Thanks Getting

My title reflects a perception that Thanksgiving, as well as the Holiday season it presages, has devolved into a capitalist celebration of excess rather than a day to count one’s blessings and express gratitude to our Creator for the gift of sentience.  That doesn’t mean I want to piss in your cheerios or denounce the traditional turkey dinner and family confab.  I just wish we could all focus more on what is really important in life, our ability to think and understand, our potential for becoming more than we are now, and the needs of others.  We do tend to focus too much on sales, stuffing ourselves and carrying on a rather hollow tradition that lacks meaning andprovides calories rather than sustenance.  I am thankful for the small number of readers who take the time to red what I write, and I hope you all have found something to rememger about this holiday.  Peace and long life to each and every one of you.

Regards,

Chairman Mal

Power to the Peeps!

 

 

CAPTCHA Excludes Blind Activists

Howdy Comrades!

Here’s what I wrote to

info@gopetition.com info@gopetition.com

On behalf of blind people who insist on inclusion with respect to the Internet.  I have also posted this message to the Blind Access Journal Discussion Group.  I could be mistaken, but I believe that the so-called “instant petition” offered by Go Petition is associated with Yahoo.  The Blind Access Journal has a CAPTCHA free petition for those of us who are tired of being excluded by Yahoo.  I will have more to say about the corrupt folks running Yahoo in a future post.

Hello Petition Help,

 

I am a blind human rights activist who has been trying to help to  Free human rights activist chen-guangcheng.  Because I use a screen reader to access your petition, I am unable to participate because signing your petition requires entering the characters in your CAPTCHA.  Be advised that screen readers cannot read these CAPTCHA's, excluding an entire class of people who want to help.  Your petition should have

An option to use an audio CAPTCHA or a way to get assistance without the discriminatory use of a CAPTCHA.  Please advise me and other blind activists on

how we can participate effectively with this cause.  Many blind people would be eager to sign a CAPTCHA free petition to help  chen-guangcheng.

Thank you for helping with this important issue.

PS:  For members of the Blind Access Group, here is the link to this petition:

Copy the following code to your site: 

<a href="

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/free-human-rights-activist-chen-guangcheng.

I will apprise readers of the Little Red Book of any response from the Go Petition folks.

Regards,

Chairman Mal

Power to the Peeps!

CAPTCHA Hurts Blind Chinese Activist

Howdy Accessibility Comrades!

I’m so mad I could fight a circle saw, as we say here in Texas.  For quite some time, I’ve been agitating to free a blind activist in China, Chen Guangcheng.  He was imprisoned for exposing forced abortions by local officials in China on trumped up charges of running a criminal gang that damaged government property and delayed traffic.  I’m not kidding.  As you may know, China has a “one child” policy, a policy to discourage families from adding to an already overcrowded population.  While the policy may be good for China, sports heroes, popular entertainers and even some government officials often violate the official policy and suffer no consequences or pay a modest fine.  When ordinary, poor Chinese women violate the policy, local officials resort to persecution, even forcing them to have abortions or sterilizations.  Chen Guangcheng sought to expose this injustice, and he rots in jail for daring to challenge these serious human rights violations.  Recently, a Human Rights organization has started a petition to pressure the National government of China to free Chen Guangcheng.  I applaud their efforts.  What makes me so angry is that there’s a CAPTCHA that one must solve in order to sign the petition.  Consequently blind supporters of Chen Guangcheng can’t help him by signing the petition without sighted help.  I seek your advice on what to do.  Should I attempt to start a separate petition, one that blind people can sign without a CAPTCHA?  Should I ask the International Rights group to change their petition?  This CAPTCHA hurts both Chen Guangcheng and his blind friends around the world.  I have provided a link below to the current petition.  I urge those of you who can manage to do so to sign it.  In the meantime, I will explore other ways to help free Chen Guangcheng.

Regards,

Chairman Mal

Power to the Peeps!