Running for President

I am not a lawyer. I am not a candidate for President.
I did harbor some mild fantasies of politics once upon a time. Like dating Playboy bunnies, I got over the desire when I walked thru the small details it would take. I have never played a lawyer on TV nor before a Senate or House Committee. I have never played a Presidential Candidate on TV.... BUT thanks to the guys at Wizbang and Boortz I got the idea to play one here... The following is a transcript of the questions asked of the Candidates at the MSNBC Debate that nobody watched... Questions are in italics. . I answered this as tho I was running... I'd love to see some candidate take the media and put them into the game. They pretend they are standing on the sidelines, but they are involved in the spin-crafting of images, choosing of pertinent facts and supporting the al Qaeda/Hamas/Hezbollah view of America.

• In the NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, just 22 percent believe this country is on the right track. Mayor Giuliani, how do we get back to Ronald Reagan's "morning in America"?
  

When Reagan left office his polls were at an all-time low. He has been resurrected as the public has seen him in comparison to Bush Senior and Clinton, especially Clinton. America is still that "shining city on a hill". We are still the beacon of hope for many in the world. We are a nation founded on a philosophy and ideals that we take seriously. Because we believe in them other also believe in those principles. We are the only nation to have a goal of personal happiness as a founding principle. We live better, longer, healthier and happier than most nations around the world. The question is not "how do we get back?" but rather "Why do we not believe we are doing well and can do better?" Why do the American people say we are doing poorly in a time or prosperity and plenty?

• Most of the public pessimism today has to do with Iraq. How -- what would you need, as commander in chief, to win the war in Iraq?

The current battle in Iraq is just that, a battle. The war against terrorism has many fronts. The terrorists hide among the population and excite those who seek to use them to advance their own causes. Iraq is a fight against an enemy that kills civilians and hides from us. This is the only time in history that an invading army has been called to defend the natives from the local chieftains, warlords and small group of terrorists. I find it amazing that we, the American invaders are trusted to defend the children, women, weak, old and infirm from their own citizens. Would any other nation respond as we have? Would any other enemy use the invaders humanity against them? When the Iraqis realize that they cannot win by choosing to support the terrorists or choosing sectarian sides and that we will not leave them weak and exposed, they will bond and form an Iraqi nation. Our history in Vietnam and Somalia was studied by Saddam and Osama. They realize that America can be defeated by a PR war even tho they would not stand a chance militarily. Why is our media supporting their propaganda against our military?

• Recent polls in the Islamic world reveal a sea of hostility toward the United States, feeding what General Petraeus calls the central front of al Qaeda in Iraq. How do we win this war if every dead terrorist is so easily replaced?

The Islamic world works on a perception of power. When we appear weak, we will attract enemies. This is a PR war as well a a military war. Your ballgame-scoreboard mentality is the wrong way to look at this war. Look at the millions who have not joined al-Qaeda. Look at the millions upon millions who wish for a better life. Look at the nations whose citizens have fled to the US; how many more would come here to become citizens if the gates were opened? Your war-of-attrition analogy more befits WWI and Vietnam this is a war of maneuver and perception. This enemy does not have unlimited manpower who believe in their goals. They are drawing those who see weakness and a chance to be a hero and win a share of the spoils. They have no idea what the spoils will be. Afghanistan did not attract millions when the Taliban ran the nation. They have no ideology besides death and no economic vision of the future.

• How do you deal with the problem, revealed in a recent Zogby poll, that in countries that are moderate, you mentioned -- like Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, another Islamic country -- 10, 12 percent of the people support us; the rest are angry at us. Doesn't that create a sea of recruitment opportunity for our enemy? And how -- I'm just asking, do we have to reduce that temperature of hatred before we win the war, or simply continue to fight the terrorists?

We work with the moderate nations to build their economies. When a mother or a young adult looks at death by jihad as opposed to working and having children, meals in the evening or at weekend with the extended family, better health, better clothing, greater prosperity, death loses in comparison. We need to encourage the moderate Muslims to speak up and to shun the death dealers just as they shun the drug and alcohol peddlers.

• I'd like to get your views about how you balance loyalty and accountability. Would you have fired Don Rumsfeld before last November?

I don't have the details of what was promised and what was delivered. What was painfully clear was that Rumsfield was going to spend the next two years resounding to increasingly rancorous hearings. The Democrats have made it clear that they care not about responsibility or outcome. What they wish to see happen is a larger majority and possibly taking the white House. Rumsfield has served this nation long and well. His decision to leave took many headlines away from the Democrat victory. The removal of several generals was more about accountability and responsibility. The Pentagon still exists in a post WWII-Big Military-Big Forces-Big Enemy mentality. That is unlikely to happen. We are far more likely to face unbranded terrorists and rogue states using unconventional weapons and tactics to disrupt and destroy. We face an enemy with no national home, no ideology, no economic vision, no goals except a return to a romantic period of the past. The Pentagon needs to be transformed from Big and Bureaucratic to a faster and more nimble response. The lower ranks have done magnificent jobs in responding and adapting o the enemies tactics and weapons. Too many upper middle military leaders have a garrison mentality. These are people withing sight of their retirements and playing politics. They need to go.

• Do you think a general shake-up in this administration's Cabinet right now would be good for the administration?

It would be good for headlines. A Democrat Congress would never replace people who would serve this President in ways that would fulfill the promises he made before he was elected. This cabinet, like all cabinets could do better. However, changing faces for the sake of your news ratings or newspaper sales is not a good way to serve the American people during this time of war.

• Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson said that Iran has already committed acts of war. Do you agree? And secondly, as part of that, what's your trip wire for a U.S. strike in Iran?

Iran has yet to commit an outrageous act that will prompt the public in the US or Europe to support a military response. We watch in dismay as the Europeans and the UN accept any plausible excuse and meager answer to Iran's provocations. At this time the conditions do not exist that would allow any preemptive actions. This may turn into a larger conflagration than we wish. Alternatively, the Iranian people may take action to change the course their leaders seem to be pursuing.

We face a similar situation in Darfur. The American people care greatly about the disasters around the world. However, we cannot rush in to save people from their own governments any time a TV crew and movie star shows up. Somalia showed what happens when we try to do good as opposed to looking to our narrow national interests. We expend our treasurel, deplete our military and lose the goodwill of the world. Few rememebr that we went to Somalia to save the citizens from the bands of outlaws who were robbing the foreign aid and killing indiscriminately. Osama has said that our retreat from Somalia showed that Americans can be made to run.

The UN is an imperfect body but it is the best one for these solutions. We may bemoan their slowness and their corruption and their inadequacy to perform the mission. However, until the world steps forward to change the situation it is not wise for America to try to be the world's policeman, welfare agent, and nanny.

• Imagine you're president of the United States and this is a likely or possible scenario, certainly plausible. You get a call from the prime minister of Israel, the prime minister of Israel, who's now Ehud Olmert, saying Israel's about to strike Iran's nuclear sites and he wants U.S. help. What do you say?

"Tell me why" I would want to know what information he possesses that such an action is necessary and urgent. What has changed? What does he need? Will his plan succeed in achieving the goals we desire? After all, if we are involved we must agree the threat, the goals and the tactics. This is the same response we would have to any ally. We are responsible for our actions. We must know the details, and agree the actions, the tactics and the goals.

• When speaking about Osama bin Laden last week, Governor Romney said, quote, "It's not worth moving heaven and earth, spending billions of dollars, just trying to catch one person." Senator McCain called that naive. Who's right?

