Tribe.net. Local Connections Daniel http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/cd483919-f8a0-41ee-a442-77453b265f88 2008-01-13T01:44:27Z 2004-10-10T10:20:32Z

<div>I'm interested in making documentary about direct democracy. <br/> <br/>First, are there already any documentaries on this subject? I wouldn't want to waste my time. <br/> <br/>If not, are there any good books?</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 2 replies </div>

Daniel 2004-10-10T10:20:32Z mishek http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/0c872161-bfa8-42b8-af75-e0c671e49283 2007-05-15T12:53:30Z 2007-05-15T12:53:30Z

<div>hello, i am experimenting with public spaces and improv, would be interested to meet up with other innovators of democracy in the los angeles area while i am in town for the week, <br/>here is the project i am working on, either come and join in or let's just meet and talk sometime..... <br/> <br/> Improvising Democracy <br/> <br/> Finding a Voice.... <br/> Listening to the Body, Re-inventing Public Space. <br/> <br/> There are times when what needs to be spoken cannot be done with words. Finding a voice is a process...meanwhile we do have these bodies that often speak for us... <br/> Call it body language or maybe, "starting a movement", there's an immediate ability through movement to communicate with and even change our surroundings, our worlds... <br/> Whether or not you're an improviser, artist or some kind of social creative, you're invited to this series of investigations and experiments in how we communicate, move in and otherwise use Public Space.... <br/> <br/> Downtown Los Angeles will be the place, during the week of 21st May, for some research and re-discovery of space, place and maybe, the democratic muse? <br/> We start with a warm up and then simply build with whatever improvisational movement/dance and other inspirations come to us (maybe sound, text, theatre...interaction with other creative citizen passers-by?) in a re-creation of public space in the City. <br/> Our first public space exploration begins 4pm, Monday the 21st of May in front of City Hall (W. Temple and Nth Spring st. end of the building). Follow up events/actions/performances will be arranged and announced during the week as we continue to develop our ideas. <br/> If you have some thoughts about public improvisation that you'd like to propose or collaborate in some other way, please contact me at mishek@gmail.com. For those interested some studio time and space can also hopefully be arranged to explore our group collaborations and ideas in a more contained venue. <br/> --------------------------------------------- <br/> <br/>Room to Move and Play.... <br/> <br/> How and where do we make room for who and what we need to be in this world? How do we create Space for ourselves? Places to be heard? Places we might claim for a time? Space to take action? What is within our power to change? Where should we be drawing the line between Public and Personal? <br/> How conscious (and unconscious) are we of the public spaces that we continually pass through each and every day of our lives? Are they simply thoroughfares, or the potential for much more? <br/> What's the purpose of a public square, a park, a lobby, foyer, atrium or other gathering place if we do not only gather, but do not SEE each other? If we are not using the space to it's full potential to bring out our social imagination, to 'speak what is important' to us...to re-create ourselves and expand the potential of the social mind? <br/> It's time to re-imagine the use of Public Space. <br/> ....It may begin with a movement, some physical contact, a sound, maybe vocal expression, maybe a conversation or dialogue... <br/> ....we move, change and evolve the space as we are moved and others move us... <br/> <br/> Michael Dobbie, May 2nd. <br/> <br/> PS: You can also ask me for a few pictures of recent actions and experiments in London and Berlin. </div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

mishek 2007-05-15T12:53:30Z synnovemathe http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/9d0c68b6-ae85-4f0d-a6f9-bf575c4191f3 2006-07-11T19:05:29Z 2006-07-11T19:05:29Z

<div>Hi, <br/> <br/>I'm new in that tribe, and I want post a link as my first messages here. It's a bout The 1st Virtual Congress on World Citizenship and Democratic Global Governance between 1st July to 31 July. I hope you find interesting ans participate in the debate. <br/> <br/>Synnove <br/> <br/>http://www.worldcit.citymax.com/1st_Congress.html</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

synnovemathe 2006-07-11T19:05:29Z http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/3f6f3d22-afbd-4d24-a6c0-031c8d478985 2006-06-04T18:39:35Z 2006-06-04T18:39:35Z

<div>Greetings all, <br/> <br/>I recently finished a round of fixes and aesthetic updates for The D2 Public Library. Most of the bugs that people have been experiencing have been resolved. And it should now be a lot easier to look at and work with. <br/> <br/>The D2 Public Library is my effort to create a directory for all efforts and information related to democratic renewal (or Democracy 2.0, if you will). <br/> <br/>Here's the URL for The D2 Public Library: http://d2lib.stevemagruder.com <br/> <br/>Also, I've been making various changes to the D2 Discussion Zone over the past several months... check it out as well: http://d2dz.stevemagruder.com <br/> <br/>Enjoy! </div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

