JAMES C. FRINIER

A Little About Me:

I'm an OAK - a trained volunteer organizer for the Oaks Project, the citizen action arm of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, the largest non-profit consumer and citizen advocacy organization West of the Mississippi.

I have a B.S. from Harvey Mudd College in Science, Technology, and Society with an emphasis in Science Policy and a minor in Physics. Also while at Mudd, I spent a considerable amount of time studying Math, Computer Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Philosophy, Management and Unicycling.

I'm currently working in Los Angeles as a Senior Systems Consultant for WinStar Professional Services.

A Brief Table of Contents and Other Quick Links:

Jim's Announcements

General Information About Jim

Activism And Involvement

Miscelanneous

How to Reach Jim

Jim's Resume' - Updated March 14, 2001

Civic Participation

I am one of the hundreds of volunteer citizen organizers for the Oaks Project in California. The goal of the Oaks Project is to train 1000 people in advanced citizenship skills, so that they may be 'strong and sturdy as oaks to lead the fight for a new democracy.' The school system only teaches that being a citizen means voting at election time, but there is a lot more to it than that. Who decides what gets voted on? The Oaks Project teaches ordinary people, like myself, how to get involved in the process; how to set the agenda; how to lobby elected officials effectively; how to run a campaign and handle the media; etc. And they teach these skills in the context of real campaigns to strengthen democracy. For more info, call the Oaks Project at 310 392-5304.

Work

I've been working at WinStar (formerly LANSystems) as a Systems Engineer/Consultant since 1996. Since working there I've completed certifications as a CNE (4 and 5), a CME, CCNA, and an MCSE. Right now I'm focusing on learning as much as I can about voice/data convergence - Voice over I.P. (VoIP), Voice over Frame Relay (VoFR), etc.

Play (Hobbies)

Boating and Jetskiing - I have a 1977 18' Glastron outboard boat and a 1990 Yamaha SuperJet 650 jetski, named Razzle and Dazzle, respectively. They are both living in Big Bear Lake where they're doing their best to adjust to the high altitude.

Cooking - In an episode of Northern Exposure, a master chef asked his students this question: 'Why do I cook?' The answer: 'Because I'm hungry. And when I'm hungry, I don't want to eat something YOU made. I want to eat somthing I made.' Thus, I cook too.

Skiing - Both Water, and Snow.

Unicycling - Since leaving Harvey Mudd College and the grace, wonder, and beauty of Gonzo Unicycle Madness, I have not been riding as much as I used to. However, I am always ready to join in a Unicycle Hockey Game when one is near me, or ride 17 miles for really good donuts. Down below, you can see a list of Cool Places I've Unicycled.

Others - Fencing, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, playing my Alto Saxophone, etc. I don't actually ever have time to do any of these any more, but I still like to tell myself that I do them :-)

Projects

Becoming a better and more active citizen

Reforming the California initiative process to increase disclosure requirement on ads and create incentives for all-volunteer campaigns.(see Oaks Project)

Boating and Jet Skiing as much as possible this summer (To Be Continued - next summer)

Learning about Voice over IP (VoIP)

Organizations that I support and recommend that you support too:

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights - This includes the Oaks Project, Consumers for Quality Care (which just passed the HMO reform in California), and other grassroots, consumer and taxpayer protection organizations.

Pacifica Radio / KPFK 90.7 in Los Angeles (You don't know how much the corporately-owned media keeps from you until you listen to INDEPENDENT, MEMBER-SUPPORTED news.)

Public Citizen - They're looking out for you.

Public Campaign - Real Campaign Finance Reform

Common Cause - 'Holding Power Accountable'

American Civil Liberties Union - They're fighting for YOUR rights, and the U.S. Constitution.

Public Television (PBS) - Sesame Street and other quality programming that doesn't try to sell you anything.

California Voter Foundation - 'The California Voter Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to applying new technologiesto provide the public with access to the information needed to participate in public life in a meaningful way.'

Natural Resources Defense Council

Electronic Frontier Foundation - Online rights

Amnesty International - Campaigning for human rights worldwide

The Center For Public Integrity" - A non-profit, non-partisan research organization which combines investigative journalism and political science to educate the public and hold elected officials accountable.

The Trust For Public Land - National, nonprofit organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, natural areas and open space.

The International Campaign For Tibet

Jim's Car

Last year I decided to deface my still-reasonably-new-looking '95 Nissan Sentra with BUMPERSTICKERS! But not just any bumperstickers... I wanted to say something - to take advantage of the political advertising space that is the back of my car to make a few statements. Here's what I've got so far:

'Get Involved. The World Is Run By Those Who Show Up.' And if you think they're showing up just so they can do nice things for YOU, then you probably deserve to lose what they're taking from you.