They both are. Governor Romney is right to be fiscally concerned in the overall scheme of the war. Senator McCain is right to be concerned with the PR-Propaganda victory that his capture and trial would have on a global basis.

• Sarah (sp) from Arlington, Virginia, wants to know if you would comfortable with Tom Tancredo, a staunch opponent of illegal immigration, as head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

I believe that Congressman Tancredo is best at serving his constituents and should remain at that position for many years.

• Should we change our Constitution which we believe is divinely inspired -- -- to allow men like Mel Martinez, the chairman of your party, born in Cuba, great patriot, senator from Florida, and Arnold Schwarzenegger to stand here some night?

"Divinely Inspired" by the national press? I didn't think you guys believed in the divine. We have millions of capable, qualified and wonderful people in this country. I don't think it necessary to change the US Constitution.

• Daniel Dukovnic (sp) from Walnut Creek, California, wants to know: What do you dislike most about America?

The American Way is not the only way, but it has been very good for many. We Americans adapt, adopt and change. If there is an American Way it is filled with optimism and hope for a better tomorrow. I am impatient for change. We led the world in so many aspects, but we can do better in so many ways. I want to see more, better, faster.

• Do you believe global warming exists?

I believe that global warming exists. In the 1970s I believed that the earth was getting colder. I do not believe the scare mongering that has turned into an industry. There is much money to be made in the global warming business. Many will prosper from the current cycle, just as they did from the onslaught of an ice age that was promised. I am not certain that humans are the cause of the current cycle. We have had cycles of greater warming before and we lacked the level population and industrialization. We are adaptable and innovative. The most amazing thing about humans is our ability to change quickly. we should watch and evaluate as we gather more information. The conservation causes are past due but they fit nicely in our present economy. We must make sure that people have jobs, housing, recreation and an opportunity to earn their vision of prosperity. We must keep them safe from killers.

• David Diamond from Memphis writes in, "Do you have a plan to solve the shortage of organs donated for transplant?"

This is primarily a role for Congress. You, the citizens need to elect people who will respond with legislation that you believe in. I would like to find a solution to save more lives at a lower cost. I am not running for king nor am I amagician with a wand.

• Maggie from Highland Park, Illinois, wants to know if you consider yourself a compassionate conservative, like President Bush.

Compassionate Conservative is an awkward phrase. Most Conservatives are compassionate. We believe that teaching a person to fish is better than a lifetime of waiting for the fish to be delivered. Is that compassionate? we do believe that people can change and will respond to incentives. Help should be temporary and in response to rare events such as accident, disaster, health etc. The government is a bad nanny. All it can do is warehouse people and shuffle necessities to them. People can take care of themselves much better. Is that Compassionate and conservative?

• If you were president, would you work to phase out the IRS?

We need to reform our tax code. It is a tangled mess that nobody understands. It is too complex, too cumbersome. We need a simpler way to charge and collect the money the government needs. Congress has made it needlessly complex by responding to special interests of every stripe. They have provisions for religion, for unions, for this business and that business, this type of investment and that type of eventuality. We need it to be simple, easy and free of social rewards and punishments.

• Would the day that Roe v. Wade is repealed be a good day for Americans?

Roe v. Wade is an intrusion of the courts into an area that the politicians have refused to enter. The proper place for this debate is in the political arenas of 50 states and Congress. Roe v. Wade encouraged more political adventuring by the courts. This has turned the courts into a lottery where paying an inventive lawyer means a greater chance of winning. We need to have laws simple, simply enforced, simply judged and clearly reported so that we all can know the rules and predict the behavior and the punishment.

• Would you support the use of public funds for abortion? [edited]

I think that a woman and her doctor can make that choice. If the doctor is providing her medical care under a government program, then this would fall into that category. I do not believe that abortion is a cure for poverty or an alternative form of birth control.

• We're in the house of Ronald Reagan. Every cab driver in America knew what Ronald Reagan stood for: defeat communism abroad, reduce big government at home. Can you restore that kind of unity of purpose?

When Reagan left office, you, the media could not wait to see him leave. When a President is elected, every person in the nation knows, or should know, what they stand for. After years of negative reporting and political reality, all visions from election day will get tarnished. America stands for Freedom, Democracy and Liberty... We will help those who strive for those ideals. We will not help those who oppose them. Given certain circumstances we will oppose those who oppose them. Will you, the media, support a vision of America as force for good in the world?

• How do you unify the country the way Reagan did, a good portion of the country?

By standing up to our enemies, identifying and speaking about what is good and great about America, by defending our honor and our word, by responding militarily to our enemies as necessary.

• How do you reconcile this moral -- moral leadership kind of role of conservatism with the very libertarian strain of conservatism, the Barry Goldwater conservatism that you represent? How do you put together what he just said with what you believe in a unified national purpose?

Libertarian ideals influence the Conservative Republican Party. However, we are too many years and too many small decisions to wrench away from the many progressive social programs that have become a part of daily American expectations. What we can do is look to the ideal and then at the current and find a path that shifts more responsibility back to the individual. However, we must also develop systems of economics and processes of law that do not leave people adrift or in harms way. We have an obligation to all members of our society. The exact definition will vary by generation and by locality. We have 50 states and one federal government. 51 cauldrons of ingenuity, imagination and experimentation. We have a strong democratic process for following thew ill of the people and trying new things. Some work well, some only work in certain places with certain people and some will not work at all. Let us celebrate our ingenuity and imagination by urging each state to try new ideas. One size does not fit all or even most... We are Americans we can do better. The game is not over. There is not a perfect, for all times and all places, solution.

• What do you say to Roman Catholic bishops who would deny communion to elected officials who support abortion rights?

I say very little about their positions or doctrine. I do so for two reasons. The government shall make no laws respecting the establishment of religion. It is their religion. If their members do not wish to follow it they are free to walk away. The President should never involve himself in the internal affairs of any religion

• Congressman Hunter, Governor Schwarzenegger -- who is here tonight -- has won the state twice by downplaying partisanship and taking centrist positions on the environment, immigration, abortion. Is that the way to win for Republicans?

California is a very-very Democratically controlled state. The politics of San Francisco and Los Angeles dominate the state. Both cities are so vast that the only way to reach the voters is via television. Most ads only play for 30-60 seconds. To be successful in california one must have a message that is readily understood and accepted within 30 seconds, facing an oppoing immediately thereafter. The requirement to communicate via TV in 30 seconds does not allow balanced or reasoned argument. The public in California is under great pressure from economic forces. They respond to threats to their economic livelihood. They react vigorously and quickly when threatened. ov Swartznegger has moved to the center so that he can achieve something more than saving the state from the excesses of the past. Unfortunately, he is term limited and cannot run again. California works best when it has a governor of one state and legislature of another. One party rule in California has been a disaster for the state.

• Do you want to keep [Karl Rove] in the White House if you get elected president as the president's chief political operative?

That is a silly question. Karl Rove is a media boogie man. He exists only under your bed to frighten Democrats. He has been a political advisor to a successful President. He will continue to offer his advice and perspectives to the Republican Party. The next President will want to be surrounded by his people. Afterall, that is why they fight with him.

• Has the increased influence of Christian conservatives in your party been good for it?

The Christian Conservatives have been good for the Republican party in that they have brought people to understand our political process. They have been exposed to new ideas, new ways and other views. The Media Hype and to the extent that it is true, that the Party is a hand maden to a few preachers has been good fund raising fodder for the Democrats. We welcome all people of every faith who share our beliefs and values. We want people who see a greater America, a brighter economic future, a healthier life with new technologies, new inventions and new ways to live.

