Troops

Is it possible that our own military leadership is being too aggressive in going after our soldiers for misconduct. I think that we need to be careful and fair to soldiers who would rather be home with their family than in the hostile war zone of Iraq and the Middle East. The following is interesting.

After months of congressional pressure, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has opened an investigation of an Army general who tried to bring murder charges against U.S. troops.

The investigation, requested by Rep. Walter B. Jones, North Carolina Republican, will probe whether Lt. Gen. Francis H. Kearney III overstepped his bounds and/or compromised legal proceedings in two Afghanistan incidents, one involving Marines and the other involving two Special Forces soldiers.

Washington's Finest

At 4.30pm today, Harry Reid announced on the floor of the Senate that, given the complexity and contentiousness of immunity (which he says he backs Dodd in opposing) the bill will not come up before the holidays.

A very wise decision. Thanks are due to Senator Dodd, grassroots support, and your own many calls and letters for emphasizing just how dangerous and outrageous step this would be for any politician seeking to preserve the Constitution. We're not there yet, though, so keep the pressure up: write to your representative and demand that immunity not rise again in 2008!

Housing

There are still areas in America where housing is affordable and appreciating in value. The following article is a good indicator that our current housing downturn is just temporary and will stabilize quickly.

Housing Markets That Are Still Thriving-The best-performing housing market in the country during the third quarter was picturesque Wenatchee, a city of more than 35,000 that is the seat of Chelan County, Wash. Prices in the Wenatchee metro area increased by 15.7 percent year over year, according to RealtyTrac.-Home prices also jumped more than 10 percent in second home markets in Utah, Idaho, and Colorado. -"They're doing so well because they're getting the run-off from California, Nevada, and Arizona," says Jeannine Cataldi, senior economist for Global Insight. "When prices got so high [in those states], people said, 'there must be places that are more affordable.’”
Here are the top 10 best performing markets in the country:

1. Wenatchee, Wash.: 15.7 percent
2. Provo-Orem, Utah: 14.35 percent
3. Grand Junction, Colo.: 14.05 percent
4. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah: 13.95 percent
5. Salt Lake City: 13.37 percent
6. Idaho Fall, Idaho: 11.69 percent
7. Austin-Round Rock, Texas: 9.67 percent
8. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas: 9.44 percent
9. Asheville, N.C.: 9.44 percent
10. Billings, Mont.: 9.07 percent
11. Source: BusinessWeek, Prashant Gopal (12/10/07)
    

Gatekeepers

It is essential that we keep a watch on the gatekeepers. They are everywhere. The telecoms and regulators are driven by greed. The quest for control and money are motivators for the gatekeepers.

Gatekeepers in Need of a Solution - In mainstream press, Stephen H. Wildstrom, a senior technology writer and editor at BusinessWeek, wrote that he had shifted his position to support Net Neutrality following recent incidents of network gatekeeping. “The behavior of the top telecommunications companies, especially Verizon Communications and AT&T, has convinced me that more government involvement is needed to keep communications free of corporate interference,” he wrote.

Bloggers and the courts

It is essential that all bloggers realize that our government, including our courts, are trying to limit free speech on the Internet. Because, the Internet provides an pathway to the public that the government would like to control. Since information is power, the government wants all the power they can get. Thus, they want to control the Internet.

CDT Joins Brief Urging Liability Protection for Internet Content Venues - The Center for Democracy & Technology joined with other public interest and Internet industry groups to urge a federal appeals court to shield websites from legal action stemming from content their users post.

DOJ is wrong about the Net.

The Net needs to be protected. I worry that DOJ will allow the Net to be manipulated in a way that purges all the voices of dissent in the blogosphere. The following is interesting.

LATEST: September 6, 2007 - the Department of Justice issued a filing with the Federal Communications Commission opposing net neutrality and opening the door for discriminatory, two-tiered pricing systems. The DOJ filing supports telecoms in their efforts to roll back the clock on net neutrality, and would permit telecoms to censor or block users from desired content based on their ability to pay.

Bloggers Beward

It appears that bloggers must be careful. Governments that do not like criticism will attack a blogger. The following report is troubling.

Manalapan, NJ - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked a Superior Court judge in New Jersey today to preserve the free speech rights of an anonymous blogger facing legal threats from local government officials.

The blogger, writing as "daTruthSquad" on a site hosted on Google's Blogspot service, has criticized a controversial lawsuit filed by the township of Manalapan, as well as the officials who decided to pursue the case. The township subpoenaed Google for "daTruthSquad's" identity -- as well as for any emails, blog drafts, and other information Google has about the blogger -- claiming that the defendant in the case is actually writing the posts.

