Most people who surf on-line believe that if they’re not authenticated into a website that they’re anonymous. Want to do a little test and find out? The EFF have created that test to see just how anonymous we truly are.
Those who follow politics no doubt are aware of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court. If you have not heard, they have overturned a 100 years of legislation history of treating corporations for what they are and what they are not. This ruling doesn’t mean that tomorrow we’re going to wake up and it’s pre-20TH Century America. What it does mean is like all holes in laws, it will be taken advantage of slowly. Through various changes in US law and changes in world market pressures we have sat by and watch the decline of the middle class. This combined with the decline in purchasing power, already has the first two parts in place for the characteristics of the Gilded Age. Though this ruling doesn’t change corporations ability to directly contribute to a candidate, it does mean they can run as many advertisements for or against a candidate as they so choose. Which is something no individual can do. Though they have the legal ability, the actual ability for an individual to match each corporations advertisement is remote at best. You don’t need to buy off a politician, when you can be sure that anyone against you can never stay in office or be elected into office. Having watched what just a restricted use of campaign funds can do to a popular senator here in this state, it isn’t much of a stretch to imagine what will happen now that corporations are fully let loose. All this to say, there is only one way to ensure that corporations cannot stifle democracy and that is to change the way the constitution views corporations. A petition to Reform The Constitution and prevent the next Gilded Age may not work, but at least it’s worth a try.
If you enjoy using FLOSS software or just are frustrated with having to download the latest proprietary bit of software to watch the latest Internet craze, Google has a page to make your voice heard. There is a lot of coverage and pressure being placed right now for Google to offer OGG support. If you want to add your say, now is the time to do it, and here is the place to do it.