Representing Censorship

The following is a letter I've sent to my representation as a result of attempts to institute abstract internet censorship laws in our federal legislation. I would like to urge others to consider this an important matter and to contact your representatives as well. I understand that the internet is being used for illegal activity, just as the postal service and cars are, but the generalized powers presented by these bills are a clear violation of the trust given us by the founders of this great country. Without further adieu, my letter was as follows:

I am a constituent and I urge you to reject S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act, and S. 978, "A bill to amend the criminal penalty provision for criminal infringement of a copyright."

In my last letter expressing my dissatisfaction with S. 968 I was told you "share [my] concerns about the protection of digital information and the importance of free speech, as it relates to digital access," though I am compelled to believe that you don't. See, I'm not "concerned" about free speech, I absolutely *demand* that it be protected. It is the most sacred tenant of all American values. Your consolation mentioned that PROTECT IP "is aimed at overseas websites involved in online piracy and infringement," and, while that may be your impression of the bill or how it has been presented by lobbyists, the language within expresses no such specific intent and we both know that enforcement of the law comes down to verbiage, regardless of the perceived intent. Even supposing the wording were particular to foreign communications I still heartily disagree at this attempt to implement censorship on the greatest informational resource humanity has ever known, the strength of which is based solely on the open exchange of information around the world. It is a violation of the first amendment and the spirit of America, sets a bad precedent and is generally hypocritical after statements both we as a people and our president have separately made regarding China’s internet policies. You stated “S. 968 would expand the authority of the Attorney General by allowing that office to investigate, with the use of a search warrant, foreign websites that have been accused of intellectual property theft and take action against those sites that are engaged in these illegal activities.” I assume you realize the Attorney General has no jurisdiction in any country besides the United State and that no act of congress can change that. There are already copyright/patent treaties in place that facilitate the cooperation of other nations with US intellectual property concerns and any further development should be subject to diplomacy, not abstract local laws. Subpoenas may already be obtained in regard to specific allegations of intellectual property violations, as you seem to acknowledge when you say “these illegal activities,” and since this is a civil matter it doesn’t belong in criminal courts wasting more of our time and taxes when we could be focusing on murders and other crimes that impact the liberty and welfare of the majority.

As for S. 978, the provisions in the bill would allow the government to lock up Americans for streaming videos or music online, and is so overly broad that people who post videos of their friends singing karaoke could be prosecuted. This legislation is a tremendous overreach and I am deeply concerned by the danger it poses to Internet freedom. The fact that these bills are even being considered is setting a poor example for legislation and any support to criminalizing civil disputes will only serve to rationalize further debasement of our constitution and legal systems. I pay for several legally licensed internet media providers myself and it’s not my responsibility to pay additionally for the legal expenses associated with criminal courts, jails or prisons for a matter that can be settled civilly at the expense of guilty parties.

It may not be a Florida or national law, but are you aware that vague amendments to Tennessee harassment law have recently made it a crime fit for incarceration to post images on the internet that could be perceived as offensive? While blatantly unconstitutional, under this law nearly every person that has ever posted an image on the internet could be considered a criminal. The American flag is offensive to some, but should it be illegal for a patriot to post an image of it on Facebook? Can nobody use satire in the state of Tennessee for fear that they’ll be put in jail due to a difference of opinion?! Every newspaper with a website and every TV program with an internet presence are now, by definition of the law, potentially criminal in the state of Tennessee. There are civil and criminal measures against malicious activity and harassment already in place and there is no need for such convoluted laws to abridge freedom of speech or press. People are not obligated to participate in web communities that offend them; if they wish to institute censorship they can start their own services and place limits in the usage agreement. Think carefully about the precedent you set for American politics as you continue to entertain legislation that criminalizes behavior in broad generalizations, especially for the sake of circumstances with legitimate and constitutional recourse already established. Benjamin Franklin said “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and loose both.” I think our founding fathers would be appalled at the mockery being made of their system. If you will continue to disagree with my stance have some dignity and pride in your choice: give me your opinion candidly rather than your patronizing attempt to convince me that you share my concerns when you don’t. Instead just tell me how my opinion is not that of the majority of those you represent or, better yet, that you’d prefer to support multi-million dollar corporations rather than my civil liberties.

---

The response I refer to above is below, though sadly I don't have my original message any more:

Dear Mr. [Omitted],

Thank you for taking the time to contact me with regards to the PROTECT IP Act of 2011 (S. 968).

I share your concerns about the protection of digital information and the importance of free speech, as it relates to digital access. As technology evolves, more Americans utilize the Internet to explore new ideas and access information. We must ensure the Internet continues to be a dynamic environment that produces the innovations and advancements that we have all come to enjoy.

As you may know, S. 968, introduced by Senator Leahy, is aimed at overseas websites involved in online piracy and infringement. If passed, S. 968 would expand the authority of the Attorney General by allowing that office to investigate, with the use of a search warrant, foreign websites that have been accused of intellectual property theft and take action against those sites that are engaged in these illegal activities. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed S. 968 on May 26, 2011, and the bill currently awaits action on the Senate floor. If S. 968 comes up for a vote in the Senate, I will carefully evaluate all sides of this issue and work to strike a balance between the exchange of information and the protection of intellectual identity.

I will continue to keep your thoughts in mind as I make decisions that are important to you. I appreciate your opinions and I will continue to work to address the issues that are important to the people of Florida.

