Progressive Calendar 09.08.06
From: David Shove (shove001tc.umn.edu)
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 02:08:01 -0700 (PDT)
            P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R     09.08.06

1. Ramsey budget        9.08 8:30am
2. Immigrant roundtable 9.08 9:15pm
3. Peltier/FBI files    9.08 9:30am
4. Animals/compassion   9.08 3:30pm
5. Vigil vs Israel      9.08 4:15pm
6. Sur-rational art     9.08 6pm
7. Love/Cuba/film       9.08 6pm
8. 911 saint/film       9.08 7:15pm
9. Amy Goodman/HERE     9.08 7:30pm
10. Lit drop/Farheen    9.08
11. Precaution think    9.08-10

12. John Kolstad - Gubernatorial debate
13. Howard Zinn  - War is not a solution for terrorism
14. John Nichols - Fight for Internet freedom heats up

--------1 of 14-------

From: Diane J. Peterson <birch7 [at] comcast.net>
Subject: Ramsey budget 9.08 8:30am

How will our tax dollars be spent?  That's a core question for voters, and
for residents, of any area.  I happened upon a notice that the public may
have input to Ramsey County this Friday concerning spending--specifically,
comments are being taken on the proposed budget for next year.  At the
Ramsey County website, I saw the following notice:
--
2007 Ramsey County budget discussions underway

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners is now in budget discussions
regarding the 2007 budget.  The 2007 proposed budget includes a 2% spending
increase, which is well below the rate of inflation. The public may comment
on the budget on Friday, September 8th from 8:30-to-Noon

If you wish to address the Board contact: 651-266-8014


-------2 of 14--------

From: humanrts [at] umn.edu
Subject: Immigrant roundtable 9.08 9:15pm

September 8 - Immigrant Community Roundtable.  Time: 9:15am-12noon.

Much of the current debate on immigration reform in the U.S. has centered
around proposed legalization for the undocumented population. However, the
federal immigration proposals contain countless measures that will change
current practices that will affect all immigrant, refugee and asylee
communities here in Minnesota.  To address these issues, this event will
present two panel discussions to draw out important issues that have not
yet been adequately addressed and to bring in members of the various
communities that have not yet joined the immigration reform conversation.
The two main topics for the panel are "Detention and Removal" and
"Fraudulent Documents and Enforcement."  Members of government agencies
will speak to current practices and members of NGO's will address the
legislative proposals.  The audience will have some opportunity for Q&A
after each panel discussion.

AGENDA

    * 9:15-9:30 a.m. Sign-in
    * 9:30-9:40 a.m. Introduction to Roundtable Hector Garcia
    * 9:40-10:00 a.m. Introduction to Topic and Panelists Michele
Garnett McKenzie, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
    * 10:00-10:45 a.m. 1st Panel: Detention and Removal Panelists: Ann
Tanke, Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel Scott Baniecke,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Detention and Removal
Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, Senior Policy Associate, National Immigration
Forum Immigration Attorney Moderator: Michele Garnett McKenzie
    * 10:45-11:00 a.m. Break
    * 11:00-11:45 a.m. 2nd Panel: Fraudulent Documents and Enforcement
Panelists:  Mark Cangemi, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) St.
Paul Police Chief, John Harrington Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, Senior Policy
Associate, National Immigration Forum Immigration Attorney Moderator:
Michele Garnett McKenzie
    * 11:45-12:00 p.m. Community Input/Task Force
    * 12:00 p.m. Adjourn

2.0 CLE credits applied for.

Hosted by Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights.  For more information call
Sarah Herder at 612-341-3302 ext 126.  2.0 CLE credits applied for.
Location: The International Institute, 1694 Como Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108


--------3 of 14--------

Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 01:48:38 -0500
From: Chris Spotted Eagle <chris [at] spottedeagle.org>
Subject: Peltier/FBI files 9.08 9:30am

Leonard Peltier's lawyers arguing to release FBI files

US. Courthouse, 300 South Fourth Street, Courtroom 9E, Minneapolis
September 8
9:30am
Hearing:  Open to the public

Barry A. Bachrach, Esq. and Michael Kuzma, Esq. will be arguing before
United States Magistrate Judge Susan R. Nelson for the full release of all
FBI files maintained by the Minneapolis Field Office relating to Leonard
Peltier and RESMURS.  The FBI reviewed 77,149 pages and released 66,594
pages in full or in part, however, 10,555 pages were withheld in their
entirety.

