By BRAD WARTHEN
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
ONCE, NOT so long ago, serious people decried the reduction and trivialization of political ideas to the level of a bumper sticker. Some days, I long for the coherence, the relevance, the completeness of bumper stickers.
Let’s knit together a few of the unraveled threads that have frayed my mind in the past week, shall we?
Thread One: A Colorado congressman who takes pride in his technological savvy claimed partial “credit” for the demise of a newspaper, saying, “Who killed the Rocky Mountain News? We’re all part of it, for better or worse, and I argue it’s mostly for the better…. The media is dead and long live the new media.”
Thread Two: Last week, I started working out again. I can’t read when I’m on the elliptical trainer because I bounce up and down too much, so I turn on the television. This gives me an extended exposure to 24/7 TV “news” and its peculiar obsessions, which I normally avoid like a pox. I hear far more than I want to about Rush Limbaugh, who wants the country’s leadership to fail, just to prove an ideological point. The president’s chief of staff dubs this contemptible entertainer the leader of the president’s opposition. Even more absurdly, the actual chief of the opposition party spends breath denying it — and then apologizes for doing so. See why I avoid this stuff?
Thread Three: Two of the most partisan Democrats in the S.C. Senate, John Land and Brad Hutto, introduce a mock resolution to apologize to Rush on behalf of South Carolina so that our state doesn’t “miss out on the fad that is sweeping the nation — to openly grovel before the out-spoken radio host.” The Republican majority spends little time dismissing the gag, but any time thus spent by anyone was time not spent figuring out how to keep essential state services going in this fiscal crisis.
Thread Four: At midday Thursday I post on my blog a few thoughts about the just-announced candidacy of U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett for governor, and invite readers to share what they think of the Upstate Republican. As of mid-afternoon Friday, there were nine comments on the subject, and three of them were from me. By the same time, there were 66 comments about the Rush Limbaugh flap.
Thread Five: A colleague brings to my attention a new Web site called SCTweets, where you can read spontaneous “Twitter” messages from such S.C. politicians as Anton Gunn, David Thomas, Bob Inglis, Nathan Ballentine and Thad Viers, with a number of S.C. bloggers thrown in. It’s the brainchild of S.C. Rep. Dan Hamilton and self-described GOP “political operative” Wesley Donehue (which would explain why Rep. Gunn is the only Democrat on the list I just cited). They see it as “a creative way to showcase SC’s tech-savvy elected officials.” It sounds like a neat idea, but when you go there and look at it… well, here’s a sample:
annephutto had a great lunch
AntonJGunn Having lunch with the Mayor of Elgin.
mattheusmei Prepare to have your mind blownaway http://tinyurl.com/b6w8w9 #sctweets, simply amazing!!!
RobGodfrey Beautiful day in Columbia. #sctweets
thadviers just had lunch with little Joe at Jimmy Johns.
Perhaps this will be useful to someone, and I applaud Messrs. Hamilton and Donehue for the effort. But so far I haven’t figured out what Twitter adds to modern life that we didn’t already have with e-mail and blogs and text-messaging and, well, the 24/7 TV “news.” Remember how I complained in a recent column about how disorienting and unhelpful I find Facebook to be? Well, this was worse. I felt like I was trying to get nutrition from a bowl of Lucky Charms mixed with Cracker Jack topped with Pop Rocks, stirred with a Slim Jim.
Thread Six: Being reminded of Facebook, I checked my home page, and found that a friend I worked with a quarter-century ago was exhorting me to:
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall.
I followed his instructions. The book nearest to my laptop was the literally dog-eared (chewed by a dog that died three decades ago) paperback Byline: Ernest Hemingway. Here’s the fifth sentence on page 56:
“He smiled like a school girl, shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands to his face in a mock gesture of shame.”
Not much without context, but you know what? I got more out of that than I got out of that Twitter page. At least I formed a clear, coherent picture of something.
I just remembered that I said I would knit these threads together. OK, here goes:
It occurs to me that Twitter and Facebook are the bright new world that the Colorado congressman who claims credit for killing The Rocky Mountain News extolled. In this world, political discourse consists of partisans prattling about talk show hosts and elected officials casting spontaneous sentence fragments into the dusty, arid public square.