'Organize' (school of small fish chasing a big fish)

'Subvert the Dominant Paradigm' - There's more than 1 way to look at the world. Unfortunately, most people have no clue what 'Subvert the Dominant Paradigm' means, so I just (October) replaced this one with 'America Needs a SECOND Party' which pretty much stands on its own. The Democratic and Republican Parties are really just two wings of the SAME corporate party - representing the interests of companies and investors over people.

'The Media Are Only as Liberal as the Conservative Business That Own Them' - The liberal media is a myth.

'If You're Not Outraged, You're Not Paying Attention' - A lot of screwed up stuff is going on.

'The Labor Movement - The Folks Who Brought You the Weekend' - Think about that the next time you shrug at the mention of Unions.

'90.7 KPFK' - Member-supported, uncensored, unbiased news, with no corporate sponsors telling them what stories they should skip over.

'Amnesty International' - Champion of Human Rights

Most of these bumperstickers came from Northern Sun.

Some of Jim's Heros:

Noam Chomsky - He makes it easier to see through the propaganda.

Gore Vidal - He understands what a free country is, and why we're not living in one.

Michael Moore - He stands up for Labor, and exposes corporate crime.

Easy Ways to Make Your Opinion Heard:

CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENATATIVE IN CONGRESS.

If you know their names, then call the Capital Hill Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be transfered to their office. If you don't know who your Rep is, you can find out from the U.S. House of Representatives web site by just typing in your zip code. If you don't know who your Senators are, you can find out by selecting your state from the U.S. Senate home page. Calling is less intimidating that it may seem. For starters, you are not going to speak directly to the elected official. Someone will answer the phone whose job it is to A) Tell you that the Congressman/woman is unavailable to take your call; B) Write down your opinion or message; and C) Get you off of the phone a.s.a.p. Tell this person your opinion on the issue or bill. They won't prod you to justify your position. They will just say 'Okay, I'll pass the message along. Goodbye.'

CALL THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

The President's office has a comment line. (202) 456-1111 will connect you to a short cheesey survey (which you can skip) and then to a real live person whom you can tell: 'The President should ______'. They will say 'thank you' and pass the message along. The cheesey survey when I last called had questions like: 'If you agree that President Clinton should protect Social Security, press 1.' There were only 3 of these questions, then I stayed on the line to talk to a human. After telling the assistant your opinion, they will ask you for your zip code, or the city where you're calling from. Don't worry - they're just pooling demographic information to use in future campaigns, and they actually DO ask you where you're calling from. They don't say: 'Mr. Frinier, I can see that you're calling from cubicle 4 on the 16 floor, at ____ address. You're wearing a maroon tie and a blue shirt with a stain on the collar. Stay where you are. Secret Service will be there shortly.' So don't sweat it. The President is your employee, so don't hesitate to tell him what he's doing wrong or right.

FAX THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

If your comment for Bill is longer than a one-liner, you may want to FAX it to him rather than try to leave a lengthy message with one of the people on the comment line. The FAX number is (202) 456-2461.

CALL GOVERNOR GRAY DAVIS. (California)

As simple as calling Congress or the President. Call the Governor's office at (916) 445-2841 and tell him what you think.

SEND A FREE FAX TO YOUR ELECTED LEADERS.

You can send a free fax to your Representative, Senators, and the President on key issues directly from the Congress Watchdog web site and from the ACLU Freedom Network.

Web Sites for an Alert Citizen:

Write Your Representative - Find out who your Rep in Congress is from the House of Representatives web page.

Contact Your Senator - Lookup their phone number from the Senate web site, then call them.

Congress Watchdog - Keeping an eye on Congress

ACLU Freedom Network - Helping you fight for your own freedom

Working Assests Activist Site - 'Making it easy to make a difference'

The Democracy Network - Voter Information

California Voter Foundation

California Secretary of State Home Page - Lots of election information, including how to run for state office and how to get an initiative on the ballot.

Los Angeles City Election Information

The Oaks Project - 'We're looking for a thousand Californians strong and sturdy as oaks to lead the fight for a new democracy.' (Ralph Nader)

The Center for Public Integrity

Thomas - U.S. Congress on the Internet - Congressional Record and other information

Common Cause - 'Holding Power Accountable'

Center For Responcive Politics - Who bought your congressman, and for how much?

