of making participation seem like "the cool thing to do", it just showed young people that politics was exactly what they thought it was all along...a fluke, full of unnecessary partisan competition and not truly embodying democratic ideals.

11/17

this is still around? i feel gross looking for this stuff on my computer.

http://www.americannaziparty.com/

11/17

this is still around? i feel dirty searching for this stuff on my computer.

http://www.americannaziparty.com/

Negative Political Activism

http://www.kkk.bz/

11/17/09 assignment

http://www.zazzle.com/i_love_my_country_i_hate_my_government_tshirt-235085101181166807
I like this one better...

A Great Post by on Conservadem's imaginary anxiety problems about Reelection!

Being a moderate worth about 2% of the vote so maybe being a conservadem want save you after all!

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/11/politicians-have-lot-of-leeway-in-how.html

http://www.antiobama.net/anti-obama-websites.html

Negative Political Participation

Texas Secede! with blog, info, shop and facts. It says texassecede.org on the top of the site but texassecede.com goes to it too. http://www.texassecede.com/faq.htm

The fact that people buy into this is sad!

http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=3778

Just because I found it interesting....

RNC employee health insurance plan covers abortion.

Negative Political Participation

Why the American People Must Disband Congress

http://www.naturalnews.com/027439_Congress_democracy_America.html

11/17/09 assignment

http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2009/03/03/declaration-of-orders-we-will-not-obey/

WILD!

Whoa!

Get it Milkman!! around minute 3ish, I think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynHM6UJ3Y2I

Negative Political Activism

Negative Activism Assignment:

Following the recent events at Fort Hood, this Conservative Group is advocating changes in the U.S. military policy and suggests purging Muslims from the U.S. army calling it "Islamo-realism"...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/09/conservative-group-time-t_n_350945.html

I would be really interested in hearing what people have to say about this... Possibly not everyone thinks this to be negative?

I know this seems a bit out of left field, but I found this PDF rather interesting.

A Portrait of Louisiana

What did Conservative Democrats get out of the HC Vote?

I was wondering who was shocked besides me that one Republican voted in the House of Representatives voted for Health Care Reform? I looked at the numbers and the majority of those 39 Democrats that voted against HC Reform all but 8 had districts in which McCain won in 2008. I looked at those Democrats as being pretty much screwed anyway because if reform fails they will pay the price. I don't see Democrats representing major cities on the GOP list of targets for 2010 it is the few Southern and rural Democrats that are left in the caucus. What Wed. night showed in my opinion is that no matter how far you try to separate yourself from the President at the end of the day as a Dem. you are linked to him. The President is a much better friend than enemy in the Democratic Party because he can fund raise, draw a crowd to your dull events (Creigh Deeds), and is more popular than any elected official in America and probably the world. At the end of the day who wants to be on the wrong side of history? The GOP has been on the wrong side of history for Social Security, Unemployment insurance, the creation of the SEC, Medicare, Medicaid, Brown v. Board of Education, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights act of 1965, the financial crisis of 2008, Climate Change, and today they still don't quite believe in equality for all people. I ask why does the Conservadems want to put their names on that list with them? Rep. Cao decided not to join them to bad his chances of winning next time are slim to none and one less Republican that's going to be available for bi-partisanship HA! All those Democrats could lose and Speaker Pelosi is still Speaker of the House of Representatives.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/most-important-number/the-most-important-number-in-p-62.html#more

Taxed Enough Already Party..errr, rally

heres the link...it's on Sunday

greaterneworleansteaparty.com/CalendarRSVP.cfm?EventID=48

A variety of interesting links

Wow, this blog has been an interesting place lately thanks to your contributions.

Here are some links for class today on the topic of grassroots activism:
- CNN article about Wal-Mart astroturfing
- A strategic communication consulting firm that conducts "sophisticated coalition and grassroots campaigns"
- CBS News video coverage of a Tea Party demonstration in Chicago

Here is an optional link I thought you might enjoy:
New York times article about de Tocqueville's letters home

Retrospective EvAlUaTiOn

So there's talk online about why Democrats lost Virginia and New Jersey. Some suggest that Obama played a role in these defeats due to his lack of progress on the Economic front.
I'm wondering if it's too early to call, and if so can we really blame Obama or was there a spurious C?

Maybe I'm just framing this question cuz this is how the Media frames it.
Maybe...