Article: The 2004 Libertarian Party National Convention

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Brian Wright

Four Days in May
an insider’s look at the Party of Principle, from Atlanta
by Brian Wright

Here in spring of 2014, roughly a decade later, I’m reassembling my impressions from diaries I kept of the key event in 2004, which I was disappointed in the result of. Reviewing the text, I see that I was not all worked out spiritually—who ever is, even a man into his 50s at the time?—and may have stated harsh or overly judgmental impressions of people. I apologize for this, but like my advocating to vote for (yes, believe it or not) John Kerry in 2004, I have to own my past mistakes and personal shortcomings. (Heck, in 2004 I still pretty much accepted the Official Story of the 9/11 Attacks!) Many regrets to any and all I may have offended; chances are strong I have favorable views toward you today. Continue reading →

Brian’s Column: Snowden-Manning 2016

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Brian Wright

“… effecting the Revolution in hearts and minds… “

Remember the climactic scene in the Wachowski Brothers’ V is for Vendetta where the people of jolly ol’ England decide they’ve had just about enough of black bag government? Thousands of them, all wearing Guy Fawkes costumes, march directly on several companies of stormtroopers bristling with automatic weapons and supported by artillery and armor. What happens? What do all these heavily fortified and gunned up state enforcers do when faced with a determined rush of a whole city of unarmed men, women, and children ‘mad as hell and not bloody gonna take it anymore?!’ Continue reading →

Book Review: Evil Genes (2007)

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Brian Wright

Why Rome fell, Hitler rose, Enron failed,
and my sister stole my mother’s boyfriend
by Dr. Barbara Oakley

With a title like this, you just have to believe you’re in for a entertaining and informative read. Moreover, you suspect the author, who is an Oakland University (Michigan) engineering professor—and was a good friend of my late brother Forrest, and is attending my small book discussion group on her work—with a colorful, enterprising past, will be followed by controversy on account of the ideas especially among her academic minions. Barbara told me as much when we met for coffee a couple of weeks ago: “Although I’m in the engineering college, even with that I run into a strong wave of PC disapproval.” (I’m paraphrasing.) Continue reading →

Movie Review: Rich Man, Poor Man (1976)

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Brian Wright

The epic TV series to end epic TV series __ 6/10

No quotes on the IMDb page for Rich Man, Poor Man, probably because the DVD has only been released this year (2010). Even if you surf the Web, not much comes up that improves on the IMDb information; and I don’t remember anything on the DVD’s bonus material. So all that stuff on background of the miniseries remains a mystery. Wikipedia gives us a little about the book written by Irwin Shaw. Too bad about the lack of insider Hollywood info, too, because the series must have launched the acting careers of Nick Nolte (Tom Jordache), Peter Strauss (Rudy Jordache), and others into celebrity status. Several actors earned awards, notably Ed Asner playing the repressed father of the two Jordache boys. Continue reading →

Guest Column: A Fresh Look at Net Neutrality

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Brian Wright

What Airlines, The Mafia and The Law of Unintended Consequences Can Teach Us about Net Neutrality

`Net neutrality’ is a loaded term that means different things to different people. For companies whose business model relies on using somebody else’s Internet network as a distribution system, it means maintaining the Web as a common carrier like the old long-distance telephone system. For companies like Comcast , it means heavy-handed regulation that stifles investment in faster networks. For engineers, it can all seem like a distraction from the real job of getting America up to the gigabit speeds of other nations like Korea. Continue reading →