Free Speech and Russia

It is obvious that countries that want to control their people will control the Internet. Democracy thrives on the free flow of information. The following report is of extreme interest.

It was also reported that the pro-Western, formerly Soviet country of Georgia shut down private TV stations this week in a claimed attempt to combat Russia’s efforts to undermine the fledging democracy. Even if Georgia’s president is right about Moscow’s intentions, Georgia will never be a “beacon of democracy” (as U.S. President George Bush has said) if it employs Stalinistic tactics to control its people.

A free and independent media is the cornerstone of a free society. To Westerners, this truism is often taken for granted. But savvy rulers are all too conscious of it. It was Joseph Stalin who said, “Ideas are more dangerous than guns.” What better way to control ideas than to control the media? As with Burma, democratic nations around the world must decry, in words and deeds, emergency rule and the suppression of independent media – such actions have no place in a free society.

Save the Internet for Bloggers

We need to be an advocate for free speech on the Internet. Because, there is a movement among many in business and government to limit free speech. The number of motivations are too numerous to count. Some are political in nature where liberals want to shut up conservatives, businesses want to shut up angry consumers, and governments want to control the flow of information.

Bloggers are critical in the free flow of information. This is the reason I support a movement to save the Internet. The Coalition that has been assembled to spearhead this movement is an uneasy group to say the least. Even though I do not agree with the overall make up of this Coalition, the overall goal of this gathering is worthwhile.

The SavetheInternet.com Coalition is more than a million everyday people who have banded together with thousands of non-profit organizations, businesses and bloggers to protect Internet freedom.

The Coalition believes that the Internet is a crucial engine for economic growth and free speech. We are working together to urge Congress to preserve Network Neutrality, the First Amendment of the Internet, which ensures that the Internet remains open to new ideas, innovation and progress.

From its beginnings, the Internet has leveled the playing field for all. Everyday people can have their voices heard by thousands, even millions of people.

The SavetheInternet.com Coalition -- representing millions of Americans from all walks of life -- is working together to ensure that Congress passes no telecommunications legislation without meaningful and enforceable Network Neutrality protections.

Save The Internet

I do not share files in a way that many do. However, I do blog and blog. I surf the Internet for searching purposes. Since I write articles for publication, the Internet is a rich source of information. The following on Save the Internet is a good post.

In their ceaseless efforts to become the gatekeepers to what we do online, the phone and cable companies funnel money to unscrupulous think tanks, which, in turn, churn out research, painting a picture of Internet Armageddon that can only be averted by giving the telcos exactly what they want: more money and control.

RVs and Retirees

The ACLU is right on target with their lawsuit. It seems that retired people who travel around the country in their RVs cannot vote in some states. Even though I can see the danger is letting homeless people without a residential address vote, retirees in RVs should be able to vote. Gosh, this only seems fair.

NASHVILLE – The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of senior citizens living full-time in their recreational vehicles who were purged from Tennessee voting rolls because they registered to vote using the street address of a commercial mail forwarding service. “American citizens should not be disqualified from voting simply because of their lifestyle choice to travel. Denying citizens the right to vote flies in the face of our democracy,” said ACLU of Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of full-time RV residents Ronald Teel, Leone Teel and John Layton. An ACLU Freedom of Information Act request revealed that over 250 people, including the plaintiffs, have lost their right to vote in Bradley County, Tennessee. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were purged from Bradley County voting rolls after passage of a 2005 state law that said commercial addresses could not be used for voting purposes.

Support for Net Neutrality

Many promenent people have joined this cause. The Democratic Party is on the right side of this issue. The following news brief is quite informative.

Include leading high-tech companies such as Amazon.com, Earthlink, EBay, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Facebook, Skype and Yahoo. Prominent national figures such as Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig, every major Democratic presidential candidate, and FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein have called for stronger Net Neutrality protections.

Editorial boards at the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Seattle Times, St. Petersburg Times and Christian Science Monitor all have urged congress to save the Internet.

Support Our Troops

Internet Capacity

There seems to be an overwhelming movement by Internet providers to alert the public about the future lack of Internet capacity. Even though there may be a shortage of Internet capacity resources to deal with the explosion in Internet traffic, telecoms giants appear to have an agenda. This agenda includes influencing governmental decision makers in a way that increases telecoms profits. If you follow the money, you can usually get to the bottom of stakeholder motivation.

More warnings of a looming bandwidth apocalypse, this time from USAToday, who insists that the Internet “will start to seem poky as early as 2010, as use of interactive and video-intensive services overwhelms local cable, phone and wireless Internet providers.”

As we’ve stated previously, most warnings of capacity Armageddon come from traffic shaping companies looking to sell hardware, or industry lobbyists trying to shape policy through think tanks. In this case Nemertes’s study was funded with help from the Internet Innovation Alliance, a group spearheaded by AT&T.