• What's with your party and all this corruption?

The Republican Party found itself unable to resist the corruption that is endemic to Washington. The party found that whenw e act like Democrats the public prefers the real thing. we lost our way in the bid to do good for the many we found ourselves doing well for a few. The public has spoken. The Party has been punished by losing power. Have we learned our lesson? we must regain the trust and that will be hard. The corruption remains, there are just different people who haven't been caught. The Press has been too busy running from one press conference to the next to truly do its Constitutional job of exposing corruption and revealing the corrupt.

• A through F, how would you rate the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war?

Mistakes were made. The President and the Generals have shifted gears, changed tactics, changed faces, changed equipment to respond. We were not told it would be quick or easy. Our generals and the terrorists have studied Vietnam and Somalia. They have seen our mistakes and chosen to fight on several fronts at one time. Bush has been true to his word and tre to his troops, our allies and our enemies. To put this in perspective, please ask all candidates to name the mistakes they will make during their term as President. A mistake is something that turned out differently from what was anticipated. Your question implies that we knew things would go badly and went ahead. You underestimate the enemy and you underestimate the role that media has held in shaping this fight.

• Is racism still a problem in our society? And can a president do anything about it?

Racism is a problem because it is still a source of discriminaion and a way for some to achieve an unfair advantage over their opposition. Racism is a big business in America. There are many who have become millionaires from this industry. we have government departments, lawyers, PR people, NGOs and lobbyists who make a very good living from racism. It will not go away until all forms of discrimination are wrong. When one race is favored by virtue of their race and another is driscriminated against for the same reason, it is wrong. Until we judge people by the content of their character and the merit of their abilities we will have racism. The President should speak out against all forms of discrimination at every sighting. The laws should be enforced equally for all who discriminate against a well as those who discriminate for a perso's race. America is a land of opportunity. We need all the talented people we can find usng their ingenuity and enterprise. Discrimination is a luxury from another time and another economy. That is the past. We cannot live in the past nor can we change it. we can change the future and we will live there.

• David Kim (sp) from here in California wants to know, beside yourself, who do you think should be the Republican nominee for president of the United States, and why?

That is for each citizen to judge. Each person must examine the character, the history, they challenges, the vision, the strength of belief of the person seeking you vote. You must then ask "Do I trust thi person to do what they say? Do I believe that they will act in a manner that I would respect and approve? Do I share their vision for America?" Then hold your nose and vote for the least of two evils... Democrat or Republican

• Anyone with disagree with the strong anti-illegal immigration position?

Yes. The problem with illegal immigration is not that theya re here. the problem is that we do not know who they are. We need to have as ystem of identifying, investigating, and controling the bad guys. We need a simple system that will allow an employer to hire a person to do work. we need a simle system that will keep the bad guysa way from areas that may do harm. We need to eliminate he underground economy that smuggles them (and drugs) into the country. We need to eliminate their fear of the police and get them protection from those who prey on them. We need to capture their taxes and set aside their social security for their retirementhere or at home. We need to get them covered by workers compensation. Those who wish to remain and become citizens should be put on a path to that goal. Those who merely wish to visit or to work should have that privilege without fear of arrest. Those who wish to harm this nation or its citizens should be prevented if possible, captured and punished otherwise. We need to remove the sea of illegals wo mean us no harm as a hiding place... This debate does not do us any good as Americans. We can do better.

• Kenyu Thomas (sp) from Honolulu, Hawaii, wants to know if you watched Al Gore's environmental documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."

No. Is it any good? Given the Power Point Presentation origin and the expertise of Al Gore as a climatologst, I felt my time would be spent better watching "24" or "American Idol". Now that the reviews are in, it seems to be a flight of fantasy. The world was warmer 1,000 years ago than it is now. The world was a prosperous place for the first time ins everal hundred years. The prophecy of melted ice caps has never been sustained. Even the UN experts predit a sea rie of only 17 inches. There must be some good that will come from global warming. Will we grow more crops, will we have warmer winters and use less fuel to heat our homes, will our crops be bigger, will the trees grow taller and larger? We have so few headlines about the good that one would think Al Gore is the modern Jor-El predicting the end of the planet.

• Bob Hussey (sp) from Minnesota writes that perhaps the most important skill a good president must have is the ability to make good, sound decisions, often in a crisis situation. Please cite an example when you had to make a decision in crisis.

No one is ready for a nuclear attack, an outbreak of plague, the attack by aircraft. The best that any President can do is to surround himself by people who are both imaginative and realistic. Good information is crucial to good decision making. Assessing the situation, getting analysis and suggestions from several different voices and then making a decision that is in concert with the character of the person and their vision of the future is the best path. This is a good job applicant question. However, in looking into a President it is misleading. The president is a powerful position with few check or limitations upon their abilities to do great harm in mundane matters. You must look to the character. Can you trust that person to make good decisions? Decision of a type and scope that have never appeared before.

• This question comes from Malika (sp) in Washington, DC. Women are the fastest growing prison population. Most are mothers who are non-violent, first-time offenders. What will you do to address the issue of mothers behind bars and the children left behind?

This is an issue for Congress and your state legislature. I agree something must be done. It is not a good situation for the mother or the child. We have 50 states and a federal Congress. These 51 cauldrons can experiment and find ways to serve the needs of the community as well mother and childen.

• We have Mrs. Reagan here. The camera will not focus on her, but I will tell you, it will now focus on you. Mrs. Reagan wants to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Will that progress under your administration?

What I would ask Mrs Regean and everyone else "To what end? IF this is such a good area for such imminent success, why does it need federal dollars?" As basic science we have done a lot to examine and map the human genome. we now have private companies who have patented human genes. Adding more money in competition with private investment does not seem the best use of taxpayers money. If the benefits are nigh then let those who dare to risk take the reward. If the government does the research, we have not shown to be adept at converting basic science into useful products. Provate enterprise has more money the the federal government. They have fewer politicians influenced by special interests directing that money. They know how to reap the rewards. Why should we compete with them?

• I want each candidate to mention a tax he'd like to cut, in addition to the Bush tax cuts, keeping them in effect.

Cut capital gains and eliminate the death tax. we tax income as it is earned. We should not tax the success of the residual as it is invested or tax it again as the person dies. We could eliminate a lot of the tax code and tax consulting as well as a lot of lawyering to establish trusts, foundations and legal hidey holes if we let people keep what they have earned. we would reduce the need for IRS enforcement, reduce the criminal case load, eliminate much of the funding from conspiracy groups.

• Senator McCain, you said you plan to appoint a Democrat to a major Cabinet post. Tell us some of the Democrats you've got in mind. We'll give you bonus points if you give us a name other than Senator Lieberman.

Democrats in the cabinet? I would have Sen Reid at the Department of the Interior. Senator Clinton at Health and Welfare...She seems to have a great understanding of the topic and concern for people.

• Ryan from Los Angeles wants you to name one thing that the federal government does really well and one thing that it does poorly.

Military does an excellent job in protecting the country. They also do a wonderful job of showing what a color blind meritocracy should look like. The US Government does a bad job of spending your money. They take it and create careers for people who watch it, count it, account for it, spend it, measure how it was spent, write reports on the spending, appear before Congress to testify on how it was spent and then ask for more.... Lifetimes are taken up doing what can be done by the individual. Read the budget and see where your money goes and then look at how many people it takes to monitor and control that money.

