The Electronic Quill

The sights, sounds, and sentences of life in the eyes of Pooya Mohit

[pooyamohit]

The Electronic Quill turned 5 today!

[pooyamohit]

A Curious Question: Post 9-11 America

There have undoubtedly been a lot of web posts pertaining to the twisted misfortune that befell our nation 11 years ago today. However, I have noticed a fork in the perception of remembrance. One road honors our perseverance as a nation banding together, while the other depicts a distaste for a loss of our civil liberties. 

No one argues that the men and women who were lost should be honored, the sacrifice and valor is unquestionable. The question I openly pose to my internet family (those comfortable with a friendly and open forum for discussion) is... what avenue did you take and why? 

In YOUR OPINION (Our country being founded on the freedom of opinion) Is America  (A) more Free and Unified since 2001, or (B) have we seen a depreciation of Freedom and Liberty? 

[pooyamohit]

Ethics and Data Analysis

It is the year 2012 and no one would debate the advanced role technology has taken in our society. But with great technology comes an ever receding shoreline of privacy. As the torrent of social media and data collections erode the distinction between what is held private and what is personal, one can't help but ask "what is and is not ethical?" 

As per the source article plucked from the AP wire, the presidential campaign process has  also found new avenues along the information superhighway. What does this mean? Well in a nutshell, it means that our seemingly humble candidates are hiring data collection agencies to mill through the endless crumbs of sensitive information we leave behind as we facebook, tweet, make credit card purchases, etc. These tid bits of data, unbeknownst to us, are compiled and analyzed to isolate top potential donors, voting patterns, even personalized phrasings that would most likely appeal to our political sensibilities. 

Yes, the titans of the corporate world run these analytics 24/7. In some cases with direct uplinks and satellite relays that track consumer trends down to the individual at the point of sale (i.e. Walmart). In business, one can see the beneficial applications. Inventory can be controlled and tailored to match a communities need, reducing obsolete inventory and unnecessary travel costs to disperse the unused remnants.

So what's the issue? Politics and business are (or at-least should be) two separate animals. Is it ethically sound for a candidate to bypass the voter and use the information they leave behind to prey on their wallet and/or political sentiment?

"The effort by Romney appears to be the first example of a political campaign using such extensive data analysis. President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has long been known as data-savvy, but Romney's project appears to take a page from the Fortune 500 business world and dig deeper into available consumer data."

The quest to be the next POTUS has become more of a fundraising event than a gauntlet to prove ones political worthiness and personal character. With campaign price tags reaching a record-breaking $2 billion, how can an average american ever aspire to become the head of state? The kiddy sized candidate pool is limited to those with a trump sized trust fund and friends in high places. 

So with increasingly clandestine efforts to peer into the lives of an electorate to target donors, are we the people destined to be the underlings of a corporately minded federal arm? Unless we get wise to the shadowy practices of our seekers of public servitude, we are doomed to be monitored an manipulated for their political gain. It makes one ask the question, if not attaining office to legitimately better the people... why are they striving to be the POTUS at all?

- P. Mohit

[pooyamohit]

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

[pooyamohit]

A Call for a Multi-Party System

To concede just one inch would compromise and tarnish the entire platform Ron Paul Supporters represent and have worked so diligently to establish.

What this means to me is that this movement has CLOUT and the RNC is desperately seeking creative ways to dismantle ANY chance that Dr. Paul can get a nomination bid from the floor.

I cannot fathom any true libertarians even dreaming of supporting a Romney/Ryan ticket as it is converse to the Paul platform of a sensible and small central government, a prime Libertarian tenet.

Don’t we deserve a real candidate with time proven views? A candidate who is firm with his ideals and not just another politician placating to his immediate audience only to abandon them once they are out of view?

It is after all the RNC who shackles the media’s coverage and handling of their candidates to the point that the debate questions included “who do you prefer, Johnny Cash or Elvis?” Honestly what bearing does that have on the potential future head of state? Shame on you RNC for being a walking sham and the epitome of our governmental degradation.

The DNC is no better. The time for the multi-party system is upon us. This bi-partisan bickering and fallacious mud-slinging sludge-fest is a detriment to our nations well-being and forward progress.

We already depict a portrait of ignorance to rest of the world and this election cycle is not helping the situation. To me, it appears we choose our president by virtue of the most effective slanderer.

What happened to media law and ethics? Libel ala Newsweek and their ‘hit the road Obama’ cover story… so many misrepresentations during elections that just go un-exposed and under-punished.

Where are all the intellectuals of America? Why are they not furious? A smart man staying out of politics is a joke because that smart man (whichever male or female it may be) is selfish for not serving their nation through support of just campaigns and media coverage.

I know that this isn’t new, but have we lost our public sanity when it comes to politics? It is our job as citizens to be an informed electorate that vigilantly holds our public servants accountable for their every action. We elect heads of state while never asking them what they will honestly do for us. It is all hot topics and buzzwords.

We should be grilling this candidates till they are well-done. No holds barred, as we viciously question the character and platform of each candidate, leaving the strongest and best-suited contender standing. Instead we act like blind cheerleaders to hypocrisy laden political concoctions, sipping the kool-aid but never asking for the ingredients. The only cure is to widen the playing field to the point where consolidation of power is maximally difficult.

I know it is an idealistic aspiration, but I thought America was about reaching for the stars NOT settling.

-P. Mohit

[pooyamohit]

Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!

Rosalind Russell