Loose the Demons Within

Loose the demons within ye,

Fear not while they encircle thee,

For if you don’t you’ll never know

What truly lives inside your soul.

You’ve let them loose and soon you’ll see

What it is that you can be;

Indeed you’ll need to sort things out

and live your life without a doubt.

There’s no changing what we’ve done,

We must learn from where we’ve gone;

Who we are and what we’ve become.

The only life necessity

Is choosing our own destiny;

Setting out to overcome,

We can become anyone.

Truth you learn about yourself

Can’t be found on any shelf.

The power deep within your soul

Can take you where you want to go;

The only way to further growth

Is to take a stand and give an oath

that you’ll move with certainty

and you can change who you will be.

It’s not easy, that’s for sure

but you will indeed mature.

If you’re seeking happiness

Alas, with this: rest your stress.

There is nothing you can see

or buy or touch to set you free.

There is but one truth required

Self satisfaction must be acquired.

Discover this and you will see

Just how happy you can be.

Take it further and you will know

Just how much the world can grow.

Instead of bickering in petty quarrels

We can stop killing and live with good morals.

Let us protect our sovereignty

Did you know you’ve lost civil liberty?

You see while you’ve argued about Abortions,

Scandals, Drugs, and Religious Forces.

In terror you’ve missed what’s most important, see

you’ve failed to protect what makes us free.

Tagged “Patriot” during a media war,

A bill once declined can pass on The Floor

Completely abolishing what we hold dear

while idiots, confused and consumed with fear,

Will force their opinions instead of just fact

With meaningless laws that we should retract.

Completely preoccupied in a screen of smoke,

We’ve forced our opinions, now our system is broke.

We’ve sacrificed all our fathers have left us

And traded it all for war, debt and taxes.

We leave important stuff like accountability,

to a biased and lying “research” committee.

The distortion, fear and covered up importance,

Truly comes from inside this body of governance.

There’s plenty of details you didn’t see,

As they hushed them and rushed them and said “trust me.”

You can’t pay attention while you run and hide,

You’ve been deceived by your own side.

Even if there was an attacker, you see,

Lying to your people is unnecessary.

Now look at it all in retrospect,

We all messed up but, with respect,

We can still research a good portion,

Not the whole truth, but at least some distortion.

Then ask yourself, in all honesty,

“Do I really think those leaders care about me?”

It’s probable that some really do support us,

But their will alone can’t destroy this circus.

If the country were still run constitutionally,

We would actually still be free.

Instead we vote for satanic “Christian” posers

and let baseless wars start right under our noses.

With loaded terms like “Conspiracy”

We’re told these things are simply crazy!

Why do you think elections are hard to decide,

If you act day-to-day like our politicians don’t lie.

It’s talking to each other, that is the key

I’ll listen to you, you listen to me,

Don’t claim It insane if you won’t check and see,

You should admit: that’s just plain blasphemy.

A system designed to move “money” to the top,

While you’re getting robbed for all that you’ve got.

Private companies managing worth of our own sixpence,

But money no longer has value, besides “confidence.”

Economy is rated by spending, you see,

and we’re the ones spending, while they save with greed.

While we spend 100% of our earnings,

They sing and praise our mindless subservience.

Hughes, Rockefeller and Bushes resting above us,

draining our pockets and singing in chorus.

Spending a fraction of what we deliver,

while watching society’s pockets perpetually get slimmer.

Next the fake economy withers and crumbles,

So we print more money “to save the masses”

cycles everlasting in a system of shambles.

Poverty and misery and all that’s distorted,

are illusions from history when man stumbled and horded.

But we’ve progressed far—really far since then,

there is chance to recover, but our minds must bend.

There’s plenty of resources for us all to survive,

And even have homes, water and food for all people alive.

We’re going to have to work hard and strive.

It will take research and unlearning,

departure from this hive,

but satiation of yearning

can still arrive.

Even for trinkets and “meaningless” obsessions,

we have enough tools to destroy this oppression.

We will still work, and still live daily lives,

But we will be honest, without false inflation,

We will distribute goods amongst every nation.

Living in real world economy,

where we no longer think of an enemy.

We can even still live very comfortably,

With items of convenience shared for free.

We just can’t support this stupid economy,

unless we’re wealthy, stupid or we enjoy slavery.

There’s so much more that you deserve,

But they’re holding us back and making us serve.

Even spending money, to push good research under,

Just to prolong this world encompassing blunder.

The reach of those “elite” few has grown to be ubiquitous,

But our founding fathers are counting on us,

To protect their design which, to this day, remains tremendous.

The system they made was designed to protect us,

Our ignorance in using it is just plain sacrilegious.

The “lesser of evils” is the one that destroyed it,

along with me and you when we let them deform it.

Pay attention to congress and the hierarchy,

and start demanding better transparency.

It’s our fuckin’ country, made by you and me,

so stop looking for answers from FOX and NBC.

Those choices are ensuring our slavery.

Get off your ass and make a stand, it’s free,

And maybe we’ll retake our liberty.

Before you label and ignore me,

Remember the importance of speech that is free.

I’m not yet worried about UFOs

I’m much more concerned about what the facts expose

Right here and now in our own country

Awful things have happened; it’s up to you and me

To set this straight and do things right

We can’t be too indifferent or lazy to fight.

We must stand strong and gather our might

And never give up on repairing the blight

The road will be tough but we’ll do it despite

All obstacles are nothing, and this may sound trite,

But, we can restore our nation and the world’s delight.

