2012 is proving to be living up to expectations in terms of “life changing” at least for me. The ridiculously warm and comfortable winter has turned into a spring that not only blossomed the usual new life but also new opportunities in my own personal life.

I have come to view my strange move to Omaha from Michigan as my version of the biblical “Wilderness” that many prophets had to wander through at a certain point of their life. They become lost to the world while internalizing their personal struggles with life and all its many parts. Eventually they emerge from the wilderness a stronger person that has figured it all out as much as anyone can ever possibly claim to figure anything out. A grounded foundational root becomes a major part of their being during such time and everything that comes afterwards then comes from that moral center that they discovered. I am purposely being very vague with my words here so as to encompass all faiths, beliefs, and weird moments of clarity in any flavors that may be.  This is a blog, not a place to really plumb the depths offered with such spiritual thinking. This is a comment on the brilliance of the stillness and mirrored quality that the plane of glass-like water before me is… not about how deep the water plunges or the sky above it rises. This is the surface. And its beautiful.

Right now, I have sort of come into a sort of “Zen”-like state. I am a Taoist so Zen isn’t exactly my flavor of hippie/laid-back/alternative type philosophy but the description is perfectly accurate. Things are going very well. New opportunities are opening up, new people are being introduced. Like the gardens around us all, my life is blooming right now.

I may share my emerging social life here soon... but I really should bring up my Internet social networking emergence. I have decided to re-brand myself in the vein of the current point along the Internet's natural ebb and flow in terms of privacy and acceptability, so I have created a very flat out and specific jeremystaffeld.com website to be a one-stop shop for anything and everything about me. It is super simplistic and minimalist right now... which has a pretty cool character on its own and is so "ME" as it is... however I have a lot more to show off than a super minimalist thing so quite soon that website will take to a new type of concept. We shall see how that goes. I am happy with the placeholder right now. So feel free to "friend me on Facebook", churn over my LinkedIn resume, or follow me on Twitter.  I tend to be a quiet sort... but lately I have been very open and social.

So… I hope you out there also are having an emergence… but if you are not, fret not, because that is the way of the world… our personal time-lines aren’t as well established as nature’s and even then, as we have seen this year, the way things always are don’t always have to be. But one thing that I have found… no matter what… there is a balance. We have great highs, we have great lows. Life can be miserable and seem like it can never get any better… and then it does.  Life can be amazing and feel like finally everything is right with the world only to have walls begin to fall in upon themselves.  Whatever state you are in right now… it will change. It’s going to happen. Face it…for good or for bad.  As you accept that, you may discover a Zen-like state as well.  I hope you do.  Because it is awesome!

The "idea" hacktivists collectively referred to as Anonymous retaliated against the Megaupload site's demise by unleashing their largest attack to date on US government and media websites.

Its going to be very interesting how this plays out.  TV media has a significant bias given that they strongly support SOPA and any anti-piracy action.  The internet media, however, has an equal and opposite bias towards anti-SOPA as well as a very critical view on file-sharing legality issues.

Will this even make it to the general US public? Or will mainstream media saturate the news with more noise about Newt Gingrich's sex life?

I shall make some popcorn...

I happen to be the kind of person that true anti-piracy laws should be designed to protect, as I have several published works that bring in royalties. I also write music, though not professionally, that requires protection in a world where it is all too easy to rip off “the little guy”. I have had to spend a great deal of time and effort going after blog farms and radio station websites that have ripped off my articles.

However, there are already plenty of laws on the books that protect me. SOPA, as it is written, does not strengthen these laws or even provide additional protection for me or any freelance intellectual property owners. SOPA, at its heart, only gives power to attempt to stop access to foreign websites accused of copyright violation. The worst part is that it puts the burden of proof on the defendant, not the accuser or prosecutor. This goes against the purpose of our American way of justice! Because of this, a potential abuse of the rights granted from SOPA could allow any competitor to shut down any site without any proof, leaving the defendant to have to challenge this in court while their site has been shut down. Only wealthy entities could afford a lengthy court battle while essentially being unable to make any money during this process.

Also, the terribly vague language within SOPA goes against its own purpose of protection against foreign site that are not under American law by allowing interpretations of SOPA to affect US websites that share links without proper permission. This could end social media as we know it. Youtube? Gone. News aggregators? Gone. The simple act of linking to fun websites or LoLcats for your Facebook friends? Gone.

Piracy is already illegal. I have had no problem in following the proper procedures required to get those who have stolen my intellectual property to cease and desist… and I don’t have a team of lawyers… I don’t a lawyer at all. The current laws would be protection enough without having to add a terrible over-reaching bill on top of them when the problem exists because current laws are sometimes difficult, but not impossible, to prosecute. The risks that SOPA creates in terms of censorship and abuses afforded by large corporations make this act of legislation dangerous to our American way of life. Our Freedom is under attack!

Thankfully today’s attempt at raising awareness has already delayed this bill that had been expected to sail right through to passing. This has been a true populist win, though not yet a complete victory until the bill has been killed completely.

The people DO have a voice! We may not have lobbyists on our bankroll. We may not have the power of money behind us. But we have the constitution on our side as well as the numbers when we all truly stand up together. I am proud of this fight against SOPA. A sleeping giant has been awakened and we cannot be silenced when we work together like this.

