Amazonian Tribe Found

I got a request from a reader to make a new post so my blog wasn't featuring the naked little girl photographed by Australian Bill Henson.

So I've decided to relay another Australian news article about naked people: a previously uncontacted South American tribe was filmed by a flyover plane, renewing Western interest in the plight of Indians being forced from their lands by illegal logging.

The first flyover yielded shots of the villagers slowly reacting to the aircraft, and by the second flyover the village had readied itself for battle with the unknown: red-painted warriors hefted bows and spears, accompanied by a woman painted in black, while younger tribes members crouched under the protection of the huts.

Personally, I think that they are fascinating photos. A true look into an unknown world, and into the past. Something Awful's discussion of the events tended towards a more humorous tenor, with a series of comparisons between these tribes people and the tribal Fallen in the Diablo II video game, as well as an extended discussion of the top five items to give a discovered tribe.

Still, the online exploration was not entirely unfruitful. A poster cited David Attenborough's fascinating hour-long documentary A Blank on the Map: First Contact with a Tribe, which follows more than 100 explorers as they travel through the depths of the unexplored Amazon in an effort to search out one of the few remaining undiscovered tribes. While a bit slow to start, I definitely recommend watching it if you are interested in this sort of thing.



And for those curious, here's my own list of 'Top 5 Things to Throw in a Box to an Uncontacted Indian Village.' Maybe not the most charitable list, but amusing nonetheless:

1. A giant monolith covered in nonsense glyphs and symbols.
2. A very durable remotely operated robot.
3. Party favors, everybody needs party favors.
4. A disease that they were immune to but we were not.
5. A gift of circa 1400s technology.

Add your own in the comments section if you have a mind to.

Art on Trial

I came across an interesting article today about controversial Australian photographer Bill Henson, who was charged with art obscenity over a gallery series of nude children. Apparently Henson's gallery was seized for evidence, and the artist is hiding out somewhere.

I discussed the event in detail on my web forum, and I wanted to share some of those thoughts. We talked about the eroticism of the images, the legalities of the case, and whether or not Henson should be considered a shock artist.

Personally, I think that the images are intended to be semi-erotic. They draw a large part of their artistic merit through that eroticism. While I personally don't see the problem with putting them on display, I could understand a legal objection due to this concern. And Henson is clearly conscious of the uncertain nature of his work. He purposefully strides the line between innocence and sexuality:

quote:

'The object in my photographs is not always the subject,' Henson says and he challenges the audience to engage with the work in order to understand its true nature. He has said that he feels that he has succeeded if more questions are generated than answered, and believes the strongest criticism comes from those who are uncomfortable with not knowing the answers to the questions posed.

Pavement Magazine

quote:

Although Henson could not be reached for comment yesterday, he told the Herald this week he had chosen to work with children at the beginning of puberty because they were "half in childhood, half in the adult world" and this "creates a floating world of expectation and uncertainty". He told the Herald in 2006: "It's an impossibly oversimplified notion, this 'loss of innocence'. It's not like you cross a painted line on the floor; it's a progression."

Sydney Morning Herald

It is clear that he understands that his art as intentionally provocative, and he is primarily concerned with the audience reaction compared with the subject of his photograph. As any good artist, he attempts to elicit a response. He does so by bringing the low life to the high life, by romanticizing squalor. He keeps himself to the grey area, to the edges, in order to bring about the greatest response.

I don't think that this series is particularly egregious in this respect, but it is silly to ignore his connection to shock art. Henson is not as gruesome or extreme as the bloody anti-abortion shock art trotted out by some pro-lifers, but the power of his work stems from a similar source.

As per the legalities, it is hard to say. I am not familiar with Australian law, though it shares a common history with American and British law, but in a US court, I would wager the photographer would win out in summary judgment, mainly due to way his art was being displayed. If the images were on an anonymous website without the gallery context, he could easily be looking at jail time.

The Law Society of New South Wales has come out in support of Henson, and they defend him by saying that he only intended to create art, and that the state will have to prove intent before convicting him. I'm sure they'll file an amicus curiae, but I rather doubt that this is the extent of it. In US law, at least, an action's intent is only a small part of a case, regardless of how it is depicted in television dramas.

As in similar US cases, these proceedings will probably be heavily based on common law, and hence subject to interpretation. I'm not sure if Australia has an equivalent to the Roth or Miller tests. It is also important to note that child pornography statutes tend to be much more arbitrary than general pornography statutes.

