TO OUR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS:
Those who do not forget modesty and humility have enriched hearts and are generous of spirit.
When we appreciate those who support us and always seek to learn from others, we develop the capacity for unlimited self-improvement.
Those who do not forget modesty and humility have enriched hearts and are generous of spirit.
When we appreciate those who support us and always seek to learn from others, we develop the capacity for unlimited self-improvement.
(Translation of "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo Shimbun)
As many of you know my story behind the community oriented "Open To Everyone Think-Tank" that I founded many years ago. I started New Politics and New Ideas on Facebook, which is pretty entertaining now that I look back on it. The name seemed fitting for the purpose in which we would stand and fight for. This was about a year after I started my fight against the legislative political corruption within the Texas education system. It was around that time the while reeling from watching politician after politician when even the most powerful, yet now forgotten, politicians like Tom DeLay, were getting charged with various types of corruption. In Texas it was bad, and it still is. It's probably the worst in the country.
It wasn't long after the corruption battle (that still continues), that I began taking on more issues, as it seemed the deeper I went the worse it was. This was the original inspiration for starting the movement. I kept meeting more people, then even more people started getting involved. This is what became the community that we are today. When I started this community, it was born from the battle against corruption. The inspiration was to bring people together, of varying opinions to determine sensible solutions. The goal has always been to fight and make a tangible and noticeable difference throughout society, as a community of voices. Since then, we have taken on many political, societal, and other issues that the masses feel personally affected by.
Needless to say, it quickly went from I to whole lot of we's, and we have grown exponentially until we got to where we are today. We quickly found out there was no way to avoid the politics of it all. As much as we tried to avoid the rhetoric, politicians are so quick to spit it in your face. We quickly went from coming in slightly naive, to being hard-asses and standing our ground. We brought change, 2 years ago the Texas State Legislature voted to disallow contributions from for profit companies involved in education. However, Texas still 80 million dollars a year just for Standardized Testing.
The community is now so large, and there are so many of us with a huge distrust of the mass media, and opinionated beliefs that steer people into believing things that are just untrue. So the our community continues to grow, more and more everyday. With more and more of a demand for truthful reporting. We provide the tools and access to many resources and our community is evolving into many citizen journalists. We have a wonderful blogger who is only 18 years old, that gets so much attention. Because people want to know what Millennials think. Guess what? They're radical in the best way possible.
It's been one of the greatest adventures of a lifetime. Because we were making change then and we're still doing it today in the same way we always have. And we are becoming more organized ans streamlined everyday. So at this point we are reporting so much the we founded New Politics Nation. It is simply the news media arm of New Politics and New Ideas. A branch of the original community organization, if you will, to be our News Media outlet. We provide unbiased, original reporting based purely on facts. That is the point, the Mass Media speaks along basic talking points that represent their employer's or their own personal beliefs. While we are intently focused on truth, transparency, and most importantly accountability.
As a community that is not Democrat or Republican, we don't represent the "right" or the "left", and we come together as people to share thoughts and ideas. To bridge the divide and make a difference in the disparities between people. Turning adversaries into teams for the sake of community, theirs or ours. The same common people that politicians seem to ignore, as they all line their pockets with special interest dollars. This little social-experiment has been working! And while it hasn't been perfectly smooth the whole time, none of us would have it any other way.
Needless to say, it quickly went from I to whole lot of we's, and we have grown exponentially until we got to where we are today. We quickly found out there was no way to avoid the politics of it all. As much as we tried to avoid the rhetoric, politicians are so quick to spit it in your face. We quickly went from coming in slightly naive, to being hard-asses and standing our ground. We brought change, 2 years ago the Texas State Legislature voted to disallow contributions from for profit companies involved in education. However, Texas still 80 million dollars a year just for Standardized Testing.
