Michael Hanscom

Enthusiastic ambivert. Geeky, liberal, friendly, curious, hopepunk; trying to be a good person. (he/him)

Howard Dean, guest blogger

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Larry Lessig, one of the top copyright lawyers in the nation (I believe), and a well-known personality in the blogosphere is going on vacation next week, and his replacement “guest blogger” is going to be none other than Howard Dean!

This is, I believe, the first time a presidential candidate has been a guest blogger. But it is an obvious extension of blogs and the process of becoming President. Campaigns are all about meeting different groups and talking about ideas. Where better than a blog?

It’ll be very interesting to see how this works out, and how much will be coming straight from Howard Dean, and how much will be coming from the Dean campaign. Either way, it’s a fascinating step for a presidential campaign to take.

To protect against any confusion about whether Governor Dean himself is writing the blog entries, he will crosspost everything that he posts on Lessig’s blog on this blog.

Looks like that should clear up any Dean/campaign staffer confusion — nicely done!

(via Escapable Logic, Jackie, Jeremy, cedar, Heiko, and Ken — okay, so I was one of the last to know…)

Debate time!

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There’s a wonderful clip from Jon Stewart’s ‘Daily Show’ online right now — a debate betwen President George W. Bush and Presidential candidate Governor George W. Bush — that is flat-out hilarious (RealPlayer video file).

(via halfast)

Jon Stewart: Since the beginning of all this “Weapons of Mass Destruction”, “regime change”, “pockets of resistance”, “targets of opportunity” business, it’s been difficult to have an honest discussion about the direction President Bush is taking this country. In fact, when you combine the new madate that criticising the Commander in Chief is off limits in wartime with last year’s official disbanding of the Democratic Party, well, we’re left at an all-time low in the “good old-fashioned honest debate” category. Now, I know you’re thinking, “But Jon, every time I want to have a calm, honest discussion about these kinds of issues, I’m shouted down and harassed by the Dixie Chicks and their ilk.” Well, tonight, it all changes. We’re going to have an open, honest debate between the President of the United States and the one man we believe has the insight and the cojones to stand up to him. So first, joining us tonight, George W. Bush, 43^rd^ President of the United States. Welcome, Mr. President.

President George W. Bush: Good evening, I’m pleased to take your questions tonight.

JS: Well, thank you very much sir, I’m pleased to ask them. Taking the other side, joining us from the year 2000, Texas Governor and Presidential candidate, George W. Bush.

Governor George W. Bush: Good evening.

JS: Thank you, Governor. Mr. President, you won the coin toss, the first question will go to you. Why is the United States of America using it’s power to change governments in foreign countries?

PGWB: We must stand up for our security, and for the permanent rights, and for the hopes of mankind. The United States of America will make that stand.

JS: Well, certainly that represents a bold new doctrine in foreign policy, Mr. President. Governor Bush, do you agree with that?

GGWB: Yeah, I, I, I, I’m not so sure the role of the United States is to go around the world and say, “this is the way it’s gotta be.”

JS: All right, well that’s interesting. Ah, well that’s a, that’s a difference of opinion, and certainly that’s what this country is about, differences of opinion — Mr. President, let me just get specific. Why are we in Iraq?

PGWB: We, we will be, um, changing the regime of Iraq, for the good of the Iraqi people.

JS: Governor, then I’d like to hear your response on that.

GGWB: If we’re an arrogant nation they’ll, they’ll resent us. I think one way for us to end up being viewed as the “ugly American” is for us to go around the world saying, “we do it this way, so should you.”

JS: Well that’s, that’s an excellent point. Um, I don’t think you can argue with that. Ah, Mr. President, is the idea to just build a new country that we like better?

PGWB: We will tear down the apparatus of terror. And we will help you to build a new Iraq, that is prosperous, and free.

GGWB: I don’t think our troops ought to be used for what’s called “nation building.”

JS: Well that’s fair enough Governor, I mean certainly that’s, that’s, you’re entitled to that. But then, Governor, answer this — how do you propose we nation build? Would you use diplomacy?

GGWB: Lemme say this to you, I wouldn’t use force, I wouldn’t use force.

JS: Well, Mr. President, clearly you’re skeptical of the Governor. Now Governor, you sound categorically against the use of force. In your time in Texas, what have you done to demonstrate your willingness to be tough?

GGWB: Well, I’ve been standing up to big Hollywood, big trial lawyers, um…what was the question, it was about emergencies, wasn’t it?

JS: No, no it wasn’t. Getting back to Iraq, Mr. President, you’re as familiar with the Governor’s record in Texas as anybody. Are you willing, are you willing, Mr. President, to trust Governor Bush with our foreign policy?

PGWB: I’m not willing to take that chance again, Jon.

JS: Strong words, from two very different men. Now, as this debate draws to a close, I need to turn to the subject of money. Much of this discussion on foreign policy is moot if we can’t afford to pay for it. So, we’re running out of time, quickly, both of you, let’s talk numbers.

PGWB: I’m sending the Congress a wartime supplemental appropriations request of 74.7 billion dollars. To fund needs directly arising from the Iraqi conflict.

JS: 74.7 billion dollars appears to be within the realm of reason. Governor?

GGWB: Obviously tonight we’re going to hear some phony numbers about what I think and what we oughtta do.