Writers Guild and the Internet

The Writers Guild is worried about their future. Because, TV and the Internet will be one eventually. The following is a headline story.

The Writers Guild of America strike has been an interesting debacle to watch, complete with a host of issues the public might not have thought of before. The inevitable convergence of the Internet and TV is one of them; the continued homogenization of American culture is another.
Fortunately, the revolution is being blogged about. What else would striking writers do? Writers write, right?

Free Speech Is Essential

The importance of free speech on the Internet is essential to keeping a vibrant flow of opinions and ideas alive. Our democracy is stronger because our freedom of speech is unrestricted on the Internet.

CDT Joins Brief Urging Liability Protection for Internet Content Venues - The Center for Democracy & Technology joined with other public interest and Internet industry groups to urge a federal appeals court to shield websites from legal action stemming from content their users post. In a case involving the Roommates.com website, an initial three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the website should not receive the normal protections afforded under "Section 230" of federal law from liability for content posted by the site's individual users. The entire court agreed to reconsider that initial decision. The "friend of the court" brief, which CDT joined, argued that Section 230 protection is vital to the robust speech and debate on the Internet, and that a website should not lose that protection because it gives users specific options for expressing their views.

Net for all

We must stay the course on Net Neutrality. The following news brief is the latest.

Then there is “net neutrality,” the idea that internet access providers be required to treat all bits on their network equally. Google and most of the internet industry favours this, at least for now, lest they be extorted into paying extra money to internet service providers (i.e. phone and cable companies) to assure unimpeded access to their services. Net neutrality isn’t going anywhere for the moment in DC (guess who’s against is?) but the issue is by no means dead.

In fact, a group of private individuals organised recently by members of a long-running and influential email list called IP is setting itself up as a the Network Neutrality Squad. The goal is monitor “anticompetitive, discriminatory, or other restrictive actions by internet service providers…” There are already plenty of examples of behaviour that could fall into these categories, including a recent move by Verizon to re-route any miss-typed internet addresses to its own search page.

Save The Internet and America

Let me ask your support for the "Net Neutrality" movement. Also, organized labor needs our support to advocate a living wage and better health care for workers. Plus, American veterans need better health care and job training when disabled.

Progressive has a nice ring to it. And, I consider myself a ! progressive in some ways. Regardless, I agree some of your ideas, but disagree with others. I guess we can agree to disagree.

When I was in graduate school, most professors and students were progressives. Therefore, I have heard the progressive message before. Even though I agree with some of the ideas proposed by progressives, it seems to me progressives do not appreciate the sacrifice and hard work it took to create America's democratic institutions.

Regardless of the criticisms heaped on America from inside and outside, America is one of the most diverse and accepting societies on earth. Most of the philanthropic work done in the third world, building schools and hospitals, is provided by American faith based organizations. When this is added to American foreign aid, which is provided to almost every country in the world by America, America is in many ways the world's salvation. In addition, America produces about half the food stuffs sold on the world's open market. When this is added to the food America gives away in aid programs, America is a huge source of the world's food supply.

This is not to say America is perfect. But, America works at trying to be better. Americans have the courage to criticize themselves and tackle internal problems head on. Most countries do not have this courage.

Over the years, threats to American Democracy has come from Europe and Asia. Now, we are threatened by the Middle East. We will overcome this threat and continue to progress as a society. Because, we are basically a progressive people. Work union, live better.

Protestors and Politics

There seems to be more anti-war protesters now. As a vet, I support the troops and I want them to win this war. However, it appears that this is becoming increasingly difficult as time goes on. I really do not have the answers to resolve the current terrorist inspired violence in Iraq. It is real obvious that terrorists all over the world are please every time an American soldier is killed. This makes me angry.

Anti-war protesters are misguided. However, they have a right to protest. This is still America. I am old enough to remember coming home in 1968 and being told by the Army that it would be wise to not wear my uniform while traveling back home to my small home town in Central California. Because, I could be attacked at the airports. Attacked by American protesters. Well, I just survived my tour of duty to come home to a bunch of America protesters. Give me break.

Elections are just around the corner. I like many things the Democrats stand for like supporting organized labor, environmental laws, minimum wage laws, social security increases, and a concern for less fortunate. However, the Democrats lack vision on other issues. Just being against everything Bush supports is not a vision.

In addition, I am not quite sure what the Democrats stand for anymore when it comes to dealing with terrorism. When the next attack comes to America, and the Democrats are in charge, what will they do. Since they do not want to secure the borders to keep terrorists out, or send troops to weed out terrorist training camps, what is their vision? The stump speeches are full of anti-Bush stuff. But, a vision is lacking. Surprisingly, I think the Democrats can win the White House without a vision.

