Ahh, miscommunication is alive in the arts.

Last week, as members of the law enforcement community here and in other parts of the country became aware of Tom Manning's feature role in an exhibit planned for USM entitled, "Can't Jail the Spirit: Art by Political Prisoner Tom Manning & Others" there was a wave of concern expressed to the USM administration. Manning was convicted and sentenced to 80 years in prison in 1985 for committing acts he terms "armed propaganda." These acts include bombings and the shooting death of New Jersey Trooper Philip Lamonaco. Manning claims self defense in the Lamonaco killing, but apparently was willing to use violence as a way to call attention to apartheid in South Africa and "genocidal capitalism" in the U.S.

What is it about this number? In the weeks after Sept. 11 that's the amount that kept being allocated -

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060515fema.shtml

"It's an incredible amount of money being spent down here," said Errol Savoie, a spokesman for the Louisiana governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "I think it's going to end up being more than $80 billion by the end of it."

As I ponder the value of yet another online destination for my writing and philosophy, I have to ask this important question:

Is ANYONE reading any of it?

How much value can any of us put on our written thoughts when everyone's a writer, a few (uncounted) folks are readers, and NO ONE is actually acting on all the words.

So here's a challenge to whomever comes across this post:

What have you done in the past month that was in direct response to something you read on the internet? Sending an online form offered as part of a "call for action" (i.e. MoveOn or Working Assets) doesn't count. I'm asking about real, physical, human-interactive work.

So much to do so little time. Read up on "pronoia" to brighten your day.

http://www.pronoia.net/