Allright, so Amelia wasn’t having dinner with me, although with my extremely extended absence from this blog, it certainly seems plausible.  A lot has been changing in my life, and I’d like to bring everyone up to speed.

• In July, I moved to small-town Georgia (about an hour East of Macon)
• In nine days, I will be getting married
• I’ve been dealing with personal issues that required the assistance of a psychiatrist. (Hey, I never claimed I wasn’t crazy.)
• My mother passed away in August, and I have been dealing with the grief process
• I’ve – ultimately – been finally approaching that point in one’s life where one sits back, shakes their head in amazement, and finally realized that Corinthians I had hit at last (“…when I became a man, I put aside childish things”).

My life, ultimately, has changed for the better, although this period of time was not without its negatives.  The loss of my mother was a defining moment in my life.  She was truly my best friend, and my closest confidant.  The fact that it happened so soon after my moving out of my parents’ home, and several states away, made it all the harder.  This, combined with pre-existing issues, led me to consult with the wonderful individuals at my local rubber room. (A joke.  I have never undergone
inpatient psychiatric care.  I have merely been being treated for depression as a standard office-visit type patient.)  Fortunately, I have met a wonderful woman, and in nine days, we are to be married.

What does this mean for MindSpeak?  Hopefully not too much of a change.  Since I have moved out of Texas, I will be moving more towards a broader political base, including more national and international politics, as well as a fair bit of Georgia politics.  Yes, I certainly intend to continue blogging about the Texas political arena, and I hope to remain a member of the Texas Progressive Alliance, as well as potentially forming a similar group of bloggers for the Georgia progressives.  Additionally,
I hope to ask my wife to begin blogging here, as well.  She shares many of my political views, and – in fact – is a bit more liberal than I am, overall.  I think her voice would be a welcome change around here.

When is all of this going to take place?  Sometime after the start of the year.  During the next week, I will be moving servers (the change should be seamless, and the blog should not go down).  Towards the middle of January, I hope to be into a routine where blogging will have a specific portion of my day dedicated.  As I have multiple blogs, I hope to – again – have a defined schedule of updates (i.e. every mon, wed, fri, etc).  Given that I will be blogging only a specific number
of days per week, I am considering doing specific topics on specific days.  In example, Monday: Texas Politics, Wedensday: Georgia Politics, Friday: National/International Politics.

Ultimately, I’m not certain how this will all turn out, but I do know that MindSpeak will make a comeback!  I hope to see you around, once it does!

From Bush’s recent radio address on the federal marriage amendment:

In our free society, people have the right to choose how they live their lives. And in a free society, decisions about such a fundamental social institution as marriage should be made by the people

…we’re in a free society?

Another portion:

These court decisions could have an impact on our whole Nation. The Defense of Marriage Act declares that no state is required to accept another state’s definition of marriage. If that act is overturned by activist courts, then marriages recognized in one city or state might have to be recognized as marriages everywhere else.

Perhaps not.  There’s no legal statute that requires states to recognize traditional marriages made in another state.  They just simply do it.  To the best of my knowledge (and I did a few searches to double-check), there exists NO law requiring that one state recognize a man and woman’s marriage that was made in another state.  They simply do. *shrug*

Read the entire entry …

John Courage, who’s running for Texas Congressional District 21, put out a press release last week lambasting his opponent, Lamar Smith, for voting against the Internet Freedom and Discrimination Act of 2006, which requires broadband providers to adhere to Network Neutrality rules.

Smith, who claims a residence in Bexar County but spends most of his time on Cape Cod, practices Christian Science and is a Yale alumni.

In his press release, John Courage had this to say about Smith:

“Smith’s vote sends a clear message to his constituents that he believes it is acceptable for major providers to monopolize access to the Internet. Smith either does not understand that people’s access to the Internet is in danger, or just does not care. His vote against Net Neutrality underscores his disconnect from his constituents who use the Internet everyday.”

In his opposition to the bill, Smith said he would prefer “to leave these decisions to the courts to work out on a case-by-case basis under the anti-trust law”. So much for tort reform reducing the strain on the courts, eh? He also complained that the bill is too regulatory, and could “put a straightjacket on this important sector of the economy”. Important meaning, of course, that all the big boys (see Eric’s list below) will have a stranglehold on it and boast record profits, while small businesses will have more of a struggle breaking into the market.

Courage also recognized the Save the Internet campaign:

The SavetheInternet.com Coalition launched a little over a month ago, the group’s spokesman said. Â Since then, more than 700 groups “spanning the political spectrum” have joined, including MoveOn.org, the Christian Coalition, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Gun Owners of America, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the American Library Association, and Craig Newmark of Craigslist.

It should also be noted that Smith opposes all efforts to offer any form of legal status to immigrants who have entered the country illegally, and in September of 2005 a fax intended for Karl Rove was intercepted in which Lamar Smith stated:

“Immigration needs to be considered in the context of: (1). Media Bias, (2). Animosity toward the president and (3) the feelings of the Republican base.”

Smith also suggests that “Liberals can easily and accurately be painted as opposing enforcement.”

Burnt Orange Report has published a list of the 234 native Texans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Please take time today to reflect on the sacrifices they’ve made for us, and pray for comfort for their families and friends.