• Do you believe in evolution?

As opposed to? Its a theory. It keeps getting refined and reviewed. When strong evidence to the contrary comes along it will change. It is predictative of the future... Scientific Method was taught in school. It works as a tool to understanding and should be used to examine scientific inquiries, such as global warming.

• Robert Dietricht (sp) from Towson, Maryland, wants to know which Cabinet official would be at the top of the list of those you'd like to carry into your administration if you're elected.

I don't have a name or anyone under consideration. Fresh eyes will see anew. A new broom sweeps clean. Tthe world has changed these past eight years. We need new ideas, faces, voices and energy. Our Divine Constitution was not imagined as a life peerage. We work best with part time people coming to serve the nation then return to live among us. We do not need a Political Class to run this nation. We need more involvement by citizens who have other lives, interests and talents.

• He wants to know, what is the difference between a Sunni and a Shi'a Muslim?

One believes that the mantle from Mohammed fell to one person and the other believes that it fell to someone else. One sect is more violent than the other. One sect dominates Iran and funds terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The other sect dominates Syria, Saudi Arabia and funds al Quaida... Wikipedia has a lot more details.

• Carrie (sp) from Connecticut asks, do you trust the mainstream media?

Yes. I trust them to do what is their best interest. They have adopted the role of participant in govrenment in many cases. They have a bias. Does that reflect their audience or do they lead their audience is a good question. They are all losing readership, viewers and listeners. The internet allows more people to find news and views of their own interest. The future of the mainstream media is uncertain and unknown. A disruptive technology is changing their future. They are a business and have their own needs to look to first and foremost. Expecting anything else is naive.

• A reader wants to know if your personal religious beliefs influence your foreign policy thinking.

I find comfort in prayer. I go direct to the boss and ask for guidance when facing a big decision. I believe in the Golden Rule. That principle has been found in every society in every age. It is good business and good government. Not all nations are religious, not all are Christian or Muslim. we can find a path to meet our common goals.

• Jessie (sp) from Madison wants to know, what do you consider to be your most significant weakness as a candidate for the president of the United States?

I may begin to believe in my own importance. Luckily, I have a wife, children, maturity, the press, Congress, and the citizens to remind me that I am just a man and that I can do better

• In light of the scandals plaguing the current administration and its allies, involving corruption and cronyism, which mistakes have you learned not to repeat?

Toss out the scoundrels. Call in the cops and arrest the really bad. Stand by those who are merely taking political flack for my decisions. Congress will continue to fabricate scandals to have something to investigate. This gets them TV time and scares lobbyists into donating. It also allows them to get new legislaion that makes everyone feel good but accomplishes very little. You have cited Regean several times, but you have not mentioned Iran-Contra. What was that about anyway?.

• Will you work to protect women's rights, as in fair wages and reproductive choice?

All discrimination should be abolished. Those discriminated against should have the full power of the government to protect them.

• I want you to explain it and defend it: a national tamper-proof ID card.

BankAmerica and Citicorp issue them by the millions. Photo ID, encoded strip with certain info, Internet reference site that can be used to verify the card the face, the file. we need to know who people are. We hand out our social security number on almost every form for every agency, every application, every school admission. It was never supposed to be a national citizen ID number, but it now has become one. We have lots of fraud that needs to be stopped. A national ID card could also be used to distribute govt benefits in a manner similar to a debt or credit card. Don't you want to be sure that the company that is installing your bg screen, that is delivering you medications, that is hauling your freigt knows who their employee is? Don't you want to know that the TSA has checked the person who is flying the airplane and sitting beside you? Don't we want to capture the tax revenue from those visitors who are working in our country? A national ID card is an inevitability. We are close to one now with drivers licensing. The concerns about citizen privacy are the same as those voiced against the social security number over 70 years ago. What protects the public and our privacy is a vigilant community. We have had abuses of privacy by individuals. They have been caught and punished. There is no reason to not continue.

• Do you think Scooter Libby should be pardoned?

For what? His appeals have not been exhausted. His case is a good example of why people are reluctant to come into government. What was his crime?

• Let me ask you a question which has grabbed a lot of Americans personally, the Terri Schaivo case. Again, it was a question of whether the United States -- the U.S. Congress should have intervened and passed a law to advise the appellate court whether to act or not in this case, the district court it was. Terri Schaivo, should Congress have acted or let the family make the decision, the husband?

This is an inside the beltway question. Most people don't care. The laws of the state of Florida were applied by the courts in Florida. The Supreme Court agreed.

• Seriously, would it be good for America to have Bill Clinton back living in the White House?

To do what? The only good reason to have Bill Clinton as a resident of the White House is to shore up his wife who is incapable of doing the job alone. Bill Clinton had his time and has served his country. Why not bring Jimmy Carter back? Or G.H.W. Bush? We have seen the Clinton vision. We have fought the Clinton wars. It is time to move on. There are many qualified people in this nation. There are more families than the Bush's and Clinton's. Bill Clinton has served as a valuable advisor to the Senator from New York. He has clearly helped to craft her message and raise her funds. What is uncertain to me is who exactly is running for President? Can the Senator become a good President on her own? Are we getting the two-for-one again?

• How will you be different in any way from President George W. Bush?

I'm not from Texas. I am not married to Laura. I didn't go to Harvard and Yale. I do not have an MBA... We are very diferent people in many aspects. We are much alike in our love for this nation and its people.

Neil Boortz adds a few of the questions he would have asked if were given the chance.

• The government of the country of Angola has an official representative in Washington. The government of the State of Arkansas does not. Do you see this as a problem? Could this be a contributing factor in the immense shift of power we've seen from the local to the federal level?

Two Senators, several Congressmen, several lobbyists for Walmart, J.B. Hunt and several large corproations. Arkansas is well reproesented.. The power shift comes from teh ability to buy, bully and influence so many so efficiently in one place. Greater regulation, greater influence on laws and the opportunity to meet and form alliances with enemies makes Washington a great place.

• Can you speak for sixty seconds on the "Irish Miracle?"

Low taxes, high literacy, pragmatic government no longer playing social re-distribution, economic incentives for foreign investment... It happened in Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Malayasia, Indonesia, India and Latin America. Its no miracle. Its true "capitalism" that happens when you leave people alone. That it happened in Europe is a minor mirace. I guess the Irish got tired of the same old-same old policies that have failed so many places and times. Faced with open borders, they could lose their talent or they could be attracting talent... What would you do?

• Estimates vary on the cost of tax compliance in this country from $300 to $500 billion a year. Do you have any plans to reduce the burden our present tax system places on our economy?

Simplify the tax code. Too many rules, too many exceptions, too many schemes to reduce the liability means too many enforcers to wade thru all the schemes and evasions... Make it simple and make it easy to pay. Then it will be easy to audit.

• What percentage of all federal income taxes are paid by those in the top 1% of income earners? What percentage of the total income do the top 1% earn?
  

I believe that the top 1% of income earners pay either 37% or 47% of all taxes. Its a large amount of the total paid. Total income? Do you mean all earned income or are you including earned income tax credit amounts? I think that we need to find a way to fund the government that does not punish the successful but balances the load on all segments of society.

• Are you familiar with the FairTax? If the FairTax were passed by the congress, would you sign the bill?

