Media, News, Politics No comments yet

Help Keep The Internet Free

By ✖ the Monk ✖ on March 14th, 2010

“Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders.” – Ronald Reagan

Information is the Oxygen of the Modern Age.

Information is the Oxygen of the Modern Age.

Long before there was Google, Twitter, Facebook, Napster, a dot com bubble and even Al Gore claiming to have created the Internet, there were a couple of smart guys with a crazy idea of connecting a few computers, which at the time were the size of an average-sized living room. The first data packets were sent from UCLA to Stanford Research Institute on Oct. 29, 1969, and voilà – the Internet was born! Unfortunately, it wasn’t user friendly and it took years of headache and development to come up with the Internet we all know and love today. Even my parents, who have about a 3.5-second attention span when I talk internet jargon, could feasibly create their own blog with pictures of their grandchildren in less than an hour. Never in the history of mankind have people had such power at their finger tips.

During the Internets early development, its backbone was funded by the government and largely used by various government organizations, along with educational and research institutions. Commercial uses on that backbone were mostly prohibited, with a few rare exceptions. But the free market couldn’t be held back and eventually commercial servers and Internet Service Providers (ISP) sprung up, leading to the dot com bubble. During that time, anyone with a few dollars and a good idea could have become a millionaire over night. Continue reading Help Keep The Internet Free →

Commentary, Local 4 comments

Save Our State = American Idiots

By ✖ the Monk ✖ on March 7th, 2010

There are Americans
There are Idiots
Then there are American Idiots

Big Thanks

to the MUSE for the great film work.

Commentary, Local 1 comment

Hayes’ epic failures – let me count the ways

By ♫ the Muse ♫ on March 2nd, 2010

Ted "Epic Failure" Hayes

Ted "Epic Failure" Hayes

The anti-immigration rally held this past Saturday provided me with 2 hours of flavorful entertainment. None of the acts performed by the clowns who participated in the rally were more entertaining than that of Theodore Hayes.

Researching and reading about Hayes’ previous work, the 58-year-old has an impressive resume. Since the 1980s, he has centered most of his energies as a homeless activist. One of his biggest achievements was founding Dome Village, a project to reduce homelessness in L.A. while at the same time offering a community for people to “learn how to live in the real world.” [*]

But when he took the microphone at the rally, you wouldn’t think he was, according to The Wall Street Journal, “a totemic figure in L.A. who has long emphasized problem-solving and individual responsibility.” [*]

He was an unfocused, incoherent, inarticulate, barren and futile speaker who was apparently only invited to speak because of the color of his skin. After listening to his speech, the only reason I can think of why the Minutemen and the Save Our State folks invited this guy out was to prove to everyone that they truly aren’t racists. This effort failed since the majority of Hayes’ speech – if you want to call it that – was focused on the issue of race. Was this necessary after the Minutemen, Save Our State folks, Councilman Bob Kellar and other supporters spent the past few weeks defending that their cause has nothing to do with race?

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the purpose of speaking at any rally is to address the issue at hand. Speakers should offer an argument pertaining to the rally, supported by facts, data and evidence.

Hayes’ lacked every thing the Minutemen/SOS needed to help their cause. Hayes essentially went on an incoherent rant for about 10 minutes just to hear himself through the PA system. Continue reading Hayes’ epic failures – let me count the ways →

Commentary, Local No comments yet

Save Our State / Minutemen Rally Santa Clarita

By ✖ the Monk ✖ on March 2nd, 2010

I am not going to recap much more on this Rally as a whole. I didn’t however want to let all of the Muse‘s effort go to waste.  I have a few other commentaries I will probably add in the next week or so.  SCVtalk has done a marvelous job of covering this story, which can be read here.

Pastor Audie Yancy

This old school fire and brimestone Baptist preacher set off a little firestorm after the January 16th SOS rally when he prayed

First of all asking forgiveness. Forgiveness for the way we have allowed our country to be overtaken by those who are evil, those who would ruin our country rather than raise it.[*]

Pastor Yancy was up to his old tricks this last Saturday when he began yelling at the opposition from Answersla.org, at one point tell them to shut up. This caused their featured speaker George Runner to walk away from the event.

Frank Jorge

George Runner leaving caused Frank Jorge to once again blow is his stack and give this tongue lashing about George Runner. Frank Jorge temper tantrum at me.

Continue reading Save Our State / Minutemen Rally Santa Clarita →

Commentary, Local Comments turned off

More Empty Words From Gitlin

By ✖ the Monk ✖ on February 26th, 2010

“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.” — Noam Chomsky

Patriotism is the Last Refugee of a Scoundrel

Samual Johnson | Patriotism is the Last Refugee of a Scoundrel

While observing all the talking, shouting and letters written to the editor in recent days on the topic of free speech, I was reminded of the many chats I had with Dad in our family garage while I was growing up. One particular discussion stuck with me where he explained his service in the Marines protected people’s freedom to burn the America flag, but also protected his right to tell them they are wrong. My dad understood that anyone can support speech they like, but it takes a real man or woman to support speech you hate. What an amazing country we live in, allowing its citizens the freedom of thought and expression.

Roger Gitlin and the Save our State crowd are prime examples of what Samuel Johnson so eloquently stated: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Even 200 years ago, Johnson saw right though the manipulation of these self proclaimed plastic patriots who believe that dressing in red, white and blue waving American flags automatically makes their position somehow more American than others.

I never expected Gitlin or his people to understand the satire in my Feb. 6 column. I did however find it hilarious that he took my comments so literally that he felt compelled to address them individually. It was odd however when he publicly claimed not to engage in a war of words and instead enticed his followers to do his dirty work of sending in letters complaining to our friends at The Signal for him. This is not the first time Mr. Gitlin has played puppet master, either. Just a few days before the publishing of his Feb. 14 column, Save Our State launched a campaign to harass The Signal and hinder its freedom of press, not to mention attempt to get the “little bias SOB” Jonathan Randles fired. One would think self proclaimed patriots like Gitlin and the rest of his rodeo clowns believe in Jonathan Randles’ freedom of speech and The Signal’s freedom of press, but apparently Mr. Gitlin and his posse missed that day in patriot school. Continue reading More Empty Words From Gitlin →