For example, a strict minded US judge would be supported in the law for jailing Henson for depicting youngsters in lewd poses/conduct (even if they were fully clothed) - as well as every journalist that printed or possessed the images. This is regardless of the "serious value" of the image, or the work as a whole.

Of course, the judge would have to be pretty fire and brimstone to lay down that much smack down for images that are only semi-erotic. Still, I'll admit to some consternation prior to uploading the image at the head of this post, and I shied away from his more contentious photos.

But I wanted to applaud the courage of Fairfax's The Age, which is the only newspaper I know of that has published uncensored versions of Henson's photos. Bloggers are already speaking of the journalistic coverage of this event in terms of Denmark's cartoon parodies of Islamic figures, and I think that it may become another marker stone in the debate over the freedom of the press.

Great Pheonix Landing Photo

One last mention of the Pheonix landing on Mars. Using the high-resolution HiRise camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA scientists have acquired this stunning shot of the Pheonix lander parachuting down onto the martian surface. As the lander uses the sparse atmosphere of Mars to slow down, the pod, drogue and cabling are clearly displayed in this chance satellite footage. Truly an astounding image.

Still no word on the Polar Bear object ...

It's Good to Travel

Alright, so picking up from my previous time travel post, I'm hypothesizing traveling to Europe circa 1500. I already talked about arriving in Europe and traveling to Florence, Italy, in 1500. It probably won't make much sense without the lead up, so I suggest looking at part one. I pick up in late 1504 ...

I travel to Rome with Michaelangelo, and secure the patronage of Pope Julius II to create a second academy. Doing so would further tie Florence to the Vatican, and gain favor with the Pope. After his successful campaign in 1506, Julius has a good relationship with France and Germany, and he then creates the Swiss Guard.

I would attempt to demonstrate the success of the Florence militia in order to be involved in the training of the Guard. I would promote the role of Florence in the creation of an independent Italy as a nation state. This line of thinking would mirror that of Pope Julius.

Through the improved relationship between the Pope, Florence and the Academy cadre, it would be possible to conciliate between the Medici family and Florence, preventing the wars that would weaken Italy and doom both the Republic of Florence and the Pope's intentions. Support of the Medici, a potent noble merchant family with a history of patronage for the arts, philosophy and medicine, would solidify Florence as a mercantile city state within an emerging Italy.

Thus forward, my aim would be to obtain a place in the Florence Great Council alongside the Medici faction, and consolidate the economic and military might of the city. In 1509, Pisa will attack the city, but the improved militia will prove its might by soundly trouncing Pisa, which should be followed with expansion into Venice alongside the League.

In 1513, Pope Julius will catch fever. However, medical aid will improve his chances of survival. Doing so will allow him to transfer leadership of the Holy League to his successor, Pope Leo X, a leader of the Medici family who will be sympathetic to the cause of a loyal Florence in the face of Martin Luther. Religious discourse and political pragmatism may convince Pope Leo X and his successor to adopt some of Luther's accepted liberalization, in order to prevent the schism.

By 1520, Italy has been relatively stable and profitable for 15 years. France, Germany and the Vatican have decent relations, and are no longer capable of dealing with Italy city by city. Now secure under the authority of a liberated Rome and the military industrial power of an expanded Florence, Italy can take advantage of the renaissance academies that have been set up throughout the country (in Pisa, Venice, Rome, Florence, etc.) Science, health and education flourish throughout the newly founded nation, spread through the merchant trading ships throughout Europe and as far as Asia. The burgeoning middle-class fuels an economic boom, and induces slow political democratization. The support of the Medici, and nobles as a whole, will be maintained by showing them how to maintain their position through mercantilism, and eventually capitalism.

Barring an unlikely joint attack by Germany and France, Italy is ready to begin an industrial revolution 300 years ahead of schedule. A major war (effectively a smaller Great War) should start within 20 years, but it is unlikely that other nations will be able to comprehend the strategy behind the new technologies, and their attacks will fail.

Basic knowledge of the rifled flintlock musket, the bayonet and trench warfare would revolutionize the military, bringing it to late 1800 technology. Even the minie ball (a pointed bullet that expands to fit the barrel groves), which marked the huge casualties of the American Civil War, is a relatively simple advancement if one understands the basic principles of a rifle.

Indeed, I encourage the belief that these advancements have nothing to do with my specific knowledge, but rather the collective knowledge that any modern educated person holds. Most people know that bullets shouldn't rattle around in the barrel, even if they don't realize how to utilize soft lead to do it. The same could be said of the basic industrial line, if not manufacturing design.