The community is now so large, and there are so many of us with a huge distrust of the mass media, and opinionated beliefs that steer people into believing things that are just untrue. So the our community continues to grow, more and more everyday. With more and more of a demand for truthful reporting. We provide the tools and access to many resources and our community is evolving into many citizen journalists. We have a wonderful blogger who is only 18 years old, that gets so much attention. Because people want to know what Millennials think. Guess what? They're radical in the best way possible.
It's been one of the greatest adventures of a lifetime. Because we were making change then and we're still doing it today in the same way we always have. And we are becoming more organized ans streamlined everyday. So at this point we are reporting so much the we founded New Politics Nation. It is simply the news media arm of New Politics and New Ideas. A branch of the original community organization, if you will, to be our News Media outlet. We provide unbiased, original reporting based purely on facts. That is the point, the Mass Media speaks along basic talking points that represent their employer's or their own personal beliefs. While we are intently focused on truth, transparency, and most importantly accountability.
As a community that is not Democrat or Republican, we don't represent the "right" or the "left", and we come together as people to share thoughts and ideas. To bridge the divide and make a difference in the disparities between people. Turning adversaries into teams for the sake of community, theirs or ours. The same common people that politicians seem to ignore, as they all line their pockets with special interest dollars. This little social-experiment has been working! And while it hasn't been perfectly smooth the whole time, none of us would have it any other way.
While our combined community organizations are doing well it has doubled the rate of new membership, we believe it is mostly due to recent positive Twitter-Storms of our most recent articles. Many have reached out to us, and my reports have been cited by hundreds of others in just the last two-weeks.
We are expanding at an almost uncontrollable rate for one man to handle, Internally I manage the whole operation on my own. We are now implementing new systems, developing some as well to accommodate integration across all channels all while getting meaningful apps developed and now a new large scale website. With every resource at your fingertips. The last few weeks have been one hell of a ride.
However, this is what I have always imagined it would be, and it is now growing on a massive scale. For something that is completely self-funded by one person, it is pretty exhausting work right now. We have not, nor will we ever accept money from corporate special interests. We are not labeled as a charity, although we generate no income. Yet here we are.
At some point soon we will develop a donation channel, because with more funds we can accomplish so much more. It kind of goes without saying. Will we file as a 501(c)3, maybe. Better yet maybe not. We are already succeeding at what we have accomplished in our little social experiment. So why not take a page from Mark Ash's book. The guy who co-founded Truth-Out, and then founded and operates Reader Supported News on the same principle. This was take from the RSN website:
"Reader Supported News (RSN) will carry forward the core concept that the reader is best served by financial control of the news service they depend on. No outside investment capital was used in the startup of RSN. No advertising money will be accepted by RSN. No grants will be sought by RSN. We like having the reader as our boss."
We are expanding at an almost uncontrollable rate for one man to handle, Internally I manage the whole operation on my own. We are now implementing new systems, developing some as well to accommodate integration across all channels all while getting meaningful apps developed and now a new large scale website. With every resource at your fingertips. The last few weeks have been one hell of a ride.
However, this is what I have always imagined it would be, and it is now growing on a massive scale. For something that is completely self-funded by one person, it is pretty exhausting work right now. We have not, nor will we ever accept money from corporate special interests. We are not labeled as a charity, although we generate no income. Yet here we are.
At some point soon we will develop a donation channel, because with more funds we can accomplish so much more. It kind of goes without saying. Will we file as a 501(c)3, maybe. Better yet maybe not. We are already succeeding at what we have accomplished in our little social experiment. So why not take a page from Mark Ash's book. The guy who co-founded Truth-Out, and then founded and operates Reader Supported News on the same principle. This was take from the RSN website:
"Reader Supported News (RSN) will carry forward the core concept that the reader is best served by financial control of the news service they depend on. No outside investment capital was used in the startup of RSN. No advertising money will be accepted by RSN. No grants will be sought by RSN. We like having the reader as our boss."
