Given our lofty status in the blogosphere, it was quite a surprise when Jack of All Blogs was called for jury duty. It seems no one is exempt, not even this opinionated blogger.

Thankfully, I was excused after only a single day. Rather than bellyache about how so many people shirk this single civic duty, I’d like to pose several questions and propose some improvements.

1) First Round, Web.

Upon receiving a summons you must check daily to see if your number comes up. Once it does you must appear at the general jury room. This is a large room with a several hundred-person capacity.

Sure, it’s decent enough. The seats are wide, there are computer terminals and plenty of magazines. But why on earth should I have to waste an entire day to wait to be called for a panel. You see, even if you have a doctor’s note or are unfit to serve on a jury, you must sit in this room all day long. It’s like a third-grade punishment.

“If one person goes home early, we’ll have to send home everyone early.”

Why can’t this initial screening process take place on the Web? In this computer age of Web cams and virtual meetings, there’s no reason this first tier can’t take place remotely. And if someone can’t afford the technology they may visit a library.

Are there any municipalities currently employing or exploring this?

2) On-Site Doctor.

Jury duty seems to bring out illnesses of all kinds. From the common cold to heavy-duty psychological claims, people pull out all the stops to wiggle out of jury duty. If I was running the show I would have a small medical staff on-site to check out people’s claims. These days, a note means nothing.

3) Permanent Jurors.

Qualifications: Open mind, ability to weigh facts, no knowledge of the case. Rather than look for these qualities over and over again in different people, maybe you can save time by just hiring a regular panel. God knows there are plenty of people looking for work.

Overall, I have to say the experience wasn’t as bad as it has been in the past. One thing was crystal clear: there are plenty of people who WANT to serve. Moving portions of the selection process to the Web would certainly save everyone time and money.

Oh, and speaking of money, parking cost me $27 for the day. Man, I never though I’d say this but it’s nice to be back at work.

Now I can sit back and enjoy a six-year reprieve. Hopefully by then I can just share my excuses online.

Disclosure always has been the horse to beat to death among bloggers. Bloggers, especially probloggers (whatever that is), are supposed to be honest, beg and warn you every time they want to make some money on your back that they actually could make money if you are no greedy all for free internaut.

Finally, I’ll come clear with things here and agree with the Master, Shoemoney.

You should assume everything written on this blog is a lie. You should assume I have motivation for linking to everything on this page and will benefit from it somehow.

To be entirely honest honest with you…

I assume you know that I everything I write on this page, I will benefit from it somehow.

Yup, that is correct. I can already see those $ signs in your eyes, but forget it! Being a Jack has some advantages! See, I’m a muppet, I can write what I want here. I can rant & rave. Even at your expense.

As long as I disclose. And I think disclosure doesn’t go far enough yet. Also Jacks and Muppets should disclose [their relations]. And best thing to do that, is the lovely XFN code.

XFN™ (XHTML Friends Network) is a simple way to represent human relationships using hyperlinks. In recent years, blogs and blogrolls have become the fastest growing area of the Web. XFN enables web authors to indicate their relationship(s) to the people in their blogrolls simply by adding a ‘rel’ attribute to their <a href> tags

On a side note, XFN also is the perfect way to get screwed in your search engine rankings, but I digress.
To be entirely honest, I think XFN is for netiquette wussies. Those who believe that the web only consists of hugging cybergenes and cuddling cyberDNAstrings. But one of the best things online always were the flames. What is funnier than sit back and enjoy a great flame war and Wikipedia or Usenet.

But what about disclosure?

From now one, every flamer should disclose and use the XFN model to do so. Following attributes are imaginable:

• rel=”useless”
• rel=”wannabe”
• rel=”whiner”
• rel=”wussy”

Of course no limitations are set, but when disclosing… better do it consequently.

When you see these Google AdSense banner/graphic ads:

I know it’s not exactly an advertisement by Barack Obama himself. But when companies try to use political figures to get attention, then you know that time is coming.

We’re still a year away from elections, though. But then there’s the primaries, and next thing you know you’re looking at full blown political campaigns.

Barack Obama has recently announced he’s officially seeking the highest office in the land, and I hear there have been sightings of AdSense ads leading to the official Barack Obama site. And then there’s MyBarackObama.com, which apparently uses social media-like applications to get people to sign up and participate.

Social media is hot these days. And the politicans are taking heed.

We here at Splashpress Media are proud to run our own politics blog: Biziki. However, I’m still of the opinion that politics and blogging don’t necessarily mix well, in certain instances.

Sure, politicians can use blogs to help spread the word about their platforms and their achievements. If they’re incumbent, they can use blogs to communicate with constituents. If they’re currently running for office, then they can use blogs as an inexpensive way to mount a campaign.

Still, someone once told me that blogging would probably be the last thing a politician would want to do. Why? Some (not all, of course) politicians are very sensitive about publicity. They’re afraid of the transparency and interactivity that blogging offers. Imagine, if an incumbent elected official starts to blog about his activities and achievements while in office, and readers write negative comments. Or what if comments are moderated? This could create a negative backlash from the blogging community, itself, for being a “closed” blog.

Blogging sure helps open communication lines. However, considering that a lot of people in government are still quite technologically-averse, then blogging may be something they cannot effectively use yet.

