From Where I Sit

This is what I posted on Daily Kos last week. Thought I'd share it here too: Ever since the system of representative government (a.k.a. “democracy”) became the government system of choice in most the Western World, we have come to assume that it is “a government for the people by the people,” as was eloquently expressed by Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. We need more leaders and less politicians! If I were the type to go out and picket or blandish placards at some demonstration or other, this is the one that I would carry. The United States is a republican democracy, where the citizens choose the leaders of their country. The word "republic" is derived from the Latin phrase res publica, which can be translated as "a public affair." A republic in the modern understanding is a nation or state where the people are sovereign. (Wikipedia). A representative democracy that emphasizes individual liberty is called a liberal democracy. This also is a characterist...

WhiteHouse.gov Releases Open Source Code | The White House

Yesterday I tried to attend a GoToMeeting sponsored by a State agency, and couldn't under my Ubuntu 9.10 OS, because GoToMeeting, which is a Citrix app, only supports Microsoft and (just recently) Mac operating systems! I almost feel discriminated against for being a Linux user and not "falling in line" under the Microsoft empire. I'm lucky that even tho my workplace is a MS Windows shop, I'm allowed to use my own OS & accompanying software, mostly because I'm sort of a test case at this point. I already sent an irate (but polite :)) email to the Citrix folks expressing my frustration, and I received a no less polite reply from them expressing that they do not support "open source" systems, sorry for the inconvenience, blah-blah-blah. I request that at least they allow non-Windows/Mac users to ATTEND--if not organize--these online meetings, since it's free to do so anyway. But I don't think they really care if there are some "out...

I'm so glad to have this cool place to hang out here in this little town of Covington. Every town needs such a place, "where everybody knows your name." We come here often, to sit & read, or to get online (free wifi), accompanied by a great cup of coffee, or a glass of wine, and if the mood strikes, by a scrumptious piece of cake, baked on the premises by a very talented chef. Or one may sometimes want a bread bowl of soup. Oh, did I say that they bake their own breads too? It just so happens that the owner (Charlie) also owns the only real bakery in town, where the most delicious specialty breads come out every day. He makes all kinds of breads: sourdough, foccacia, whole grain, cinnamon, nut, etc. Also muffins, pizzas and everything baked! Then he brings some to the coffee shop--mostly run by his wife Linda--where they complement the other exquisite food offerings. The people who run it are oh so very nice, making one feel right at home. I love to see places like th...