Now to some major issues that neither party seems concerned about. It seems that Democrats and Republicans need to focus on terrorism in America which includes a rational immigration/border policy, our economy, getting our troops home and getting them the medical care they need, and shoring up our Social Security Program, so elderly people can get enough to eat and pay their bills. Because, no one can live on a Social Security check.

Thank a teacher, because you can read. Thank a vet, because you can vote. It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes an Army to protect the village.

Gosh, I feel better now.

America

Thanks to Humbled Infidel

America

I am proud to know where I come from,
And to be unstoppable.
To know how hard I've worked,
And to stand up for my country.

To know I can accomplish anything,
And to be committed to what I believe.
I am proud to know I can make a difference,
And to stand up for my family.

God Bless America

Education, Wikipedia, and Internet Freedom

It is essential that our educators understand and appreciate the value of the Internet in helping students access information. I was helping a college student recently do research for an assigned paper. The professor did not want the student to use any sources that came from Wikipedia. This is odd. Wikipedia is an excellent source of information. This is not to say that it should be the only source. However, the community effort in building Wikipedia into a dynamic interactive source for a general feel for any subject is indeed a creative enterprise.

Anti War Protesters

There seems to be more anti-war protesters now. As a vet, I support the troops and I want them to win this war. However, it appears that this is becoming increasingly difficult as time goes on. I really do not have the answers to resolve the current terrorist inspired violence in Iraq. It is real obvious that terrorists all over the world are please every time an American soldier is killed. This makes me angry.

Anti-war protesters are misguided. However, they have a right to protest. This is still America. I am old enough to remember coming home in 1968 and being told by the Army that it would be wise to not wear my uniform while traveling back home to my small home town in Central California. Because, I could be attacked at the airports. Attacked by American protesters. Well, I just survived my tour of duty to come home to a bunch of America protesters. Give me break.

Elections are just around the corner. I like many things the Democrats stand for like supporting organized labor, environmental laws, minimum wage laws, social security increases, and a concern for less fortunate. However, the Democrats lack vision on other issues. Just being against everything Bush supports is not a vision.

In addition, I am not quite sure what the Democrats stand for anymore when it comes to dealing with terrorism. When the next attack comes to America, and the Democrats are in charge, what will they do. Since they do not want to secure the borders to keep terrorists out, or send troops to weed out terrorist training camps, what is their vision? The stump speeches are full of anti-Bush stuff. But, a vision is lacking. Surprisingly, I think the Democrats can win the White House without a vision.

Now to some major issues that neither party seems concerned about. It seems that Democrats and Republicans need to focus on terrorism in America which includes a rational immigration/border policy, our economy, getting our troops home and getting them the medical care they need, shoring up our Social Security Program, so elderly people can get enough to eat and pay their bills. Because, no one can live on a Social Security check.

Thank a teacher, because you can read. Thank a vet, because you can vote. It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes an Army to protect the village.

Gosh, I feel better now.

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach California

Internet, Bloggers, and Democracy

As I write daily on my three blogs (Rosemead Star News, Rosemead Herald, California Reporter), I have a feeling of power. It seems odd that I would feel this way. Because, I really do not want to feel this way in my life. I am really a mild mannered guy in most other ways. However, blogs give me an opportunity to share my ideas and this empowers me.

The saying "Information is Power" has a lot of meaning to me. I think this is true more today than ever before. For this reason, Internet Freedom is essential. The following news about the importance of a free and open Internet reveals an alarming trend across the globe to take away free and open access to the Internet. We must stand tall against those who would limit our Internet freedoms.

As the old saying goes, “Information is power.” So it is no surprise that the free media is often the first to go when dictatorial regimes – or even ostensibly “democratic” governments – find themselves in power struggles with the people they govern.

Last month, we called on the U.S. and other democratic countries to speak out against Burma’s shutting down of the Internet and other media in an attempt to quell the pro-democracy protests led by the country’s Buddhist monks.

Now this week – in a shocking dictatorial double-play – both Pakistan and Georgia declared emergency rule (effectively, martial law), suspending their constitutions and clamping down on independent media.

A free and independent media is the cornerstone of a free society. To Westerners, this truism is often taken for granted. But savvy rulers are all too conscious of it. It was Joseph Stalin who said, “Ideas are more dangerous than guns.” What better way to control ideas than to control the media? As with Burma, democratic nations around the world must decry, in words and deeds, emergency rule and the suppression of independent media – such actions have no place in a free society.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day

Sa

Internet And The Court

The Internet And The Courts

It seems that a court has ruled that Internet search engines must create and store every key stroke and every draft ever create, even if not sent. In Columbia v. Bunnell, a movie studio sued a search engine for copyright infringement. As part of the lawsuit's discovery process, the movie studio wants all search engine user information.

