Election Day

 

 In the United States, it's Election Day, and time for Americans, at least those whom haven't done so earlier, to vote. It's been a unique election, and while there are always those who feel each election is the one the future of the country depends on, this time more than usual consider this one vital. 

People will likely hang out at one of several locations, such as the Election Simulator (above), one of Second Life's political areas, and even Book Island is offering for those anxious about the election to come and hang out. So who will win, Trump or Biden? We may know sometime tonight.

So go out and vote (if you haven't already), and come and hang out in Second Life.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

 

News and Commentary: Linden Lab Among Tech Companies Filing Brief Against Trump's Executive Order On Skilled Worker Visas

By Bixyl Shuftan

In early February, Linden Lab issued a statement concerning President Trump's executive order at the time concerning several Middle Eastern countries. Branded a "Muslim Ban," eventually a judge blocked part of the order and eventually Trump dropped in in favor of a slightly different executive order later on. Recently the White House has found a new target: the H-1B visa program that allows skilled foreign workers to come to America. Linden Lab was among over 150 tech companies to sign a brief sent to the US District Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, calling for the executive order to be blocked.

Congress in 1965 prohibited discrimination in immigration decisions on the basis of national origin precisely so that the Nation could not shut its doors to immigrants based on where they come from — but the Order does just that. Moreover, the President’s authority under the immigration laws must be exercised reasonably, and is limited by the detailed standards enacted by Congress to address a variety of issues, including preventing entry of terrorists into our country. The Order overrides those standards without sufficient justification. Finally, the President lacks authority to impose sweeping, long-term changes on the entire system governing eligibility for entry into the United States by immigrants and non-immigrants; such changes require notice-and-comment procedures conducted by one or all of the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

The brief would also refer to calls on restrictions on immigration in the past, such as a quote by Woodrow Wilson whom criticized immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe saying the people had "neither skill nor energy nor any initiative of quick intelligence." And on laws based to restrict it which were mainly based on prejudice on these people in addition to Asians, Jews, and other groups, such as the Immigration Acts of 1917 and 1924. It branded Trump's new executive order as an abandonment of "the principles that have undergirded U.S. immigration policy for more than half a century," "unlawful," and "substantively unreasonable."

Although some such as Hamlet Au call the order part of the "Muslim ban," the country that benefits most from the program is India, which has a mainly Hindu population. Plus the H-1B visa program has been criticized for quite some time on the grounds of allowing companies to allow businesses to lay off native-born workers in favor of cheaper foreign workers. The most notable recent example of this was when Disney told 250 of it's workers they would soon be laid off and their last assignment would be to train their replacements.

Linden Lab's stake in the H-1B visa program is obvious, being able to attract foreign talent to work with them in the United States. But considering how Islam is so often linked to terrorism, such as the attacks France has suffered in the past few years, and an attack in Fresno California by a convert, those against Trump's executive order may want to pursue a different strategy in persuasion than link it to his effort to limit immigration from certain countries in the Middle East.


Sources: Yahoo News, New York Times, New World Notes, Business Insider, Redcode   

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Lab Issues Statement on President's Executive Order on Immigration

President Trump's executive order on immigration from several Middle Eastern countries (listed in full in this article from The Guardian), has caused no shortage of debate, inside the United States and out. Yesterday, Linden Lab made the decision to get involved in the debate by issuing this statement.

We at Linden Lab are extremely disappointed in and adamantly opposed to Trump’s recent executive order on immigration. We reject racism, intolerance, and xenophobia.

We are proud to include immigrants among our leadership, colleagues, and customers, as well as our families, friends, and communities. We value diversity, compassion, and understanding, and we are proud that our products enable people to come together and form meaningful connections regardless of differences in their offline lives.

Trump’s order is counter to what we value and antithetical to American ideals. We join the many voices calling on the US government to remove this restriction as quickly as possible and to refrain from imposing additional barriers that threaten opportunities for immigrants, under-represented minorities, and women.

Hamlet Au, whom in the past was under the employ of Linden Lab, praised the statement's choice of words, contrasting them to the "mild and conciliatory" statement issued by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, whom expressed concern about "the impact of the recent executive orders," but expressed relief that the President was willing to allow the children of illegal immigrants to stay in the United States.  (statement in full).

Liberals and progressives have mostly condemned the President's executive orders, calling the 90 day moratorium a "Muslim ban," and say it goes against the ideals of what America stands for. Some compared it to when the SS St. Louis with over 900 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany was denied entry in the United States. While a few conservatives have expressed reservations about the executive order, there has been general agreement among them that a temporary ban on countries where there's a problem with Islamic terrorism is a necessity. Some have pointed out Europe has had numerous problems with it's Muslim refugees, including a number of reports of rape.