Of utmost significance is that Mr. Peltier seeks release of documents
relating to informants, particularly with respect to the extent the
Federal Bureau of Investigation paid informants to infiltrate Mr.
Peltierıs defense team.  Mr. Peltierıs legal team just discovered evidence
establishing that Douglas Durham, who was a confidential source paid by
the FBI to infiltrate the highest levels of the American Indian Movement
and who was exposed on March 7, 1975, spoke with, and provided information
to, William Halprin, the Chief Prosecutor from Canada against Mr. Peltier
in connection with the extradition proceedings.  Halprin requested
Durhamıs involvement "to enable him to utilize source [Durham] to refute
statements made by Peltierıs defense."  The FBI instructed Durham "to
provide information requested by Crown Attorney [and] If recontacted
by Halprin, he would cooperate fully and would keep Omaha advised of
developments."

Knowing full well the impact such revelations would have on Mr. Peltierıs
case, the government is fighting vigorously to prevent these documents,
that date back over 30 years, from being publicly released.  Among other
things, the FBI claims that the release of this information would harm
national security and reveal the identities of confidential sources.  Mr.
Peltierıs lawyers have argued that these are nothing more than pretexts to
prevent the release of further evidence of the continuing violation of Mr.
Peltierıs constitutional rights and further drives home the fact that Mr.
Peltier never received a fair trial.

For further information contact the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee:
(915) 203-6358.  www.leonardpeltier.net.


--------4 of 14-------

From: Gil Schwartz <gil [at] exploreveg.org>
Subject: Animals/compassion 9.08 3:30pm

Fall New Volunteer Meetings to Help Animals

Become part of CAA! Learn how to help animals while socializing with other
vegetarians and vegans. Attend one of our new volunteer meetings on
Friday, September 8, or Tuesday, September 12, from 3:30 to 4:30!

At the meetings, we'll discuss who we are and what we do, as well as your
ideas for vegetarian and animal advocacy. We organize a huge variety of
events, and there is almost definitely something that you will be
interested in. Everyone is welcome, whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or
just interested in helping animals. Both students and community members
are encouraged to attend.

Mark your calendar and help us save thousands of animals this fall by
becoming part of Compassionate Action for Animals!

Location: Coffman Union, rm 323
<http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/CMU/index.html> at the University of
Minnesota, http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/CMU/index.html
3:30-4:30pm on Fri Sept 8 /or/ Tues Sept 12

If you can't make it to either meeting, feel free to fill out our
volunteer form, http://www.exploreveg.org/help/volunteer.html, to stay
informed about the many ways you can help animals.

More info at info [at] exploreveg.org


--------5 of 14--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Vigil vs Israel 9.08 4:15pm

Friday, 9/8, 4:15 to 5:30, vigil to end U.S. military and political support
of Israel, Summit & Snelling Aves, St. Paul.  Karen, 651-283-3495.


--------6 of 14-------

From: Stephen Feinstein <feins001 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Sur-rational art 9.08 6pm

THE SUR-RATIONAL PAINTINGS by Fritz Hirschberger

The Katherine E. Nash Gallery is pleased to present the SUR-RATIONAL
PAINTINGS by Fritz Hirschberger in an exhibition which opens August 29 and
runs through October 5, 2006. The exhibition is from the collection of the
Regis Foundation in conjunction with the University's Center for Holocaust
and Genocide Studies.  A public opening reception at the gallery is
scheduled for Friday, September 8, from 6-8:30 p.m.  All events at the
Nash are free and open to the general public.

Gallery hours:  Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m.
 4 p.m.; Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10 a.m.
 8 p.m.

The Katherine E. Nash Gallery is located on the first floor of the Regis
Center for Art at the heart of the West Bank Arts Quarter, 21st Avenue
south and Fourth Street on the University of Minnesota's west bank campus.

Fritz Hirschberger was originally from Dresden.  His life was altered in
1938 by his expulsion, along with his family, to Poland. A member of the
Polish army, he fled to the USSR after the defeat and occupation of
Poland, and eventually served in the Polish Anders Army in North Africa
and Italy. While not a survivor of the concentration camps, his family
died in them.

