] We have ideals too. We believe in a democtatic nation,
] where greatness is earned thru respect and criticims,
] where there's a moral compact where you can criticize
] without permission. A moral imperative that truth
] requires freedom. A duty, as the most powerful and
] threating nation, to build this freedom back into our
] culture. The honor of our nation has been speaking
] without calling a lawyer; the integrity of meaning what
] you say. We need to get this freedom back.
]
] As we threaten the world with extremism, it is our duty
] to reclaim the space where we can build a culture that
] truly respects those ideals.
]
] [standing ovation]

Lawrence Lessig's SXSW Keynote (Aaron Swartz: The Weblog)

] Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic - a key leader of
] the revolt that toppled former President Slobodan
] Milosevic in October 2000 - was assassinated Wednesday by
] gunmen who ambushed him outside the government complex,
] police sources said.

Serbian Prime Minister Assassinated (washingtonpost.com)

] The cost of oil dependence has never been so clear. What
] had long been largely an environmental issue has suddenly
] become a deadly serious strategic concern. Oil is an
] indulgence we can no longer afford, not just because it
] will run out or turn the planet into a sauna, but because
] it inexorably leads to global conflict. Enough. What we
] need is a massive, Apollo-scale effort to unlock the
] potential of hydrogen, a virtually unlimited source of
] power. The technology is at a tipping point. Terrorism
] provides political urgency. Consumers are ready for an
] alternative. From Detroit to Dallas, even the oil
] establishment is primed for change. We put a man on the
] moon in a decade; we can achieve energy independence just
] as fast. Here's how.

Wired 11.04: How Hydrogen Can Save America

] The journalists said the man mostly ranted about the
] government, but they said he also complained he had been
] wrongly diagnosed as bi-polar, also known as
] schizophrenia, and had no one to talk with.
]
] The journalists said the man told them he used to work
] for a state-run factory, but had been laid-off five or
] six years ago.

CNN.com - Beijing bomber holds Reuters hostage

] A talk with cyber-rights pioneer John Perry Barlow about
] Digital Restrictions Management and the future of human
] knowledge

Another great Barlow interview.

Wrapped up in Crypto Bottles

The only way things could get more surreal these days is if SETI@Home finds aliens.

I just had another one of those "what the hell is going on?!" frenzies. This time, it was brought on by the end of Lou Dobbs Moneyline on CNN. I had mostly been ignoring the TV, I picked up on things here and there durring the commentary.. It was going into how the UN is useless, Libia and Iraq heading counsels, France, etc, etc. What you'd expect.. Then right after, it broke to a musical molment.. A country singer was doing some tune that I think was called "Did You Forget", while video was going of Sept 11th's greatest hits, broken up by shots of troops getting on planes, walling thru the desert, helicopters buzzing around, etc.. The country song is what really did it to me though.. I could get over the Bush'ness of it all. I wish I could like a video or mp3 of this.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield) today joined his colleagues at a press conference to announce the introduction of the "Freedom to Read Protection Act," a bill to exempt libraries and booksellers from certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act. The lawmakers were joined by members of the American Library Association and representatives from the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.

"Attorney General Ashcroft thinks we need to shred the Constitution and Bill of Rights to safeguard the American public from terrorists,"

Lawmakers Introduce 'Freedom To Read Protection Act' (01068)

"The fighters here say that the weapons of the United States and Britain may be lethal, but they are martyrdom-seekers. In this case, they say, the U.S. forces may confront a case that is very unusual to them," al-Umari reported. "Those martyrdom-seekers aspire to change the shape of the looming war."

--

Stand tall outside the city gates of Bagdad and show your stuff.

Hussein Opens Training Camp for Homicide Bombers

] The Republican-backed measure would outlaw cloning
] experiments — or, more precisely, the scientific
] procedure known as somatic cell nuclear transfer — either
] for baby making or medical research. Scientists who
] cloned human embryos would face up to 10 years in prison
] and a $1 million fine. The bill would also prohibit the
] importing of medical therapies derived from cloning
] research.

This is another front of the War on Technology. Fear what you don't yet understand. Oh yeah, and be sure to let your religious beliefs get in the ways of the work of others.

House Is Set to Make Cloning of Humans a Crime

] THE first President Bush has told his son that hopes of
] peace in the Middle East would be ruined if a war with
] Iraq were not backed by international unity.
]
] Drawing on his own experiences before and after the 1991
] Gulf War, Mr Bush Sr said that the brief flowering of
] hope for Arab-Israeli relations a decade ago would never
] have happened if America had ignored the will of the
] United Nations.
]
] He also urged the President to resist his tendency to
] bear grudges, advising his son to bridge the rift between
] the United States, France and Germany.
]
] "You've got to reach out to the other person.
] You've got to convince them that long-term
] friendship should trump short-term adversity," he
] said.

Bush Sr warning over unilateral action