Reclaiming the Commons

NeuroManson writes "What do fresh air, medicine, culture, copyright, and government have in common? Perhaps not exactly what you think. Up until recently, I considered the term "commons" as an archaic term from Victorian or Elizabethan times. However, apparently it still exists both as a concept and a philosophy. Despite its almost ancient connotations, it's an eye opener regarding how concepts centuries old hold true even today, but much like freedom, require eternal vigilance to protect, and covers everything from the air you breath through the GNU, HDTV, and copyright issues. Read on." Bollier's article and the responses are superb intellectual reading. If you don't have time today, bookmark it, come back later.

Comments

Re:Read Tom G. Palmer's response

[InternalWave]

Hey buddy, speaking as an American citizen who served 6 years in the USMC, and whose parents both fled the Red Army when it re-invaded the Baltics in 1944, let me suggest that you don't know "communism" from your ignorant ass.

Voice objections to the premises of the article if you like, but don't presume to know what "communism" is, or what it did. A healthy percentage of my relatives who stayed behind did time in the Gulag, and some didn't come back, so do me a favour - keep your mouth shut or use a different comparison.

This is like comparing your view of some little issue to the Holocaust. Which is equally in bad taste, and has also been done.

Just a week or so ago

[HanzoSan]

I got into an arguement with this guy on slashdot, who believed that air should not be free. That no "commons" should exsist, that everyone should have a price, even life itself.

Why did this arguement start? Because I said I believed its our responsiblity, to pay taxes to build schools to allow everyone the chance to be successful.