It should be noted on the day of Linden Lab's statement, there was a story in the news about a fatal attack on a Denver policeman in which the man arrested was a Muslim. But the man arrested for murder was a native-born convert, not an immigrant, and the mosque he was attending reportedly tried to warn the police the man had been radicalized. Supporters and opponents of the executive order are likely to see the incident very differently.

Sources: The Guardian, Linden Lab, New World Notes, Facebook, ABC News  

Bixyl Shuftan

Inauguration Weekend in Second Life

Last Friday, January 20, was Inauguration Day, when  President Trump was sworn into office. In a few places in Second Life, notably in London City, the new President was celebrated. But not everyone was celebrating. Some artists have responded with protests, and one designer has made available inworld the pink hat worn by the women's rights protestors in real life.

Read more in Events.

Inauguration Day: President Trump

Today is Inauguration Day, when America swears in a new President. While there were people gathered in some places, such as with the Second Life Republicans, the most visible display welcoming in President Trump was at London City, where this colorful display was set up at (79/226/23). Although the election was controversial and filled with high amounts of arguing and rhetoric, the discussion seemed civil when I peeked in (it's possible the Linden nearby helped).

The Newser will have more up later.

And It's ... Trump

Last night was certainly a nail-biter of a Presidential election, the winner not being decided until close to Midnight SL time (3AM EST). But with four states yet to be decided at the writing of this brief, the Electoral College total is 278 to 218 in favor of the Republican Party's nomine Donald Trump. This was something as a surprise as while the polls were a statistical dead head, most showed Clinton slightly ahead. But once again, Trump surprised friend and opponent alike and got a slight lead in the popular and Electoral vote.

At certain places in Second Life, such as the Bay City Clinton HQ and the Trump Pub (pictured above), people gathered to discuss the election and await the results. Over group chats, such as that of my home community the Sunweavers, there was quite a bit of chatter, some cheering, some despairing, and some simply watching the whole thing with fascination. Over my Facebook feed, there were a number of cheers from supporters and many seemingly almost in tears or in rage. Not that many had neutral comments about Trump's victory.

I'll have more to say later. But for now, time for a little rest.

Correction: As the votes came in, Clinton eventually got the lead in the popular vote. But winning the popular vote doesn't get a candidate the Presidency.

Bixyl Shuftan

Commentary: Election Day

With this moment of truth for Americans, we're taking a moment to talk about an important real life event today.

For about a year and a half, the US Presidential election process has gone on, the declarations of those seeking the nominations of their parties, the primaries and caucuses, the winning of convention delegates, the whittling down of candidates for the major parties down to a winner, the conventions and nominations, the accusations and counter-accusations, the charges and counter-charges, the leaks, the mudslinging, in an election that many simply begged for it to end. And today it finally does. It all comes down to today, when Americans cast their ballot for their choice for President of the United States.

While not the nastiest election in US History, one is hard pressed to think of another in recent history that surpasses the ill feelings of this one. Both candidates are highly unpopular, even among members of their own party, and many Americans have simply given up on politics.

But there's more to vote on than just the top office. Everywhere Americans will be voting on who represents them in Congress, and a third of the country votes on who represents them in the Senate. Then there are state and local elections. For instance a city near me is voting on whether to have a light rail system or not.

As for the office of the President, it's not for me to tell you who to vote for, just make a choice, whether Democrat, Republican, Third-Party, or write-in. But do not get upset at friends of break friendships just because one's choice has a "D" or "R" after it. And should your candidate loose, there's always next time.

As for yours truly, I'll be going out in real life, just not saying who for. And will be watching the results while in Second Life like so many of you.

See you at the polls.

Bixyl Shuftan

"Feel the Bern" Bernie Sanders Themed Location

The US Presidential election continues to make news in real life, with Donald Trump all but having won the nomination for the Republicans. For the Democrats, the race between the two candidates continues, with Bernie Sanders having a following in Second Life. Recently, I stopped by the "Feel the Bern" hangout in the Young sim, built by Addie Tozz. She talked some about the spot and her plans.

Read more in Places.

Bernie Sanders' Second Life Headquarters

In recent weeks, interest in politics in Second Life has heated up with the "Trump Manor" getting attention. Less flashy, but still there and getting results in the form of donations was the "Bernie Sanders Second Life Headquarters." Owned by Macaria Wind, the location can be found in the Caspoli sim. Second Life Newser took a look at the location, and interviewed the owner. Since first hearing about the place, there have been a few changes.