Project Vote Smart 'Tracking the performance of over 13,000 political leaders'

How Our Laws Are Made - The official word from Congress's parliamentarian; available from the Library Of Congress web site

Some of the Issues that I Care Most Strongly About:

Campaing Finance Reform - Public Campaign has the best position I've seen on this issue. Common Cause is also a strong supporter of Campaign Finance Reform. I recently heard a statistic stating that it would cost Americans less than $4.00 each to publicly finance elections nationwide. Compare that to the $1000s of dollars each taxpayer pays today for Corporate Welfare and other budgetary pork that worms its way into the budget because politicians are financed by special interests who expect a substantial return on their investment.

Promoting Public Broadcasting - Grants for non-profit stations and other pubilc outlets make it possible for real opinions and real news to be heard, without the effective censorship that results from corporate sponcers / advertisers, and without the 'infotainment' hype that sells mass-market, dumbed-down action news on the commercial stations.

The Give-Away of Public Assets to Private Interests - Public land, the oil underneath it, the airwaves, the waterways, airspace, and a lot more than you probably realize BELONG TO US! We call the shots! We have the power to make the rules if we want to! This public ownership is the basis that most government regulation is based upon, and we have the right to make it work for the public good. But at an alarming rate, public assets are being given away or licensed to private interests for little to nothing in return, short of a hollow pledge of 'job creation.' The public has the right to demand more in return, if only we would get off of our collective butts and do it.

Cutting Corporate Welfare - Tax breaks, subsidies, and other gifts from the taxpayers cost Americans 3 times more than the social programs more commonly known as welfare.

Cutting the Military Budget - When the Congress gives the Department of Defense EVEN MORE MONEY THAN THEY ASK FOR, you know there's a problem. This is both a problem of government PORK, and of corporate welfare for the defense contractors. It diverts public monies away from services that truly benefit the public and into the hands of private interests, while enforcing the dictatorial position the United States has taken in the global arena and undermining diplomatic alternatives to international disputes. In a time of peace, with the Cold War behind us, why does our military budget continue to grow? Even as the Congress contemplates tax cuts, their budgets always include increases in defense spending. Where does this money come from? It comes from education. It comes from the agencies the regulate industry and protect the public. It comes from the programs that return value to the taxpayers for their tax dollars.

Civil Liberties - Rights to free speech, privacy and others are constantly being erroded.

The Growing Gap Between Rich and Poor in the United States - Real incomes have been in a steady DECLINE. The economy isn't booming for everyone.

The Growing Prison Population - Building prisons only treats the SYMPTOMS of our social problems, not the CAUSES.

Labor Rights - I support the organization of workers into unions to collectively defend themselves against employers who care only about their stockholders.

Corporate Crime - Why does it go unpunished and unreported? If corporations have the rights of human individuals, then why don't laws like Three Strikes apply to corporations that are repeatedly convicted of crimes?

Regulation of the Insurance Industry - I want to be able to go to ANY doctor when I get sick or injured. Check out the online petition for the Patients Bill of Rights.

Censorship / Corporate Manipulation of the Media - 'The media is only as liberal as the conservative businesses that own them.' With all the major media outlets owned by a handful of huge conglomerates, each having an array of corporate interests to protect by cleansing the news coverage of any issues or opinions that might oppose or shead sunlight on those issues, the ability of the public to become informed about what is really going on in the world, and their ability to act on that information, is deteriorating. An example: How much coverage and debate did you see in the press over the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that deregulated the industry and allowed the mega-mergers that are happening today ...Spectrum

The Populatized Perception that Regulation, in all forms is a Bad Thing - Of course corporations dislike most regulation of their industries, because corporations have only one objective - to make money. And more often that not, regulations are obstacles to those who have only profit motives. But the Government has more than money to consider. The Government has to consider the general welfare of the People, (not just investors.) The Government has to consider the safety of the people - children, workers, consumers, etc. The Government has to protect the environment for future generations. The Government has to consider the health of the population. The Government has to defend human rights. The Government has to protect the integrity of the democracy. The list goes on, and the mechanism for achieving these goals and protections is REGULATION, and regulation costs money. It costs money to educate the populus. It cost money to protect the People from food contamination. It costs money to protect the People at their jobs. Companies make less profit when they have to clean up their own pollution. Companies make less profit when they have to make safe or efficient products. And companies make less money when they are forced to compete rather than monopolize. All because of regulations. But, while most of these regulations may stand in the way of higher profits, they do help and protect Americans.

