Free Republic-1, CBS-0

09/10/2004

Free Republic-1, CBS-0

Kaitlyn, at this time Grandmother must post a most important missive to you. Because it is as of this writing in this year of our Lord all hell has hit the fan. More significantly, Kaitlyn, it is the little people who brought it on.

We’ll begin with the Free Republic web site, then on to the new notion of Bloggers. At some point all of this will have an impact on your life, Kaitlyn, which will be Grandmother’s conclusion.

Grandmother is not all that certain about the origin of the web site Free Republic save that it was began in the mid-nineties by a fellow named Jim Robinson in disgust at the power and pervasiveness of the main stream media. Main Stream Media being defined, as of this writing, as the alphabet networks: CBS,ABC,NBC and their cable counterparts: CNBC and MSNBC. By the time you read this missive Granddaughter, Main Stream Media might be defined as the Internet, Talk Radio and Bloggers. But that’s in my conclusion so let’s plow on.

Grandmother is a participant on the Free Republic web site, having posted 19 threads and typed 408 replies. This per the personal data stored on me directly on the web site. Indeed, Grandmother participates, in varying degrees, on many web sites such as Free Republic. Grandmother also posts to newsgroups on something called Usenet as of this writing and which will likely be obsolete when Kaitlyn reads this.

At any rate, Grandmother is not a major participant in the Free Republic web site but she will post once in a great while. There are currently quite a few of these web sites across the mighty Internet, Kaitlyn. The format seems to begin with breaking news from TV, newspapers or actual witness. Then registered users can post responses. Usage of the boards varies depending on the monitor. Free Republic allows long posts, pictures, animation files. Their boards are closely monitored and such sites do have no small amount of discipline. But it’s mostly fair use of discipline in that manner of Republicans.

The notion of Bloggers is so brand new as of this writing, Kaitlyn, that even Grandmother has trouble defining it. Only to say that Grandmother knows she was born a Blogger and it took the rest of the world 54 years to catch up with her.

As you will no doubt understand perfectly when you read this missive, Granddaughter, the beauty of Blogging is the ability to instantly post news and more intriguingly, instant punditry.

The major newspapers have no lock on wise minds and pretty prose. There are a whole lot of wits out there and these wits now have an outlet through the freedom of the Internet. Such wits would include your very own grandmother, now writing this document to you in an environment full of wilderness and some very odd stares.

I only know I am compelled to do it, Granddaughter, and so be it.

Some Bloggers, Kaitlyn, have become quite sophisticated and have been amazingly successful for so short a period of time as the Blogging phenomenon has existed. Many Bloggers have made great names for themselves with their exhaustive network and energetic investigative skills. Bloggers, Kaitlyn, can almost instantaneously develop a major network of contacts and associates. Government leakers have taken a real liking to some Bloggers as transmission of data electronically is easier and more trail-less than the Deep Throats of yore.

Grandmother is not that sort of Blogger, or will she ever be. I do have a keen mind and a bundle of shrewd experience. Words flow out of me right handily to the keyboard. Normal submissions to the print media and bowing to the politically correct editors is not for Grandmother. The restraints of forced phraseology have been lifted with the advent of mass electronic communication.

The breaking news story of the forged documents used by CBS, as of this writing a mighty television network, Kaitlyn, though probably no longer in existence as you read this, is likely the very first example of a main stream news story brought down by the power of free thinking average citizens and Bloggers that spread the news via their amazing and well-developed electronic network.

It was a Free Republic poster who unveiled the issue of the damning documents regarding current President Bush’s National Guard Service as being typed using a font impossible during the period of time the documents were supposedly generated. It’s very technical for detail in this missive, Kaitlyn, though perhaps in your History book there will be a chapter titled “The Advent of Mass Expression” or some sort of kooky education type title. You, Kaitlyn Mae, will have Grandmother’s own pioneering electronic record detailing the events as they occurred.

Grandmother did read the lengthy thread on the then questionable documents. She did not post to the thread as I was still reeling from the notion that a mighty television network such as CBS would use faked documents to smear a sitting U.S. President. Some might argue a patriotic network shouldn’t do such a thing even with honest documents with the current war ongoing but Grandmother will allow for freedom of speech and all that. But to use fake documents? Why should CBS be allowed to engineer its own version of American history?

It’s been argued for years that the main stream media of our era has been transmitting biased information based on agendas of unknown origins. It’s different when Grandmother passes a rumor that the President is Gay than when Katie Courac takes it to the NBC air waves.

There’s always been that bugaboo about freedom of speech as defense to any criticism or attempt to force the media masters of our common air waves to be more balanced with their coverage.

The Internet, Talk Radio, Fox News….all of it was a response, the ONLY response, that would quell the power these media persons unknown possessed. Ingenuous Americans will figure out a way around any repression of their freedoms not to mention their big mouths.

In your day, Kaitlyn, I suspect every school child will have their own web site. All of the child’s personal information will be stored on this site with layers of security and passwords designed to allow certain people access. A school nurse, for instance, might have a password for a school child’s web page filled with pertinent information the parents think such a nurse should know. A telephone call to the child’s doctor may be required should the nurse require more information. The child’s doctor might have access to more detailed medical information and will use his/her judgment for the access request.

One could store all information on their web page as required. Sex offenders who need registration will be forced to have this warning posted prominently on their web page.

There’s all sorts of possibilities, Kaitlyn, and how it evolves will be a trial and error process. Those ingenious Americans will keep working on it until the perfect combination of privacy and convenience is achieved.

School children will be required to maintain their own Blog though some will, as those things go, do it better than others. It IS reading and writing, Kaitlyn and once the teachers’ unions get out of the way, they are two of the most important intellectual tools we possess.

You, Granddaughter, will have an edge. You’ve been taught by a pioneer.

As one Free Republic Poster put it so intriguingly yet so wisely,“I feel like I'm actually -part- of the news, instead of just reading about it.” The poster’s “Freeper” name is TheBigB and he gave me permission to use his inadvertent summary of just exactly what is happening during this pioneering era of instant communication.