I was going to write a column for today about Congressman Barrett’s candidacy for governor. As I mentioned a couple of weeks back when I wrote about Sen. Vincent Sheheen entering the race, I’m trying to get an early start on writing as much as possible about that critical decision coming up in 2010, in the hope that if we think about it and talk about it enough, we the people can make a better decision than we have the past few elections.
But I got distracted.
I’ll get with Rep. Barrett soon; I promise. And I’ll try to write about it in complete sentences, for those of you who have not yet adjusted.
For links and more, please go to thestate.com/bradsblog/.
Related Posts
Don’t Believe Everything You Think
Facebook, where politicians are concerned, is the ultimate in contrived, sycophantic, narcissistic self-promotion. It is a venue for the shallow to appear deep, and the boring to seem interesting.
It is also the logical extension of our “information age”, a time when we are inundated with data, much of it wrong and most of it unimportant. Most of SC knows that Charles Barkley is in jail for a DUI, but have no idea that the 2009-10 budget for SC is the largest budget in history.
Think about this: Barak Obama wrote his own history (in the form of his two books), and as we know “his” version of history was used by the media and he is now the president of the United States. So by using Facebook and Twitter and writing our own histories, and using glossy websites, our politicians can shape themselves to where there is a great deal of public information about them, yet none of it has any relationship to the truth.
At some point we must move past this collective “teenage –hood” of gossip and “flash and glitz”, and become adults. We must measure a man by his deeds, not his words (or press releases). .. or the one dimensional image created by Facebook and the like.
It’s an old saying now, but it is true… it’s time for the adults. But are there were any left.
I don’t know that your blog readers aren’t interested in talking about Barrett; maybe we’re mostly like Martin and don’t know enough about him yet to say much. As for me, I was fooled by Sanford the first time around so I’m reserving judgment on the candidates I don’t have much experience with. Like Sheheen and Barrett.
But hey, if my dad’s political theory holds (he who has the best hair wins), Barrett should do okay.
By when do you think a candidate would have to announce and still have a reasonable chance? When are the primaries? Sometime next summer. Could someone wait until this time next year to make their intentions known?
Here are the potential gubernatorial candidates I have heard of, does anybody have anymore information or names?
R
Barret- in
Bauer
McMaster
the academic from the upstate whose name I forget- in
D
V. Sheheen- in
J. Lourie- out?
J. Smith- our
Rex
Tennenbaum
Brad, this is a tremendous challenge for educators. David Brooks wrote of the cognitive age in which we are confronted with incredible volumes of information we must analyze or blindly accept.
It is no coincidence that the most progressive states have the most highly regarded education systems. I think this parallel set of characteristics manifests in our leadership.
Senator Demint disparages the education system in DC. When confronted with the fact DC’s high school graduation rate is 14% higher than SC’s, his office offers a statement “clarifying” his position. Governor Sanford declares that he may not accept unemployment benefits from the stimulus. When confronted on CSPAN by an unemployed SC resident, Sanford offers his prayers.
Meanwhile, the republican Governor Rell of Connecticut is considering an implementation of a New Deal program called
Civilian Conservation Corps. She’s bitten the bullet and offered massive spending cuts in some areas but is willing to attack the unemployment issue head on in a nuanced and thoughtful approach.
The conservative movement is generally about controlling the message and the soundbites Brad criticizes. Democrats are generally for goverment helping to improve lives. The Great Communicator belittled government as being the problem and invoked a contrived “welfare queen.” That’s hardly the cognition David Brooks champions.
pPint of clarification: my point about Rell is that she is not a conservative in contrast to the ideologues identified in SC.
What we need for governor is a new face. One that has never held public office. A person with expertise in economics. One that has management skills. He or she should be a Christian. They should have a personal background that can pass all the tests for honesty and integrity.
He or she should have the ability to make decisions on their own without political influence or reward to any party or person.
The candidate should not be a lawyer.
Talking about bumper stickers. How about one that says “If I am paying your mortgage. Honk your horn”.
bannephutto had a great lunch
AntonJGunn Having lunch with the Mayor of Elgin.
thadviers just had lunch with little Joe at Jimmy Johns.
This is absolutely disgusting. I am so sick and tired of the pro-lunch crowd running our lives. These politicians are just puppets of the Big Lunch lobby. Look at the facts, you brainwashed lunchheads. Lunch makes you sleepy in the middle of the day. It’s counter-productive!