Comparatively, the enemy would be using cavalry, pikemen, archers/crossbows, and a smattering of matchlock arquebuses and cannon artillery. The protection of the trenches would prevent the discipline problems that plagued early gun battles, improving the firing rate and demoralizing the enemy.

Once supplemented with rifled artillery, the Italian army could expand at will. So long as Italy does not over-extend itself, it should be able to weather the war on a defensive front, and then exploit the Americas to begin the last great expansion.

I should be able to live until about 1555, when I will be 77. Depending on the success of the war, I should be able to live out my days as Governor of an Italian-speaking American colony with circa 1900 technology.

Martian Polar Bears Attack

Science bloggers are already buzzing over an anomalous object sighted in one of the Pheonix lander's first photos. The white object contrasts sharply with the otherwise bland red terrain surrounding the robot.

In a late night press conference, NASA authorities confirmed that they were examining the object, and that they doubted that it was a discarded part of the craft because there was little wind or lateral movement during the landing.

The panel acknowledged that there was some speculation as to what it was, as well as the quip, "Ed thinks it may be a polar bear."

Still, the group refused to comment on their speculations despite repeated questions on the object, saying that they "wanted to have something to talk about tomorrow." However, due to Memorial Day there will be no press conference until Tuesday afternoon.

The Pheonix is not equipped with wheels, and won't be able to close with the "Polar Bear" object to examine it. But the photos were not taken at the highest resolution of the camera, and the orbiting satellites will also be able to take overhead photos.

Assuming it hasn't moved.

The Pheonix has Landed!

NASA's Pheonix Mars lander has touched down safely on the North pole of the red planet, a few minutes before 5 pm PST. It landed with less than half a degree of tilt, meaning that it avoided any rocks as its thrusters put it down. "It's in a nice flat place, all nice and happy."

Check out the visualization here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7400375.stm

The Odyssey orbiter will fly back over the Pheonix in 1.5 hours, which will yield the first footage of the lander.

Personally, I was glued to the live coverage of this event for the 15 minutes before and after the landing. NASA offered live online broadcast of mission control, which was available here: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

UPDATE: Check out the latest images streamed from the Odyssey orbiter that is examining the lander: http://fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=0&cID=8

Waking Up in the Past

Last night I got really involved in a thread on Something Awful that was exploring the idea of traveling back to the 1500s. I've always been fascinated by time travel, and I've avidly read and listened to anything about it that I could get my hands on.

In the thread, I wrote about two things: what I would do if I used that time machine, and an exploration of time travel itself.

Since I had an awesome time writing about it, I'll post a series of excerpts from my writing:

Assuming that I found myself in the middle of Europe on Jan. 1 1500, I would make my way to the new Republic of Florence, Italy, and ingratiate myself with Leonardo da Vinci, who will have just returned to the city. My extensive knowledge of science and engineering will make this a relatively simple procedure, though it will take time to transform my French into complex Italian.

Over the next year I will work with him to increase our fortunes, and to gain the trust of him and his contemporaries. Using philosophies refined in future centuries, I will mend fences between him and his rival, Michaelangelo, (they mainly disagreed over the relationship between man and nature), to create the core cadre of a group of young Florentine artists, scientists, philosophers and engineers. This united group will be effectively charged with fleshing out and legitimizing the concepts that I already possess, and translating them into contemporary forms. A small general academy will be formed around the cadre, funded by my own medicine-based income, as well as Michaelangelo's substantial stipend as he begins work on the David statue.

By establishing this group as the premier scientific and academic center of Italy, I will attract the attention of diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli, who has now been appointed Second Chancellor by the Florentine Great Council. As the first political scientist, he will be fascinated by my understanding of politics. With the inclusion of political power in the cadre, I will be able to promote Florence's Republican ideals, and use Michaelangelo to deter the others from siding with Cesare Borgia, preventing da Vinci from leaving Florence in 1502.

At Borgia rampages through Italy, he is now bereft of his chief military architect, da Vinci, which means his sieges will stagnate. Florentine admirers such as Machiavelli will turn away from him, and focus their attentions on Florence and Borgia's rival in Rome, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere.

Machiavelli begins training the Florence militia in 1503, now supplemented by my modern military infantry movement training, da Vinci's improved military engineering, and a united Florence. At this point I would likely be inducted into the Florence government as Machiavelli's aide-de-camp. Apart from the extensive political benefits this would bring (Machiavelli traveled throughout Italy as chief diplomat), it would also give the Academy a direct line to the government, as the first academy graduates would be entering the officer corps as citizen-soldiers. As officers, they will interact with the merchants who are beginning to come into their own, and will begin to legitimate the middle-class.