Hirschberger, who died in 2004 at age 93, was always haunted by the
question of how to represent to Holocaust and other atrocities of the 20th
century through art. One result is the SURRATIONAL PAINTINGS.

These paintings tell stories. The artist has explained that the idea of
combining painting with text "is based on the medieval German MORITAT
(song) meaning a "song of Mori=deadly+Tat=deed. The lyrics of the Mortitat
were usually based on a heinous crime and performed by strolling minstrels
in combination with illustrations painted on a banner, like comic strips
of our era." Brecht used this technique in his Three Penny Opera. Another
comparison might be folk songs in many languages that extol events
involving victims and perpetrators, crimes of passion, and especially
"Robin Hood" type of social bandits who often stole from the rich to give
to the poor. However, the level of the crime of the Holocaust is beyond
such comparisons.

Thus Hirschberger's works, which have wide interpretations, brings the
viewer back to a confrontation with a narrative and suggests a problem to
ponder: how to represent the Holocaust in the visual arts.

Catalogue available for sale.

School groups are welcome at the Nash and docents can be arranged by
contacting Dr. Stephen Feinstein, at 612-626-2235 at least a week in
advance.


--------7 of 14--------

From: Minnesota Cuba Committee <mncuba [at] usfamily.net>
Subject: Love/Cuba/film 9.08 6pm

Friday, 6:00 pm, Resource Center, 3019 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis,
"Love and Suicide," Cuban-American filmmaker Luis Moro produced this film
partly in Cuba, in defiance of the US embargo. The romantic drama
describes one man's journey to discover the one thing that lies between
love and suicide - and to make his choice.

The Minnesota Cuba Committee meets every other week at Holy Trinity
Church, 2730 E. 31st Street, Minneapolis. The next meeting will be 6:30,
Thursday, September 7, 2006.

For more information call 612 623-3452 or 651 983-3981


--------8 of 14--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: 911 saint/film 9.08 7:15pm

9/8 to 9/14, 7:15 and 9:15 pm, film "Saint of 911" about Franciscan priest
Mychal Judge who died in WTC attacks, Bell Museum, 10 Church St SE, Mpls.
www.mnfilmarts.org


--------9 of 14--------

From: teresa konechne <tontheroad [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Amy Goodman/HERE 9.08 7:30pm

Amy Goodman Speaking Engagement Hosted by KFAI Radio
Friday, September 8, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
St. Joan of Arc Church, 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis
$10 general admission (see below for locations)

CONTACT:  Janis Lane-Ewart, Executive Director, KFAI Radio 612.341.3144
Ext. 23 janislaneewart [at] kfai.org

KFAI Welcomes Amy Goodman, Award winning Journalist and Radio/TV Co-Host
of Democracy Now! to the Twin Cities. KFAI Fresh Air Radio has aired her
popular noon time program for over a decade.

Are you concerned about the state of affairs in the US and abroad?  Do you
trust the nightly news to give you the "whole truth"?  Do you wonder where
you can get another viewpoint? Amy Goodman, notorious defender of civil
rights, immigrant rights, and democracy, as well as relentless
investigator of domestic and international issues - cuts through the
mainstream media messages to present a refreshing and insightful look at
the world we live in.

Goodman returns to the Twin Cities to speak about her up-coming book,
"Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight
Back."  Written with her brother David, "Static" takes on dishonest
government officials, corporate profiteers, and the media that lets them
get away with it. They expose how the Bush administration has manipulated
and fabricated news and how the corporate media has worked hand in glove
with them to deceive the public.  In Ms. Goodman's words, "The role ofthe
media is to go where the silence is and say something."

Two years ago Ms. Goodman spoke to a standing room only crowd at St. Joan
of Arc Church about her current best seller The Exception to the Rulers.
Books will be available for purchase by Birchbark Books onsite. All
proceeds from this event will benefit KFAI Radio.

