Below The Fold

by Brien Jackson

I’m admittedly amused by Glennzilla’s snark, but at the same time, I think it behooves progressives not to let the coverage/commenting on this story get too far away from the facts. It might be the case that it’s very fun to point out that Harman was a strenuous defender of the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program, but that just opens the door for accusations of “counter-hypocrisy,” and devolves the issue into ideological squabbling that the media will not take a side on. So with that in mind, it seems important to keep a couple facts front and center when discussing the story.

As far as we know based on what’s been reported, the information was not gathered under the NSA wiretapping program, but rather by a legal, appoved, surveillance operation authorized by a warrant. Similarly, Harman was not under surveillance, rather the person she was talking to was being bugged, as part of the investigation into Steven Rosen and Lee Weisman allegedly passing state secrets to Israel. With that in mind, Harman’s public defense amounts to little more than spin designed to muddy the public’s understanding of the issue and to create additional, unwarranted controversy. Progressives should be adamantly frustrating those attempts, fun as it may be to do otherwise.

Technorati Tags: Jane Harman

I am in the midst of my second straight year of unemployment, the price I pay for being a management type over 50 in a down economy, and I have admittedly been depressed off and on since it all began.

There is no light at the end of the tunnel yet, and my savings are running out, but there is some reason for cheer.

A network has actually expressed some interest in an idea for a documentary/political reality show I have developed. Getting someone to listen is actually the hardest thing, and I have at least crossed that most difficult threshold.

Beyond that, even the small interest being shown gives me something of a release because I CREATED SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE AT A NETWORK LIKES!

It will probably never go much beyond discussion, but it gives a glimmer of hope.

The last time I was here I began to discuss what comes after capitalism, or at least what will be the next phase of capitalism in the United States as we watch as technology increases industrial capacity and decreases the demand for labor. The Japanese have made great strides in robotics applied to house cleaning and other tasks that might go to low paid workers — and even highly paid factory workers!

New developments in technology are going to make “the office” disappear and along with it jos in commercial real estate, fast food, office supplies and automobiles.

Yes, as technology advances exponentially, we all will have more lesiure time, and we’ll have to get paid for it if we are to keep consuming…

The outlines of this new relaity are becoming clearer to me, and I want to discuss them here.

I apologize for giving in to depression and staying away, but I’m back and I hope to stay!

– Writeside

Technorati Tags: capitalism, unemployment