In late 1503, as the Italian wars now grind on, Cardinal Giuliano will be crowned as Pope Julius II. His reign will be marked by an aggressive foreign policy, ambitious building projects, and patronage for the arts. Florence will now be in a much stronger position, with a highly trained military, a burgeoning merchant middle-class, and solid political ties with the Vatican.

Michaelangelo completes David in 1504, which will attract the attention of all Italy to Florence. Now unified with Michaelangelo, da Vinci and Botticelli will lead the effort to build a monument around David rather than moving it. The small Republic of Florence will use it as a sign that it has come into its own (David and Goliath myth). Michaelangelo is summoned to Rome to begin work on the tomb of Pope Julius II, and da Vinci and I will now accompany him - leaving Florence in the hands of Machiavelli and the Academy.

So that's the first five years. Come back later for the second part.

75,000 at Portland Obama Rally

Barack Obama held the largest rally yet for the 2008 presidential race in Portland today. 60,000 crowded into the gates of Waterfront park, with another 15,000 outside and boats and kayaks floating alongside in the Willamette. It was a beautiful, sunny evening for the event, and a perfect capstone for the hard fought campaign. Obama is hoping to have a strong showing in Oregon, which should prove to be the clincher for the Democratic nomination.

Read the event coverage:

The Washington Post
The New York Times
Official Barack Obama blog

Oregon is the largest state remaining in the contest between Clinton and Obama, and it is considered a strong supporter of the Obama campaign. Still, every vote counts in this proportional contest. If more than 70% vote Obama then he gets every vote!

So if you haven't put your ballot in the mail, walk down to a ballot box and make your voice heard.

Obama in '08!

Tocqueville v Mill (Part Two)

I wrote a class essay comparing two of liberal theory's earliest adherents, Tocqueville and J.S. Mill. I thought that I would share it here. One of the things I find most fascinating about the authors is that so many of their arguments are continued today: the relationship between liberty and equality, for instance, or the role of women in society. Reading the old authors gives context, and a reference point to better understand today's debates.

This is the second of two parts of this essay:

The previous passages are examples of how Mill and Tocqueville tend to unite in message, but deviate in tone. But this is not to say that this is always the case. Both authors speak to the equality of women in society, and in generally positive tones towards women.

In his essay The Subjection of Women, Mill writes at length about the importance of female empowerment, which he considers a major issue confronting democratic societies. Tocqueville echoes this perspective in his short chapter ‘How the Americans Understand the Equality of Man and Woman,’ which he concludes with the hypothetical question: “[Were I] asked to what I think must be principally attributed the remarkable prosperity and growing strength of this people, I would answer that it is to the superiority of their women.” (Tocqueville, 268)

However, once the two authors are examined critically, one recognizes that there are striking differences between their real opinions on this issue. Mill speaks of the status of women in terms of slavery, while Tocqueville easily assumes the “inferiority” of women compared to men.

“I have not noticed,” Tocqueville writes, “that American women considered conjugal authority as a happy usurpation of their rights nor that they believed that to submit to it was to abase themselves. It appeared to me, on the contrary, that they fashioned for themselves a kind of glory out of the voluntary renunciation of their will and that they placed their grandeur in bending themselves to the yoke and not escaping it. That, at least, is the sentiment that the most virtuous ones express: the others keep quiet, and in the United States one does not hear an adulterous wife noisily clamoring for woman’s rights while trampling on her most sacred duties.” (Tocqueville, 266)

Comparatively, Mill argues forcefully for greater freedoms on the part of women – for an escape from the domestic role that Tocqueville espouses.

“The legal subordination of one sex to the other,” Mill writes, “is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality, admitting no power or privilege on the one side, nor disability on the other.” (Mill, 119)

In this, it is clear that despite having a similar tone, Mill strongly differentiates himself from Tocqueville, who characterizes the former’s argument as submission to the “despotic empire of women.”

Thus, it is shown that the two men differ greatly on this subject, as they do on other topics such as racial segregation and Mill’s leanings beyond liberalism, towards libertarianism. Still, it is best to note their similarities than to contrast their differences, for both lived in an era where liberalism remained a revolutionary idea.