TICKETS:  $10 general admission, available for purchase online by credit
card at:  http://www.kfai.org or by calling KFAI,612-341-3144, Ext. 33

Purchased directly at:
-Birchbark Books, 2115 West 21st Street, Minneapolis, MN, 612.347.4023
-Lake Country Booksellers, 4766 Washington Sq., White Bear Lake,
651.426.0918
-Opposable Thumbs Books, 2833 NE Johnson St., 612.706.2020
-Golden Thyme Coffee, 921 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, 651-645-1340
-Cahoots Coffee Bar, 1562 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, 651-644-6778

teresa konechne working hands productions minneapolis mn 612.871.2576
(studio) 612.214.1121 (cell) www.workinghandsproductions.com (in progress)


--------10 of 14--------

From: Farheen Hakeem <hijabicycle [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Lit drop/Farheen 9.08

September 8th, September 9th, September 10th, and September 11th, I need
you, all of you, to lit drop Hennepin County District 4.

Our team has been doorknocking since May, and we need to send a gentle
reminder to people to vote on September 12th.

Open up your calendars now, and block out 4 hours of time that weekend to
drop literature in South Minneapolis.  No door knocking, no talking, no
campaigning.  Just you pounding the pavement, enjoying the nice weather
and participating in a grassroots campaign.

Please call 612-395-5559 or info [at] farheenhakeem.org to let us know when you
are available.


--------11 of 14-------

From: erin [at] mnwomen.org
Subject: Precaution think 9.08-10

September 8-10: Women's Environmental Institute Precaution Academy. The
Science and Environmental Health Network and Environmental Research
Foundation have created the Precaution Academy will offer an intensive
weekend of training to prepare participants to apply precautionary thinking
to a wide range of issues in their communities and workplaces. Cost is $350,
which includes hotel for two nights, plus six meals, and all instructional
material. Limited scholarships may be available, inquire with Sherri Seidmon
at sherri [at] sehn.org. www.w-e-i.org.


--------12 of 14--------

Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 15:52:32 -0500
From: John Kolstad <jkolstad [at] millcitymusic.com>
Subject: Gubernatorial debate

The criterion used for Debates in Minnesota and the USA are arbitrary and
capricious, usually driven by the money interests.  Larry Agran, Mayor of
Irvine California, and 1992 Democratic Presidential Candidate, set out to
correct this after the grossly unfair treatment he received from the
Democratic Party.  He and a number of other mayors around America created
10 Objective Criterion to establish legitimacy as a candidate.  If a
candidate attained any 3 of these categories, they would be included in
all debates.

Again, Minnesota is being victimized by power brokers who make arbitrary
decisions and publish no objective criterion for inclusion in the debates.
At the State Fair a number of people spoke with me at the Green Party
Booth stating that the phone calls they call from polsters were only
asking about the Demcrats and the Republicans.  The Independence Party was
hearing the same thing.

I would hope that someone would contact the League of Women Voters and ask
them to establish Objective Criterion for Debates and not use questionable
poll results.

The number of elected Greens in MN, and the number of State wide and local
Green candidates and the recent past of being a Major party are all
indications that the Green Party of MN is a viable Party and its
candidates are contenders in the coming election.  If Greens and other
viable candidates are not allowed in the debates then the elections
themselves will not be legitimate.  How can we call an election legitimate
if only the candidates with support from those with money and power are
allowed to speak to the electorate.  Those with money and power are only 1
% or 2% of the population.  Minnesota is better than that.  YOu can fool
some of the people but not all the people (you know the line).

Elections should be about the ideas, experience, leadership and integrity
of the candidate, not the amount of corrupting money they can collect.
Particularly organizations the receive public money like MPR should be
open and objective.

John R Kolstad/President, Mill City Music aka Papa John Kolstad, candidate
Attorney General - MN Green Party

--
Rhoda Gilman wrote:

As a member and contributor to 1000 Friends of Minnesota, I wish to second
the sentiments of both Kristen Olson and Suzanne Linton.  On several
counts Ken Pentel should be included in the gubernatorial debate.  To
exclude him is to turn your back on a large and important group of
Minnesotans who are among the most dedicated and articulate in supporting
the very causes that you profess to uphold.

You argue that it would be inconsistent to include him but exclude the
candidates of other minor parties.  If formal consistency is your primary
goal, then include them all.  I submit, however, that in the world of
political reality (as contrasted with our state's archaic electoral laws)
the Green Party is a major party.  In both of the state's largest cities
it is in fact not even a third party; it is the second party.  I am sure
you are not unaware that there is a broad base of Minnesota citizens who
agree with Ken's positions and want to see them put forward in the
political arena.  Yet they seldom see any mention of him in the mass
media, and they are dissuaded from voting for him because the overwhelming
power of money makes him "unelectable."