I know it probably seems like I’m being forthright,

But it’s absolutely essential, you start caring tonight!

--

I wrote this poem some time ago and I feel like I probably didn't post it because I wanted to edit it, but I threw an excerpt of it online recently and so I've decided to post the whole thing. Another possibility is that I wasn't intending to link a long-time anonymous pseudonym to my publicly known profile, but I don't think I ever published any of the other stuff written under it so it seems like a moot point.

Implosively exploding, magnetically eroding, and eventually foreboding.

TheXenocide unloading encoding goading

Sleep is for the week
and blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth,
though once I’m done with her,
I’m not sure what she’ll be worth.
But don’t mind me,
I’m more of a tripper than a flipper,
seeking truth through insanity
over temporary remedy to reality.

The extremes of regimes suppressing
are in conflict with progressing
so let’s do the next best thing
while they’re in committee digressing
we can focus on collecting
and with others grow means for affecting
the world and more people projecting
peace and happiness connecting
the populace and infecting
with all those rejecting
greed and politics and expecting
inspecting, ejecting, respecting and erecting
discussing who they're electing
rather than deflecting
for fear of someone objecting
effecting intersecting subjecting
inflecting rather than neglecting.

Be weary however
we don’t have forever
we must get together
to push through whatever
may stand in our way.
Stand up this day
and be proud to say
you party and play
but you will not stray
from the NINJA way.

Is It Really Real Son?

I came to bring the pain hardcore from the brain, let's go inside my astral plane.

This is going to take a while to read but you should really consider it. If you can't read it all at least read the first link below or maybe make multiple trips. I'll warn you that this is emo as all hell, but in it there is hope and direction that could change lives and those lives could add up to a changed world. I say this more-so than much of the change I've ever supported. It's broad but it's deep and very much needed, so please take the time to read.

When you give it to me ay, give it to me raw

I just read the most wonderful and inspiring post about The Disease Called Perfection and I'm here now to show my support for being real. I'm not the only one either, it's important to know just how many people have been affected by this, and just how many more are there for support. There's a follow-up that promotes working together to be The CURE for "Perfection" and I'm in the mood to be a little more real than just one thing, but I'll try to follow the format at least loosely. I'm not so sure if these are my biggest trials, mistakes or struggles as I've had many and they've made me who I am today. I'm posting this here because even though anonymity is offered in the comments there I feel that I need to back my claims of being open and honest and catalog some of my imperfections here in front of my friends and family. All that said, here goes:

I dated someone for 5 1/2 years out of comfort and fear of change. I justified the things I should have taken as signs and I lied to myself and to her to keep it going. I was hurt and I caused pain. I became spiteful and angry, which takes a very very long time of repetition and exasperation and despite my lifelong quest for understanding, self control, patience and forgiveness, I once threw a pillow at her out of anger. Sure, "it was only a pillow" but I am more ashamed of that pillow than any other action of my life. My mother sacrificed everything, at times maybe even her last bits of sanity, saving my siblings and I from the cyclic abuse of all varieties that had plagued her family for generations and I always promised that I would never be one of those people. I wasn't true to my own values and standards and still I belittled hers for being selfish and immature.

If I could write to that person I once was I would tell him that there is a fine line but a huge contrast in working through differences of opinion and sacrificing who you are. I would tell him that he should be more confident and that he will find someone that accepts him for who he is because he's amazing, despite the few flaws that make him as imperfect as everyone else.

When I was younger and more reckless I threw a party at which a guest tried to force himself on a young lady. I was so blinded by rage that instead of just making a difference I beat him, bloodying his face and trying to break limbs, until I was pulled away. I invited the people, I intoxicated the young and inexperienced and the worst truth is that I would have killed him. It might not seem so bad to some, but even then I knew for a fact that people learn and change. My closest cousin and others in my family had already traveled those roads and, as terrible as rape is, what I did showed no more control than him. What's worse is that I've told people of this event as though it made me a protector or someone who stood against barbarianism when I myself had been one, before and after then, which may only stand to perpetuate such travesty. I probably knew this before but I didn't even admit it to myself until reading these posts and thinking back with a more critical eye and vulnerable disposition.

If I could send that young man a letter I would remind him of his own imperfections and that his place is not to judge but to support change. I would tell him that he can make a difference, even in those people, but he needs to be a good man and keep his convictions regardless of the situation or he stands only to reduce his own reliability and diminish the impact he can have. Most importantly, I would remind him, as he has thought he understood long before and after, that it matters not what one says, but what they do that defines who they are.

More recently than those is something that remains heavy on my heart, though lighter over time, even today. I found a friend who hung himself. I go over it and know that it's past and that he made his choice and that he told nobody and showed no signs, but every now and then I still break down and blame myself. What if I hadn't moved out? Why didn't I see how torn up he was? There's more, but "I know" none of that matters and that it's not my fault. He was unable to pursue the military career he always wanted in life, lost his "one true love" and probably felt that he had no hope but ultimately I believe that he felt like a burden on his friends and loved ones and thought it would be best if he stopped dragging them down. He didn't understand that his criminal record, joblessness and propensity for partying a bit too hard didn't mean he couldn't live a long and happy life making positive change in others as he always wanted but would seldom admit openly.

