SOPA’s Evil Twin Sister – CISPA

They just don’t give up, and won’t!  Not safe to turn away when the assault on liberty is in full swing.  Get the word out.  Graphic from Lumin Consulting and they offer permission to share the graphic.

In the hopes of creating awareness of what CISPA actually is and how it could effect the lives of every day people, we created this infographic. Feel free to share the graphic on your site. You can find quotes from Fortune 500 CEO’s who are endorsing the bill here. You can also write a letter to your local representative to protest CISPA here.

Opinions are like….

Well, y’all know that one, but in line with the Arizona cyber bully bill, it is my humble opinion that kids should not be on the internet.  I’m not looking for a law to ban them, or to throw parents in jail because their kid has surfed the web, but there really is no reason for a kid to be on the internet.  There are issues, but rather than take the heavy hand of government and asking them to pull their guns, I’d rather see it discouraged by parents and teachers alike.

Yes, I know, our schools have pushed the internet on our kids, and expect them to consult the ‘net to do research for their papers.  Why they felt that the ‘net was a better source of information than the Encyclopedia Brittanica is beyond me.  The fact is people can post anything on the ‘net and kids are not likely to have the wherewithal to separate fact from fiction.  Sure, there is plenty of fiction in the textbooks, but it seems that there was tremendous value in those skills that they taught us.  To be able to go into a library and find the information you’re looking for is something I think everyone should know.  They might actually want to find facts someday, especially if Congress moves forward on control of the net.  If you have the want, you can find some great stuff in older books.

So our schools teach our kids to use the internet, which means that children are seeing sex acts that I never even conceived of even at the height of puberty.  This is a far cry from sneaking a peek at a Playboy behind the barn.  It is an unfortunate fact that porn is on the ‘net.  Even here, on this blog, my top search draw is Miranda Lambert Bikini (I don’t have that pic, sorry).  I have no wish to see it banned, but again, I’m not interested in taking six-year olds or sixteen-year olds to strip clubs.  The library likely has a copy of Canterbury Tales, but the sickness that has become readily accessible was quite removed from my youth.  That’s where it should be.

We use to play outside and use imagination to come up with games and things to do. We would stay out until our parents called us home, and only then would we go home.  Sitting in front of a computer or PS3 all day pollutes the mind and weakens the body.  They’re not getting educated, and they’re sure not learning social skills.  Kids use to talk, not text, and meet face to face, not on Facebook.  And what is Facebook really?  Sure it is nice to be able to connect with family and friends, but so much of it is fluff and needless drama.  Does a kid need that?

Our kids are at risk.  As our nation has declared mainstream religion evil, tossed out the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, Christmas, Easter, and God, all while cramming sexual deviance and homosexuality down our throats, our children are at greater risk.  I’m sorry, but my kids have no need to learn about homosexuality in kindergarten, no matter what the state of California says.  I fail to see where all this tearing down and exposing the most innocent of our society to evil while sheltering them from good has made us a better people.  The innocence of youth is a good thing, and we should not be throwing it away.  The chances that someone will be seeking out our children online to abuse or even kill is very high.

So why do we pursue this?  Why can’t we recognize that the internet is not the place for children?  It is not safe.  It is a good source of information if and only if you have the wisdom to discern.  In no way should it replace books or the ability to use the ol’ Dewey Decimal System to find a wealth of information that actually had to pass a publishers screening and willingness to be liable for its content.

Big Brother is big enough.  Leave the ‘net alone, and stop encouraging kids to play where they’re likely to get hurt.  There is no real benefit in encouraging children to be on the internet or shutting it down so they might be safe.

Just my opinion…

Facebook

Can too much connection be a bad thing?

There was a time when people connected on a more personal level.  If I wanted to talk to someone I called them, or went to see them.

I use to write letters, and look forward to hearing back.  To me there is something very special about holding a letter in your hands that someone else took the time to write and send.  I imagine that is why so many people hold on to letters for so long.

The connection was more intimate, and special.

Now I am on Facebook.  All my posts are seen by all in my very large circle.  I see everything that everyone posts and they see everything that I post.  In person I might not bring up my differences with someone, but on Facebook the differences are right there on the news feed.  This has fueled disputes between people, people with whom relationships may have been fine under the old standard.

The old flame who may have remained a memory is on Facebook.  Your crazy cousin, your pastor, your drinking buddies from college, and your boss all intermingling on your feed and your comments.  Throw in a few kids, and that is a pretty unique mix.

If you ask me, save new rules of etiquette, it is a disaster waiting to happen.

Facebook has been increasingly cited in divorces and breakups.  It is now cited in 20% of divorce cases, and I suspect the number where Facebook has had a negative impact could be far higher.  There are stories of its negative impact on employment, dating, families, marriage, college, background checks, and nothing online is ever really private.

While it has the power to connect people, it equally has the power to divide people.  It does divide people.  A large part of my return to blogging was the wish to speak my mid and connect without offending the Facebook crowd.  Yes, this blog is connected to my Facebook account, but you need to press the link to get here.

I don’t believe we should all suspend our Facebook accounts.  I do think it would be a great thing if we brought back some of those old intimacies that served so well to remind others that they are special.  Reading a script on an electronic screen is no substitute for hearing someones voice.  How many times have people taken that wrong?  Take time to actually see each other face to face.  We are not profiles, we are people.

Facebook is part of our lives, but it is an abstract.

Introduce Yourself…

I’m Robert Ray, a husband, a father, a Christian, an American, a former Marine, a conservative/libertarian, trucker, and several other things to boot.  Hopefully the labels haven’t served to box me in!  (I rather detest labels, as too often they separate people.  Rather than see another human it is too easy to see “——–“.)   I am 46, and I was born on New Year’s Day 1966.  I have been married 18 years, and I have five children with my wife Courtney.

I use to blog often a few years ago, but I let it fall to the side.  Between things going on in my personal life and the election causing people to turn rabid on one another I gave it up.  I am back because Facebook doesn’t exactly give me the opportunity to express myself.  It is a little to broad in that in includes friends, family, coworkers, classmates, and people from all over.  Much as it has served to bring together people from all over life, it has also been destructive to relationships.  I won’t go further into that now, but a google search will bring up plenty of articles on the topic.

I had already written an introduction, but it was lost somehow.  Far better than this one too, but so it goes.

I’m not looking to write specifically about anything.  So far I’ve posted mostly political, but I don’t want a political blog at this point.  I don’t have the time or energy to engage in the sparring that such blogs often fall into.  I know, people like blogs about specific things, and if you need a label, at this point it is life as seen through the eyes of this cowboy.  depending on how much I take to this I may have separate blogs for different things.

Thank you to all who have come, and all who will come!  And thank you in advance for the friendships I’m sure will come from this experience.  Y’all are welcome!  Come on in and sit a spell!