Comments on: Lawrence Lessig’s Corruption http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/ on freedom, entrepreneurship, web development and perspective Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:24:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: agar http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-722 agar Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:07:50 +0000 http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-722 This is just a test. Please delete it This is just a test. Please delete it

]]> By: Vera http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-108 Vera Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:53:22 +0000 http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-108 (((ben))) ...just a little extra 'padding' between you and those rocks. Thanks for the elucidation. I can read the list in your comment as a way of saying that it has always been thus. I also confess to thinking you were making a political statement. Since I'm one of the least politically aligned people I know, despite having always voted as well as worked on political campaigns from time to time over the years, I'll contribute my 'mea culpa' as further evidence of the problem. Not being able to 'climb out of' a problem makes it that much more difficult to even discuss, let alone solve. (((ben))) …just a little extra ‘padding’ between you and those rocks.

Thanks for the elucidation. I can read the list in your comment as a way of saying that it has always been thus. I also confess to thinking you were making a political statement. Since I’m one of the least politically aligned people I know, despite having always voted as well as worked on political campaigns from time to time over the years, I’ll contribute my ‘mea culpa’ as further evidence of the problem. Not being able to ‘climb out of’ a problem makes it that much more difficult to even discuss, let alone solve.

]]> By: ben http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-107 ben Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:28:02 +0000 http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-107 Thanks for asking… I’m getting by, I guess you could say. I’ve been feeling remarkably well given my expectations and circumstances, but life is as always filled with rocks, shoals, and eddies. The point to my initial comment - which I believe was missed, probably because I framed it poorly - is pretty much in line with what’s already been said, that there is too much political context to… pretty damn much everything here. If I’m going to re-frame, though, I need to be in a better headspace than this. :( Thanks for asking… I’m getting by, I guess you could say. I’ve been feeling remarkably well given my expectations and circumstances, but life is as always filled with rocks, shoals, and eddies.

The point to my initial comment - which I believe was missed, probably because I framed it poorly - is pretty much in line with what’s already been said, that there is too much political context to… pretty damn much everything here.

If I’m going to re-frame, though, I need to be in a better headspace than this. :(

]]> By: Vera http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-106 Vera Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:07:46 +0000 http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-106 Hi Ben, how are you? Hello goldenpres. I am not, as you note, goldenpres, discussing American party politics in my post. The topic is the inappropriateness of political indoctrination in schools. I do have more personal experience than most North Americans of what such a practice can do to the minds and lives of people (and of children). Aside from the Soviet knowledge, I also know a good number of Canadians who obtained their secondary education, accompanied by a full set of left wing political beliefs, in Amercian universities. When I lived and worked in the US I met far more conservatives, as a percentage, than I have here, while our population of liberal American expats, in a tradition established by draft dodgers during the Vietnam war, continues to grow. Both of your parties profess to care greatly about freedom in a global context. The Republican administration is conducting a war which is justified, in part, by concern for the freedom of non-terrorist residents of the Middle East. The Democratic party members are faster to any photo op related to world hunger and peace than politicians anywhere, including here in Canada or in Europe. Whether these declarations of caring about freedom outside of the US are genuine or not matters less than whether the concerns for and belief in freedom within the US are real. I could spend 100 hours a day reading Democratic criticism of Republicans and vice versa, and I could spend the same amount of time looking for non-partisan discussion of issues and find little or none. Based on my own knowledge and experience, I lay this first at the feet of academia, before money and before media. We live with the same issues in Canada, and tolerate even less public conversation about them. By the same token, I can't imagine a Canadian academic publishing such propaganda in the name of scholarship. Hi Ben, how are you? Hello goldenpres.

I am not, as you note, goldenpres, discussing American party politics in my post. The topic is the inappropriateness of political indoctrination in schools. I do have more personal experience than most North Americans of what such a practice can do to the minds and lives of people (and of children). Aside from the Soviet knowledge, I also know a good number of Canadians who obtained their secondary education, accompanied by a full set of left wing political beliefs, in Amercian universities. When I lived and worked in the US I met far more conservatives, as a percentage, than I have here, while our population of liberal American expats, in a tradition established by draft dodgers during the Vietnam war, continues to grow.

Both of your parties profess to care greatly about freedom in a global context. The Republican administration is conducting a war which is justified, in part, by concern for the freedom of non-terrorist residents of the Middle East. The Democratic party members are faster to any photo op related to world hunger and peace than politicians anywhere, including here in Canada or in Europe. Whether these declarations of caring about freedom outside of the US are genuine or not matters less than whether the concerns for and belief in freedom within the US are real.