2006-06-04T18:39:35Z http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/d30370a0-a450-4929-8435-a8da4e849bd4 2006-01-20T19:48:11Z 2005-12-30T01:11:07Z

<div>To my great surprise, Democracy 2.0 has been given a "Runners-up" mention under the "Grassroots Use of Web 2.0" category for the "The Best Web 2.0 Software of 2005". <br/> <br/>Here's the link: http://web2.wsj2.com/the_best_web_20_software_of_2005.htm <br/> <br/>The project itself ( http://d2.stevemagruder.com ) has been dormant for a while, but this mention plus a seeming new interest in this subject area does make me want to bring it all back to life. Lucky for that purpose is that I've been maintaining the framework behind it even though its content has become somewhat stale. But updating the content is pretty easy to do. <br/> <br/>It seems to me that "Web 2.0", when boiled down to something everyone can grasp, means "web as a platform" and that indeed is a key to what Democracy 2.0 was (and perhaps will be) trying to create: a platform for democracy itself using web technology. <br/> <br/>At any rate, it is indeed my humble goal to build a project that spawns many democracy-enhancing applications. WebCommons (my web development wing) in particular is working on the software behind this board (amongst other things), ultimately to achieve a "people's assembly in a discussion board". The final result will be a lot more comprehensive than that phrasing suggests, but as an introductory vision, I think it suffices. <br/> <br/>Cheers to Dion Hinchcliffe for mentioning Democracy 2.0 and cheers also to everyone who has inspired me along the way for the past several years. And even more cheers to others building other important democracy-related projects. Perhaps now really is the time to start moving forward forcefully on these concepts--making them a reality.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 1 reply </div>

2005-12-30T01:11:07Z http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/0d7dd56b-0a7c-4ca6-9adf-0b0d7151616a 2006-01-05T05:44:23Z 2006-01-05T05:44:23Z

<div>A new version of the D2 Discussion Zone was made available today. <br/> <br/>The biggest change of interest to visitors is that the board's structure was <br/>enhanced and streamlined, removing three forums (merging their contents into <br/>other ones), taking out the U.S.-centrism (so now talk about worldwide efforts <br/>is totally welcome), and revising several of the forum descriptions. The board <br/>should appear cleaner and more focused now. <br/> <br/>Of course, no new significant version would be without some bug fixes and <br/>updates to improve aesthetics/usability, security and performance. <br/> <br/>The D2 Discussion Zone, a place to discuss practical direct democracy efforts <br/>can be found at http://d2dz.stevemagruder.com</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

2006-01-05T05:44:23Z http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/d5939dec-08fb-4c8a-9a1e-30226fa89348 2005-12-07T22:38:06Z 2005-12-07T22:38:06Z

<div>http://www.vpsystems.net/Nevada/ <br/> <br/>Very interesting development! <br/> <br/>Somebody is running for Congress who pledges to vote exactly how his consitituents want him to on every issue, as determined using a collaborative web application. Of course, the devil is in the details, but it's a very intriguing concept nevertheless. <br/> <br/>I could write a lot about the promise and the pitfalls of pursuing this, but it also may be interesting just to sit back and see what actually happens. <br/> <br/>I especially want to see how many "stages" the effort goes through. Normally, ground-breaking things like this go through: <br/> <br/> 1. Being ignored. <br/> 2. Being laughed at. <br/> 3. Being undermined or attacked. <br/> 4. Making actual headway and possibly a real difference in the election. <br/> <br/>Anyone want to take a stab at predicting whether this kind of effort can succeed? Is infiltrating representative democracy the best way to achieving a more direct democracy, or are there possibly more practical approaches? <br/> <br/>( Respond here or at the D2/DZ: http://d2dz.stevemagruder.com/viewtopic.php?p=286#286 )</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

2005-12-07T22:38:06Z http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/90e2330e-830f-43cd-a739-d7208cf3572d 2005-06-28T22:18:00Z 2005-06-15T23:34:17Z

<div>For some time, I've been meaning to transfer this away, but I kept forgetting about it. :) <br/> <br/>Would anyone else like to become moderator? It won't be much work, as there's almost no discussion here. <br/> <br/>Thanks for your time.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

2005-06-15T23:34:17Z Bear http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/ceb66923-513e-4e8f-be4e-911eccc308c4 2005-01-17T05:20:07Z 2004-09-08T21:06:36Z