Lets show this ineffective Congress that we are mad as hell and are not gonna take it anymore!

They even go so far as to wish the term "man cave" be abolished simply because they, themselves, still have their testicles in a jar, on the hearth, under wifey's lock and key.

Well, I have lived a few years in the Sault Ste. Marie area... as Yoopers go, the Soo people are sort of like gay Canadians. I'll acknowledge their better than average driving skills -- something the maple leaf wavers are infamously awful at -- but when a Soo area migrant finds themselves in the wilds of the western UP, they quickly start acting like the twinkletoes Cannukleheads that they try so hard not to mirror.

Sorry, but the English language can be fun and exciting. It can even be "amazing" if you really get into it. This strange need to stiffen our upper lips and conform to exactly the same type of ostentatious language that our British fluffer-nutters abide by is just ridiculous. Ridiculous... thats another over-used word isn't it? Hell, even Anderson Cooper has the RidicuList. I bet you petulant prick-weeds at Lake State writhe in anguish at such a travesty bestowed upon the English language.

But it isn't just the frozen virgins up at Lake State... this is a disease that runs through much of the literary world. So many brilliant voices have been hushed simply because they didn't speak like the cool kids did. In an era when txt speak is becoming prevalent, Autocorrect is whacky, and people graduate college while still sounding like absolute morons... THIS is not the way to continue our great written language.

English, as opposed to Latin, is a living, breathing language... it adapts as we adapt. It evolves as we evolve. Just as our society has taken off the many layers of Victorian attire so too must our language grow as casual. Now, certainly there must be some rules, standards, and rationality. I am shocked at how awful the average American's spelling and reading have become. But that is where our focus should be... not by alienating the ever growing and constantly changing tides of public usage... but by adapting to the way the populace speaks. Hopefully this encourages more people to take their words seriously. Lets bring art back into the artistry of language!

The game of Chicken pits two opposing forces in a head-to-head path with the winning goal being to NOT be the one that finally yields to the other. Of course, the worst possible outcome would be if neither side yields and they collide. The side with the least to lose and the most to gain has the advantage.

Lately the GOP has taken some serious political hits and their radical base, the Tea Party, has taken the brunt of the blame for many of these political mistakes. However, the Tea Party has a very vocal foundation and a legion of followers that are known for being unwavering in their convictions.

Obama, on the other hand, has needed relatively no help in appearing “spine-less” and his administration’s worst political moves of late have shown their inconsistency and weakness.

Advantage: the House Republicans

This is why we are seeing such seemingly irrational attempts by the House Republicans to take the Debt standoff all the way to the wire.

But are they really going to let the nation default on its financial obligations which may lower credit ratings and essentially tank the economy?  Would a party that stands for financial responsibility actually be so irresponsible?

Of course not.

Follow the Money

One major clue as to seeing how this invented “crisis” will inevitably play out lies in one aspect that drives everything in modern politics: money.

The GOP has positioned itself as the party for big business, though in truth both parties court big business with the same amount of fervor. While the large middle-class stands to take a significant hit should the national economy dive-bomb, those that will be hurt even worse are those at the top of the very same financial institutions that both parties are so committed to and truly NEED in order to fuel future political campaigns.  Those in power simply will not allow such a dramatic hit to the economy. A default would spell not only political suicide to most incumbents in Washington as well as a significant loss in the status quo that US big business has been thriving off of.

Wall Street isn't even buying it. Monday, July 25, was feared to be the beginning of a panic at the stock markets and for a brief moment it was. But after the initial plummet, stocks began to rise once again as Wall Street began of overcome their fears (Stocks Shrug at Default Fears).

What We Should Learn From This

Beneath all the political games and this false game of chicken that is being played out does offer some interesting things for all US citizens to take to heart. While we shouldn’t fear an actual default, we should fear the intentions and leadership that both Democrats and Republicans are putting on full showcase for the entire world to see.  We should take special note of the GOP’s anti-bipartisan tactics… something they have shown for years now but have only been paid attention to by those with keen eyes on politics. The heat and media attention that this debt crisis is providing finally gives the average US citizen a good look at how the party that promises so deeply each campaign cycle to be the party of financial responsibility is also the party that plays dangerous with the nation’s finances.  How much trust do you put into someone who plays games enough to actually demand that they will default on their responsibilities if they don’t get their way?

Obama and the Democrats are looking slightly better during this crisis but they are not completely blameless. Those that lean to the left when it is time to cast their votes might want to pick up on the weakness The Left has advertised not only during this game of political chicken but also throughout their leadership in the past several years.  Voters should start demanding a change, if not a full backbone, in those that they elect. We are electing our LEADERS… no one wants to be led by a wimp.

Regardless of the outcome, this debt crisis should be a wake up call to each and every US citizen. We need to hold our leaders accountable. We need to demand that they lead FOR THE PEOPLE and not simply for the most extreme members of their partisan base. We, voters, have the right, obligation, and DUTY to send Washington a clear message that come 2012 we will not forget this political game-playing and we will not stand for it anymore!