This is disturbing, because this means if courts can demand user information from search engines, all Internet search engines will be required to keep logs of every Internet visitor to the search engine site, even if the search engine did not intend to develop this capacity. If there was no mechanism to capture and store the information, the search engine will be required to develop this capacity.

This might apply to bloggers down the road, because most good blog providers and bloggers have search capabilities. Watch out for court and government control of the Internet and the Blogosphere.

Movies Studios v. TorrentSpy

On June 22, 2007, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) urged a California court Friday to overturn a dangerous ruling that would require an Internet search engine to create and store logs of its users' activities as part of electronic discovery obligations in a civil lawsuit.

The ruling came in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by motion picture studios against TorrentSpy, a popular search engine that indexes materials made publicly available via the Bit Torrent file sharing protocol. TorrentSpy has never logged its visitors' Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Notwithstanding this explicit privacy policy, a federal magistrate judge has now ordered TorrentSpy to activate logging and turn the logged data over to the studios.

"This unprecedented ruling has implications well beyond the file sharing context,? said EFF Staff Attorney Corynne McSherry. "Giving litigants the power to rewrite their opponent's privacy policies poses a risk to all Internet users.?

The Internet is based on the following ideas: User control, innovation, trust, and openness/competition. Even though America needs to fight terrorism and protect intellectual property rights, the real challenge is mediating these concerns. This means trying to balance government intrusion with the free expression of ideas and speech on the Internet. This will be an ominous task indeed. However, it is essential to realize that democracy cannot survive with a government intent on using draconian measures to stifle Internet free speech.

If unrealistic restrictions were imposed on free speech, the Blogosphere would be impacted to the point of elimination, Therefore, Internet freedom and the Blogosphere are closely associated. The following is from Center for Democracy and Technology.

So the challenge we face going forward is to develop an Internet policy framework that addresses these clear needs while at the same time promoting the innovation and other values that have fostered the growth of this amazing medium. The higher education community, which hosted many of the wizards who created the Internet and which has woven this technology into every aspect of education, has a responsibility to work to defend the policy framework based on user control, innovation, trust, and openness/competition—so that the Internet in years to come is able to reach its potential as an empowering platform for learning, democracy, commerce, and human development.

It appears that even the big players in the battle to keep the Internet free from censorship are coming forward. Business Week realizes the importance of free and open Internet communities and advocate voices. The following news brief is from Save The Internet.

In mainstream press, Stephen H. Wildstrom, a senior technology writer and editor at BusinessWeek, wrote that he had shifted his position to support Net Neutrality following recent incidents of network gatekeeping. “The behavior of the top telecommunications companies, especially Verizon Communications and AT&T, has convinced me that more government involvement is needed to keep communications free of corporate interference,” he wrote.

Dateline November 6, 2007 from China

Center for Democracy and Technology news brief. This is a great site for Save the Internet information. This could happen in America, if we let our guard down. We cannot allow government nabobs, hiding behind government regulations, to limit our access to information and Internet resources. Stand up and be counted.

For a brief period last week, the Chinese government hijacked foreign search engines. Chinese Internet users trying to search on Google, Yahoo and Microsoft were redirected . . . . . to the Chinese search engine Baidu. Democratic governments understand the connection between human rights and Internet freedom. They have been quick to condemn the Internet crackdown in Burma and China and the lack of Internet freedom in much of the world.

But at the same time, democratic countries are themselves increasingly turning to content blocking and online surveillance to address terrorism and other perceived dangers at home. In doing so, they are in danger of sacrificing their moral authority to ensure that the global Internet moves toward greater freedom.

Recently, the European Union justice commissioner signaled plans to introduce a package of anti-terrorism proposals that will require member countries to block Internet sites that provide information about bomb-making.

In Germany, there is an uproar about a proposal to give the government powers to spy virtually, using e-mails infected with spy ware.

Joined the Call

The telecom giants have finally pushed the bloggers over the edge. The Internet is too influential to silence now. Washington is now responding to the latest call to action.
The following is from Save The Internet.

On Capitol Hill, both Republicans and Democrats have joined in a call for urgent congressional action in defense of Net Neutrality. Last Thursday, Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) called for new hearings, citing recent incidents of blocking of cell-phone and Internet traffic.

Who will control Bloggers

It is obvious the blogophere is alive with chatter about Internet freedom. From an influence perspective, bloggers are making their voices heard. The Internet must remain free to idea generation. The following is from Center for Democracy and Technology.