I'm not qualified to write a letter to this me just yet; I could put down eloquent and insightful words, but they're words I already know and have shared and hoped would put others at ease. They're words that are true and yet still I hold on not knowing why. I'm not so good at taking my own advice, though I tend to give it well. I support movements like To Write Love On Her Arms and try to make it known that life is never without value, not out of penance but because I didn't really understand just how real and close to home suicide could be. It doesn't weigh on me as heavily so perhaps it will eventually fade--only time will tell.

If I could write a letter to my friend though, I would remind him that people change and that the world changes. I'd also make it clear to him that as much as he depended on us, we were so much more dependent on him for the joy he spread so well. I'd point out how many people were changed by him and how amazing he was at bringing people together and tell him how much more powerful of a weapon that is in war than any weapon a soldier carries. I'd tell him how important it is for him to share his story, rather than leaving mere fragments of that power behind.

Perhaps it's just the way I'm looking at it, but the perfection article didn't tell me things I didn't know per se, but rather made me admit and realize many things. I reflect regularly, but the article and the amazing set of comments therein drew attention to things I had forgotten or buried. It reminded me the power and importance of open forum and gave me an opportunity to say things that are important to me with relevance to others and perhaps a chance to have a wider impact than my normal ramblings. I am also impressed and compelled by the response and have a renewed sense of hope that people will share their lessons with each other, be there for each other and help make a better world. A homeless man told me something as a child that I will never forget: "A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others."

Thank you Dan Pearce and all those taking part in this; I wish there was an adequate way to express the gratitude I feel

Is it real son, is it really real son, let me know it's real son, if it's really real. Something I could feel son, load it up and kill one; want it raw deal son, if it's really real.

Selective Interpretation

Well, I haven't posted in forever, and this isn't what I was shooting for, but I went on another rant in some forums related to "The Boondocks" animated TV series so I figured I'd post it here. Fragile readers beware, this is a serious and potentially controversial topic. You don't have to agree with me, but this is my little brain dump and I'd like to let others read it. If you have a sufficient argument (with some intellect behind it) feel free to debate, but here goes:

Anybody who sets or adheres to a policy that one race can do something and another can't (like say "the n word") is a racist.

I don't consider it important to mention what "color" or "race" I am, but suffice it to say that I've lived (throughout several states) in "the projects", inner city, suburbs, "redneck" country, been homeless, lived in a 3 bedroom house on an estate by the water and more. In the projects and city I said "the n word" and was called "the n word" on a daily basis and it didn't mean a thing until I moved somewhere else and experienced people selectively interpreting the term as offensive. I've seen different "rules" about who can and can't say it in every different place I've lived (even ones like "n*gga" is different from "n*gger" and places that say Latinos and South Americans are qualified; did you know the English have used it to refer to the Irish?). I understand full well the history and the connotation of the word, but as it stands today it's not about the word, it's about the intention.

If someone wants to be offensive it doesn't matter what words they use, they're going to be perceived as offensive. If someone wants to be offended, it doesn't matter what the circumstance is, they will find something to be offended about. Some people strive for drama (like people who react every time a non-"black" *person* says it) and some people are afraid of it (like people who aren't racist but are afraid to say the word because they figure people will think they are) but, ultimately, all of these responses are just giving power to something that is nothing more than a word. If I say sh*t or f**k today most people will just think it's normal or maybe somewhat irresponsible, but there was a point in time when it was very offensive (the term "curse words" comes from the idea that people would literally be cursed for using them; clearly they weren't and people realized it and moved on). What changed? The words didn't; only the mentality did. Just the same, people also say "bless you" because at some point people thought that sneezing expelled the soul from the body and that "blessing someone" would somehow put it back in or protect them.

We set the standards by living them, so you can support racism by taking a racist stance (like one person can say something that another can't) or you can move on and live your life like nobody is different which will (even if only slowly) change the general mentality and (hopefully) abolish racism/sexism/*ism. Remember that freedom is the right to do whatever you want so long as you don't affect someone else's right to do what they want.

We learn new things every day and the thing that holds us back more than anything are the people who refuse to move forward. Grow up, help mankind, and get over yourself and the past to work for a better future. Cracker, Wap, Porch-Monkey (somebody! quick! take it back! ;p), Spic, whatever: it doesn't matter unless you let it. We can't change the past; no word will ever be eliminated, sometimes most people just stop using it. Then again I'm being a bit loquacious, which is a word that is hardly ever used today (though I did wind up using it the other day), but it's still available when someone (like myself) wants it.

Who's to say any culture is "ours" or "yours" or anyone else's for that matter?! Ethnicity isn't about race (scroll down); it's about shared experiences and learning, much more frequently associated with location and is sometimes associated with a minority group, but only in a more recent and selective definition which also requires you to interpret religion in the same boat (anybody have any preconceptions about Muslims?). People appreciate and learn new cultures; the people that made Adult Swim what it is were appreciating Japanese culture and then it slowly became that of the "nerd" which the majority of were smart enough to appreciate anything made with some sort of intellect and humor (like "The Boondocks"). In any given week I eat food from at least 5 different cultures, including the "American" culture which has basically been a very recently evolved combination of many other cultures. Ultimately there are people who are trying to pretend they're something they're not so that people will see them a certain way ("cool" perhaps?) which, no matter whether it be "black" culture or the "popular" clique, always stand out as idiots who aren't confident or happy enough with themselves to be real. Anybody that makes "exceptions" to these racist institutions does so on the basis that someone is being "real" as opposed to being a "poser." You can pretend they're all different situations if you want, but you're selectively interpreting things to make your own life easier so you don't have to learn and evolve your own perspective. People want everyone else to see the world the way they do (subjectively) instead of trying to look at the world objectively and learning about their own inaccuracy. "Black" "Hip-hop culture" isn't even remotely close to what it was 10 years ago, let alone like the "black culture" of slavery or Jim-Crow-era post-slavery; cultures grow and evolve as people interact and move from one to another. Check the British Lady Sovereign et al on "The Battle" and you'll catch a completely different infusion of cultures made by people of multiple "races" - it doesn't matter what color they are or where they're from. Once you get past the accent you have to admit they spit real fire.