On the other hand, breakfast gives you energy to start the day off right! Clearly, it is the most important meal of the day. And yet it has been historically neglected. Contact your representative today! We must fight for our breakfast rights!
And don’t even get me started on brunch… the ultimate fence-sitters!
It must be very, very difficult to see something that you care so deeply about (newspapers) being ignored and marginalized by pretty much your entire potential audience. Years ago, you were highly respected and looked to as the people who we depended on to tell us what to think, how to think, and as the final word on the meaning of the events of the day.
Now, it’s a rare newspaper that can even pull enough readers to break even without adding pictures of big-busted maidens or stories of teen-age sex slaves. You’ve been forced to lay off quality writers, to slim down your editorial staff, and to even let go of the people who told us what music was ok to listen to and what films were of a high enough standard to see.
I feel for you. It’s gotta hurt to realize that so many people just don’t care about what you do. And as I see it, newspapers have two choices. This is evidenced very clearly by your writing about Twitter.
Option 1: Find a flourishing type of new media, and dip your toe in it enough to write a few sarcastic lines that will amuse your newsroom buddies, fraternity brothers and banker friends. The vast majority of readers of the State don’t bother with the editorial page, anyway.
Option 2: Really spend some time finding out why so many people engage with this new tool, and why they think it benefits them. Write a clear, quality piece about what you’ve found. Show that you’re willing to give your readers something they’re obviously interested in. Sell papers. Increase income. Keep jobs.
Which one did you select? Why?
Birch, the comfort food lobby has been big the past few months.
I haven’t commented about Barrett because I don’t know him from Adam’s off ox. How about you tell us about him. Personally, I don’t care what religion or political brand anyone comes with, I’m just very tired of the “My way, or the highway” approach to government, and I know that our most helpless (and unable to vote–that knock’s them right off any politician’s map) can’t afford any more tax cuts.
Until some drastic changes are made in our political system, the Republican Party will not win anything in future elections. Since the ’04 election, the liberal news media has learned to “shoot down” any potential conservative winner before he or she is selected as a candidate. They pounce early. Sometimes even before they announce. If a better candidate gets by, then the ever increasing unsophisticated part of the electorate, which overwhelmingly vote for the Democrats, takes care of the rest.
Ish is correct. Take for example Couric sabotaging Palin with that “what do you read?” landmine. And, there’s the way the MSM choreographed Jindal’s Mr. Roger’s moment. Don’t forget the way they MADE Sanford and Steele apologize to Limbaugh. Finally, there’s Lindsey Graham making a push for earmark reform and then having to explain his 37 earmarks in the very budget the GOP is upbraiding.
Conservative columnist David Brooks denounced the asinine idea of a federal government spending freeze some republicans are proposing. Newt declared Rush’s hope for Obama to fail is irrational. I guess the MSM control these two as well.
We are facing the trickle up effect of prosperity for the poor. We are presently doing reperations and are not even aware that this is taking place. Obama taking from the rich and giving to the poor.
I want eveyone that is a US Citizen to prosper.
The Mexicans could never have taken over the jobs in the US unless those that are unemployed would have taken the jobs that were available to them. Why could they not take the jobs? They would probably make too much to meet the requirements to keep accepting federal aid. You cannot pay people not to work if there is employment available.
I check the newspaper every Sunday morning about birth rates in York County, SC. Give or take 20 deliveries there are at least l5 babies born to unweb mothers. This is certainly not the prime reason that our country is in the tank but it goes a long way to destroy our ability to keep providing for the those that have no responsibility for their own future and bringing childen into families that cannot support themselves regardless and ignoring the fact that they are giving their children no chance of financial success. They are breeding people that rely upon the government to take care of them like forever. Generation after generation. A lot of the children wind up in prison. The women that would want a father in the house winds up in the lockup.
The fair housing wanted just such people to have a home of their own. It started with Carter and was re-inforced by Clinton. We allowed people that do not qualify for loans for ownership to move into houses that were way above their ability to make the payments. TARP was passed to keep the people in their homes by awarding money for loans. The TARP MONEY went to CEO’s by millions of dollars.