Everyone welcome Wyld Card, our first true guest blogger.  Wyld Card is a progressive political blogger that not only maintains his own blog (Sharpening our Wits on the Grindstone of Life), but also guest blogs for other members of the TPA (Peoples’ Republic of Seabrook), as well.

I honestly don’t know that much about Wyld Card, aside from reading his blog, but I am familiar with his work, and am certain he’ll be a welcome addition around here.  I’ll let him do his own bio post, if he wishes.  Ya’ll welcome Wyld Card to the mix.

(As usual, we are still accepting guest bloggers, for more information, contact.)

This year promises some exciting political coverage, and it’s becoming apparent to the mainstream media that they won’t be the only ones providing it. The Houston Chronicle published an article today about how bloggers are shaping the face of politics these days.

“In the presidential primary, it’s all going to be on the blogs, that’s where it’s happening and that is where the early narratives on the election are all going to be laid out,” said Mathew Gross, a political consultant who was Dean’s director of Internet communications. “It’s a small pool of people, but they are very active.”

The bloggers’ audience is large and growing along with the Internet. A February Gallup poll found that 40 million Americans read weblogs frequently or occasionally. About 147 million Americans are Internet users, up from 133 million in January 2005, according to a recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

“The reach of top blogs rival the reach of regional papers,” Gross said. “If we are to believe what the Boston Globe has to say about a presidential race, it follows that clearly some of these blogs with a reach equal to the Boston Globe online will influence elections.”

So the days of Walter Cronkite giving everyone their opinions are gone, and are being replace with voices like the Bloggers Caucus at this years Texas Democratic Convention, Texas Kos, the heavy hitters in the Texas Progressive Alliance, and Mindspeak’s host, Eric. And the political power wielded by these voices is becoming considerable. In a recent Washington Post article, Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos blasted Hillary Clinton for losing touch with her peeps:

“No longer would D.C. insiders impose their candidates on us without our input; those of us in the netroots could demand a say in our political fortunes,” Moulitsas said. “Today, however, Hillary Clinton seems unable to recognize this new reality. She seems ill-equipped to tap into the Net-energized wing of her party. … She may be the establishment’s choice, but real power in the party has shifted.”

And it appears that those on the left are wielding the power with more vigor that the right-wingers, possibly because those on the right are so busy defending their party’s mistakes and ethical lapses. Or maybe just because they’re afraid of all things new.

Keir Murray, a Houston political strategist who worked on retired Gen. Wesley Clark’s 2004 presidential campaign, said he views the Web as the emerging center of political activity.

“You see more and more campaigns using the widely read blogs to disseminate information, either about their opponent or their issues, and that’s critical,” he said. “There is also a tremendous amount of fundraising that goes on online.”

But, Murray said, while cyberspace is novel, there is still virtue in the old ways.

“Yard signs are still a powerful and effective political statement,” he said.

So plant your yard signs, you hangers-on to the past ways. Progressives are plowing through cyberspace at the speed of electrons, and getting information to the masses. The days of the dinosaur are numbered.

Posted by Wyld Card

Meet Edolphus Towns.  Mr Towns represents the 10th district, in New York State.  Congressman Towns has sold out his constituents, and the Internet.

Congressman towns voted against the Markey Amendment to the COPE Act, just like Congressman Green.  Just like Congressman Green, Towns was paid off by several telecommunications companies.  Let’s take a look at him, step by step, year by year, shall we?

2006:  In the 2006 election, Congressman Towns has received the following contributions, thus far (as of April 20th):

• Verizon Communications: $7,000
• AT&T INC: $5,000
• National Cable & Telecommunications Association: $5,000
• US Telecommunications Association: $4,000
• Time Warner (a major broadband provider): $3,000
• 2006 TOTAL: $24,000

$24,000 from telecommunications and cable providers, so far, this year…  Let’s continue with the 2004 election:

Read the entire entry …

I realize I’m taking a step back from the education issue, and many other important issues (like the immigrant walk-out, today). It’s for a good reason, though.

For starters, do you know how net neutrality will affect you? Let’s begin:

Google users—Another search engine could pay dominant Internet providers like AT&T to guarantee the competing search engine opens faster than Google on your computer.

Innovators with the “next big idea”—Startups and entrepreneurs will be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay Internet providers for dominant placing on the Web. The little guy will be left in the “slow lane” with inferior Internet service, unable to compete.

Ipod listeners—A company like Comcast could slow access to iTunes, steering you to a higher-priced music service that it owned.

But wait, there’s more…

Read the entire entry …

Congress is now pushing a law that would end the free and open Internet as we know it. Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet’s First Amendment and the key to Internet freedom. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. So Amazon doesn’t have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer.

Many members of Congress take campaign contributions from these companies, and they don’t think the public are paying attention to this issue. Let’s show them we care – please sign this petition today. Let them know..

I know I haven’t been around too much, lately, folks. I know you all expected a huge follow-up to my Congressman Green outing. Well, there is one. It’s coming. I’m compiling the data, right now. What am I going to do?

I’m going to out:

• Ed Towns (NY-10)
• Al Wynn (MD-04)
• Charlie Gonzalez (TX-20)
• and Bobby Rush (IL-01)

for the back-stabbing, sell-outs they are.

Spread the word. Tomorrow, the truth is revealed.