I'm seriously concerned about how many people look at this topic without ever taking a step back and looking at the big picture. With any luck the world will now be a better place; thanks for your time if you made it through all this.

Be real (Aaron McGruder would be),

-TheXenocide

Wasting Time Explaining a Waste of Time

The views expressed here forth are a response to an article posted on American Thinker and assuming, like the many comments already visible therein, that it is not rejected during moderation, this will also be viewable there.

Let it be known, first and foremost, that I do not believe either party candidate to be of any *real* value to the citizens of this country. That said, this entire "controversy" is a waste of time; the prerequisites for presidential candidacy are checked in most states, if not all. Additionally, many US citizens maintain citizenship in other countries that do not provide for Dual Citizenship and the United States has not overturned their citizenship. I know people who *work for the US government* that maintain citizenship in Italy, Japan and Egypt personally and, while their citizenship in those countries is not recognized while they're in the United States (meaning they can not seek harbor in an embassy to require extradition for prosecution), this has not nullified their citizenship (in fact the US *only* recognizes their US citizenship). Also, once you are a natural born US citizen the citizenship status or changes of your parents does not affect your own unless it can be proven that they never were US citizens in the first place. Simply put, citizenship gives the US legal system more capability and, as such, they use it whenever convenient. Even if Obama *had* shown a birth certificate to an unfriendly source in person we would still be depending on the words of someone else rather than deciding for ourselves; is it now the responsibility of every political candidate to carry their birth certificate on their person so as to show it to everyone? What happens if/when it gets stolen? I know I don't carry mine with me just to prove I'm a citizen, I just show it to the appropriate government office when they require it and put it back in a safe place.

Additionally, Obama's health records, while not complete and detailed, or no less reliable than the exposure McCain has provided (effectively very limited access by few people for a limited time) and the analysis of these limited views still show Obama to be in significantly higher health. If you're going to require health records, which I completely agree with, require complete disclosure from all candidates.

Molotov also makes bold claims when stating that they released information before "anybody knew," clearly showing exaggeration since they obviously weren't part of the movement and likely had to take their information from somebody. Also, conspiracy is defined as "an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons" amongst other similar derivatives, which this video is (not that I mind, it's important to consider the possibilities of these things, the term has been loaded with a negative "foil hat" image), keeping in mind that a search for "Illuminati" will return results almost entirely consisting of conspiracy theories.

This article serves as nothing more than smoke-screen in an ever-filled political atmosphere through which too many people are depending on the unproven words of "smart people" instead of looking the information up and deciding for themselves. If this is supposed to be published for an "American Thinker" why not *think* before disseminating it?

P.S. McCain has a similar case brought up and, rightly so, both have been dismissed on similar terms. I suppose its only fair to question the citizenship of every candidate, but don't you think the process would have booted them by now?

White Privelege

I didn't write this, and I didn't find it, a friend of mine by the name Chris Scott posted someone else's work and I was very impressed with it. Sorry, I know I haven't written anything myself in some time and I need to get back on that, but for now, taste a bit of this:

September 13, 2008
This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise


For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because 'every family has challenges,' even as black and
Latino families with similar 'challenges' are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and
arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a 'fuckin' redneck,' like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll 'kick their fuckin' ass,' and talk about how you like to 'shoot shit' for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement,
whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as
the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're 'untested.'

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words 'under God' in the pledge of allegiance because 'if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me,' and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the 'under God' part wasn't added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution,
which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state
to secede from the Union, and whose motto is 'Alaska
first,' and no one questions your patriotism or that of
your family, while if you're black and your spouse
merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home
with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately
think she's being disrespectful.
White privilege is being able to make fun of community
organizers and the work they do--like, among other things,
fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights,
or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people
think you're being pithy and tough, but if you merely
question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month
governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she
took in college and the fact that she lives close to
Russia--you're somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who
don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to
vote for you and your running mate anyway, because suddenly
your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these
same white women, and made them give your party a
'second look.'

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't
support your political campaigns and not be accused of
abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages
in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some
folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means
you must be corrupt.

White privilege is when you can take nearly twenty-four
hours to get to a hospital after beginning to leak amniotic
fluid, and still be viewed as a great mom whose commitment
to her children is unquestionable, and whose 'next door
neighbor' qualities make her ready to be VP, while if
you're a black candidate for president and you let your
children be interviewed for a few seconds on TV, you're
irresponsibly exploiting them.