Lets get the bill and see what it is. Fair Tax is a good sounding name for a bill. But we have a lot of legislation that sounds good but is bad law. I am not familiar with that legislation. BUT I would first ask "Fair to who?".. We are too many years into class warfare for me to accept that "fair" is truly fair to everyone... Can we reasonably expect Congress to pass tax leislation that is truly "fair"?

• The competitive forces of the free marketplace have led to improvements and innovation in virtually every area of commerce. Why, then, wouldn't competition in our educational marketplace return the same rewards?

It would. It should. It could. However, those who oppose competition will oppose any changes to the monopoly. The fight goes on, state by state and district by district...

• What would you do to decrease the power of government employee unions?

Re enact the Hatch Act. Get govt employees out of the political process. They have safe careers wiith little competition from the private sector. The govt is not going out of business. They do not need to be actively and agressively choosing who shall be their bosses. The "evolution not revolution" mentality combined with "administrations come and go. we are here" is why it is so hard to change things in Washington. "Slow rolling" is a fine art. Nobody ever opposes anything proposed by a political appointee or administration official. They just take forever to examine and evaluate and report on their findings. Freeze hiring, deploy advanced technology, contract some functions and services. Those would be the best places to start. The biggest way to reduce the size and power of govt is to close departments and agencies. Stop funding them. This is the role of Congress. he President can lead or participate but the Congress has the power of the purse.

Since this topic has existed all my life; it is fair to ask "Do the American People Really want less government?" They have not voted for a Congress that will act to reduce the size and power of govt.

• Do you believe that our founding fathers intended for this country to become a democracy?

It seems that way. They specifically avoided a republic with limited franchise. I believe they had a great faith in the American people. The foundation of our national philosophy is that all rights originate with the individual. Only those specific and limited rights delegated to the federal, the state and local government may be used by government. Those not delegated reside with the individual. A subtle difference, but an important distinction. we have not had a court test of the Tenth Amendment. Perhaps we should?

• I'm not so interested in whether or not you know the difference between Shi's and Sunni Muslims as I am in whether or not you understand the difference between a democracy and a country based on the rule of law. Can you explain that difference?

Rule of Law puts the law above all the citizens. Nobody is above the law or beyond its reach. Democracies are the voice of the people. Most choose a representative form of democracy with the people choosing and replacing their representatives according to an agreed plan.



That's it for this round. More questions and answers next week...

Interview Me

Having had a severe writers block for the past 10 days, I asked Gail at Rubicon3 to send me some of the Interview Meme questions... My writers block was partially a result of not wanting to follow the pack on the VA Tech massacre commentary. There is so much hurt and the victims were all so young. Unfortunately, we will continue to have these events in our lives. If we go to the mall, as happened in Kansas City over the weekend, we may be shot by a car pulling into the slot next to us... The usual pundits have all assumed the usual positions... I can add nothing new and only repeat what has been said by too many others.

The War With No Name continues to be a political football with Surrender Boy and She Who Must Be Obeyed leading those who "Say What They Think and Do As They're Told." .... Again the usual Wise-And-Thoughtful-Persons have staked out the usual positions in a Congress of Crows, the loudest caw-caw-cawing for the most attention... This, too, is well trod ground and I can add little new.

Back to The Interview.... (Talking bout me-!)

1. If you were about to be executed and could make one statement to
be broadcast to the entire world, what would it be?

If I were simply dying of old age or accident I'd say "Good Bye. Thank You. It was fun. I must be going now. "

Being executed means that some evil person-gang-group has found my future threatening to theirs. Being broadcast to the entire world, I'd say "Watch and Wait. The time is not now. Our people on the inside are not quite ready."... Then let the B*st**ds go nutz looking for the ones to whom I was speaking.



2. What are your three favorite books and three favorite movies?

Books:
Difficult Questions, Easy Answers by Robert Graves. Small book of essays that weave back and forth in my life... I've read it several times. Now that I am reminded,, I must go find it for another reading.

The Bible, King James Version.... I find the wording magnificent. As a work of literature it stands. The religious aspects of the work wrap it up in petty political squabbles and the beauty of the language and sense of the community gets lost. As the source of so much of our literature and common law it is an important piece of work.


I have a stack of books waiting to be read. Within the last year, books I have read that I recommend are Berlin Diary by William Shirer and Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade. They have stayed with me. Shirer's books show the banality of evil. They show how step-by-step evil flourished and grew. Read as contemporaneous history they show how each step forward could have been stopped, if only... But after a while, how easy it was for everyone to "go along to get along" and became culpable for monstrous evil. Those reports seem almost a parallel with what we see in the daily blogs and news reports... Wade's book is a bit dry for the non-academic. Its a good review of what makes us uniquely human... I have also read several science fiction works by John Scalzi. He crafts a good yarn and doesn't resort to many clever plot devices to get out of a logical bind. Good Science Fiction has always been "speculative philosophy" to me. IOW, what would the world be like "IF ONLY..."

There is always Hemingway;... Everyone should do some Hemingway... at the beach, in Europe, in the winter... Islands in a Stream and Moveable Feast are magnificent indulgences... They are accessible and available at the library... The rest of the canon are also worthy of the investment in time.

Movies

I tend towards genre's vs specific films. I really enjoy the film noir, "B" movies of the 30's-40's-50's...especially those with "before-they-were-stars"... I like the Thin Man Series with William Powell and Myrna Loy... I like the dress, the faces and body styles (non pneumatic) of the stars back then. Films from the 20's and 30's have actors walking and moving in a natural manner. They did not grow up sitting before a TV and have a natural grace that comes from physical activity... They also look towards each other when they speak. They do not stare off and speak to the audience... Westerns from that time are also fun . They acually knew how to ride and sit on a horse.

Most modern movies leave me flat. They do not bring forth a character that can make me care about their dilemna. I simply don't enjoy most of the modern films bacause their characters are so thin, cardboard, stereotypes. They don't have a history that makes me want to know more. They don't have a value that makes me care whether they get away or are caught... i.e. in To Have and Have Not, Lauren Bacall tells of being bounced around South America before winding up stranded where she meets Bogart... I'd like to know more about where she had been and where they went afterwards... (Walter Brennan almost stole the movie with his character). The famous line abut "You do know how to whistle don't you?" has added interest when its being spoken by a 19-year-old woman. The film is filled with delightful quotable lines..."What are you trying to do? Guess her weight?...."Was you ever stung by a dead bee?"

What happened after Boggie and Claude Rains walked down the runway in Casablanca? Did Ilsa stay married? What happened after the war? How did the post war liberation movements in Africa and S.E. Asia affect them-? How did the Cold War and Iron Curtain change everyone? Did Bogie ever make it back to New York City?

Modern movies like Pirates of the Caribbean come closest to making the audience care about the character... But only about Jack Sparrow/Johnny Depp... Do we really wonder what happened to anyone else? Aren't they all cardboard-predictable-pushover set pieces?

Blade Runner is fun... Harrison Ford plays the same character he always does. Sean Young looks wonderful. Rutger Hauer leads a cast of secondary characters that are just having fun being complex and evil and innocent all at the same time... The music is also wonderful... The Love Theme is one of my favorite pieces of music.




3. Would you consider the definition of evil to be subjective?

No. Evil exists in the world. Evil is that which destroys life. We find the many arguments and discussions to be just blather that delays, confuses and clouds our response to evil. In this time of political spin, contending religions, competing versions of history and facts du heure manufactured in support or opposition, it is best to just focus on the basics.