Tocqueville and Mill share themes in their works. Both authors promote American-style democracy, individual freedom and the role of the middle-class. They both contend with the dichotomies of liberty versus authority, and liberty versus equality. And perhaps the most important similarity of all is their common fear of the tyranny of the majority, which was perhaps best explained thusly by Prof. James Ingram: “It is a fear that the public will become a tyrant, and eventually appoint one.”

For Tocqueville, this fear was vindicated 20 years after the publication of Democracy by the coronation of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte as emperor of France.

First Speech of the General Election

Barack Obama made a "decisive victory" in N. Carolina tonight, pulling within 200 delegates of securing the Democratic nomination. Hillary Clinton won Indiana by less than a 2 point margin.

In response, Obama delivered a major speech that has been called "the first speech of the general election."

"We can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term," Obama said. "We need change in America."

"That's why I'm running for President."

Read more at my Obama blog.

Fast Prototyping

I was talking to my roommate today about an article I read about a group of graduate students researching game development, and he suggested that I share the article on my blog. Four members of the Experimental Gameplay Project over at Carnegie Mellon spent a semester developing over 50 flash games, while noting their successes and failures as they did so. Their article over at Gamasutra is a great look into the process of developing creativity on demand, and it has implications that go far beyond the casual gaming industry.

The project started in Spring 2005 with the goal of discovering and rapidly prototyping as many new forms of gameplay as possible. A team of four grad students, we locked ourselves in a room for a semester with three rules:

1. Each game must be made in less than seven days,
2. Each game must be made by exactly one person,
3. Each game must be based around a common theme i.e. "gravity", "vegetation", "swarms", etc.

As the project progressed, we were amazed and thrilled with the onslaught of web traffic, with the attention from gaming magazines, and with industry professionals and academics all asking the same questions, "How are you making these games so quickly?" and "How can we do it too?" We lay it all out here.

Through the following tips, tricks, and examples, we will discuss the methods that worked and those that didn't. We will show you how to slip into a rapid prototyping state of mind, how to set up an effective team, and where to start if you've thought about making something new, but weren't sure how.

We hope these well-tested guidelines come in useful for you and your next project, big or small!

Boom De Yada

Here's a song to get stuck in your head. Now go watch the Discovery Channel.

Boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada.

Do do la doo doo ...

Tocqueville v Mill (Part One)

I wrote a class essay comparing two of liberal theory's earliest adherents, Tocqueville and J.S. Mill. I thought that I would share it here. One of the things I find most fascinating about the authors is that so many of their arguments are continued today: the relationship between liberty and equality, for instance, or the role of women in society. Reading the old authors gives context, and a reference point to better understand today's debates.

This is the first of two parts of this essay:

French historian Alexis de Tocqueville and British philosopher John Stuart Mill are both important authors in the history of liberalism and individual freedom. Tocqueville’s post French-revolutionary Democracy in America examined the successes and failures of 19th century America, with an eye towards the democratization of Western Europe. Mill’s On Liberty, published 25 years later, is considered a founding document of liberal thinking. Together, the two writers propose powerful arguments for personal liberty and democratic government – but from different perspectives. With different backgrounds and different political realities, it is not surprising that Tocqueville and Mill have different views on many issues; what is surprising is the number of striking similarities they do have.

Tocqueville was born a French aristocrat, in a time where the nobility had far more access to education and political power than the lower classes. This perspective permeated his writing, though he ended up supporting the republican movement that diminished the power of the aristocratic class.

“If one encounters less brilliance [in a Democratic state] than in the bosom of an aristocracy,” Tocqueville writes in the beginning of Democracy, “one also finds less misery; pleasures will be less extreme and well-being more general; the sciences less grand and ignorance rarer; feelings less energetic and habits milder; one will notice there more vices and fewer crimes.” (Tocqueville, 9)

Mill takes a note from Tocqueville’s writings, and he also explores the effects – positive and negative – that democracy has upon society. However, though Mill is equally well educated (and perhaps even more academic), he was decidedly middle-class (his father, James Mill, was a well-known liberalist author, but certainly not a noble). J.S. Mill’s upbringing means he identifies more with the common citizen than Tocqueville does. While both authors - in their own way - extol the virtues of the democratic middle class, Mill takes a more inclusionist tone. This can be seen from the beginning of On Liberty, where Mill’s language is more reminiscent of the Declaration of Independence than Tocqueville’s reflective work.