White privilege is being able to give a 36 minute speech in
which you talk about lipstick and make fun of your opponent,
while laying out no substantive policy positions on any
issue at all, and still manage to be considered a legitimate
candidate, while a black person who gives an hour speech the
week before, in which he lays out specific policy proposals
on several issues, is still criticized for being too vague
about what he would do if elected.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the
years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry
or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and
that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job
of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles
into government, and who bring in speakers who say the
conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews
for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you're
just a good church-going Christian, but if you're black
and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin
Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist
attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who
talks about the history of racism and its effect on black
people, you're an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is
when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the
reporter for asking you such a 'trick question,'
while being black and merely refusing to give one-word
answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're
dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual
and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to go to a prestigious prep
school, then to Yale and then Harvard Business school, and
yet, still be seen as just an average guy (George W. Bush)
while being black, going to a prestigious prep school, then
Occidental College, then Columbia, and then to Harvard Law,
makes you 'uppity,' and a snob who probably looks
down on regular folks.

White privilege is being able to graduate near the bottom
of your college class (McCain), or graduate with a C average
from Yale (W.) and that's OK, and you're cut out to
be president, but if you're black and you graduate near
the top of your class from Harvard Law, you can't be
trusted to make good decisions in office.

White privilege is being able to dump your first wife after she's disfigured in a car crash so you can take up with a multi-millionaire beauty queen (who you go on to call the c-word in public) and still be thought of as a man of strong family values, while if you're black and married for nearly twenty years to the same woman, your family is viewed as un-American and your gestures of affection for each other are called 'terrorist fist bumps.'

White privilege is being able to sing a song about bombing Iran and still be viewed as a sober and rational statesman, with the maturity to be president, while being black and suggesting that the U.S. should speak with other nations, even when we have disagreements with them, makes you 'dangerously naive and immature.'

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism and an absent father is apparently among the 'lesser adversities' faced by other politicians, as Sarah Palin explained in her convention speech.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole 'change' thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.

beginning: work(); try { if (sleepAllowed) sleep(6); else throw new SanityCheckException(); } catch { if (sane) goto beginning; } finally { die(); }

Life is CRAZY! :P

Apparently it's been a long time since I've posted, lol... I didn't even notice. I have been running around like a madman lately trying to finish up a project for a client that likes to complicate things in order to try to make it to a graduation ceremony for someone very close to me. It's been nuts, and I'm glad things might finally start winding down a little (I could use some real R&R, even my "vacation" for this graduation started with me leaving just in time to hit rush-hour traffic in NYC in order to update a server at work). Things aren't done yet, I'm sure I'll be partially debilitated by my wisdom teeth extraction scheduled for Thursday. That'll be fun, lol; my face hurts pretty darn bad right now though, so I don't know what else it could really be like, but I'll tell you this much: I can't wait :)

I don't have a huge bit of time to talk about what little progress has been happening with my research and the projects around it, but I will put props out for the true Project Link stumbling on my blog in search of their long lost friend Link. Here's your update: The 2D Game framework is still conceptual at this point (making sure we don't have to try to redesign again and trying to figure out a truly reusable and scalable engine) but Xem has been doing some awesome work with his 2D client nFurc, all of the knowledge and super speedy rendering of which will be ruthlessly and brutally raped of it's originality to be thrown into one hardcore 2D game engine. I haven't gone without noticing the comments either guys, we'll be in touch; thanks for the love and support.

On to something really really sad:

The graduate I sought this weekend has had some very unfortunate circumstances surrounding their life. They, admittedly, did something reasonably stupid and got arrested for it. The sad part is as follows: the student had received acceptance and scholarships from an Ivy League school, valedictorian status and plenty of other things for their services of being a truly wonderful example of a great human being. The best I've ever met for that matter (which is saying something). Well said student lives in an everybody-knows-everybody town and it just so happens that they happened to oblige a friend with something atypical only to find out that "friend" was actually setting him up because that "friend" was caught doing something really stupid and didn't want to go down so he thought he'd implicate someone else instead. Now, as a result, this valedictorian has had all college acceptances (Ivy League), scholarships, awards, and the right to speak during graduation (or be mentioned for anything other than a diploma) stripped from them for a one time mistake for reasonably small potatoes compared to many of the problems in the area. The police, for whatever reason, thought it would be wise to go after a well established high-school student with public service credentials like you wouldn't believe instead of, say, the heroin dealer that was reported to them (whom they told who narced on him) or the crack dealers, or the (excessively) numerous people drinking and driving. Now their only mission seems to be to catch the graduate slipping up again so they can really ruin lives... it makes me hurt inside to see such awful treatment of such a great person for a single mistake. Worse yet, simply mentioning this to the parents would have been plenty sufficient for repercussion... trust me. Hell I've messed up plenty of times, but I've always had second chances; why do I deserve one, or why do you deserve one when somebody who truly stands for freedom and kindness to one-another, somebody who builds houses for Katrina victims and unites with like minded action-makers that peacefully express their concerns and their reasons. A true American (and I don't consider many people to be one) is being robbed of their hard work and I would easily lay mine on the line for theirs, no matter how hard I've worked I don't deserve half of what this person should receive in praise. Why?! Why rob the world of a good person? Worst case scenario this could mean prison, and prison doesn't make a good person any better... I'm beginning to lose faith; it hurts a lot.

Now that I've got that off my chest I need to get back to work, but stay tuned :p hopefully I should have at least a little spare time coming up.

-TheXenocide

Tracking Back and Moving Forward

bunnie’s blog » Blog Archive » Scritch scritch–huh?
First, thought I'd start the day off with a trackback to some unfortunate us politics that I wish would be different. Just follow the link, read the resources and formulate your own opinion, it's pretty obvious what it says.

