I read an interesting article in today's Washington Post by Michelle Boorstein, "Survey: Culture War Truce on the Horizon" http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/08/culture_wars.html?hpid=topnews as to whether current trends indicate a reversal in some of the trends among peo

I was canvassing in Louisiana in favor of the restoration of the Gulf Coast.  While doing so, I encountered certain ordinances or other restrictive regulations that restrict access to housing in certain areas, like closed subdivisions or limit access at certain times.  I believe that having an executive government in place at the federal level that tries so hard to keep information from its citizens, allowing these type of restrictions that negatively impact canvassers's ability to disseminate information to the public is very bad.  Since it seems to be local government bodies and public officials that have either put these restrictions into place directly or else have allowed them to be adopted, we need to take a closer look to see if these actions run afoul of the First Amendment.

Many people would rather not believe that the businesses that provide us with high speed internet and cell phone service would allow the government to step in a monitor what we are doing and saying over the optical lines of our latest technology. The fact is that there is clear and obvious evidence that in the business of citizen monitoring there is a lot of money to be made. We are not so free as we think, especially when it comes to checking your email or making that call home to mom.

In an opinion article published in USA Today, Senior Fellow Liz Funk raises the question, "Why do teens love taking pictures of themselves doing illicit things and posting it on the Web?"

Ever heard of a computer hacker for human rights? When most people think of a hacker they think of an anti-social heavy metal ultra nerd who lives in his parent's basement tinkering with processors and writing programs for their own nefarious deeds. This common misconception is actually due to a commonly held belief that the term hacker only describes a person who tries to bypass security for ill purpose. Many hackers are actually security experts (paid or unpaid) who simply enjoy trying to find their way into things they "aren't supposed to" for mere curiosity. Many of these individuals are free thinking `progressives' who are opposed to intrusive government, unrestrained corporate domination, racism, and other forms of subjugation of the masses that exist both online and off.

One such group of individuals is the activist hackers known as "Hacktivismo". Formed from the famous hacker group Cult of the Dead Cow hacktivismo seeks to use hacking and technology to better society as a whole. Their mission statement explains that they exist "to conduct and publish scientific research in the areas of information technology, communications and electronic media; and, to assist (where possible) non-governmental organizations, social justice groups and human rights entities in the use of advanced information technologies for the furtherance of their works." Hacktivismo is not only made up by some brilliant progressive hackers but also has a board made up of distinguished professionals as well.