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Friday, January 15, 2021

Action Items, Continued

 


In continuing efforts to limit my exposure to Big Tech, I've switched from Google to the privacy-conscious search engine DuckDuckGo. All of my bookmarks and favorites have been migrated to the new site via the more private web browser Mozilla Firefox. I now surf the web, read my email, and receive all my news on this platform.

There are other, less technology-oriented steps conservatives can take to further our principles and support the education of our countrymen in conservative values. If you're a reluctant member of the left-leaning AARP, look into joining AMAC instead. The fast-growing Association of Mature American Citizens offers subscription pricing and service discounts comparable to the more well-known group, a quarterly magazine, and most importantly--political efforts to advance conservative causes in Washington D.C. I've been a satisfied AMAC member for over a decade. If you lean to the right, please give the AMAC website a look and consider joining.

Hillsdale College in Michigan takes not a single penny of Federal money in order to be able to freely teach the curriculum they believe embodies the best education of their students. Hillsdale also offers a free monthly newsletter, Imprimis, which often distills a recent speech to students into reading format. This month, college President Dr. Larry Arnn writes of "Orwell's 1984 and Today"--more timely reading cannot be found. I've received Imprimis for many years, and I've also been a consistent donor to the college. It's my belief that when we find something we believe in and wish to share it far and wide, we should support and promote it.

As stated at the start, I'm limiting my exposure to Big Tech. The technological hydra is so expansive and ubiquitous that I doubt anyone who is online today can completely escape its iron-fisted reach. So I am facing some dilemmas. My email is still hosted through AT&T, my Apple phone through Verizon. These are more daunting challenges to resolve.

Perhaps most challenging from the standpoint of principle is that this blog is hosted through Google. I'm grateful that I've always resisted Google's push to insert advertising into its blogs. I maintain this blog primarily for the sheer joy of writing and make my living elsewhere. So I comfort myself that at least there is no advertising revenue feeding Google through my pages.

For the past week, I log into my blog with some trepidation that it might well be gone. If it is removed due to my conservatism, I'll accept that honor gladly. In the meantime, I'd like to thank you here and now for reading. It was great fun to write while we were free.