Support the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009

Early this week, Representatives Ed Markey and Anna Eshoo introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009. It's common sense and it's fair, but just watch as the telecoms now do everything they can to destroy it. Why do we need this Act? Here are a few recent examples:

The issue of unrestricted Internet access has gained new traction on Capitol Hill in the wake of reports that Apple and AT&T are each blocking or preventing users from accessing services for the mega-popular iPhone, which is exclusive to AT&T at the moment. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski recently sent letters to Apple, AT&T, and Google asking why Google Voice, the company's popular free calling service, was rejected for use on the iPhone.

Representatives Markey and Eshoo made this statement about the need for this net neutrality bill:

The Internet is a success today because it was open to everyone with an idea,” said Rep. Markey. “That openness and freedom has been at risk since the Supreme Court decision in Brand X. This bill will protect consumers and content providers because it will restore the guarantee that one does not have to ask permission to innovate. The Internet has thrived and revolutionized business and the economy precisely because it started as an open technology,” Rep. Eshoo said. “This bill will ensure that the non-discriminatory framework that allows the Internet to thrive and competition on the Web to flourish is preserved at a time when our economy needs it the most.”

Here's a summary of the bill:

H.R. 3458, the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, is designed to assess and promote Internet freedom for consumers and content providers. The bill states that it is the policy of the United States to protect the right of consumers to access lawful content, run lawful applications, and use lawful services of their choice on the Internet while preserving and promoting the open and interconnected nature of broadband networks, enabling consumers to connect to such networks their choice of lawful devices, as long as such devices do not harm the network. The legislation also directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate several rules relating to enforcement and implementation of the legislation, including rules to ensure that providers of Internet access service fulfill the duties and disclose meaningful information to consumers about a provider’s Internet access service in clear, uniform, and conspicuous manner.

To do your part, click on this tool to determine the phone number of your representative, then call to ask for his or her position on this bill. You are then given a further option to report the result to Free Press/Save the Internet. I made the call and spoke directly with a legislative assistant. She didn't know the answer (re Representative Russ Carnahan), but promised to find out and report back to me. The entire process only took a couple minutes. You can also sign a Petition that will be delivered to Congress by visiting Save the Internet. Again, it only takes a minute. Your grass roots investment of a few minutes can counteract tens of millions of dollars the telecoms will spend on lobbyists, misleading media campaigns and wads of cash that the are putting into the palms of your elected representatives. Be empowered!

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Extraordinary ordinary things

I've been having fun taking photos with my Canon SD1100SI, as usual. I carry it almost everywhere. I especially enjoy when an ordinary thing looks extraordinary. While driving yesterday, I noticed a beautiful sunset. I handed my camera to my 11-year old daughter JuJu, who was sitting in the back seat, and asked her whether she would be willing to take a photo of the sunset (see below). The shape of the sun is what intrigues me. Now, really. What's going on? Was the sun starting to take the shape of the Virgin Mary? Image by JuJu Vieth I've noticed many other extraordinary ordinary things lately. That was actually my purpose for carrying around a small camera--the camera reminds me to actually look at the many amazing ordinary things surrounding me (and you). Things like this bumble bee at work in my neighbor's yard. bumblebee Insects are especially fun and easy to photograph. All you need is a "macro" feature on your digital camera, and most cameras have that feature. I do love the macro feature, because it reveals things you simply can't see in person. spiderLooking at insects makes me wonder whether they are complicated robots or simple animals. And what are we, for that matter, given that we are confirmed cousins of these insects? To the right is another recent subject: a spider I noticed on a screen on my back porch. To give you an idea, this critter was merely 1/3 of an inch in width. Here are a few more things I'd like to share. First of all, a backyard snail, a gastropod. It snailis a close cousin of cephalopods (mollusks). That's all for now, except for this dragon kite flying high in this exceptionally blue sky over Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri. kite

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Who needs a public option anyway?

One of my republican friends asked me"who needs a public option, anyway?"over a beer the other evening. He was responding to my shout of dismay over Ms Sibelius statement that the public option was "not really necessary" to health care reform.

So who needs a public option?

People who are currently uninsured, of course. Most of them are not uninsured by their own choice, but by the choice of an insurance company. A few may have elected to remain uninsured even when eligible, due to cost of premiums, etc . Many younger colleagues fall into this latter group, which has the effect of raising insurance rates for everyone else (since the remaining population are older and higher risk)

People who cannot afford to lose their insurance. Many people maintain are locked in to their insurance because of conditions that would be considered 'pre-existing' by a new insurer. Even if able to be covered by a new insurer, their premiums would likely be higher, or their coverage would carry many more restrictions. Health costs are already high - who would choose to voluntarily increase their expenses while reducing benefits?

And people like me. I have a job. I am in reasonably good health, and have decent employer-based health insurance for myself and my family. But I am effectively locked into my current employment. I would love to start my own business, but I cannot afford to be without healthcare. Private healthcare is so expensive, my baseline operating costs would be simply exorbitant. The risk of starting a business is already high. The penurious cost of private healthcare makes a high risk venture, insanely high.

In my travels I meet a great many people - and many people feel equally locked into employment: "I'd love to quit this job and go do X but I can't afford to give up my healthcare".

Lack of a public option is killing America's spirit of entrepreneurship. It's killing the goose that laid the golden egg. The ability of common Americans to start their own ventures without hindrance is central to the spirit of independence and vitality that made this country an economic powerhouse in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The fact that republicans are most viscerally against a public option demonstrates that they are not "for business", but are simply and solely for "big business".

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On hiring a musician to get your girl back

Maybe the lesson is that you shouldn't hire a prominent musician to get back your girl, even if you originally fell in love while listening to his music. Maybe getting back your girl is one of those things that you just shouldn't delegate. Or maybe I'm saying too much . . . Here' the story in a nutshell, as heard on NPR's This American Life with Ira Glass. It is titled Act Two. "Lonely Hearts Club Band . . . Of One."

Musician David Berkeley has gotten a lot of requests in his life, but none quite like the offer his agent got last year. A fan wanted Berkeley to come to his house and help save his relationship by serenading the troubled couple with a personal concert. Ira Glass talks to Berkeley about why he took the gig, and what happened when he got there.
This strange and awkward concert occurred in the guy's living room, with the woman sitting at the opposite end of the couch from the guy. David Berkeley's job was to serenade the struggling couple in an attempt to get them back together. Berkeley shares his perspective of the events, along with some of his music. If you want to hear the story yourself, here the site of Glass's show, where you can download the entire show--the story is about 12 minutes long, starting at the 33 minute mark.

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People bringing guns to locations of Obama speeches. NRA: no comment

The AP reports that increasing numbers of people are bringing guns to locations of Obama speeches. These well-armed citizens include several with assault-type weapons. The article ends with the reporters note that the National Rifle Association offered "no comment." I'm just amazed that it is legal to hang around near a high-profile political event with a gun. Next thing you know, the Supreme Court is going to declare bearing weapons as a form of speech.

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