“From this liberty of each individual,” Mill writes, “follows the liberty, within the same limits, of combination among individuals; freedom to unite, for any purpose not involving harm to others: the persons combining being supposed to be of full age, and not forced or deceived. No society in which these liberties are not, on the whole, respected, is free, whatever may be its form of government; and none is completely free in which they do not exist absolute and unqualified. The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.” (Mill, 16)

Still, despite their distinct perspectives, Tocqueville and Mill often see eye to eye in a general sense. Both authors support individual freedoms, democratic government and suffrage. And each senses societal problems ignored or engendered by democracy, though the two remain broadly supportive of democratic ideals. For Tocqueville these concerns merely form part of his extended critique of American democracy, but Mill focuses his attentions upon these perceived problems.

"Individuals, classes, nations, have been extremely unlike one another: they have struck out a great variety of paths, each leading to something valuable,” Mill writes. “Europe is, in my judgment, wholly indebted to this plurality of paths for its progressive and many-sided development. But it already begins to possess this benefit in a considerably less degree. It is decidedly advancing towards the Chinese ideal of making all people alike. M. de Tocqueville, in his last important work, remarks how much more the Frenchmen of the present day resemble one another, than did those even of the last generation.” (Mill, 72)

Iraq Update

I just watched an excellent interview with journalist Leila Fadel, who is the Baghdad bureau chief for McClatchy newspapers. She lays out an empathetic and introspective look at the war in Iraq. From Iran to al-Sadr to the U.S. soldiers, Fadel walks a vanishingly thin line as she and her Iraqi journalists try to report on the country.

Fadel's interview with PBS' Bill Moyers provides an excellent primer for the situation on the ground, as well as offer some thoughts as to Iraq's future.

I really suggest that you check it out.

LEILA FADEL: Covered in a scarf so that I wouldn't stand out in the neighborhood. I had to walk in 'cause there was a curfew. I had to take a taxi once I got inside with authorized vehicles. I had to go to the hospitals. And I was nervous. You know, I walked by one square at the entrance of Sadr City in the south. And the Iraqi residents in the area were telling me, "Oh, you gotta run through this area. There are American snipers on that roof."

And there were rumors that women and children were being killed. The U.S. military said that was not happening. Then I'm embedded with these guys [U.S. soldiers]. And they're in an abandoned house-- that they've never seen before. They're going through photo albums and trying to entertain themselves with air soft guns whenever they're not getting shot at. They were calling the little store that was this man's living, whoever lived there-- the Wal-Mart so that they could go in and get Lysol to try to clean the toilets that were no running water and no, you know, completely stopped up.

Nobody's innocent. And that's the difficult thing about this story is that, you know, right now the Mahdi Army is saying, "We're the victim of an offensive that is politically motivated" But they also have victimized so many people. I interviewed a commander in the Mahdi Army who was the most cold-blooded person I'd ever met.

The Empire Strikes Barack

This is just awesome.

Use the (democratic) force, Barack!

Youth Suffrage

Even some of my closest friends may not know this, but I have always been an ardent youth suffragist. Unfortunately, most people tend to dismiss the idea of youths being part of the election process. Over time I resigned myself to quietly holding an unpopular opinion, and it was only recently that it was revived.

A thread on Something Awful's Debate and Discussion board brought up the subject of youth suffrage. There was the usual majority of people who felt that people under 18 were too ignorant and too immature to be allowed to vote, but there was also a surprising number of people who seemed sympathetic to the youth suffrage movement.

One of them linked me to the National Youth Rights Association web site, an organization that I hadn't even realized existed.

"NYRA is a national youth-led organization with over 7,000 members and chapters in a dozen states," according to the website. "We support lowering the voting age, lowering the drinking age, repealing government curfews, protecting student rights and fighting age discrimination."

I am so happy to hear that someone else out there cares for the plight of the disenfranchised youth.

The following is a short version of their reasons to lower the voting age. Please visit the link for a complete and detailed listing.

Top Ten Reasons to Lower the Voting Age

"No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a choice in the election of those who make the laws under which…we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined."

1. Youth suffer under a double standard of having adult responsibilities but not rights
2. Youth pay taxes, live under our laws, they should have the vote
3. Politicians will represent their interests if youth can vote
4. Youth have a unique perspective, they'll never have those experiences again
5. 16 is a better age to introduce voting than 18; 16 year olds are stationary
6. Lowering the Voting Age will increase voter turnout
7. If we let stupid adults vote, why not let smart youth vote?
8. Youth will vote well
9. There are no wrong votes
10. Lowering the voting age will provide an intrinsic benefit to the lives of youth