One thing’s for sure: blogging is one good tool for bringing out issues to the public. It’s cheaper than mass media, and content cannot be edited for posterity, unlike newspapers or TV. The blogosphere is open to the biases and opinions of people from all sides of an issue. It’s like a double-edged sword. Wield it properly, and it’s a great weapon. Make a wrong move, and you end up cutting yourself.

Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names…..

If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity…..

Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation…..

Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain…..

Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings…..

So, let us not be blind to our differences – but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved…..

The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly…..

The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence…..

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought…..

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, ‘In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!’….

The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining…..

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction…..

Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm…..

We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch…..

We stand for freedom. That is our conviction for ourselves; that is our only commitment to others…..

When we got into office, the thing that surprised me the most was that things were as bad as we’d been saying they were…..

The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us…..

…probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in this house except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone…..

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable…..

And so, my fellow americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man…..

If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich…..

We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth…..

For in the final analysis, our most basic common link, is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children’s futures, and we are all mortal…..

Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings…..

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all…..

All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea — whether it is to sail or to watch it — we are going back from whence we came…..

We need men who can dream of things that never were…..

The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognize the opportunity…..

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other…..

Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind…..

I swore I would not get political. I think I may have to get a little political, just this once. I hate terrorism and think that we should fight it anywhere, any way, any how.

There. That’s my political statement.

But when I first said this, torture hadn’t even crossed my mind. Is it okay to waterboard someone to find out where they put the bomb in Times Square? Is it acceptable to use electric shock to get a proven terrorist to give up his companions, who may be planning attacks right at that moment?

My gut said no. Pirate or not, I can’t stomach torture. It’s wrong in a way I can’t define. People who torture lose something of their humanity. Data produced is questionable at best. And, well, it’s just wrong to profit on a person’s misery like that.

I even tried to imagine: were I in a position where those I love were going to be killed if the torture didn’t happen, would I sanction it?

I had to admit to myself that I still could not.

But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen.

It’s a decision I could never make. But the men and women in our collective governments who are in charge of keeping us all safe may one day be in a position to make that decision. I could not forgive them, either, if they did not do everything possible to keep their employers – the public – safe. Including torture.

This puts them in a terrible position. My solution: hire men and women who have the guts to take personal responsibility – and credit – for the good and evil they do. Instead of making torture legal – and therefore an easy choice – make it illegal. Those who choose to torture, despite the consequences to them, are making the choice to suffer themselves as well.

It sucks. It really does. It’s also a lot to ask of these people. But we ask our soldiers on the front lines to lay down their lives – and we ask the same of Coast Guard, police, firefighters, and all the other men and women who keep us safe and secure. Asking those who are in the business of extracting information from very bad people to be willing to risk prison for what they believe is right – that is asking no more courage and integrity from them than we ask from our other protectors.

And in the decision to torture or not, I think we need courage and integrity more than in any other fight in this war on terror.

Call me ideological and foolish, but I genuinely believe that blogosphere holds one of the keys, and one of the few chances, to peace in this turbulent world. Who would you trust to look after our best interests when it comes to world politics, the environment and the fate of humanity? Politicians? They are by their very definition (always have been, always will be…) corrupt. They have to be, on some level, just to have got to where they are. Too many favors owed, too much ego, too much brainwashing. They cannot deal with the issues squarely and fairly- as if they did, the short-term pain involved for their voters would be unbearable and they’d soon be shown the door.

Any honest economist will tell you that capitalism and the free market economy is finite in what it can achieve. It certainly is not a sustainable model that can be spread worldwide, long-term. Apples for oranges, there just aren’t the resources for everyone in China to have a TV and fridge. That’s a fact you can take home to the bank. And when economies falter, that’s when you usually get war. America is the no.1 superpower in the world right now, but give it 20 years or so and this will change with the Sleeping Dragon in the East pulling its might.

The best hope, the best solution to all problems is surely honest, open and unfettered communication- between the people whom inhabit these nations and not their elected leaders. And what better way is there than blogging? True, Google somewhat capitulated to the Chinese government in its desperation to get access to that golden market- but it has opened a window that is unlikely to ever be shut and one will find increasing openness as time goes by.

Right now, I can get an uncensored, live update from an Iraqi blogging inside Iraq. I may not agree with everything this blogger says in terms of his politics, opinions, traditions and values. But we can have a straightforward, open discussion and put water on fire with win-win ideas, finding the similiarities, rather than shooting bullets or throwing bombs at each other. The same can be said all over the world. When there are starving people in Africa, why we throw away food to retain trade advantages? Why we don’t sign the Kyoto Treaty while being the no.1 polluter in the globe. And so on…..

What this means, in the age of blogosphere and immediate information/communication, is that a man like Goebbels could never orchestrate a successful campaign of mass propaganda as he did in Germany during the 1930s. Or how the KGB did during the Cold War. In the modern world, even in North Korea or Iran, it’s simply not possible. And this is our best chance for world peace.

As Benjamin Franklin said-:

I hope…that mankind will at length, as they call themselves reasonable creatures, have reason and sense enough to settle their differences without cutting throats; for in my opinion there never was a good war, or a bad peace..