The Politics Of Dancing.....

If you really want to get folks to get all nuts about something, involve politics - or not even - all you have to do is mention political figures and kazaam!  The whole world goes nuts.

I wrote this article in CW about the lost emails of White House staffers a few days ago - and if you haven't read it, please do and make sure I'm not the crazy one here.  The article is about lost data, not politics - but judging by the comments posted on-line, and the hundred plus emails I've received (on every conceivable side of this non-issue) have taught me that I have found a way to stir the pot!  I love a good controversy, but this one has taken on a life of its own, and it's not a rational one.

Some folks got a tad personal, assuming that I must be a crazed liberal Democrat as I mocked the administration around the whole notion of "losing" emails.  I am a (albeit disillusioned) Republican - I even voted for Mr. Bush (twice).  Calling me an idiot is fine, but please, get your assumptions in line!  My vote has nothing to do with the fact that the White House "lost" data.  Oh yeah, threatening to cancel your subscription is a nice touch, but for a free publication?  What's next, a self-imposed twenty minute sit-in? 

So, if you are able to read the 1200 or so words without automatically moving to any extreme position, you should find that the article is an accurate representation of the real issues - privacy and data retention. I don't care if it was Bush, Clinton, or my aunt Louise who was losing the data, I would have written the same piece.  Data retention, protection and privacy issues transcend politics and yes, even religion - at least in my book. I'd rather listen to Paris Hilton discuss 18th century literary influences than engage in a political or religious debate via the media. 

So, the deal is I promise to only call a spade a spade -  and only in areas that I belong in. I don't, and won't, start non-IT related arguements just for sport - there's plenty of places you can do that without my help. For those who are lathered up on this one, re-read it as if you were not looking for a spot on Crossfire.

Now to really make you lose your mind - I worked at TJX one summer during college, and yes, I inhaled.

On a positive note, it appears activism is not dead.  Why can't we put some of that mental energy to use getting our tech issues resolved?  I really have to believe that if you used the same level of zeal on your backup vendor, the stuff would actually work by now.

Finally, one last thought for all of you regardless of political affiliation - if you went to your boss and told them you couldn't find data deemed critical, what would happen?  Would a political action committe come to your rescue?  I'm guessing no because in the business world, when things matter, politics and religion are secondary to economics - and that data will cost somebody a lot.