Let's try that again

2005-12-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

I have a hard time writing a little bit at a time. When I sit down to write, I can't constrain myself--everything must be written down. The resulting train wreck leaves me frustrated with my lack of focus; I end up not writing again for some time.

I need discipline, constraint, focus--qualities that I have a hard time cultivating without an audience. So, Internet, you are my audience. You will create a critic in my mind to cull the bad or the useless or the unfocused and leave me with a hard core of focused writing.

I will start by re-working some writings that I have posted other places. Editing is much more a knack than writing--I always find the editing to come more easily.

Open Letter to Moveon.org

2005-08-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

I sent this along with my request to be cancelled from the moveon.org
mailing list.

When MoveOn first started, I was very interested and wished to become
involved in a group that was changing what Americans were talking
about. However, as time has worn on, MoveOn proved itself to be solely
about being against everything that that the administration is for.

In my interactions with MoveOn--weekly emails encouraging me to be
against another Bush administration policy--you have never tried to
create a vision of what we are "moving on" toward. Stop being so
negative--Yes, this administration is one of the most bone headed and
absurd in American history. Yes, Bush is an idiot and an ass hat to
boot. I know. I see it every day in the news.

You have a powerful position--you should use that position to enact
change. Right now, we need a change in how Americans talk about
politics. We need to talk about how most Americans are isolationist
and wish to keep from entanglements in foreign affairs. We need to
talk about how most Americans would give up some of their prosperity
for increased time with family and increased financial security. We
need to talk about how most Americans are Wage Laborers--few of us
could keep our standard of living or our houses without the next
paycheck. Above all, we need to talk about power. We need to talk
about how power, political and economic, is concentrating in the hands
of a very few.

MoveOn.org is in a position to put into words what people already
believe--beliefs that are overlooked by the media and political
parties. An easy way to do this is to look at polls and find areas
where people strongly believe something that the political parties and
the media gloss over. Isolationism is a good one to start with. Also,
people feel largely disenchanted with the "democratic process", as can
be seen through low voting rates. Most people believe that the system
is broken, that it has nothing to do with them. Perhaps if people saw
examples of alternatives that are more democratic than our system,
they might become interested in politics.

If there is going to be change in this country to a more democratic,
more egalitarian society, change will begin in people's minds. MoveOn
has an opportunity to change the words that people use and the ideas
that people think about when they talk politics. Please stop
squandering this chance of real change by being against everything
that Bush is for. People who are against what he is doing will
continue to be against it and people who are for what he is doing will
continue to be for it. Start making changes that will matter a year
from now. out power. We need to talk about how power, political and
economic, is concentrating in the hands of a very few.

MoveOn.org is in a position to put into words what people already
believe--beliefs that are overlooked by the media and political
parties. Look at polls and find areas where people strongly believe
something that the political parties and the media gloss over.
Isolationism is a good one to start with. Also, people feel largely
disenchanted with the "democratic process", as can be seen through low
voting rates. Most people believe that the system is broken. Perhaps
if people saw examples of alternatives that are more democratic than
our system, they might become interested in changing to a more
involving system.

If there is going to be change in this country to a more democratic,
more egalitarian society, change will begin in people's minds. MoveOn
has an opportunity to change the words that people use and the ideas
that people think about when they talk politics. Please stop
squandering this chance of real change by being against everything
that Bush is for. People who are against what he is doing will
continue to be against it and people who are for what he is doing will
continue to be for it. Start making changes that will matter a year
from now.

To blog or not to blog

2005-06-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

After I IMed a rant to a friend a few months ago he said "you should start a blog." I thought yeah, it's about time I stop subjecting my friends to these diatribes and get them somewhere where people don't have to see them if they don't want to. Mostly this is an exercise for myself--a way to get myself writing on a more regular basis. Skills, like muscles, atrophy with time. I do some writing for work, but never on a topic that allows me to think deeply. Thinking and Writing--a good mantra for blogging.

As for the title, calling it a sojourn was a good fit. This is a place where I can think deeply and write clearly; a place to prop up my feet and pontificate. My thoughts can be built up and I can move on. With any diligence, I will have thoughts crafted behind me like sand castles build in sequence strung along a beach.

This is also a place where I may repose only for a brief time--there is a hurried world outside with demands of me.

So here we are, it's a blog. Maybe some grain of reason or truth will expose itself. Let's see what develops.

A Version of Truth

Let's try that again

Open Letter to Moveon.org

To blog or not to blog