We mostly argue about good-better and best in our practices and policies.The term "evil" gets easily used to tarnish what we oppose. That is a cheapening of the language. It leads to the suggestion that evil is just a mine vs yours subjective debate. That view is harmful. Any compromise with evil is a victory for evil. Evil has no legitimate argument or position.

When we support those positions that expand, encourage, enrich life we see evil as that which diminishes, cripples, handicaps, enslaves, shackles and perverts humanity... Like the movie Star Wars where evil confounds, confuses and delays good.... The timeless themes in that bit of childhood lore get repeated throughout our history. Perhaps that is why it struck a chord such a broad audience.. Every society, every generation has the same lessons.




4. Describe your favorite meal.

Having dined well in some fantastic restaurants and grown to have fun with my own kitchen explorations.... I find that the best meals are determined by those you are with. The people make the meal. Hot dogs or haute cuisine are long remembered only by the people who were present. and the things discussed. When I first began my working career, a friend who was a commission salesman pointed out, "You only have so many days in your life. Have lunch with those you enjoy." I have tried to do so. Buying a lunch or dinner never brought me any business. Dining with interesting people has brought me new friends in far away places.

I have learned much about people and their world over a meal. I think that it is another of those common-to-all-humans traits. We all must eat and we do not dine with enemies. Dining is an act of friendship and an opening to a stranger of ones world. I have never taken an invitation to dine lightly.

I find the recipes of Caprial and John's Kitchen to be lots of fun.... I like their use of seasonal foods. I highly recommend their flavors... If get a chance to find their cooking show on PBS some weekend, indulge yourself. The half hour passes quickly and leaves a feeling like a fine wine or rich desert... any more would be too much.


5. What is the most beautiful sight you have ever seen?

Hard question. We live in an amazingly beautiful world. There are so many great views of mountains, oceans, forests, deserts, and cities... I love San Francisco and the Marin Headlands. This is one magical spot that I wish I could share with everyone. Perhaps I will post a photograph....one day

My children were born, grew up, graduated... Those are magnificent sights at every occasion and many special moments in between. My wife has given birth and survived a couple of bouts with cancer... All of these are very special and beautiful sights, but mostly to me.

The world is always magical and delightful . There is no "best". There is the joy and magic of "here" and "now"....

The most beautiful sight? A smile when you least expect it and probably don't deserve it.

Like all good conversations; it's time to shut up and let you speak....

White Ships-Hawaii

I was in Hawaii in the late '60s and early '70s and saw these ships. I later saw them around the Pacific as my travels took me out to the "Far away places with strange sounding names". The romance of the old movies plus the ships themselves struck a chord that still stirs...

Matson's "White Ships" and the ports they visited were vividly promoted in a series of print advertisements and other promotional materials, beginning in 1927 with the launching of the Malolo and its unprecedented 4 1/2 day service from California to the "stately palms of fair Hawaii."

A stunning variety of ads and promotions continued for the duration of the ships' American passenger service, until the mid 1970s. Below is a chronological sampling of some of the ads, from various American publications

1961

1967

1969

1971

Now that boomers are aging and airplane travel is annoying, irritating, insulting etc...Maybe-Maybe-Maybe.... Cross fingers, click heels, whatever else is supposed to make a wish come true...

I sure would love to have coastal travel by ship San Diego, LA, Monterey, SF, Portland (Astoria) Seattle, Vancouver, Juneau, Anchorage and back... I'd really like to travel to Hawaii by ship .... That would be wonderful... A new design that would allow automobiles to be taken onboard... Or maybe just smaller vessels... Would they find a niche like the boutique hotels? Would small passenger liners that carry only a few hundred people vs the thousands of the cruise liners be attractive and economically viable?

Lots of money has gone down the gurgler trying to resurrect American shipping... Dotcom/High Tech gazillionaires are building multi-hundred million dollar vessels.... The same tax laws apply to them that apply to aircraft...

There once were federal funds available for US built ships (built at union ship yards) and laws regulating ships sailing between US ports (only US Union crews).. Could a compromise be reached?

By the late 1960s, Matson was confronted by rising costs (including expensive, unionized American labor and costlier fuel), as well as insurmountable competition from airlines and resorts in Hawai'i and elsewhere. Matson's parent company, Alexander & Baldwin, was losing money on its shipping business. Although the White Ships were often full, and despite subsidies provided by the US government, increased operational costs could not be offset. After selling the last of the original four White Ships, the Lurline, to Chandris in 1970, Matson's ran its last advertisements for passenger service. They were suitably dreary and sad in comparison to the "good old days". The Mariposa and Monterey were sold to Pacific Far East Line in 1971.

Changing markets, changing times, changing demographics.... 80 million boomers retiring soon.... Travel to Europe.... Scandinavia,... Business travel vs Cruise travel? Yes, the cruise lines are the natural providers and competitors. They have the super large vessels and fixed overheads. But the laws regulating US crews and US manufacture of the ships would limit their response, at least in domestic waters.

I think this is another "Opportunity Knocking" ..... If it could be costed and priced right... The economy of scale probably comes from frequency and ease of use as opposed to the resort theme of the cruise lines. i.e. a hotel that travels vs a resort that entertains... Frequent sailings with reasonably fast ships might hit the right numbers.....

UPDATE: Word from friends in Hawaii that Norwegian Cruise Lines have four ships sailing between the islands. They have received a exception to the Jones Act that allows them to hire non-American citizens as staff on ships sailing between American ports. They will be pulling out their largest vessel for economic reasons. They are expected to add some RoRo (Roll On Roll Off) or ferrys to the trade in the near future... Still, its the tourist resort style cruise business...

One of the biggest problems of tourism over the years is the disposition of the used rental vehicles. New cars are shipped in for rental. The used vehicles overwhelm the local market. The price offered locally is substantially less that the price for similar vehicle on US west Coast. Seattle and Portland are preferred destinations as that avoids the unique California emissions equipment, requirements, testing... There is always an opportunity knocking.... "Open the door. Let em in" as the Beattles sang.

Lubbock, Texas 79401

Last time I was thru Lubbock, I stayed at the La Quinta near the Buddy Holly memorial.

We ate dinner in the Denny's and listened to some guys in the next booth discuss the ins and outs of irrigation, pipes, fertilizers, pumps, aquifer, and crops... I was fascinated. The kids were bored...

I am always amazed (Yes, Really Amazed ) at how much specialized knowledge goes into our many occupations and industries... The olde saying "To Be Is To Be Specialized" was never more true... The amount of specialized stuff average guys have to know to succeed is a TRUE American Miracle... The nonchalant, "so what? Everybody does it" attitude is also very American.

What is also interesting is the disconnect between those who are working in one industry and their fellow workers in other industries. Everyone has an industry or job that they look at and think "Oh, That's easy. That doesn't take much knowledge." Yet, the more you learn about it, the more details surface and more specialized the work becomes... i.e. Truck driving, farming, package delivery, auto mechanic, etc. It's not merely the efficiencies and short cuts of doing that particular service. It's the skills to turn it into a business that can make a profit and hire others... We are quietly proud of the knowledge it takes to be good at what we do and dismissive of what it takes for others to be good at what they do. We also pay attention so that we can start our own business and avoid the mistakes of others.

