September 2007 archive

My two allotted essays today are going to focus on two pieces of the puzzle picture that is the progressive netroots movement.

This essay is going to review the essential questions that have been put forth of progressive blog authors about attributes, membership, functions, mission and agenda of the progressive netroots movement.

I am also requesting that you provide blockquotes and hyperlinks to pertinent comments across progressive blogs that you frequent in the comment thread here, so that they may be added to the body of this post as they are discovered.  The intent is to provide a broader and deeper range of coverage of questions which are important, fundamental and germane to a foundational wide discussion about the progressive netroots movement.

A caveat:  I am acting solely as a group facilitator in this endeavor.  I don’t have any interest, knowledge or aim at setting myself in a leadership role in the progressive netroots movement, whatever that entity is. I do have project management and leadership skills from my former career, and to the extent that I am still able, I am interested and willing to share them as a single framework within which to move forward.  You don’t have to participate.  You don’t have to agree with the framework.  It’s simply a tool and skill set that I’m sharing for your elective use.  Please don’t continue to accuse me of trying to usurp a leadership role.  There is a clear distinction between facilitating a process and leading an organization, movement or entity.  I am engaging in the former.

The sole reason that I am presenting concepts and examples of project management is that I continue to see stagnation in blogs, disaffection with the status quo, a deep frustration in the disconnect between the actions of s/elected representatives and the polled will of “we, the people”, and finally, it’s about the only “thing” I have left to be able to contribute.  Like the drummer boy, I’m just making some noise and hope that it has some utility. If it has no value for you, please ignore it and don’t condemn me for offering it.

Prior to tonight’s debate on MSNBC, let’s see how things are shaping up on the Democratic side here at DD.

Hieronymus Bush:

With the theme being psychedelia in all it’s glorious forms I was reminded of one of my favorite artists who really wrote the book on psychedelic visions.  Hieronymus Bosch 1450-1516 created the piece to the right which I then bastardized in the fine tradition of other masters.

My favorite professor told me a story about a young artist that wanted to become a great artist.  He went to a master painter and asked him for a sketch.  The master painter agreed and handed over a study for an existing painting.  The young artist went to his studio and erased each one of the master’s lines.  Then, as if to say no no no, crossed out each of the erased lines of the master with his own lines in black charcoal.

full size image

Ban me after this if you feel the need, but in truth, this really isn’t about this site. It is, in the end, about my support of the Democratic party.

I/P is banned. Why? Because the subject offends sensitivities. It is the suppression of a legitimate concern, a humanitarian issue. Why? Because some do not wish for the nation causing the suffering to receive the blame it deserves. Because some find the ‘toxicity’ more offensive than human suffering. Though Dkos did not ban I/P, Dkos banned many Palestinian advocates though they had done no wrong. Same difference.