<div>I know that pre-federalist America was made up of many relatively small autonomous communities. It seems to me like this sociopolitical structure is an essential aspect of direct democracy. Tribe.net is a good example of people organizing themselves into communities, but can the internet really support the type of community interaction that is necessary to keep people engaged in any political body? Don't we also need to live with our tribes? <br/> <br/>My point is this: I live in a community. In this community, nobody knows eachother, or at least interactions are very little. We do not share lifestyles and common space. We are closed off from one another, and many of us are antithetically opposed to eachother on a great deal of issues. I live in a typical American suburb. We are this way because of representative government and the breakup of community living. <br/> <br/>In order for a system of governance that actually involves my community members to take place, interest in the community would need to be fostered... interactions increased and enhanced. Unfortunately, interactions are unwanted. Governance is in the hands of representatives, and the people around me are not interested in the co-governance of our immediate surroundings. <br/> <br/>The internet seems to provide a useful outlet for community interaction, but unless living communities are linked through the internet, exercisable power will not be within the grasp of internet communities, except over the content of their wesites or other e-tools for organization. <br/> <br/>We, as a country, have alot of computers, yet I can't IM the people on my street. I can't easily let them know what I'd like to implement in our community, and the current political structure doesn't support implementation. How can I change that? <br/> <br/>I'm basically uneducated when it comes to the political sciences, but I'm interested in implementing direct democracy and community building. What is the first step? I don't really know. Should it be the linking of one another in my own living community? Should it be finding a new living community? How can I get people involved in a new democratic process when representative governance doesn't grant them the power they would need in order to maintain an interest in exercising directly? <br/> <br/>Sorry so long. :) I look forward to responses that can further clarify the issue for me. <br/> <br/>-Bear</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 3 replies </div>

Bear 2004-09-08T21:06:36Z Dsonophorus http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/da65f1eb-bd2c-415f-941d-64fedc56dc0a 2004-11-14T16:01:22Z 2004-11-14T16:01:22Z

<div>This is a follow up post to my Drafting an internet constitution post. It is more directly applicable to Direct Democracy as Steve has categorized it as well: <br/> <br/>Given that most information is received from remote sources either literally and/or pragmatically beyond our control <br/>AND <br/>this aspect of information will tend to increase as the amount of information and the sophistication of its collection techniques increase. <br/>WHAT <br/>are the best defenses against 'malicious information servers'? <br/> <br/>To ground this question somewhat, consider it in the context of possible deliberate deception by govornment. For example: <br/> <br/>-govornments such as the historic USSR and China sought/seek near absolute control of media sources. <br/> <br/>-it is generally believed that our govornment possesses some level of direct control of mass media channels. <br/> <br/> <br/>*A primary defense against malicious (counter)information is a citizen's ability to verify information through a consensus of multiple sources. <br/> <br/>*if a govornment attains a dominant level of control of media sources, how should information sources be selected? <br/> <br/>I suggest that a modern hyperpower such as the United States has a motive, opportunity and capacity to attempt such a dominant level of media control. <br/> <br/>In such a scenario, classically trusted information sources such as scientists and universities would be evident targets of priority during the mid to later stages of a media dominance attempt as reasoning citizens turned increasingly to them as sources. Most of these sources are majority or significantly govornment funded. <br/> <br/>International information sources would appear to gain an increased expectance of trust/validity...Except that those govornments too would possess similar motive, opportunity and capacity. The possibility of beneficial collusion would exist in the abscence of significant inter-govornment competition as well. <br/> <br/>If the media dominant state is achieved, would it be a self stabilizing structure? ie actually a more stable form of that govornment than the non media controlling form? <br/></div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

Dsonophorus 2004-11-14T16:01:22Z Dsonophorus http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/d9b4df53-e47a-4608-9d26-b2f5635bf0e9 2004-11-09T12:02:12Z 2004-11-09T12:02:12Z

<div>This is an idea that has sat with me for a long time. The topic is huge so I am going to post it in pieces. The first piece may strike you as bizare and your reaction may be one of immediate rejection, please try to approach it openly: <br/> <br/>*********************************************** <br/>Democracy is fatally flawed and should be rejected as the primary basis for decision making and govorning <br/>*********************************************** <br/>Why? <br/> -it is by definition the supression of the minority by the majority <br/> <br/> -complexity is increasing in issues and topics as society matures <br/> -the average IQ is 100, the average education level is slightly above high school. <br/> -simply put the average citizen is increasingly incapable of understanding issues they are deciding on <br/> <br/> -suppose a comet will collide with earth 17 years from now and we must choose a location to send an interdiction. Choose a random 100 citizens and have them vote on the location.... <br/> -or vote to raise the minimum wage <br/> -or have them weigh the effects of pollution vs nuclear energy <br/> -both those real-world cases involve orders of magnitude more variables with more complex interactions. <br/> <br/> -Advertising and manipulation techniques tend to increase in efficiency and sophistication over time as advancements are made <br/> -Democracie's hyper reliance on opinion gaurantees the increase of opinion control trechnology <br/> -like an organism that has acquired a benificial survival trait political systems that utilize it tend to out compete political systems that do not use it - no different than the progressive ratcheting effect that drives darwinistic evolution. <br/> <br/> -if you set out to design a govornment that would intrinsicly and automatically tend, over time, to end in a state of practical mind control of it's citizens, you would build in forces similar to those present in Democracy. <br/> <br/>**************************************************** <br/>I have a rich inventory of additional supporting clauses, but I would like to open the floor to objections and comments. Remember, you are currently thinking from within a culture that conditions you to uncritical acceptance of Democracy so try to factor that in. <br/> <br/>P.S. Don't worry, Im not pushing socialism, communism or any other such agenda that you likely have inbuilt biases against. I'm addressing this from the position of an information theorist who is studying Utopian and Dystopian architectures. <br/> <br/>Thank you (really) for spending your time reading this. <br/>It is important to me and your perspectives are encouraged.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