U.S. Foreign Policy - Undermining democracy abroad and supporting authoritarian regimes to keep the money flowing to the top 5% of Americans, at the expense of the bottom 95%

The Unregulated Global Economy - A strong contributor to the growing gap between rich and poor, and a threat to environmental standards and regulations

The Environment - Support Green alternatives wherever you can. Consider changing you electric company to Green Mountain. Sign the petition from the National Resources Defence Council to show the Automotive Industry that you will support the new generation of hybrid gas/electric cleaner vehicles.

Abuses of the Credit Industry - Like selling alcohol to alcoholics, the credit industry is encouraging people to spiral into unrecoverable debt.

Recommended News Outlets and Publications:

Pacifica Radio - KPFK 90.7 in Los Angeles

National Public Radio - Quite fettered by corporate underwriting, but still better than the info-tainment on TV

The Nation Magazine - Subscribe and learn what mainstream media doesn't tell you.

Mother Jones

The UTNE Reader

The Progressive

Roll Call Online - The online version of a weekly newspaper about Congress

Good Companies to do Business With:

Working Assests Long Distance - They give 1% of your bill to charity and let every customer vote on how much to give to which cause. Plus, they keep you updated on important issues and make it easy for your to get in touch with your elected officials. All of your calls to your representative in Washington are FREE!!! And they will get you off of the national telemarketing lists, so those pesky telemarketers stop calling you!

Some Interesting Statistics and Other Information:

Bill Gates' net worth is equal to that of 120,000,000 Americans.

It takes 2500 gallons of water to put a 1 lb. steak on your plate.

The number 1 employer in the world is Manpower Inc, a temp agency. What does that tell you about the future of job security?

The number 1 employer in Mexico is General Motors. What does that tell you about the success of NAFTA?

'Every year since 1984, the retirement portion of FICA has brought in more money than was paid out in benefits.' (Source: The Center For Public Integrity) So where is all this extra money going? And why is the Social Security System in trouble?

Recommended Band:

Moxy Fruvous - You won't hear them on the radio, I'm afraid, so you'll have to go out and buy a CD. I recommend Bargainville as your first Fruvous experience.

Recommended Art:

Pietra Dura. In Florence, Italy, there are artists who do what no one else in the world does. It's called Pietra Dura, or Stone Inlay, or Florentine Mosaic, and it's really amazing. Vibrant works of art that, from a distance, look like paintings. Up close you can see that every bit of color is actually an individually cut semi-precious stone. They cut stone and piece them together to produce beautiful images. I've been to art museums around the world, but this Pietra Dura piece is the single most beautiful work of art that I have ever seen. My apologies for the quality of the photo. The table pictured is about 6 feet in diameter, and is on display in one of the museums at the Boboli Gardens in Florence. If you think this is cool, I have more information, including Web links on another page.

Recommended Online Humor:

The Onion - a gag newspaper, updated every Wednesday

The Dilbert Zone - online Dilbert

The Straight Dope - a collection of columns by Cecil Adams

Cool Places I've Unicycled:

Badwater, Death Valley - The lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Jennie Hango has a page dedicated to this trip.

Catalina Island

Yosemite Valley

Venice Beach, California

IN the Pacific Ocean - waist-high off of Santa Monica beach

Big Bear Lake (city of), California

South Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Baker, California - Around the World's Tallest Thermometer!

Across the US-Canadian Border at Peace Arch Park between Washington State and British Columbia

At Jon and Beth Leonard's Wedding Reception, June 1997. Picture shows me riding with the Maid-of-Honor on my shoulders.

Southern California - (general area; too many places to list individually)

Other Random/Odd Things I've Done:

Flown in a blimp - 1987

Hiked to the top of Mt. Fuji during a rain storm - August 1997

Touched the Pope - October 1997

Eaten at every Pea Soup Andersens restuarant in the state of California in a single day - August 8, 1998. Jennie Hango has a page dedicated to this trip too.

Swam in 32 degree water in Antarctica - January 2000

Other Interesting Links That Don't Justify A Catagory Of Their Own:

Crash Course in Wills and Trusts - 'The presentation may be unspectacular, but the information is thorough & well-written.' (Wall Street Journal review)

Jim's International Travel Log:

Mexico - 1996

Tahiti / French Polynesia - 1996

Japan - 1997

Singapore - 1997

Indonesia - 1997

Malaysia - 1997

United Kingdom - 1997

France - 1997

Switzerland - 1997

Italy - 1997

Vatican City - 1997

Bahamas - 1999

Canada - 1999

Brazil - 1999

Antarctica - New Year's 1999/2000

Argentina - 1999 & 2000

Chile - 2000