Our country is in a financial situation that the elected officials are unable to solve. They are part of the problem so they will cover their butts to be sure that the blame does not sit on their shoulders.
Sad to say the the majority of the people that are voters are at this moment in time watching some reality TV or some sports show. They are sitting with the self-assured facts that are presented by Obama, Pelosi, Reid etc that they will take care of all the poor by moving them to the middle class with our taxes. The poor do not pay taxes. One percent of the people that pay the taxes that Obama wants to pay for all the poor people, does not compute. When you have more people getting tax money than their are people paying taxes, we are at a point of no return.
World news
Cuba
Obama will use spring summit to bring Cuba in from the coldUS companies are queuing up as the president moves to ease restrictions on travel and trade, raising hopes of warmer relations and an end to the embargo
Comments (…) Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent The Observer, Sunday 8 March 2009 larger | smaller Article historyPresident Barack Obama is poised to offer an olive branch to Cuba in an effort to repair the US’s tattered reputation in Latin America.
The White House has moved to ease some travel and trade restrictions as a cautious first step towards better ties with Havana, raising hopes of an eventual lifting of the four-decade-old economic embargo. Several Bush-era controls are expected to be relaxed in the run-up to next month’s Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago to gild the president’s regional debut and signal a new era of “Yankee” cooperation.
The administration has moved to ease draconian travel controls and lift limits on cash remittances that Cuban-Americans can send to the island, a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of families.
World news
Cuba
Obama will use spring summit to bring Cuba in from the coldUS companies are queuing up as the president moves to ease restrictions on travel and trade, raising hopes of warmer relations and an end to the embargo
Comments (…) Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent The Observer, Sunday 8 March 2009 larger | smaller Article historyPresident Barack Obama is poised to offer an olive branch to Cuba in an effort to repair the US’s tattered reputation in Latin America.
The White House has moved to ease some travel and trade restrictions as a cautious first step towards better ties with Havana, raising hopes of an eventual lifting of the four-decade-old economic embargo. Several Bush-era controls are expected to be relaxed in the run-up to next month’s Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago to gild the president’s regional debut and signal a new era of “Yankee” cooperation.
The administration has moved to ease draconian travel controls and lift limits on cash remittances that Cuban-Americans can send to the island, a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of families.
I’ll get with Rep. Barrett soon; I promise. And I’ll try to write about it in complete sentences, for those of you who have not yet adjusted..
What an arrogant insult for a New York Times sycophant to toss at his readers, particularly when his insightful political thought led to the endorsement of such high-minded politicians such as Tommy “Payday Lender” Moore and Thomas “Cocaine” Ravenel.
slugger, are you angry at poor people or people who could not afford the home they bought thanks to a POTUS from 18 or 28 years ago? Carter and Clinton are to blame for the TARP issues? If someone has had their home since the Clinton years, doesn’t that indicate they’ve been paying mortgage and TAXES for more than 8 years?
Let several of the houses in your neighborhood undergo foreclosure then you’ll have more pressing issue than your tax payer dollars – YOUR EQUITY!!
What an arrogant insult for a New York Times sycophant to toss at his readers, particularly when his insightful political thought led to the endorsement of such high-minded politicians such as Tommy “Payday Lender” Moore and Thomas “Cocaine” Ravenel.
-pm
Let’s not forget Sanford (in 2002), Bush Jr. twice and the mccain/PALIN ticket.
Seriously Brad, you can be one arrogant twit sometimes. The paper version of the paper is about as obsolete as steam locomotives, fountain pens and Hieroglyphics.
Actually, bud, if that were true we could instantly eliminate our biggest expense — paper and ink (plus distribution costs). Actually, I’m not sure which is greater, that or payroll; they have historically been close to the same percentage, I believe — almost all of a newspaper’s expense is one or the other.)
Unfortunately, we are tied to the paper product in two ways: 1) Lots and lots of people still want a newspaper; and 2) We can’t generate enough revenue from online ads to support a newsroom (or editorial department).
It’s not lack of interest on the part of readers; it’s the collapse of the advertising model, exacerbated by the recession.
I’ve often wondered whether, if we could go completely online, it MIGHT be possible to support newsgathering, once we ditch the expense of the paper version, but I don’t know — an accountant would have to investigate that. And the accountant would have to make leaps of assumption, since the track record doesn’t exist…
So no, the problem isn’t that we’re too liberal or too conservative or too irrelevant or don’t provide what people want. It’s about the advertising.