I could spend 100 hours a day reading Democratic criticism of Republicans and vice versa, and I could spend the same amount of time looking for non-partisan discussion of issues and find little or none. Based on my own knowledge and experience, I lay this first at the feet of academia, before money and before media. We live with the same issues in Canada, and tolerate even less public conversation about them. By the same token, I can’t imagine a Canadian academic publishing such propaganda in the name of scholarship.

]]> By: goldenpres http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-105 goldenpres Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:42:28 +0000 http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-105 Without getting into the substance of Ben’s comment, it obviously has nothing to do with the subject of the post. That subject being the politicization of teaching and academics in the U.S. Most non-Americans would find it difficult to grasp that virtually everything in the U.S. is political. College campuses have been hotbeds of political activity almost from their inception. The mandates that accompany federal dollars given to the public schools have politicized those schools as well. The socialist ideology, dominant on the higher education levels, has, over the past 2 decades, come out of the closet and into the light of day with the ubiquitousness and virulence of influenza. Non-Americans are not, by definition, wrapped up in American politics. They do not have American conservative voices on their radios, daily pointing out the foibles, plots, and schemes of liberals to turn the U.S. into a socialist utopia. Nor do they need any. It ain’t their country. Also, one point of correction. The U.S. government is not a Democracy. The U.S. government is a Constitutional Republic. If the U.S. government was a Democracy, Al Gore would be the president. Among other bad consequences. Without getting into the substance of Ben’s comment, it obviously has nothing to do with the subject of the post. That subject being the politicization of teaching and academics in the U.S.
Most non-Americans would find it difficult to grasp that virtually everything in the U.S. is political. College campuses have been hotbeds of political activity almost from their inception. The mandates that accompany federal dollars given to the public schools have politicized those schools as well.
The socialist ideology, dominant on the higher education levels, has, over the past 2 decades, come out of the closet and into the light of day with the ubiquitousness and virulence of influenza.
Non-Americans are not, by definition, wrapped up in American politics. They do not have American conservative voices on their radios, daily pointing out the foibles, plots, and schemes of liberals to turn the U.S. into a socialist utopia.
Nor do they need any. It ain’t their country.
Also, one point of correction. The U.S. government is not a Democracy. The U.S. government is a Constitutional Republic.
If the U.S. government was a Democracy, Al Gore would be the president. Among other bad consequences.

]]> By: ben http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-104 ben Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:38:57 +0000 http://verabass.com/2007/10/15/lawrence-lessigs-corruption/#comment-104 What most foreign observers are likely to miss is that for the past hundred years, the body politic in the States has responded most effectively to fearmongering - starting in 1900 with respect to McKinley’s support for overt imperialism, and present in every election since. Notable examples from presidential elections: Wilson “kept us out of war” in 1916 Blame games at the Republicans’ expense in 1932 The “Do Nothing” and anti-union 80th Congress in 1948 “Daisies” in 1964 The “War on Drugs” in 1972 The “Revolving Door” of 1988 Anything that can be presented in a political context will often be presented in the light most unflattering to the nominal speaker’s political adversaries, and it’s become so commonplace that people don’t know what to do when asked to evaluate parties or candidates strictly on issues and policy positions. Dukakis’ attempt to do exactly that in ‘88 resulted in a major trouncing. …Nor do I see any change likely. Democracy, as they say, gives us the government we deserve. What most foreign observers are likely to miss is that for the past hundred years, the body politic in the States has responded most effectively to fearmongering - starting in 1900 with respect to McKinley’s support for overt imperialism, and present in every election since. Notable examples from presidential elections:
Wilson “kept us out of war” in 1916
Blame games at the Republicans’ expense in 1932
The “Do Nothing” and anti-union 80th Congress in 1948
“Daisies” in 1964
The “War on Drugs” in 1972
The “Revolving Door” of 1988
Anything that can be presented in a political context will often be presented in the light most unflattering to the nominal speaker’s political adversaries, and it’s become so commonplace that people don’t know what to do when asked to evaluate parties or candidates strictly on issues and policy positions. Dukakis’ attempt to do exactly that in ‘88 resulted in a major trouncing.
…Nor do I see any change likely. Democracy, as they say, gives us the government we deserve.

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