(Crossposted at Veritosity.com)
NOTE: For an explanation of what Blogrolling for Change is and how to get involved, click here.
When I was a senior in high school, The Nation had a contest where they asked high school and college students across the country what the most important issue facing young people was. In writing my response I deliberately chose to misread the question - rather than telling The Nation what I thought young people cared about the most, I decided to tell them what I thought the most important issue was, period. The answer? Undue corporate power and influence, particularly when it comes to the American political process.
Fake intellectual property law "reformer" and fanboy favorite Larry Lessig has chickened out of running for Tom Lantos' old House seat (CA 12). Lessig announced his non-candidacy in one of his signature long, tedious, virtually unwatchable, and curiously low-tech videos.
Lessig purports to advocate some sort of anti-copyright "free culture," dedicated to egalitarian and democratic access to knowledge and information, while at the same time drawing a six figure income from a private, closed to the public, billion dollar endowment, elitist university (Stanford), that could serve as the epitome for a class-based monopoly on learning and knowledge.
http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2006/11/ea t-my-ass-lawrence-lessig.html
For more of Lessig's hypocricy, see here:
http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2007/03/la rry-lessig-coin-operated-legal-expert_18 .html
Lessig claimed that he wanted to run for Congress because of his opposition to PACs and "corruption" in politics. Now that he has cancelled his bid, however, he will not be refunding his donors' campaign contributions. Instead, without a trace of shame (or even appreciation of the irony of it), Lessig has announced that "all [of the money] will go to (the yet to be established) Change Congress organization." Whenever Lessig gets around to "establishing" this august body, please do not be surprized to learn that it is in fact a PAC, with either Lessig, or one of his toadies, in charge. In other words, Mr. Reform is going to take the money donated to his campaign to "clean up Congress" and use it instead to establish his own personal slush fund. Nice.
McCain 42 Obama 52
McCain 49 Clinton 42
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· Some 4th of July Trivia (fbihop)
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· MN-Sen: Norm Coleman's record on education (MN Campaign Report)
· Liveblog: Obama in Colorado Springs (em dash)
· Pelosi Heads To Netroots Nation (Josh Orton)
· Moveon to make July 9 a "Day of Action for an Oil-Free President" (desmoinesdem)
· WA-8: Burner Loses Home to Fire (Sandwich Repairman)
· MN-Sen: Ethics Complaint Filed Against Republican Norm Coleman (Senate Guru)
· Richardson says Clinton would be a strong running mate (fbihop)
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· MS-03 Outgoing Congressman Pickering Files For Divorce (cottonmouthblog)