Another trait the average working person in America possesses that is seldom written about or acknowledged is how many people have read books on history, art, architecture, design, collecting, woodworking, etc. and can talk to them in detail as an interest, a hobby and or as a business... They don't bring it up quickly in a first conversation. You usually have to admit to being a reader before someone else will... One of my best friends was a delivery guy, who started his own company. He spends a few weeks every year attending conferences on Colonial American History at Williamsburg VA. He is often the only one in the room without an advanced college degree. He enjoys speaking his opinions and being accepted as one of the crowd for the validity of his views. He truly relishes telling, when asked, that he's "just a truck driver"... What is unsung-unreported-mostly ignored is that across America there are many people who do similar feats of intellectual magic purely to satisfy their curiosity and for the joy of learning.

Why is this interesting?

Working overseas, Europe-Asia-Australasia, as an American I am usually quizzed and questioned about America... What makes us so different?... I've had to learn to look for the subtle differences. I have tried to seek the foundation differences that separate us from them... What I found is that education and approach to life are key determinants. With education its not so much what each citizen knows but HOW each citizen learns... Americans teach ourselves and each other,. We read books. We teach on the job. Then we hire someone and teach them. We encourage college and night school as a constant way of life... Most other country's citizens view their certificates of competence as passports to the secure life. As employees they went to schools to be taught what to do. Then at work they wait to be told what to do. They work for the boss, not the customer. They don't respond to requests out of the predetermined instructions... Americans usually seek to understand the whole business cycle so that they can anticipate the next series events and help the customer along to the next junction. By understand how things work, its easier to see why the problems may grow and dissatisfaction will increase as well. These are blatant generalities and are true only as far as a blatant generality can be true... They are also based on my observations and conversations.

The Future of the Future

The world has changed. We are in an age where our economy is more service than manufacturing. Our work is more knowledge related than action related. We are frequently told and daily faced with the need for "constant ongoing education"... We have to keep learning. As Americans we'll take up the challenge and get on with it. We'll listen to customers and figure out a solution. We expect that of ourselves. It is simply unAmerican to whine about training or wait for a solution whenthere is someone with a problem and money seeking a solution.

Our overseas competitors will wait to be told what they need to learn. They'll seek governmental assistance in training or re-training. They'll wait to be certified. Overseas, they'll take their certificate of accomplishment and retire in place. They'll hear a customer ask for something and look only for the approved solution closest to the request. They will not care if the customer ever returns... They work for the boss, not the customer.... They almost never consider establishing their own business. They definitely don't look at the business being turned away and see an opportunity for their own personal success.

In both worlds, some people have jobs and others are working a career. Some serve the customer and others follow procedure. Most of the time things don't look that different, until a disruptive force arrives. The computer and then the Internet increased productivity and change the nature of work, Now we have challenges from the latest low cost competitor. We are outsourcing and in sourcing old jobs and new ones. Jobs move to where the highest quality can be obtained at the lowest price. There are new technologies and new economies of scale seeming to arrive every day..... When faced with a dilemma those having a career and following procedure will wait to be told what to do.... They usually continue to draw a paycheck...They then whine to the politicians when the company goes under.... it never occurs that they could have had more fun, earned more rewards and a bit of adventure by being involved in their customers solutions...

The Past of the Past

Which brings me back to Lubbock...... Why did Buddy Holly , Waylon Jennings and others come from such a quiet town, well off the beaten path to disrupt the entire world of music with two quite different revolutions? Buddy Holly was a big influence on the Beatles and Rock and Roll. Waylon got Willie and Tompall to come to Luckenbach and made some history changing Country and Western.... Both of their music shifts hold up and sound fresh with my morning coffee.. (Yes, Waylon played with Buddy Holly, but the sound and genre are quite different)

Ordinary Americans, Ordinary towns.

What intriguing new things will come forth to challenge and change the established order?.

What happens next? Isn't that the great American Adventure?

What do you see happening? What's the next great revolution?

Holding My Breath

Michele Malkin reports on those still holding their breath over internet blogging bullies. This topic has gotten lots more coverage than I would have thought. It seems that everyone has an opinion and an pinion about everyone elses opinion... Her are some of Michele's

The techblogging elite, liberal femme bloggers, and their friends in the MSM are still yammering amongst themselves about the Kathy Sierra incident. Bloggers' code of conduct. Civility badges. Blah blah blah.

Big props to Mary Katharine Ham for calling out the one-eyed, left-wing women bloggers (who still won't admit their blind spot) and for demonstrating tough, but civil disagreement by example. Brava.

Salon's Joan Walsh argued on Howard Kurtz's TV show that it didn't really matter that she failed to mention female hate-mongers like "Sandpaper sn**ch" Jane Hamsher or the racist, sexist ping-pong ball jokers at Wonkette because I received "plenty of attention" when I've pointed out vulgarity aimed at conservative women.

Really? I don't remember The Guardian asking Kate O'Beirne to pen an op-ed for them about Hamsher's filthy attack on her. No one put our pictures in the NYTimes for weathering epithets, sexist putdowns and death threats--many of which, unlike Sierra's, were signed and endorsed by major bloggers--and not just random, obscure, anonymous commenters.

Walsh also argued that the reason she decided to pay attention to misogyny in the blogosphere now is because Sierra is a "techblogger" trying to "make the web a better community."

As opposed to us Christofascist wingnut women bloggers who deserve what we get because we're just trying to use the web to spread poisonous conservative ideas...

***

Here's a review of my "code of conduct" on how to cope with Internet threats:

1) Report the serious threats to law enforcement.
2) Keep blogging.

***

Previous:

A message to the techblogging elite

Everybody has got to take a deep breath and relax.... This ain't the end of the world nor is it even THAT important. We all grew up in a blog-less world. They aren't gonna regulate us out of existence. It's only about the undisciplined, untrained and rude who would be bullies.

UPDATE: Cory Doctorow shows us how everone wants to be a lawyer or play one...

Permission to Breathe

The NYTimes continues the saga of benighted bloggers beset by beasties and what they propose to do about it.... For those who are fans of "Red Dwarf" the discussion is familiar. For the fans of Douglas Adams and "Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy" the needs only Zaphod to leaven it.... As usual with all exerpts, the highlights and comments are mine...

The conversational free-for-all on the Internet known as the blogosphere can be a prickly and unpleasant place. Now, a few high-profile figures in high-tech are proposing a blogger code of conduct to clean up the quality of online discourse.

Last week, Tim O’Reilly, a conference promoter and book publisher who is credited with coining the term Web 2.0, began working with Jimmy Wales, creator of the communal online encyclopedia Wikipedia, to create a set of guidelines to shape online discussion and debate.

