Why this site, and others like it, are sorely needed: An update

During the primary season, I wrote to the various campaigns and invited them to visit this site, contribute to it, respond to our members' comments and endorse its goals.

This site, after all, gives citizens the opportunity to tell candidates what is on their minds. The candidates seem to echo this need. Do they in fact remotely mean it?

Here were some of the reactions;

1. I wrote several times to John Edwards. My e-mail did not get ignored. My e-mail address was quickly added to his data base and then I was constantly bombarded with spin.  Ok, not a total waste. And he did call me Bogdan. So did his wife, who wrote me as well. I would have loved to respond, but.....apparently it was a one way street.

Of ourse, know we know that John was otherwise busy and did not have time to screw around with e-mails.

2. I wrote to Ron Paul, the internet candidate. He had the decency to ignore my e- mail address. I guess I wasnt sending money. Ideas and comments do come in a distant second to good old cash.

3. I wrote to Barack Obama. Oh, yes, the e-mail address was quickly harvested and I did receive back a message that thanked me for my support or my disagreement. I guess someone does care what you have to say. And, yes, he calls me Bogdan and even asked his wife to send me personal e mails. She does.

I am not an idiot. I know that no one will ever answer. I know that they cannot answer. I know that if I ran for office, I wouldnt answer.

What I know is that there is a need for independent forums, independent of the candidates' web sites, where you and I can and need to vent. Otherwise, we are all missing the opportunity of a lifetime to use this new tool, the internet, to be heard.

If we let the candidates lure us into "participating" on their web sites, we are letting them control this medium as well. We cannot let that happen.

Their token participation on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc., is all about them. Our site is all about you.

Sorry, got to run...I need to read the e mails I just got from Obama and Biden???...how did he so quickly dig trough the database and find me??