Oh, and by the way, several of those endorsements that appall y’all so (although certainly not McCain, which was a case of liking both candidates, but liking him more) were about the fact that it was unthinkable for us to endorse that person’s opponent, which of course you conveniently ignore — even though when that is the case, we explain it.
And no, it’s not acceptable to just not endorse. When it’s down to two candidates, ONE of them IS going to hold the office, and it would be a total copout not to say, openly and honestly, which of two bad choices is LESS bad.
And no, it’s not acceptable to just not endorse. When it’s down to two candidates, ONE of them IS going to hold the office, and it would be a total copout not to say, openly and honestly, which of two bad choices is LESS bad.
We simply disagree here which is fine.
I think that instead of giving an endorsement where both candidates are bad choices, you should say that both are unacceptable and will not earn an endorsement and give your reasons why. And if enough people think this way and do not whore out their votes for the sake of voting, then the candidates will have real incentive to change before the next election. And maybe we will end up with an acceptable choice the next time. Let’s face it, with our two party system and the huge advantages incumbents have, there just isn’t much incentive to change.
In other words, I take a more long term view of the whole process.
Can you acknowledge that my point here has validity? Or is it just a copout as you say?
I’m with Birch on this. Occassionaly tther papers don’t make an endorsement. I find it perfectly acceptable and even commendable to indicate both candidates are unsuitable.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090309/us_time/08599188378500
The above leads to an interesting article about to future of newspapers. Looks like NY could well be about the only multi daily market in a year or two. Two interesting points: 1) Its looks like some papers will be able to make a go of it as online publications. How? and 2) The article says that McClatchy could be on the verge of bankruptcy. If this is true, who would be the potential buyers for the State?
I know that some people want a paper and ink publication but I would guess that this is primarily older readers and therefore their numbers are declining. Is there an exit strategy? I know it is of great concern to all in the industry, but hair pulling only goes so far. If the market will not support something, then should we try to find artificial ways to prop it up?
I’m with Birch on this. Occassionaly tther papers don’t make an endorsement. I find it perfectly acceptable and even commendable to indicate both candidates are unsuitable.
The Jakie Knotts endorsement being a PIME example of this!!!
OOPS! PRIME rather than PIME
Brad…just a note of correction, Rep. Gunn is not the only Democrat on sctweets.com. Rep. Ann Hutto is featured and anyone using the #sctweets in their Twitter post are automatically added. It just so happens that there are currently more Republican elected officials using the media than Democrats right now.
Its obvious you didn’t take the time to properly understand and grasp the power of Twitter and other social media. Its not just about what we are saying about where we are going to lunch or what we are doing at any particular time. The real power in elected officials and citizens using the medium is the real time, two way communication. I use Twitter to “listen” just as much do to put out information.
Many of my generation find the news printed in your paper old news by the time its printed. In order to survive, newspapers need to deliver content in a way that today’s consumers demand.
Anybody else hear the good news? The McClatchy Company is going to cut 2,500 jobs from their 30 newspapers.
What could any of you possibly be listening to on the Twitter site that would have any relevance in the lives of the people you represent? When I visited, I saw no “real time, two way communication” except to the extent that it involved where you were at the moment, how many people were at the meeting of [insert name here] today, and with whom you lunched.
I didn’t see a single discussion (like you could have it in one sentence anyway) of any issue that affects me as a taxpaying South Carolinian.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://www.lyricsdigs.com
Anybody else hear the good news? The McClatchy Company is going to cut 2,500 jobs from their 30 newspapers.
Are you trying to be an ass? Or does it just come naturally?
Yes, now is not the time for such snark. There is never anything humorous about people losing their jobs.
Birch, it comes naturally. I’ve always tried to do everything to the best of my ability. I’m just wondering where I’m going to get my weekly dose of Sanford bashing now that Brad is probably going to have to take a job delivering pizzas in Irmo.
Bill C is a coward. He’s hiding behind his keyboard while making racist statements on one thread and mean spirited comments on this one.
Bill, why don’t you post your full name as you make these sophomoric, moronic comments?