An increasing array of issues is currently being debated under the heading of "net neutrality," and dialogue surrounding this concept is rapidly gaining strength. At the heart of the net neutrality debate is whether the Internet, the Web, and associated technologies will continue to thrive as an open platform for innovation and free expression and what policies, if any, are necessary to ensure that they will.

Net Neutrality and Telecoms

The Telecom giants just do not understand the powerful influence that bloggers have. And, the Telecom giants have become comfortable with violating the law by limiting access to the Internet. The Telecom giants have an arrogance about them that makes one wonder if they really understand the fundamental basis of free speech.

For bloggers, any limitation on free speech would be disastrous. So, it is time for bloggers to rise up and make Net Neutrality a presidential campaign issue this year. The following is a blog from Save The Internet.

Cable giant Comcast has become the poster child for Net Neutrality — with actions to block user traffic that make a clear-cut case for Internet protections. Today, SavetheInternet.com members and legal scholars took this case to the Federal Communications Commission. We filed an official action urging the agency to stop the cable giant from meddling with your ability to connect and share information.

The company recently gave us a glimpse of a world without Net Neutrality. In the “most drastic example yet of data discrimination,” the Associated Press exposed that Comcast was actively interfering with its users’ ability to access legal content and share it with one another. Despite mounting evidence that Comcast is crippling peer-to-peer communication, the company’s spokespeople have thumbed their noses at the public and the press — refusing to admit that the blocking of connections is underhanded or in any way threatens the free flow of information that’s become the hallmark of an open Internet.

Good News

Good news for bloggers. It appears that Washington is now aware they must acknowledge that bloggers have free speech rights. In addition, pressure is being applied by bloggers to hold telecom giants accountable for breaking the law and purging bloggers off the Internet. The following if from Electronic Frontier Foundation.

When it comes to putting the pressure on the Senate to stand against retroactive immunity for telecom lawbreakers, bloggers have taken a vital lead. They helped inspire Chris Dodd to pledge a hold on any Senate bill that contains an amnesty, and prompted Barack Obama's recent unequivocal opposition to immunity.

These key bloggers have joined together to send a letter to Harry Reid, urging him to honor Sen. Dodd's hold and stop the immunity legislation currently moving through the Senate. The full letter is at www.noretroactiveimmunity.com. You can add you own name to the letter there (and join EFF, the ACLU, Working Assets and many prominent figures in the Democratic netroots.) And don't forget to visit Stop The Spying to call your representatives and urge them to use their vote to oppose telecom immunity in Congress.

Free Speech

There is a movement to use child protection to stifle free speech. Even though child protection advocates have a good argument in proposing controls on internet content, free speech advocates have a better argument. Namely, when the government starts controlling internet content and the blogosphere our free speech rights are in danger. The following is a news brief.

Brief Filed Challenging COPA on Free Speech Grounds - Today the Center for Democracy & Technology filed a "friend of the court" brief in federal appeals court challenging the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) as a violation of the First Amendment. The amicus brief, submitted to the Third Circuit on behalf of CDT and 17 other groups, argued that COPA places unconstitutional burdens on producers and distributors of Web content. Other strategies are more effective than COPA at protecting children from inappropriate online content, and also impose fewer restrictions on lawful adult speech — in particular, technological parental controls such as Internet filtering software and non-technological tools such as youth education. Amici included organizations that represent corporate leaders in the Internet industry; publishers, distributors and retailers of books and other content; libraries and librarians; newspapers, editors and journalists; and public interest organizations that uphold civil liberties and advocate for a free and open Internet. October 29, 2007

Washington's Finest

I do not think that Washington gets it. Bloggers will not allow Washington's finest goof balls to block access to the Internet. Save the Internet is an important topic, but Washington's finest have not figured this out. Bloggers and Internet based citizen journalists are on the march to protect our freedom of speech in this new dynamic medium called the blogosphere.The following is from an excellent blog on Save the Internet.

Indeed, earlier today support for Net Neutrality emerged as the No. 1 issue that thousands of visitors to TechPresident had selected to be answered by all the presidential candidates. By Monday afternoon’s count, more than twice as many people had voted for the Net Neutrality question over any other issue at 10Questions.com.

Net Neutrality

The following is from the Save The Internet site.

What Comcast is doing is inspecting the packets of information users send over BitTorrent and similar peer-to-peer protocols. When Comcast’s technology identifies a file being uploaded over BitTorrent, it intercepts and terminates the transmission by falsifying the TCP to look like one of the end users. As Professor Susan Crawford explains: “It’s as if someone else that sounded like you got on the phone as you were talking to your mother and said, ‘We need to hang up right now.’ ”Comcast’s behavior, which AP calls “the most drastic example yet of data discrimination by a U.S. Internet service provider,” is what a world without Net Neutrality looks like.