They maintain themselves as a non-profit while paying taxes every year. After a decade I would call his "social-experiment" a success. They have fund drives every month and the readership along with some authors pay the bills. We are now about to implement our own website under the same principles, and in time we will be sun-setting our blogs across the net. This will be done over time as the priority will be the new website, which will go online in the coming days. It will be basic at first, with everything as accessible as it is now. Then as we implement all the things that we feel will make a difference in many lives, the site will be much more robust.
Here are some points about the website and things you will find:
Free Security Tools:
These are for the masses to protect yourselves from the government at large. But mostly from hackers, malware, and the governments of Russia and China who have made great strides technologically, and are out for your personal information. They are either developed by us, or other organizations free of charge.
These are for the masses to protect yourselves from the government at large. But mostly from hackers, malware, and the governments of Russia and China who have made great strides technologically, and are out for your personal information. They are either developed by us, or other organizations free of charge.
Guest Bloggers and Featured Writers:
We have been gaining a lot of attention from many bloggers and journalists, that have asked to join us. Many have been vetted, and some are still in the process. Expect to see a lot more truth, transparency, and accountability very soon.
We have been gaining a lot of attention from many bloggers and journalists, that have asked to join us. Many have been vetted, and some are still in the process. Expect to see a lot more truth, transparency, and accountability very soon.
Transparency and Accountability:
We are a large part of the Open-Data movement. We will be offering widgets that can directly be used on our site designed for individuals to search out Elected Officials and who they represent. Which these days is shown by the amount of special interest monies they receive.
We are a large part of the Open-Data movement. We will be offering widgets that can directly be used on our site designed for individuals to search out Elected Officials and who they represent. Which these days is shown by the amount of special interest monies they receive.
In Depth Factual Reporting:
Much like the recent reports that I have published. We will continue to provide that same level of in-depth analysis and reporting, that has provided much helpful information for those who don't quite understand what the government is doing.
And many more membership features such as a regular newsletter, tips and tricks, and current affairs at any given time. You will control how much e-mail you get. If you choose not to receive any, then you will only be contacted when things change for your accounts, system implementation, or any necessary information regarding your membership.
Our Privacy Policy will of the strictest nature, and with that we will be offering many of the latest open-source free privacy tools for free. With the new laws in place our elected officials have granted the NSA even more powers, with ways of giving themselves immunity.
Much like the recent reports that I have published. We will continue to provide that same level of in-depth analysis and reporting, that has provided much helpful information for those who don't quite understand what the government is doing.
And many more membership features such as a regular newsletter, tips and tricks, and current affairs at any given time. You will control how much e-mail you get. If you choose not to receive any, then you will only be contacted when things change for your accounts, system implementation, or any necessary information regarding your membership.
Our Privacy Policy will of the strictest nature, and with that we will be offering many of the latest open-source free privacy tools for free. With the new laws in place our elected officials have granted the NSA even more powers, with ways of giving themselves immunity.
Much like my report on the facade that is the USA Freedom Act. When I exposed that in the National Defense Act for 2016, they intend to restrict the Freedom of Information Act. Thus closing us off from information we are entitled to. They will basically hide whatever they want, by simply classifying and categorizing things in certain ways.
This way they will ensure that we never know about them, and will not be entitled to any information about them either. Think the mass collection of data has ended? Think it will end in December like the NSA keeps saying it will? Think again. On January 1st, 2016, if the National Defense Authorization Bill takes effect, it will allow them to continue unabated, and we won't even know about it. But we are fighting it tooth and nail, the FOIA is as important to truthful reporting, as the First Amendment is to our entitled freedoms.
This way they will ensure that we never know about them, and will not be entitled to any information about them either. Think the mass collection of data has ended? Think it will end in December like the NSA keeps saying it will? Think again. On January 1st, 2016, if the National Defense Authorization Bill takes effect, it will allow them to continue unabated, and we won't even know about it. But we are fighting it tooth and nail, the FOIA is as important to truthful reporting, as the First Amendment is to our entitled freedoms.