Randy, you shouldn’t be calling anyone a racist until you stop promoting the notion that blacks cannot succeed on their own, but only with the guidance of white liberals, financed by taxes for the redistribution of wealth.
Political is very necessary to a country because good political leads to growth of country
__________________
Christena
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A Better Way for Political Discourse
A political argument should not be left sitting on the backyard fence next to the empty beer bottles. Good citizenship depends on individuals polishing their point of view so it can be understood and respected by others. Providing the tools for developing personal points of view and providing a better demographic method of visibility for the argument is my suggestion to democratize the political debate.
I have a twelve year old, so I understand juvenile behavior. I would classify much of the commentary I read in political blogs as juvenile. The reasoning is poor, the respect is lacking, and noone is listening. Participants seem to think the political argument revolves around the Republican or the Democratic party. The fault nor the solution is with the two party system. The solution resides in the pragmatic and generous spirit of a populace armed with the tools and the media to reflect their point of view in a respectful and intelligent light.
The problem is not our governance, it is that the vast majority of the citizens don’t know how to play the game. Ideologies serving a minuscule point of view have figured out how to pool their resources to gain favor in the system. There is no single ideology representative of the populace. Until the whole starts intelligently collaborating towards a common good expect to continue interpreting the system as irrational. Internet technology can alter this irrational exuberance of power.
I have a theory. The best argument of an average individual is better than the average argument of the best op-ed journalist. Though the merit of these political blogs would debunk this theory, I claim the participants are not coming close to their potential.
I have a second theory or rather a proclamation. The freedom of speech does not provide a freedom to be heard. Screaming or the threat of violence does not provide motivation to listen. You can’t force a point of view. You can only guide it from the clarity of your perspective. The Do Good Gauge describes a formula to give citizens a better chance of being heard. Coherency and respect are instrumental to the formula.
Like it or not, everyone has a point of view. Some points of view are just plain bad. I’m not ashamed to admit my own erroneous perspective has been swayed by respectful individuals with more knowledge than myself. When a point of view is foggy, it is up to an individual to change direction or clarify his or her position.
One of many premises of the Do Good Gauge is that an argument is developed by an individual or like thinking group. The continuous refinement and feedback of an argument provides the means to clarify a point of view and/or steer the argument in a more optimal direction.
Shortly after the human race started taking up residence indoors, the pot became an instrument to collect defecant matter until a more appropriate time to bury it outdoors arrived. Shortly after this discovery a father came up with the phrase, “Shit or get off the pot”.
If you have something to say attempt to be understood. Problems are solved through solutions, not complaining about someone elses argument. There is often someone complaining while the rest of us are getting the job done. In the field of political discourse, this person may be you. If you are not working towards the solution, you might be part of the problem. If you are one standing in the way of progress, it is time to shit or get off the pot.
An argument is a prescribed resolution to a problem. It is a point of view. It ranges from bad to good. Alexander Fleming, Thomas Edison, and Benjamin Franklin’s mistakes far exceeded their successes. Solutions come from the tenacity to build upon ones mistakes. A bad argument is a beginning. It’s a motivational attempt to drive toward a better solution. The geodesic node facilitates the refinement of a single argument, developed by an individual or like thinking group.
The Do Good Gauge is a work in progress with an attempt to provide a better forum for argument discourse. The idea is to provide a supportive media allowing an individual to clarify his or her point of view. The focus is on a solution. Visibility is established through coaching, iteration, publication, and public measurement. Blog style commenting is allowed only as a measure to support understanding. Appropriate measure is taken to prevent comments from distracting the progress to a better solution.
Again, the Do Good Gauge is a work in progress. Some of the ideas expressed in this essay have yet to be developed. Some functionality exist, though the lack of participants hamper the motivation to progress the idea. No money is required to help with this effort, just people with the willingness to provide suggestions and test existing and future capabilities. More than anything, what is needed are individuals who see the vision of the Do Good Gauge and are willing to develop quality arguments to express the idea to others.
I worry about the fate of citizens when hate, fear, ignorance, and chaos becomes the most effective methods for political change. Respect, coherency, and community should be given equal opportunity. The Do Good Gauge describes a better way.
Please pass this message on to individuals who care about democracy and want to contribute instead of complain.
The Do Good Gauge
http://www.dogoodgauge.org