The large telecoms are trying to control Internet content in a way that was not intended. This is a strategy that most large telecoms are utilizing. The next movement by these large firms will be to create software that will automatically screen any blogger that mentions the large firms name. Save the Internet for bloggers.

Net Neutrality

News Flash from Save The Internet By Timothy L. Stanley

The following article from Save The Internet is right on. It is time to lobby Washington to move toward a policy that allows bloggers to have Internet free speech. Telecoms giants and Washington regulators are in the process of limiting access and restricting the Citizen Journalist. Call your elected official to promote Net Neutrality.

No More Gatekeepers!

Recent censorship and blocking by AT&T, Verizon and Comcast shows us what we can expect in a future where powerful phone and cable companies control the free flow of information.

It's time Congress demanded free speech over all 21st Century communications – on the Internet, on cell phones, on the streets, everywhere. Stand with the millions of Americans and demand a free and open Internet.

Bloggers Beward

I read as many bloggers as possible regarding internet freedom. Bloggers should be aware that government regulators and the telecommunication industry have an agenda. They want to control the internet and bloggers. The following is from Save The Internet.

Internet, email and text messaging are a final refuge for free speech — at a time when other “mass media” have become the domain of a handful of powerful companies. We can’t let the Internet slip into the hands of the same types of gatekeepers that now control most of what we see and hear over television and radio.

Customers, Friends and Those Around Us

Customers, Friends and Those Around Us

By T.L. Stanley

In our fast-paced world, it is easy to lose track of the importance of human relations. Today, our human relations seems to rest on the wonders of E-mail, FAX, text messages, cell phones, blog sites, and the marvels of a Blackberry. Even though we have advanced in communications, our technology has hindered direct human interaction. Therefore, extra effort must be taken to understand and appreciate the value of others. Everyone wants to be treated with respect and dignity. Treat others as you want them to treat you.

Professionals in real estate, insurance, and most retail establishments will attest to the value of repeat business. Remember, if you do not take care of your customer, someone else will. Be creative and find solutions to work related customer problems.

Professionals with a eye on repeat business give the customer the best deal possible. If your costs have been lowered, give the customer a lower price. This will demonstrate to the customer that they are special and the organization is a first-rate business.

It is essential that you respect and encourage friends. This will help them maximize their talents and abilities. Everyone likes to hear a compliment. You should look for opportunities to say something good about a friend.

Ten ways to be a friend

1. Make it a point to be friendly everywhere you go.
2. Listen to your friends and respect their opinions.
3. Make sure you are always looking for ways to help your friends.
4. Treat everyone fairly and try to turn a sour person into a smiling person.
5. Set individual goals for yourself and your friends will respect you even more.
6. Respect yourself and be proud of your accomplishments and your friends will do the same.
7. When two of your friends become enemies, don’t take sides. Keep both as friends by being a friend to both. However, don’t meet with both at the same time.
8. Develop yourself and always work toward self-improvement. This will raise your own self-esteem.
9. Let your friends have their own ideas about religion and politics and do not argue with your friends about these topics. If you think differently, change the subject.
10. Communicate with your friends regularly. Meet with your friends in person. There is nothing like a friendly chat about life’s many marvels that can draw friends closer. Plus, letters, phone calls, and e-mails will keep you abreast of happenings. Help your friends set up their own blog sites to increase communications.

In conclusion, always be a friend and look for ways to gather more friends. Everyday that you go out into the world, you will have a chance to make more friends. Be a friend and you will have many.

Timothy L. Stanley is a Business Writer and Realtor® with Dilbeck GMAC Real Estate 626-230-0741. This article was published in the Rosemead Herald, Rosemead Star News, and The California Reporter. All Rights Reserved.

Politics, Bloggers, and Internet Freedom

I consider myself a moderate and try not to get pulled into the right verses the left debate. However, I wonder if Republicans know where they really stand on Internet Freedom. It seems to me that the Republicans are so concerned about allowing governmental agencies to have access to all forms of communications, that they have overlooked the importance of independent thinkers on the radio and Internet blogs. Even though the Republicans support conservative radio broadcasters, they do not support Internet Freedom. Bloggers need the freedom to be Citizen Journalists. If the government and telecommunications giants have their way, bloggers could be discriminated against easily. Net Neutrality is being debated in Washington right now. Citizen Journalism is essential to promote and stimulate discourse about our democracy. One could argue that bloggers are Citizen Journalists. Regardless, all bloggers should support Net Neutrality.