Chief among the recommendations is that bloggers consider banning anonymous comments left by visitors to their pages and be able to delete threatening or libelous comments without facing cries of censorship. (What next a secret blacklist to identify scurrilous scribes? Alliteration is running deep today-AJ)

A recent outbreak of antagonism among several prominent bloggers “gives us an opportunity to change the level of expectations that people have about what’s acceptable online,” said Mr. O’Reilly, who posted the preliminary recommendations last week on his company blog (radar.oreilly.com). Mr. Wales then put the proposed guidelines on his company’s site (blogging.wikia.com), and is now soliciting comments in the hope of creating consensus around what constitutes civil behavior online.(Go-! Comment- Speak your bit. Please do.-AJ)

Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Wales talk about creating several sets of guidelines for conduct and seals of approval represented by logos. For example, anonymous writing might be acceptable in one set; in another, it would be discouraged. Under a third set of guidelines, bloggers would pledge to get a second source for any gossip or breaking news they write about. (Gee... One would think that honesty and common sense would prevail. However, holding bloggers to a higher standard than the NYTimes, WAPost, Reuters or AP seems a bit unfair. At least the blogging community polices itself and most bloggers will correct shortly after being notified. The same cannot be said for the larger Media-O-Sphere-AJ )

Bloggers could then pick a set of principles and post the corresponding badge on their page, to indicate to readers what kind of behavior and dialogue they will engage in and tolerate. The whole system would be voluntary, relying on the community to police itself. ( When the BIG guys do it, then the little will follow.-AJ )

A subtext of both sets of rules is that bloggers are responsible for everything that appears on their own pages, including comments left by visitors. They say that bloggers should also have the right to delete such comments if they find them profane or abusive. (Why does this deserve a loud "Duh"... "No Sheep Sherlock" as we said about the Blinding Flash of the Obvious in grade school-AJ)

That may sound obvious, but many Internet veterans believe that blogs are part of a larger public sphere, and that deleting a visitor’s comment amounts to an assault on their right to free speech. It is too early to gauge support for the proposal, but some online commentators are resisting. ()I wonder where these same folks stand on the War With No Name? Will these dhimmies seek permission to live and breathe-? How do they choose to shop, dine, travel? AJ)

Mr. O’Reilly said the guidelines were not about censorship. “That is one of the mistakes a lot of people make — believing that uncensored speech is the most free, when in fact, managed civil dialogue is actually the freer speech,” he said. “Free speech is enhanced by civility.”

The Rules At This Lemonade Stand:

1) Be polite.
2) I will try not to be boring.
3) I am responsible for goes up here.
4) If you don't like the rules go set up your own stand.
5) Nothing is free. See #1 and #2 above. When in doubt see #3 & #4

Yale Law Professors have a wordy discussion about the similar issues of AutoAdmit and related scurrilous blog commentators. Prof Althouse adds some thoughts

Here's a big write-up on the codification efforts in the NYT:

A subtext of both sets of rules is that bloggers are responsible for everything that appears on their own pages, including comments left by visitors.

This is a terribly damaging idea that would stultify debate. But I do think bloggers need to respond and delete when they are notified about certain things, like threats of violence, clear libel, and the fraudulent appropriation of a person's name.

[The codifiers] say that bloggers should also have the right to delete such comments if they find them profane or abusive.

Should? Obviously, we do have this right! I think the point must be that other people don't have the right to criticize a blogger who deletes something if it's whatever The Code ends up saying is deletable. But that is absurd. If there is a code defining deletability, people will argue about whether the standard of deletability is met and also -- not everyone will subscribe to The Code -- about how deleting is repressive. And, of course, there will be assertions of selective deletion -- that is, people will accuse the blogger of only deleting the profane/abusive comments that go against the blogger's ideology. And these accusations will probably be correct. But we'll have to argue about whether they are correct.

Won't that be fascinating?

She then cites some familiar voices:

As you can see from Memeorandum (and as you would predict), a lot of bloggers are writing about the NYT article. Here's Captain Ed:

This is one of those well-intentioned but doomed reform efforts that sound reasonable but will have no chance of changing anything. Before the reform leaves the dock, it has already split into several "standards", which will cause confusion on which logo means what rules and under which circumstances. Bloggers and commenters will have to look for logos, and then will endlessly argue over each individual post or comment as to whether it meets the guidelines....

Most of us came into the blogosphere to get away from editorial restrictions imposed by others. We allow our own judgments and values to guide our publications. That may result in some bruised feelings from time to time, but our readers make the decision as to whether we have met their editorial guidelines, and that should be good enough in a free market.

Ntodd -- who is always saying mean things about me! -- says:

Why do we need any "recommendations" from the leading lights of Web2.0? The whole point of blogging is to bring personal styles and thoughts to bear, not to follow some guidelines that wicked smart people who earn money doing consulting think up.

Oh yeah, sure, they're soliciting comments, like this will be some big Come To Blogger Jesus thing and we'll all talk about our feelings, sing Kumbaya, tearfully hug each other at the end of camp and promise to write each other. Then as soon as Mom and Dad pick up us, we'll promptly go back to our old lives and friends and forget about Tim and Jimmy and the cute girl--you know, whatsername--in Tent #4 and the camp mascot dog, Sadie.

Virgil Libertas calls the NYT "Miss Blog-o-Manners" and tells it to "go piss up a rope."

It is nice to see the Times has its eyes firmly on the important issues of our day, rather than unpleasant shit like Iraq, or Afghanistan, or Darfur....

Now that I think about it, the NYT really has an interest in siding with the blog-o-niceness movement. Bloggers are a threat to the Times in part because we can do so many things that a mainstream newspaper can't. So wouldn't it be great if we were stuck with their standards? Stop being vicious and wild! Write like the NYT, and maybe people will just read the NYT. (Anything to get some readers-AJ)

Here's Dan Drezner:

I hereby predict it will go nowhere...

The one fascinating thing about [NYT writer Brad] Stone's story is what's not in it. Despite endless complaints about rising partisanship in the blogosphere, no example was given of declining civility in the poliitical [sic] blogosphere. That doesn't mean it's not happening, of course, but it's still surpring that Stone failed to offer up such an example.

I hope people wake up and notice how the Kathy Sierra story is being leveraged (something I talked about here). A woman received real threats of violence. Those threats are criminal, and Sierra's case is being handled by the police, as well it should be. Nasty, cruel, ugly, unfair, mocking, abusive speech is a completely different matter. Anyone who blends the two subjects is selling out free speech and should be called on it right away. This repressive movement is gaining momentum. Be alarmed now, before it digs in any further.

Anyone who wants to write a nice, well-mannered blog with a kindly, benevolent comments section is welcome to do it. But if they also want to stigmatize cutting, mocking, aggressive speech, I'm going to aggressively cut and mock them. Of course, they have the freedom to try to stigmatize the bloggers like me who don't want to be nice, but all they can really do is be nice, nice, nice themselves. And readers will decide for themselves who they want to read.

If you've followed the discussion this far, I'll toss back in a reminder about the Rules .

The Rules At This Lemonade Stand:

1) Be polite.
2) I will try not to be boring.
3) I am responsible for goes up here.
4) If you don't like the rules go set up your own stand.
5) Nothing is free. See #1 and #2 above. When in doubt see #3 & #4

Getting "wrapped around the axel" over the rights of commentators vs the rights of the blog owner vs threats of violence vs Free Speech is just spinning readers in circles. People who will not defend their ownership rights will lose them. Those who will defend their rights find the strength to help others in their struggle. This dynamic is a foundation for civilization. That this needs explaining, clarification, expansion and defending shows why we have many enemies who doubt our willingness to be strong enough to survive a test or ten. Yes, it does relate to the "War With No Name". This is ultimately a war about our civilization

If the blog owner is not responsible for is posted the audience will flee. If the blog owner surrenders to abuse and trash, the audience will flee. If the blog owner chooses to publish abuse and trash, the audience will flee.

The marketplace of ideas like any other marketable commodity will go to those who provide value for expenditure. Abuse and trash are common. People will not seek it out and will shun places where it grows wild.

UPDATE: I LOVE THE INTERNET-!

Scrappleface offers civility offsets for those who absolutely positively feel they must abuse and trash others.... Send em money via Paypal.....
I Love this country. Every problem is a profit opportunity

UPDATE:
LGF shows what happens when the abusers slip thru the screen. He reasonably asks if you would want this on your blog. I ask, would you bother to read it?

Slashdot.com weighs in with a report. I guess everyone has an opinion about the cnsorship-civility divide.