Looks like there's an RFP for deliberative technologies: >From Michelle Lee (Protocol Labs):
Hey govtech peeps — check out this Metagov RFP for Interoperable Deliberative Tools. $250,000 in grants for 2 phases." "Note that the receiving entity must be a legal entity, citizen, or permanent resident in a country that is not subject to US sanctions." <goog_1664406429> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G-2OVyJIvVTcQLPCg_mA3UzohSGZUm9dHPyWKwK4LlA/edit#heading=h.6s0hwgezolbm -Kate On Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 3:00 PM Lorelei Kelly <[email protected]> wrote: > deliberative technology could take many different forms pol.is remesh, > Zoom, Cortico Fora...online Town Hall Models, Citizen Assemblies, mini > publics... > what's interesting to me is how the Right to petition function of Congress > (First Amendment duty) was basically offshored in the 1940s to the > Executive Branch, thereby depriving Congress of its internal barometer of > the American people-- it gave the President power at the expense of the > legislature, and allowed the public grievance processing space to languish > or be privatized (Facebook). Now much access is purchased via > lobbying...and advocacy... the rest of us are left to vote occasionally or > protest or spiral into frustration and even apathy (very dangerous)... > Grievance processing on top of an advertising platform is one of the major > drivers of dysfunction IMHO. And that's not even mentioning the Putin ad > buys. It has been a disaster for democracy, but specifically for > institutions like Congress whose communications standards were literally > stuck in the Pony Express until 2020. Here's an article that explains > <https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/3985778-to-protect-democracy-from-machines-congress-must-modernize-our-constitutional-right-to-petition/>this > big picture framing. > > We have to actually change alot of laborious and byzantine rules, even > laws to allow Congress to function in the modern world. It has many > pockets of Civil War era technology like an 1860s document format. Fixing > this is an institutional long game--the Right Wing has been much more > successful at eliminating public infrastructure and then > occupying/capturing it, selling it off to friends and cronies or > corporations (or flooding the zone with shit aka Bannon's plan) The Left, > as far as I can tell has no competitive institutional plan. Centrists tend > to not be supported by outside or adjacent orgs. > > our dysfunction re: tech and institutions is partly because the first > generation of technologies on social media fit into campaigning needs, not > governing, which requires slow moving, slow thinking and deliberation. > Its one reason why governing looks like campaigning now. The whole > incentive system is streamlined for it. Citizens United in 2010 allowed > unlimited dark money into the blood stream of democracy. We have to change > this incentive. Americans need to fall in love with their governing > institutions again. They are so beleaguered and brittle. And this needs > to be paid for by taxpayer dollars,facilitated by philanthropy, not > privatized. Democracy is not a pro bono project or a side gig that you > think about while building a Mars rocket-- Scorn for institutions is one of > the reasons I left Silicon Valley (where I was born!) and have never > looked back. > > > On Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 1:10 PM Kate Krauss <[email protected]> wrote: > >> This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing your fascinating insights into >> the dynamics right now in US Congress. I can't believe we've found an >> optimist! :) >> >> What sorts of things are you working on in this regard: "how to integrate >> new forms of deliberative technology into the workflow of members so there >> is a flow of authentic, productive, constituent driven feedback." What >> sorts of deliberative technology? >> >> In modernizing, what kinds of unmodern things go wrong, and what >> direction are you going in fixing them? Also very interested to hear about >> AI and LLMs in the House (seems like a Saturday Night Live skit, but also, >> the future!). >> >> Thanks again, >> >> -Kate >> >> On Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 12:33 PM Lorelei Kelly <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> hi, thanks for the note. >>> I'm glad to see this list momentum effort! We need it! >>> I lead the modernizing Congress portfolio at Georgetown and I'm still >>> working adjacent to the US Congress with the members and committees who are >>> behind this effort-- The House has passed 202 reform and modernization >>> recommendations. It is truly an unprecedented and historic push forward. >>> I'm now helping implement the more difficult ones that include a social >>> cohesion aspect. (i.e. how to we integrate new forms of deliberative >>> technology into the workflow of members so there is a flow of authentic, >>> productive, constituent driven feedback) Also we have gotten ahead of the >>> curve on AI and LLMs in the House at least. I'm proud of this old >>> institution, even though its looking like a three ring circus in the news. >>> I think the Mike Johnson success on Ukraine funding is a very interesting >>> turning point for looking at democracy as transcendent critical >>> infrastructure (backed up by pandemic measures to go remote and then J6 >>> reactions to look at the information systems on Capitol Hill as national >>> security priorities) We have begun to marginalize deviant behavior through >>> the process and this is a good, emergent, systems way to make sense of it. >>> Very interesting time for all of this. >>> LK >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 12:19 PM Kate Krauss <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Hi! >>>> >>>> We didn't move the list, or change its name (Liberation Tech) but we >>>> did supply a link which works (after fixing a technical glitch) that you >>>> can share with new people who might want to join. >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> >>>> Kate >>>> >>>> On Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 12:12 PM Undescribed Horrific Abuse, One Victim >>>> & Survivor of Many <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> > > Hi, I’m confused, what about the list this email was sent to ( >>>>> [email protected]) ? >>>>> > > >>>>> > > What does the “subscribe” link in this email have to do with that >>>>> list? >>>>> > > >>>>> > > Is it a different list? The same list? Is >>>>> [email protected] still alive or being moved? >>>>> > > >>>>> > > Very confused, >>>>> > > Greg >>>>> > >>>>> > I'd like to relate that some communities have been both disrupted and >>>>> > defended by influences skilled in social manipulation, and that one >>>>> > attribute of that is changing the environment. >>>>> > >>>>> > Changing an environment can help change, whether overt or covert, be >>>>> > adopted more readily. It can separate both from harm and fear as well >>>>> > as familiarity and community. >>>>> > >>>>> > It's pleasant that changing the list name could help people feel >>>>> safer >>>>> > from any trauma associated with the old list, and help anything >>>>> > targeting the old list have a little trouble finding the new people. >>>>> > >>>>> > I hope that everybody who was affiliated with the old list succeeds >>>>> in >>>>> > finding the new one, but I know there will be people who don't. >>>>> > >>>>> > Some communities often have to move in order to survive well. This >>>>> > does sadly often mean leaving people behind. >>>>> > >>>>> > Crazy Karl (I think I have OSDD from technologically-facilitated >>>>> abuse!) >>>>> >>>>> Apologies, I did not realize it was the _same_ list the subscribe link >>>>> was sent to. >>>>> >>>>> I had assumed by context that this was a new list. >>>>> >>>> -- >>>> Liberationtech is public & archives are searchable from any major >>>> commercial search engine. Violations of list guidelines will get you >>>> moderated: https://lists.ghserv.net/mailman/listinfo/lt. Unsubscribe, >>>> change to digest mode, or change password by emailing >>>> [email protected]. >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> *Lorelei KellyResearch Lead, Congressional Modernization >>> <https://beeckcenter.georgetown.edu/project/modernizing-congress/>* >>> >>> >>> >>> *Founder, Georgetown Democracy, Education + Service (GeoDES)* >>> >>> > > -- > > *Lorelei KellyResearch Lead, Congressional Modernization > <https://beeckcenter.georgetown.edu/project/modernizing-congress/>* > > > > *Founder, Georgetown Democracy, Education + Service (GeoDES)* > >
-- Liberationtech is public & archives are searchable from any major commercial search engine. Violations of list guidelines will get you moderated: https://lists.ghserv.net/mailman/listinfo/lt. Unsubscribe, change to digest mode, or change password by emailing [email protected].
