Going on in Washington right now -- and how it effects you

I believe most Americans don't know what's going on right now in Washington and worse, far worse, they don't know how it will effect them.

The issue is referred to as 'net neutrality, short for internet neutrality. What's happening is that the Federal Communications Commission--the FCC--is deciding if corporations that supply the internet can charge more for faster speeds to certain customers willing to pay more.



Actually, Senator Al Franken has led an effort to fight the big media corporations and save net neutrality. He gives terrific, clear information on the fight here and what it means to and for us all:



There are at least three things wrong with this. Two big things.

First, it means those with money will get and have and keep more data. That is, more information. This is the equivalent of the old "separate but equal" theory from America's history that we decided was unconstitutional decades ago. It's just wrong.

Second, it means the corporations, especially, will have more and more power and control of that information. That wouldn't be good for us either economically or in terms of business. It's great for them, patently negative for the nation. It's worst of all for the people, for you and I.

The third thing very wrong with this is that, sadly, frustratingly and even destructively, it's being decided by, controlled by a person at the FCC who is originally from the very industry this ruling could help go the corporations' way:

Obama Nominates Cable Industry Lobbyist

Anyone who knows me knows I'm for most of the work of our current president but in this case, as in some others, Mr. Obama did "more of the same" instead of changing Washington. He appointed a lobbyist and campaign fund bundler for the cable industry to the head of the very powerful FCC, the very agency created to monitor these people.  To use a cliche', it's "a fox, guarding the henhouse."

Anyway, here's what's going on this week:

FCC and Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know Before Today's Big Meeting

The biggest Internet companies in the world are squaring off against the biggest ISPs in the country on this issue, which will dictate the future of the Internet.

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to publicly release its proposed rules about the future of the "Open Internet."

I highly recommend you click on the article link above, go to the article and read just what all this is, what's going on, why you should care and what it all means. The future of the  internet and of information is being decided now.

Still Time to Speak Your Mind on Net Neutrality

Please go to at least one of these petitions, sign it, and help save net neutrality:

Petition | Save Net Neutrality | Change.org

Daily Kos: Campaigns: Sign the petition: Save Net neutrality

Additional links:

ACLU: Save Open Internet - ACLU.org‎

May 15th: Fight to Save the Internet | Free Press

MoveOn.org Civic Action: Save the Internet

PETITION TO CONGRESS: Save Net Neutrality

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Supreme Court of the United States (and what they're doing to us)

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) railed against the Supreme Court in a speech to progressive legal scholars Thursday night, declaring that "the Roberts Court has systematically dismantled the legal protections that help ordinary people find justice when wronged by the economically powerful." Franken in particular decried the way conservative legal scholars have changed the popular perception of what Supreme Court justices do -- and what justice is. Thank you, Judy, for that introduction, and for your work on behalf of working Americans. Thank you to Caroline Fredrickson for your leadership and for inviting me to speak here tonight. Thank you all for being here tonight, and for the good work you do to defend the Constitution and the American values it represents. It is an honor to address this convention. Speakers at past ACS gatherings have included Supreme Court Justices, Attorneys General, other cabinet secretaries, federal judges, and distinguished legal scholars. So tonight I guess we'll finally get an answer to the question: "What do Stephen Breyer, Laurence Tribe, and Al Franken have in common?" Other than: "They were all in the front row when the Dead played the Garden back in '71." Tonight, we celebrate the rise of a new generation of progressive legal scholars and jurists. Look to your left. Look to your right. Odds are, at least one of the three of you will someday be filibustered by Senate Republicans. Speaking of which, I'd like to give a special shout-out to all the filibustered nominees we have here with us tonight. The Republican obstruction that is standing between you and the work you've agreed to do for your country is unacceptable. And we will continue to fight it. In particular, I want to recognize Dawn Johnsen, who should be the head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. What Republicans have done to keep you from doing that important job is flat out wrong. And I want to recognize Goodwin Liu, who should be sitting on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals right now, and who deserves an up-or-down vote. When I joined the Senate, I was thrown right into the fire as a member of the Judiciary Committee, where, by the way, I enthusiastically voted for Goodwin. On my fifth day in office, I found myself taking part in the confirmation hearings for now-Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Just like I am tonight, I was one of the few non-lawyers in the room, but I didn't mind. You see, I did some research, and it turns out that most Minnesotans aren't lawyers, either. But that doesn't mean they aren't directly affected every day by what happens on the Supreme Court, and in our legal system. I don't think you need to be a lawyer to recognize that the Roberts Court has, consistently and intentionally, protected and promoted the interests of the powerful over those of individual Americans. And you certainly don't need to be a lawyer to understand what that means for the working people who are losing their rights, one 5-4 decision at a time. Tonight, I'd like to talk about how we got to this sad moment in American legal history - because it didn't happen by accident. Conservative activists - led by the Federalist Society - have waged a remarkably successful battle to re-shape our legal discourse, and thus our legal system. And they're not done yet. I should acknowledge up front that this story is kind of a downer. But there's good news: the ending has not yet been written. And I really believe that, if we pay attention to how things got so bad, we'll learn how to make them better. Link to original post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/18/al-franken-slams-supreme_n_617448.html