Rhoda R. Gilman


--------13 of 14--------

War Is Not A Solution For Terrorism
By Howard Zinn
ZNet Commentary
September 07, 2006
http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2006-09/07zinn.cfm

THERE IS SOMETHING important to be learned from the recent experience of
the United States and Israel in the Middle East: that massive military
attacks, inevitably indiscriminate, are not only morally reprehensible,
but useless in achieving the stated aims of those who carry them out.

The United States, in three years of war, which began with shock-and-awe
bombardment and goes on with day-to-day violence and chaos, has been an
utter failure in its claimed objective of bringing democracy and stability
to Iraq. The Israeli invasion and bombing of Lebanon has not brought
security to Israel; indeed it has increased the number of its enemies,
whether in Hezbollah or Hamas or among Arabs who belong to neither of
those groups.

I remember John Hersey's novel, "The War Lover," in which a macho American
pilot, who loves to drop bombs on people and also to boast about his
sexual conquests, turns out to be impotent. President Bush, strutting in
his flight jacket on an aircraft carrier and announcing victory in Iraq,
has turned out to be much like the Hersey character, his words equally
boastful, his military machine impotent.

The history of wars fought since the end of World War II reveals the
futility of large-scale violence. The United States and the Soviet Union,
despite their enormous firepower, were unable to defeat resistance
movements in small, weak nations - the United States in Vietnam, the
Soviet Union in Afghanistan - and were forced to withdraw.

Even the "victories" of great military powers turn out to be elusive.
Presumably, after attacking and invading Afghanistan, the president was
able to declare that the Taliban were defeated. But more than four years
later, Afghanistan is rife with violence, and the Taliban are active in
much of the country.

The two most powerful nations after World War II, the United States and
the Soviet Union, with all their military might, have not been able to
control events in countries that they considered to be in their sphere of
influence - the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe and the United States in
Latin America.

Beyond the futility of armed force, and ultimately more important, is the
fact that war in our time inevitably results in the indiscriminate killing
of large numbers of people. To put it more bluntly, war is terrorism. That
is why a "war on terrorism" is a contradiction in terms. Wars waged by
nations, whether by the United States or Israel, are a hundred times more
deadly for innocent people than the attacks by terrorists, vicious as they
are.

The repeated excuse, given by both Pentagon spokespersons and Israeli
officials, for dropping bombs where ordinary people live is that
terrorists hide among civilians. Therefore the killing of innocent people
(in Iraq, in Lebanon) is called accidental, whereas the deaths caused by
terrorists (on 9/11, by Hezbollah rockets) are deliberate.

This is a false distinction, quickly refuted with a bit of thought. If a
bomb is deliberately dropped on a house or a vehicle on the grounds that a
"suspected terrorist" is inside (note the frequent use of the word
suspected as evidence of the uncertainty surrounding targets), the
resulting deaths of women and children may not be intentional. But neither
are they accidental. The proper description is "inevitable."

So if an action will inevitably kill innocent people, it is as immoral as
a deliberate attack on civilians. And when you consider that the number of
innocent people dying inevitably in "accidental" events has been far, far
greater than all the deaths deliberately caused by terrorists, one must
reject war as a solution for terrorism.

For instance, more than a million civilians in Vietnam were killed by US
bombs, presumably by ``accident." Add up all the terrorist attacks
throughout the world in the 20th century and they do not equal that awful
toll.

If reacting to terrorist attacks by war is inevitably immoral, then we
must look for ways other than war to end terrorism, including the
terrorism of war. And if military retaliation for terrorism is not only
immoral but futile, then political leaders, however cold-blooded their
calculations, may have to reconsider their policies.

Howard Zinn is a professor emeritus at Boston University and the author of
the forthcoming book, A Power Governments Cannot Suppress to be published
by City Lights Books (www.citylights.com) this winter.


--------14 of 14--------

FIGHT FOR INTERNET FREEDOM HEATS UP
By John Nichols
The Nation, Sept. 4, 2006

Congress is about to return to Washington this week after taking a long
summer break for campaigning and before taking a long fall break for
campaigning.

