Search results for "net neutrality"

Back To The Future

Lance Shields Installation: "Cosmic Kisses Illuminated"  slurl.com/secondlife/ North Dolores/202/61/23/ Flickr/creative commons

Lance Shields
Installation: “Cosmic Kisses Illuminated”
slurl.com/secondlife/ North Dolores/202/61/23/
Flickr/creative commons

My blog break turned out to be a bit longer than it should have, sorry. But if you have been following the Twitter/venusplusx feed you know I’ve been very busy with activists everywhere as we see, finally, an energizing of the forces for good despite the pain of getting to our destination. And it is and will be painful, very painful for a while, make no doubt, but there’s a new inter-sectional majority able to co-envision the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s not a mirage, it’s real. A new day is here.

More than at any point in history, our past and present are showing us what we do NOT want to bring into the future. We are now capable of uniting across the world as never before to rescue our planet from the coercive and inhmane systems which enslave us, and at the same time to build, collectively, a survivable culture comrpising humane and voluntary systems devoted to universal safety and peace. (See our Manifesto for more.)

The midwifery of our pain is delivering a new cohesiveness, a new world consciousness, an energized generation of young people who can speak with one voice. VenusPlusX’s mission calls for the end racism and sexual and gender oppression, and equates the fulfillment of that mission with The New Age of Sexual Freedom, as the singular bedrock to all other freedoms because it is the only one that encompasses all other freedoms. For this reason, we are always concerned with the inter-sectionality of all issues pre-empting or otherwise inhibiting this new age, such as Fundamentalism/Xenophobia/Racism/Discrimination, World Poverty/Income Inequality, Climate Change/Migrations/Immigration, etc.

#CharlieHebdo and #JeSuisCharlie (I am Charlie) are trending today as we witness another tragic example of this inter-sectionality, this time in Paris, a terrorist attack against free speech. Attacks on any type of freedom come from fundamentalist extremists who have distorted their own religious teachings (Islam/Judaism/Christianity) to excuse their ignorance and hatred of “other.” Fundamentalist extremists are only concerned with killing or otherwise disappearing certain groups of people they are primitively afraid of, whether in Paris, Uganda, or onMain Street USA. Even Right Wingnut and Xeonophobe Laura Ingraham‘s cynical spin on today’s Paris attack is itself an example of fundamentalist extremism. There is no evidence of mental capacity in her vitriol; if there was a shred of it she would soon discover the intellectual impossibility of her own words. By contrast, editorial cartoonists across the world responded loudly and clearly, showing the power of truth.

#BlackLivesMatter has been a fragile meme under constant attack by the #AllLivesMatter and #BlueLivesMatter crowd who just don’t get it. These individuals have been conditioned culturally to reject all matter of “other” and fear everyone. These are the people who want to go backward in history instead of forward, and by resisting progress, including the evolution of their own thoughts, they have effectively created their own minority that will soon be irrelevant to the march towards racial justice.

#NetNeutrality is fast coming to a head, and, just like #ClimateChange, it’s another battle of corporations versus people. Preparation to fight these issues has never been more focused, organized, and energized.

Likewise, we are prepared to rectify #Immigration and #IncomeInequality by demonstrating the economic rewards of opening rather than tightening borders, and at the same time taking joint responsibility for the physical welfare of all people. Fewer and fewer of us can stand still thinking of those who are suffering under these coercive systems right now, children going to bed fearful, hungry, and often homeless.

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately, and as always will welcome your feedback. The inherent inter-sectionality of each of these hashtags can be negative or positive, but we are beginning to see factual proof of the arc of progress that is capable even of transforming great pain towards the legacy of all that is good. Count on that and stay busy.

Be strong now because things will get better.

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Employers ask job seekers for Facebook passwords

(También en Español)

News of Note: Employers ask job seekers for Facebook passwords

In their efforts to vet applicants, some companies and government agencies are going beyond merely glancing at a person’s social networking profiles and instead asking to log in as the user to have a look around.

“It’s akin to requiring someone’s house keys,” said Orin Kerr, a George Washington University law professor and former federal prosecutor who calls it “an egregious privacy violation.”

What about relationship status, sexual orientation, and religious belief? I don’t expect all the details of someone’s personal life to be completely agreeable with every employer and I certainly don’t expect them to use all the information they obtain in an unbiased way. The work environment is one that demands neutrality and tolerance. When companies pry into the private lives of their employees, they are venturing where they were never intended to go.

It is naive to believe anything online is private? We live in a world that is becoming more transparent everyday. If the truth about each of us is forced onto the table, how will society react? I don’t think it is reasonable for employers to ask for Facebook passwords during interviews but I do believe it is inevitable. Are you ready to show the world your true self?

Creative Commons image by: jakeliefer