These are some serious issues, the require National Attention. We will be doing everything in our power to hold those accountable through transparency and accountability. And we aim to stop the attack on the Freedom of Information Act. Because if we don't act right now and they vote pass it. It may be too late to do anything about it later.
All I ask is that you follow our Facebook Page (tagged at the top), and join us on our website as it will be live in the coming days. We rely on the voices of the masses, to hear the commonality in the voices of the people. Which in turn, helps us decide where our focus should be, and the direction of our approach as we hound our elected officials. The same politicians that seem to be so out of touch with the mass majority of Americans. That is why we make sure that we're in touch, constantly.
All I ask is that you follow our Facebook Page (tagged at the top), and join us on our website as it will be live in the coming days. We rely on the voices of the masses, to hear the commonality in the voices of the people. Which in turn, helps us decide where our focus should be, and the direction of our approach as we hound our elected officials. The same politicians that seem to be so out of touch with the mass majority of Americans. That is why we make sure that we're in touch, constantly.
We are not asking for money, donations, or anything like that (yet), as we expect to be funded by grants who stand for the same core beliefs we stand for. But we may decide to be funded by the people. This will be a decision that everyone will vote on. Because it has a direct effect on the direction of our community. And you are the community. We will remain as transparent as we demand elected officials to be. We do not hold ourselves above anyone as this is a project by what we sometimes call, "The Human Party."
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Our transparency to our members, will be the same level of transparency that we seek in legislation, as well as the accountability of our elected officials, and in the fight against inequality, intolerance, and the attack on all of our civil liberties. Don't like Obama? Great, let us know about it. Don't like any of your options in the candidates for upcoming elections, we want to know. Whether you agree or disagree on any issues, tell us about it, so we can then help dictate agreeable legislation for the people... All of them.
Think you can write about the issues facing our Nation? We will provide you the platform in which to voice your opinion. As a regular or guest contributor. Even if you think you can't write, you are more than welcomed to offer your thoughts as a guest blogger as well. It's your voice, put in on paper let's here what you have to say. Then we'll open up a discussion about it.
There is so much more to discuss, however this has gone from a post asking for your support in joining us, to an article that will be published today. We ask for your support in the most non-partisan way possible. We do not need to know if you are Republican or Democrat. We leave that decision to you should you decide to provide it.
There is so much more to discuss, however this has gone from a post asking for your support in joining us, to an article that will be published today. We ask for your support in the most non-partisan way possible. We do not need to know if you are Republican or Democrat. We leave that decision to you should you decide to provide it.
Additionally we will be offering so much more as well, so please stay tuned and consider joining our community. It's the only one like it in the world. We are proud to say that even after nearly a decade, we are the only open to everyone community Think-Tank world-wide. We will not censor or prohibit any posts or contributions with the exception of hate speech, personal attacks on others in the community. The full details will be posted on the site.
And of course, as I mentioned earlier, your privacy will be treated with the most advanced technology ever seen. In fact, we allow for anonymous profile information in any case you may feel the need to remain anonymous.
We have the opportunity to be pioneers in our very own future, and we have the backing of so many "Millennials" as well. No party or politician can say that. We are very proud of that one fact, because they are the future.
We're growing, on a massive scale, we are creating a significant community of independent thinkers, and we are shaping the future of our great nation. Our future.
See you there!
See you there!
And in the next day or two you will receive an invite to be a part of our community via our website. This will be the absolute best way to contribute with meaning. A meaning that will make some real change.
Thank you for all of your support thus far and we look forward to meeting so many more on the mission to have real representation for us. See you soon!
(Apologies in advance for any typos and improper grammar, as this was written in haste)
Thank you for all of your support thus far and we look forward to meeting so many more on the mission to have real representation for us. See you soon!
(Apologies in advance for any typos and improper grammar, as this was written in haste)
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