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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (64007)	11/27/1999 8:49:00 PM
From: jbe	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

Well, Michael, so far, so good -- or fairly good, anyway. ;-) I am puzzled by some of your placements. For example, you put the Kennedy School of Government in the "left" column, but Mother Jones in the "center" column; I would do it the other way around. And "Accuracy in Media" -- the outfit that is always complaining about "liberal bias" -- definitely belongs in the "right" column, not in the center. Nor does the "Global Warming Petition" belong in the center, either. Frankly, I don't think it belongs on your list at all, because it is a one-issue group/site; certainly an individual's over-all political position can't be (or at least shouldn't be) determined on the basis of his/her position on a single issue. May I make a couple of suggestions? 1) I think you need to define very clearly, for yourself, what you mean by "right" and what you mean by "left." I notice you don't have any far-right, or "fringe" right, sites on your list. (Where is Stormfront, for example? <g>) But since you are less familiar with the left, you could end up putting far left, fringey, groups in your "left" column. (I suspect that World Socialist Web Site may be one. The term "world" is a dead giveaway: the less significant a group is, the more grandiose its title.) 2) For starters, stick to the most popular sites/organizations/publications. That way you are less likely to load up on the fringeys. 3) Personally, I would avoid classifying one-issue outfits. For example, some right-wingers out there go ape at the mere mention of the ACLU. But the ACLU is strictly focussed on civil rights. Hence the people/groups/causes it defends have nothing in common with each other, ideologically. Giving priority to civil rights is perfectly compatible with an over-all conservative position (if it is TRULY "conservative," and that's another matter). 4) What is the "center," as distinguished from "left" or "right"? Different people will answer this differently, of course. The way I look at it is this: in this country, "centrists" are generally "pragmatists." They do not have an "ideology" (which does not, btw, mean they do not have "principles"); and they will tend to approach each given situation on its own terms. which means they are undogmatic, and open to compromise. That's the positive side. On the negative side, they are often so suspicious of drastic solutions that in crisis situations, demanding immediate radical action, they can be real sticks in the mud. Don't look for visionaries in the center. You are more likely to find the visionaries on the left & on the right. Problem is, you'll find the crazies there, too, and of course the dogmatists. Anyway, you don't have to agree with my working definition, but seems to me you have to have one. If I had the time right now, I would love to collect some good "left-wing" sites for you. Unfortunately, I am snowed. :-( Meanwhile, you might take a peek at this "Left Side of the Web" collection of links. It's a German site, but loads of English-language citations. Some of them will no doubt be "fringey," while others don't belong on the list at all (e.g., Amnesty International, The Atlantic Monthly), but you might have some fun poking around the site, anyway. www-user.uni-bremen.de Happy hunting! :-) Joan

To: greenspirit who wrote (64007)	11/28/1999 1:01:00 AM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

You want some liberal sites? Try: Mother Jones: motherjones.com People for the American Way pfaw.org American Civil Liberties Union aclu.org American Communist Party hartford-hwp.com American Socialist Party sp-usa.org Wobblies (Industrial Workers of the World) iww.org Those are just a start. If that's the sort of thing you're looking for, and you need more, let me know.