Via Twitter, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is seeking input for the first sentence of his book.

Here's what I came up with.

As the cell door closed behind me and I faced the cold, dank space, I began to contemplate the brunt of the awesome power of government, once it has descended to unleash its wrath.

Guess I better not give up my day job. What are your ideas?

Glenn Greenwald:

Over the years, Wired has repeatedly -- and always approvingly -- cited to, quoted from, and otherwise used my work. [. . .] But now that I've written critically about Wired, I'm suddenly converted into a dishonest, ethics-free, unreliable hack. That's par for the course. That's why so few people in this profession are willing to criticize other media outlets. Journalists react as poorly as anyone to public criticism; it doesn't make you popular to do it; it can terminate career opportunities and relationships; it's certain your credibility will be publicly impugned. But journalists need scrutiny and accountability as much as anyone -- especially when, as here, they are shaping public perceptions about a vital story while withholding important information -- and I'd vastly prefer to be the one to provide it even if it means that the targets of the criticism don't like it and lash out.

Top ten lists for 2010 are beginning to appear. I'm doing a list of the top ten most annoying things on the internet -- things that are so annoying they are worthy of boycotting the offending sites.

1. News sites that automatically play videos with sound when you click on them. ABC News, are you listening? I won't even click on your news articles anymore. Sound should be an option you click on, it should not play automatically.In addition to people like me who find it an offensive intrusion into my consciousness, there are millions of people who read at work and don't want other people knowing. Sound prevents that by alerting any nearby co-workers and bosses that they're not working.

2. Videos from media sites and even You Tube that make you watch an ad before you get to the video clip. Put the ad on the side, or underneath, but don't force us to watch commercials. Vevo, are you listening? Not only won't I watch, I won't link to you or embed your videos. Five second ads are bad enough, but some sites now make you watch 30 second ads. I click off as soon as I see how long the ad is, and I don't return to the site. [More...]

I have not written about Wikileaks much because I'm not sure how I feel about what it is doing as a strategy, but I have been amused by watching so called journalists scream about the leaking of classified information. It really does lay bare how vacuous and useless journalism in this country is today.

Glenn Greenwald, as is his wont, has owned this issue. Here is his latest post on the subject. And here is a video of Glenn on CNN:

At daily kos, Jed Lewison writes:

Apparently, the GOP's definition of "getting their country back" involves putting the health care lobby back in charge of health care policy:

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) has picked a former health care lobbyist to serve in an all-purpose role on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and also hired other longtime panel aides as his top lawyers, according to sources off Capitol Hill.

Maybe the name Liz Fowler rings a bell? More . . .

Booman:

At this point in his presidency I think it is fair to say that Obama is already in the conversation as best president since Abraham Lincoln.

Heh.

Speaking for me only

The FCC is set to vote today on a net neutrality plan.

The new regulations would prohibit telecommunications companies that provide high-speed internet service from blocking access by customers to any legal content, applications or service.

But, for the first time, there will be a policy that will allow for what has been termed "paid-prioritisation", where companies will be able to pay for a faster service.

There will be greater restrictions on cable/wired providers than wireless:

The rules would allow mobile firms to block access to sites or applications that specifically compete with a carrier's voice or video services.

Al Franken is very opposed. [More..]

Fox News Latino could not have made a more misinformed choice to make a point about "anchor babies." Penelope Cruz is not an undocumented resident. Her presence in this country is entirely lawful. She moved to California at the age of 25. She also lived in New York for a number of years. She owns real estate in the U.S.

Penelope Cruz owns a number of homes including a Balinese residence in the Hollywood Hills, a home in Madrid, Spain, and a newer property Cruz and new husband Javier Bardem enhabit in Coldwater Canyon, Los Angeles.

Among her American made films are “Blow,” “Vanilla Sky” and “Nine.” "Blow" grossed $53 million in the U.S. Its production budget was $53 million. Not only did it generate income and jobs, it also generated U.S. tax revenue. She was also in Sex and the City II. The lifetime gross of all the films she's been is exceeds $500 million. One can only imagine how much money the upcoming Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides will generate in the U.S.

Even Republican Latinos are outraged: [More...]

A few days ago, Matt Yglesias wrote:

I’m surprised so many liberals are being so stinty in their praise of the recent tax deal.

I explained why in this post. Today, Yglesias writes:

I’m a tax enthusiast, [. . .] you help the poor by raising taxes and handing money over to poor people[.]

Is Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg a good choice for "Person of the Year"? Time Magazine thinks so. I don't. Zuckerman and FB to me are "so last year." I also think that as people are learning how privacy intrusive and commercial FB is, more will reduce their use of it.

Runners-up included Julian Assange, the Tea Party, Hamid Karzai and the Chilean Miners. Assange won the magazine's online poll, and Time unconvincingly explains why it chose Zuckerman instead. [More...]

In case you missed it, here's SNL last night on Wikileaks' Julian Assange.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

In the New York Times today, Ishmael Reed writes:

I’ve listened in the last week to progressives criticize President Obama for keeping his cool. Progressives have been urging the president to “man up” in the face of the Republicans. Some want him to be like John Wayne. On horseback. Slapping people left and right. [. . .] If President Obama behaved that way, he’d be dismissed as an angry black militant with a deep hatred of white people.

[. . .] When these progressives refer to themselves as Mr. Obama’s base, all they see is themselves. [. . .] Unlike white progressives, blacks and Latinos are not used to getting it all. They know how it feels to be unemployed and unable to buy your children Christmas presents. They know when not to shout. The president, the coolest man in the room, who worked among the unemployed in Chicago, knows too.

What a bizarre piece. The issue is not about shouting. It is about policy. Some folks don't like the policies the President is espousing. They really don't care if he is the "coolest man in the room." If being the coolest man in the room produced policies and results they agreed with, they would be cheering him. If yelling produced policies and results they disagreed with, they would be upset. If Mr. Reed has something to say in defense of the President's POLICY choices, I would be interested in reading them. Nonsensical pop psychology is not interesting to me.