During the brief period of governing that will be wedged into the month of
September, a lot of damage could be done - particularly to "The First
Amendment of the Internet": the principle known as "Net Neutrality."

Net Neutrality, which has until now been the guiding principle that
preserves a free and open Internet, ensures that everyone who logs on can
access the content or run the applications and devices of every site on
the world wide web. The neutrality principle prevents telephone and cable
companies that provide internet service from discriminating against
content based on its source or ownership.

As the "Save the Internet" campaign [www.savetheinternet.com], a broad
coalition of groups fighting to maintain open access to all sites on the
web, explains: "Net Neutrality is the reason why the Internet has driven
economic innovation, democratic participation, and free speech online.
It's why the Internet has become an unrivaled environment for open
communications, civic involvement and free speech."

Telecommunications firms salivate at the prospect of eliminating Net
Neutrality requirements and setting up systems where websites that pay for
the service will be more easily reached than sites that cannot afford the
toll. And U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, the Alaska Republican who has for many
years been a dominant figure in communications debates on Capitol Hill, is
determined to change the rules so that Internet gatekeepers such as AT&T,
Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner, can create an "information superhighway"
for those who pay and a dirt road for those who fail to do so.

A sweeping overhaul of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that is being
promoted by Stevens does not include Net Neutrality protections and would
effectively clear the way for the telecommunications giants to colonize
the Internet.

Stevens, the chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee, wants to
see action on the measure before Congress breaks for the remainder of the
election season in early October. But rewriting the rules to favor the
telecommunications conglomerates may not be as easy this year as it was in
1996. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has placed a hold on the overhaul
legislation and says he will not lift it until Net Neutrality protections
are written into the measure.

Activists across the country used the August break to urge senators who
had not taken a stand to line up in favor of net neutrality. Rallies in
late August targeted Congressional offices in 25 cities nationwide, and
they had an impact. A number of senators - including New York's Chuck
Schumer, Minnesota's Mark Dayton, Iowa's Tom Harkin and Vermont's Jim
Jeffords - pledged their support for net neutrality.

But Stevens - and too many of his allies in both parties - remained
unmoved as September started.

As the return of Congress loomed, however, the Alaska senator took a poke
from the largest daily newspaper in his state, the Anchorage Daily News,
which bluntly declared in a September 4 editoral that: "Net Neutrality is
a good idea. Sen. Ted Stevens should support it."

"Sen. Stevens has said he doesn't see an immediate problem that requires
regulation. In other words, he's reluctant to have the government set the
playing rules until more companies are caught cheating. Apparently he
thinks competition can be counted on to prevent any abuses," explained the
editorial. "Only problem is, local Internet service is not a fluid,
totally free market with a lot of competitors. Many markets are served by
only one or two high-speed Internet companies. Switching providers is not
as easy as driving to the next gas station or grocery store. Special
expertise and special equipment are required to switch. Many consumers may
not even be sophisticated enough to know when their Internet service is
playing favorites in sending content."

The Anchorage Daily News concluded that, "Net Neutrality is hardly a
heavy-handed government intrusion into the free-wheeling world of the
Internet. It is a simple antitrust rule that protects consumers by keeping
Internet companies from exploiting their control over connections.
Congress should get ahead of the curve and ensure net neutrality before
abuses begin to spread."

That's the right position. And it is summed up by a measure that the
Senate should pass before its members go out and ask Americans for their
votes this fall: The Internet Freedom Preservation Act. Sponsored by Maine
Republican Olympia Snowe and North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan the act
would provide meaningful protection for Net Neutrality.

While the machinations in the Senate this month are troubling, they also
provide a critical opening for the debate that America should be having on
media policy. No incumbent senator or candidate for a senate seat should
be allowed to make it to November without addressing the issue of Net
Neutrality and the broader question of whether media policy in this
country should serve a few telecommunications giants or the the great mass
of Americans and the great potential of American democracy.

Copyright 2006 The Nation

[Eat the rich. Redistribute their money and power. Democracy cannot
survive a ruling class. No way should most of us be in poverty and
powerlessness and ruined lives just so a few out-dated mind-diseased
peacocks can strut. -ed]

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   - David Shove             shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu
   rhymes with clove         Progressive Calendar
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