Dsonophorus 2004-11-09T12:02:12Z Heather http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/d274319e-7ae4-43e9-ab6f-74ccbaa54948 2004-10-29T03:33:50Z 2004-10-29T03:33:50Z

<div>I am not exactly a political genius, just a philosophy student trying to write an interesting paper about direct democracy v. representative democracy and which is ultimitally more just. I thought perhaps some of you may have some new ideas about the matter or maybe you know some political theorists or philosophers who wrote on this issue...if so please let me know. The paper is due on monday :)</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

Heather 2004-10-29T03:33:50Z http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/ea735c21-4201-42d9-bfde-90d374018817 2004-09-02T01:06:11Z 2004-09-01T01:37:46Z

<div>Things you have to believe to be a Republican today: <br/> <br/> <br/>1. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion. <br/> <br/> <br/>2. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony. <br/> <br/> <br/>3. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq. <br/> <br/> <br/>4. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation. <br/> <br/> <br/>5. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton. <br/> <br/> <br/>6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay. <br/> <br/> <br/>7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex. <br/> <br/> <br/>8. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money. <br/> <br/> <br/>9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism. <br/> <br/> <br/>10. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart. <br/> <br/> <br/>11. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are creationism should be taught in schools. <br/> <br/> <br/>12. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy. <br/> <br/> <br/>13. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet. <br/> <br/> <br/>14. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's drunk driving record is none of our business. <br/> <br/> <br/>15. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your recovery. <br/> <br/> <br/>16. You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt. <br/> <br/> <br/>17. What Bill Clinton did in his private life in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in his professional and political life in the '80s is irrelevant. <br/> <br/> <br/>18. John Kerry, after enlisting to fight in Vietnam, earning multiple medals for heroism and leadership, returns home to lobby against the war after his experiences, is "unfit" to be Commander-in-Chief, butGeorge Bush getting into the Texas Air National Guard through his daddy's influence and then repeatedly fails to report for duty because he'd rather get drunk and high is "better able to defend America." <br/> <br/> <br/>19. Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, Welfare, even public education are all dangerous socialism, but corporate welfare, bailing out companies (Chrysler, the airlines, etc.), farm subsidies, allowing off-shore incorporation to avoid taxes are all free market policies. <br/> <br/> <br/>20. Government should not interfere with the business, commercial, environmental welfare of the nation, but should control and regulate citizen's personal affairs. <br/> <br/> <br/>www.jumapili.com/whatido/w...ng/journal/default.asp</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 2 replies </div>

2004-09-01T01:37:46Z http://directdemocracy.tribe.net/thread/12e3dd2a-00eb-4a4f-a345-890ca1d06092 2004-08-27T17:04:13Z 2004-08-27T17:04:13Z

<div>Greetings! <br/> <br/>I started this tribe to cover a subject that's very interesting to me as a political activist... direct democracy. This is about modern direct democracy (initiatives, referendums, recall, e-rulemaking, etc.) in a republican context, not simple direct democracy where the people decide everything (what DD detractors label "mob rule"). <br/> <br/>Direct democracy augments representative democracy--it doesn't replace it. U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt once said "I believe in the Initiative and Referendum, which should be used not to destroy representative government, but to correct it whenever it becomes misrepresentative." This is indeed the essence of modern direct democracy. <br/> <br/>For this tribe, I developed a very simple logo to start out with. This can be changed to something else, of course. But I didn't want to design a logo that had any personal bias in it, so I just used the name of the tribe for now. <br/> <br/>Here's to a hopefully very interesting diret democracy tribe over the years ahead. <br/> <br/>Regards, <br/> Steve (http://www.democracy2.org)</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://directdemocracy.tribe.net">Direct Democracy</a> - 0 replies </div>

2004-08-27T17:04:13Z