Read the story in Places.

More Places for US Presdential Candidates in Second Life

In September, the Newser reported on two places in Second Life build to support US Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Recently, a few more have been built.

I heard about a "Trump Manor" in the Lionheart Ahadi sim, and heading over, found a large house with a wall around it with a number of Trump campaign signs on it. There were also a couple cars inside, one for estate management, the other which had the image of the candidate on it. Clicking on the gate, it opened, but after I stepped inside, I got a warning from the security system that I had 30 seconds to leave or be given the boot.

I managed to get in touch with the manor's owner, JP Laszio, a member of the "Trump Organization," and one of the people behind the Facebook page, "Donald Trump Thinks Your Waifu Is S***." She stated that the orb had been set up due to griefers and less than reasonable political activists, and if I wanted in to get in touch with her so my name could be added to the list of those allowed in.

More on the discussion with JP will be up later. To get to the manor, head to Lionheart Ahadi (71/38/29). Just contact her if you want inside.

With three areas for "The Donald," what was there for his opposition? The answer was in the Caspoli sim, where I found the "Bernie Sanders SL Headquarters." It was a patio lined with a number of pro-Sanders signs, some praising him, some mocking his opposition. The largest sign was a statement as to how he would pay for his proposals (a series of new taxes and eliminating certain tax breaks). The building is owned by Mac.Wind (Macaria Wind) head of "Vote Bernie Sanders 2016."

Upon entering, I was handed a notecard:

Open to all to enjoy - Group members wearing their group tag are welcome to set home and leave full perm Bernie gifts for the group. Please keep drama and negativity to a minimum and stick to the facts. Ask yourself: What would Bernie do/say?

We all run in to folks who either don't know Bernie or are skeptical about him. These Links to Bernie info including sample articles and facebook pages should be helpful in getting one started on their Bernie Journey. 

Have a Berniful day!

The headquarters is in Caspoli (127/33/34)

Searching to see if there was a place for candidate Hillary Clinton, I found one in the Pandorus sim. Porting there, it was a dark, small, rusty place with barbed wire fence and a walking skeleton. The clearest statement of the owner's intentions was on the map. This wasn't a place for a candidate, but against one.

More on the Trump Manor, and presumably the Sanders HQ later.

Hat tip: Hamlet Au

Bixyl Shuftan

Trump Campaign in Second Life

In 2008, when Second Life was still the darling of tech and mainstream media, the US Presidential election found it's way into the Grid with the supporters of various candidates during the primaries setting up "headquarters" where people could pick up shirts. At the US Capitol Hill building, as well as Cafe Wellstone for Democratic supporters and the Straight Talk Cafe for the Republicans, people could listen in and discuss the debates, and on Election Night people gathered to watch the results of the polls state by state, the Democrats cheering their victory and the Republicans resolving to win next time. Four years later, the attention of real life media had gone elsewhere, and only one of the two political parties had to choose a candidate, so there was less political activity on the Grid, with fewer supporters, and no neutral location as Capitol Hill was gone, but more retoric thrown against each other.

With the 2016 campaign under way, so far only a handful of candidates have stepped up to campaign for the Democratic nomination to replace the outgoing President, while the Republicans have a long list. A search for locations for the two leading Dems on the Grid revealed nothing, though the current leader in the polls for the Reps did. Typing in "Trump" revealed two locations. One was the "Donald Trump Campaign" at Portland Main (218,231, 11), where one could pick up a shirt and check a campaign Facebook page.

Another location was "Donald Trump For America," Seokcheon (164,251, 49), on the Second Life mainland, where there were two prominent signs on the road.

The election is still well over a year away, so a *lot* can change. But one thing is certain, supporters of candidates will be making their voice heard.

Bixyl Shuftan

Election Night 2012 in Second Life

Last week on November 6th, it was time for American voters to head to the polls in real life. And in Second Life, some politically-minded residents went to certain places to watch and discuss the results. So were the winners gracious in their victory, or did the Democratic donkey make an "ass" out of itself? Were those in second place take it like a champion, or did the Republican elephant vow to never forget what happened?

Read more in Events.

The Mitt Romney Information Center and Meeting Area

In 2008, the US Presidential election found it's way to Second Life, beginning with locations to publicize various candidates. With the 2012 election making real life headlines, it was a matter of time before similar locations sprung up on the Grid again. One such location was recently spotted, a planned information center for runner Mitt Romney.

Read more in Places.