Also, I've just recently seen "An Inconvenient Truth" the Al Gore global warming educational film. I feel that the film is a well put together, documented and scientifically backed cry for unity the likes of which is complicated by the greedy nature of our political system and it's "campaign contributions" (That's my own personal opinion, not directly expressed in the movie). This film clearly and truthfully (look up the data) indicates the insanely critical point we're at as a species and as members (the primary unbalancing ones at that) of a planetary ecosystem. I strongly suggest you watch it because I can't do as good a job as they do at stressing how important this is. Turns out scientists have had to sue to have their names removed from the report because their claims were censored and did not want to be considered supporters of the modified message. Also, Al Gore has owned share in the carbon offsetting business for quite some time. Sorry for the hasty statements.

beyond all that, in the Software Engineering and Development side of my brain I have been planning and planning more of the development of my research project and along the way I have stumbled upon several really really neat ideas for projects I'm sure other people will be interested in too. I only wish I had the time to work on them as well, but it seems I barely have enough time to work on my own commitments. This can also be assumed as a plea for somebody... anybody, to be my hero and organize these projects into being; I'm totally game for participating in the engineering process and things of that nature but I do not have enough time to be considered a significant help on actual implementation/coding. These projects, in the long run, can also be easily adapted into my infrastructure to make a distributed pervasive system who's usefulness will extend well into the era of grid and mesh computing (provided, of course, it is maintained and the same coding concepts apply :p). Enough beckoning, to the projects!

Hah! Tricked yah (not really, but there's a little bit of background information first :p)

If you haven't checked out IKVM.Net you should. It's a Java Virtual Machine that can dynamically interpret (JIT compile) and statically compile Java bytecode to .NET CIL (supporting both Mono and Microsoft's .NET Framework). I see this project as a tremendously important idea because it would bridge the gap of the oh so similar next generation programming languages and environments currently separated by a great chasm only vaguely crossable using J#. I haven't taken the opportunity to check into support for JRuby, Groovy, JACL or Jython but I do know that it is currently aimed at support for Java 1.4. Honestly I feel this project would get some tremendous headway if it were taken seriously and contributed to by the Java/Sun and Microsoft communities. There are other projects like Phalanger that do similar managed interoperability support and I love it, but Java is the one we really need guys. There's no reason for us to constantly be reinventing the wheel on different languages and platforms when we can just bridge them together in an efficient manner and let everyone use the language that will benefit them most without making it so nobody outside their little inner circle can use it. Anyway, this rant went a little long :p, my ideas:

I feel that IKVM could use help in the following areas:
-Migration to a J2SE 5 model
-Support for bridging the existing Java/Sun written runtime instead of the GNU Classpath (this is more of a political venture) since IKVM supports JNI this should work relatively well; in retrospect another option is to bridge the awt packages and native control libraries to .NET GDI+ (System.Drawing/System.Drawing.Drawing2D) and System.Windows.Forms base classes (System.Windows.Forms.Control). Note: it seems like this is further along then i remember, which is great, but it's still incomplete.
-Support for App.config settings to support local classpath definition for applications that don't use IKVM directly.
-Attributes to apply to .NET code (ie [IKVMPackage("something.whatever")]Something.Whatever) that would allow IKVM to better translate .NET code to Java calls and to allow things like making Java stubs of classes written in .NET that don't use a cli.* package so as to be able to replace existing Java packages with native .NET ones easily. Perhaps this should include other things like the ability to rename classes and interfaces (to support different naming standards, ie: [IKVMName("SomeInterface")]public interface ISomeInterface.
--I believe that the generated property accessors should also be more like standard Java bean definitions (void setProperty(type value); type getProperty()) instead of the standard CIL set_Property and get_Property.
--MulticastDelegates (events) should function more like Java events;

Thus C# event System.AppDomain.ProcessExit is the static Java function cli.System.AppDomain.add_ProcessExit().

This should translate to
cli.System.AppDomain.addProcessExitHandler(
new ProcessExitHandler() {
void ProcessExit(Object sender, EventArgs e) { /*blah*/ }
});
or a derivative that doesn't use an anonymous inner class.

I think this would be great especially since, with full swing support and JDK 1.5 support alongside better .NET support we could fully write .NET applications using things like NetBeans IDE and even potentially add debug support, hell maybe even J2EE. The reason I consider IKVM one of the best solutions to this is that a complete implementation for interoperability requires direct communicatioon/translation between virtual machines, not just service oriented architecture (as great and important as it is). After running some simple computational tests you find that running Java code that has been statically compiled to CIL runs tremendously faster in the Microsoft.NET and Mono CLRs than it does in Sun's own JVM. Unfortunately the complications of translating from one object base to another wind up slowing some things down a little bit (Like IComparable to Comparable conversion) but still IKVM runs much faster than I could ever imagine .NET running in the JVM. This would allow Java developers to leverage and take advantage of .NET benefits without losing the cross-platform (Mono) and language specific features they love.

Other than IKVM, another great project/standard to look at is JSON which is gaining popularity. There is currently a project to support JSON-RPC for .NET called Jayrock that is pretty full featured, but I had a great idea that would be a truly impressive and usefull .NET implementation of JSON-RPC. A JSON Serialization Formatter and JSON-RPC based remoting channel would be a much more applicable approach that would make JSON totally usable with .NET applications without having to modify any code (assuming they use App.config based remoting configuration).