Watch out for censorship

The following is from an outstanding blogger at Save the Internet. “Free speech shouldn't stop when you turn on your computer or pick up your cellphone,” writes Keenan and Combs. “Recent actions by the nation’s biggest communications corporations should be of grave concern to all who care about public participation in our democracy. In calling for congressional hearings on the censorship, NARAL and the Christian Coalition join a growing list of organizations, businesses and everyday citizens who want Congress to take immediate action to protect free speech on all communications platforms. We can’t trust phone companies to safeguard our basic American freedoms".

The telecommunication giants must be watched all the time. They have a vested interest in pushing bloggers off the air. There is also collusion between telecommunication giants and government regulators to monitor and purge the Internet of critical journalism.

Save The Internet

Even though the Save The Internet movement is steeped in political issues, it appears that the Internet must be saved from government regulators and telecommunication giants. It is hard to imagine the impact of having the government control the content and political correctness of the Internet. Plus, telecommunication giants have a vested interest in being the servants of large corporate concerns wanting exclusive access to the Internet for marketing purposes. In addition, the government would like to control content in order to stifle dissent.

Some of the liberal organizations joining the Save The Internet fight make me feel uncomfortable. Politically, I am a registered Independent. I am a free thinker and take a moderate approach to many issues, because I try to understand both sides of an argument. Generally speaking, I do not trust the power vested in the Democratic and Republican parties. Regardless, saving the Internet is a fight that must be taken seriously, because bloggers need to be free to investigate and inform. The future of Citizen Journalism is a stake.

Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality
By Timothy L. Stanley

Bloggers have a lot a stake in the new battle over Internet access. Bloggers assume that all web sites will be accessible. We expect to read whatever we want from whatever source we deem important. Today, Internet users and bloggers can go anywhere their interest and investigative mind takes them.

As this blog is written, the telecommunication giants and government regulators are trying to change this. They want to discriminate against anyone they deem inappropriate, politically incorrect, or snoops too much.

How will they do this? Restricting Internet access will be easy. They will do this tthrough Internet monitoring and pricing structures directed at keeping bloggers off the Internet. In addition, the telecommunication giants own the lines and transmission capacity. Federal regulators want to hand out Internet access to cronies, political hacks, and large multi-national firms paying huge fees to dominate the Internet. If multi-nations can knock bloggers off the internet, they will do it. This will give them unlimited marketing ability and a chance to shape public opinion to drive their products and ideas into every home in America.

Since the Main Steam Media is owned lock, stock, and barrel by large corporate concerns, bloggers will not be able to challenge CNN, ABC, CBS, or NBC. The Main Stream Media will be the only voice the public will see or hear. A Dan Rather type of reporting will become the norm. A Matt Drudge type of investigative reporting and citizen journalists/bloggers will be excluded from the public forum.

The aforementioned is an overview of what is coming. It is time for bloggers to organize, lobby, and support political parties to challenge telecommunication giants and federal regulators. Help maintain Net Neutrality.

A Smile

I went into Carl's Jr yesterday and the new manager had a great big smile. I like it when people smile. It seems to bring life to the day. For some reason, some people do not smile much. I figure this is because they don't see a need to show others a smile. The government employees I have met, do not smile much. However, they have a lot to smile about. They have good pay, good benefits, and life time jobs with no layoffs. They should smile all the time. But, they don't. This is a mystery to me. Oh well, life is full of mysteries. And sometimes, you just cannot figure it out. I wonder if I will see any smiling people tomorrow? As Forest Gump said, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get".

Real Friends

Real friends are special. Without friends, it would be a lonely place. Real friends know you and appreciate who you are. They give you words of encouragement when you get down. When you are going down the wrong path, real friends will give you honest advice, even if you don't like it. Yes indeed, I really appreciate real friends. The Lord has blessed me with many and I will always be grateful for this.

Realtors®

Real estate is an interesting profession. Marketing is highly important. Real estate contract issues are also essential components of this field. This is really a critical part of the job. Contracts are highly complex and attention to every detail is vital. Even though commissions on a real estate transaction can be good, the amount of time and money spent marketing can eat up a commission real fast. In addition, the Realtor® fees and insurance required to be in real estate are quite huge. Thus, a Realtor® must complete several transactions each year in order to pay expenses. My hat is off to Realtors® trying to make a living in this economic downturn.

What is the World Coming To

I saw a woman working in a local hamburger joint a few days ago. Gosh, she had rings in her lips, tongue, and nose. Then, I saw the cook wipe his hands over his hair and wipe the sweat from his brow. I just could not order a hamburger at that place. I went home and put a frozen dinner in the oven. In some ways, I craved some good old Army chow. What is the world coming to?

Just another day in paradise.

This is a new blog and I am looking forward to post news with a moderate voice.