Mission Statement
Open Source Politics was founded to promote active discourse among progressives. We firmly believe that the strength of every democratic nation comes from government of, by, and for its people.
Open Source Politics is an open exchange of ideas. In the true spirit of Open Source, we believe that government can best be improved through community dialogue. We are diverse; we are determined; we talk about everything that affects our lives.
The ongoing renewal necessary for the health of democracy is not achieved by the election of politicians, but in discussion and debate among citizens, in the triumph of reason and research over ideology, and, most importantly, in your participation.
These are our guiding principles. Join us.
Authors
Mark A.R. Kleiman (email, web)
Richard Silverstein (email, web)
Sebastien G. Messier (email, web)
Stentor Danielson (email, web)
Credits
Open Source Politics originated after a couple of ne'er-do-well steers instigated a particularly vicious stampede that felled Cowboy Kahlil, leaving him loopier than ever. Upon completing the agave cactus cure, he took up the moniker of a little known drifter, Kevin Hayden, and set out to round up a posse to track the rogue steers before they could unleash further mayhem upon the unsuspecting townfolk.
Powered by a Movable Type of animal, with plugins from David Raynes and Brad Choate, the posse came to depend on a lady of the highest reputation and character, Laura Poyneer (known in other parts as Al-Muhajabah), whose dedication to the MT setup saved their sorry hides repeatedly. The templates for their trailride were designed by an especially dangerous Patrick Taylor.
A herd of good ideas emerged from too many members of the posse to possibly credit each, but we plan to double their rations of hardtack as soon as we figger out what hardtack is. Crucial and ongoing trailboss work comes from the likes of Marla Caldwell, Lilith Devlin, Ken Quinnell, Earl Dunovant, Beej Jefferson and Barry Bozeman, plus the lady Laura, and the Cowboy hisself.
Along the way, having paused for a rare moment of sober reflection upon the present dangers facing their communities and nation, a goodly number of the posse decided to surrender their Web anonymity, convincing the rest to shed the Western play-acting and get down to the serious business of running a democratic nation, as citizens engaged in the discourse that keeps us all free. We count on the contributions of a number of kindly foreigners, too.
However, despite shedding our chaps and spurs, we reserve the right, inherent in all Westerns, to win the day and forge a happy ending. Can I hear a "Yeeeee-Hawwwww" to that?