JS: Wow. That’s a little vituperative. Well on that note, I’m going to thank both George W. Bushes for taking part tonight. In keeping with our debate rules, we will end our discussion with a trite and insincere farewell, Mr. President, you are the most powerful man in the world, you go first.

PGWB: Goodnight, and may God continue to bless America.

JS: Wow — incredibly insincere. Governor, can you top that?

GGWB: Thanks, thanks from the bottom of my heart.

JS: Nice. Wow. Now, this has been, I have really enjoyed this meeting of the minds, what a historic evening. It’s really one for the vaults, if only there were a secure place to put the videotape of this for all time. Where could we put it?

Al Gore: I think it should stay in a lockbox.

JS: I’m sorry, where, where should we put it?

AG: Lockbox, lockbox, lockbox.

JS: Well, you don’t have to shout. We’ll be right back…

Too funny!

[N]echo aggregators

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There’s been something of a ruckus in the geek/tech side of the blogosphere for a few weeks now that I’ve been loosely following, but not involving myself in (primarily because much of the tech bits go far beyond what my lil’ brain can handle).

To give a very loose summary:

  • RSS (what the acronym stands for varies depending on who you ask) is a machine-readable text format that allows (among other things) websites to syndicate other websites content, and allows special programs called news aggregators to display many sites content in a single simple interface (I use NetNewsWire).
  • RSS was created by, among other people, Dave Winer.
  • Many people were not entirely happy with the functionality the RSS specification(s) offered.
  • Many of these same people, rightly or wrongly, for various reasons, do not get along with Dave.
  • Much drama regarding the RSS specification ensued.
  • A group of people decided that it was in everyone’s best interest to create a new syndication format.
  • Dave, rightly or wrongly, was less than thrilled.
  • Much more drama ensued.

And that, more or less, brings us up to where we are now. If you’re curious about any of the details (and haven’t already been either watching from the sidelines or caught in the crossfire), a few Google, Feedster, or Technorati searches for various combinations of ‘dave’, ‘winer’, ‘rss’, ‘pie’, ‘echo’ and/or ‘necho’ should give you far more information than you would probably want in the first place.

Anyway. The Necho (as I believe it’s currently called) project is coming along steadily, and while it’s still being hammered together, Necho feeds are currently starting to pop up around the ‘net. I even have one here.

What surprised me while going through my newsfeeds tonight is that Dave, while he may come across as an ass at times, is certainly not one to sit on his ass while some new technological goodie comes across his screen (even if it’s one he’s not entirely thrilled with). He announced today the ~~first~~ second aggregator that supports Necho feeds (Fredik Lundh beat him to being the first). I have to say, I’m impressed.

The ~~war~~ ~~drama~~ disagreements may very well continue for a while, but Necho does seem to be picking up steam, and whether or not Dave approves, at least he’s lending his support. Even if it’s just “for bragging rights”, the support is there, and in the end, that’s a good thing.

Haiku

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Another thing I like about the Dean campaign — they’re not afraid to have a sense of humor. Upon learning that Vermont Poet Laureate Grace Paley had lent her support to the Kuchinich campaign, the Dean campain issued this simple response to press querys:

The campaign goes on
We will one vote at a time
Take our country back

Jet-propelled sheep

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I can’t help but think that this is one sheep that I wouldn’t want to be standing behind when it passed gas…

Shaboom the sheep’s favorite meal consists of animal feed made from nitrogen-based chemicals and other dismantled gun propellants — one of the more creative uses Albuquerque company TPL Inc. is finding for unwanted military munitions.

(via Prairie)

Politician-to-English translation

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I love this from a Powell briefing in Africa:

But to think that somehow we went out of our way to insert this single sentence into the State of the Union address for the purpose of deceiving and misleading the American people is an overdrawn, overblown, overwrought conclusion.

It’s a non-denial denial!

“…went out of our way” — Who said the Bush administration ever needed to go out of its way to lie?

“…this single sentence…” — Right, the one that implied that Saddam was threatening us with nuclear weapons?

“…for the purpose of deceiving the American people…” — But for some other purpose it would be OK?

“…overdrawn, overblown, overwrought…” — Every “un” but “untrue”!

A good lawyer must have crafted that sentence, eh?

(via Lambert)

Howard Dean: Demand the truth

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Howard Dean’s statment in response to the recent revelations (confirmations?) that the premise for the war in Iraq was based on lies:

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld’s statement yesterday — that he only found out that the Niger documents were forgeries — “within recent days” was stunning.

What is now clear is that there are those in this administration that misled the President, misled the nation, and misled the world in making the case for the war in Iraq.

They know who they are. And they should resign today.

There will be investigations, and the truth will come out — the American people must know the truth — and those in this administration must be held accountable for their failure to give us the truth before we went to war.

But we do not need to wait for the investigations to rid these people from our government — they can resign on their own today.

I am now convinced more than ever that it was a mistake to have given this administration a blank check to engage in this war — as too many in Congress did when they supported the Iraqi war resolution.

The CBS report is being linked to all over the ‘net (as well it should be). Dean has set up a petition calling for the resignation of the guilty parties, and both Kuchinich and MoveOn have similar petitions.

(via Mathew Gross, Lambert, and Kos)