If anybody were to create these projects I would certainly be able to leverage the technologies in my research which I aim to be able to run services, consumers, and even desktop environments on everything from ARM mobile processors to x64 breeds simply by using a very simple base extensibility framework that is currently .NET specific but I would love to bridge support to Java with. I've even considered using db4o databases with both (if they're still language compatible) the Java and .NET libraries as a means of providing a standard consistent persistence model that requires arbitrary conversion for the storage of objects. I haven't done a full architecture review on this though, so I'm not sure what part IKVM will play in relation to db4o (ie, running Java db4o with IKVM for Java apps and running .NET db4o with native .NET or using .NET db4o for both with IKVM stubs for Java and saving Java db4o for native JVM implementations).

I'm also desperately interested in information on how well Mono runs when compiled against Linux 2.4 and 2.6 for ARM/MIPS/SH processors, including how well Mono's WinForms run on it and if there are any Mono based "Compact Framework" builds. If there aren't any Compact Framework builds it's not really that big of a problem, but a windowing toolkit for mobile devices would be much appreciated :p.

Anyway, those are my ideas/requests/plans 8) people should learn to reply sometimes, lol.

-TheXenocide

24 Hour Idea Soup

The following is a brief recipe of disaster known as the information swirling about in this thin-walled cranium of mine. Today it'll be divided into sections since my interests and ideas are a little all over the place :p.

Voting Concerns

OMG! I have recently been made aware of the voting travesty that has been taking place in our country. I'll let you do your own research because I'm not a fan of pushing "Conspiracy Theory" agendas, but the voting process in our country is diluted by an insecure, closed door system where commercial funding and part representation may play a huge factor in the reliability of voting machines or counts in precincts. One site that you might look at for some background information is BlackBoxVoting.com though i strongly urge you to look at more points of view (please, please, please! don't ever sit on one resource and assume it to be true) there is a plethora of information out there and unfortunately, it is the responsibility of each of us to review this information in our own process and come to our own conclusions.

I do not tread lightly on the subject of voting, I've been a big fan and supporter of Democracy for some time now and to find that our system just plain isn't good enough truly frightens me. If our voting process doesn't represent who we are then what is it that truly makes us American? Over-stimulated economy? Corporately backed law-makers? Ego-centric America knows-best attitudes in world affairs that allow us to inject ourselves into any global politics without any true rhyme or reason? None of these things are American; if anything they go against the general premise of America, which was to keep everything fair and provide open opportunity to all.

Now complaining of course, will do nothing to solve the problem. We are to formulate ideas of solutions and act accordingly as good American citizens. It is this process that frequently gets overlooked as very rarely does anybody feel like they alone will make a difference. Well I'm here to share my idea for a solution with you and I would be very interested in your ideas for solutions as well. This is what our country is supposed to be about.

Personally, I propose that we establish (bare with me) an Open Source project designed, directed, written, managed, tested, reviewed and accepted by the American people. We have the technology to provide significantly more secure systems. I know it seems odd to propose openly publishing something that could be so severely exploited, but I feel that public review and analysis is the only way for us to establish the fact that we, the American people, are satisfied with our voting system. If we're not satisfied with our voting process we should be able to do something about it. I submit that we are perfectly capable of developing the necessary software, hardware, and processes all in an openly reviewable process that would consist of thorough secure design with full logging, secure data transfer, tamper/intrusion detection. I propose that we require more than one person to use a secure and uniquely identifiable data transfer medium in which all of the data distributed across multiple storage mediums cared for by separate people to transfer data from each polling machine to each tabulation machine. Furthermore, I submit that, since the entire design would be open to public review, the fabrication, installation, and maintenance of all voting related materials should be viewable on video by the American people all the time. If we can keep constant surveillance of the devices and know matter-of-factly that there is no way somebody has tampered with our votes then we can be reassured that we have the power to prevent a travesty like this from ever happening again. If anybody is supportive of this proposal please let me know so that we might begin to formulate a plan of action (As interested as I am in it, I'm pretty awful at this Government stuff, too much confusion legal terminology and enigmatic processes wind up leaving me a little lost on the official paperwork side).

Too Much to Do, Never Enough Time

As of late I've had such a diverse interest in topics and I've wanted to know more and more about these topics. My general interests have always been diverse, but typically in diversity you find a lack of specialization (the "Jack of All Trades" syndrome) and so I invest the majority of my time in Computer Science because I thoroughly enjoy engineering new systems and have always had a knack for it. Well I've been more and more interested about what happens when I'm sleeping (I wake up with a lot of answers, not knowing how I postulated them) and my subconscious processes. Along my travels studying said interest I've also stumbled upon several resources about "Lucid Dreaming" and now I'm starting to think... could this be a solution to my lack of thinking time? Might I begin to utilize this construct of my mind while my body rests to continue where I left off? I'm definitely interested in what people have to say on the topic, especially if they have had any experiences being lucid, though I consider myself too inexperienced to share more than the wikipedia entryI've found for lack of being able to verify the validity of information. At least with wikipedia they provide the necessary resources for you to verify the information yourselves.

AJAX with Java Made Easy

On the development note I noticed a neat NetBeans module DWR NetBeans plugin Seems to demonstrate a pretty easy to use AJAX model with Java; good to see active competition here. I'm wondering, has anybody done a compare and contrast against the Java and .NET AJAX implementations? Perhaps I'll find some time to look into it later.

I'm running low on time (I invested a little extra time in the voting segment because I feel it is absolutely essential we iron this out) so I'll have to cut things a little short, but there's enough here to mull over :).

Thanks and TTFN,

-TheXenocide